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The chairman of selectors also said Rohit and Kohli had retired from Tests to make way for younger players ahead of a new WTC cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-20252:16

What to expect from Rohit, Kohli in this phase of their careers?

Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play the 2027 World Cup? Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar feels it’s too early to take any calls about that event, but he has made it clear Rohit and Kohli will not be “on trial” during India’s three-match ODI series against Australia, which begins in Perth on Sunday.”Look they [Rohit and Kohli] are part of the squad at the moment for Australia,” Agarkar said during on Friday. “In two years’ time, we don’t know what the situation is going to be. So why just them two? It could be some other younger players [who might miss out on the tournament].”Related

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Rohit and Kohli are now ODI-only players for India, having retired from Tests and T20Is. Rohit, ahead of this Australia tour, also lost the ODI captaincy, with the baton passing on to Shubman Gill. With both senior players now in their mid-to-late 30s, and with little chance for match practice between ODI series, there is a sense that their presence in the ODI team could depend on churning out performances in every series they play.”That would be a bit silly, isn’t it, when one averages over 50 and the other averages close to 50?” Agarkar said, when this was put to him. “You are not going to put them on trial in every game. But 2027 is a long way away, both of them play one format […] they haven’t had a lot of cricket [in recent months]. Once they start playing, then you assess as you go forward.”They are not on trial, they’ve achieved all they had to achieve, not just winning trophies but runs [as well], so it’s not that if both of them don’t get runs in this series that will be the reason they won’t be there, or if they get three hundreds, [that will be] the reason they play 2027.”It’s still a long way away, we’ll see how the team shapes up, but we have some ideas, and as we go along we’ll probably have a better idea of where the team is progressing.”Rohit and Kohli retired from T20Is after helping India lift the T20 World Cup in 2024, and called time on their Test careers after the 2024-25 tour of Australia. The Test retirements came in the weeks leading up to India’s tour of England, which began in June 2025, and Agarkar said both Rohit and Kohli had wanted to make way for younger players at the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The selectors, he said, were keen to have their experience in England, where Gill led the Test team for the first time. A young India team drew the five-Test series 2-2.”Both [Rohit and Kohli] have been stalwarts of Indian cricket. They felt it was a new WTC cycle, and whatever people might think or not think, that is the reality,” Agarkar said. “Both were very aware, perhaps they may not have gone [on] for those two years as Test players for the WTC cycle.”And look, England was a series where we would have loved some experience, frankly, and the performance was incredible even though we didn’t win, under a young captain, which would have always been difficult. We would have liked some experience, but they had made their decision, and once you have played for as long as they have and they are sure about what decision they want to make, to walk away from a particular format, you’ve got to respect that.”Agarkar on Shami: ‘Our domestic season has just started, and we’ll see if he’s fit enough’•PTI On Shami: ‘My phone is always on’The selection for the Australia tour ruffled at least one player’s feathers. Mohammed Shami, who hasn’t played for India since the Champions Trophy in March, wasn’t picked on fitness grounds; the fast bowler, who is currently playing for Bengal against Uttarakhand in the first round of the Ranji Trophy, disputed the idea that he wasn’t fit. “If I can play four-dayers [Ranji Trophy], I can also play 50-overs cricket.” Asked about this, Agarkar said the domestic season had only just begun, and that the selectors would keep an eye on Shami’s fitness as the Ranji Trophy progresses.”If he says that to me, I’ll probably answer that,” Agarkar said. “I’m not quite sure what he said on social media. Maybe if I read that, I might give him a call, but my phone is always on for most players, and I’ve had multiple chats with him over the last few months.”Look, he’s been an incredible performer for India. If he’s said something, maybe that’s a conversation for me to have with him or him to have with me, but [if he was fully fit] he would have been on that plane. Unfortunately he wasn’t, and our domestic season has just started, and we’ll see if he’s fit enough, and we’ll see where it goes, because this is the first round of Ranji games that’s going on. We’ll find out in a couple more games if he’s fit.”Look, with his quality, if he’s bowling well, why would you not want to have someone like a Shami? But what we found in the last six-eight months to a year, even leading up to the Australia tour, which we were desperate to have him on, unfortunately his fitness wasn’t there. If he does keep fit over the next few months, who knows, the story might be different. But at this point, as far as I know, he wasn’t fit enough for that England tour.”

India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the last two ODIs against Australia because of a viral fever. Tejal Hasabnis has been named her replacement. Providing the update on Wednesday shortly before the toss in the second ODI in New Chandigarh, the BCCI said its medical team is monitoring Rodrigues.Rodrigues was in India’s XI in the first ODI, which India lost by eight wickets. She scored 18 runs off 26 balls from No. 5 as India put up 281 for 7. Arundhati Reddy, the fast-bowling allrounder, replaced Rodrigues in India’s XI for the game on Wednesday.A 28-year-old middle-order batter, Hasabnis has been around the national team since last year, making her ODI debut – the only format she has played internationally – in October 2024 in Ahmedabad against New Zealand. She has 140 runs from six innings, going at an average of 46.66 and strike rate of 78.65 with a best of 53 not out.India would be keen to have Rodrigues, a key figure in their line-up, back fully fit in time for the ODI World Cup, which begins on September 30 with the co-hosts – India and Sri Lanka – taking each other on in Guwahati.

India squad for the last two ODIs against Australia

Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kranti Goud, Sayali Satghare, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, Uma Chetry (wk), Tejal Hasabnis

James Rew scores unbeaten ton batting with younger brother, Thomas, for first time in senior match

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Aug-2025Somerset brothers James and Thomas Rew combined in a dominant century partnership to steer Somerset to a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Middlesex at Radlett and get their county’s Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign off to a winning start.Batting together for the first time in senior cricket, James struck a magnificent unbeaten 106 from 90 balls (15 fours), while younger brother Thomas displayed his big-hitting form from the recent England Under 19s series. His 51 from 54 balls with three fours and three sixes was his first senior half-century. But while he fell with 58 runs still required, his brother was there to steer the side home with 15 balls to spare.For Middlesex, Josh de Caires hit a fine 71 in 86 balls, his maiden List A half-century to lay the foundation for Middlesex’s total of 289 for 7.While he shared an opening stand of 63 with Joe Cracknell (23), wickets fell at crucial times as Middlesex’s run rate slowed against tight Somerset bowling. It was new skipper Ben Geddes (40) who wrestled back the initiative before Jack Davies blazed a brilliant 64 during a fifth-wicket stand of 61 with Luke Hollman, 98 runs coming in the final 10 overs.Jake Ball, who also had two catches dropped off his bowling, finished with figures of 3 for 43, while Jack Leach took 3 for 47.Earlier, de Caires started confidently against Alfie Ogborne, cutting and pulling consecutive short balls and was strong on the drive too.Ball bowled a consistent probing line but was left frustrated during an excellent first over when two chances went down behind the wicket. Ben Green at wide first slip failed to hold a low chance offered by de Caires on 25, while keeper James Rew put down a regulation catch off Cracknell on 15.Ball and Green kept things tight, challenging the stumps with the scoring rate slowing significantly, just 23 runs coming in nine overs. Feeling the pressure, Cracknell flashed outside off-stump to Ball, Green making no mistake as he took a slip catch above his head.Finally, de Caires got one away, driving through midwicket, the first boundary for seven overs. Shackles released, he came down the pitch to dispatch Green for six before reaching his fourth consecutive half-century after three Championship fiftiesIt was Leach who made a double breakthrough. First, he got one to grip and turn to take the edge of Sam Robson’s bat, then, while the sweep had proved effective for de Caires, the reverse sweep proved his undoing. The Middlesex opener was adjudged lbw, leaving him frustrated as replays suggested the ball struck glove rather than pad.Geddes picked up the mantle, cutting and pulling dismissively. He picked a delivery from Ball off his hip for six as Middlesex’s rate climbed back above five but was caught attempting a big shot against Leach.Davies was soon on the charge, collecting two sixes as he slog-swept Archie Vaughan and hooked Green into the pavilion before smashing three boundaries over the covers.Ball broke the partnership, castling Hollman (21) as he dragged on and having Davies excellently caught by a diving Vaughan at long-on. Toby Roland-Jones was last to go, caught in the deep in the final over off Green.Middlesex strayed in line and length as Somerset openers Tom Lammonby (38) and Vaughan accumulated steadily, Lammonby clipping three boundaries stylishly off his legs.Noah Cornwell separated the pair, pushing one across Vaughan who edged to a diving Cracknell before Josh Little built steady pressure, finding consistent bounce and movement, eventually drawing Lammonby into the edge.Lewis Goldsworthy (38) took consecutive boundaries off wide deliveries from Little, while James Rew got off the mark swinging a Little free hit over the slips before stroking through midwicket. He cut a rare bad ball from Hollman to bring up the 50-partnership before Henry Brookes removed Goldsworthy as he deflected onto his stumps.The Rews settled into their work adding 107 in 16 overs, James showing beautiful timing as he gloriously drove Brookes before pulling Roland-Jones through midwicket. His brother drove nicely too but also dispatched Roland Jones for a big six.James cut Roland-Jones for consecutive boundaries and with Somerset passing 200 in the 36th over, Thomas audaciously reverse slog swept de Caires for six.Thomas pulled Hollman for another maximum to bring up the 100 partnership but with 60 needed off the last 10, he was caught pulling a short ball from Cornwell straight to midwicket.James though continued in the same vein before hitting two boundaries off Brookes to go to three figures and win the match.Josh Thomas (24) proved good support, winning a reprieve when he was dropped in the deep off Cornwell with 19 needed.

It has become a frustratingly familiar sight at Liverpool, with Alexander Isak trudging off in the second half against Inter Milan having had little impact up against last season’s beaten Champions League finalists.

The man whom Virgil van Dijk lauded as “the most in-form striker” in the world ahead of March’s Carabao Cup final, the 26-year-old looks like a shadow of his former self right now.

With just two goals to his name in all competitions thus far, only one of which has come in the Premier League, the Reds are in need of far better, with Isak running out of rope despite the potential impact of a lack of pre-season.

Of course, a delayed start to life at Anfield, following that need to get up to speed fitness-wise, has played its part in the Swede making just 14 appearances to date, while the chaos around him has likely not helped matters either.

Indeed, as the explosive Mohamed Salah debacle has epitomised, Arne Slot has yet to settle on a consistent forward line in 2025/26 – might that all change in January, however?

Latest on Liverpool's transfer search

For all the talk of a £450m spend over the summer, there is evidently a need for further reinforcements at Anfield heading into the New Year, with centre-back still an area of concern amid the lack of depth beyond Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Transfer Focus

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

Having come agonisingly close to moving to Merseyside on deadline day, Marc Guehi seemingly remains a leading target ahead of the winter window, with the Englishman now left with just six months on his existing deal at Selhurst Park.

Of course, the exclusion, and potential exit, of Salah has also highlighted the need to bolster the ranks at the top end of the pitch too, with Slot particularly short on depth on either flank.

Well, with that search underway, the Reds might have received some welcome news, with TEAMtalk reporting that Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo has made Anfield his ‘preferred destination’, if and when he does decide to leave the south coast side.

As per the report, despite rival interest from the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, it is Liverpool who are believed to be the Ghanaian’s ‘first choice’, with there a ‘real chance’ that he could move on next month.

Available for £65m, due to his much-publicised release clause, the 25-year-old wouldn’t exactly break the bank, but he could be the missing piece for Slot’s attacking jigsaw.

How Liverpool could finally get Isak firing

There’s no denying it, Liverpool look like they’ve been burned by their £125m investment in Isak, with the 6 foot 4 marksman almost unrecognisable from the player who terrorised Premier League defences for the Magpies.

It may matter little considering his current form, although it’s worth remembering just how highly-rated he was just a matter of months ago, having ended 2024/25 with 23 league goals to his name, after netting 21 times in the top-flight the year prior.

The difference? Well, in the view of Slot, it could be the lack of a suitable supplier from the flanks, with the Dutch coach pointing to the fruitful partnership that Isak enjoyed with Jacob Murphy at St James’ Park.

As per Transfermarkt, Murphy assisted his free-scoring colleague 11 times in all competitions for the Tynesiders, with the unsung hero offering a reliable source of creativity from his right-wing berth.

While no doubt a step above the Englishman, having been hailed as the “best winger in the country” by Chris Waddle, Semenyo could be the Murphy-esque figure that Isak is in need of, having wreaked havoc down the flanks in recent seasons.

Erling Haaland

18

Igor Thiago

11

Bruno Fernandes

10

Antoine Semenyo

9

Phil Foden

8

Richarlison

8

Cody Gakpo

7

Leandro Trossard

7

Jean-Philippe Mateta…

7

Currently looking “unstoppable” under Andoni Iraola, in the view of pundit Darren Bent, the ex-Bristol City man has six goals and three assists to his name this season.

With blistering pace and lethal on either foot, Semenyo is in the form of his life right now, having also ended 2024/25 with 16 goals and assists in the Premier League.

The key benefit for Isak would be the 11 ‘big chances’ that the £65m man created last term, as per Sofascore, highlighting how he could emerge as Isak’s chief supplier under Slot’s watch.

As was evident with his stunning, solo goal on the opening day at Anfield, the Bournemouth talisman can also turn defence into attack in an instant, while occupying defenders to free up space for those around him.

That sense of chaos and unpredictability could help to breathe new life into Slot’s forward line, with Isak likely to be the big beneficiary if he can convert the ample opportunities that should fall his way.

Dream for Wirtz: Liverpool hold talks to hire "football's next elite manager"

Liverpool are beginning to face the possibility that Arne Slot is on borrowed time in the Anfield hot seat.

ByAngus Sinclair 3 days ago

He was not informed of the decision to drop Shamim, and said he has been told he would have little say in squad selection

Mohammad Isam26-Nov-2025T20I captain Litton Das has expressed his unhappiness with the Bangladesh selectors’ decision of dropping Shamim Hossain from the squad for the first two T20Is against Ireland. Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said last Friday that they were dropping Shamim to give Mahidul Islam Ankon a chance in the middle order.Litton, however, said that the selectors didn’t inform him or coach Phil Simmons about such a decision.”I think it would have been better if [Shamim] was in the team. But this is not my call, [it is] totally the selectors’ call,” Litton said. “I don’t know why, but the selector dropped Shamim without giving us notice. I have known that a captain would know which player would be in the team, and which player would be out of the team. I don’t see any reason behind Shamim getting dropped. It would have been better if he was in the team.”Related

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Litton also said that he has received a directive that he would have little say in squad selection. Litton, however, did not say where the instructions came from or when he got them.”The selection panel and board has told me that I have to totally work with whatever team they have selected,” Litton said. “I can’t have a say about which player I want or don’t want. I have known for a long time that a captain has a planning for organising the team. Recently, I have been informed that my job is to deliver something good from the field with [the] team that I have been given.”Litton, however, said that he will continue leading the side despite such conditions given to his leadership. “I won’t say it is insulting, but I think the captain and coach must be informed. We don’t know anything about [the selection]. If the same thing happens during the World Cup, I will try to implement with the team to the best of my ability.””Why not Shamim [Hossain]? He performed extraordinarily in some of the series” – Litton Das•AFP/Getty ImagesLitton also said “sorry” to Shamim, calling it a disappointment for the player.”It won’t disturb the team but [the situation] is disappointing,” Litton said. “You can’t expect the same performance in every series from every player. We have been trying to build a team for a long time. Why not Shamim? He performed extraordinarily in some of the series. Getting dropped from there, it is disappointing for Shamim.”As a captain, I can’t say anything more than sorry to Shamim. I don’t expect all 15 players in my squad to perform at the same level. We have to back a player when he doesn’t perform in two or three series. I am really sorry that I couldn’t back him.”Shamim has had only single-digit scores in his last three T20I outings for Bangladesh, which may have prompted the selectors to drop him. Shamim, however, has made some important contributions in Bangladesh’s T20I revival this year. He made 48 against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in July. That innings took Bangladesh to a massive win, which is now considered as a turning point for them.Shamim also contributed against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asia Cup. His 22-ball 33 against Afghanistan in early October was the last time he reached double figures, before his run of three successive single-digit scores in T20Is.Meanwhile, chief selector Gazi made a statement after Litton’s comments on the non-selection of Shamim.”Our focus should be on the Ireland series that’s coming up, but because of what our captain Litton Das said at a press meet, I wanted to say a few things,” Gazi said. “We held a brief meeting with the captain and coach before the Bangladesh squad for the Ireland T20Is was announced. When we asked about his opinion about Shamim Hossain, Litton Das told us that he wants Shamim in the team against Ireland. He also informed us that he spoke to the coach [Simmons], who said he also wants the same batters who played against West Indies, in the next T20I squad.”After discussing with Hasibul Hossain [another selector], we decided to leave out Shamim from the squad. We thought that we will announce the squad for the first two matches so that if we win the series by then, we can do some experiment in the third T20I. We announced the team following the rules, after going through cricket operations and the board. The selectors don’t always have to agree with the captain and coach when making selection calls. We don’t have to take any permission. We are accountable to the board.”

He will remain with the team to continue his rehabilitation and has not been replaced in the squad

Andrew McGlashan02-Dec-20250:46

McGlashan: An unfortunate end if Khawaja’s Test career is over

Usman Khawaja’s international future is in doubt after he was ruled out of the second Test at the Gabba after failing to recover from the back spasms that he suffered in the opening match in Perth.Khawaja had batted for the first time since the injury on Tuesday during a 30-minute net session but did not come through it with a clean bill of health to be able available for selection. It will be the first Test he has missed since his return in early 2022.Related

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“Khawaja will remain with the team to continue his rehabilitation,” a statement said. “He has not been replaced in the squad.”The third Test begins in Adelaide on December 17 which gives Khawaja two weeks to recover although there will be questions over whether he can regain his place.Khawaja’s form was under scrutiny heading into the series – he is now averaging 31.84 since the end of the 2023 Ashes with one century in 45 innings – and coupled with the way Travis Head threw down the gauntlet as an opener and his public statements about being keen for the role, it had sparked a debate about whether now was the time to draw an end to Khawaja’s Test career.His absence opens the door for Head to continue the opening role he took on in the second innings in Perth where he carved his way to 123 off 83 balls although there are other potential routes Australia could take.Since Perth, Head has spoken about being willing to take on the role on a more permanent basis but there remains an ongoing debate about his value at No. 5. Coach Andrew McDonald has also floated the notion of flexible batting orders within a Test.Usman Khawaja was ruled out of the second Test•AFP/Getty Images

“I’m not sure about the middle-order part, but I’d probably expect Trav to open,” Scott Boland said. “It’s hard because obviously he’s put in a lot of work since the last game to try and get his body right but he hasn’t come up unfortunately. I thought he looked pretty good in the nets but he must’ve thought himself that he wasn’t ready to go.”Josh Inglis and Beau Webster are the spare batting options in the squad. Inglis, who made a century on Test debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year, scored a hundred against England Lions last week. Webster was unlucky to miss out on the XI in Perth having made four half-centuries in his first seven Tests alongside contributing handy wickets.Boland added losing Khawaja wasn’t ideal but was confident Australia would be able to adjust as they did in the first Test.”I guess it does [upset the balance of the team] a little bit because we probably planned to have Uzzie there the whole time,” he said. “But I think the best thing about our team over the last few years is that when someone has come out due to form or an injury or something like that, someone’s always stood up and done their job.”Trav did that last week and even without Pat [Cummins] and Josh [Hazlewood], some bowlers have come in and done a good job. We’ve obviously got huge depth in our squad and we can replace anyone if we need to.”If Head does take Khawaja’s role again and makes a success of it, and whoever comes into the XI performs well, it may be tough for Khawaja to return.Khawaja initially suffered back spasms on the opening day at Perth Stadium. England collapsed so quickly on the first afternoon that Khawaja was unable to open due to the time he’d spent off the field and when he emerged at No. 4 could only make 2 before gloving a short ball from Brydon Carse.On the second day Khawaja took his place at first slip, taking a catch to remove Harry Brook and then spilling a low edge offered by Jamie Smith. His back went into spasm while leaping for another edge provided by Smith, opening the way for Head’s remarkable century.

His mis-step at the boundary may haunt him, but India’s biggest drop was at the selection table

Sidharth Monga03-Aug-2025

Mohammed Siraj has not opened the bowling four times in ten innings in the series against England•Getty Images

Mohammed Siraj just can’t catch the edge of Ben Duckett’s bat.Siraj is the leader of the attack who has not opened the bowling four times in ten innings in the series against England. There is a reason for this. There have been occasions when he has missed his lines – never the length – with the new ball. Also, outside Jasprit Bumrah – his beloved “Jassi “, in the absence of whom he tends to lift his performance – Siraj is the only swing bowler in India’s side. And the Duke’s ball swings more for first-change bowlers because by then the embossment on the ball comes off, giving it the perfect roundness while being shiny for swing.It is, however, Siraj’s wobble-seam ball that is the bigger threat. And his metronomic control of lengths. Even though he sometimes loses line, he hardly ever loses length. In the 19th over of England’s second innings at The Oval, Siraj beats Duckett five times on the outside edge. Stuart Broad on air starts speculating when he will bowl the outswinger, which swings into the left-hand batter. Siraj stays away, and stays honest to the process, bowling five balls on a good length and one only half a metre shorter. Three of them seam big. Siraj walks back with a wry smile on his face.Related

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All through the match, like a true disciple of Bumrah, Siraj has bowled only two balls fuller than 5m when two specialist batters have been in the middle. Both of them yorkers, both of them wickets: Jacob Bethell in the first innings, and Zak Crawley to what proved to be the last ball of the third day. Crawley’s wicket levelled him for the most wickets in the series.When Siraj comes back for the 21st over, he tries that full inswinger to the left-hand batter, and gets driven for four. Broad says he has gone to the well too early. It is uncharacteristically early for Siraj, yes, but this is also his 163rd over of the series. Only Chris Woakes has bowled more. The whole first hour goes without a wicket for Siraj. Prasidh Krishna gets his man Duckett at the other end.In 6.1 overs in the first hour, Siraj has created 13 false shots, gone for 26 runs, 13 of them off edges, but first drinks is when he should be done for a while. Try taking the ball away from him. Especially when you have only three bowlers for the conditions. On day two, he bowled eight unbroken overs in a session to help India come back into the match. Asked earlier how come he never needed workload management, he said the , the man upstairs, has kept him healthy, and he just wants to honour that gift by playing as much as he can.

****

Siraj goes on for two more overs, gets Ollie Pope out with the wobble-seam ball, and finally goes out of the attack and straight to the change room for running repairs. All the way up three floors’ worth of stairs at The Oval.Just the time to think about how it has taken Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain to make it mainstream what a skilled bowler Siraj is, and not just a workhorse that he is usually given credit for. He bowls outswing and wobble seam, the occasional inswinger, his pace always remains up, he hardly ever bowls a half volley, hardly ever bowls short without meaning to bowl a bouncer, and keeps on going and going. He still averages 31.75, which doesn’t quite put him in elite company. Is it possible he doesn’t have the mythical X-factor?Mohammed Siraj stepped on the fine-leg boundary to hand Harry Brook a reprieve•Getty ImagesSiraj has been fielding at mid-on in the absence of Bumrah to keep helping out Prasidh and Akash Deep. Bowling coach Morne Morkel says Siraj doesn’t lead by words, but by example and actions. He comes down the steps after the breather, but now fields at long leg. The short-ball plan is on, and Harry Brook hits the first ball straight to him. Siraj takes the catch, but has overestimated how far he came in to take it. The backward momentum carries his back foot on to the boundary triangles.If it is just a rope, Siraj’s foot just hovers above the rope and lands safely inside. Reminiscent of Dion Nash stepping on the rope where it overlapped in a thrilling finish to an ODI in Australia. It is not an excuse because they all know there are triangles, and not just the rope. It is the cruelty of it all. That it comes to him even before he has found his bearings and has become comfortable with his whereabouts vis-à-vis the triangles.Siraj turns around with his face in his hand. Not sure what he sees when he opens his eyes again, but there is an England fan just to his left clapping in his face. Minutes later, Siraj is back to his customary mid-on when they show the slow-motion replay on the big screen. The crowd goes ooooooo-ah at the replay. Can it get more cruel? Siraj knows what is going on, but doesn’t react.

****

Reprieved on 19, Brook has run riot. At lunch, he is on 38 off 30 balls. Siraj, who is at mid-on towards the pavilion at lunch, walks in the opposite direction. All the way to Prasidh, who is walking towards the pavilion from fine leg at the opposite end of the ground. The two share a low-five, a hug and a smile. Nothing needs to be said. They walk off together. Siraj keeps patting Prasidh on his head. The rest of the team is waiting for them at the gates, and clap them off. These are the two with a big job to do. Akash Deep has been fighting a niggle from day two. He has had what seems like a pain-killing injection.The three bowlers practically bowled a whole session between them on the second afternoon to keep India alive in the series. All bar two overs. India have selected poorly again. Since the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India have chosen not to play four strike bowlers for the given conditions in favour of batting depth. They have lost five of the matches, and won two. The absence of the fourth fast bowler in the XIs in Australia has perhaps played a role in Bumrah breaking down, which has now left him a three-out-of-five-Tests bowler.Once again, Siraj, Prasidh and Akash Deep are asked to bowl through a session because bowling any spin to the Bazballing Englishmen on this pitch can quicken India’s exit from the series. Siraj’s pace stays up but he is human; his spells get shortened. To just six overs now. Then three at the end of the session. This is the lowest average seam he has drawn all match. In the middle of his first spell, he throws away the tubigrip on his calf: execution over protection.4:24

Morkel: ‘Siraj is a natural leader’

Prasidh’s average pace drops by 4kph, as does his swing and seam. He bowls only six overs in the session. Akash Deep’s average pace goes down by 3kph. He bowls only five overs. The ball is getting older, and Brook and Joe Root put India to the sword. A whopping 153 runs come in the session for the wicket of Brook, caught at mid-on by Siraj, but after having added a further 89.Siraj ends the session lying prone on the pitch, trying to field a hit back down the ground. He dusts himself up, wipes his face on his shirt, exposing his black undershirt as he walks off. This time, Prasidh consoles him and pats him on the back, but the belief seems to have evaporated. Siraj has been leading what seems the proverbial “one final push” for long enough for it to be Groundhog Day. At tea, another push seems beyond even him.

****

A drizzle during tea, probably not hard enough to stop play but hard enough to not start already stopped play in, gives India slightly longer to recharge: 15 minutes to be precise. The shower has perhaps spiced the pitch a little bit. The break has perhaps given them a bit of succour. Prasidh picks his pace up again. Siraj doesn’t dip. A nervous Bethell leaves them an opening. Prasidh hits the top of middle.Now, with 42 runs still needed, Siraj takes up the role of conducting the crowd. It is a lovely split in the crowd. When England are playing well, it seems the crowd is predominantly English. When India get on a roll, it seems the opposite.Siraj and Prasidh start hunting the front pad of Root and Jamie Smith like men possessed. The seam has gone up even with the older ball. Only 12.3% balls seamed more than 0.75 degrees in the middle session. Now the number is up to 17.4%. When he is not geeing up the crowd, Siraj is bowling a clever mix of wobble-seam balls and the odd outswinger.This atmosphere and tension is as good as it has got all series. Siraj and Prasidh are now running on hope and adrenaline. Incredibly, Siraj has allowed batters only 69% control, but has only two wickets after 26 overs. At 181.2 overs, he has now overtaken Woakes as the most worked bowler in the series. At 20 wickets, he is the most prolific as well.2:11

Bangar: Mohammed Siraj will fancy the new ball

There is a lot of acknowledgement that Siraj has bowled better than 20 wickets at 36.85 suggests. In cold blood, at least in the third session, he has strayed down leg 30%, which, despite all the excitement created, fails to get him an lbw. Then again, it is a miracle he is running in and bowling just as quickly as he did in the morning.Also, in cold blood, India have made inefficient use of their bowling resources all series. An inhumane 92% of their overs in this Test have been bowled by just the three fast bowlers. In no Test have England strained their main bowlers as much. Even in the absence of Ben Stokes, who does give you a cheat card in English conditions, and the injury to Woakes, England have, despite picking no spinner, bowled as much spin as India.In the corresponding fixture of the similarly epic Ashes series 20 years ago in this country, the leading wicket-taker of the series dropped a catch to lose the series nobody felt he deserved to be on the losing side of. Siraj is no Shane Warne, but his predicament put Atherton on air in the mind of Warne in the 2005 Ashes.If India go on to lose on the fifth morning, especially if Siraj gets them any closer, that catch will become a memory difficult to live down. In cold blood, though, it should never come down to just one catch. The India team management need to do their fast bowlers a favour and start selecting better.

The Australia A tour of India will mark the start of Konstas’ season before a defining month of Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales

AAP09-Sep-20250:27

Konstas gone for duck as tough Caribbean tour ends

Sam Konstas doesn’t care for regrets or critics. And by putting himself on a self-imposed social media ban, the teenager hunting an opening spot in a home Ashes series has ensured he will hear as little of the latter as possible.The 19-year-old is set to play two four-day matches in India for Australia A before targeting four Sheffield Shield games for New South Wales with a goal of finding the red-ball form that eluded him on a tough tour of the West Indies.Whatever happens in the next two months, you can be sure the charismatic young gun won’t be giving two hoots over what outsiders say about his approach.Related

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Konstas dazzled the cricket world on Boxing Day last year against India on Test debut with a flamboyant and audacious 60 off 65 balls. Critics said he would not be able to play that way on a regular basis and succeed.Runs have since proven elusive and Konstas did not pass 25 in his next nine Test innings.  He is competing with a plethora of candidates to partner Usman Khawaja for the opening Ashes Test in Perth but has no regrets about his approach on debut against Jasprit Bumrah and company.”I wouldn’t change it,” Konstas told AAP. “I don’t have any regrets in my life to be honest. I thought that was the right method at the time and it paid off. I don’t get too fixated about what others say. Whatever I feel is right I totally commit to.”My method is someone who is an aggressive batsman that likes to take on the game, while understanding the game situation when I do play well. It is about trying to score runs and win games.”The more experiences I have in different conditions the more I will adapt. I have to find my method and what works best in each situation.”What also works best for Konstas is not having social media. He went from a relative unknown to a global attraction overnight with 281,000 followers on Instagram. Watching the ball and not his phone screen is now the focus.”I never had social media until I was 18. I had it for a year and now I have taken a break from it to be more present and try and get back in the Ashes squad,” Konstas said. “It is just about focusing on myself and trying to give it a good crack.”Everyone uses social media differently but I feel now is the right time to get off it. I don’t read my comments on Instagram. I don’t care what other people say to be honest but everyone has their opinion.”Konstas heads to India with confidence and valuable lessons already under his belt.”I’ve had a few experiences in the subcontinent,” Konstas said prior to taking centre stage at Tuesday’s ASICS kit launch at the SCG. “I was lucky enough to be in the MRF Academy last year and to tour Sri Lanka as well with the Aussie boys. Hopefully I can score plenty of runs and adapt to those conditions.”It is about trying to be in the present moment with any game I play whether it be my club team, NSW or Australia A ahead of the Ashes.”I got so much out of my first time in the Caribbean and facing a quality fast attack. The wickets were tough to bat on.For me it was about trying to find methods for scoring runs in those conditions and understanding the bounce is variable and trying to find another method, if I do go again.”

أثارت تصريحات محمد صلاح ضجة كبيرة، وقد سلطت الأنظار عليه خلال جلسة تدريبية مفتوحة لفريق ليفربول بعد وقت قصير من المقابلة التي أجراها.

وقد طغت أحداث ما بعد مباراة ليدز يونايتد والتي انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بثلاث أهداف لكل فريق وتصدر صلاح عناوين الصحف بسبب تصريحاته.

وأثارت تعليقات صلاح حول آرني سلوت مدرب ليفربول ضجة عالمية، ولم يتوقع أحد كل ما قيل منه وتساءل الجميع إذا كان المصري سيشارك في الجلسة التدريبية المفتوحة.

ولاحظ الصحفي “مارك أوجدن” ما كان يفعله محمد صلاح أثناء خروجه لتدريبات ليفربول قبل لقاء إنتر ميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضاً.. أليسون بيكر على رادار عملاق أوروبي للرحيل عن ليفربول

وأفادت “rousing the kop” أن الجميع يعلم أن صلاح يستمتع بكونه النجم الأبرز في ليفربول وأن الأنظار مسلطة عليه وهذا ما جعله لاعب عظيم.

ومع ذلك فقد تخلي النجم المصري عن غروره قبل بدء الجلسة التدريبية وشوهد وهو يحاول التصرف بشكل طبيعي قدر الإمكان، وتجاهل الموقف لتخفيف الضغط عن النادي.

وذكر أوجدن في بودكاست لـ “ESPN”: “نعم، بالطبع، طلب منا الحضور لبدء التدريبات، وكان هناك بعض الانتظار مما زاد من ترقبنا ولكن عندما خرج صلاح كان كل شيء طبيعي للغاية”.

واختتم: “خرج مع إيكتيكي ولم يكن هناك أي شعور بأنه يسير في آخر المجموعة، لم يكن دخوله متأخراً بشكل درامي ولم يثر ضجة كبيرة، ذهب مع إيكتيكي وعانقه أيضاً سوبوسلاي عناقاً خفيفاً ثم انضموا للتدريبات وخاضوا مباراة تحضيرية مصغرة”.

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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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.