The Indian team is trying to “push the limits” of what they can do. According to assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, they are doing this in order to be well-prepared for the challenges in the next 18 months: the Champions Trophy, Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.With Rohit Sharma as captain and Rahul Dravid as coach, India had shed their safety-first approach with bat in limited-overs cricket. It paid dividends when they finished as the runners-up of the 2023 ODI World Cup and the winners of the 2024 T20 World Cup.Now Suryakumar Yadav has replaced Rohit as T20I captain and Gautam Gambhir has taken over as coach, but the template has remained the same. In the first T20I against Bangladesh in Gwalior, India chased down 128 in 11.5 overs. Then, batting first in Delhi, they found themselves on 41 for 3 inside the powerplay. But Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh only momentarily took their foot off the pedal and powered India to 221 for 9.”Hundred per cent,” ten Doeschate said, when asked if playing fearless cricket was part of the team philosophy. “I think it has shown in the way we have played. The Test match in Kanpur is a great example.”Related

• Can Bangladesh bid Mahmudullah farewell with a win?

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• What will life after Big Five be like for Bangladesh in T20Is?

• Taskin urges BCB to prepare better pitches at home

In that second Test in Kanpur, rain and a wet outfield allowed only 35 overs across the first three days. But India’s attacking approach with the bat meant they won with more than one session to spare.”We are trying to push the limits of what we can do as a team,” ten Doeschate said. “We have obviously got the quality to do it. And then it’s about giving the players the belief to do it in a safe space, that if it’s not going to go right, it’s also okay. And even if you look back at the first two games, someone like Sanju [Samson] getting a quick start in the first game in Gwalior, it would have been easy for him to knock it around and just get a 50-60 not out. But you can see he was trying to push the boundary. He knows the state of the game, and the messaging has been pretty consistent with that.”We want the guys to expand their game. We want to move cricket forward, like it’s going with the times. And we want to be prepared for the big crunch moments that are coming up in the next 18 months.”Gautam Gambhir oversees India’s training session in Hyderabad•PTI

Another change since Gambhir became the coach has been the push to make as many players in the side bowl. In the second T20I, despite Hardik Pandya not rolling his arm over, India used seven bowlers, with each picking up at least one wicket.”You see the way the game is going, it’s very rare that all five bowlers, or even six bowlers, are going to go well on a given day,” ten Doeschate said. “So it’s nice to have options. Ideally, you want them to bowl a little bit more, but someone like Hardik not bowling in the last game, it’s just a testament to the depth of the bowling in the team.”India fielded the same XI in the first two T20Is. But now with the series sealed, they are likely to try their bench strength.”That was always the plan,” ten Doeschate said. “Obviously, there’s a nice depth in the squad – a lot of guys have the IPL experience. We are trying to expose as many guys as we can to international experience with what we have coming up. So someone like Harshit Rana, we are keen to give a game to. Obviously, Tilak [Varma] came into the squad a bit later. Jitesh [Sharma] is there as well. We want to give Sanju another chance. So there are options.”The third and final T20I will be played in Hyderabad, where the average run rate in IPL 2024 was 10.54. But ten Doeschate said India would not blindly trust the data.”Certainly the data and the evidence is around that [a high-scoring game]. But a little bit like when we got to Delhi the other day, you don’t want to read too much into the data. We probably feel that those first three wickets we lost was maybe because of going a little too hard. The wicket was a little bit sticky.”So we will have a look at this wicket. We are aware of the high-scoring nature of this pitch during the IPL but also we are five months away from the IPL now. So conditions could change as well. Fingers crossed, it’s a high-scoring game and a quality game.”

Chopra will lead UAE at the ICC CWC League 2 tri-series in Oman in November

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2024Muhammad Waseem has stepped down as UAE men’s ODI captain after 26 matches in charge between 2023 and 2024. Wicketkeeper-batter Rahul Chopra has been named the new captain, and will lead UAE at the next round of ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) League 2 games in Oman against the hosts and Netherlands in early November.”I have decided to step down as captain to concentrate on my batting in the ODI format,” Waseem, who remains part of the ODI squad, said. “My best wishes are with the new captain, I will be giving him my full support.”Chopra, the new captain, has played just seven ODIs to go with six T20Is.Waseem, the 30-year-old top-order batter, took over the ODI captaincy from CP Rizwan during the 2019-23 CWC League 2 for UAE’s match against Nepal in March 2023. Under him, UAE won just seven ODIs and lost 19, with Waseem the standout performer for the team in the matches they won – he averaged 64.28 in those seven games, hitting his only century in the format,119 vs Papua New Guinea, and three half-centuries in those games.In the 19 they lost, Waseem’s average was 21.10, closer to his career number of 25.44.UAE are currently playing the 2024-27 edition of the CWC League 2, where they lost their last game – Waseem’s final game as captain – to Namibia by eight wickets after folding for 190. UAE are bottom of the eight-team table at this stage after playing seven games – of which they have won only one – which might have contributed to Waseem’s decision to step down.Waseem also remains a regular member of UAE’s T20I team, and played his part in the team winning the tri-series in Namibia earlier this month, where USA were the third team. Waseem top-scored in the tournament with 159 runs in four innings as UAE won three games and lost one to finish on top.

لم يظهر محمد صلاح بأفضل حالاته المعهودة حيث خسر ليفربول مباراتين متتاليتين بعد هزيمته بهدف ضد جالطة سراي في الجولة الثانية بمرحلة الدوري لدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتفوق بطل الدوري التركي على ليفربول طوال المباراة، وأحرز فيكتور أوسيمين هدف الفوز من ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 16.

وكان آرني سلوت مدرب ليفربول قد أجرى تغييرات عى تشكيلته، وكانت قراراته غير مجدية بشكل كبير لصالح الفريق، ودخل محمد صلاح في منتصف الشوط الثاني ولم يتمكن من إحداث تأثير في نتيجة المباراة.

ويعتقد دانييل ستوريدج نجم ليفربول السابق أنه يعرف السبب وراء جلوس صلاح على دكة البدلاء، حيث تحدث عبر “أمازون برايم” وقد ادعى أن غياب الانسجام بين لاعبي الفريق يؤثر على أداء المصري.

اقرأ أيضاً.. رد فعل غريب من محمد صلاح على دكة بدلاء ليفربول أمام جالطة سراي

وقال ستوريدج في تصريحات نشرتها “TBRFOOTBALL”:”لم يعودوا كما كانوا في العام الماضي”.

وأضاف حول تراجع مستوى محمد صلاح هذا الموسم: “من الواضح أن الانسجام بين اللاعبين غائب الآن”.

وأكد كريس سوتون محلل الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز رأي ستوريدج عند مناقشة إحصائيات اللاعب المصري حتى الآن.

وقال سوتون: “لنتقبل ذلك، تقبلت ذلك بسرعة كبيرة لكن هذا الموسم لم يظهر أداء صلاح جيداً، كل ما أقوله أن ليفربول كان محظوظاً بالأهداف المتأخرة وما إلى ذلك”.

وعلى الرغم من تسجيل محمد صلاح لثلاث أهداف وصناعة ثلاث تمريرات حاسمة في مبارياته الثماني الأولى، إلا أن أداء محمد صلاح قد وصف بأنه سيئ للغاية في بداية الموسم.

جدير بالذكر أن صلاح قد سجل 12 هدفًا وصنع ثلاث تمريرات حاسمة في جميع المسابقات في هذه المرحلة من العام الماضي وكان متفوقاً بفارق كبير على جميع مهاجمي كرة القدم الإنجليزية.

The Brazil international has yet to unlock his full potential at the Emirates Stadium, and could soon find himself on the fringes of the line up

Just over two years ago, Arsenal welcomed Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium for their first Premier League game of the 2023-24 campaign. After a cagey first 25 minutes, Gabriel Martinelli conjured up the moment of magic his team were crying out for. There didn't look to be much on when the Brazilian picked the ball up on the left flank with two defenders closely tracking him, but he dribbled towards the byline before deceiving them both with an outrageous pirouette backheel pass to Eddie Nketiah, who subsequently shimmied inside and fired low into the net to give the Gunners the lead – with the aid of a slight deflection.

It was an instant assist-of-the-season contender that set Arsenal on their way to a 2-1 victory, a sublime piece of skill that very few players would even dare attempt, but Martinelli has always had that in his locker. The problem is, he hasn't pulled it out consistently enough.

Arsenal are preparing to host Forest again on Saturday, six years on from Martinelli's stunning introduction to English audiences, and he has yet to unlock his full potential. The enigmatic 24-year-old still has the capacity to be a match-winner, but more often than not, he frustrates with his decision-making and execution.

Time is now running out for him to change that. The summer arrivals of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke in north London have significantly increased competition in attack, while Leandro Trossard has agreed terms on a new contract, and Martinelli's position will come under serious threat if he continues to fall short with his end product. The former Ituano wonderkid has played a key role in Mikel Arteta's revolution to this point, but Arsenal need a lot more from him if they are to take the next step and get their hands on some major silverware.

Getty Images SportCrisis of confidence

On the plus side for Martinelli, he does still enjoy Arteta's full trust. Speculation over the winger's future raged throughout the summer transfer window, with Bayern Munich among the clubs credited with an interest in his services, but the Arsenal boss never considered letting him go.

“I think Gabi has been a super-important player for us and he's going to remain very, very, very important,” Arteta said before deadline day. “He’s needed, especially in the front line, to start the game and to finish the game. So, I’m very happy with what we have.”

That was a surprisingly strong vote of confidence considering how Martinelli has started the new season. He was substituted on the hour mark in Arsenal's 1-0 win at Manchester United after an ineffective display, and Arteta dropped him to the bench for their subsequent 5-0 thumping of Leeds United at the Emirates. Madueke struggled on his first start and also came off early against the newly-promoted side, which – coupled with an injury to Bukayo Saka – paved the way for Martinelli to return to Arteta's line up for the Gunners' trip to Anfield on August 31. He again failed to seize the opportunity.

Martinelli only managed 15 touches in his 70 minutes on the pitch and didn't complete a single dribble. In one particularly worrying first-half sequence, he sprinted out of Arsenal's half to lead a counter-attack and could have easily played in Viktor Gyokeres, but instead went alone and eventually ran the ball out for a goal-kick. 

Arsenal fans are becoming all too used to that kind of wastefulness from Martinelli. He should have been able to make mincemeat of makeshift Liverpool full-back Dominic Szoboszlai, who scored Liverpool's spectacular winning goal in the game, but it turned out to be an easy afternoon for the Hungarian against a player who is clearly suffering from a crisis of confidence.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMadueke offers more

Martinelli's mediocrity was symptomatic of Arsenal's collective effort against Liverpool, with Arteta's conservative tactics playing into the champions' hands. But the Gunners did have one bright spark in Madueke, who filled in on the right wing for the injured Saka. 

The former Chelsea star gave Martinelli a lesson in how to attack your full-back as he tormented Milos Kerkez with his pace and guile. All of Arsenal's best moments went through Madueke as he shook off the nerves from his underwhelming full debut in impressive fashion. He certainly did enough to keep his place until Saka returns in a few weeks, and as we saw in the Leeds game, Arteta is not afraid to start them both, either.

Unlike Martinelli, Madueke is a two-footed player who is equally as dangerous on the outside as he is coming inside. Right now, he is a better fit for Arteta's system on the left; he'll commit defenders to create more space in central areas for chief creators Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, and will also deliver crosses from that side for Gyokeres to feed on.

These days, it's far too easy for opponents to mark Martinelli out of the game, because he constantly looks to cut in on his stronger right foot and doesn't get his head up enough. 

Getty Images SportElectric Eze

That all being said, the man most likely to take Martinelli's place is Eze, who joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in a £60 million ($81m) deal on August 23. The 27-year-old came on for Martinelli in the final 20 minutes of the Liverpool clash, and gave the Gunners an instant lift with his incisive runs and slick passing. 

Eze did squander a golden scoring opportunity, but was generally far more dangerous than Martinelli as he offered Arsenal something different. Like Madueke, Eze is a versatile player with great balance and deceptive strength who breaks through the lines regularly, while he's also an accomplished playmaker who is capable of opening up tight games in the blink of an eye.

Martinelli just doesn't match up in terms of imagination or penetration in his current guise. He is still a hard worker with bags of pace, but appears to have lost the fearless streak that made him so thrilling to watch in his earlier years at Arsenal.

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Getty Images SportVictim of change

In fairness to Martinelli, Arsenal have not been set up to play to his strengths. His best season at the club came in 2022-23 as he delivered 20 Premier League goal contributions in 36 appearances, when Arteta played a far more expansive brand of football.

Martinelli thrived with plenty of space to drive into and built up a telepathic rapport with fellow countryman Gabriel Jesus. The former Manchester City man would often drift towards the touchline, which allowed Martinelli to get into central positions and wreak havoc. Jesus' persistent injury problems have, however, directly led to Martinelli's reduced impact.

He also linked up well with Granit Xhaka and Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left side during that stellar season, but both men have now left the club, while over the last two years, Arteta has also encouraged Arsenal to be more measured in their build-up play, while prioritising compactness in the middle of the park for more defensive stability. That tactical tweak led to Martinelli becoming just a cog in a well-oiled machine instead of a maverick operating off the cuff. 

MatériaMais Notícias

Rafael foi um dos principais nomes da vitória do São Paulo, por 3 a 0, contra o América-MG. A partida foi válida pelo Campeonato Brasileiro e deu o primeiro resultado positivo da equipe na competição.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSão PauloCalleri exalta ‘simplicidade’ de Dorival, mas dedica vitória do São Paulo a Rogério CeniSão Paulo22/04/2023São PauloATUAÇÕES: Rafael tem noite de ‘paredão’ e salva São Paulo na estreia de DorivalSão Paulo22/04/2023São PauloEm retorno de Dorival Júnior e noite inspirada de Rafael, São Paulo vence o América-MG pelo Campeonato BrasileiroSão Paulo22/04/2023

Em diversos ataques perigosos do Coelho, o defensor foi o responsável por salvar a equipe e evitar que o time mineiro virasse o resultado. Ao término do confronto, o arqueiro afirmou que ‘guardará com o maior carinho’ e destacou a importância dos preparadores de goleiro do Tricolor e do restante do elenco.

ATUAÇÕES: Rafael tem noite de “paredão” e salva São Paulo na estreia de Dorival

Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro e simule os próximos jogos

-Acho que esse jogo vou guardar com maior carinho, como o do Tigre na Argentina. Quero agradecer, só posso fazer jogos assim porque temos uma equipe de treinadores de goleiro preparados. Os goleiros também são fundamentais, eles me ajudam muito. Nunca vou cansar de dizer que enquanto eles tiverem em campo, vão representar muito bem. Estamos trabalhando para fechar o gol, fazer o nosso melhor – disse.

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Sobre a partida em si, reconheceu a dificuldade do adversário, mas ressaltou que os três pontos foram essenciais para o São Paulo – que estreou no Brasileirão com uma derrota contra o Botafogo. Para ele, o Tricolor ‘soube explorar o necessário’.

-Sempre que saímos com os três pontos é o principal, precisamos pontuar. Sabíamos que o América iria trazer muita dificuldade, nos comportamos bem, soubemos explorar os pontos que a gente tinha conversado, todo mundo está de parabéns, para mim é sempre fazer o melhor – completou.

Graças ao bom desempenho, Rafael deixou a partida ovacionado pelos 40 mil torcedores presentes no Morumbi. O jogador tratou o confronto como ‘inesquecível’ e disse que ‘é tudo o que um goleiro que joga no São Paulo almeja’.

-Hoje foi um dia inesquecível, a torcida gritando meu nome, é o sonho de qualquer goleiro, ainda mais aqui que passou grandes ídolos, vou guardar com muito carinho. É difícil eu fazer uma análise saindo do jogo, sabia da dificuldade, é um dos times que mais pressiona, a gente saiu ganhando, é normal quem está perdendo sair mais, arriscar mais. Soubemos nos defender e aproveitar o time dele mais cansado – concluiu.

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Agora, o São Paulo volta a campo na próxima terça-feira (25), contra o Ituano, pelo jogo de volta da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. Vindo de um empate sem gols, a partida é essencial para a classificação para a próxima etapa.

Chelsea are showing no sign of slowing down in the transfer market this summer, despite having already spent millions on fresh faces.

Chelsea now "advancing" talks to sign £70m star, formal bid expected soon

The Blues are making progress in their pursuit of an “exceptional” player, journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed.

ByDominic Lund Jul 28, 2025

Enzo Maresca saw £145 million trio Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro join the club most recently, when the west Londoners were successfully tackling their Club World Cup campaign, but the Italian is set to be backed even more.

Financially, the Blues are in excellent stead, having raised around £100 million through player sales already, which is due to rise to around £126 million through João Félix’s move to Al-Nassr.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

The Saudis agreed an initial £26 million deal for Felix, plus hefty add-ons, and Chelsea could even bank close to £43 million in future thanks to a sell-on clause.

Chelsea’s £87.5 million financial windfall from winning the CWC, not to mention Champions League revenue, also contributes to Maresca’s side being comfortably far away from breaching the PSR threshold.

While Chelsea remain keen to balance out their squad by selling more players, partly due to pressure from UEFA, there is scope for BlueCo to seal more squad upgrades in time for the 2025/2026 season.

Ajax starlet Jorrel Hato has already agreed personal terms with Chelsea over a move to Stamford Bridge, and talks are at an advanced stage to sign the Dutchman, who could come in as both cover for Marc Cucurella and as another centre-back option.

Another Netherlands international could also join Hato in London pretty soon – RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons.

The 22-year-old has been on fire for Leipzig since signing for the Bundesliga side on an initial loan in 2023/2024. His move was made permanent in January, with Simons bagging a total of around 21 goals and 23 assists in all competitions over the last two seasons.

Leipzig even made Simons the highest-paid player in their history on a contract worth around £192,000-per-week, but the attacker is already prepared to seek pastures new.

Chelsea to submit opening offer for Xavi Simons

Chelsea talks for Simons, according to some sources, are advancing in quick fashion (Simon Phillips), but they’re yet to place an opening offer.

Journalist Ben Jacobs, sharing another update for talkSPORT and on X, claims Chelsea are poised to submit their first bid for Simons after positive club-to-club talks.

Interestingly, Jacobs reports for talkSPORT that Bayern Munich have called Simons “several” times in an attempt to convince the playmaker to join Vincent Kompany’s side, but he much prefers a move to the Premier League with personal terms agreed.

Leipzig are prepared to green-light Simons’ sale for around £61 million, but there is a belief within Chelsea that they could strike a deal for less.

Liverpool have been told that they have “one hell of a player” on their hands in Federico Chiesa, with the Reds yet to see the Italian forward’s “true qualities”. The European Championship winner was heavily linked with a move elsewhere in the summer transfer window, but the deadline passed with no deal done and he remains part of Arne Slot’s plans at Anfield.

• Limited game time in title-winning season

  Former Juventus star Chiesa moved to England in a cut-price deal ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. His debut season in England saw the 27-year-old winger become a Premier League title winner, but he took in just 104 minutes of top-flight action across six appearances.

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• Getty
  

  Staying put: No deal done in transfer window

  Many expected Chiesa to head home after attracting interest from Serie A, but no suitable option materialised. That means that he remains on Merseyside, but no place was found for him in Liverpool’s Champions League squad for 2025-26.

• Champions League snub is not an issue

  Ex-Italy international Roberto Di Matteo does not consider that to be too much of an issue, with the Reds set to take in plenty of fixtures across multiple competitions this season, and believes that Chiesa can still “prove a point” if given an opportunity to showcase his talent.

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• Getty
  

  Di Matteo's take on Chiesa's situation

  Di Matteo, who spent time in England with Chelsea during his playing days and was speaking in association with , told GOAL when asked if Chiesa would have benefited more from another transfer: “It’s a very good question. I’m not sure how much he knew that he was going to be out of the squad. I think that depended on [Alexander] Isak’s signing. The fact that they signed him lastminute.com cost him the position in the squad.

  “He had plenty of suitors in Serie A. I think there are two or three clubs that would have loved to have signed him. Maybe he wants to stick around at Liverpool and prove a point.

  “If he stays fit, he’s one hell of a player. I know him very well. He just hasn’t been able to show his true qualities. Let’s not forget that Liverpool did pretty well last season – they had a settled team, [Luis] Diaz and [Mohamed] Salah on the sides. It wasn’t easy to break into that team.

  “He showed glimpses of what he can do. But there are so many games, he’s not in the Champions League squad but he might get more Premier League time. It’s just a shame that we don’t see more of him because he’s a quality player.”

India are grappling with a minor personnel crisis, meaning they will need to rely to some extent on fringe players. Cummins and Co will be looking to exploit that

Alagappan Muthu21-Nov-20241:54

Malcolm: BGT a chance for Cummins and Co to cement legacy

Big PictureYou run into fast bowlers everywhere in Perth. One of them was walking down Plain Street, which is a five-minute walk from the WACA, with a bag of groceries. Mitchell Starc will be a little less chill once the clock hits 10.20am on Friday.This Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been on simmer for a fair while. Rohit Sharma faced questions about it at the start of the India home season in September and the wrap-up press conference in November was in large part about easing the pain of a home series whitewash by trying “to do something special” in Australia. Pat Cummins has had a similar experience.Related

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In fast and bouncy Perth test, Lyon could be the trick question

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For their legacy, Australia can't let this series slip away

Some of the best Test cricket in recent times has happened when these two teams meet, so it’s their own fault that everywhere they go they get asked questions about it. A day out from the first Test, most of them appear to have been answered. Australia have their new opening batter, Nathan McSweeney having made a late push for the job. India have KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana primed and ready should they be needed. All that’s left is for the experience to take over.On Thursday evening, in front of an empty Perth stadium, the morning-of-day-one-drills were taking place. Regular people were pretending to be India and Australia captains to check how it’d look on screen. It was easy to be transported to the moment when all that will actually happen, and its just one sleep away. One sleep away until Jasprit Bumrah charges in. One sleep away until Steven Smith is back at No. 4. One sleep away until Virat Kohli brings the crowd to their feet. One sleep away until Rishabh Pant is broadcast all around the world via the stump mics.Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins: two fast bowlers will be leading their team’s charge for first blood in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy•AFP/Getty Images

The cricket, fun as it will be, is likely to come with a fair bit of flavour added in from the outside. There’s already been a little bit of needle. Ricky Ponting’s quotes being taken out of context got Gautam Gambhir fired up. India’s efforts early on to train in private caused a stir. Josh Hazlewood did a fly by when he said he was happy not to see Cheteshwar Pujara in the Indian team. Every kind of fan will be satisfied with what the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will offer and the first ball is just one sleep away.Form guideAustralia: WWLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
India: LLLWWIn the spotlightIt’s been over eight months since Australia have played Test cricket and it seems Mitchell Starc has spent some of that getting into the best shape of his life. He’s 34 now. He shouldn’t be looking like a six-foot-tall brick wall. Nor should he be bowling at speeds that turns the red ball into a red blur. There has been an admission that in a five-Test series, no matter how fit they are, the big three Australian quicks might need to be managed extra carefully but right now, with the series starting at Perth stadium, where Starc averages 19, then moving to Adelaide for a pink-ball Test, in which Starc averages 18.72, they could very well set themselves up to take their time off with the series already in the bag.KL Rahul just can’t seem to get off this ride. Grew up as an opening batter but had to make his debut in the middle order. Then got that spot up top but started losing his stumps a little too often for someone to stay in that position. A shift back into the middle order, especially in white-ball cricket, seemed to indicate that’s where his future lies. An 86 against England at No. 4 in January 2024 furthered that notion, but since then he’s gone off the boil to the point that he lost his place in the side. Now he’ll be opening the batting in conditions that will not be in his favour against one of the world’s best bowling attacks.Team newsAustralia are as settled as can be, having put their trust in McSweeney, whose ability to stay calm and unflustered has earned him the nickname “Buddha”.Australia(probable): 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Nathan McSweeney, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh HazlewoodIndia are of course without their full-time captain and grappling with a minor personnel crisis, meaning they will go into Perth relying on several fringe players. Padikkal (24), Jurel (23), Reddy (21) and Rana (22) are all in line for a spot in the XI. It is possible there will only be room for one spin bowler and R Ashwin might just make the cut ahead of Ravindra Jadeja.All this said, the last time India had a personnel crisis in Australia, remember what happened?India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 9 Harshit Rana/Prasidh Krishna 10 Mohammed Siraj/Akash Deep, 11 Jasprit BumrahThe Optus Stadium witnessed some unseasonal rain in the lead-up to the first Test of the Australian summer•Getty Images

Pitch and conditionsAlthough some unseasonal rainfall two days ago denied the Perth stadium groundstaff from getting the pitch up to where they want it to be, there has since been a lot of sunshine, hardening the surface up and getting it to where it should offer excellent pace, bounce and carry. Head curator Issac McDonald and his staff have been working towards creating a “happy medium between bat and ball”.Stats and trivia Seven of Rahul’s eight Test centuries have come away from home but his batting average in these matches being 31 highlights how he can often be boom or bust. Nathan Lyon has more wickets at this venue (27) at a better average (18.00) with more five-wicket hauls (2) than any of his fast-bowling colleagues Bumrah’s bowling average in Australia is 21.25, which is only a shade better than Jadeja’s 21.78. One will make the XI. The other might not. Quotes”This is the toughest challenge. So I give this message to everyone: if you come and perform in this country then your cricket level will go up, and then your level will keep increasing. So we as a team are focusing to put ourselves in tough challenges so that we become better and take our cricket up.”
“It’s weird, you know, it’s basically been the same side for the last two or three years. So the week lead-in’s very normal, it’s all very relaxed. Everyone knows how they need to prepare. So it’s pretty seamless, you know, all the meetings, training, all those kind of things. We’ve done it heaps before with the same people. So, yeah, it’s just about kind of reaffirming what we do really well.”

The defending champions lead by just 72 runs with three wickets in hand and an injury concern over Ashton Agar

AAP17-Nov-2024Victoria were in sight of victory over Western Australia and the outright lead in the Sheffield Shield standings, despite resolute innings by Hilton Cartwright and Joel Curtis.Seamers Fergus O’Neill and Sam Elliott made regular inroads at Junction Oval on Sunday to have the visitors 278 for 7 at stumps, a lead of just 72 runs with a day to play.Related

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Western Australia wicketkeeper Curtis played a defiant knock to keep his side’s faint hopes alive. But WA spinner Ashton Agar has a shoulder injury and there is a question mark over whether he will bat.O’Neill ended Cartwright’s 166-ball vigil on 78 with a perfect cutter that tickled the outside edge. The 23-year-old, who also snared three wickets in the first innings, has proven to be a revelation for Victoria, and also starred for Australia A against India A.Cartwright held the three-time reigning Sheffield Shield champions’ innings together with support from skipper Ashton Turner and Curtis.The visitors resumed on day three at 34 for 1 and were made to battle before and after rain took the players off the field either side of lunch.Strapping allrounder Elliott hit the pitch hard and snared Sam Fanning and Jayden Goodwin in the morning session, both edging into the bucket hands of first slip Peter Handscomb.Victoria, with vital bonus points from the match, will go top of the ladder if they can secure victory.In four Shield matches this year Cartwright has scored 420 runs at an average of 70 in a reminder of why he played two Tests for Australia in 2017.His defiance may not be enough to salvage anything for his side from this match, but along with Curtis he has made the Victorians fight hard.

CSA Invitational XI 285 for 8 (Senokwane 79, Akhter 3-51) vs England LionsZaman Akhter’s pace and bounce was the feature as the Gloucestershire quick claimed three wickets on the opening day of the England Lions’ four-day match against a Cricket South Africa Invitational XI in Cape Town.After Tom Lawes struck twice with the new ball – including the first delivery of the day – Akhtar made the most significant inroads as the hosts reached stumps at 285 for eight.Akhtar broke a century stand for the third wicket when he found extra bounce off a good length and Jean du Plessis edged to James Coles at second slip. Nottinghamshire’s teenage spinner Farhan Ahmed then claimed Lesego Senokwane, the leading run-scorer in the ongoing CSA 4-Day Series, when he miscued a swipe to Akhtar at mid-on after adding 79.Skipper Dan Mousley and Coles both took a wicket each in the afternoon, but the Lions were made to toil before the reintroduction of Akhter in the final hour.The 25-year-old produced a brutish short ball that Sinethemba Qeshile could only feather behind as he took evasive action after an eye-catching 73. From the next ball Matthew Boast popped a simple catch to backward point.The four-day game is the Lions’ only match of a three-week tour that has focused on providing the 19-player squad with individualised and high-quality training.