The T20I series ended with a lengthy list of bowlers ruled out and Australia’s selectors will hope it doesn’t extend to their Test resources

Andrew McGlashan15-Sep-2024Australia’s pace-bowling depth is often talked about, and for good reason, but right now it is being tested. The list of injuries and absentees around the limited-overs tour of the UK has become a lengthy one.Xavier Bartlett was the latest to be ruled out after suffering a side strain in the first T20I against England. Nathan Ellis was scrubbed from the trip early in the Scotland leg after aggravating an injury sustained in the Hundred. Spencer Johnson (side) was ruled out before the tour began. Riley Meredith did not feature after first T20I in Scotland, also due to a side issue.Related

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Josh Hazlewood had a delayed arrival because of a minor calf strain but bowled superbly in Southampton before being rested in Cardiff. As one of the big three, he is central to Australia’s plans for the five Tests against India in the home summer. All the cricket before that, especially for the fast bowlers, is played through the lens of making sure Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc make that series and can sustain throughout it.”A lot of our priorities will be geared around that,” Andrew McDonald, Australia’s coach, told last week. “You’ll see that unfold with the management of our players. We’ll be very pointed around who does what in terms of [Sheffield] Shield cricket coming into the summer to make sure that they are ready for that first Test match.”While those who have picked up injuries in England would not be the next in line for Test spots, there are also question marks over the red-ball reserves. Lance Morris will be given a careful reintroduction to the Sheffield Shield after another off-season beset by back problems while his Western Australia team-mate Jhye Richardson remains a longer-term project in terms of red-ball cricket.Scott Boland and Michael Neser have also nursed injuries in pre-season, with the former likely to be managed through the early rounds of the Sheffield Shield, although neither are considered major worries. Sean Abbott, whose first over in Cardiff on Friday would not have looked out of place in Test match as he nipped the ball around sharply, could come into the planning depending on the progress of others.Starc will be part of the ODI series in England but will be carefully managed through the matches. Cummins has remained at home to work on strength and conditioning. It would be a surprise if Hazlewood played more than three of the one-dayers with the series taking place across just 11 days, although the washed out game in Manchester allowed for some extra downtime.”There aren’t many breaks in the calendar unless you manufacture one,” Cummins said last month about missing the England tour. “The medical staff and coaches and everyone thought this is a good opportunity to have a month or so off bowling for my body, and then build up and hopefully be in as good a position as possible for the five Tests.”Mitchell Starc has arrived for the ODIs but also faces a big Test summer back home•Getty ImagesAustralia are far from alone in how they manage their valuable multi-format fast bowlers. India are careful with how much Jasprit Bumrah plays while Mohammed Shami’s recovery from an ankle injury is slightly behind schedule and may require careful management ahead of the Australia tour. For England, a major theme over the next year will be how they ensure Mark Wood reaches the 2025-26 Ashes after he recently suffered another elbow problem to rule him out of the upcoming Pakistan and New Zealand tours.The lengthy list of injuries around Australia’s pace bowlers is a reminder both of the incredible resilience of Cummins, Starc and more recently Hazlewood but also that it would not take much for best-laid plans to unravel. Aided by none of the Tests going five days last season, they played throughout against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand having also featured throughout the ODI World Cup, barring the one game Starc was rested for.Cummins has missed just one Test through injury since 2018; the others have been due to Covid and compassionate leave. Starc missed three in a row against South Africa and India in early 2023 due to a finger injury and was left out of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, but has been almost as durable, often bowling through the pain of various injuries. Hazlewood, meanwhile, has emerged from a two-year period between 2021-2023 where he played just three Tests to keep himself on the park throughout except for being rested at Headingley in last year’s Ashes.Cummins has already flagged things might be different against India, referencing the importance of Australia’s allrounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh, the latter who hasn’t bowled since the IPL. “The last couple of summers have been pretty light [with] quick Test matches,” he said. “I suspect this summer might be a bit different at time.”Even the first reserve, Boland, who boasts a home Test average of 12.21, had expected an opening to emerge somewhere last season. “I was expecting to play at some stage,” he told . “The coaches and selectors were saying, ‘You’ll probably get a go at some stage, so be ready’.”It’s hard, especially when my mindset is ‘It’s seven Tests, I’ll get a crack at some stage’. But [the big three] are just so resilient and they kept bowling teams out quickly, that they just don’t need that much of a break.”At the moment, the injuries have been a disappointment for those involved in the England tour, and a juggling action for the selectors to fill the gaps, rather than an imminent concern for the India series. But that much-vaunted depth in Australia’s bowling stocks may yet be face a defining summer.

Continuing his excellent season, he picked up a hat-trick to reduce Meghalaya to 2 for 6 in a must-win game for Mumbai

Vishal Dikshit30-Jan-2025Shardul Thakur has a tendency to surprise you. With his batting, his bowling, and sometimes even with his words. Ask Ian Bishop, who asked Thakur on live broadcast before a 2023 World Cup game how he bowled the wobble-seam delivery. Thakur answer was, “I don’t know. I just hold it like this [seam-up] and bowl. [I] don’t do much, whatever happens happens.”In the last week or so, his all-round performances have surprised everyone yet again. Despite all the limelight on bigger stars returning to domestic cricket, Thakur has overshadowed them with both bat and ball.The most recent of those came on a hazy Thursday morning in Mumbai. In a must-win game against Meghalaya to make the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy, the pre-match talk was centred around Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer skipping this round for Mumbai. The attention had shifted to Delhi, where a last-minute plan was hatched to broadcast Virat Kohli’s comeback to domestic cricket.Related

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Around 9am, it emerged Delhi would bowl first and the thousands who had turned up at the Arun Jaitley Stadium would have to wait to watch their hero bat. Meanwhile, in one suburb of Mumbai, the home team made six changes to their XI and Thakur took the new ball with no cameras and fans in the vicinity.That he struck in the first over was not really a surprise. The real deal came in his second over, when bowling from over the wicket, he swung the ball into left-hand batter B Anirudh to hit off stump. Next ball he pitched fuller and drew an edge from right-hand batter Sumit Kumar and Shams Mulani pouched the catch at third slip.On one hand, there was a deafening cacophony in Delhi after seeing Kohli just on the field. On the other, Thakur ran in to bowl the hat-trick ball amid the honking of peak-hour traffic around the Sharad Pawar Academy in the concrete jungle of the Bandra-Kurla Complex.Next in was Meghalaya’s No. 4 Jaskirat Sachdeva, another left-hand batter, and Thakur sent down another inswinger to beat the inside edge and hit the stumps. His hat-trick had reduced the visitors to 2 for 6 and Meghalaya were now in danger of breaking Hyderabad’s unwanted record of the lowest team score (21) in the Ranji Trophy.

Balchander Anirudh
Sumit Kumar
Jaskirat Singh Sachdeva

Shardul Thakur is on fire

He's picked up a hat-trick to help Mumbai bowl out Meghalaya for 86 #RanjiTrophy | @imShard | @MumbaiCricAssoc | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Scorecard https://t.co/9ApJe0CgxG pic.twitter.com/B9azjgx1JB

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 30, 2025

But Thakur’s feat came at a time that robbed him of the immediate recognition it deserved. Not only was this game not being shown live but also Thakur had hardly finished his spell when there was a commotion beyond the cover boundary. Thakur’s head turned as well to see what the fuss was about. Fans were hanging over the fence and reaching out with their phone cameras. A few of them were screaming. A group of people emerged in the nets with a kit bag, a big umbrella, and a few chairs, and it turned out Rohit had arrived to train ahead of the ODI series against England.It was not for the first time this month that Thakur had done the hard work while the spotlight was elsewhere. It had started against Jammu and Kashmir in the previous round when Rohit and Jaiswal had returned to the domestic circuit. Mumbai had collapsed to 47 for 7 in the first innings and 101 for 7 in the second, before Thakur rescued the team with a half-century and a century, respectively.Stationed at long-off towards the end of his spell of 7-2-19-4, Thakur whistled a couple of times to catch Rohit’s attention. When Rohit finally responded, Thakur pointed to the scorching sun to imply that it was too hot by then, and Rohit should have come earlier. It’s not that Rohit didn’t know this, but Thakur thought he would tell his friend the information he has gathered from all the training sessions and matches he has been playing in Mumbai this domestic season, toiling away and not held back by the lack of an IPL contract and no India comeback on the horizon.Thakur does not know what is next for him after the Ranji Trophy, but that may not stop him from surprising you.

He captained his country to the Under-19 World Cup final in 2012, then disappeared, but an unexpected opportunity has brought him back to the T20 leagues

Mohammad Isam28-Jan-2025When Alex Hales and Shaheen Afridi left the BPL on January 9, the tournament was void of any T20 A-listers after the first ten days. Veterans like Thisara Perera, Mohammad Nabi and Dawid Malan do catch the eye and there are reports that David Warner and Sunil Narine might pop by for the playoffs, but that’s about it.The BPL did have star power but it came from the local contingent – Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim. Then, William Bosisto struck an unbeaten 75 against Chittagong Kings in the first week and sent many fans searching on Google. The Australian batter is certainly not a household name in Bangladesh.The innings was Bosisto’s maiden T20 fifty. He had played only eleven short-form matches before his BPL debut, the last of which was six years ago. After losing his first-class contract in 2021, Bosisto now plays league cricket in England and Australia, while building a career as a mortgage broker back home in Perth. He may not be the ideal drawcard for a T20 league competing for eyeballs but that’s not his problem. The BPL’s slide into obscurity offered Bosisto a unique opportunity. He has been a key performer for Khulna Tigers in 2024-25, hitting a couple of unbeaten fifties and playing handy knocks in winning causes.”I had come straight from Nepal where I had a really good tournament,” Bosisto told ESPNcricinfo. “I performed strongly for my premier cricket side in Western Australia. I was feeling confident with my game. It was nice to be able to put that on show in front of a great crowd against Chittagong in the first game. Being exposed to the atmosphere in the Bangladesh Premier League has been incredible. It is always nice to be there in the end in a couple of our wins. I pride myself on finishing games, being a match-winner. I think that’s a really important skill. It doesn’t necessarily reflect on the stats all the time.”I have enjoyed my experience here. It is a wonderful opportunity to play in foreign conditions. I think playing in spin-friendly conditions is a strength in my game. [My batting style was developed through] a lot of hard work and practice for a number of years. I trust my hand-eye coordination. Sweeps, laps and more unconventional shots are suited to my game. I pride myself on hitting the ball where the fielders aren’t placed.”William Bosisto made an unbeaten 87 in the Under-19 World Cup final in 2012•ICC/GettyBosisto’s BPL connection was established in 2024 when he batted with Imrul Kayes, the recently retired Bangladesh Test cricketer. Imrul moved to Australia with his family recently, where he heard good things about Bosisto from Mitchell Marsh. When Imrul was building the Khulna team, he recommended Bosisto to team owner Iqbal Mahmud and coach Talha Jubair.”I played a tournament in Melbourne around this time last year with Imrul Kayes,” Bosisto said. “We batted together. He was really impressed with me in that tournament. He asked about my cricket journey, and whether I’d be interested to come to Bangladesh. I jumped at the opportunity while I was progressing my game in the background, without the exposure at a higher level.”It has been nice to get this opportunity to prove to people that there’s no reason why you can’t keep chipping away, coming back as a better player and learning from some mistakes as a younger player.”Bosisto was the quintessential prodigy who couldn’t take off. He captained Australia in the Under-19 World Cup in 2012, hitting an unbeaten 87 in the final and being named Player of the Series. Domestic cricket however wasn’t kind to him, as he struggled playing for two Sheffield Shield teams. He didn’t make a mark in the BBL either, which left him looking for opportunities elsewhere. It landed him in a job as a financial adviser, which is now his second career.”Working as a broker is something I enjoy. It is totally different from cricket. It allows me an outlet from the game. If I wasn’t doing brokering, I’d be sat there analysing every little detail. Brokering gives me a break from that. I have always been interested in the property market. It allows me to help some family and friends.Bosisto: I think playing in spin-friendly conditions is a strength in my game•Khulna Tigers Media”It has got its challenges, but ultimately it is about self-discipline and time management. The mark of any good person is doing what you say you are going to do. I always endeavor to have honest conversations with clients.”If I am away at a match, they know that it will take me a few hours to come back to their email. My cricket is a real passion, and it is obviously a limited window from a professional journey. I have put a mountain of work into it, so it’s nice to feel like I am a chance to get back amongst the ranks.”Bosisto, 31, holds no grudges about a Sheffield Shield career that consists of only 27 matches spread out over eight years. He admits his inconsistency as a batter and getting in his head about the pressures of being picked in the XI. “I have no regrets. I had a lot of learnings. It is difficult for a young batter to open the batting at the WACA in arguably the strongest first-class competition in the world. The wickets were pretty green. It was certainly a real challenge for an 18-19-year-old who doesn’t know his game. I made a couple of hundreds, and had some really good performances, but I was inconsistent. That’s why I was left out of teams.”I was in and out, with some strong performances in premier cricket. I found selection pressures as a bit of a challenge. With experience though, I have learned to control the controllables a lot more. I got a lot better at putting my full attention to the next ball. Negative thoughts like losing my place in the team doesn’t infiltrate my thinking. Preparing really well, having full confidence in my strengths and being absorbed in the contest are what I can control.”William Bosisto has a second career: Working as a broker is something I enjoy. It allows me an outlet from the game•Khulna Tigers MediaBosisto thanked his friend Marsh for playing a part in his cricketing journey, while also taking inspiration from Travis Head, his Australia Under-19 and South Australia team-mate. “Mitchell Marsh is a Perth boy. I catch up with him quite often. He is a fantastic young man. He has had ups and downs in his journey as well. His character never changes. He always has a big smile on his face. He is a wonderful team-mate. He will be a friend for life.”I played with Travis Head in South Australia. Another fantastic character. He is a very funny man. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. It is incredible to watch his journey. A guy who has learned to have full faith in the way he does things. We are seeing his strengths come to the forefront.”Bosisto would be keen to return to the BPL and the Nepal Premier League. In fact, he was quite taken aback by the reception cricket gets in Nepal. “I had no idea about the volume of passion there. The people are super enthusiastic. I would be very surprised if Nepali cricket doesn’t continue to climb up the world rankings.”The 2024-25 season will remain memorable for Bosisto. It was his first foray into the franchise T20 ecosystem and its left him with a taste for more. “I am always keen on mentoring younger players. I got to that point as an 18-year-old with my work ethic and trusting my skills. When you come into a professional environment, you get voices left, right and centre. A real key therefore is to trust your own method and strength.”I have been through some ups and downs that have shaped me be the resilient character that I am. I think it holds me in good stead in my next decade of cricketing journey. I hope I can bear the fruits of all the hard work and some of those ups and downs.”

The Australia fast bowler has been a colossal cricketer, marrying longevity with success across all three formats

Andrew McGlashan09-Jul-20251:08

Watch: Starc stars from around the wicket

Think of Mitchell Starc and one thing probably comes into your mind: the booming inswinger, thundering into either the batter’s pads, toes or stumps. But to reach 100 Tests, the club Starc will join at Sabina Park this week, as only the second Australian fast bowler ever, you must have much more than one calling card, even if it’s as destructive as Starc’s can be.There is every chance the Jamaica Test turns into a double milestone for Starc: he is five wickets away from 400. Given his record in pink-ball matches – 74 wickets at 18.14 – few would bet against him, but even if he needs to wait a bit longer for the wickets, he will be just the eighth fast bowler to complete the 100 Test/400 wicket double.Starc, who until 14 was a wicketkeeper, has been a colossal cricketer, marrying longevity with success across all three formats. It was the ODI game where he initially secured a legacy, removing Brendon McCullum in the opening over of the 2015 World Cup final at the MCG, and for a time it was possible to ponder how his Test career would be viewed, but the word great can sit comfortably alongside him. Where does he stand in an all-time Australia fast bowler’s list? If Dennis Lillee and Glenn McGrath jostle for the top two, a case can easily be made to be among the top five.Related

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“It’s an incredible achievement,” coach Andrew McDonald said. “You think of the surfaces we play on in Australia, they’re firm, they’re hard, they take their toll. There’s a reason why there’s only two that have ever done it for Australia. His resilience, his planning, his preparation… and he’s sacrificed a fair bit along the way as well.”You look to some of the IPLs that he’s missed to get his body right to play for Australia. He’s put a lot of work into it. I’m really proud of him and he’s getting his great reward for what he’s given up and the way he’s gone about it. All the plaudits that are coming his way this week he deserves.”Having made his Test debut in 2011 against New Zealand (McCullum was his first wicket), Starc has previously spoken about 2015 being the period when he started to feel he belonged in the format. He has maintained outstanding consistency with his average not rising above 30 since 2016.That was the year he produced a prolific series in Sri Lanka with 24 wickets at 15.16, albeit where Australia lost 3-0. One of his most influential displays also came on the subcontinent. It won’t sit among his biggest hauls, but the 4 for 33 he took against Pakistan in Lahore in 2022 broke the game open and set up Australia’s historic series win.Mitchell Starc is set to become only the second Australian fast bowler to play 100 Tests•AFP/Getty ImagesThere have been some periods of struggle, however, notably a couple of series against India in 2018-19 and 2020-21, while he only played one match of the 2019 Ashes in England when he was not considered an ideal fit for the Dukes ball. It’s worth noting that the Test he played at Old Trafford, he helped secure victory to retain the Ashes. Oddly, he was left out of the next match at The Oval as Australia got too cute with their selections. He was also omitted for the opening match of the 2023 Ashes but went on to be the series leading wicket-taker and would be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year for his efforts.The evolution of Starc’s Test bowling in recent years has been significant. He has been a leading adopter of the “wobble seam” delivery, which has given him more wicket-taking options. He retains the lethal inswinger, but has a full set of tools at his disposal and when the ball reverses, there remain few better at taking advantage.”As a younger bowler, it was all about speed and swing and getting the ball full,” McDonald said. “If you look at the evolution of Mitchell Starc, it’s his ability to hold line and length now. He can do any role you want. He’s still got those full swinging deliveries, which we really encourage at the right time but he’s able to hold length and control the scoreboard.”I don’t know how he’ll age in terms of what he’s been able to do across three formats, but I’d say arguably he’s our best 50-over bowler that we’ve had in terms of his impact on games. You add that with 100 Test matches, 65 T20s and the impact he’s had there. It’s an incredible record.”Mitchell Starc goes into the day-night Test against West Indies with 74 pink-ball wickets at 18.14•Getty ImagesStarc was termed “soft” early in his career by Shane Warne, who often remained one of his more vocal critics. For a while, he took notice of a lot of what was said about him, although latterly he has become confident enough in himself not to be affected. Ahead of the 2021-22 Ashes, his place in the team was questioned. He responded by removing Rory Burns with the first delivery of the series and since then has 140 wickets at 27.07. Two other times he has struck with the opening delivery of a Test, and on 20 occasions in the first over. It’s not just a white-ball trick.Against India last season, with Australia under immense pressure after their drubbing in Perth, he righted the ship with a career-best 6 for 48 in Adelaide. This year, he is averaging 20.86.Since the start of the 2021-22 Ashes, he has bowled more overs than any quick in the world (currently 1.3 ahead of captain Pat Cummins) with only Prabath Jayasuriya and Nathan Lyon ahead of him. In Jamaica, he will bowl his 19,000th Test delivery. His fitness record stands out, but he has regularly bowled through the pain barrier: a broken finger against South Africa at the MCG in 2022, groin problems in the 2023 Ashes and a troublesome ankle at the backend of last season’s India series, after which he went on to play as the lone specialist quick bowler in Sri Lanka.It has been noted in recent days how, at the age of 35, his speeds are not dropping. “I can’t fathom playing 100 games and keeping that kind of [145kph] speed,” Cummins said. “He’s just a warrior. Turns up every week and wants to play no matter what.”How much longer he goes remains to be seen, but completing this new World Test Championship [WTC] cycle certainly seems realistic. Then, perhaps, one last dart at winning an Ashes in England? But regardless of when Starc calls time, at what feels like a critical juncture in the game’s history it is not outlandish to suggest there may not be another player – and almost certainly not an express quick – to have a career quite like his.

A year on from his dream debut, he has had to again start from the bottom in what has been a frustrating summer

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Jul-2025

Gus Atkinson appeals for a wicket on the opening day•Getty Images

Last week was a reminder to Gus Atkinson that the game of cricket does not love you.The 27-year-old had been working behind the scenes to return from a hamstring injury picked up during the first Test of the summer, against Zimbabwe. Now, ahead of the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford, England’s player of 2024, who seduced the format for 55 wickets, a century and a hat-trick, looked primed to come into the XI. A welcome addition of extra thrust and oomph. And above all else, fresh legs.England, though, decided to ignore Atkinson. Uncertainty over his robustness, having not played since Trent Bridge, meant featuring alongside the likes of Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and skipper Ben Stokes – all missing the fifth Test – was too much of a risk. Worse still for Atkinson, Surrey thought so too.Related

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Usually, a player unselected from an international squad would slot into their county side, especially if they average 22.30 with the ball. But Surrey, a day before facing Yorkshire, needed their own guarantees, that each member of their attack could put in a shift given the Kookaburra ball was in play. Jamie Overton, playing his second game of the season and first in a month, was deemed risk enough.So, Atkinson had to make do with a go in the second XI. It was his second game since injury. The first was a Saturday game during the Lord’s Test for his club, Spencer, when he was ignored the first time having been recalled. At least then he was in the ones.It was a humbling experience but one that the seamer, by all accounts, had taken in his stride after some understandable dismay. Atkinson keeps his emotions in check, comfortably the most inscrutable of England’s cricketers. Bottom of the list of players you would want to play poker against (Harry Brook top, if you were wondering).But there was proper, unmistakable joy throughout Thursday. Atkinson’s 2 for 31 from 19 overs was a threat laced with the kind of unerring accuracy that, remarkably, left him with just a single boundary against his name.Second years, like second albums, are always difficult. But it would still be quite something if Atkinson’s 2025 was even half as statistically impressive as his 2024.2:37

‘England would be a little disappointed with the score’

That debut against West Indies at Lord’s, 7 for 45 and 5 for 61 – 12 for 106, the fourth best bowling figures by a men’s player on debut – was the best intro since Mick Jagger (watching on at the Kia Oval on Thursday) and his pals knocked out . Doing so in James Anderson’s retirement Test felt particularly prescient. Grand closing, grand opening, and now involved at the sharp end of a series bearing Anderson’s name.So it proved, at least for the next six months. He returned to Lord’s against Sri Lanka to put himself on the batting honours board, and then, in Wellington, became the 15th England player to take a Test hat-trick. With 52 wickets by the end of that tour of New Zealand, he became only the second Test cricketer to register 50 dismissals in their debut year.There were signs of issues to deal with within those first 11 appearances. That schedule meant he played 16 first-class games in a calendar year, having never featured in more than five (2022 and 2023). Naturally, he struggled to maintain his high 80s pace, which made his high release point and snap gather-cum-delivery that much more potent. Nothing summed the drop-off better than the fact his average speed on debut (85.89mph) was higher than his fastest delivery in last year’s final appearance in Hamilton (84.0mph).There was a similar drop-off across Thursday, despite the hours of rain delays that broke up England’s 64 overs in the field. Atkinson’s four spells saw his average speeds reduce steadily: 85.6mph (six overs), 84.8mph (six), 84.0mph (five), 82.0mph (two).Atkinson has had a stop-start summer•Getty ImagesA nod, perhaps, to the need for more game time to build up his endurance. His nimbleness was clear for all to see when he followed-through to run out Shubman Gill. A bonus for England given the India captain’s prolific run on this tour.The lbw dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal – 85mph – was his first in more than two months after dismissing Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett. Dhruv Jurel was undone by an 84mph full-of-a-length ball that surprised him with lift, right after surviving an lbw dismissal on review that scuttled in from a scrambled seam that has been fruitful for Atkinson at this level.While happy to return, and get back on the board, Atkinson was not overly pleased. “Being hyper critical, I could have maybe bowled at the stumps a bit more,” he said, matter-of-factly.The good news is those dismissals, and 17 of his overs, came from his lesser preferred Pavilion End, where he averages 31.6 here for Surrey since the start of 2022. The bad news is his two overs from his Vauxhall End (22.6) came about because of a shoulder injury sustained by Chris Woakes. He had domain over that end, having chosen it to open proceedings.1:48

What will be a good score for India?

It is Woakes, ultimately, that Atkinson was going to replace, particularly in Australia later this year. That was initially as a new-ball bowler with more pace, before his batting came on to the point where he and, say, Carse could go some way to replacing Woakes’ batting at eight. Now, Atkinson will have to carry more of the burden with Woakes unlikely to take any further part in this match, certainly as a bowler.The worse news, however, is that on the day when England welcomed Atkinson back with the best seaming conditions of the series, they fluffed their lines.His excellence was unable to make-up for Josh Tongue, who was wayward even with his worldies. Nor Overton, whose lack of feel for the appropriate lengths was what you would expect from someone with just two first-class wickets since September 2023 (as many County Championship matches he has played for Surrey since then).Atkinson might be fresh and hungry for more. But he will now have to step up as the leader of the attack. Just over a year from his debut, he will have to grow up quick and help orchestrate a crucial win in this series decider.

The batter was working with coach Gambhir and captain Gill ahead of a potential Test debut against England at Headingley

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Jun-2025B Sai Sudharsan will be one the players in the spotlight over the next ten days as the countdown begins to the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, starting from June 20 at Headingley. If you didn’t know who he is or want to know more about Sai Sudharsan, you can read here.The focus will be on Sai Sudharsan because he is not only lining up for his Test debut, but is also the frontrunner to bat at No.3 for India. It is a spot that Cheteshwar Pujara made it his own and raised the bar before the baton was passed to Shubman Gill, India’s new Test captain. While India have not formally announced it, Gill is expected to bat at No.4, which was up for grabs following Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket.Related

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Among the qualities that have impressed the Indian selectors and the team management about Sai Sudharsan is his defensive game. The left-hander, who is just over six feet tall, is well-organised in his set-up which is side-on. Experts like former England captain Alec Stewart, who brought the Tamil Nadu batter to Surrey as one of the club’s overseas players, attest Sai Sudharsan has a good eye to pick length, a solid back-foot game necessary on seaming pitches in England and plays late and with soft hands while meeting the ball under his eye as far as possible.0:28

Watch – Gill faces Bumrah at the nets

Over the last two days in Beckenham, where the main Indian squad has been training, Sai Sudharsan displayed those skills while dealing with the Indian fast-bowling quartet of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh. Not that he was fluent throughout – on Monday especially, thick and faint outside edges flew towards the slip and gully area.Standing few yards behind, India head coach Gautam Gambhir, in his trademark arms-folded-across-the chest stance, made a few observations during his chats with Sai Sudharsan on both days. One of the points Gambhir, from a distance, seemed to be pointing out to Sai Sudharsan was to keep his back heel firmly planted to give him probably more balance.Sai Sudharsan also has Gill as a sounding board. On Sunday, well after both had finished their initial batting session, the duo was seen discussing the technical aspect of the forward defence. It appeared as if Sai Sudharsan was talking about his left hip opening up while lunging forward.Sai Sudharsan’s technique will be tested over the next two months, but if he can show the composure and the assurance he has shown in first-class cricket and IPL for Gujarat Titans, he will keep ticking the boxes.

Stats highlights from the fourth day of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s

Sampath Bandarupalli14-Jun-20251:53

Dale Steyn: ‘We saw the biggest of the biggest come through’

9722 Days between South Africa’s two ICC titles – the Champions Trophy in 1998 and the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2025.282 The target South Africa chased to win the WTC final against Australia was their fifth-highest chase in Test cricket. Four of those five wins have been against Australia.It is also the second-highest chase at Lord’s.8 Consecutive wins for South Africa in Test cricket, a streak that began in the West Indies last year. It is their second-longest winning streak in the format, behind the nine successive wins in 2002-03. Their eight-match streak is also the longest winning run in the WTC; India and New Zealand had won seven in a row during the first WTC cycle.Related

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138 South Africa’s first-innings total in the WTC final at Lord’s – their lowest first-innings total in an away Test win. Only three times have they won a Test after scoring fewer in their first innings.3 Number of teams to win a men’s Test in England by scoring the highest total of the match in the fourth innings, before South Africa in the WTC final. West Indies won by scoring 344 at Lord’s in 1984 and 226 at The Oval in 1988, while England made 362 against Australia at Headingley in 2019.9 Test wins and a draw for Temba Bavuma in ten matches as South Africa captain. Only England’s Percy Chapman (9) had as many wins as Bavuma in his first ten Tests as captain.136 Aiden Markram’s score in the fourth innings of the WTC final after bagging a duck in South Africa’s first innings. Only the West Indian Roy Fredericks had a higher fourth-innings score – 138 against England at Lord’s in 1984 – after making a first-innings duck.3 Hundreds for Markram in the fourth innings in Tests. Only Graeme Smith (4) has more fourth-innings tons for South Africa.74 First-innings lead South Africa conceded at Lord’s. The previous time they won a Test after conceding a lead of more than 50 was in 2011, when they beat Australia in Cape Town.

All-time great innings comes after batter’s self-doubts following mid-tournament axing

Sruthi Ravindranath30-Oct-20254:31

Rodrigues: I wanted to be there till the end

Some of sport’s greatest tales are about comebacks. The kind that linger in memory, where moments of silence suddenly erupt into thunderous cheers. That’s what fans live for: those fleeting instants when hope turns noise into belief.At the DY Patil Stadium, Jemimah Rodrigues was on 82 when she slog-swept Alana King and got only a top-edge. The ball spiralled high toward midwicket, with King and Alyssa Healy converging under it. For a few seconds, the 35,000-strong crowd fell utterly silent.Rodrigues had been batting like a dream until then. It had been a game of nerves. India still needed 131 from 102 balls, but Rodrigues looked composed, piercing gaps and running hard between the wickets despite the suffocating humidity. Every run drew cheers, even well-timed dots found appreciation.Then came that silence. It was a familiar sight for India fans: a set batter dismissed mid-chase, momentum slipping away. They had felt that when Smriti Mandhana had fallen in the chase against England in the league-stage match at this World Cup.And then, the roar. Rodrigues had been dropped by Healy. Her face barely flickered, but the stands exploded for the reprieve.Moments later, silence again.Rodrigues was struck in front by King, and Australia confidently reviewed the not-out call. Thousands of eyes fixed on the big screen. Two reds, one green, ball passing over the stumps. The roar returned.From that point, Rodrigues’s mind was clear: capitalise. But the conditions were brutal. With humidity over 75%, she was hours into her innings and revealed later she felt drained.Jemimah Rodrigues and Amanjot Kaur embrace in the middle at the moment of victory•ICC/Getty ImagesYet this wasn’t just about one night. It was about the weeks, the months, the years that had led her here. This was the kind of story sport loves: a redemption arc written through grit.It began with heartbreak. A lean run of form had led to her being dropped for the 2022 World Cup. She clawed her way back, and by 25, had become one of India’s senior batters. But at this World Cup, things turned again. Two ducks. Two 30s. Then came another blow when she was dropped for the England game. It was, as head coach Amol Muzumdar put it, “one of the toughest decisions” to leave out, not just a senior batter, but also one of the team’s best fielders.Off the field, Rodrigues was struggling. Anxiety crept in. She spoke of “feeling numb”, of days when she cried a lot. The omission only deepened her doubts.”To be honest, when I was dropped and when I came in to this World Cup, I wanted to come out there, not prove a point, but do things so my team wins,” she said. “I kept reminding myself that, because it’s very easy to get into that mindset, and that mindset never has helped me. But I think today, today not just today, but from the last few games, all I thought about was, because I didn’t start off well, things just kept getting, worse and worse.”But sport, cruel as it can be, also offers another chance. Rodrigues returned to the XI against New Zealand, promoted to No. 3. The response was emphatic: 76 off 55 to guide India home. But that was just the beginning.Then came Thursday. Another promotion to No. 3, this time against the unbeaten defending champions, Australia. This wasn’t just any chase – it was a world-record one, in front of a home crowd. The kind of stage that tests every nerve.Harmanpreet Kaur, her captain and partner for much of the chase, had done this before. Her 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 semi-final had changed women’s cricket in India forever.Rodrigues’ innings completed the highest chase in W-ODI history•Getty ImagesMandhana’s early dismissal had silenced Navi Mumbai. Amanjot Kaur was listed at No. 3 on the team sheet, but Rodrigues instead walked out. She’d only known of her promotion five minutes earlier.For the first 11 balls, she played herself in. Then came a four, and the tension eased slightly. Questions loomed: would India go too deep again, as against England? Could they do it without Mandhana, their best batter in the tournament so far?Rodrigues knew they could. She believed India could chase 300-plus, and she batted like it.The turning point came with a cheeky, audacious scoop off Kim Garth in the eighth over. India had watched Phoebe Litchfield play such shots earlier, now Rodrigues answered back. Between deliveries, she talked to her partners, and to herself. “I was praying, I was talking to God,” she would later reveal.The classic Rodrigues shots began to flow: the loft over short third off Ash Gardner, the late cut past backward point, the flick through midwicket, those crackling sweeps of all kinds. India’s momentum was rising but so was the pressure.Related

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• Rodrigues: Felt like a dream after a month of anxiety

With 150 needed off 20 overs, Harmanpreet shifted gears, unleashing a series of boundaries. Rodrigues applauded, raising her thumb after sharp runs, willing her captain on. When Harmanpreet fell for 89, cramped and spent, the silence, and a familiar dread returned: was another collapse coming?Not this time. Rodrigues, calm and steady, guided her partners.”I was telling Harry [Harmanpreet] that we both have to finish it and we can’t leave it for the end, just because we are set and we know we can take it through,” she said. “And when that happened [Harmanpreet was dismissed], it was like a blessing in disguise for me because I was kind of losing my focus because of my tiredness. But when Harry got out, I think that added more responsibility to me that, ‘Okay, I need to be here. Okay, she is out, I will score for her’. And I think that again got me in the right zone. Then I started just sensibly playing.”When her century came, off 117 balls, there was no wild celebration, just a quiet fist bump and a hug from Richa Ghosh. The job wasn’t done. The asking rate still hovered above a run a ball.Ghosh struck some heavy blows before falling for 26, and the stadium hushed again. But Rodrigues ensured the silence didn’t last. A four off Sophie Molineux, then two more off Annabel Sutherland. The equation was down to single digits and Amanjot Kaur finished it with two boundaries in the 49th over.Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171 not out in the 2017 semi-final was proof of what could be achieved against Australia•Getty ImagesRodrigues dropped to her knees, tears streaming, her team-mates hovering around her. The near 100-overs she spent on the field in punishing conditions was well worth it. There would be more tears later, during the presentation and at the press conference. But they told a story larger than any chase – the story of redemption.”I know how important this match is, and I wanted to be there to finish it off, so all I did was, you know, just kept telling [myself] to just stand here, amazing things can happen towards you, you never know what can happen towards the end of the match,” she said.”When I reached my fifty, when I reached my hundred, I didn’t celebrate, because, at that moment I looked at our hotel right here, and I said [to myself] tomorrow morning, what would make me happier? Would it be a fifty? Would it be a hundred? No, it would be India winning. And I want to wake up with that feeling, I want to sleep with that smile, that we are playing the finals, and I’m waking up to get ready for the finals.”In recent memory, few comebacks in sport have glowed quite like this. Perhaps Femke Bol’s redemption after her fall in the 4x400m mixed relay at the 2023 World Championships, returning with an astonishing effort to win Olympic Gold for Netherlands a year later, or a 35-year old Rafael Nadal’s impossible rally in the 2022 Australian Open final from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev.Rodrigues belongs among the great comeback stories, rising from self-doubt and tough times to lead her team past a side that almost never loses. In the end, at the DY Patil Stadium, she made sure all the silences turned to roars.

Having made his first-class debut back in 2009, Afridi, now 38, dismissed de Zorzi and Brevis in successive overs, proving he can cut it at the top level in these conditions

Danyal Rasool21-Oct-2025At 38 years, Asif Afridi knows he doesn’t have much time left in international cricket, but he doesn’t let it hurry him. He came on to bowl in the 13th over of South Africa’s innings, but struggled to make an early impact in Rawalpindi. Aiden Markram charged at him eighth ball and deposited him back over his head for six. If Asif wanted to show he wasn’t just the relief bowler for when Sajid Khan or Noman Ali needed a break, he would have to prove it.But Asif has spent more time than Markram, South Africa, or indeed any of his team-mates on these surfaces. He made his first-class debut in this very city 16 years ago, before any player on either side had played international cricket. The wickets would come, but they’d be no use if they came too late. And so he ensured what Markram had done to him would not happen again.In the next over, he came around the wicket, and found a length that spat the ball up and away from Tristan Stubbs, who was only too grateful not to have settled in well enough to get too close. Soon after, he came around the wicket to the in-form, albeit newly arrived, Tony de Zorzi, spinning it away from off stump and clipping him above the knee roll. Pakistan, distracted by the appeal for a catch, did not review, though the technology suggested it would have given Asif his first Test wicket.And still his patience didn’t waver. He made sure he was finding the right lines, starving the South Africans of runs even if the wickets column remained barren for now. When Shan Masood finally took him off after an 11-over spell, he’d given away just 19 runs, the most economical bowler in the game.Related

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“Asif has so much experience, and we see how he uses it,” Saud Shakeel said after the second day’s play. “At one point he’d given away just 19 runs in 11. His control was indicative of someone who has played and had a lot of success in domestic cricket. When someone has built that base in domestic cricket, they don’t find it too difficult at this level.”But as the gulf between domestic and international cricket widens in Pakistan, Asif would have been keenly aware of how he’d be perceived if he walked away without making an impact on surfaces designed to give fingerspinners assistance. He looked set to be condemned to that fate as the shadows lengthened and stumps loomed, but still Asif held his lines, kept to the plan that may well have been hatched when he made his debut in 2009. He came around the wicket to de Zorzi, in that zone where neither using his feet or the sweep were realistic options.Asif Afridi became the second oldest to make his Test debut while playing for Pakistan•Getty ImagesAnd then, in the 58th over, cricket finally threw him a bone. He found a dent in the strip and the ball swooped on de Zorzi, hitting him halfway up the shin. Even now, this sport found a way to keep him waiting for just that little bit longer, with the umpire denying his anguished appeal. Mercifully, Pakistan reviewed this time. Asif’s wait would finally end among team-mates who mobbed him in congratulations, all appreciative of the journey he took, none quite able to understand just how bleak it can sometimes be.But Asif made sure his solitary Test wicket couldn’t just be put down to the bounce of a ball. Before the day was out, he had himself a picture-book orthodox spinner’s dismissal, four balls after he had sent de Zorzi packing. Dewald Brevis accounted for the turn and played accordingly, but Asif had found just a little bit more. It kissed his outside edge, and first slip made no mistake.Shakeel knows the feeling of falling to Asif’s wiles. “I’m very happy for Asif ,” he said. “It’s very late but at least he’s got to play Test cricket. When I play him in domestic cricket, I find it very difficult to handle him. In a Garde 2 match against FATA recently, I faced against Asif and got out to him in the first innings. Whenever we play against him he causes us problems.”By the end of the day, that Markram six was little more than a footnote. Of the 90 deliveries he sent down, 74 had been dot balls, his final economy rate nearly half that of the next best bowler. But Asif had trusted his plan, guided by his blind belief it was the right way to find success. That quixotic idealism is often not a natural fit in Pakistan cricket, but on this afternoon in the Pindi twilight for a man who in the sunset of his career, it was.

Marco Silva could reportedly be sacked by Fulham as the club are considering a change due to their poor start to the season and slow contract negotiations. A dismal 2-0 defeat at Everton last weekend has deepened the gloom at Craven Cottage. Goals from Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane condemned Fulham to another frustrating loss with the manager looking bereft of answers.

• From dream to disarray at Fulham

  According to , Fulham’s hierarchy are seriously considering showing the door to Silva amid growing fears of a relegation fight and a contract standoff that shows no sign of resolution. Eleven games into the Premier League season, and Fulham’s top scorer is not one of their players but 'own goals'. Harry Wilson and Ryan Sessegnon have each chipped in with two goals but they have scored three with help from the opposition. Their away form is also grim having collected just one point on the road this season, when a late equaliser from Rodrigo Muniz against Brighton helped them eke out a draw. All three of their wins have come at Craven Cottage, and even those have relied on fortunate own goals.

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  Contract chaos with Silva

  Behind the scenes, tensions have been simmering for months. Silva, who has a £15 million ($20m) release clause, has so far refused to sign a new contract, leaving Fulham in a precarious position. The Portuguese coach’s current deal expires next summer, meaning he could walk away as a free agent. According to , Fulham’s board, led by vice-chairman Tony Khan, have been desperate to tie Silva down to fresh terms since July. But negotiations have stalled, with the manager reportedly frustrated by the club’s lack of ambition in the transfer market. Fulham’s only major signing last summer was Kevin, a Brazilian winger from Shakhtar Donetsk, who was brought onboard for around £34.6m ($45.5m). For a side trying to build on mid-table stability, it wasn’t simply enough.

  Speaking in August, Silva didn’t hide his disappointment. "It’s not an ideal scenario," he admitted. "Did I expect more? Of course. But the market is the market."

• A familiar fall from grace

  This is uncomfortably familiar territory for Silva. His Premier League journey, from Hull to Watford to Everton, has followed a recurring pattern. There is always a bright start followed by dips in form and eventual dismissal. At Everton in 2019, he was shown the door with the club sitting 18th and history may be repeating itself in west London. Yet to his credit, Silva’s Fulham reign began in glorious fashion. After being appointed in July 2021, he guided the club to the Championship title. During the course of that campaign, they scored an astonishing 106 goals. Fulham’s return to the Premier League was smooth and they comfortably stayed up, even flirting with European qualification. But now, the magic appears to have faded. The intensity and the pressing that once defined them have given way to fractured and disjointed play. 

  What makes the situation even more awkward is that Fulham owner Shahid Khan recently went on record to declare Silva a vital part of the club’s long-term vision.

  "He’s been great," he told . "I really like him, not only as a person, (but) as a football manager, head coach. Definitely, I think he’s in our long-term plans."

  Silva admitted was frustrated following another poor performance at the weekend: "It was a disappointing result for us, but more than the result, it was a very disappointing performance. We got what we deserved from the game, definitely. We played 20 minutes in all the game, I think. We lost the game through the physicality, we could not handle at all the physicality of Everton side."

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  Critical period looms for Silva and Fulham

  Fulham’s upcoming fixtures could determine Silva’s fate. After the international break, they host Sunderland, one of the Premier League’s surprise packages this season, who are now fourth in the Premier League standings. Then comes a brutal double-header against Tottenham and Manchester City.