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Spirited batting closes gap to eighth place with one round of matches to come

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Sep-2025

Durham 450 for 6 (Gay 161, Rhodes , Bedingham 58) drew with Worcestershire 591 for 9 dec (Roderick 151, Brookes 100, D’Oliveira 84, Taylor 66*, Edavalath 61)Centuries from Emilio Gay and Will Rhodes helped Durham pick up five crucial batting bonus points as they drew their Rothesay County Championship clash with already relegated Worcestershire.In the morning the Pears picked up a couple of Durham scalps to halt their quest for batting bonus points, but Gay and David Bedingham (58) combined for a partnership worth 122 to help Durham’s cause.Gay then reached three figures, while Rhodes scored his maiden first-class hundred for Durham to get them to 450 for six, securing the maximum number of batting points available ahead of a potential relegation decider against Yorkshire next week.Worcestershire declared overnight on 591 for nine, leaving Durham with the task of getting batting bonus points to boost their chances of staying in Division One.Opener Alex Lees carved a Tom Taylor delivery through the covers to the boundary, but Taylor got Lees next ball as he was caught behind for eight.The Pears were testing Durham in the early stages, but Gay relieved the pressure as he produced a great straight drive off Taylor which went for four.Durham’s pursuit stalled as Ben McKinney then departed for 16 at the hands of Matthew Waite as he edged one to Ben Gibbon at slip.That brought David Bedingham to the crease and the batter managed to find the boundary with ease in the early stages of his innings.Pears skipper Brett D’Oliveira came into the attack, but on his follow through he went over on his right ankle, which prompted concerns from the dressing room given they have the Metro Bank One Day Cup final on Saturday.Gay continued to tick along nicely and got his fifty from 71 balls, while taking his side to 100 before lunch.Bedingham continued to attack the bowlers after the lunch interval as he clipped one on the onside for four and he played another excellent shot, this time carving a Taylor delivery through the covers for four.Gay was almost heading back to the pavilion on 72, as he edged an Allison delivery but Gibbon couldn’t cling on to it with an outstretched hand.Bedingham then brought up his second fifty of the season from 79 balls and smashed a six off the bowling of Waite next ball. However, he went for one hit too many as Waite got him for 58 after he didn’t get enough on a pull shot, which Allison caught on the boundary.Gay continued to motor, now alongside Will Rhodes, and he picked up his fourth century of the season from 127 balls.The opener continued to play fluently after reaching the milestone, picking up three boundaries in a Brookes over, and Durham reached their first batting point in the 53rd over.Gay passed the milestone of 150 for the third time this campaign after tea and Rhodes, who has struggled for First Class runs this season, played nicely and found the boundary with a tidy glance off the legs from a Gibbon ball.Rhodes then reached fifty for the first time in Durham whites from 72 deliveries and he picked up another boundary straight after. Gay then went for an excellent 161, his highest Durham score, as he chopped a Gibbon delivery onto his leg stump.Rhodes continued Durham’s swashbuckling approach as he heaved a Dan Lategan to the boundary, but Ollie Robinson fell soon after for four as he was bowled by the part-time off spin of Jake Libby.Rhodes continued his charge as he smashed Lategan for a six down the ground and then reached three figures for the first time this season, coming from 121 balls.Graham Clark produced a quick 29 to speed things up, but Libby got his second of the day as he got the Durham man caught and bowled.Rhodes then got his 150 and guided his side to 450, the magic number for five batting points, and the two sides shook hands just after 5pm.

Essex 366 for 6 (Westley 118, Benkenstein 74, Allison 64) beat Derbyshire 322 for 9 (Came 139, Montgomery 108, Critchley 3-63) by 44 runsHarry Came’s highest List A score of 139 from 120 balls was in vain as Derbyshire Falcons lost to Essex by 44 runs in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Group A game at the Central Co-op County Ground.But victory for Essex was not enough to qualify for the knock-out stages as Hampshire’s win at Bristol denied them a third-place finish.Came shared a second-wicket stand of 225 from 178 balls with Matt Montgomery, who made 108 off 91, but once Simon Harmer (2 for 45) broke through, the Falcons’ chase of 367 stalled as former Derbyshire all-rounder Matt Critchley claimed 3 for 63.The home side finished on 322 for 9 with all-rounder Martin Andersson unable to bat after injuring a hand in the field.Essex’s 366 for 6 was built around Tom Westley’s 118 from 110 balls, 74 off 48 by Luc Benkenstein and Charlie Allison’s 64 with Zak Chappell taking 2 for 64.Essex chose to bat on a pitch which was used for Friday’s high-scoring game against Surrey and lost Critchley in the second over.Critchley made only 2 on his return to Derby for the first time since he left the county four years ago when he missed a full length ball from Ben Aitchison.Paul Walter marked his first List A game since 2021 by flicking Rory Haydon over the deep square leg boundary and pulled the young spinner Joe Hawkins for two sixes in the 14th over.The Falcons were relieved to see him get a big leading edge to mid-off in the next over but Westley and Allison were soon finding the ropes or clearing them with regularity.After Westley went to his 50 from 60 balls, Allison reached his off 46 by dispatching Hawkins for successive sixes.Hawkins failed to cling on to a difficult chance running back from mid-off when Allison was on 57 but the Falcons broke the stand three overs later.Allison tried to drive the medium pace of Amrit Basra over cover but Caleb Jewell took a good catch above his head.Westley edged a drive at Jack Morley to reach his 100 which came off 98 balls and contained 14 fours and a six but was well caught at deep midwicket off Haydon in the 42nd over.Benkenstein initially struggled to beat the fielders but when he found his range, he did so spectacularly, driving and pulling Haydon for six to reach 50 from 38 balls.He dispatched Morley for two more sixes before a mistimed pull was taken at long on but Harmer’s unbeaten 29 off 20 balls took Essex to an imposing total.The Falcons’ chase started badly when Charlie Bennett moved one in to bowl Jewell in the third over but Came and Montgomery got them back on track.Came advanced to drive Jamie Porter for six and then Montgomery dismissed a free hit over wide long on for another maximum.Montgomery nudged Harmer to the third boundary to reach 50 from 37 balls with Benkenstein’s leg-spin coming in for some harsh treatment.Came completed his 50 off 61 balls and after 25 overs, the game was in the balance with the Falcons on 168 for 1, needing another 199.Essex were struggling to exert any control with Came driving Critchley for six, the pair reaching their hundreds in consecutive overs as the 200 stand came up off 163 balls.Harmer made the breakthrough when Montgomery dragged a drive into his stumps and four balls later he turned one through Basra’s defence.Came drove Shane Snater for six but Essex struck again when Walter’s throw from cover ran out Brooke Guest, leaving the Falcons to score 90 from the last 10 overs.Critchley gave the contest a decisive twist when he bowled Chappell and with the asking rate above 10 an over, Came was stumped to end the Falcons hopes.

Tottenham Hotspur improved their chances of securing automatic qualification from the Champions League table after a 3-0 win over Slavia Prague.

Thomas Frank’s men produced a dominant display in North London last night, as seen by the incredible stats behind the three-goal triumph over their Czech opponents.

The Lilywhites registered a total of 10 shots on target during the victory, subsequently achieving an xG of 2.56 and having five big chances fall their way in front of goal.

Frank’s side also registered over 50 passes than the visitors, whilst notching nearly double the amount of touches in the opposition box – reaffirming the dominance during the win.

The result was an excellent team performance, one that was certainly needed after the last European outing against PSG, with two players massively shining in the win.

How Simons & Kudus downed Slavia Prague

After scoring against Brentford in the Premier League at the weekend, Xavi Simons was rewarded with another start for Spurs – something which he took full advantage of.

The Dutchman featured for 90 minutes in the triumph, impressing throughout and managing to get on the scoresheet for the second successive match.

His underlying stats further highlighted his superb showing, with the 22-year-old completing six passes into the final third, whilst being fouled three times – the most of any player on the pitch.

He wasn’t alone in starring in North London against Jindrich Trpisovsky’s men, with Mohammed Kudus having yet another night to remember for the Lilywhites.

The Ghanaian international started for the fourth successive match and managed to net his second goal for the club, after tucking home a penalty in the 50th minute.

Like Simons, he also produced some magnificent figures, subsequently completing two successful dribbles, whilst registering six touches in the opposition box – offering a constant threat to the visitors.

Spurs star is becoming a future £100m talent

Spurs have a plethora of young talents on their hands who can certainly make a huge impact on their chances of success between now and the near future.

Simons is no doubt a player who can thrive for many years to come in North London, especially if he can adapt to the demands of the Premier League after his big-money transfer.

Kudus is another player who has the quality to be a leading talent for the Lilywhites, with his tally of eight combined goals and assists in 21 matches evidence of the levels he’s capable of producing.

Frank has already assembled a young and promising squad, especially after forking out a reported £100m for the aforementioned duo during his first window.

However, numerous other youngsters were already on the books before the Dane’s arrival, with Archie Gray one player who has had to patiently wait for his chance to shine for the Lilywhites.

The 19-year-old joined in a £40m deal back in the summer of 2024, but has often had to bide his time under Frank, with the Englishman finally getting the run he deserves in the first-team.

He’s now started the last two games in a row, just like Simons, with the teenager now deserving of an extended run as a regular starter to help aid his development.

Gray’s showing against Slavia Prague was yet another example of the talent he possesses, but it’s safe to say he’s only going to get better as he progresses in his career.

He featured for 59 minutes against the Czech opposition, but managed to produce numerous incredible figures which should keep him in the side at the weekend.

Minutes played

59

Touches

34

Passes completed

92%

Tackles won

2

Long ball accuracy

100%

Recoveries made

2

Duels won

75%

Interceptions made

1

The youngster completed 92% of the passes he attempted, whilst posting a 100% long ball accuracy rate – showcasing his incredible ability with the ball at his feet.

He also won two tackles, made two recoveries and came out on top in 75% of the duels he entered, even managing to dominate without the ball despite his tender age.

Gray’s 34 touch display wasn’t one that will set the world alight, but it’s one that should certainly keep his starting position at the base of Frank’s side in the months ahead.

He’s previously been labelled a “future £100m” star by Ben Mattinson, which is certainly a bold statement, but one that can come true if he continues on his current trajectory.

Simons and Kudus will no doubt get the majority of their credit after their respective goals, but Gray is also deserving of massive credit for his recent form – especially after barely featuring in the early months of the season.

Frank's new Mbeumo: Paratici set to make Spurs bid to sign "world-class" CF

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to land a new talisman in the upcoming January window.

ByEthan Lamb 3 days ago

India were well poised to win the shortened game but the weather just couldn’t hold out

Firdose Moonda26-Oct-2025

Radha Yadav’s direct hit removed Nigar Sultana after the rain break•ICC/Getty Images

Match abandoned Unseasonal rain washed out the final group stage match of the Women’s World Cup, with India well-poised to complete a big win over Bangladesh. The weather played more games than the cricketers after the start of play was delayed for two hours, which initially reduced the match to 43-overs-a-side. A further two-hour stoppage 12.2 overs into Bangladesh’s innings made it a 27-overs-a-side match and India were set a revised target of 126.They were on track at 57 for 0 in the ninth over but more showers meant the minimum 20 overs could not be completed.With more rain forecast for the rest of the week in Mumbai, this match may have been a taste of things to come, especially for India’s semi-final against Australia on Thursday but that could be the least of their concerns. Opening batter Pratika Rawal suffered an injury to her knee and ankle while fielding and could not take her place at the top of the line-up in the chase. With a three-day turnaround before the knockout, she is being monitored by the Indian medical staff. In Rawal’s absence, Amanjot Kaur partnered Smriti Mandhana in the chase.That India had such a modest target was largely due to their left-arm spinners, who shared five wickets between them. Radha Yadav, playing in her first match of the tournament, picked up 3 for 30 while Shree Charani iced the cake with 2 for 23 included. Only four Bangladesh batters got into double-figures as they stumbled to 119 for 9 in 27 overs.Bangladesh were under pressure from the first ball when Renuka Singh produced an inswinging yorker that tested Sumaiya Akter’s defence. She finished the over with a wide ball outside off that Sumaiya slashed at, only to find Charani at short third. Deepti Sharma opened the bowling from the other end but had to wait until the tenth over to break through. She went around the wicket to Rubya Haider and induced a leading edge which was caught at mid-off.Marufa Akter walks off as the rain sets in•ICC/Getty Images

There were 17 more balls bowled as the drizzle became a downpour and players were taken off the field at 5.50pm. Heavy rain followed and it looked increasingly unlikely the game could go ahead by 8.05pm, but the weather cleared leaving the players to deal with a wet ball.Sharmin Akhter should have been run out when she thought a single was on even as Nigar Sultana sent her back from more than halfway down. Jemimah Rodrigues’ throw was good but Charani could not collect cleanly. Four overs later, Radha made no mistake. Sharmin hit the ball to her at point. Nigar, from the non-striker’s end, ran and Radha’s clean pick-up and throw found her short of her ground.Bangladesh also struggled to find the boundary on resumption and it took 41 balls before they breached it with Sobhana Mostary taking advantage of a hint of width to cut Deepti for four. She stayed on the back foot to pull Radha through midwicket and inject some intent into the innings. Bangladesh were 73 for 3 after 20 overs and set up to go big.Related

Radha Yadav nails another direct hit, this time as ODI spinner

Pratika Rawal injures ankle in rain-hit game against Bangladesh

Mostary took back-to-back boundaries off Deepti at the start of the 21st over and then Sharmin joined in. She swung hard and sent the ball towards long-on, where Rawal ran to collect but injured herself and had to be helped off the field.Harleen Deol took a simple catch at mid-off when Mostary attempted to force the issue and hit Radha over the top. She was dismissed for a 21-ball 26 and featured in Bangladesh’s highest partnership of 38.Shorna Akter was bowled by Amanjot before Nahida Akter swiped across the line and was bowled by Radha. Substitute fielder Arundhati Reddy sprinted in from deep midwicket when Sharmin slog-swept Charani, then flung herself forward as she took the catch. Later in the over, Radha over-ran trying to field the ball and also seemed to tweak an ankle. It didn’t stop her bowling the penultimate over and picking up her third wicket as Rabeya Khan was bowled.Bangladesh collapsed from 91 for 3 to 117 or 9, which meant their total could hardly be considered competitive, even with Rawal unavailable. Marufa Akter found swing, and sometimes too much, but India established their chase when Amanjot short-arm pulled her with exquisite timing for the first boundary. Mandhana helped herself to a series of fours off Nishita Akter, using her feet well against the spin. After they had each faced 15 balls, Mandhana was on 23, and Amanjot just 7. They were both also dropped by Sultana, who could not hold on to difficult chances: Mandhana on 28 off Nahida, Amanjot on 15 off Rabeya.The rain returned after that chance and the captains shook hands at 10.20pm. Bangladesh gained a point, which allowed them leapfrog Pakistan into seventh place, on net run-rate.

Glasgow Rangers officially confirmed that both CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell left their roles at Ibrox on Monday after the club’s underwhelming start under the new ownership.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh revealed that the ownership believes that they need different people in those roles in order to bring success back to Ibrox in the months and years to come.

Thelwell was let go by the Gers after he played a key role, as sporting director, in the appointment and firing of Russell Martin, as well as the signings throughout the summer transfer window.

The former Everton chief was given the funds to retool the squad for the head coach in the summer, but after that appointment and the signings he made, Rangers won one of their first eight Scottish Premiership matches.

However, Thelwell would be far from the first sporting director to make some mistakes in the transfer market. Former Gers technical director Nils Koppen, for example, made his fair share.

One signing that officially went through in the summer but was sanctioned before Thelwell’s arrival was the permanent addition of Oscar Cortes.

Why Oscar Cortes has been a waste of money for Rangers so far

The 21-year-old forward initially joined on loan from Lens for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, and produced one goal and one assist in six games in the Premiership, per Sofascore.

That convinced the Scottish giants to sign him on a season-long loan with an obligation to make it permanent at the end of the season in the summer of 2024, which led to him signing for £4.5m earlier this year.

He is currently the ninth-most expensive signing in the history of the club, with that £4.5m move from Lens, and the Gers have simply not got enough back from him on the pitch to justify that expense.

In the 2024/25 season, the Colombian winger made ten appearances in the Premiership without delivering a single goal or assist for the team, whilst he also missed out on 22 matchday squads and was an unused substitute on six occasions, per Transfermarkt.

Despite his dismal form last term, Rangers had to sign him permanently for a hefty fee of £4.5m because it was an obligation that was put in place in the previous summer. That led to him leaving on loan to Sporting Gijon this season.

As you can see in the table above, Cortes has struggled badly in Spain since his temporary switch to the second division outfit, with more games left sat on the bench than appearances in LaLiga 2.

His lack of goal contributions for the Spanish side means that he still has not provided a goal or an assist since registering one of each in a 5-0 win over Hearts in February 2024.

With over three years left on his contract at Ibrox, it remains to be seen whether or not the 21-year-old whiz will make a success of his Rangers career or not, but it is not looking good on current evidence.

With his form for the Gers and out on loan, Cortes currently looks like a big waste of money for the significant fee that the club agreed to pay Lens for him, unfortunately.

Whilst Thelwell did not have any say in that move, it was going through irrespective of anything he did after becoming sporting director in April, one of his own summer signings looks to be an even bigger waste of money than Cortes.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The former Light Blues chief opted to splash the cash on Portugal U21 international Youssef Chermiti, and the early signs from his Ibrox career are far from promising.

Why Rangers should not have signed Youssef Chermiti

Thelwell agreed a deal with his former club Everton to sign the striker for a fee of £8m. That made him the most expensive signing made by the Gers since they signed Tore Andre Flo for £12m in 2000.

When signing a player for that kind of outlay at Ibrox, it is fair to expect that they should be able to make a relatively immediate impact for Rangers, even if they are not the finished product, because Chermiti is their most expensive signing in 25 years.

Unfortunately, though, the Portuguese marksman has failed to prove his worth to the Light Blues on the pitch with his performances so far in the 2025/26 campaign, with just one goal to his name so far.

The former Premier League flop has produced one goal and one assist in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, per Sofascore, which shows that he has not offered a regular threat at the top end of the pitch.

Chermiti’s form in the Premiership, in particular, has left quite a bit to be desired for a player who is the club’s most expensive signing in 25 years.

As you can see in the table above, the Portugal U21 international ranks poorly in the Gers squad in a host of key metrics, and the only reason that he ranks highly for goals is that only two players in the squad have scored more than one league goal.

Chermiti, who was described as a “nothing player” by Portuguese journalist Kevin Fernandes, has simply not done enough with the game time that he has been given, domestically or on the European stage.

The ex-Everton striker was signed for almost twice as much as Cortes and appears to be heading in the same direction as the winger, as another expensive flop who is unable to make a significant impact on the pitch for Rangers.

Therefore, Chermiti looks on course to be an even bigger waste of money than the Colombian forward because he cost £3.5m more and has been just as underwhelming at the start of his Ibrox career.

"Rotten" Thelwell signing is Rangers' biggest waste of time since Dowell

This summer signing by Kevin Thelwell has been as bad as the deal to bring Kieran Dowell to Rangers.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 26, 2025

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium will host cricket matches for the first time since a stampede outside its premises on June 4 claimed 11 lives during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations.The venue is one of the hosts for Karnataka State Cricket Association’s (KSCA) K Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy, a red-ball multi-day pre-season tournament comprising 16 teams. The Chinnaswamy Stadium will host six matches in the competition, including one semi-final and the final from September 26. However, fans will not be allowed in the stadium.Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Vijay Shankar, Shashank Singh are among the top Indian stars in participation. The tournament features teams from Mumbai, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal, Chhattisgarh among others.Related

• Deaths and injuries to fans mar RCB's homecoming in Bengaluru

• Probe panel deems Chinnaswamy 'unsafe' for large-scale events

Chinnaswamy’s return to the cricket calendar also coincides with RCB having broken their social media silence over the tragic stampede. Last week, the franchise communicated to have extended a sum of INR 25 lakh to the families of those who died, while also committing long-term action towards better crowd safety and management.The venue has been at the centre of an ongoing tussle between the KSCA, Karnataka government and the state police – all of whom have been under investigation, along with the franchise, by a one-man tribunal following the June 4 incident.Additionally, KSCA have also run into issues with the local regulatory bodies, including the electricity supply department (BESCOM) that has cut-off power to the venue due to non-compliance of fire safety regulations. An NOC hadn’t yet been received as of Wednesday (September 3). The venue uses generators and solar power for its needs.As a result, the KSCA was denied permission by the police to host the Women’s World Cup, with Chinnaswamy losing out on five possible games, including the tournament opener, a semi-final and the final on November 2.The Maharaja Trophy, the state’s franchise-based T20 competition, had to also be moved out of Bengaluru for the same reason, after the police rejected KSCA’s proposal to stage the tournament behind closed doors. The tournament was eventually staged in Mysore under a similar closed-door arrangement.Late last month, a committee tasked by the state government to investigate the stampede deemed the Chinnaswamy “unsafe” for large-scale events. The commission “strongly recommended” that large-scale events be relocated to venues that were “better suited” to handle significant crowds.Subsequently, Karnataka’s deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar unveiled the government’s grand plans of building a cricket stadium capable of housing 60,000 fans inside a massive 75-acre sports complex in the city’s industrial suburbs.

MatériaMais Notícias

Desde a derrota, e a eliminação, para o Nova Iguaçu, nas semifinais do Carioca, o Vasco não entra em campo. De lá para cá, são 17 dias e praticamente uma segunda pré-temporada nesse ano. Com Brasileirão e Copa do Brasil pela frente, saiba quais os desafios do Gigante da Colina nessas competições.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Vasco

Brasileirão: É justamente pela maior competição do país que o Vasco voltará a entrar em campo, no próximo dia 13, sábado. Ainda sem maiores detalhes, como horário, definidos, o Gigante da Colina enfrenta o Grêmio em casa e quer começar com vitória, mostrando que os trabalhos de quase um mês de treinamentos intensivos valeu a pena. Além disso, o técnico Ramón Diaz pode ter reforços a disposição que devem chegar durante a janela em andamento, como o tão sonhado volante.

Após a estreia, o Vasco encara o Bragantino, em Bragança, e volta para o Rio, onde atuará como visitante no clássico contra o Fluminense. E encerrando os 5 primeiros compromissos, abrindo o Campeonato Brasileiro, o clube recebe o Criciúma e joga em Curitiba contra o Athletico, na Ligga Arena. Até aí, Ramón Diaz já deve ter algumas definições sobre a base do time para o restante da temporada.

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Copa do Brasil: Sem adversário definido, e sem data de sorteio divulgada pela CBF, o Vasco deve integrar o pote 2, ou seja, seus possíveis adversários na 3ª fase são: Flamengo, Palmeiras, São Paulo, Athletico-PR, Atlético-MG, Corinthians, Fluminense, Grêmio, Fortaleza, Internacional, Bahia, Botafogo, Bragantino, Atlético-GO, Ceará e Cuiabá. Sem mais detalhes, a competição deve voltar a ser jogada no início de maio.

Na competição, os vascaínos querem voltar a sonhar com o título, conquistado pela última, e única vez, em 2011.

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BrasileirãoCopa do BrasilVasco

England Lions tour offers opportunity to leap back into Test reckoning, three years after solitary cap

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Oct-2025For the last few weeks, Matthew Fisher has been working out how to bowl to his good mate, Harry Brook. The pair came through the ranks at Yorkshire’s Academy a year apart. Their first meeting took place in the Headingley indoor nets, when a 14-year-old Brook played Fisher’s bouncers with annoying ease.”He played it fine, and he started pissing me off,” remembers Fisher. “So I started properly bumping him, and he still played that all right.” Fisher, 15 at the time, had already made his List A debut for Yorkshire.They will lock horns again in Lilac Hill, Perth, on November 13 when, as part of their Ashes preparations, Brook and the England Test squad will take on Fisher and the England Lions in a three-day game. With the Lions on hand to supplement the main squad, on a tour that will run alongside the first two Tests, Fisher – as the most experienced seamer in the group – knows a strong impression in that crucial warm-up match could reap immediate rewards.”In the exact setting four years ago, I bowled lovely and we saw what happened at the end of the winter,” Fisher says, referencing the Test cap he was awarded on the West Indies tour in 2022, after showcasing his skills against England for the Lions in the build-up to the 2021-22 Ashes. “So I know first-hand what bowling in those games can do.”You do have sleepless nights when you dream about bowling at my mate Brooky at the minute. It is good stuff because you’re trying to get out people who you want to impress, so it is quite good that I’m already thinking about how to get him out.”It is over three years since that one Test. Fisher took a solitary wicket – John Campbell, with his second ball – on an unforgiving Bridgetown surface. That appearance came as England sought to move on from James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Unsuccessfully, as it would turn out.England’s then-selectors had leant towards Fisher due to his high release point, as a six-foot-two seamer, and a knack of dismissing accomplished batters. It was a pre-cursor to the preferences that Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have since put front and centre of their recruitment. Unfortunately for Fisher, he spent the first Bazball summer of 2022 nursing a stress fracture of the back.Matt Fisher claimed 11 wickets for Surrey in this season’s Championship title decider against Nottinghamshire•Getty Images for Surrey CCC”I never felt like I (had the shirt) – playing one game, being on a tour, trying to follow Broad and Anderson,” admits Fisher. “I never felt like that was mine.”On the Lions trip before that trip, I felt like I was building into a Test bowler. But unfortunately you can’t control having a stress fracture sometimes. For anyone who’s had a stressie, it doesn’t just take the time for your back to heal, it’s the time to then trust your body again and think that every time you feel your back, it doesn’t have to be your worst-case scenario.”But in those two years, anything you feel you are worried, because it is such a long injury that you don’t want it to happen again. In terms of intensity and snapping through your action, you’re not quite there, which we all know – if you’re down on that – it makes you half the bowler. It has been nice to build that back up naturally. The lads in that [Ashes] squad are incredible bowlers, but it’s about being ready when an opportunity does come.”Though it’s only a Lions call-up, Fisher, at 27, sees this selection as a reward, and vindication for the moves he has made. He bulked up heading into 2023, and the following year ended what had been a life-long association with Yorkshire to sign for Surrey.Related

• Matthew Fisher joins Surrey from Yorkshire from 2025

• Fisher, Atkinson give Surrey the edge in de facto season showdown

• Rehan, Cox and Fisher in England Lions squad for Australia

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Though Surrey were unable to make it four County Championship titles in a row, Fisher had his most productive first-class summer to date. His 31 dismissals in 11 appearances were the second-most for the club, of which 11 came against Nottinghamshire at the Kia Oval in a thrilling title decider that Surrey lost, ultimately handing their opponents the Division One crown.”I would give all those wickets for us to have won the title, but it was nice personally to click into gear. It was out of the blue.”The chats I had, it was such a difficult decision to move. But everything I’ve moved for – and the reasons – getting selected on this is kind of why I did it.”It was to have a fresh environment, fresh coaches, fresh players – different perspectives. As we know, the strength of Yorkshire is that it thinks it knows what it’s doing, which is great. But there is also a weakness to that sometimes; there is a real DNA to Yorkshire, which is brilliant, and I am proud to have played there, proud to have been capped by Yorkshire.”I still look out for all the lads. But I think sometimes when you broaden your reach, you realise that you hadn’t thought about it like that. Going into a different gym, having gone into the same gym for 12 years, it’s kind of good. It’s been great.”That Fisher excelled during this season’s Kookaburra-ball rounds – 10 wickets in his three goes with it – undoubtedly helped his cause for a spot in Australia. Previous experience using it on Lions and development tours gave him an edge.”It’s a mindset thing for me. That was one of the conversations that we had at Surrey: yes, there’s a stigma around it in English cricket, and the pitches don’t allow for it to have good games of cricket sometimes. But it is also a case of how you become more rounded as a bowler. The purpose of what the ECB brought in and why they brought it in, we are seeing why it happened.Fisher’s early promise was hindered by a back stress fracture•Getty Images”We felt like getting tighter to the stumps was better because, if you think about the science behind it, [the ball] has to do less if you’re in tight. I definitely think that my experiences in the Lions bowling with it in the last four or five years has made me better with it. It’s one of those where, if you’re open to it, commit to it, bowl more with it, you get better at it. It’s like anything in life.”Fisher’s enhanced performances have come through a lot of hard work, and a greater appreciation of his body. Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff and men’s performance director Ed Barney have been impressed with his drive at Loughborough these past few weeks, often in as early as 7am to do strength and mobility work in the gym ahead of bowling sessions later that day.Though Fisher has always been willing to put the work in, an extra motivation came when he lost his pace bowling development contract in 2023.”Keysy [Rob Key, managing director] spoke to me at the end of that contract and said they wanted me to stand on my own two feet for a year and see how I get on. It was nice to get stuck into everything at Surrey last winter after a few winters with the Lions and get to know everyone. I feel like that really helped me settle for the summer. The goal in the back of your mind is to get picked for higher honours, so it was a nice surprise.”

If I am a good county bowler for the rest of my career, I am fine with that as a baseline. Anything else above that is perfect for what I want to achieve.Fisher on his ambitions after switching from Yorkshire to Surrey

He has enjoyed working with Flintoff, who he believes can take him from a decent county bowler to the next step. “Maybe going to a place that I’ve not been before”, as Fisher himself puts it. “What Fred is really good at is trying to get the last five or 10 per cent out of people. I think that’s something he can help me with.”He may well have to access that this winter if a further promotion comes. Friends and family have encouraged him to dream of barging his way into the Ashes squad this winter. But Fisher, through his own experiences, wants to keep his feet on the ground.”From 17 (when he made his first-class debut for Yorkshire) to 23, I was probably obsessed about playing for England. Because I achieved stuff quite young and people were talking about it, you get obsessed with it.”I have got to the point of accepting that, if I am a good county bowler for the rest of my career and hopefully win a couple of Championships with Surrey, then I am fine with that as a baseline. Anything else above that is perfect for what I want to achieve.”Accepting that as a baseline is not me not pushing boundaries to make myself better. I think it’s a healthier way of looking at it.”

Full-on and full-scale, England vs India was a series so packed with events and excitement that you’ll struggle to remember more than a handful looking back

Osman Samiuddin06-Aug-2025You know what? Let’s go there right away. Of course you want to. You probably already have. It’s an entirely human urge. As good as ’05? Better than ’23 surely? Does it beat any BGT from this century, even the three-match epic that kick-started the modern rivalry? No, spare yourself and don’t go down that rabbit hole. Or down that cloying path of self-congratulation, where we collectively phew and pat ourselves on the back because Test cricket has been saved. Again.Stay in the present. Let this Anderson-Tendulkar series take over your head. Let it swirl through your veins. Let it be the natural dopamine rush you didn’t have to exercise for. Process what you have seen. Digest it. Take your time – no, actually the time to go back and pore over every bit of it, to make sense of how, nearly every day – every , and sometimes every ball – this series dragged you one way, then yanked you the other and finally wrung out every drop of emotion from you like you were some wet tea towel.Did so much really happen in this one series? Could so much really happen in one series? So much that no matter how much you recall, there’ll always be that much you won’t because, the human brain. Shubman Gill really did go for Bradman’s record. As hard as he went for Zak Crawley’s masculinity. Jofra Archer really did return to Test cricket and Jofra Archer really did bowl those two deliveries to Rishabh Pant. England really did chase down their second-highest total ever and it felt a little underwhelming and quite inevitable. England did really want to be humbler and not so nice and also not d***heads, all in the same series.Related

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KL Rahul really did become the Test batter he has for so long promised to be, the absolute picture of old-school judiciousness. Mohammed Siraj, for all the big stuff he did, really did take that catch at Edgbaston, arguably the catch of the series. There really was a brouhaha over handshakes. There was definitely one over the Dukes balls. Personally, this would be incomplete without mention of Washington Sundar and his entirely unexpected gatecrashing of this series. He saved one Test with old-school stonewalling, won the last with new-age freewheeling, and got such wicked, deceptive drift with the ball, it should rightfully be labelled grift: as in, 5.369 degrees of grift on that one to Ben Stokes at Edgbaston. He has some of the gait and bearing of R Ashwin, with less genius to be sure, but also, thankfully, less uncle; the Ashwin you fret your daughter will bring home, not the one you want her to be with.There’s still so much that hasn’t made it here, but will no doubt make your lists. Every moment, for instance, when Stokes was involved, was a moment in which Test cricket was an Extreme Sport, with his body on the line. Or, of his 481 runs, the six that Harry Brook swept while falling over off Siraj at The Oval, which, despite Pant having normalised the shot and Brook’s own electric range, was entirely abnormal nonetheless. Or Joe Root who, like Rahul, hummed along, the James Earl Jones (or Morgan Freeman) voiceover to the series, imparting deep and sensible authority unto a fraying, steaming silliness. And imagine, all these feats of memory and none for the very first wicket India took in this series.That was 46 days ago, occurring both like yesterday as well as a lifetime ago. Which is the thing about five-Test series. In more ways than we might think, they are actually perfect for the modern age. Watching seven hours a day more or less. Five days at a stretch. Over six to eight weeks. There’s a term for this you might be familiar with, which made its way into the dictionary officially a decade ago, when streaming platforms truly began to take over our screens, but describes the preferred, and only, mode of following Test cricket since 1877. That’s right: binge-watching.4:04

How do you move on from such an epic series?

Like any bingeable series, a great Test series also becomes our world for a while. We obsess over its plays and ploys, plots and subplots, heroes and villains and their character arcs. We move to its pace and speak its language and live by its logic. We live by its episodic highs and lows and lulls, its continuity, although we can never really know what comes next. And there can never be spoilers.Simply watching one is never enough. We must obsess over it online, listen to all the podcasts, read all the pieces, snigger our way through TikToks, and yes, exult and outrage and hot-take all over everyone else’s feeds. A long Test series enforces an element that is the opposite of the binge-watch: the stinge-watch, when you hoard episodes and space them out for your viewing convenience. Barely a break to breathe between some Tests, but a week or more to meditate between others, and yet somehow the arrhythmia feels normal.Here we were doubly blessed to have, on the final day of the series, a 56-minute recap of every sensation of the 24 days that preceded it. The two boundaries off the first two balls, one authoritative, one unintended, cutting the target down by a fifth; the wicket off the seventh multiplying it back again by five; a chance missed, another turned into a six, a review upheld, one overturned; the breathless, relentless surge and counter-surge of an entire series. England, now India, England again, India again, compressed into under an hour. A recap, but also it hit you like that tool so beloved of the auteur, the long one-shot take, always fraught, always tense, always building to more fraughtness and tension, and never hiding its fragility, of how easily and suddenly everything could go south.Main men: Washington Sundar finished with seven wickets and 284 vital runs, and Shubman Gill averaged 75-plus in his ten innings•Getty ImagesIt was the perfect tribute to the inseparability of the two sides, a closeness that a couple of comfortable-looking results and a comfortable-looking draw don’t necessarily convey (neither does the generally bat-dominated look of the stats tables). Three of the five Tests, after all, were essentially one-innings shootouts, where often the second innings felt like different Tests altogether from the first. But for a catch here or a drop there, a collapse or a call at the toss, a timely ball change or an untimely run out, or just the simple physics of backspin after a perfect back-foot defensive, but for all of this and so much more, who knows? And yet, who cares, because at the end, at two-all, it landed exactly right.As right as it was that Chris Woakes and his sling were on the field at the end, a reminder of how non-fiction this entertainment was, of the unquestionable, unscripted authenticity of this drama. In this series alone, Pant returned to play with a broken foot, Shoaib Bashir took a match-winning wicket with a broken finger, and Stokes bowled an eight-over spell on the final morning at Old Trafford with a torn shoulder muscle of unpronounceable provenance.All four were game-related injuries that could have happened in a shorter series, but there’s no doubting that a five-Test series takes a toll like little else. This one has been almost uniquely exacting. When the sides came out for the final day on Monday, it was only the third time this century that each Test of a five-match series had gone into the final day. It was uncharted territory for all but Root, England captain during the 2017-18 Ashes, when it last happened.It cost the final Test four of the biggest names in the game in Stokes, Archer, Jasprit Bumrah and Pant. But it says everything about the series that their absence was barely noticed, that without these stars, it produced its best game.

India want to give the seam-bowling allrounder game time in home Tests so that he can improve for challenges overseas

Karthik Krishnaswamy08-Oct-20252:05

Is there a role for Nitish Kumar Reddy in home Tests?

Ten years from now, it might be the image you recall most vividly from last week’s Ahmedabad Test: Nitish Kumar Reddy airborne at full stretch, having flung himself to his left at square leg to turn a well-hit pull from Tagenarine Chanderpaul into India’s first wicket in the second innings.You might, however, struggle to recall anything else Reddy did in the Test, because he didn’t get to contribute much to India’s innings victory. He bowled four overs in West Indies’ first innings, didn’t bowl in their second, and didn’t get to bat as India declared first thing in the morning on day three, on their overnight total of 448 for 5, despite there being so much time left in the game.It’s the kind of thing that can happen to a player in such a dominant victory, particularly a player whose skillset can seem surplus to requirements in certain conditions. India want to maximise Reddy’s potential as a seam-bowling allrounder and are hoping to turn him into a player whose presence gives them depth and balance with both bat and ball in overseas conditions. But to help him grow into that player, they recognise he needs game time in red-ball cricket between those tours, which means playing him whenever possible even in home Tests.Related

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“I’d say we’re unlikely to change the combination,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said two days out from the second Test in Delhi. “One of the sort of medium-term objectives is to develop a seam-bowling allrounder for India, because it’s very important when we go away on tours that we have that position covered.”We didn’t get a very good look at Nitish last week, so I think it’s a very good opportunity to give Nitish another go and not alter the balance of the team.”In his eight Tests so far, Reddy has shown evidence of his high ceiling in Test cricket, particularly with the bat. He top-scored in low India totals with 41, 42 and 42 in three of his first four Test innings, during the 2024-25 tour of Australia, and followed up with a maiden Test hundred at the MCG. His bowling isn’t yet at that level, but he took key top-order wickets both in Australia and during the 2025 tour of England.”We think he’s a fantastic seam-bowling allrounder, a batter who bowls seam,” ten Doeschate said. “I think the biggest limitation to what his ceiling could be is going to be his body. He is not the first allrounder we’ve seen in this country whom that applies to; to be perfectly honest, Hardik [Pandya]’s in the same sort of character of player where we don’t doubt their skills at all but for their bodies to hold up to Test cricket is a different matter.”Nitish, I think he showed everyone in Australia how good he is as a batter; I think the challenge for him is going to be to make sure that he gets game time in between away series. In a series like this, when you look at the combination, it’s more important to look ahead and see how we can fit him in to make sure that he does get game time and time to develop his bowling. We really like him, we think he’s a quality allrounder.”4:20

Ten Doeschate: India unlikely to change combination due to a medium-term objective

As true as that might be, India have three spin-bowling allrounders in their squad against West Indies, and two of them – Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar – played in Ahmedabad and batted ahead of Reddy, with Jadeja scoring an unbeaten century to extend his 2025 purple patch.”The sort of lucky thing for us is Washy and Jaddu and even Axar [Patel] are pretty much the same sort of players,” ten Doeschate said when asked whether batting behind Jadeja and Washington could potentially hold back Reddy’s development. “We feel they can bat anywhere from five all the way through to eight, and on the most recent evidence of Washy getting important runs in the UK, [and] obviously Jaddu’s form in the last six months has been immense, and unfortunately that means when Nitish does come back into the team right after his injury, he fits in right at the back of that list, and hence the reason why he batted at eight.”The only drawback, or the only sort of downer from last week in that first Test was the fact that Nitish didn’t get to compete in any of the departments, but I think it’s also a strong message to the guys who are fighting for that spot that you need to be versatile, you need to be able to bat anywhere from five all the way through to eight, and we feel that’s a good way to develop players, that they can perform in different scenarios and different positions.”If we’re all disappointed that they’re not batting six or seven that means Indian cricket’s in a good space, and long may that continue.

On Sai Sudharsan: ‘We know he’s good enough’

Another player who had a quiet game in Ahmedabad was B Sai Sudharsan. Unlike Reddy, he got the chance to show what he could do, batting at No. 3, but he was the only member of the top six to be dismissed for a single-digit score. On 7, he was lbw attempting an ambitious pull off the offspinner Roston Chase when the ball may not have been short enough for the shot.It continued a frustrating start to Sai Sudharsan’s Test career. In England, he showed why India rate him highly enough to have given him a debut as a No. 3 despite coming to Test cricket with a sub-40 first-class average: he played the ball late, showed excellent judgment outside off stump, and looked unhurried and in control at most times. But he also fell in unusual ways multiple times after getting a start, including more than once to balls angling down the leg side. Now, after that low score at Ahmedabad, Sai Sudharsan averages 21.00 with just one half-century in seven innings.0:49

Chopra: ‘Sai Sudharsan needs runs or the pressure will mount’

“I think he is under no illusion and he can’t hide away from the fact that you do fight for a spot in this environment, where you saw Karun Nair get four Test matches in England [before getting dropped for the West Indies series]. There are a lot of good players fighting up the hill to whoever has possession of that spot,” ten Doeschate said. “So Sai just needs to focus on believing in himself. We’ve obviously got a lot of belief in him to give him that No. 3 spot. He is playing pretty nicely, probably a tactical mistake the other day, which he’ll be aware of – playing back to a ball so early in an innings.”We know he’s good enough; and now he has to find a way of scoring runs and showing the rest of the country and the rest of the team that he’s good enough to hold that spot. But certainly no panic or no worry – particularly in a winning team you can absorb that in a series like this, where he knows he’s going to get four knocks.”The rhythms of the Test calendar, ten Doeschate felt, is another challenge for players like Sai Sudharsan who are still finding their feet in the format. “It’s probably a little bit early to be worried or panic-stricken. Doesn’t help that you have five Test matches in the UK and then you wait six weeks to play the next Test match, and the same thing will happen now after this Test next week – we don’t have another Test match for the next three and a half weeks. There’s no string of fixtures to get your rhythm and to get yourself going, but again that’s the nature of Test cricket in this era, and he has to find a way to do it.”

On Jurel: ‘We were trying to squeeze him into our plans even in Australia and England’

In Ahmedabad, Dhruv Jurel – playing as wicketkeeper in the absence of the injured Rishabh Pant – batted at No. 5, scored his maiden Test hundred, and left a lot of viewers theorising that he could potentially remain in the XI as a specialist batter even after Pant returns.”I’d imagine it does [put pressure on Sai Sudharsan],” ten Doeschate said. “I think Dhruv showed last week just what a good player he is. We’ve known that all along, how well [he could] fit into the middle order, and in addition to that, there are other good players who are fighting for a top-three or top-four spot – obviously Shubman [Gill]’s got four nailed down.2:02

Chopra: Jurel making a strong case for No. 6 spot

“Sai’s aware of that, and look, I don’t think you pursue a career of playing cricket in India if you don’t expect that sort of competition and people clawing at you, the media clawing at you, that’s part and parcel of it, and we know Sai is tough enough to deal with that.”Jurel had already enjoyed an impressive debut series in Test cricket, against England last year, when ten Doeschate joined the coaching staff under new head coach Gautam Gambhir. He has since played one Test in Australia, one in England after Pant suffered his injury, and then in Ahmedabad. He has also been part of the T20I squad as back-up wicketkeeper, and has now been picked in the ODI squad that will tour Australia later this month.”We’re really happy with the way he is tracking,” ten Doeschate said of Jurel. “He’s someone, even in England, even a little bit in Australia, we were trying to squeeze him into the plans because we know how good he is, and obviously, with Rishabh now being injured, it’s worked out quite nicely to get Dhruv some game time.”[In terms of] his development, what we saw at the back end of last year, leading into this year, we were really hoping he would kick on in the IPL, and he maybe didn’t have quite the IPL he would have hoped for and we would have hoped for, but to come into the team now like he has and to score a proper hundred like that, hopefully it gives him a bit of runway, and if you look at it in a positive way, it’s good that he is putting pressure on other players in the top order as well.”