All posts by h716a5.icu

James Vince struck a half-century as Hampshire secured a five-wicket win to move closer to the knockout stages

ECB Reporters Network30-May-2018
ScorecardReece Topley bowled Hampshire to the brink of the Royal London Cup’s knockout stages as they beat Middlesex by five wickets at Merchant Taylors’ School.Topley, who committed himself to white-ball only cricket over the winter as he makes another injury comeback, made Middlesex regret their decision to bat first in bowler-friendly conditions following a delayed start.His 4 for 40 ensured the hosts were restricted to just 199 for 8 in their 45 overs, a target the South Group leaders made comfortably, despite a mid-innings wobble, led by 56 from England discard James Vince.Eyebrows were raised when Middlesex skipper Steven Finn opted to bat after winning a toss delayed for an hour by early morning rain.Deprived of club captain Dawid Malan on Test duty and England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan, ruled out with a cracked finger, much depended on openers Paul Stirling and Nick Gubbins. However, Gubbins perished early, caught in the gulley for 9 giving Topley his first wicket.Under murky skies and with an outfield too wet to afford batsman value for their shot-making, even Stirling with two centuries already in the competition struggled to break the shackles.He did hoist Topley for one huge six into the car park but trying to repeat the shot he fell to the next delivery, holing out at mid-off.This left Max Holden, making his List-A debut for Middlesex and the barely more experienced Stevie Eskinazi needing to entrench.The pair kept the scoreboard ticking but save for a huge straight six from Holden boundaries were scarce in a third-wicket stand of 62 ended by Vince who trapped Eskinazi lbw for 42.Topley then returned to the attack to have Holden caught behind for 38 just as the hosts were attempting to accelerate.Overseas player Hilton Cartwright and wicketkeeper John Simpson attempted another rebuild before the former had his furniture rearranged by former Middlesex man Gareth Berg.And when Simpson lofted Mason Crane into Topley’s clutches at mid-off just three overs later Middlesex were 158 for 6.A few lusty blows from Tom Helm got Middlesex to the brink of 200, but Topley bowled him to complete his four-wicket haul.In reply, Rilee Roussow was caught behind to a reckless swipe off Finn, who also had Alsop caught by Eskinazi at short cover.But with Joe Weatherley providing solid support for the free-flowing Vince the visitors were seemingly cantering inexorably towards victory with even the competition’s leading wicket taker Ravi Patel – back on his old schoolground – unable to unsettle them.Vince’s 50 came in 64 balls, but with his team in cruise control the England man needlessly took on mid-on fielder James Franklin who promptly ran him out.When Weatherley holed out to Finn at mid-off from the bowling of Sowter six balls later, Middlesex briefly had hope.Sowter had Bradley Taylor caught behind for 11 to crank up the tension, but Jimmy Adams and Lewis McManus’ 60-run stand eased Hampshire home with 26 balls to spare.

Everybody hopes that the next three matches go the full distance, but don’t rule out contingency plans for rain intervals being discussed in team meetings

Sidharth Monga in Wellington06-Mar-2009
Blame it on the rain: The repeated shower interruptions have given the captains plenty to think about © Getty Images
So one-day cricket has become predictable, eh? It’s not the same old formulaic stuff when there’s rain around. With constant rain intervals, as at the Westpac Stadium tonight, teams have to keep thinking on their feet. Equations and circumstances keep changing with every drop that hits the green.Take a look at this scenario. Before the rain arrived the first time, India were 130 for 1 and looking at a 300-plus score. After two brief stints and three rain breaks, if the game had started, India would have had to defend 165 in 20 overs. On a pitch that Daniel Vettori said was much better than the one for the Twenty20 last week, with a wet outfield and ten wickets in hand, New Zealand would have fancied a win. So from being the favourites at one stage, India would be forgiven if they thought they escaped tonight. Such are the shenanigans of the Duckworth-Lewis system.It is always tricky to bat after a rain interval. All of a sudden the overs are reduced, the batsmen have to think of a target that is safe, and they have to change their style. Let’s not forget that they have to play themselves in before they can go for the big hits. Not to take the credit away from Vettori and Kyle Mills, but India came out a little distracted after the first rain break, and lost two wickets for 21 runs in five overs before rain struck again.The strategising for games when rain is forecast – and the forecasts in New Zealand have been fairly good so far – begins at the toss itself. Does a team want the runs on the board? Or does it want to chase a target? It is often tempting to go for the latter, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni looked at the other side of it before he chose to bat.”If it rains for the amount that you lose eight, 10 or 15 overs, the side which has batted first has a bit of advantage,” said Dhoni said, “but in the same way for the side batting, if they are given a target in 20 overs, it becomes very easy. For New Zealand today, if it was a 20-over game, they would have required around 166-odd runs, but if it was a 28-over game they would have needed about 217-odd runs.”Also the side batting first stands to gain in terms of Powerplays from a situation when the game has been reduced. Today India got 15 overs of Powerplays before the rain interval, and with the game reduced to 34 overs, got three more overs of batting Powerplay. Had the rain not intervened, New Zealand would have got only 13 overs of fielding restrictions as opposed to India’s 18. It will be one complex system that takes all this into account and then reworks the target. In a similar scenario late last year, India got 18 overs of Powerplays as opposed to England’s nine, in the Bangalore ODI that had to be reduced to 22 overs a side.Generally the shorter the match, the more it favours the fielding side. But like Dhoni said, who can predict how much it will rain? It helps, though, to have a Virender Sehwag at the top of the order to take the pressure that the duo of Duckworth and Lewis put on a batting side.India knew it would rain in Napier and they knew it would rain in Wellington. Both times they decided to bat, so it seems like a policy decision. “It’s like a gamble because you don’t know how much it would rain,” said Dhoni. “That’s a gamble you take more often, and we are a good batting side so we back ourselves on that. If we get a good start we can get a decent score if the amount of overs are reduced by 15 or 20. And definitely, in 30 overs the opposition will get a big target to chase.”Vettori would have batted too if he had won the toss, but for a different reason. “The wicket was a lot better than it was for the Twenty20 game, so we wanted to make sure we could put a score on the board,” he said. “And in a way, try and put the pressure back on India because they have done so well with batting at the start.”India’s tour of New Zealand so far has been shorn of mind games and quotable quotes, but the rain breaks have added an interesting twist to both off-field planning and on-field implementation, especially when dealing with factors beyond one’s control. It is not always fair, but like the batting Powerplays they add a whole new dimension.Everybody is hoping that the next three matches will go the full distance, but you can be sure contingency plans for rain intervals will be discussed in team meetings.

Rashid Latif’s cricket academy, which has been close to a decade in the making, is an epitome of Karachi’s unique cricket ethos

Osman Samiuddin11-Feb-2009

Rashid Latif: perhaps the only person to run a cricket academy who believes he shouldn’t be coaching youngsters at all © Rashid Latif
To the right, as you enter the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy (RLCA), are well-constructed practice pitches – cement, matting and turf. Fifteen, maybe 20, years ago, so go the tales, this very patch was a killing playground, a piece of land notorious for “encounters” between police and young political activists. The ground, for football and hockey, was owned by the city government, but disused and grassless. In the now-demolished old dressing rooms, prostitution shared space with illegal car-parts trade.The area within which the academy sits – Federal B Area – was originally designed for those entrusted with the running of Pakistan, in the days when Karachi was the capital. The country is not run from here anymore, but the roads are wide, the houses old, and here a neighbourhood is still a neighbourhood, not a random collection of houses. It is one of Karachi’s many beating hearts.As is Rashid Latif. More than an academy, his RLCA is a way. It is the way of Rashid Latif, the way of Karachi cricket, a city where is bred a peculiar cricketer. This cricketer is largely self-taught, self-sufficient and rough-edged; when times are tough he fights hard, but he can just as readily regress to a victimised martyr. Disputes are never far, neither is politicking, but loyalty is cherished. The most successful are like gangsters: many people sustain themselves off them; they have flaws, but believe truly what they are doing is for good, in a Robin Hood kind of way. Usually the good outweighs the bad, but not by much.Though the academy has been operational since 2000, the official inauguration was only last week, a Karachi shindig through and through. Most of the city’s cricket grandees were there; Hanif Mohammad, Sallu (Salahuddin Ahmed), Tauseef Ahmed, Mohammad Sami, Azeem Hafeez, Asim Kamal, Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan. Younis Khan – an RLCA alumni and acolyte – who has rooted himself in Karachi, was also there, as was Mohammad Yousuf. The chief inaugurator was Karachi’s man of the moment, Mustafa Kamal, the wildly popular city mayor.It was a warm occasion, egalitarian in spirit. ICL bans meant nothing, as Younis chatted and laughed with Yousuf, Sami mingled with one and all. Ex-players joked with current, and all the while Salahuddin’s poetry flowed. Moin, competitor, rival and contemporary of Latif, had done his bit by donating an expensive bowling machine to the academy. No more suitable an inauguration, in short, for such labour. “Nobody is big or small here, they are all the same… We are about broader things, a way of sitting, standing, a way of being” Rashid Latif It has been almost exactly nine years in the making. The idea initially, says Latif, was to just have a place where he – and others – could practice in the off season. In his early years, the struggle was to find a ground with facilities he could go to for practice and to keep fit. The problem was that there wasn’t such a place. So he got a group of 20-odd first-class cricketers together at the UBL ground and began a regular session of sorts. The location would often change but practice wouldn’t.Latif is of a restless mind, so one thought led, naturally, to another. “We just called it an academy, even though at the start it wasn’t one. I used to practice, others did also, and whatever I understood, or knew, I used to tell them. There was nothing proper about it. Then I got into coaching and learnt many things that, had I known before, I might’ve been a better player. After that I decided that this needed to be more solid, more worthwhile, and something that could carry on after I was gone.”There was more behind it, something resembling blue-collar, populist rhetoric. Private cricket academies in Pakistan are mostly commercial entities. Like private schools they represent both a way of making money and a failure of public institutions. A few, like the RLCA, are run on nothing but unrequited love, like boxing gyms in ghettos. “My kids study in a private school but I am against it,” Latif says. “Education is being sold and it shouldn’t be. Inflation is high and if you look around, mostly players come from lower-middle-class families. They can’t afford to play. So I thought something should be there that is free.”It took four years before a home was found, in which time mass open trials were held and somehow a tour to England was organised. The Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) pointed him to this 7.5 acre ground, next to which they have their own ground. In October 2004 he got a 10-year lease from the city government. “We tried really hard to get a ground at a couple of locations. Until then we used to divide time at whichever ground. Once we got this land, then people knew we were pretty serious.”Over four years and more than Rs 50 million (his own and that of a few other investors) later there are 15 practice pitches alongside the main ground. There is that bowling machine, a comprehensive multimedia set-up, and new dressing rooms, without prostitutes. Soon there will be a gym and a biomechanics lab and then a hostel of 12-14 rooms. The plan is for cricketers to come from around Asia, stay here and use the facilities. Flavour of the season Afghanistan are due soon to do just that – in future, hopefully they can also stay here. Plans are afoot to try and revive the city’s moribund club cricket scene, using the ground as a fulcrum.

If you build it, they will come: Latif’s academy arose out of the lack of places to practise in © Rashid Latif
Four days a week, kids from four age groups (U-13 through U-19) come for coaching, plucked from open trials and recommendations. Senior cricketers come in to iron out kinks whenever time permits. What they pick up here is nothing if not unique, for Latif’s take on coaching is, well, a take. Obviously it isn’t bookish; instead it is simply drawn from what he always knew, what he has learnt, what he has seen, those he has worked with. Daryl Foster and Richard Pybus are in it, as well as Latif’s annual bash with Lashings. “That helps my coaching a lot. I get to meet the world’s best players and develop my own methods from that. I take in ideas from Australia, England, New Zealand and West Indies, and you don’t see those things or that approach here.”Not for him is coaching in the nets, and he prefers batsmen to practice without a ball. “It is the start, working on their movements, working backwards in a way, until you finally come to enacting that with a ball in nets.” He doesn’t believe he should be coaching youngsters at all, which, logically and alarmingly, defeats the point of his own academy. “I am 40 and I look at things from that angle. We should get a kid two years older ready and get him to work on the 15-year-olds. Kids teach kids quicker. If I teach U-15s something, I have to tell them 10 times and sometimes they are still not picking up. So it’s better if guys closer to their age do it.”The RLCA will not, Latif insists, produce national cricketers; that isn’t the purpose of an academy. It may be true, but you don’t expect to hear it from the head of a privately owned academy. But it will provide a way – a way not just about high elbows and good wrist positions. Asim Kamal, Khalid Latif, Khurram Manzoor, Younis Khan, Fawad Alam, Danish Kaneria, Sohail Khan: these men represent an ethos.”Nobody is big or small here, they are all the same; but if a player from here goes and does something bad, then the academy gets a bad name. Cricketers have watered grounds, built it from nothing to what it is and run it. We are about broader things, a way of sitting, standing, a way of being.”On balance, it isn’t a bad way to be.

As of right now, Mykhaylo Mudryk’s signature at Chelsea could go down as one of the biggest blunders in recent Premier League history.

Over a year ago, Todd Boehly spent an insane £89m to secure the Ukrainian forward, but his return has been uninspiring.

Since arriving, the winger has featured 58 times for the Blues, scoring only seven times and providing four assists, which simply isn’t good enough.

However, positive news is on the way for the number ten, with one Chelsea target having the potential to unleash the real Mudryk if he were to join.

Chelsea’s search for a new left-back

As per a report from GIVEMESPORT, Chelsea are eyeing a move for Premier League ace Milos Kerkez to replace Marc Cucurella or Ben Chilwell.

It’s mentioned that the Hungarian is a ‘priority target’ for the club, as they look to bolster the left-back position this summer.

However, Bournemouth won’t let him go on the cheap, as they’re set to demand a ‘big fee’ for their 2023 summer arrival.

That said, the positive for the Blues is that the number three is ‘keen on a move’ to Chelsea, as he views the club as an opportunity to progress his career.

How Kerkez could turn Mudryk into a monster

Considering he’s had to adapt to the Premier League quickly at just 20 years old, Kerkez had an impressive first season in England.

The Hungary international made 28 league appearances last campaign, starting 22 of those, operating in a Bournemouth team that conceded 1.8 goals per game.

His role at the Cherries was to mainly provide defensive security and focus on preventing the opposition, as shown by their 44.1% possession on average.

However, at Chelsea, it’s fair to say that Kerkez would thrive, even having the potential to turn Mudryk into a monster.

Goals

0.00

0.21

Assists

0.05

0.32

Shots

0.73

1.27

Touches (Att 3rd)

16.08

22.13

Passes completed

28.01

43.52

Tackles

2.15

1.38

Clearances

2.74

1.59

As you can see from the table, hardly any of Kerkez’s stats are absolutely amazing or standout, but it’s important to bring the environment into context when comparing performance levels.

It’s fair to say that at Bournemouth, Kerkez has been shackled into adopting a play style that doesn’t suit his game, as by nature, he’s a flying full-back.

The defender only registered one assist last campaign, and his overall in-possession statistics were rather poor, but his stats in the UEFA Europa Conference League when playing for AZ Alkmaar give an indication of his true ability, with football scout Jacek Kulig describing him as "magnificent" during his time at the club.

At any given opportunity, Kerkez will look to bomb forward and provide attacking support, whether that’s via an overlap or an underlap, as shown in the clip below.

This is the exact reason why he would help Mudryk increase his performance levels, as having an overload would create space for the number ten to work his magic, whereas right now, he’s rather isolated.

Kerkez also likes to progress the ball quickly, either via passing or carrying, and his speed alongside Mudryk’s would cause chaos on the counterattack.

The Hungarian is also used to playing further up the field for his nation, and he’ll be operating as a wing-back at the European Championships this summer, which further proves he’s capable of taking on attacking responsibilities.

Overall, the Premier League has yet to see the real Kerkez or Mudryk, but together, they could develop a partnership to dominate for years to come.

No Jackson, £226m trio sign: Enzo Maresca's dream lineup at Chelsea

Chelsea are set for a busy summer with plenty of signings expected.

ByTom Lever May 29, 2024

Stuart Broad leads the line with three wickets in rare county outing

George Dobell16-Apr-2021Nottinghamshire have given themselves an excellent opportunity to secure their first win in first-class cricket for almost three years by dominating the second day of the Championship match against Warwickshire.Notts have gone 27 Championship matches without a win – it’s 28 if you include all first-class games – with the most recent victory coming in June 2018.But at the halfway stage of the match against Warwickshire, they lead by 200 runs with eight wickets in hand. On a surface offering just a little bit of variable bounce, batting fourth could prove challenging.To make matters worse for Warwickshire, they look set to be without Dom Sibley for the rest of the game. Sibley was diagnosed with a small fracture of a finger on his right hand after dropping a chance at slip on the first day and was unable to bat in the first innings. While Warwickshire have not ruled out his further involvement, it does seem highly unlikely – not least as they will be reluctant to risk further damage to that finger.While the injury is not thought to be serious – he should have recovered long before the Test series against New Zealand – he is likely to miss the next few rounds of games. With that in mind, there might be more thought given to playing Pieter Malan and Hanuma Vihari in the same side. Malan, who now has his visa, is expected to be available from May 6.The short-term loss of Sibley is significant, though. He averages 205.50 against Nottinghamshire in first-class cricket – albeit over a sample size of just three games – with a lowest score of 87. The last time these teams met, in 2019, he made an unbeaten 215 in the first innings and 109 more in the second.If Nottinghamshire do go on to win, they will be grateful for the contribution of Stuart Broad. In claiming three of Warwickshire’s top four – albeit one of them a nightwatchman – Broad gave his side a grip on the game which they show no sign of relenting.It was typical modern Broad, really. Threatening the stumps relentlessly, he struck with the second ball of the day – the left-handed Will Rhodes edging one which demanded a stroke from round the wicket – and returned to dismiss the stubborn Danny Briggs with one that held its line.Stuart Broad picked up valuable wickets in Warwickshire’s first innings•Getty ImagesThat Briggs wicket took Broad to something of a milestone: his 150th first-class wicket for Nottinghamshire. The fact that it has taken Broad so long to reach the figure – he made his first-class debut for the side in 2008 – is a reflection of the modern game. England duty has dominated ever since he made his Test debut that same year. His more-than-respectable average of 23.88 confirms his commitment on the occasions he has been available.It bears reiterating that it was Broad’s choice to play in this game. The England management originally had him scheduled to take another week off. But such is his enthusiasm to play, he asked to return early and has led the attack with authority.”It’s great to be training and playing here again,” he said afterwards. “Even without the crowds there is an aura about the place and it is always easy for me to feel at home again when I come back.”I pride myself on trying to set the tone so it was nice for me to get wickets early in my spells. I thought as a bowling unit the pressure we created all day was pretty strong and we almost deserved a little bit more, but we put a few chances down.”This was a satisfying day for Nottinghamshire. As well as seeing their seam attack combine well, they watched a couple of their talented young batters, Joe Clarke and Haseeb Hameed, batted with assurance and fluency in reaching half-centuries in the second innings.Hameed’s forcing strokes off the back foot – reminiscent of Mike Atherton – were pleasing, but Clarke’s back-foot drive for four off Olly Stone was the shot of the day; a thing of real beauty. Given the depth of talent in this squad, it really is hard to fathom that they have gone winless for so long.It’s wasn’t perfect, though. Warwickshire’s batsmen had three reprieves within the space of a few minutes in the morning session, with Sam Hain (on 24) and Briggs (on 19) both surviving edges to the slip cordon where Lyndon James was unable to cling on. The unfortunate bowler on both occasions, Dane Patterson, also had Briggs (still on 19) caught and bowled, only to learn that he had delivered a no-ball.Related

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Patterson won belated rewards at the end of the innings. He claimed Warwickshire’s final three wickets without conceding a run. Figures of 3 for 61 will feel much better than 0 for 61.In Sibley’s absence, only Hain mounted meaningful resistance in recording his highest first-class score since September 2019. This is a big year for Hain. While his long-term first-class record is respectable – he averages 35.90 – he hasn’t quite lived up to early expectations. He made his debut for Australia U19 as a 16-year-old, after all, and, as an 18-year-old, broke Ian Bell’s record to become Warwickshire’s youngest first-class centurion. Not long afterwards, he became the club’s youngest double-centurion, too. There were six centuries in his first 18 first-class games up to July 2015.But there have only been four more since. And while his List A record remains phenomenal – at 59.78, he has the highest average in history of anyone with a minimum of 50 innings – he averaged only 18.25 in first-class cricket in 2020 and has slipped some way down the reckoning for a Test place. That red ball, nipping around laterally far more than its white counterpart, tends to expose technical flaws.You can see why the selectors might have some reservations. His predilection for the leg side renders him something of a leg-before candidate – invariably bowlers have their hands to their heads even while the ball is skipping over the square-leg boundary – while the limitations of his front-foot approach were demonstrated when the distinctly sharp Zak Chappell persuaded one to lift sharply from just back of a good length. Hain, unable to move out of the way, was fortunate to see the ball fly just out of reach off the shoulder of the bat.The talent is obvious, though. Leaving well outside off, he invites bowlers to straighten their line and is then merciless off his legs. In partnership with the admirably determined Briggs, he added 73 for Warwickshire’s fourth wicket and, while he was there, gave his side hopes of parity. It was something of a surprise when he missed a straight one from Liam Patterson-White.It may be the dismissal of Tim Bresnan that most concerns Warwickshire, though. He was caught off the glove by one that reared off the surface and ballooned to point. It was not an encouraging sight for a team likely to be chasing a demanding target in the fourth innings.

A look at six of the best ODI innings by Mushfiqur

Mohammad Isam06-Mar-2025Mushfiqur Rahim called time on his ODI career on Wednesday, finishing as Bangladesh’s second-highest run-getter in the format. He is one of Bangladesh’s giants in the format, having played multiple match-winning knocks over the years. Here’s a look at six of his best ODI innings.Showing maturity beyond his ageImagine the pressure. A 19-year-old Mushfiqur, with just 11 ODIs under his belt, replaces Khaled Mashud, Bangladesh’s most experienced cricketer in the 2007 World Cup squad. It leaves cricket fans outraged, but the Bangladesh team management has a bigger surprise in store.They send Mushfiqur to bat at No. 3 against India, where he plays the anchor role in the tricky 192-run chase, allowing Tamim Iqbal to go bonkers. He then adds 84 runs for the fourth wicket with Shakib Al Hasan. All three future Bangladesh stars make fifties, with Mushfiqur hitting the winning runs in a famous victory.Related

'I always gave my 100%' – Mushfiqur Rahim retires from ODIs

Ruining Tendulkar’s partyBangladesh were chasing 290 runs against India in the Asia Cup in Dhaka, but the headlines were already written for posterity. Earlier in the afternoon, Sachin Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score 100 international hundreds. But Bangladesh were not deterred and worked on chasing down the steep total.They needed 66 runs in the last eight overs when Mushfiqur, Bangladesh captain by now, stepped out at the bustling Shere Bangla National Stadium. He struck three sixes in his 25-ball unbeaten 46, taking Bangladesh home in the final over. The pop when Mahmudullah hit the winning runs was one of the greatest in the stadium’s history.Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah helped Bangladesh notch a famous win in Adelaide•Getty ImagesThe brothers-in-law in armsBangladesh had recovered from a poor start against England in their 2015 World Cup game in Adelaide when they again lost two quick wickets.Mahmudullah was batting on 48 but he needed support from his brother-in-law Mushfiqur. The pair added 141 runs for the fifth wicket, with Mahmudullah reaching a memorable century. Mushfiqur’s 89 off 77 balls, including eight fours and a six, was a masterclass of a support act. Later he went on to take four catches in Bangladesh’s memorable 15-run win.A special home seriesBangladesh’s first assignment after their quarter-final finish in the 2015 World Cup was an ODI series at home against Pakistan. In the first ODI, Tamim and Mushfiqur put on 178 runs for the third wicket, with both hitting centuries. Tamim top-scored with 132 but Mushfiqur was named the Player of the Match for his attacking 106. He struck 13 fours and two sixes in the 77-ball knock, an innings so dominant that Pakistan were struggling even when Mushfiqur got out in the 48th over. They ended up beating Pakistan in an ODI for the first time in 16 years. Mushfiqur hit 65 and an unbeaten 49 in the following matches to help Bangladesh seal the series 3-0.Mushfiqur Rahim had some support from Mohammad Mithun in the Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka, but very little thereafter•Getty ImagesA one-man showIn their first game of the 2018 Asia Cup, Bangladesh got off to one of the most chaotic starts. Litton Das and Shakib were gone in the first over and Tamim broke his hand soon after. Mushfiqur sees all of this unfold, but then adds 131 runs for the third wicket with Mohammad Mithun. Despite any significant support after that, Mushfiqur soldiered on, adding crucial runs with the tail. When the ninth wicket fell, Tamim walked out with bat in one hand, and a huge strapping on the broken wrist on the other. An inspired Mushfiqur slammed three sixes and as many fours in their 42-run stand to take Bangladesh to 261. Mushfiqur made 144 and Bangladesh went on to win by a whopping 137 runs.The fastest ODI hundred for BangladeshAmong the many feathers in his cap, a big one was his whirlwind century against Ireland in 2023. In a match that was eventually washed out, Mushfiqur crashed a ton off 60 balls, the fastest for Bangladesh, beating Shakib’s 63-ball record.He struck 14 fours and two sixes and took Bangladesh to 349 for 6, their highest total in ODIs. Mushfiqur started off with pull shots against spinners before hammering the seamers over mid-off, extra cover and wide of point. He reached his fifty off 33 balls before going even harder in the last seven overs. He also reached 7000 ODI runs during this knock, before completing his century off the last ball of the innings.

With Callum Wilson on course to leave Newcastle United at the end of the season, PIF are reportedly interested in signing a Premier League forward who’s already got a hat-trick to his name against the Magpies.

Newcastle transfer news

Those in Tyneside have struggled to find consistency so far this season, having endured a summer transfer window to forget with Paul Mitchell at the helm for the first time. Spending the majority of the window on a failed pursuit to sign Marc Guehi, Newcastle opted out of turning to alternative options and have struggled to reach their best form ever since under Eddie Howe.

Looking to put things right in 2025, Mitchell has already reportedly set his sights on some fresh attacking options for Newcastle. Names such as Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo have recently stolen plenty of headlines and could yet emerge to hand the Magpies a major boost going forward. And they’re not the only Premier League options that they could turn to.

According to Caught Offside, PIF and Newcastle are now interested in signing Evan Ferguson in 2025 amid his struggle to break into Fabian Hurzeler’s strongest side at Brighton & Hove Albion. Still valued at £60m nonetheless, the forward could yet leave the Amex on loan with the likes of West Ham United and Rangers also interested ahead of January.

Newcastle willing to accept bid for £120k-p/w star after Howe blocked exit

He’s lost his starting place…

ByTom Cunningham Dec 1, 2024

Fans at St James’ Park should already be well aware of Ferguson’s quality after he scored a hat-trick against Newcastle at the start of last season, as Brighton sealed a 3-1 victory at the Amex.

A forward who’d be a ready-made replacement for Wilson, Ferguson could yet sharpen what has been a blunt Newcastle attack at times in the current campaign under Howe.

"Amazing" Ferguson needs Brighton exit

As Brighton have grown in quality, it’s players like Ferguson who have suffered from their success, particularly whilst Joao Pedro continues to steal the headlines this season. Still just 20 years old though, there’s no doubt that the Irishman is still a player full of potential, but game time will be key at such an age – game time that Isak’s recent unavailability would have offered him at St James’ Park.

The young forward has earned plenty of praise at The Amex, including from former teammate Alexis Mac Allister, who told reporters as relayed by BBC Sport: “Evan is an amazing player. He was not having his best evening, but he showed his quality. We are really happy for him, we know how important he is.”

Of course, if Newcastle chase Ferguson’s signature on a permanent basis then his £60m price tag may see them fall behind in the race, especially amid previous profit and sustainability concerns. After failing to recruit well enough last summer, however, Mitchell must make a statement in the form of reinforcements when 2025 arrives.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2015Zimbabwe then hit back with regular wickets, as both openers were stumped for 73, leaving the hosts at 173 for 2 in the 35th over•Associated PressMushfiqur Rahim promoted himself to no. 3 and was also dismissed in the same fashion, the first time in ODIs that the top three batsmen were stumped•Associated PressBangladesh then stumbled to 236 for 6 before Mahmudullah survived a controversial run-out call amid lots of drama in the 45th over•Associated PressMahmudullah then combined with Mashrafe Mortaza in a 37-run partnership to lift Bangladesh to a total of 276•AFPZimbabwe were off to a rocky start once again as Chamu Chibhabha was bowled off the second delivery of the innings by Mustafizur Rahman•Associated PressCraig Erwine then joined Regis Chakabva and just as they seemed to foster a partnership that Zimbabwe could build their chase on, both batsmen were dismissed within a span of two overs•AFPSean Williams then took control of the chase…•AFP…sharing a 80-run stand and 59-run with Elton Chigumbura and Malcolm Waller respectively•AFPSabbir Rahman broke the threatening Chigumbura-Williams stand with his part-time spin, dismissing Chigumbura for 45•AFPWaller and Williams were dismissed in successive overs with the score at 188 for 6 at the fall of Williams’ wicket•Associated PressMustafizur then came in and ended Zimbabwe’s chase at 215, completing his third five-wicket haul in nine ODIs, handing Bangladesh an ODI series sweep•AFP

The former Australia captain, known for his incisive and forthright views, spent the best part of his commentary years with Channel Nine

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2022After a celebrated commentary career spanning 45 years, Ian Chappell has decided to put down his mic. The 78-year-old former Australia captain, who is widely admired for his incisive views on the game and his forthright manner of expressing them, told the that he had been contemplating the decision for a while.”I remember the day when I knew I’d had enough of playing cricket,” he said. “I looked at the clock and it was five past 11 on a day of play and I thought, ‘S**t, if you’re clock-watching at that time, I have to go’.Related

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“So when it comes to commentary, I’ve been thinking about it. I had a minor stroke a few years back and I got off lucky. But it just makes everything harder. And I just thought with all the travel and, you know, walking upstairs and things like that, it’s all just going to get harder.”Then I read what Rabbits [legendary rugby league commentator Ray Warren] said with retirement and it really struck home when I read the bit where he said, ‘you’re always one sentence closer to making a mistake’.”Chappell entered the commentary box towards the end of a playing career of 75 Test matches – 30 of them as captain – and became part of a team of distinctive voices that backgrounded Channel Nine’s broadcasts of Australian cricket for more than three decades, alongside Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry and Tony Greig.Channel Nine and Chappell enjoyed a long relationship, but not one without the occasional fraught moment.”Kerry [Packer, the media mogul who owned Channel Nine] wanted to sack me a couple of times,” Chappell said. “He used to get the s***s about one-day cricket, because that was his baby. And I might have said something about one-day cricket. With Kerry it was just like a storm – you’d let it blow over till the next one came.”When asked how he would like to be remembered as a commentator, Chappell replied: “It’s up to other people to decide what they think of me and some will think I’ve been all right. Some will think I’ve been a pr**k. That doesn’t bother me one bit.”Chappell has had to endure health issues in recent years, including a diagnosis of skin cancer, but he remained a sharp and fiercely independent voice on the game, in broadcast and print. He writes a regular column on ESPNcricinfo, where he recently questioned the seeming consensus among the game’s administrators that the future of cricket will inevitably belong to franchise T20 leagues, with Test cricket pushed to the margins.

Aston Villa are plotting a shock transfer swoop for a “highly regarded” defender, according to a new report. The Villans have been very busy in the last few transfer windows, and it appears as though they could be active once again when January arrives, as Unai Emery tries to compete in the Premier League and in the Champions League.

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Emery’s side is currently in a rough patch of form, as they’ve lost their last four games in all competitions, form that has seen them lose ground in the Premier League. Villa will be looking to get back to winning ways after the international break, but this run may have also opened their eyes to what they need to strengthen when January comes.

Villa have always been busy in transfer markets under Emery, and that may not be changing anytime soon, as the Midlands side are interested in signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea. The midfielder has been with the Blues since the summer, but it has been a frustrating time as he’s struggled for game time, and that has put his future in doubt heading into the New Year.

As well as Dewsbury-Hall, Villa are reportedly prepared to meet the demands of striker Jonathan David. The 24-year-old looks set to leave Lille at the end of the campaign as a free agent, and Villa are among the host of teams interested in signing him. The transfer talk doesn’t stop there for the Villans either, as they also have their eye on a very promising young defender.

Aston Villa plotting swoop for Man Utd gem

According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are interested in signing Manchester United defender Harry Amass. The 17-year-old left-back came through the academy at Watford but was picked up by the Red Devils in 2023 after putting in some very impressive displays.

Amass, who is described as being “highly regarded” in this report, played for United’s under-18s last season but has now been promoted to the club’s under-21s. The left-back has yet to make an appearance in the first team, but he has been named in several matchday squads and appeared heavily in their pre-season tour of the USA in the summer.

This report states that Villa are long-term admirers of Amass, as they tried to sign the player from Watford before United did. They have kept an eye on Amass’ development, as he’s tipped for a very bright future.

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The teenager is said to be on the cusp of breaking into the first team but has yet to play for United despite injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia. And while the Red Devils apparently want to keep him, the fact they are in the market for a new left-back could open the door for Villa to swoop in to try and hijack him.

Amass is under contract at United until 2027, and any interest from Villa or elsewhere would not be welcomed by the Red Devils, but Villa are keeping an eye on his situation.