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The England opener has remained undroppable despite plenty of patchy form, and he showed why at The Oval

Matt Roller01-Aug-2025

Zak Crawley got to his half-century in just 42 balls•AFP via Getty Images

How do you explain a cricketer like Zak Crawley? He is an outlier, a player who continues to defy conventional wisdom. No man in Test history has opened the batting so often (93 innings) and averaged so little (31.06), yet he is one half of England’s most prolific opening partnership for a decade and his place has rarely been so secure.This Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series has been a trademark Crawley series: he has averaged 34.50, a tick over his career mark, and has thrilled and frustrated in equal measure. He has made three substantial contributions in eight innings, yet none of England’s first-choice top seven have scored fewer runs. He remains England’s enigma, his career a web of contradictions.Crawley was England’s top-scorer in their first innings at The Oval and personified their approach, jumping at the chance to dominate India’s seamers. Before his dismissal, Crawley hit one in every four balls that he faced for four, maintaining a strike rate well above 100. He scored 56 of his 64 runs in boundaries, reasoning that on a seaming pitch, attack was the best form of defence.Related

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• Siraj, Jaiswal and Prasidh put India in front on 15-wicket day

It was the perfect attack for him to face. Crawley has the peculiar distinction of getting better when the bowling gets faster, reasoning that he is at his best when he has no time to think and lets his instincts take over. Facing seam, he averages 43.31 against balls at 84mph/135kph or quicker, compared to just 27.31 against those below.But that is precisely why England’s management have retained him for so long. He has missed only three of their 47 Tests since Boxing Day 2021 – and those through injury – despite two long ruts in form. That he was their top-scorer in two consecutive marquee series (Australia 2023 and India 2024) vindicated the sense that he is better equipped against the best than the rest.Crawley is encapsulated by the fact he has only been dismissed once in 119 balls in this series against Jasprit Bumrah, but twice in the seven balls he has faced from Nitish Kumar Reddy. India’s rebalancing at The Oval pitted him against three fast-medium bowlers; Crawley may have been the only England batter to breathe a sigh of relief when India left Shardul Thakur out.If he rode his luck at times – inside-edging Prasidh Krishna past leg stump, flashing him over the slips – he made good use of it. Crawley hit two perfect straight drives – one mid-off, the other mid-on – in three balls from Mohammed Siraj, and made a capacity crowd collectively purr when he spanked Prasidh through cover point.1:58

Bangar on Crawley-Duckett: Haven’t seen batting of that quality

His partnership with Ben Duckett was worth 92 in just 12.5 overs, and the collapse that followed vindicated their ultra-positive approach. Crawley and Duckett refused to let India’s seamers settle, disrupting their lengths by charging down the pitch and – in Duckett’s case – playing conventional and reverse-scoops. On a green seamer, it was defence that proved fatal.It was evident from Shubman Gill’s reactions at third slip – and, soon enough, mid-off – that England’s openers put India under severe pressure. After India folded for 224, Gill was caught between stools: he had no runs to play with, yet knew that he needed to break the partnership as soon as possible. Duckett’s fluffed reverse came as a huge relief.By that stage, Duckett and Crawley had reached a rare milestone, bringing up 500 runs for the series as an opening pair. It was the first time any opening pair had done so since 2015, and they were the first England openers to since Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook in the 2010-11 Ashes. No wonder Crawley, for all his flaws, is considered undroppable.Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have been the perfect contrast as an opening pair•Getty ImagesIt is not hard to work out why they have been such a success together. “One’s right-handed and a giant, the other is left-handed and isn’t,” Ben Stokes wrote in his programme notes for the Edgbaston Test. “When they get going, it can be a nightmare for bowlers trying to find rhythm.” A good ball to one is a freebie to the other, and vice-versa.Crawley is clearly frustrating to play against, and not only for his free-wheeling batting. He thrived on his role as pantomime villain at Lord’s and was on the wind-up again last week in Manchester, telling India’s batters their decision to bat on for centuries was “embarrassing” – seemingly oblivious that he was England’s only specialist batter without one in the series.His spliced pull to square midwicket felt oddly apt: he has always been a player of style over substance, and an anticlimactic dismissal was perfectly in keeping with the Crawley experience. On the flipside, for all that it looked like a missed chance to define the match, Crawley’s 64 was the highest score across both teams’ first innings.The Oval suits Crawley: it is one of two venues (along with the Utilita Bowl) where he has passed 50 three times in Test cricket, and is the English ground where he has scored the fastest. England have averaged fewer runs per wicket at The Oval than any other home venue in the last four summers; it is utterly in keeping with Crawley’s eccentricities that he has thrived there.

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Arrascaeta, do Flamengo, está em alta no mercado e despertou o interesse do Cruz Azul, do México. O clube estrangeiro acena com uma proposta para a janela de transferências do meio do ano e se mostrou disposto a pagar até 20 milhões de euros (R$ 108 milhões). As informações são do jornal “O Globo”.

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Flamengo lança novo uniforme II; veja imagens e valores
Pedro revela trauma que virou combustível para boa fase no Flamengo

➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Flamengo

A multa rescisória para o exterior prevista no contrato de Arrascaeta com o Flamengo é de 50 milhões de euros (quase R$ 268 milhões). Segundo a publicação, o interesse chegou aos representantes do jogador e também ao Fla, que não tem interesse na saída.

O meia uruguaio, de 29 anos, tem contrato com o Flamengo até o fim de 2026. A última valorização dada pela diretoria carioca foi no fim de 2022. Ele está no elenco rubro-negro desde 2019, ano em que conquistou a Copa Libertadores com o clube.

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Não é de hoje que Arrascaeta é cobiçado no mercado. O jogador do Flamengo despertou o interesse do futebol árabe recentemente. Em 2023, o Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo, tentou levar o uruguaio também por valor milionário.

A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

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Could Daniel Farke be the next Premier League manager in line to face the sack?

While Leeds United have picked up a promising three wins so far in the Premier League, fans of the Elland Road giants will also feel that there’s been a lot of other games this season where their side have been outplayed, with their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday falling into this category.

The Seagulls tallied up 14 shots on Lucas Perri’s goal compared to Leeds’ weak five on Bart Verbruggen’s largely untested net, as Fabian Hurzeler’s confident hosts never looked in danger of slipping up throughout their comfortable 90 minutes.

Farke will surely have to ring the changes for Leeds’ next Premier League clash away at Nottingham Forest to try and lift his side to bounce back, and to also save his skin, with Brenden Aaronson at risk of dropping out despite scoring a week prior.

Aaronson's poor performance vs Brighton

Aaronson wanted to kick on in the Whites’ first team picture away at the Amex, having been an exhilarating watch throughout Leeds’ 2-1 home win against West Ham United, with his bundled-in opener after three minutes nearly upstaged by an insane solo strike sailing in.

Yet, the Jekyll and Hyde American was way off it on the South Coast to add to Leeds fans’ frustrations surrounding his inconsistent performances.

Come the close of the match on Saturday, Aaronson failed to complete one single successful dribble from two attempts, failed to hit a single meaningful shot at the home side’s goal, and also only won a weak three duels from the ten he attempted.

It’s night and day from his high-octane showing against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, where he was 100% successful with all his dribbles, on top of winning a hefty eight duels.

Patience must be extremely thin; therefore, when it comes to Farke choosing to pick Aaronson week in week out, knowing that an unbelievable display is often followed up by the number 11 putting in a disastrous no-show.

But, Aaronson is not the only underperformer in the German’s bad books.

Farke must drop 4/10 Leeds star

Brighton ran the Leeds defence ragged all afternoon long, as Jayden Bogle continually failed to lay a glove on the rampaging Diego Gomez, who would finish the one-sided match with two Premier League goals next to his name.

Joe Rodon also looked way below his usual standards, but the Welshman definitely has enough credit in his bank this season alone to demand he’s still in the first team frame, having popped up with two goals from the back.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

81

Accurate passes

73/78 (94%)

Tackles won

0

Interceptions

0

Clearances

3

Blocked shots

0

Ball recoveries

6

Total duels won

1/3

On the contrary, his centre-back partner on the South Coast in Jaka Bijol, is yet to establish himself as a fan’s favourite, and he certainly won’t have endeared himself to the hardened West Yorkshire masses with his ropey showing against Hurzeler’s runaway hosts.

Indeed, away from spraying the ball about with some assurance, the brand-new Leeds’ number 15 struggled to contain the likes of Danny Welbeck throughout, leading to just one duel being won.

On top of that, Bijol would also fail to go in for a single tackle, leading Brighton to find it easy when carving open the away side’s frail defence at will.

Moreover, the former Udinese man very much lacked the pace and determination to track back when Yankuba Minteh and the aforementioned Gomez ran riot, with Pascal Struijk perhaps the better-suited centre-back option for this showdown.

Leeds fans had been crying out for their £15m summer recruit to start more games, but after his 4/10 afternoon against Brighton – which is the low score that was handed to him post-match by Leeds Live’s Isaac Johnson – he will surely be dropped back down to the bench, for the Dutchman to return to the XI.

Farke will pray that the changes that are made spur his team on to a rare away win against Nottingham Forest next, with a loss at the City Ground only pulling Leeds even closer to the relegation zone.

Farke can unleash Stach by dropping Leeds star who's "not good enough"

Leeds United boss could bring Anton Stach back into the starting line-up by dropping this star.

ByDan Emery Nov 1, 2025

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."

Australia are preparing to face Pakistan in Colombo after their second match was washed out

Andrew McGlashan06-Oct-20252:21

‘Tough to make a case against Australia winning the lot’

Megan Schutt has been termed the “ultimate professional” for the way she responded to being left out of Australia’s opening ODI World Cup match against New Zealand. She does, however, face a further wait to see if she will be included against Pakistan in Colombo.Due to the washed-out match against Sri Lanka, it will be a seven-day gap for Australia when they take on Pakistan. Head coach Shelley Nitschke did not confirm whether Schutt would have featured in that abandoned contest after Darcie Brown’s pace had been preferred against New Zealand.Related

• Swing in, speak out: the story of Megan Schutt

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• Schutt: 'I didn't have the skill or work ethic, I just happened to be able to swing a ball'

Schutt has 10 wickets in nine ODIs against Pakistan although she did go wicketless in the two most recent matches, at home, between the two sides in early 2023. Brown, meanwhile, has five wickets in two outings – figures of 2 for 21 and 3 for 32 in Brisbane – but she was taken for 52 off four overs against New Zealand in the World Cup opener.”She [Schutt] is obviously the ultimate professional and she took it very well,” Nitschke said on Monday. “We sort of looked at the match-ups and the performances coming in, but certainly I understand that Megan’s got a big role to play for us moving forward. We’ll have another look again at the match-ups and the conditions at Premadasa before we take on Pakistan and see if she’s in that right sort of team to best match up to them to hopefully win.”Speaking to ESPNcricinfo prior to the World Cup, Schutt said she had hoped to feature throughout. “I’d like to think my previous performances have kept me in good stead for that,” she said. “Obviously if it doesn’t work out, I will completely understand the balance of the squad and run drinks as best as I can if I’m not in the XI. But ideally I’d love to be out on the field doing what I do with people that I love. I like to think I’ve got pretty good awareness to know if that’s not going happen but ideally, I’d love to play all the games and get right through.”Sophie Molineux was outstanding on her return•Getty Images

The other key selection call Australia made for the opening match was preferring Alana King ahead of fellow legspinner Georgia Wareham. The fact there wasn’t room for both was because of Sophie Molineux’s return to the side which saw her take 3 for 25, including the wicket of Suzie Bates in her first over and the final removal of Izzy Gaze who was flying on 28 off 18 balls alongside a dominant Sophie Devine.It was Molineux’s first international since last December and Nitschke confirmed the left-arm spinner will need to be looked after as she continues to regain strength from knee surgery.”She [Molineux] was fantastic in that first round,” Nitschke said. “To open the bowling first game back and return figures like she did was unbelievable and a credit to her and the work she’s done to get her back to being available to play for us.”I think her knee is just ongoing management and seeing how it responds to training and games and looking at her availability from there. We’ll make sure that we’re doing the right thing by her and hopefully having her available when we need her.”When a decision needs to be made between King and Wareham, Nitschke said “sometimes it’s actually not about one or the other, like they bring different things to the table. I think Alana probably spins the ball a bit more and she’s a bit more attacking. Georgia can find a really good defensive length and [has] got a few variations that she goes to.”They both offer different things so it’s also about what we think we need in the game. Alana makes things happen, like I said, she’s an attacking bowler, as does Wolf [Wareham], but she also plays a lot of T20 and knows how to hit a really good defensive length at times as well.”The match in Colombo on Sunday between India and Pakistan saw play suspended for 15 minutes while the ground was fumigated against flying insects. It’s a problem Australia have not experienced during their training sessions in the city.”I’m not sure if that’s relative to the conditions and the bit of moisture that’s around,” Nitschke said. “But hopefully the fumigators are out and ready to go if that’s the case.”

West Ham are braced for an all-important January transfer window that may well define Nuno Espírito Santo’s first season in charge, with David Sullivan, Karren Brady and the Hammers board poised to back their new manager.

Following back-to-back Premier League wins and the first time they’ve won two straight home games since 2024, things are finally starting to click into gear for Nuno.

The Portuguese tinkered heavily with his first West Ham starting line-ups before finally discovering a winning formula against both Newcastle and Burnley, with Nuno naming an unchanged side for both matches as the east Londoners secured vital victories.

However, West Ham reportedly have no intention of resting on their laurels, and credible reports suggest that Nuno has been told they have a transfer budget to spend in the winter (Sky Sports).

Niclas Füllkrug’s damning injury record and lacklustre spell at the London Stadium is paving the way for him to leave in January, and it is believed that West Ham are actively targeting a striker to potentially replace the German.

While Callum Wilson has done well in West Ham’s last two games, even getting on the scoresheet against Burnley, Nuno won’t be too comfortable relying on the 33-year-old given his own torrid fitness record.

West Ham also want a new defender, and potentially a midfielder if they can manage it (Sky Sports), but it is worth noting that they won’t have a bottomless pit of cash for January either, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The potential sales of Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse could be crucial when it comes to raising funds, with all three players linked to the West Ham exit door and seemingly not part of Nuno’s long-term plans.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, in an interview with Hammers News, they could also make the surprise decision to sell another squad member who’s only just arrived.

West Ham now ready to sell summer signing Mads Hermansen

Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen swapped Leicester for the London Stadium in a £20 million deal last summer, putting pen to paper on a five-year deal in August, but the Dane has since lost his place in the starting eleven to Alphonse Areola.

He started West Ham’s first four games of the season, conceding 11 league goals in total, with Areola seizing the number one spot back and West Ham now pondering a shock January call.

According to Bailey, West Ham are ready to cash in on Hermansen if the opportunity arises, but could also send him out on loan to get minutes elsewhere before returning.

If the 25-year-old were to leave permanently already, it would mark one of the shortest stints of any new West Ham player in recent memory, but would it be the right move?

Hermansen’s had just four games to showcase his worth in a turbulent side who seem likely to be battling relegation, and the shot-stopper is still very young in goalkeeping years. His prime is still to come, and goalkeeping coaches like Casper Ankergren have revered the former Leicester star as a serious talent between the sticks.

كشفت تقارير إعلامية اليوم الأحد، أن نادي برشلونة يفكر في إجراء صفقة تبادلية مع أحد الأندية الأوروبية الأخرى، وذلك من أجل التخلص من لاعبه وبيعه في أقرب وقت.

ويسعى نادي برشلونة إلى تدعيم صفوفه خلال الفترة المقبلة، خصوصًا بعد هبوط مستوى الفريق بشكل ملحوظ خلال هذا الموسم.

وتلقى برشلونة انتقادات كثيرة خلال هذا الموسم، وذلك مع انخفاض في مستوى الفريق والذي خسر في العديد من المباريات وكان آخرها ضد تشيلسي بثلاثية نظيفة الأسبوع الماضي في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ومن بين أكثر المراكز التي يتطلع برشلونة إلى تدعيمها هو مركز قلب الدفاع، خصوصًا مع رحيل إنييجو مارتينيز وعدم تعويضه بلاعب آخر.

مارتينيز غادر صفوف برشلونة في صفقة انتقال حر، حيث وقع مع نادي النصر السعودي.

أقرأ أيضًا .. سبورت تكشف سر قلق فليك بعد مباراة برشلونة وديبورتيفو آلافيس.. وكيف يرى المستقبل

وبحسب موقع ”fichajes”، فإن نادي برشلونة يفكر بشكل جدي في التعاقد مع ليني يورو، نجم مانشستر يونايد خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي العام المقبل.

وأضاف أن إدارة برشلونة تريد ضم يورو العام المقبل، ويرغب كذلك في إدخال رونالد أراوخو، مدافع الفريق ضمن الصفقة لتسهيل ضم اللاعب الشاب.

أراوخو يعاني الأمرين مع برشلونة خلال الفترة الأخيرة، وذلك تزامنًا مع انخفاض مستواه وراتبه المرتفع الذي يحصل عليه في النادي الإسباني.

وتعرض أراوخو إلى الطرد خلال مباراة برشلونة وتشيلسي، والتي خسرها برشلونة 3-0 بدوري أبطال أوروبا، مما زاد من حدة الانتقادات تجاه اللاعب.

A leading surgeon who treated Harry Kane following his hamstring injury in 2020 has been awarded £37,000 (€42,386/$49,458) in damages from the UK’s oldest Bentley dealership after his new car was stolen. Professor Fares Haddad tended to the England captain after he underwent surgery to repair a ruptured tendon during the 2019-20 Premier League season.

Prof Haddad sues Jack Barclay Ltd. following 2023 car theft

A world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon specialising in sports medicine, Prof. Haddad successfully sued Jack Barclay Ltd. – based in Mayfair, London – following the theft of his Bentley Continental GTW12.

According to the luxury car was stolen from Prof. Haddad’s driveway in January 2023. But when he attempted to claim on his insurance, the payout was refused because the car’s tracker system was not properly activated. While cutting-edge tracker software had been installed by Jack Barclay’s staff, an important subscription service remained inactive.

Prof. Haddad had assumed Jack Barclay’s staff would establish a continuous tracker subscription via Vodafone. The 58-year-old came to that understanding following conversations and email exchanges between himself and a showroom executive in 2019, when he was considering buying the Bentley.

AdvertisementAFPMr Haddad had claimed a total of £82,643 from Bentley dealership

Following a trial at Central London County Court, Judge Andrew Holmes ruled in favour of Prof. Haddad, finding Jack Barclay Ltd. at fault for failing to send an email to Vodafone, which would have started the tracker. However, Judge Holmes also decided Mr. Haddad bore some responsibility for failing to notice there was no subscription in place until after the Bentley was stolen.

Judge Holmes slashed the award of £82,643 by 60 per cent to £33,057 to reflect Prof. Haddad’s “contributory negligence”, although with accumulated interest his total award will come to just over £37,000.

Mr. Haddad had claimed a total of £78,643 from Jack Barclay Ltd., suing for the return of money paid out under his Hire Purchase (HP) agreement – which his insurers refused to cover after the theft – plus £4,000 for the cost of a replacement hire car.

Judge finds Mr Haddad bore 'contributory negligence' during trial

Speaking during the trial, Judge Holmes told the court: “But for the failure to send the form to Vodafone, Prof. Haddad’s losses would not have occurred. Had the tracker subscription been incepted, Prof. Haddad would have taken the steps necessary to continue it.”

He added: “I see considerable force in the suggestion that Prof. Haddad had a responsibility thereafter to ensure that the tracker was activated.

“With each year that went by, the failure to notice or to check his records becomes more difficult to understand.

“The ordinary person taking an ordinary level of care of his or her own affairs would be expected over time to realise that he was not making payment, or receiving correspondence, about an important point in relation to the insurance of a valuable vehicle.”

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Getty Images SportProf Haddad played key role in Kane's surgery in January 2020

Prof. Haddad – the clinical director of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health – played a key role in helping Bayern Munich striker Kane return towards the end of the 2019-20 season which was heavily disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The forward – then playing for Tottenham Hotspur – went under the knife to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring in January 2020. He sustained the injury in Spurs’ 1-0 Premier League defeat against Southampton on 1 January 2020 before returning to training in May of that year and competing in the latter part of the specially-extended campaign.

Kane went on to finish as Tottenham’s top goalscorer in 2019-20, netting 18 league goals as the north Londoners came sixth under then-manager Jose Mourinho, who succeeded Mauricio Pochettino on 20 November 2019.

India enforced the follow-on expecting wear and tear, but Campbell and Hope led West Indies’ strongest showing of the series

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Oct-20251:51

Chopra: ‘Tiredness’ hampered India bowlers

When India wrapped up West Indies’ first innings and secured a lead of 270 runs, seven-and-a-half sessions of the Delhi Test still remained.The pitch was still making bowlers work hard: West Indies, after lasting less than 50 overs in both their innings in Ahmedabad last week, had survived 81.5 overs in their first innings here. Their last two wickets had added 73 runs, suggesting that wicket-taking on this slow, low pitch was particularly difficult when the ball became older, with edges unlikely to carry to close-in catchers.Teams tend not to enforce the follow-on in such situations, given the time remaining in the match and the two major benefits of batting again – rest for the bowlers, and a chance for them to come back and bowl after the pitch has undergone more wear and tear.Related

Kuldeep's stump vision defies flat Delhi pitch

Hope and Campbell fight back after Kuldeep five-for forces WI to follow on

'Impact injury' keeps Sai Sudharsan off the field on the third day

India, however, asked West Indies to bat again, and by stumps on day three the visitors had enjoyed their best day of the series, with John Campbell and Shai Hope scoring half-centuries and putting on an unbroken 138 for the third wicket. West Indies will begin day four trailing by just 97 runs, with India back on the field with 130.5 cumulative overs in their legs.India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said India had enforced the follow-on in the belief that the pitch would deteriorate significantly by the end of the third day’s play.”There was a discussion to bat,” he said. “Those last two wickets took a little bit longer than we would have hoped for, and had probably started going towards the [space] where you do look to bat again.”But we felt [270] was a good lead. We thought the wicket’s going to keep deteriorating, we thought by close of play it would be at its worst, but it just seems to have slowed down even more.”This left India’s spin trio with a tricky time of finding the right pace to bowl at. Having shared eight wickets between them in the first innings, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar took 1 for 149 between them in 38 second-innings overs.”It’s quite challenging to get any pace out of the wicket, [and] you have to really fire the ball in,” ten Doeschate said. “And, of course, when you fire the ball in, it’s got less chance of spinning. We have found it tricky this afternoon, and Shai Hope and John Campbell batted beautifully, so back tomorrow, get our plans right, and hopefully get those last four batters out and then get into the tail.”Khary Pierre, who scored 23 from No. 8 in West Indies’ first innings, said he was surprised by India’s decision to enforce the follow-on.3:56

What made Campbell and Hope stand out?

“Actually it was a bit surprising that they went back to bowl [even though] the wicket was still a good one,” Pierre said. “For me, personally, batting on the wicket, batting a lot of time, and watching the wicket, seeing what it was doing, I think it’s still a very good wicket.”I was surprised, but it’s India, and you know they want to get the win, and probably didn’t think they needed to go back and bat, but so be it. We have to bat properly in this innings and try and make a game of it.”With eight wickets in hand and the deficit now down to double-figures, Pierre felt West Indies had a real chance of making a game of it.”I would say the Test match is still on,” he said. “Once we apply ourselves with the bat, we have two set batters at the crease right now that will start over tomorrow, and once we bat properly, the game is still on. Once we get a lead, we all know, on the fourth and fifth day of a Test match, the bowlers will come and probably get some balls to spin and stuff and make a game of it.”

Ashwin leaking runs in the powerplay and Jadeja failing to pick up wickets have added to CSK’s woes

Deivarayan Muthu10-Apr-20252:44

Can Ashwin and Jadeja get back among the wickets?

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja claimed 55 wickets each in 67 IPL matches together for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) between 2012 and 2015. Ashwin’s creative genius dovetailed beautifully with Jadeja’s metronomic accuracy, turning Chepauk into a fortress. Between 2012 and 2015, CSK won 18 of their 25 games at home, boasting a win-loss ratio of 2.57.In their quest to recreate that winning formula several years later, CSK splurged INR 9.75 crore on Ashwin and reunited him with Jadeja and his beloved Chepauk. But the grand reunion hasn’t produced the kind of output CSK and their fans might have hoped for. CSK have already lost two in a row at home and another defeat in Chennai will leave them in unfamiliar territory.Ashwin has conceded almost ten an over for five wickets this season and has completed his quota in only three out of five games. While Jadeja’s economy rate (8.07) is better than Ashwin’s, the left-arm spinner has got just two wickets in five matches and has not completed his quota in any of those.Related

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Ashwin came into this IPL as a retired international cricketer and started it looking like someone who hadn’t played professional cricket for three months. His first ball to Suryakumar Yadav, in the powerplay against Mumbai Indians (MI), was right in the slot and was pumped over the covers.That foretold Ashwin’s powerplay run this season: 78 runs off 30 balls for just one wicket at an economy rate of 15.60. Between 2012 and 2015, his powerplay economy rate was 6.25.The entire landscape of T20 has changed since then. It has become a different sport, with batters trying to launch every ball into orbit. Mitchell Marsh, who is among the top run-getters this season, recently described going at a run-a-ball in the powerplay as “panic stations”. Specialist offspinners are a dying breed and Ashwin, arguably, is the last of that breed.6:50

Chawla: Dhoni as captain will help struggling Ashwin and Jadeja

He has dipped into the carrom ball and turned it the other way, but batters just keep coming at him. There are also other factors that have hampered Ashwin. Chepauk no longer offers the sharp turn that it used to in the past, with CSK going on the record to express their dissatisfaction with the pitches at home. In Guwahati, CSK perhaps made a tactical error by throwing Ashwin at Nitish Rana, who was promoted to No. 3, to take advantage of his match-up with the spinner.Ashwin hasn’t had luck going his way either. In his final over against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur, Ashwin looped up a carrom ball wide of Priyansh Arya’s swinging arc and drew a mis-hit, but Mukesh Choudhary misjudged the catch and ended up stepping on the boundary cushion.Ashwin isn’t the only spinner who is going for runs in the powerplay. Even a mystery spinner and a modern superspecialist like Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) Maheesh Theekshana is going at over ten an over during this phase. The powerplay has become such a hostile environment for bowlers, especially spinners.

“We’ve actually restricted teams to below-par scores, and it’s been the batting that has held us up on this occasion”CSK head coach Stephen Fleming

CSK coach Stephen Fleming lauded Ashwin for fronting up to do a difficult job for them.”That sixth over is a tough over, so don’t underestimate that role that he’s playing,” Fleming said in the lead-up to CSK’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). “And after that, he came back really well. I think the last couple of overs went for single figures. So we’re asking him to do a tough role, but what we are doing is taking wickets, and that’s been the positive thing. We felt we’ve actually restricted teams to below-par scores, and it’s been the batting that has held us up on this occasion.”Unlike Ashwin, Jadeja doesn’t bowl in the powerplay; he usually bowls in the middle overs. Jadeja, who has retired from T20Is, has always had excellent defensive skills, but the arrival of Noor Ahmad has given CSK’s attack a point of difference. So they have preferred Noor’s left-arm wristspin over Jadeja’s fingerspin during the middle overs this season. Noor is currently the Purple Cap holder, with 11 strikes in five games at an economy rate of 8.33 and an average of 13.63.”I think we’ve got some good options with the spin department,” Fleming said when asked if CSK were under-utilising Jadeja the bowler. “Ruturaj [Gaikwad] has been able to use the appropriate bowlers for the batsmen that are in. Jadeja bowled really well in the last game. Noor Ahmad has been the key wicket-taker, so he’s dominated to this point. We’ve sort of got six bowlers that can provide good options throughout. Batting-wise, he’s moving up and down the order, depending on what we need. We really like his partnership with MS [Dhoni] at the back end. That appeals to us. There are other players in the squad that we’ve highlighted to be up the order, but he’s been up to No. 5, I think.Noor Ahmad’s addition has given CSK another spin option•AFP/Getty Images”He’s been in early and throughout, so just trying to get a gauge on who’s to bowl death, who’s in the middle, and work it around that way. It’s not a set stage that Jaddu has to come in. We’re quite flexible with it.”Sure, Ashwin and Jadeja haven’t produced the kind of impact they did back in the day, but don’t count them out. On either side of two expensive overs in Mullanpur, Ashwin threatened to shut PBKS down with the wickets of Nehal Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell in successive overs. Had Choudhary held onto Arya’s catch, it would have been a completely different story. In the same game, Jadeja bowled three tight overs and kept even the left-hand batters in check.On the eve of the match against KKR, when Devon Conway tried to line Ashwin up in the nets, the bowler cleverly dangled the ball away from his reach and made him look silly. It tore open a portal to his heyday when he used to make left-hand batters look silly.But of all the things that have taken CSK by surprise this season, their world-class spinners struggling at their fortress might be the biggest.