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Highest individual score of 2025 competition confirms knockouts spot

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay22-Aug-2025Gloucestershire 343 for 7 (Bracey 186) beat Nottinghamshire 291 (Hameed 80, Haynes 57) by 52 runs Gloucestershire confirmed their qualification for the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, making it six wins from six matches after James Bracey pummelled Notts Outlaws with a magnificent 186, the highest individual score of the 2025 competition to date.The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter – dropped on 58 – numbered six sixes and 20 fours in an exhilarating 150-ball innings and though no other Gloucestershire batter made fifty, with skipper Cameron Bancroft’s 46 the next highest score, the Group A leaders still piled up 343 for 7 in their 50 overs.It was 52 too many for the Outlaws, bowled out for 291 in the 48th over, their qualification chance hanging by the thinnest of threads, if not mathematically dead. Matt Taylor, Jack Taylor and Craig Miles took two wickets each.Rob Lord (2 for 60) was the pick of the home attack but it was with the bat that the Outlaws needed to shine. Skipper Haseeb Hameed made 80 from 88 balls and Jack Haynes continued a good run of form with 57 from 66 but a relatively inexperienced batting line-up needed more from both.Bracey’s score is the second highest in his county’s List A cricket history – bettered only by his own unbeaten 224 against Somerset two years ago. He led partnerships of 121 for the first wicket with Bancroft and 101 with Ollie Price for the second.The left-hander looked sharp from the outset, punishing Lord with a pull for six and three back-to-back fours as Gloucestershire cruised to 50 without loss in 10 overs.After reaching 51 from 51 balls, his one big moment of good fortune came shortly afterwards as Ben Slater put him down at long-off and a breakthrough for the home side did not happen until the 23rd over when Bancroft was taken at mid-off. He and Bracey had shared their second three-figure opening stand of the campaign.Bracey completed his fourth List A hundred, the first of this season, from 98 deliveries, needing only another 30 to turn it into 150. His partnership with Price ended when the latter top-edged to mid-off for 34 but at 256 for 2 with 10 overs left, Gloucestershire had the platform for a substantial score.In the event, the home attack landed a few blows, Lord taking two in two to dismiss Ben Charlesworth and Miles Hammond, James Hayes deflecting Graeme Van Buuren’s drive into the stumps to run out Jack Taylor and having Daaryoush Ahmed caught on the boundary.Bracey was ultimately caught at short fine leg reversing James, who conceded 20 from his last over towards a total that looked daunting enough.An early wicket apiece for Matt Taylor and Josh Shaw did not improve the outlook for Notts as Slater was caught at slip and Ben Martindale chipped to mid-on.It left much responsibility on the shoulders of Haynes and Hameed. Haynes responded with his fifth half-century in seven innings in the competition but was caught behind off the glove attempting to pull Miles, by which time Gloucestershire’s bowlers were applying the squeeze.James was caught on the cover boundary off Ahmed, the right-arm seamer who is the least experienced of this Gloucestershire bowling attack and with the required rate pushing towards 11 an over, Sammy King perished for 21, caught at the second attempt by Ahmed behind square on the leg side off Miles, before van Buuren picked up a well-deserved wicket on his 35th birthday as Hameed miscued to extra cover.Jack Taylor removed Joe Pocklington and Dane Schadendorf (28 off 22), Matt Taylor dismissed Lord (27 from 18) and Price wrapped up the win as Brett Hutton was caught on the long-on boundary.

Former Real Madrid attacker and club legend Gareth Bale was "disappointed" by the displays of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior as Los Blancos fell to a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League. Bale claimed that he was frustrated because the Madrid forwards tried to "overcomplicate things" in a rather timid display at Anfield on Tuesday evening.

• Toothless Madrid fall to Anfield defeat

  Real Madrid faced their first defeat in the Champions League this season – and only their second defeat overall – after slipping to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday evening. A second half goal from Alexis Mac Allister from a Dominik Szoboszlai set piece was enough for the Reds to register only their third win in their last nine fixtures. 

  It was a homecoming to forget for Madrid manager Xabi Alonso and club icon Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose late introduction was drowned out by a storm of boos and whistles from the stands. The Englishman could not make an impact upon his return to Merseyside, as Madrid had Thibaut Courtois to thank for an outrageous performance which kept the scoreline to just 1-0.

  The focus ahead of the game was on the likes of Vinicius and Mbappe, the latter especially in ridiculous form having scored 18 goals in 14 games ahead of the game. However, the duo had little to no impact on the proceedings, thanks to Liverpool's brilliant structure out of possession coupled with their immense hunger and dedication.

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  Bale blames Vinicius and Mbappe for overcomplicating things

  Speaking on , Bale said: "I think it was that spark that [Thierry] Henry and I were talking about, that we didn't see Mbappe and Vinicius in the final third work a bit of magic and bring Madrid back into the game. It was a bit disappointing that in that final third there wasn't really that kind of quality that you expect from Real Madrid players." 

  Bale also pointed out that Alonso's side lacked a physical presence inside the box. "It's frustrating, I think they overcomplicate things," said the five-time Champions League winner. "Sometimes they just need to try and test the defender. They are clearly faster than anyone else on the pitch. But I think maybe they don't do it because there's no one else in the box waiting for the crosses. Maybe they need that reference number nine." 

• Henry critical of Madrid's attackers

  In the same segment, former Barcelona and Arsenal forward Henry also provided his thoughts and explained what Real Madrid and their attackers could have done better. "I don't understand it," he said. "You have to play with what's in front of you, you have to play the moment. And even if there's nobody in the box, as you said, at least the opposing team has dropped back 30 meters and then you can give the ball to your midfielder, who might have a shot from outside the box. But I don't know, sometimes people try to be clever when there's no need to be."

  He specifically talked about Vinicius:  You have an opportunity at the beginning, for example, Vinicius had Conor Bradley for the first five or seven minutes, and then he let him breathe. Why do you let him breathe? Keep trying until he gets a yellow card and then he can't defend the same way, but it didn't happen that way.

  "Vinicius received the ball one-on-one after a good battle in the first five minutes against Conor Bradley, and he passed it back to his left-back to receive it again… and now it was a one-on-three. Then he attacked alone against the three, and I thought, wait, do the math. You had a one-on-one, try to see what you can do with that. Why do you move the ball back so it comes back to you and you can play a one-on-three? I just don't understand it sometimes."

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  When do Real Madrid play again?

  Los Blancos will take on neighbours Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas this weekend, which is the final game before the upcoming international break. Alonso's troops currently hold a five-point lead at the top of La Liga and will hope to brush aside the Liverpool loss by getting maximum points on Sunday. Post the break, they will face surprise package Elche on November 23.

أثار جوسيب ستانيسيتش، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي بايرن ميونخ غضب جماهير باريس سان جيرمان بعد تصريحاته الساخرة من إصابة أشرف حكيمي.

واستضاف ملعب “حديقة الأمراء” مباراة باريس سان جيرمان وبايرن ميونخ، في إطار منافسات الجولة الرابعة من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وحقق بايرن ميونخ فوزًا رائعًا أمام باريس سان جيرمان بثنائية مقابل هدف في المباراة التي جمعتهما أمس، الثلاثاء.

وشهدت اللحظات الأخيرة من عمر الشوط الأول، في الوقت المحتسب بدلًا من الضائع، تعرض النجم المغربي أشرف حكيمي لإصابة خطيرة بعد تدخل عنيف من لاعب بايرن ميونخ، لويس دياز.

وتعتبر تلك الضربة هي الثانية لـ باريس سان جيرمان حيث اضطر عثمان ديمبلي إلى مغادرة الملعب، في الدقيقة 25، بسبب الإصابة.

وتدخل لويس دياز بعنف وقوة على ساق أشرف حكيمي، مما جعل الأخير يسقط أرضًا ويبكي بشدة من تأثير الألم الذي يشعر به وغادر الملعب وهو يبكي من قوة الإصابة.

لم يُشهر الحكم البطاقة الحمراء مباشرةً لكن حكم تقنية الفيديو طلب منه العودة للنظر مرة أخرى إلى اللعبة وبالفعل لم يستغرق وقتًا طويلًا وأشهر البطاقة الحمراء للكولومبي.

وأصبح موقف أشرف حكيمي مهددًا بقوة في المشاركة مع منتخب المغرب خلال كأس أمم إفريقيا والتي تحتضنها دولته والمقر إقامتها في ديسمبر المقبل، (للمزيد من التفاصيل اضغط هنا)

وفي ضوء ذلك، أثارت تصريحات مدافع بايرن ميونخ غضبًا واسعًا على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، حيث أشار العديد من الجمهور إلى افتقاره للروح الرياضية.

وعندما سأله الصحفي حول تقديم اعتذار لأشرف حكيمي من لويس دياز بعد التدخل القوي، أجاب في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ليكيب”: “لا، لم يفعل، شكرناه (يضحك)، أمزح بالطبع، كان سعيدًا مثلنا جميعًا”.

يلتقي منتخب مصر لكرة اليد تحت 17 عامًا، اليوم الخميس، مع نظيره إسبانيا ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس العالم للناشئين.

ويواجه المنتخب المصري نظيره إسبانيا ضمن منافسات نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس العالم للناشئين المقامة في المغرب.

طالع | منتخب مصر يهزم المغرب ويحقق فوزه الثالث على التوالي في كأس العالم لليد

وتأهل منتخب مصر إلى نصف نهائي البطولة بعد تصدر المجموعة الأولى من 3 انتصارات بالفوز على البرازيل وأمريكا والمغرب.

وصعد منتخب مصر إلى دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا، ليضرب موعدًا مع المنتخب الإسباني متصدر المجموعة الثانية.

وتقام بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا، في الفترة من 24 أكتوبر وحتى 1 نوفمبر 2025، في المغرب، وتضم 12 منتخبا مقسمة على 3 مجموعات. موعد مباراة مصر وإسبانيا في نصف نهائي كأس العالم لكرة اليد تحت 17 عامًا

تقام مباراة مصر وإسبانيا، اليوم الخميس في تمام الساعة 10:15 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة مصر وإسبانيا في نصف نهائي كأس العالم لكرة اليد

ومن المقرر أن تنقل المباراة على قناة “أون سبورت”. معلق مباراة مصر وإسبانيا في نصف نهائي كأس العالم لكرة اليد

ويعلق خالد خيري على مباراة مصر وإسبانيا في كأس العالم للناشئين لكرة اليد.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Chelsea are already planning to move for a marquee player in 2026 as one of their prime targets, and he has a special connection with the club’s director of professional football and scouting, Joe Shields.

Enzo Maresca’s side enjoyed a productive transfer window, even making a £3 million profit despite spending £285 million on new signings.

Joao Pedro

Noni Madueke

Jamie Gittens

João Félix

Jorrel Hato

Djordje Petrovic

Liam Delap

Lesley Ugochukwu

Dario Essugo

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Mamadou Sarr

Renato Veiga

Estevao

Armando Broja

Kendry Paez

Carney Chukwuemeka

Alejandro Garnacho

Mathis Amougou

Basir Humphreys

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Marcus Bettinelli

Christopher Nkunku

Nicolas Jackson (obligation to buy)

Alfie Gilchrist

Lucas Bergstrom

Ben Chilwell

Chelsea’s seismic £288 million income just from player sales has seriously contributed towards navigating the Premier League’s PSR loss threshold, which stipulates that clubs are permitted a loss of £105 million over a rolling three-year period.

With the transfer windows in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Portugal and Mexico still open, according to FIFA, there is also still time for Chelsea to offload the likes of Raheem Sterling, who’s on a reported £325,000-per-week, and defender Axel Disasi.

Saudi side Neom SC are said to have made a £17 million bid for Disasi, but it is unclear whether Chelsea will accept this low-ball proposal or if the Frenchman himself would reconsider leaving Europe.

Offloading the likes of Disasi and Sterling may well be crucial to partly fund what would be a marquee 2026 move for Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers.

The England international, who is valued at around £80 million right now by Unai Emery’s side, was Villa’s standout star of 2024/2025 with 14 goals and 16 assists — including contributions in big games against the likes of PSG, Tottenham and Man City.

A deal for the 23-year-old will be extremely difficult, and despite some contact from Spurs before the deadline on Monday, Villa were in absolutely no rush to sell their prized asset during the last window.

Chelsea "just waiting" to sign Morgan Rogers amid Joe Shields connection

According to TBR Football and journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea have their eyes on Rogers ahead of a potential move next year, and they have a secret weapon in the form of Shields.

The former Middlesbrough sensation is likely to be one of the next biggest Premier League names to leave their clubs in 2026, especially considering Villa’s well documented issues when it comes to navigating PSR.

If Chelsea is his next port of call, there is no denying Rogers would be a stellar signing.

After eight seasons outside the luxuries of the Premier League, it’s fair to say Sunderland returned with a bang against West Ham United.

The first half played out as a tense 0-0 affair, before the Black Cats then suddenly burst into life as Eliezer Mayenda, Daniel Ballard, and Wilson Isidor all found the back of the net in quick succession to hand Regis Le Bris’ underdogs a glorious 3-0 win.

Off the back of such an impressive victory, Sunderland find themselves just below top spot in the Premier League on goal difference, owing to Manchester City’s slightly more emphatic 4-0 success.

The aim will be to continue to put wins on the board to ensure a heartbreaking relegation doesn’t happen, with more signings looking to be in the pipeline, too, in order to help matters on the pitch.

Sunderland explore move for £30m star

Sunderland really have been one of the big spenders in the Premier League this summer, despite their newly promoted status.

£141.5m has been splashed out in total on 12 brand new signings, with the Black Cats adding former Bayer Leverkusen right-back Nordi Mukele to their camp just after the resounding triumph over the Hammers for £9.5m.

More cash could soon be spent on landing Getafe attacker Christantus Uche, with both Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers also keen on the Nigerian forward, on top of Le Bris’ outfit further taking a fancy to this new £30m target to upgrade their options up top.

Indeed, it had been reported that Sunderland had lodged a £27m bid for Leicester City star Abdul Fatawu. An update from BBC Sport confirms that the Wearside club is exploring a possible move for the standout Foxes winger, but a move may well prove to be tricky to get over the line, owing to his pricey valuation, which is now allegedly closer to £30m.

That means any move for the Ghanaian to join the Stadium of Light ranks would match their record transfer fee for Habib Diarra.

It could well be deemed a gamble worth exploring, with a potential here for Sunderland to pick up their next Amad Diallo if Fatawu goes on to be as tricky and effective as the Ivorian was all those years ago donning the famous red and white stripes.

How Fatawu could be Sunderland's next Amad

Amad would never get to grace the Stadium of Light turf in the Premier League.

Instead, he proved to be a dangerous spark throughout his loan stint in the Championship for the Wearside outfit, with Sunderland fans still possessing a fondness for the slick 23-year-old two years on from his explosive stint at the club.

14 goals and four assists would fall into Amad’s lap from 42 memorable appearances for the Black Cats, with his game then taken to that next level back at parent employers Manchester United, leaving him with a healthy haul of 14 goals and 12 assists for the Red Devils from 65 outings.

Fatawu will hope he can become as established in the Premier League if a move to Sunderland does manage to get off the ground, having already been dubbed “unplayable” for his heroics in the EFL by scout Jacek Kulig.

Games played

40

Goals scored

6

Assists

13

Big chances missed

0

Big chances created

32

Total duels won*

6.1

During Leicester’s title-winning exploits under Enzo Maresca, Fatawu would routinely light up the Championship – in a similar rampaging fashion to Amad on Wearside – with the right-sided winger accumulating a ridiculous 19 goal contributions from 40 clashes.

Staggeringly, 32 big chances would also be created from those contests, with the 21-year-old always on the front foot, wanting to make openings happen, much like his fellow left-footer Amad always looked to dazzle and please supporters when situated at Sunderland.

The next big stride Fatawu will have to make is translating this jaw-dropping Championship form over to the Premier League regularly, having managed to amass two assists at the level last campaign, before a cruciate ligament nightmare took over.

Sunderland might well be the best place for him to explode into life even more, based on their gung-ho performance against the Hammers, with the opportunity there for him to emerge as the next exciting young talent on the right flank, in the mould of Amad before him.

Moreover, their glittering track record with up-and-coming gems coming good is also in their favour here, as another major buy looks to be completed by the ambitious, top-flight newcomers in the nick of time.

An Adingra repeat: Sunderland submit huge bid to sign "unplayable" star

Sunderland aren’t done just yet with their excessive summer spending.

ByKelan Sarson Aug 19, 2025

The teams now move to Nelson for the next two games in the series

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2025No result – Harshitha Samarawickrama scored an unbeaten 66 and appeared to steady Sri Lanka’s effort in Napier before incessant rain forced a washout in the first ODI after 36.4 overs of action with the visitors at 147 for 5.Asked to bat by Suzie Bates, Sri Lanka slid from 70 for 1 to 94 for 4, but the game had nearly evened up courtesy Samarawickrama’s second fifty-plus score in ODIs. The rain, though, meant no further play, and after a three-hour break, the umpires called off the contest.Chamari Athapaththu was the first batter dismissed, for a 21-ball 9, with seamer Bree Illing striking with the new ball. Samarawickrama and Vishmi Gunaratne, the other opener, then added 45 for the second wicket.Jess Kerr ended the stand when Gunaratne edged one behind to Polly Inglis in the 19th over, following which No. 4 Kavisha Dilhari and No. 5 Manudi Nanayakkara fell to Bates and Illing respectively.A promising partnership of 44 for the fifth wicket ended when Eden Carson ran Nilakshika Silva out for 17. Samarawickrama, with her seven fours, held one end up amid the dismissals and reached her fifty in 83 balls. She had wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani (2*) for company when rain arrived.The teams now move to Nelson for the next two games in the series.

أشاد ليونيل سكالوني مدرب منتخب الأرجنتين بإدارة ريال مدريد وتشابي ألونسو بسبب أحد لاعبي الفريق في الدوري الإسباني بموسمه الأول.

وكان فرانكو ماستانتونو قد انضم لصفوف ريال مدريد قادماً من ريفر بلات الأرجنتيني الصيف الماضي وأثار إعجاب الجميع بأدائه واحترافيته.

وأثيرت تساؤلات حول مدى تأقلم ماستانتونو مع ريال مدريد وكيفية استفادة تشابي ألونسو من خدماته، ويبدو أن المدرب يملك خطة تطوير واضحة للاعب الشاب.

وقال سكالوني في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “الماركا”: “يقدم مدربه وفريقه أداء رائعا معه، يمنحونه كثيرا من وقت اللعب والمشاركة وهو يحسن استغلال ذلك”.

وأضاف :”ماستانتونو شاب يحتاج إلى أن يعامل بالطريقة التي يعامله بها ناديه ونحن نفعل الشيء نفسه”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. سكالوني يوضح موقفه من مشاركة ميسي أمام فنزويلا وديًا

وأكد سكالوني أنه لم يحسم بعد إذا كان ماستانتونو سيشارك في مباراتي الأرجنتين الوديتين ضد فنزويلا وبورتوريكو: “إذا رأينا أنه بحاجة للعب سيشارك، إنه بخير ومتحمس”.

واختتم سكالوني: “أنا متأكد من أنه سيشارك في إحدى المباراتين أو كلاهما، نحن سعداء بإمكانياته، يجب ألا ننسى صغر سنه”.

جدير بالذكر أن ماستانتونو قد عانى من بعض الانزعاج خلال مباراة ريال مدريد وفياريال وتم تشخيص ما تعرض له بأنه شد خفيف في أوتار الركبة، وأكد الجهاز الطبي لريال مدريد أنه من المتوقع مشاركة اللاعب في المباريات الودية للأرجنتين وأن إصابته ليست خطيرة.

Rohit Sharma wants to injury-proof the Indian cricket team, and has called for expanding their bench strength, particularly the fast-bowling department so that they have eight or nine players ready to step into the first XI at any given moment.”We want to create a bench strength where tomorrow if anything happens to anyone, we are not worried, and we don’t want to be worried or too heavily reliant on a few individuals. That’s not the right thing to do,” Rohit said on the eve of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. “We want to look at the future at the same time, try and make sure that we get the right guys in as well.”We want to create guys where even if there are injuries, we have got someone to quickly step in and take that role.”It’s not about three or four options. We want to try and do that like, you know, when it comes to batting, there are a lot of options. We want to create the same with the bowlers as well.”Along with the 15-member squad for the three-match series against New Zealand, India are also carrying Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy as travelling reserves. Mayank and Reddy recently made their international debuts in the T20Is against Bangladesh recently, while Rana was an unused member of that squad.Related

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• Shami not ready for New Zealand Tests; Bumrah named vice-captain

Prasidh Krishna was also initially named as a travelling reserve for the New Zealand Tests, but he has reportedly suffered another injury setback. During Karnataka’s opening fixture of the new Ranji Trophy season, against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, he bowled only eight of the 140 overs that his side sent down.”You know, the reason we wanted to keep them close to us was because we are thinking of them to take them to Australia,” Rohit said. The five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins on November 22. “We just want to monitor them and see their workload. We have seen some talent in them. I understand that they have not played a lot of red-ball cricket, but when you see a talent, you want to try and groom them.Harshit Rana, 22, has played nine first-class matches and picked up 36 wickets•PTI

“You want to try and bring them as close to the team as possible. And in a short period of time, they have shown they have some ability as well. So, we want to keep them with the team and see whether they will be ready for international cricket or not, especially Test cricket, because Test cricket is a different ball game compared to white ball cricket. So, we want to keep them, we want to see what they can offer us, and have more options with us, more than anything else.”Nitish and Harshit both obviously are quite talented individuals, and in the future obviously they are going to provide a lot of stability to the team. So, just want to see what they are capable of, what they have to offer.”Mayank’s rise has been both rapid and eye-catching. He burst on the scene during IPL 2024, bowling at speeds of 155kph, and accurately at that, for Lucknow Super Giants. He could only play four matches though with an abdominal issue keeping him sidelined. Still, India had seen enough to fast-track him into their T20 side against Bangladesh earlier this month, where he picked up four wickets from three games while consistently pushing the speed gun into the high 140kph.”Mayank obviously has shown what he can do, but we just want to be very careful with him, he has had a lot of injuries in the past,” Rohit said. “So, we want to progress him, not rapidly, we want to just see every day how he feels.”We are trying to build his workloads with the red ball. He has not played a lot of red-ball cricket at all. So, for us, it’s important that we try and build them gradually, rather than just getting them into international cricket straight away.”T20 format is such where you can get a lot of these guys and see what they are capable of and if they can handle the international exposure. But Test cricket is a different ball game. The pressure is different. You have to sustain for five days, that’s the most important thing. So, we are trying to monitor them and see, you know, what they can offer to us.”3:36

Rohit: Bumrah has always been in our leadership group

The most important cog in India’s fast-bowling line-up is the leader of the pack Jasprit Bumrah. The 30-year-old was recently named vice-captain for the series against New Zealand.There is a chance Bumrah might step in as captain in the early Tests against Australia next month with Rohit’s participation in doubt owing to personal reasons.”He’s always been part of that leadership group and one of the experienced players as well,” Rohit said of Bumrah. “He’s played a lot of cricket and I’ve played a lot of cricket with him. He understands the game pretty well. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”Tactically, I can’t say much because he’s not captained much. But, when you talk to him, he understands the game. He understands what is required. When you are in a situation where you need a leader to step up, I think Bumrah will be one of them. In the past, he’s always been in our leadership group.”So, it’s probably the right thing to just have him around and speak to the bowlers and internally discuss how to take the team forward.”Rohit remained tight-lipped about the India XI for the opening Test against New Zealand stating that they will take a call once they reach the venue on match day. It has been raining relentlessly in Bengaluru over the last few days, forcing India to cancel their training session on the eve of the game, while New Zealand were left to train indoors.”It all depends on the conditions now. Even today, there has been a lot of rain. The pitch is under the covers. So, we want to take that call when we come here in the morning tomorrow,” Rohit said. “And again, it depends on match-to-match, what sort of pitch we play on. Based on that, we want to decide what is going to be our best playing XI. We keep our options open for playing three seamers and three spinners as well.”

Both teams happy to decide final on the field as shortened contest beats the weather

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network23-Sep-2024After a first-day washout in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge, Glamorgan managed to beat both Somerset and the weather to regain the title that they last won in 2021, in a competition that was pragmatically reduced from 50-overs-a-side to 20 to maximise the prospect of a result.It was, as Sam Northeast, Glamorgan’s matchwinning batter, said: “the right thing to do in the circumstances”. That sentiment was echoed by Somerset’s captain, Sean Dickson, who insisted his over-riding emotion was one of pride even as his team saw a third title slip through their fingers in the space of a week, after their loss in the T20 Blast final at Edgbaston and Surrey’s County Championship triumph on Friday.”We hadn’t played any Twenty20 for a while so it was strange coming into a 20-over contest,” Northeast told the ECB Reporters Network, after top-scoring for his team with 63 not out from 49 balls. “We didn’t even know we were going to get a game at all, so the change from 50 to 20 overs, about 40 minutes before, meant we had to adapt as best as possible.”In the event, it started to rain just as we were coming off, so somebody was clearly looking down on us. I’m glad they did make the change. It was the right thing to do in the circumstances, to get the game on.”Somerset had made the early running after winning the toss and choosing to bowl, with Alfie Ogborne, their 21-year-old left-armer seamer, claiming two wickets in his first over. However, the team’s inexperience was exposed at key moments of the contest, particularly while Northeast, Billy Root and Timm van der Gugten were accelerating through the back-end of their innings to add 115 in the final ten overs.”We didn’t really know what a good score was,” Northeast said. “So from my point of view it was just about building partnerships, getting a bit of a platform and trying to accelerate once we had a feel for the pitch.”At one point we thought 160 might be okay but that little innings from Timm van der Gugten at the end gave us what we thought was a pretty good score, one that we knew would be competitive. Timm hit the ball really cleanly and Billy Root through the middle too, and the way Will Smale got us off to a bit of a flyer meant we had something to build on.”With Somerset choosing to back the players that had carried them through to the final, it meant they were missing 11 players who had featured in this year’s Men’s Hundred, which had run concurrent with the group stages. Their most experienced player on the day was England’s left-armer spinner, Jack Leach, but between the damp conditions and the List A regulation fields that limited the number of out-fielders through the middle overs, he did not get a bowl.”As a county, we’ve ended up winning nothing when we would have liked to finish with at least one or two trophies,” Dickson said. “But the bottom line is that we have just competed for three trophies and we are really proud as a squad that we have been able to do that.”In this competition, we have resisted the temptation to bring back guys that we lost to the Hundred, so I’m hugely proud that this squad in particular made it all the way to the final.”And we were much happier today to be able to go out and try to win on the field, rather than have had a total washout and shared the trophy. No one wants to share a trophy, everyone wants a bash at trying to be a winner.”We were fine playing it as a T20. We just wanted to get a game on, as did they. We had a discussion with the umpires, the match ref and the ECB ref that was there so we were all on board.”We could analyse all day where the game was won and lost but I think they obviously bowled better than us. With the fresh pitch, it definitely offered something with the new ball up top.”Our bowlers were slipping and sliding all over the place, which was unfortunate, but that’s what you get for choosing to bowl first and we just have to take our medicine and move forward.”