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Rohit Sharma in doubt for India's first Test against Australia in Perth

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With Bumrah’s appointment as vice-captain, it is likely he will step in to take temporary charge of the team

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2024Rohit Sharma’s participation in the early Tests in India’s tour of Australia is in doubt owing to personal reasons.Rohit might not play the first Test – in Perth, from November 22 – and though India played the recent Test series against Bangladesh at home without a designated vice-captain, the selectors were keen on appointing one not on a temporary basis, as has been the norm in the past, but as a long-term choice. They picked Jasprit Bumrah.Rohit has led India in 18 Tests so far, winning 12 of them. He was appointed to the role in February 2022, succeeding Virat Kohli. Although his influence on the limited-overs team is much more identifiable – with a T20 World Cup to show for it – one of Rohit’s biggest challenges came in red-ball cricket when he faced a hyper-aggressive England team at home in 2024 without several of his senior players. India overturned a 0-1 deficit after the first Test into a 4-1 victory with their next generation putting in crucial performances. Shubman Gill grew into his role as a No. 3 batter. Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel showcased their potential at the highest level and Yashasvi Jaiswal was a revelation.Much of Rohit’s success as a Test captain has been at home. In his tenure, India have only gone away twice – to South Africa, where they drew the series 1-1 and West Indies, where they won 1-0. There was the World Test Championship final at the Oval as well, which India lost to the same team that they will be facing in a month’s time. Australia also happens to be one of the places where Rohit has struggled as a Test batter. He averages 31.38 from 14 innings with a highest score of 63 not out.2:16

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With Bumrah’s appointment as India’s vice-captain for October’s three-Test series against New Zealand, it is highly likely that he will be in charge of the team in Perth. The fast bowler, who will turn 31 in December, has led India once, in the one-off Test in England in 2022, when Rohit was forced to sit out after having tested positive for Covid-19. It was Bumrah’s first match as captain at any level of representative cricket, and he became the first fast bowler to lead India since Kapil Dev in 1987.Before leading India in the Edgbaston Test, Bumrah was the vice-captain in the two-Test home series against Sri Lanka in March 2022. Later, he served in the position in the two-Test tour of South Africa in 2023-24 and then in the five-Test series earlier this year against England. Bumrah also led India in the T20I series in Ireland in 2023 after returning from an injury layoff. However, Bumrah needs his workload managed, which could mean missing out on certain Tests.Gill, one India’s few all-format players alongside Bumrah, is being viewed as a long-term candidate for Test captaincy. He is said to have impressed the team management with his leadership qualities in the dressing room during India’s home series against England. Gill, 25, has never held any leadership role in Test cricket, but the selectors believe he has the potential to grow in the role.In July, Gill led India in the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, which they won 4-1. Gill was then appointed vice-captain in the white-ball home series against Sri Lanka. Recently, Gill led India A in Duleep Trophy in a team that also had Rahul, who has also been India’s vice-captain. Gill also led Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024.

Bumrah leads India's fightback on 17-wicket opening day in Perth

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Hazlewood’s four-for helped Australia bowl India out for 150 but the visitors ended the day on top

Tristan Lavalette22-Nov-2024Befitting the rivalry between Australia and India, the latest tussle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy started in eventful fashion with wild momentum swings and a DRS controversy as pace bowlers from both attacks thoroughly dominated in favourable conditions at Optus Stadium.By the end of a madcap first day’s play, India had remarkably finished on top after stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah tore through Australia’s top-order with spectacular seam bowling. He finished with 4 for 17 from 10 overs.He claimed debutant Nathan McSweeney for 10 in the third over before dismissing Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith with consecutive balls in the seventh over to turn a fast-moving first Test on its head.Related

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In just his second red-ball match opening the batting, McSweeney faced a baptism of fire and initially judged the length well before Bumrah adjusted to a fuller length and trapped him on the pads. Smith’s shift back to his favoured No.4 did not start well after he shuffled across his stumps and was plumb lbw by a wicked Bumrah delivery that decked back a mile.Australia nosedived further when Travis Head was bowled by a cracker of a delivery from debutant quick Harshit Rana, while Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne fell to Mohammed Siraj.Mohammed Siraj struck twice, including trapping Marnus Labuschagne lbw•Getty Images

Having started the season slowly, Labuschagne had an excruciating time. He was dropped by Virat Kohli at second slip after edging Bumrah and didn’t score off his first 23 deliveries faced. He received mock applause from the terraces when he finally broke his drought, but Labuschagne could never get going and made a painstaking 2 off 52 balls.Bumrah wasn’t quite done as he returned in the shadows to dismiss Pat Cummins as Australia limped to stumps at 67 for 7.It was a remarkable turnaround after India were bowled out for 150 in just 49.4 overs. Nine of Indian batters were caught behind the wicket – keeper or in the well-stocked cordon – in a mode of dismissal that has been common in Perth over the years at Optus Stadium and at the nearby WACA ground.After India sensationally left out veteran spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah elected to bat after winning the toss. With overcast skies above a green-tinged surface, it was undoubtedly an agonising decision but batting first appeared the logical move given the pitch is expected to deteriorate amid warmer weather later in the match.With unseasonal wet weather ahead of the match, there had been particular intrigue over how the pitch would behave. There was movement and bounce, but perhaps not the minefield the scoreboard indicates.India’s top order were all at sea against superb new ball bowling from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who claimed all four wickets in the first session. Starc, especially, was outstanding to set the tone for an Australian pace attack that strangled India.Having pushed through injury issues last summer, Starc entered the season fit and firing. He continued his strong form with fast and probing bowling, especially troubling the left-handers with an immaculate line and away swing.Marnus Labuschagne took a good relay catch to dismiss Harshit Rana•Associated Press

Seemingly attempting to start the series in the same fashion as the Ashes series in 2021-22, Starc’s first delivery was an anti-climax and missed the leg stump of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and flew to the boundary.He was on target after that and his accuracy overwhelmed Jaiswal, who on his eighth delivery, as he tried to score his first runs in Australia, drove on the up and edged to McSweeney in the gully.With his bat well in front of his body, it was an errant stroke that had echoes of an ungainly dismissal for Pakistan captain Shan Masood in last year’s Perth Test.With captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill unavailable, Devdutt Padikkal received an unexpected opportunity at No.3 after impressing in the India A matches recently. But he was totally shackled by the quicks and did not score off his first 22 deliveries faced. The pressure proved too much with Padikkal on the next ball edging Hazlewood behind with an angled bat trying to defend to covers.All eyes were on Kohli, who received healthy applause from the 31,302 crowd although Indian fans in the terraces were vastly outnumbered in a rare sight.India desperately needed their long-time talisman to shrug off a form slump on a ground he scored a brilliant century in the 2018-19 series. Kohli batted well outside the crease in a well-worn strategy he had successfully implemented previously in Australia.But Hazlewood, who has had great success against Kohli over the years, adjusted and bowled a back of length. Kohli on 5 could only fend a lifting Hazlewood delivery that landed straight to first slip.Opener KL Rahul, who just a week ago had been struck on the elbow in an intra-squad match simulation, bravely batted through the carnage. He struck India’s first boundary off the bat in the 12th over in ungainly fashion when he tried to evade a Cummins short ball only for it to hit his bat and fly over the slips.Rishabh Pant doing Rishabh Pant things, playing a remarkable falling scoop off Pat Cummins•Getty Images

Rahul made it to 26 before being given not out by on-field umpire Richard Kettleborough after Starc appealed for caught behind. After Australia reviewed, Snicko showed a spike as the ball passed the bat and the decision was overturned. Having indicated that the bat hit his pad, Rahul trudged off the ground shaking his head as India slumped to 47 for 4.After lunch, allrounder Marsh made a successful return to bowling with the wickets of Dhruv Jurel, who had been selected on the back of his performances for India A, and Washington Sundar.Marsh had only bowled four overs since tearing his hamstring at the IPL. But he ran in powerfully and finished with 2-12 from five overs in a boost for an attack without allrounder Cameron Green, who will miss the entire series due to a back injury.India’s hopes rested with a counterattacking Rishabh Pant and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy, who combined for 48 runs – the biggest partnership of the innings.Pant was typically adventurous, marked by an audacious scoop for six off a full delivery from Cummins, while Reddy mixed orthodox drives with paddle sweeps to thwart offspinner Nathan Lyon.But both were unable to kick on as India were dismissed by tea. In his first red-ball match since the New Zealand Tests in March, Cummins looked a little underdone and was unable to find a consistent length as he finished with 2 for 67 from 15.4 overs.He did dismiss Pant and Reddy and left the field mightily pleased with Australia’s performance. But Cummins’ mood soured quickly and just over two hours later he trudged off the field after being dismissed by his opposite number.

Nitish Kumar Reddy's dramatic 105* leads India's rearguard

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Reddy shared a 127-run stand with Washington Sundar as India fought back after being 221 for 7

Andrew McGlashan28-Dec-2024A defiant maiden Test century by Nitish Kumar Reddy, brought up with No. 11 Mohammed Siraj for company, led an outstanding rearguard from India at the MCG to give them hope of at least avoiding defeat in the fourth Test although Australia were still set to take a significant first innings lead.Reddy, who had shown his batting prowess at various stages through his first Test series, arrived at the crease early on the third morning after a Rishabh Pant dismissal that prompted some strong reactions and was still there when bad light and rain brought an early close. He forged a stand of 127 in just under 48 overs with Washington Sundar to halt Australia in their tracks when they appeared likely to take a stranglehold on the game.However, Reddy’s crowning moment came amid huge tension after Washington was dismissed. In what appeared to be a lack of communication, he and Jasprit Bumrah came back for a second run off the final ball of an over which exposed the No. 10 to Pat Cummins and he edged to slip as Reddy watched from the non-striker’s end on 99. But Siraj was able to negotiate three deliveries from Cummins to huge cheers from the Indian supporters.Related

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Now, facing Scott Boland, Reddy defended two deliveries before unleashing a lofted straight drive down the ground to bring up a magnificent century, just the second of his first-class career. His father was in the crowd, among those on the edge of the seat as the landmark approached, and couldn’t contain his emotion.When the players left the field for a second time – rain having earlier brought an early tea – Australia’s advantage had been whittled down to 116, far fewer than looked on the cards when they had India 221 for 7 before lunch. They will still hope for a lead in three figures but could now face a race against time to earn victory on a true pitch that hasn’t shown significant signs of deterioration.The second evening had finished with Australia claiming 3 for 6 around the run out of Yashasvi Jaiswal, the ramifications of which were still being hotly debated when play resumed, with India 310 behind. Pant led the scoring early on the third morning, but fell in a manner that created many headlines when he attempted to scoop Boland over fine leg and got a leading edge to deep third. In a Test that had been dominated by Sam Konstas’ scoops, this was an example of when things go badly.Rishabh Pant’s dismissal drew strong reactions•Getty Images

Ravindra Jadeja played a largely defensive innings before being defeated by a superb piece of bowling from Lyon who skidded one through to trap him lbw. It was just Lyon’s fourth wicket of the series but, having later made one bounce to remove Washington, he could yet have a key role to play. When Jadeja fell, India were still 253 runs adrift with the follow-on the first target as Washington joined Reddy, although there’s almost no chance Cummins would have enforced it.Reddy had been positive when he arrived, quickly overtaking Jadeja’s score despite his partner having a 35-ball headstart. Shortly after Lyon had removed Jadeja, Reddy skipped down to the offspinner and sent him straight for six. His half century came up with a rasping back-foot drive against Mitchell Starc and, as it had previously in the series, his technique shone of someone who will be higher up the order as his career develops.Washington, who played a vital role with the bat in the famous 2021 victory at the Gabba, was watchful throughout, collecting his first and only boundary from his 103rd ball when he sent Starc through point with an elegant drive. The selection of the extra allrounders over Shubman Gill had been the topic of much debate but they could have done little more with the bat justify it.Washington did have one moment of fortune, in rather unusual circumstances, when he went to turn Starc through the leg side in the first over of the second new ball with it flying off the back of his bat towards second slip where Steven Smith, taken by surprise that it came in his direction, couldn’t holding on diving to his right.There was later a moment of concern for Australia when Starc grabbed his back midway through an over. However, he appeared to come through unscathed and continued to bowl at good pace although ended the day wicketless from 25 overs as the workload of the quicks mounted ahead of the final Test in Sydney.Mitchell Marsh was used for a spell either side of an extended tea break, but his 120kph medium pace was unconvincing although he did play a role in drying up the scoring early in the final session.The eighth-wicket pair showed few signs of being separated until Lyon got one to bounce against Washington which took the shoulder of the bat to Smith at slip. At that point, Reddy was on 97 and the day’s most compelling few minutes was about to unfold.

Boland leads the charge as Australia dominate on green pitch

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Jasprit Bumrah struck with the last ball of the day after India were bowled out for 185

Deivarayan Muthu03-Jan-2025Australia 9 for 1 (Bumrah 1-7) trail India185 (Pant 40, Boland 4-31, Starc 3-49, Cummins 2-37) by 176 runs
Off-field chaos swirled around India in the lead-up to the Sydney Test. Their on-field batting performance on the opening day in Sydney was just as chaotic after Rohit Sharma dropped himself in a nearly unprecedented move in Indian cricket and Jasprit Bumrah took over as captain. After Bumrah chose to bat, India struggled in the face of relentless bowling from Australia and were eventually dismissed for 185, just before close of play.Bumrah produced the final twist when he got rid of Usman Khawaja off the last ball of the day, and Australia went to stumps on 9 for 1.Related

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Scott Boland led the line for Australia, returning staggering figures of 20-8-31-4. His metronomic accuracy and mastery of length, with the new ball as well as the old one, was too much to handle for India’s batters. He hardly bowled a bad ball and kept generating sharp seam movement off a lush-green Sydney pitch that also offered variable bounce.Mitchell Starc had gone too full in search of swing in the first over while Pat Cummins erred on the shorter side with the new ball. Boland, though, located the perfect length in his first over and never veered away from it. He struck with his fourth ball when he put one on a good length and got it to seam away to have Yashasvi Jaiswal nicking off to debutant Beau Webster at third slip for 10.Boland nearly had Virat Kohli out first ball•Getty Images

By then, KL Rahul had already been dismissed for 4, having chipped a leg-stump half-volley from Starc straight to Sam Konstas at square leg in the fifth over. Shubman Gill, who had replaced Rohit in India’s XI, started well but his innings was cut short at 20 when he advanced at Nathan Lyon only to offer a catch to slip off what turned out to be the last ball before lunch. Gill has reached 20 three times in four innings on this tour but hasn’t passed 31.Virat Kohli could have been out first ball, but he survived by the skin of his teeth. Boland had Kohli wafting an outside edge to second slip, where Steven Smith dived low to his right and appeared to have grabbed the ball close to the ground before somehow scooping it up to gully, where Marnus Labuschagne completed the catch. After much rocking and rolling, Joel Wilson, the TV umpire, deemed that the ball had touched the ground before Smith lobbed it to Labuschagne.Kohli then left the next ball and 16 more balls before Boland sucked him into nicking another one, with Webster holding onto this chance with his bucket hands at third slip. Kohli has been dismissed seven times in this Border-Gavaskar series and all his dismissals have followed a pattern: edging behind to the keeper or the cordon. It was also the fourth time in six Test innings that Boland had bested Kohli.Kohli had gone to great lengths to avoid this pattern – he had ditched his open stance for a more side-on one – but it proved unavoidable as he fell for 17 off 69 balls.Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja briefly repaired the innings with a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket in 25 overs before Boland damaged India again, this time with a double-blow. He first had Pant splicing a pull to mid-on, and next ball he had Nitish Kumar Reddy, India’s hero from the MCG Test, caught at second slip for a duck. Boland was denied a hat-trick but remained a threat, nipping even the old ball off the seam from both over and around the stumps.Jasprit Bumrah ended the day with the wicket of Usman Khawaja and this glare at Sam Konstas•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Pant had played an unusually subdued knock, managing 40 off 98 balls. After having been caught on the boundary in both innings at the MCG – his failed first-innings scoop drew particularly severe criticism – he sat back and relied more on his defensive technique. In a rare show of aggression, however, he stepped out to Webster and launched him over the sightscreen for six. It was only the sixth boundary for India in 46 overs.The depth and skill in Australia’s attack meant there was no breathing room for India’s batters. Webster, the allrounder who had switched from offspin to medium-pace during Covid-19, put in a tidy shift, coming away with figures of 13-4-29-0, and his slip catching was even more memorable.Starc and Cummins then took care of India’s lower order. Despite battling back issues, Starc cranked it up to 147kph and discomfited India’s batters, using the uneven bounce to his advantage. He first pinged Pant on his bicep and left him with a bruise before knocking him on his helmet. Pant copped a number of blows on his body during his painstaking stay.Ravindra Jadeja’s vigil (26 off 95 balls) came to an end when Starc pinned him lbw. Cummins then wrapped India up for 185.Bumrah had some fun with the bat, clubbing his way to 22 off 17 balls. He had more fun with the ball when he struck with the final ball of the day. He celebrated it animatedly by spinning around and advancing at Konstas, the non-striker, who had been involved in a fiery exchange with him moments before Khawaja’s dismissal. The on-field umpire had to intervene to diffuse the tension.Bumrah and Konstas promise more entertainment on day two at the SCG.

Alex Hales to skip Blast, Hundred after signing Knight Riders deal

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Former England opener declines Notts contract to take up opportunities in MLC and CPL

Matt Roller17-Feb-2025Alex Hales is set to skip both the T20 Blast and the Hundred after signing a deal which will see him represent Knight Riders franchises in both Major League Cricket and the Caribbean Premier League.Hales, 36, retired from international cricket in 2023 but has continued to play franchise cricket around the world, and became the second-highest run-scorer in T20 history earlier this month. He has played for Nottinghamshire since 2008 but has recently relocated to Dubai and will not return to the club this summer after opting not to sign a new contract.The decision will put Hales’ long-term association with Trent Bridge on hold, though he has not ruled out a future return. He has called the venue home throughout his professional career and is the leading run-scorer for both Notts (in the Blast) and Trent Rockets (in the Hundred), winning titles with both teams.Last year, Hales missed six of Nottinghamshire’s 14 group games in the Blast to fulfil a contract at the Lanka Premier League but the ECB has since tightened regulations on No-Objection Certificates (NOCs). As a result, signing a contract with either Notts or Trent Rockets would likely have rendered Hales unable to play overseas throughout the English season.Related

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ESPNcricinfo has learned that he will instead take up an offer from the Knight Riders franchise, which will see him play for their Los Angeles and Trinbago teams in MLC and the CPL respectively. Depending on final dates, he may also return to the LPL in between the two tournaments, or alternatively feature in the new European T20 Premier League in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.Knight Riders own four teams around the world – Los Angeles, Trinbago, Kolkata and Abu Dhabi – and several players have represented them in two or more territories, including Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. Venky Mysore, their chief executive, has previously suggested that players signing year-round contracts with an IPL franchise would be “nirvana” and Hales’ move appears to be another step towards that.”The last 17 years playing at Trent Bridge for Notts have been an absolute pleasure, and it remains my favourite place in the world to play cricket,” Hales said in a statement. “Some of my best memories have come in a Notts shirt, and some of my closest friendships in the game have been made in that home dressing room.”Having spent more and more time playing around the world in recent years, heading back to Trent Bridge has always been something I’ve looked forward to. But given the current landscape of the global game as well as having recently moved abroad, unfortunately I won’t be able to return this season… Hopefully I will be able to return at some point in the future.”Mick Newell, Notts’ director of cricket, said that Hales would be welcome to return to the club if his schedule allows in future. “While he won’t be joining us this summer, we are by no means closing the door on him making a return to Notts at some stage in the future, and his achievements mean he will forever have a place in Trent Bridge history,” Newell said.”Both his life and the global cricketing landscape have changed immeasurably since he made his debut 17 years ago. We appreciate the challenge he has faced in balancing his personal life, having recently married his South African fiancée and moved abroad, with the opportunities that a player of his calibre earns across the globe.”Hales will become the second Englishman to feature in MLC after Jason Roy, who terminated his ECB incremental deal early in order to play in the first season. Roy featured for Knight Riders again last year but has not been retained for 2025, and is likely to play for Surrey throughout the Blast season.He will still require a “No Objection Letter” from the ECB to play overseas but is not anticipating any issues, despite recent changes in the board’s policy. Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, told talkSPORT in December: “If [players] choose not to have a contract with a county and they want to be a complete global freelancer, that’s fine.”The changes – which Gould said are designed to “defend our game” from the threat of franchise cricket – played a role in James Vince’s decision to quit first-class cricket this season in favour of the Pakistan Super League. Tom Kohler-Cadmore will also play in the PSL, and has therefore been renegotiating his Somerset contract accordingly.

Moores, Montgomery inflict rare defeat on Northamptonshire

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Notts remain in quarter-finals contention with comfortable victory at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay20-Jun-2025Tom Moores smashed 53 off just 27 balls to help set up a 24-run Vitality Blast victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Wantage Road.Moores struck five fours and three sixes to regain the initiative for the Outlaws after they made just 33 for 2 in the powerplay. He shared a 43-run partnership with Jack Haynes (32) in five overs. However, the visitors were still well behind the pace on 111 for 5 after 16 overs before Moores blazed 20 off one over from Luke Procter and, with three of the lower order each smashing a six, Nottinghamshire closed on a competitive 164 for 8.Ricardo Vasconcelos and Justin Broad started briskly in the chase, but the hosts lost early wickets and failed to push on, struggling on 50 for 4 after 10 overs. Outlaws offspinners Matt Montgomery (3 for 22) and Farhan Ahmed (2 for 23) were key in putting the squeeze on the hosts.David Willey thumped two sixes in his 20 and while Saif Zaib and Lewis McManus put on 45 in 4.3 overs, the game finished in a clatter of wickets, the last five falling in 12 balls.Earlier Willey (1 for 17) conceded just three runs off his first two overs, but on a rare expensive evening for Ben Sanderson, Lyndon James smashed three leg-side boundaries before driving him through the covers.But it was Sanderson who made the first breakthrough when Joe Clarke was caught by Willey at wide mid-on. The Outlaws lost a second when James played expansively against Procter and edged behind to McManus. With just two coming from the over, the Outlaws finished the powerplay on 33 for 2. It was McManus’ 50th T20 catch for Northamptonshire, the first Steelbacks keeper to reach that milestone and on his 50th T20 appearance for the club.Freddie McCann fell to a sensational catch by Willey running backwards at long-off, but that brought together Moores and Haynes who had opened his account with a punch through the covers off Sanderson and two off-side boundaries off Australian spinner Lloyd Pope’s first over.George Scrimshaw conceded 19 off his second, Moores dispatching him over square leg for six before pulling his next ball behind square.Pope broke the partnership, trapping Haynes as he went to sweep, the Outlaws losing another wicket in the next over when Daniel Sams was bowled by Willey eyeing up a leg-side strike.Moores motored on, smashing Pope aerially for four. Then in one extraordinary over from Procter he clobbered him down the ground for consecutive sixes, thumping his next ball straight for four. Moores brought up his half-century by pulling Procter’s next delivery for four before he was caught by a diving Willey at long leg.Montgomery, Liam Patterson-White and Calvin Harrison all struck sixes down the ground in the closing overs, adding crucial runs. There were consolation wickets for Sanderson who had Montgomery caught in the deep and Scrimshaw who bowled Patterson-White.In the chase, Vasconcelos top-edged and scooped Sams over the keeper for two sixes in his first over, but Matt Breetzke, playing his last innings before joining up with the South African Test squad, fell cheaply caught on the boundary.Broad picked up early boundaries before picking out deep midwicket to give Farhan his first wicket as the Steelbacks ended the powerplay on 34 for 2.Farhan picked up a second when Vasconcelos top-edged to Dillon Pennington at short fine-leg off an attempted sweep. Next over Ravi Bopara chipped a return catch back to Harrison.Willey swept for a big six behind square and deposited another maximum over deep midwicket, but was caught attempting one more big hit off Montgomery. McManus was fluent against the spinners, sweeping and reverse sweeping as well as cutting seamer Sams for four.Sams almost removed Zaib but he was dropped at deep midwicket by Haynes, the ball going for six. Zaib then slog-swept an enormous six off Pennington before holing out at long-off off the same bowler, heralding the end.

Gill 'extremely proud' of India's lower-order fight

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Jadeja marshalled India’s lower order before they fell 23 short of the target in the final session

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2025

Mohammed Siraj was inconsolable after he was the last man dismissed in the final session•Getty Images

India captain Shubman Gill took pride in his team’s resilience during the gripping final day of the Lord’s Test.After India were reduced to 82 for 7 just before lunch, their lower order fought valiantly to drag the game into the final session. India eventually fell short by 22 runs as England took a 2-1 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.”I’m extremely proud, this is as close as a Test match can get,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. “Five days of hard-fought cricket, comes down to the last session, last wicket. I’m extremely proud.”Related

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When Shoaib Bashir dismissed Mohammed Siraj to seal victory, Ravindra Jadeja was left stranded on 61, a heroic vigil that lasted 181 deliveries, with the standout aspect being his marshalling of the lower order. He put on 30 with Nitish Kumar Reddy, 35 with Jasprit Bumrah, and 23 with Siraj.”He’s very experienced,” Gill said of Jadeja. “We didn’t want to give him any message. He was batting brilliantly with the tail. Wanted him and the tail to bat as long as possible.”Gill said India had let themselves down late on the fourth day when they lost three quick wickets – Karun Nair, Gill himself and nightwatcher Akash Deep – in a dramatic last half-hour, slipping from 42 for 1 to 58 for 4. Gill felt that one “50-run partnership” from the top order could have helped them knock off the target.3:47

Gill: Pant’s run-out was the turning point in the Test

“The last one hour that we played [on day four], I think we could have applied ourselves a bit better, especially the last two wickets that fell,” Gill said. “Even this morning, the way they came up with a plan, we were hoping for one 50-run partnership, if we got it from the top order, it would’ve been easy for us.”Did they have any hope after Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Washington Sundar all fell in the first half-hour on Monday? “There was always hope, as long as there’s batting,” he said. “[Needed] one 50-run partnership. The target wasn’t massive, one 50-60-run partnership and we were right back into the game.”Gill also identified Pant’s run out in the first innings, by a direct hit from Ben Stokes, as a pivotal moment in the game. Pant and Rahul had added a century partnership, putting India on track for a sizeable lead. However, in a bid to get Rahul on strike so he could reach his century before lunch, Pant attempted a quick single only to be run out for 74.”Definitely,” Gill said when asked if the run out proved crucial. “At one point, I thought if we get a lead of 80-100, it might be crucial. We knew on the fifth day on this wicket, it won’t be easy to chase 150-200. Thought if we can get a lead of 80-100, we would be in a good position.”

Jordan Cox earns belated call-up for Ireland T20Is

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Batter rewarded for impressive form for Oval Invincibles, en route to their third Men’s Hundred title

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2025Jordan Cox has been rewarded for his Player-of-the-Tournament display in the Men’s Hundred with a belated call-up to England’s T20I squad to face Ireland later this month.Cox, 24, topped the Hundred averages with 367 runs at 61.16, and a strike-rate of 173.93, as Oval Invincibles lifted the trophy for the third consecutive season with an emphatic 26-run victory over Trent Rockets in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.Cox himself made 40 from 28 balls in the final, after which he said he would continue to “bang the England door down”, after a series of luckless near-misses in recent months, including a broken thumb sustained on the eve of his designated Test debut in New Zealand, and a side strain sustained while making a century for Essex earlier this summer.He has previously played two T20Is, making scores of 17 and 0 against Australia in September 2024, as well as three ODIs on the subsequent tour of West Indies in October and November.His recall comes as part of a second-string England squad, captained by Jacob Bethell, that is due to play three T20Is in Dublin on September 17, 19 and 21. The original 14-man squad had been notably light on specialist batting, with the likelihood that a bowling allrounder – Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed or Jamie Overton – would be carded to come in at No.6.The news comes just 24 hours after England’s 50-over squad were bowled out for 131 in 24.3 overs at Headingley, to slump to a humiliating seven-wicket loss to South Africa in the first ODI.

Afghanistan hold their nerve, UAE go down fighting in nail-biting finish

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After leaking ten runs off the first two balls of the 20th over, Fareed roared back to close out the game successfully

Alagappan Muthu05-Sep-202515:43

Can Afghanistan make the final of the Asia Cup?

Afghanistan had the game sewn up. They were playing a second-string side with even their captain Rashid Khan among six players sitting out. But Asif Khan threatened to rip it wide open. A dead rubber had burst to life. Fareed Ahmad started the final over with 16 to defend and was bashed for 4 and 6 off the first two deliveries. An upset was looming and the left-arm quick felt it. Asif felt it, batting on 40 off 25. It never came to be.Fareed had three chances to influence the outcome and he came up with the perfect option each time to close out the match: 4, 6, 2, dot, dot, wicket. And so, UAE ended the tri-series winless but they came so very close. The emotions at the end were excruciating, particularly for Asif and the captain Muhammad Waseem. They’re going to make the Asia Cup very interesting.

Eye-catching Ibrahim

Ibrahim Zadran was captaining Afghanistan for the 10th time in his career. Four of those games were against UAE. It is easy to see why he was the stand-in. He was cool when the runs didn’t come – 5 off 9 – and resplendent when they did. He looks so technically correct that even the shots in anger carried a stamp of class.There was one moment when he looked totally out of place though. He was utterly deceived by left-arm spinner Haider Ali’s change of pace and trajectory – the flatter ball making the batter think he should play back when the length was fairly full. Ibrahim lost his stumps for 48 off 34. He might feel a lot better about his contributions in the pointy end of the chase, where soon after he went up to have an arm around Fareed, the bowler switched from bowling over the wicket to round the wicket and gave away no more runs.Sharafuddin Ashraf conceded 20 runs in four overs and took a wicket•Emirates Cricket Board

Afghanistan slow down, Janat ramps up

It was a slow pitch and it showed when Afghanistan lost three wickets in 3.1 overs after a 98-run opening partnership. Karim Janat was 10 off seven balls at the time. He hit the only boundary during this spell too – a six, which are sometimes easier to pull off in these conditions especially against a bowling attack that didn’t camp in the good length spot for long enough. Often, they were too full or too short and that allowed Janat and the rest of his team-mates down the order to get underneath the ball.So it didn’t matter that overs 13, 14 and 15 went for only 16 runs. The next three yielded 36. Afghanistan finished on a healthy 170 for 4. Haider (2 for 23) and Simranjeet Singh (1 for 24) were the pick of the bowlers. Left-arm quick Muhammad Rohid was desperately unlucky with both of UAE’s dropped catches coming off his bowling. Rahmanullah Gurbaz enjoyed his second life going from 14 off 16 to 40 off 38.

UAE almost, but not quite

UAE took to the chase with gusto, scoring almost twice as many boundaries as Afghanistan did in the powerplay (7 vs 4). Waseem was enchanting, depositing Mujeeb Ur Rahman inside out over cover for six. He produced another lovely piece of innovation, upper-cutting the debutant Abdollah Ahmadzai over deep third as he stalks Rohit Sharma on top of the six-hitters’ table in T20Is and it was looking like UAE had the firepower to earn the consolation win that they desperately wanted.However, in trying the same shot, Waseem feathered an edge behind and the greenest member of a side that was saving most of its firepower for the final had punched through an opening. Afghanistan rallied to turn an equation that read 67 off 48 balls into a rather more troubling 43 off 18. Mujeeb and Noor Ahmad, bowling in tandem from the 14th to the 17th overs, were virtually unhittable. Then it was the debutant’s turn but Abdollah leaked 16 runs all to Asif and the UAE bench started to stir.Four more boundaries – one of them a dropped catch – across the last two overs kept the contest alive and created tension among the Afghanistan coaching staff but in the end, they just about squeezed through.

The Chalkboard: Defoe to get big Rangers opportunity in Morelos’ absence

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Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos received his third red card – all against Aberdeen – of the season in his side’s 4-2 victory on Wednesday night, and his imminent absence from the starting XI gives January addition Jermain Defoe the real break he has been waiting for.

On the chalkboard

The 36-year-old would have been hoping to be a starter for the Glasgow giants following his loan move from Bournemouth last month, and it looked as though that could be on the cards when he started alongside Morelos up top in the 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock.

Manager Steven Gerrard had moved away from his preferred 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 systems to accommodate the striker in a 4-4-2 diamond, but it backfired in the end in what was a disappointing display.

Defoe has been named on the substitutes’ bench against Livingston and then Aberdeen last night since then, although he was given the centre-forward berth against St Mirren at the weekend with his Colombian teammate starting on the right wing.

Chance he’s been waiting for

It remains to be seen how long Morelos will be banned for this time around, but it is certainly the break Defoe would have been desperate for.

The veteran striker will know that he can get goals at this level – he already has three in four SPFL appearances – and he could be set for a run in the starting XI for the foreseeable future depending on what fate awaits the South American attacker.

It certainly eradicates a major selection headache for Gerrard even if he would clearly prefer to have both players available, and now Defoe needs to step up to the plate to keep Rangers in the title race.

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