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India fast bowler Akash Deep has given a ringing endorsement of the country’s domestic system, saying it is so rigorous that players who make the step up from there to international cricket have already been battle-tested.”The structure the BCCI has for domestic cricket is so strong that by the time you get to this level, you have already played a lot of good-quality cricket,” Akash, who has played two Tests so far, said in Kanpur. “You know what your bowling is like and what you need to do. So I don’t find anything new here. The processes we follow to get here, we just need to follow those and take those forward.”India have invested a great deal into their pathways to create a strong pool of players capable of stepping into the national team in any format. Akash came through it himself, taking 35 wickets in the Ranji Trophy in 2019 at an average of 18.02 as Bengal made the final. From there he was picked to play for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy in 2022, the Deodhar Trophy in 2023, then onto India A cricket and, on the back of 11 wickets in two games against England Lions, a Test debut in February 2024. He picked up three wickets in his first spell, dismissing Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, and 2 for 19 in the first innings of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh.Related

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The seniors in the Indian team also help newcomers feel at ease in a new environment. “I am very fortunate to play for India under [Rohit Sharma],” Akash said. “He keeps things so simple. I had some hesitation when I came to the Indian team, about the pressure, some confusion… but when I got to the ground, [Rohit] made things so simple for me that I didn’t know if I was playing domestic cricket or international cricket. I don’t think in my life I could have asked for a captain who makes things so simple.”Having been put at ease, Akash drew on all that he had learnt on his way up to international level – he had come in on the back of 30 first-class, 28 List A and 41 T20 games, where he picked up 104, 42 and 48 wickets respectively – and worked on how to improve further.Akash Deep already feels at home in international cricket•BCCI

“I have played a lot of cricket in the last two years,” he said. “Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, so we are used to playing cricket for long periods. I think that as a cricketer, it’s important to understand yourself. Suddenly if we are selected for a new team, there shouldn’t be any confusion. ‘I have done this in the Ranji Trophy, what am I supposed to do here?'”I have worked on that, worked on my strengths. What can I add to my bowling? I have spent time thinking about those things. It’s about the simple things. I don’t put pressure on myself, that I have to play in [November’s tour of ] Australia, or in any other big series. I stay in the present. I think about today, this match, which helps me keep things simple.”Akash was asked about “this match” and in particular the pitch in Kanpur. “Whatever the wicket is like, if I play, my job is to put the ball in good areas,” he said. “Even if the wicket is not favouring fast bowlers, I need to find a way to pick up wickets. From what I have seen, it’s a sporting wicket, not a batters’ wicket.” India face Bangladesh at Green Park for the final game of the series after taking a 1-0 lead in Chennai.Akash also opened up on a little connection that he has with the ground here. “I am from Banaras, which is not far from here. I had heard of the stadium – Green Park – when I was young, and I thought that it’s because the whole ground was green. I hadn’t seen any stadiums at the time. I remembered it after coming here, that the first stadium I had heard of was Green Park. It feels nice, that I am here, at the place I had heard of as a kid.”

Durham 344 for 4 (Lees 111, de Leede 72, Ackermann 59) beat Lancashire 287 (Bohannon 147, de Leede 3-33, Ackermann 3-37) by 57 runsCaptain Alex Lees starred with a superb 111 added to impressive all-round contributions from Dutch internationals Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann as Durham claimed an opening day Metro Bank One-Day Cup win over Lancashire at Sedbergh School.Opener Lees cleanly struck eight fours and a six in a 126-ball innings which underpinned 344 for four – Durham’s sixth highest List A total. De Leede contributed 72 off 63 and Ackermann 59 off 33.In ideal batting conditions, and in front of approximately 2,000 spectators, Lancashire’s task of chasing was tall. Josh Bohannon top-scored with an excellent career best 147 off 119 balls, an even better innings than Lees’s. But Ackermann and de Leede equally shared six wickets in 287 all out – a Durham win by 57 runs.Lees made the most of his decision to bat first, hitting all of his boundaries on the leg-side and driving George Balderson’s seam over long-off for his only six.Every Durham batter contributed. Fellow Under 19s international Ben McKinney opened with a pleasing 43 – he shared 87 with Lees – before Scotland international Michael Jones added a late 41 off 21 against his birth county.Durham paced their innings beautifully against a Red Rose attack who failed to gain control. Only Balderson – one for 57 from 10 overs – went at less than six in over in a six-man attack.Lees and de Leede shared 129 inside 20 overs for the second wicket, advancing from 87 for one in the 20th. It was a Durham partnership record for the second wicket in List A matches against Lancashire.Lees reached a 117-ball century but didn’t last much longer.He followed de Leede’s departure, the skipper caught at long-off against Harry Singh’s off-spin – 250 for three in the 44th over.After that, 81 came from the last six overs as Ackermann and Jones set about a thrilling acceleration.New ball seamer Tom Bailey conceded 27 off the 47th – 308 for three. Jones hit a six and four and Ackermann two sixes and a four.Lancashire’s reply started well despite George Bell’s early departure. He cut Paul Coughlin to backward point.At 91 for one in the 16th over, their hopes would have been high as captain Keaton Jennings and Bohannon both approached fifties.But their second-wicket partnership was cut short at 72 when the former was run out for 44 at the non-striker’s end going for a third to deep midwicket, sparking a match-defining collapse of four wickets for 46 – Lancashire now 137 for five in the 23rd.Ackermann’s off-spin (three for 37 from six overs) accounted for three of them, bowling Balderson and Tom Bruce added to George Lavelle caught at backward point. The latter two fell in as many deliveries in the 23rd over.Bohannon shared a calming 61 for the sixth wicket with Singh, but the latter was one of two wickets to fall in the 34th to de Leede’s seam, leaving the hosts 202 for seven.Singh pulled to deep midwicket for 25 and Tom Aspinwall was bowled.De Leede (three for 33 from eight) bowled Bailey shortly afterwards before Bohannon reached a second List A century off 93 balls.But a win was the prize he craved. Unfortunately for him, that ship had long sailed as no team-mate could support him until it was too late.He also shared 62 for the ninth wicket with Will Williams, who fell to Jonathan Bushnell’s seam.The same man completed the visiting success when he bowled Bohannon in the 45th over after the England Lions captain had struck 13 fours and half a dozen sixes.

The 2001 FA Cup final was one of the main reasons Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or, but one Arsenal player was so good in that game he left Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard stunned.

Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-1 in 2001 FA Cup final

Liverpool won an iconic treble in the 2000-01 season, as they were crowned League Cup champions, won the UEFA Cup (renamed UEFA Europa League) and overcame Arsenal in the FA Cup at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The victory over the Gunners is mainly remembered for the performance of Owen, who was crowned the best player in the world later that year at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Michael Owen’s Ballon d’Or winning season

Liverpool and England

Appearances

55

Goals

31

Assists

8

Trophies

FA Cup, UEFA Cup, League Cup

The Gunners largely dominated the match however, mainly thanks to their midfield of Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Gilles Grimandi and Freddie Ljungberg. Ljungberg eventually broke the deadlock about 20 minutes from full time, and the legendary Thierry Henry even missed a chance to make it 2-0 shortly after, which he would soon come to regret.

With less than ten minutes to go, Owen pounced on a poor clearance to equalise. Five minutes later the comeback was complete, as the striker raced past Tony Adams and Lee Dixon before firing a brilliant finish beyond David Seaman.

Owen was unsurprisingly named Man of the Match, but Jamie Carragher has since revealed that such was Arsenal’s dominance, the performance of Vieira left a young Gerrard shocked, so much so he still talked about it for years afterwards.

Vieira was "as good as anything we have seen"

Speaking in 2014, Carragher namede Vieira in his XI of best foreign players in Premier League history, and revealed the Liverpool squad were stunned by how good he was at the Millennium Stadium.

Vieira made 405 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals and winning seven major trophies, including three Premier League titles.

Gerrard later confirmed his admiration for Gunners legend, saying ahead of their meeting as the managers of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace respectively: “He’s a man I have a lot of admiration and respect for, first and foremost as a player.

Patrick Vieira in pictures

“I had many battles against Patrick, some highs, some lows. He was certainly a player you could really go and compete against. You could kick him, fight him, compete against him and he’d shake your hand after the game.

“He was a top, top footballer and one of the toughest battles I ever faced in terms of being a player, and I expect the same to be the case from the side. I know he’s a winner.”

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And the Liverpool star obviously learned a thing or two from their encounter in the final, as he actually boasts a positive head to head record in matches against Vieira, winning seven, drawing three and losing five.

There is no doubt that the pair were the heartbeat of their clubs and two of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history.

Brendon McCullum highlights differing requirements of Test and county cricket after latest curveball selection

Andrew Miller05-Sep-20240:35

Ollie Pope excited to see ‘massive’ Josh Hull debut for England

“So what was it, Baz, that first attracted you to the 6ft 7in left-arm fast bowler, Josh Hull?”It wasn’t quite phrased as per Mrs Merton to Debbie McGee, but Brendon McCullum’s answer to the inevitable pre-match query at the Kia Oval doubtless had the effect of making England’s rawest recruit feel like a multi-millionaire ahead of his Test debut against Sri Lanka.”Josh Hull? Six foot heaps, bowls left-arm, ranges in pace from 80 to 90 miles an hour. Swings it, not too dissimilar to the likes of Jimmy Anderson. He’s 20 years of age … good farming stock. It’s not a huge gamble, is it?”And, well, when you put it like that… no, I guess it isn’t.Related

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What it is, however, is perhaps the clearest indication yet of McCullum’s determination not to be bound by English convention, which in itself is saying something. For he’s not exactly been shy about parading his genre-busting methods over the past two-and-a-half years of Bazball, but in backing this latest hunch about Hull, he’s surely made his most left-field pick yet.”We hope he goes well, he might go there and take ten-for … we’ve got no idea, but it kind of doesn’t matter,” McCullum explained. “We see him as someone that’s worth investing in, and worth giving opportunities to. And whatever happens, we’ll wrap our arm around him, and make sure that he knows that he’s firmly in our sights for the future.”The optics are extraordinary, either way. Not least when you consider that the chief beneficiary of Hull’s selection could be another unusually tall 20-year-old in England’s ranks, who also boasted a mere ten first-class wickets when he first came to the attention of the selectors, and whose offspinners into the rough outside the right-hander’s off stump are likely to bite that little bit harder once Hull’s sizeable boots have pounded through the crease a few times.”The footmarks that he’s going to present as well for Shoaib Bashir will be interesting,” McCullum added. “It’ll give Bash a lot of excitement too. But again, I stress, if this isn’t this week, it doesn’t matter. Ultimately, he’s someone who is going to be able to provide us with another string to our bow, another weapon that is going to make us a more rounded side, that can challenge teams in various conditions.”And there we have it. A few imposing vital statistics, a sprinkling of positive vibes, and the recipe for Test success is there waiting to be grasped, notwithstanding Hull’s first-class haul for Leicestershire this season – two wickets at 182.50 – which might invoke some deeply offended harrumphing in the shires.And yet, of the five men to have claimed five-fors on debut since McCullum and Ben Stokes took control of the team, only Gus Atkinson came into the side with anything resembling expectation, and he then breezed through to England’s best newbie figures for more than 130 years. Bashir, meanwhile, had three five-fors in five Tests by the time he’d bowled England to victory at Trent Bridge in July. When this England team sets out to do things differently, it doesn’t go in for half-measures.Josh Hull’s rise this season has been meteoric•Getty Images”The talent we’ve introduced has exceeded expectations, if I’m being totally honest,” McCullum said. “You hope the guys go well early, but you’re not after that instant gratification when you pick them. If you’re doing that, then I think you’re guessing.”We look at these guys and we think they’re going to be good. It might take a bit of time, but they’re worth investing in. Zak Crawley was a good example of that a couple of years ago. Some of these other guys have come in have done it quicker than what I thought they would do, and that’s incredibly encouraging, and probably testament to the leadership of Stokesy and the leaders within the setup.”There’s something especially ironic, too, that Hull’s debut will be taking place at The Oval, the home of county cricket’s most storied champions, Surrey. In Atkinson and Jamie Smith, not to mention the current England captain, Ollie Pope, the club continues to churn out a glut of players who are integral to the current regime’s plans. And yet, Surrey’s dominance of the County Championship seems to be epitomised by players who no longer fit the brief.Take Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, for instance, who were briefly England’s bedrock under Chris Silverwood but who are now redolent of their strokeless summer of 2021, or Ben Foakes, whose peerless glovework cannot atone for limitations with the bat that England identified on their last tour of India, and which had previously been masked by his perfectly respectable first-class average of 38. Elsewhere in Surrey’s line-up, there’s Dan Worrall too, a soon-to-be-England-qualified seamer whose methods in home conditions, even at the age of 33, would doubtless have hoovered up countless Test wickets given half a chance … much as Chris Rushworth, or Sam Cook, or, yes, James Anderson might still expect to do.And yet, that’s not what England are looking for anymore. It probably came with a jolt of recognition, at Lord’s last week, when – in the absence of Mark Wood, and with Atkinson a notch below his slipperiest pace – England found themselves grinding to victory thanks to a hard-working fleet of four right-arm medium-pacers, all operating at speeds between 82 and 87mph, which is precisely the sort of line-up that caused the selectors to vow “never again” after the travails of the last Ashes tour.Matthew Potts has been left out of the XI as England sought a point of difference•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesHence the cruel but unsentimental ditching of the luckless Matthew Potts, whose important two-wicket burst in the first innings at Lord’s could not disguise the fact that he was operating, albeit skilfully, at the limits of his potential. And if the selection instead of lanky and raw left-armer seems like an over-compensation, then it also feels like a truer reflection of England’s pre-season promise, around the time of Anderson’s axing, to start recruiting the weapons they will need to win in Australia in barely 12 months’ time.”We need to identify that county cricket and Test cricket are probably slightly different games,” McCullum said. “If we were picking a county side, it would look a little bit different to what it looks like on the Test side. Hence our understanding of what counties are doing, and the decisions that they make, they might not always line up with us, and that’s cool.”We don’t do stuff in spite of them, we completely understand they have a different job to do. We’re bringing some of these guys who we see as rough diamonds with incredibly high ceilings, into an environment where we’re able to shape them, and give them the opportunities and hasten the process of them getting to the level that we think they can get at.”One subtle difference for Hull is that he will not be debuting under the direct tutelage of Stokes. Instead, he’ll be the first new cap of Pope’s interim reign, and therefore an added responsibility for a captain who is already feeling a bit of heat after his haul of 30 runs in his past four innings.McCullum, however, has no qualms about Pope’s competence for the role, citing his aggressive captaincy in England’s victory push on the fourth day at Lord’s, or his ability to bounce back to the form he showed against West Indies earlier this summer, with a century and two further fifties in the course of England’s 3-0 win.”It was only a couple of Tests ago, he was scoring runs and playing really well, right?” McCullum said. “No. 3 is a very difficult place to bat over here, he’s done a great job for us over the last couple of years in that position. He would have loved to have scored more runs since he’s taken over the captaincy, but you don’t always get what you wish for.”In my mind, it hasn’t affected his leadership, which is very important,” he added. “I think he’s grown a lot in two Tests too. His best session in charge was probably the last session of the [Lord’s] match where he became ultra-aggressive and put a lot of pressure on Sri Lanka with the fields that he set and the carrots that he dangled.”He’s been great. I’ve been totally impressed with how Popey has been able to handle the job so far. And that’s great because Stokesy is our leader, and ultimately you need to make sure that things don’t come crashing down if your leader’s not there for a series or two. It’s great credit to Stokesy that he’s put faith in Popey, and it’s great credit to Popey that he’s been able to stand up.”

A winner with Oval Invincibles last year, she has quietly proved a key cog since joining Brave

Matt Roller02-Sep-2022Southern Brave’s women have never lost a game at the Ageas Bowl and they set up a rematch of the 2021 final against Oval Invincibles by sneaking past Trent Rockets in Friday’s eliminator, defending 134 despite Nat Sciver’s late flurry of sixes in her valiant, unbeaten innings of 72.It remains to be seen if the ECB have any intention to rename Saturday’s showpiece at Lord’s, but they could do worse than labelling it the Georgia Adams derby. Adams’ performance on Friday underlined the fact that she has been the bargain buy of the Hundred’s off-season after winning the competition with Invincibles last year.Invincibles used Adams as a specialist batter but despite finishing the season with a winner’s medal, she struggled to make an impact at the top of the order: she averaged 16.62 across her nine innings with a strike rate of 105.55. She was deemed surplus to requirements with the ball too, not bowling a single delivery across the season.Related

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Charlotte Edwards, her coach at Southern Vipers, sensed the chance to bring her back to her home ground and offered her a contract at Brave during the off-season. She was a snip at £12,500, the fifth-highest salary band available, but has been a key addition to a Brave side looking to go one better than they did last season.Adams has been used in the middle order by Brave, backed to add power at the death in a long batting line-up that is significantly deeper than most in the competition, with Amanda-Jade Wellington carded at No. 8. “She’s been a really key signing for us,” Edwards said.On Friday, she turned the eliminator in Brave’s favour: first with the bat, and then the ball. She walked through the Hundred’s novelty tunnel earlier than usual, striding out at No. 6 after 57 balls with Brave 66 for 4 and still struggling after a slow start, but her 38 off 24 was enough to lift them to a defendable total.It was a classic finisher’s innings. Adams started by hitting the ball out to boundary-riders, accumulating singles and playing second fiddle to Maia Bouchier, but at 13 off 14, she decided it was time to put her foot down.Sciver was slashed past short third for four, Alana King disappeared back over her head and Bryony Smith was twice swung into the leg side. She fell to the final ball of the innings, heaving Smith to deep midwicket but had given Brave a crucial lift.”Her ability at the back end to not only find the rope, but clear the rope, was pretty special to watch,” Tahlia McGrath said. “She’s been awesome for us all tournament, playing little cameos with bat and ball. She does her job every game, keeps it really simple and is really effective.”Her success with the ball has been one of the tournament’s more unlikely stories but after going unused last season, she has bowled 26 sets this season, taking 6 wickets and conceding just 1.09 runs a ball.She has been thrown into the deep end, too, regularly bowling in the powerplay, and admitted on the player mic during the eliminator that she was surprised to have been called upon as much as she had.Edwards has encouraged her to work on her bowling at Vipers and with Charlie Dean absent on international duty increasingly often, she has been used more and more. “We’re rolling with it,” she said. “I’m limited in my options but I just try and bowl at the stumps. I leave the rest to Anya [Shrubsole] and hope for the best.”She talked through her strikingly simple plans as she bowled her first set: “full to Smith, try to get her to hit me down the ground; [Elyse] Villani, into the deck, get hit square.” Smith was yorked, trying to reverse-sweep and Marie Kelly lofted to long-on, as Adams finished with 2 for 15 from her 15 balls.Her spell was enough to put Brave in the box seat, to the extent that they managed to cling on despite Sciver’s late assault on McGrath. “We’re really pleased for her [McGrath],” Adams told the BBC. “Her confidence was low so for her to go in and do what she did today was brilliant.”Now, she will have the chance to become the first player to feature in two different winning sides in Hundred finals, against her old side. Brave may have to cope without Smriti Mandhana, who strained her calf and did not field, but will be able to bring Molly Strano in off the bench.”We can’t wait,” Adams said. “It should be a magnificent occasion. We’ve played some fantastic cricket this tournament but we don’t feel like we’ve played our best yet. Hopefully tomorrow we can pull it all together and lift the trophy.”

England captain on the need to support the women’s game and promoting equality of opportunity

Interview by Alan Gardner19-Sep-2020First of all, how has your summer been – dealing with life under a pandemic, and uncertainty around the women’s game?
I think like everyone else in the world, it’s been very surreal, very strange. We’ve been a bit unlucky in terms of who we were originally due to play, with South Africa and India being two of the worst-affected countries in the world with Covid. But we’ve got some cricket to look forward to. It’s been very topsy-turvy, a lot of uncertainty but it’s great that the West Indies have come over. We’re very grateful to them, their board and the ECB for making it happen.Did life under lockdown make you focus on things outside of cricket?
The first month back was really nice, because we’d been away for seven weeks at the T20 World Cup, it was lovely to chill out, do the weekly shop and spend some time with loved ones. After that I started to get itchy feet. It definitely made me think about what I might do when cricket’s not there, because it is such a massive part of your life and you’re on the international treadmill so much of the year or you’re playing in another tournament, and you never really have the chance to stop and think. So I signed up for a Masters during lockdown, which starts in January – it’s in Leadership in Sport, at the University of Buckingham, the course that Ed Smith is involved in running, Hopefully I can find the time to fit that in. It would have been ideal to do during lockdown, but it’s actually been delayed until January, because of Covid. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, a bit more study, and just haven’t really made the time or made the effort, and lockdown has given me a little push to think about what I want to do afterwards, and expand myself as a person a little bit as well.Even more importantly, when you came on the Switch Hit podcast in April, you revealed that you were in the process of watching the Star Wars films for the first time. Have you seen them all now?
Yes, I have, fully up to date, got through them all in lockdown. I know this won’t be very popular but I enjoyed the new ones – I’m obviously not a true Star Wars fan. The newest newest ones. I wasn’t down with Jar-Jar Binks.ALSO READ: ‘I can’t go off with a broken nail, I know comments will get made’ – CrossAs for the cricket, planned tours by India and South Africa had to be shelved. Were you beginning to think you wouldn’t play this season?
I think when South Africa pulled out, there was a little bit of a worry that we weren’t going to be playing at all. It was a bad few days to be honest, we were in Derby in a bubble, the World Cup got cancelled and then South Africa pulled out and it was kind of ‘Why are we living bubble life when we haven’t got anything to prepare for?’ But we turned it around quite quickly, the ECB were amazing in getting the West Indies sorted, [it only took] 10 days to get them over. Until South Africa got cancelled I had it in my head that we were definitely playing, so that was a bit of a shock, but these things happen in these times and great that the West Indies could fill the void and save our summer.England were knocked out of the T20 World Cup at the start of the year by rain, then came the pandemic, another event out of your control. Apart from wanting to move on from 2020 as quickly as possible, did you fear that the women’s game would be set back significantly?
Going back to the World Cup semi-final that we lost through rain – when we got back to England, the pandemic gave us a lot of perspective on that. There was no time to mull on it because there was a lot bigger things going on in the world at the time that obviously had far greater consequences. In terms of whether we would play, it was quite worrying, but we always believed that the ECB would do everything in their power to try and get us some cricket, which has obviously happened. They’ve committed to the England women’s game, to the women’s game as a whole, and backed that up with actions this summer, which I think has been brilliant to see. I honestly don’t think it would have happened three-four years ago, there wouldn’t have been that commitment to take the effort and the money needed to get cricket on.The World Cup has moved, so 2022 is looking like a very hectic year but hopefully it all happens then. It’s not ideal, you prepare yourself as a player to try to win world events, you prepare as a team in that four-year cycle to peak at that time, and there’s a lot of shifting parts at the moment we don’t know exactly what our winter looks like. We know it’s very likely we’ll be playing cricket somewhere, we don’t know exactly what that is at the moment. For us as players now it’s important we enjoy the cricket we have got here, enjoy being back out in the Three Lions and not thinking too far ahead.Rain ruined England’s chances of progression to the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup•ICC/GettyYou would have been preparing for England’s World Cup defence over the winter, and tweeted your disappointment when the tournament was postponed. Do you still fear Covid will be used as an excuse to put women’s cricket “on the back burner” for the next 12 months?
It still is a fear. I think the boards that have committed more to women’s cricket, and have more funds available, I think they’ll be fine, they’ll play a lot of cricket. It’s the boards that potentially aren’t as rich, and haven’t supported the women’s game as much previously, that need real help from the ICC to get cricket on. Because at the moment it costs a lot, it’s a lot of effort.I think women’s cricket really needs to get back, it needs everyone playing to have that healthy competition that’s made it so successful. The T20 World Cup was even bigger and better than the last one, it keeps building year on year, the interest keeps growing. Even the domestic games that have started in this country, the viewers on the live stream, the figures have been unreal. It shows there’s a real appetite for people to watch women’s cricket. It needs that support to keep going on an upwards trajectory, and like I said the ECB have backed up their words in support of the women’s game with actions this summer, which is what you want to see around the world.Do you think that it’s time the ICC set up a fund specifically to support the women’s game – like it has done previously with men’s Test cricket?
That would be great, that would make a big statement. I know they cancelled the World Cup because they felt teams wouldn’t have the required preparation to be ready, but if teams don’t play for another 12 months, say, that’s going to be exactly the same when the World Cup comes around in 2022. A year not playing international cricket for a player will stunt their growth. So a fund would be amazing, I know it’s tough at the moment, there’s only so much money and everyone is struggling and wants support. But yeah, I think that would be a really strong move by the ICC that they do back the women’s game and want to see it grow. Obviously it’s starting to become a real commercial product, as well, so the more support it gets the more it’s going to grow.Is it frustrating when you see the World Cup moved by a year, only for the IPL to be starting this month – or for South Africa’s women to be denied the chance to tour, when individual men’s players can head to the IPL?
Yeah, I think so, I guess that was my point when I tweeted. The worry is that the reason for the World Cup getting cancelled in terms of preparation… if it’s not going to happen in New Zealand, in the safest country in the world, then it’s not going to happen until there’s a vaccine. It’s tricky, I know a lot of events have been cancelled, but it was still quite a while away and what with it being in NZ you felt there was a chance for it to go on. I know it would take a lot of effort. It is a bit frustrating but I guess now the disappoint has worn off and I’m trying to shift my mindset into looking forward at the opportunities we’ve got, We’ve got another year to build into that World Cup and really be in a good place for it. Decisions above us affect everything we do as women cricketers, but they’re out of our control.

As females I think [Black Lives Matter] touches a nerve, in terms of growing up a lot of us faced barriers to entry into cricket and we want the sport to be gender neutral, race neutral

This has been marked down as a significant year for women’s cricket in England and Wales, with a new domestic structure and extra funding for player contracts. Despite the impact of Covid-19, the ECB has maintained its commitment – which must be encouraging?
I think there is massive optimism. The Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy has been launched, it was brilliant to be part of that. Although we should have been playing international cricket, it was great to be part of history and the start of that competition. They’ve put so many resources into getting us cricket this summer, it’s been unbelievable the detail that’s had to go into it. Our medical staff are unreal and all the team behind getting the bubble set up, chartering the West Indies over, it’s amazing really. We’re so grateful as players to be able to play some cricket. The support from the ECB has been unreal, the PCA have been brilliant as well, so we’re really hopeful that the growth in this country will continue and women’s cricket is in a really good place. I think a potential positive of Covid is it gives people a chance to reassess where the game is at, how it can improve, and how things can be done differently to make it truly a gender neutral sport. It’s given people the chance to have those thoughts and think how we can do things better as a whole. Part of that is making the sport more inclusive, for gender, race, etc, so hopefully those changes will be one very small positive from the pandemic.Does the move to regional centres, rather than women’s teams being attached to counties, help with that?
Yeah, it’s created a real structure that’s going to be great for a young player in this country. They’ve got a chance to come out of school and be a professional cricketer. We had Issy Wong who had her A-level results during that first bubble at Derby and she’s going straight into her first contract – that made me feel very old. She’s on one of the domestic contracts, so it gives her the chance to improve and get some good cricket behind her before, hopefully, she comes through in an England shirt, which wasn’t the case when my generation was coming through the system. It’s going to give a lot more competitive cricket to the girls in the system, which is only going to be a good thing to keep churning out England cricketers. And if someone is unfortunate enough to drop out of the system and lose their England contract, they’ve got a safety net. They’re not just going into the abyss, they’ve got the regional system to fall back on.Presumably that will help to create more of a production line for new players?
Yeah, and I think we’re starting to see that. It was brilliant to have 24 players in those first bubbles at Derby and Loughborough, because it gave the coaches a bit longer to work with those players on the fringes and you really saw them improve as cricketers. Having that system now, helping those girls to develop, is only going to be a good thing. It will take a bit of time, in terms of the domestic structure Australia has, that started a long time before. It will take time to get that strong domestic competition [here] and that real depth, but we definitely are starting to see that already.What about the prospect of more multi-day cricket being played in future?
I’d always want to play more, I really enjoy it. But that’s something that hasn’t grown the game. The administrators have seen T20 as a way to grow the women’s game and it’s been very successful. There’s two sides to it, I’d love to play more as a player, but I understand why we don’t.England Women’s captain Heather Knight returned to individual training in June•Getty ImagesThe ECB has marketed September as Women’s Big Cricket Month, which will include the RHF Trophy final being shown on Sky and the return of England Women to BBC TV.
It’s exciting, a real chance to showcase what we can do. Hopefully there’ll be a bigger viewership with the amount of sport that people have been able to see over lockdown. All five T20Is are on Sky, who have supported the women’s game brilliantly, but I guess the BBC gives us that slightly different platform to reach people who might not have watched women’s cricket before – Saturday, prime time afternoon slot, so hopefully people will tune in and enjoy.What about equal pay, something that has happened recently in football – could the ECB break another barrier there?
I don’t think we’re there yet. Obviously the men’s game at the moment brings in a lot more commercially. Until we starts filing stadiums consistently I don’t think we’re in a place where we can do that. I think the most important thing is we’re making really good progress and it’s not just at the top of the game, it’s filtering through, with the domestic set-up being the best it’s ever been. Making sure that money is spread throughout the game is really important. If we were getting exactly the same pay as the men, it would not be feasible as a business model. I think we’re completely realistic with where we’re at and just happy to keep seeing progress. I still have to pinch myself in terms of how much the game has developed, you forget how you started and what it was like ten years ago. I’m just excited to see where it could be in another ten years’ time.Another theme of the summer has been the Black Lives Matter movement and the subject of diversity in cricket. You’ve already said the team is planning a gesture of support, has the topic been much discussed?
Yeah, we had a chat about it this afternoon, and we’re keen to show our support as a team, show that for us it’s a really important thing. As females I think it touches a nerve as well, in terms of growing up a lot of us faced barriers to entry into cricket and we want the sport to be gender neutral, race neutral and people to have as much opportunity to be involved in the game as anyone else. We decided as a squad we want to do something, I know West Indies are keen to do something as well. What exactly that looks like we’ll sort that out, but we’re keen to show our support and keep conversations happening, and hopefully that leads to actions.Michael Holding was recently critical of England and Australia not taking a knee in their series. Would you have planned to do something, regardless of the opponents being West Indies?
I think so. Having followed a lot of it closely during lockdown, I definitely wanted the team to do something no matter who we were playing against. It’s turned out that it’s West Indies but I think it’s important that we do that, it’s the first cricket we’ve played and we want to show our support.There is only one BAME player in the current England Women’s squad – allrounder Sophia Dunkley – and only a handful have been capped in the modern era. Is there specific work that can be done in that area?
There’s probably multiple reasons why that’s the case. Opportunity is a big one, I guess a lot of us as players got into the game through our families and that was one of the only ways you did it because cricket wasn’t played by females in schools very often, and generally cricket has not been particularly diverse. That needs to change, there needs to be more opportunities for all people to get involved, and actioning the conversations that have gone on is really key. Cricket historically has had a class issue and that’s meant that a large proportion of people haven’t been able to get involved in the sport. So there’s things going on, I’ve spoke to the ECB and the PCA and they’re doing lots of things to try and change that. I think it will take a bit of time, but yeah – as gender neutral, as race neutral we can get the sport, the more everyone is going to benefit.Has all this time spent in bubbles allowed you and head coach Lisa Keightley, who took over last year, to work on your blueprint for the team?
Yeah, we’ve had a lot of planning time, a lot of Zoom calls. It’s given us a real chance to sit down and work out where we want the team to go. Lisa was very new in the role leading into the T20 World Cup, so hadn’t had a chance to implement and talk about the things she wanted to do. She’s been really clear, we’ve had some good chats about how we want to push forward and I think we’re starting to see that already. I really hope it transfers into the games that we’re playing, we’ve got a bit of a long-term plan leading into 2022, particularly in T20 cricket as that’s the focus this summer. We’ve had good conversations about how far we can go because we’ve got such amazing talent in this team but haven’t won a T20 trophy for a long time, so that’s a big goal for us, to set the standard and push the game forward. Australia have done that over the last period so we want to shift that a little bit and be the ones that are setting how good we can be in T20.Heather Knight was involved in the inaugural rounds of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy•PA Images via Getty ImagesAre there particular areas you’re looking to strengthen?
I think what’s cost us a lot in the last 12 months in T20 is that we’ve been chasing the game. We haven’t got off to the starts we’ve wanted with the bat and had to do a bit of damage control and then go again. Our middle order has stuck out during that period, Nat [Sciver] has been outstanding but we want to start from ball one, get ahead of the game and keep going all the way through. That doesn’t always happen in T20 cricket but we want to throw the first punch if we can, rather than play catch-up.With the bowlers as well, they’ve not really had a full-time coach for a period of time, so we’re really starting to see the benefit of having Tim Macdonald in that role consistently. Seeing the clarity the bowlers have now in their death plans, and how they improved in that World Cup I think was really down to Tim. Probably taking wickets in the Powerplay, as well, hasn’t been our strength. But we’re starting to put together a squad that are really pushing the boundaries, and there’s real competition for those spots. You saw it in the warm-up games at Loughborough and Derby, players are starting to put in really strong performances and make it tricky to pick that final XI.Who are the players that have stood out for you in the RHF Trophy?
The new competition puts players on the stage to push their case for selection, and that wasn’t really the case with county cricket. Sophie Luff’s someone I know really well, having played with her for a long time, I know the value she adds and she’s just been a run machine down at Bristol, putting in the performances. So her doing that consistently, you start to think ‘Could she be in and around the squad?’ We’ve got some real talent – Sophia Dunkley and Katie George have been added to that World Cup squad and they’re two very exciting players. Georgia Adams is doing very well, someone that’s been consistent in county cricket for a long time. Being able to watch all those games [online], you get a feel for how they play, which is so useful when you do bring players in. You know a lot more about their games, where previously you wouldn’t have a clue, you’d just see a scorecard.You’ve mentioned before how on-field stuff is only a small proportion of captaincy. Presumably this period has been all about the off-field support you can provide players?
I’ve got a really good group of senior players around me. The hardest thing about being in the bubble, it’s hard to get away from cricket. When it’s not going well for a player it can be hard, because when you’re on tour you might go see a friend or family, get away for dinner, you wouldn’t think about cricket. But here you open your curtains and see the ground and it can get a bit claustrophobic, particularly if things aren’t going great. So just trying to get the girls to relax, there’s lots of social events going on, lots of card games. There’s a good games room and quite a few coffee machines going around. So it’s being there to support the girls and knowing where they are at. Some players might need a bit of space, don’t want you knocking on the door asking if you’re okay all the time. Because we know each other as a squad so well you start to learn what people need at certain times.We’ve discussed the uncertainty over England’s schedule this winter, but what’s next personally?
It’s about 90% confirmed that I’ll be going to the Big Bash. There’ll be a group of us going, we don’t know exactly what the quarantine period looks like yet, we’ve got a few briefings to come. We’re going to have to quarantine for 14 days in some capacity, there’s chance it could be in a hotel room which isn’t ideal, or it might look a little bit different. But it’s the new life of a cricketer, going from bubble to bubble at the moment, which is tough but the way it is. We’re just grateful that were getting cricket on, even if it involves a bit of sacrifice. I always wanted to go out and play if I could, even if it meant potentially going insane for 14 days. But I’m sure I’ll be able to get through it.

Nottingham Forest’s Arnaud Kalimuendo has now entered fresh talks to join a new club in January, having failed to establish himself in the starting XI since arriving in the summer.

Kalimuendo arrived at the City Ground with a good reputation, having received high praise from scout Ben Mattinson courtesy of his performances for Rennes last season.

However, the 23-year-old has been unable to make an impact since getting his move to the Premier League, failing to score in nine outings across all competitions, albeit the majority of those came as a substitute.

Last month, it was revealed that Forest were already thinking about offloading the striker, with AS Roma being named as potential suitors, and now a new club have joined the race for his signature.

Stuttgart enter talks with Arnaud Kalimuendo's agent

According to a report from Sky Sports Germany (via Bulinews), Stuttgart are keen on signing Kalimuendo this winter, having expressed concrete interest in getting a deal done, and talks have already been held with the Frenchman’s agent.

The £60k-a-week striker’s move to the City Ground hasn’t worked out, having appeared for a total of just 66 minutes in the Premier League, meaning the door could be open for the German club to get a deal over the line in January.

It seems a little early to consider sanctioning a departure, considering Sean Dyche’s other strikers haven’t exactly been prolific in front of goal either, with Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi yet to score a goal between them in the Premier League this season.

Jesus was particularly poor in the 3-1 victory against Leeds United at the weekend, receiving a 5.8 SofaScore match rating, the lowest of any player on the pitch, before being replaced by Awoniyi just before the hour mark.

Goals from Ibrahim Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson ultimately secured all three points for the Tricky Trees, who managed to turn the game on its head after Lukas Nmecha opened the scoring inside 15 minutes.

However, Dyche may be concerned about his options at striker, given that Chris Wood also wasn’t at his best prior to suffering a knee injury, having failed to score since the opening day victory against Brentford.

As such, with Jesus and Awoniyi struggling, it could be worth giving Kalimuendo a chance to prove himself, considering it is very difficult to make an impact as a substitute.

However, the former Rennes man clearly isn’t doing enough in training to impress Dyche, so it may be worth cashing-in if he doesn’t improve ahead of the January transfer window.

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Evangelos Marinakis clearly means business, with the Tricky Trees joining the race for a new centre-forward.

By
Dominic Lund

Oct 26, 2025

These three bilateral matches take place just days before the T20 World Cup in February

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2025

West Indies and Afghanistan will face each other over three T20Is in Sharjah next year as both teams build up towards the World Cup. The bilateral series is scheduled to begin on January 19 just days before the ICC event kicks off in India and Sri Lanka in February.CWI’s Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, said: “This series provides an ideal platform for our preparation. Facing strong opposition in subcontinental conditions will help us sharpen our combinations and approach, and it also gives our players a chance to build confidence on surfaces similar to those we’ll encounter in India and Sri Lanka.”West Indies co-hosted the last T20 World Cup, where they went through to the Super Eight stage but couldn’t make the knockouts. Afghanistan did make it to the semi-finals of that event, which was a first for them. The two teams have played eight T20Is against each other with West Indies leading the head-to-head 5-3.All three T20Is of this bilateral series will take place in Sharjah on January 19, 21 and 22.Naseeb Khan, CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said: “Competing against the West Indies on the brink of a global event presents an excellent opportunity for our team to finalize their lineup and enhance their preparations for the upcoming mega event in India and Sri Lanka.”West Indies are currently playing a five-match T20I series in New Zealand, which they trail 2-1. Afghanistan’s last T20I assignment was against Zimbabwe in October, which they won 3-0.

Another challenging question about retention for RCB is around fast bowler Yash Dayal, who has not played any cricket since IPL 2025 final

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Nov-20258:48

Chatter: Will ownership change result in new name for RCB?

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to release England allrounder Liam Livingstone ahead of the auction for IPL 2026.Livingstone, who was picked for INR 8.75 crore (US$ 1.04 million approx.) at the 2025 auction, scored 112 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 133.33 with just one half-century. He also picked up two wickets in the nine overs he bowled at an economy rate of 8.44. Since then, Livingstone captained Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, and was their leading run-scorer (241 at a strike rate of 155.48) and took the second-most wickets for them (seven at an economy rate of 7.36). He also scored 260 runs at a strike rate of 176.87 and returned six wickets in Lancashire’s run to the semi-finals of the T20 Blast.The presence of Australian power-hitter Tim David along with West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd means RCB already have enough options for the finisher’s role. David had a strike rate of 185.14 for his 187 runs last IPL, while Shepherd scored 70 runs off the 24 balls he faced (strike rate 291.66) in IPL 2025. Releasing Livingstone, as a result, could help RCB head into the auction for the next season with a stronger purse.Related

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The other potentially challenging question for RCB about retention concerns fast bowler Yash Dayal. The left-arm fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh, who picked up 13 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 9.59 last IPL, played a major hand in RCB pulling through high-pressure moments across the season. In the final, Dayal finished with impressive figures of 3-0-18-1. However, he has not played any cricket since then and skipped the UPT20 League recently.The deadline to finalise releases is November 15.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking at signing a Manchester City player in the January transfer window, it has been revealed.

Edwards calls Wolves return a “dream”

Rob Edwards’ return to Molineux as Wolves manager was sealed during the international break, with the 42-year-old costing around £3m in compensation from Championship side Middlesbrough.

The former Old Gold defender, coach and interim head coach has signed a deal in the Midlands until 2029 and is now preparing his side for a Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Wolves vs Crystal Palace

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Aston Villa vs Wolves

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Wolves vs Nottingham Forest

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Wolves vs Man Utd

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Arsenal vs Wolves

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Wolves vs Brentford

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Talking to Wolves’ official media, Edwards revealed that a return is a “dream” and that he is “ready” to try and take the club off the bottom of the table.

“It means a lot. This club’s really special. It’s special anyway, but it’s special to me because it’s where I’ve spent most of my professional career and where I played most of my football.

“Then to have done a lot of the roles that I’ve done, I’ve got to be honest, this job was always my aim. This is the dream.

“I know the situation that we’re in right now, but this is just something that I’ve always wanted, and I’m ready for it. I’m ready for the challenge, I’m up for it, and it’s been great getting around everybody, seeing so many faces that I know, and new faces as well.

“The staff are all up for it and we’ll meet the players next week when everyone arrives back, and I know the lads will be as well.”

To help Wolves try and avoid the drop, Fosun are ready to back Edwards in the January transfer window with the necessary funds to make new signings.

Now, another transfer target has emerged for those in the Midlands.

Wolves looking to sign Kalvin Phillips from Man City

According to Football Insider, Wolves have set their sights on signing Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

It is claimed that Wolves ‘will explore both loan and permanent deals’, with Edwards ‘eager to add some top-flight nous to his ranks’.

Phillips, on £150,000-a-week at the Etihad Stadium, looks set to leave Pep Guardiola’s side in the New Year after failing to get a move away in the summer.

He has been called a “monster” in the past and has the experience of a relegation battle with Leeds United, avoiding the drop with the Whites in the 2021/22 season before earning his move to Manchester.

However, nearly four years on, the England international could be set for a permanent return to a side battling at the bottom, rivalling the likes of Andre, Joao Gomes, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Marshall Munetsi for a starting role in Edwards’ side.

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