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India weigh up intriguing option of Jurel as keeper, Pant as batter

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

If Pant’s finger injury prevents him from keeping at Old Trafford, India have just the man for the job

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jul-20251:39

Watch – Jurel practicing his wicketkeeping drills

The ball was flying out of the far net at the Kent County Cricket ground in Beckenham during India’s training on Thursday morning. , , , the comforting noise of ball hitting bat echoed around the empty ground as ball after ball landed on the green plastic seats behind long-on and in the small grassy mound shaded by trees beyond cow corner. A few lofted drives landed around wide long-off too.Related

  • Akash Deep, Arshdeep likely out of fourth Test; Kamboj called-up as cover

Clad in a tight, short-sleeved white T-shirt under a blue India vest, Dhruv Jurel launched smartly into effervescent strokeplay.Jurel would soon be tested by India bowling coach Morne Morkel, the former South Africa quick delivering from 20 yards and testing his stumps as well as his outside edge. Jurel did not flinch or stutter in his defence and was firm in his stride. Part of why Jurel has been a success ever since his Test debut last year against England at home is that he has a solid and fluent technique that allows him defend and attack. It makes his batting looked assured.The son of a former army man, Jurel’s body language is chest-out, chin-up, smile, and a walk with a confident stride. The clarity and commitment in his batting have helped him play match-wining innings like the 90 in the first innings of the Ranchi Test against England.2:30

Manjrekar: ‘Will be shocked if Bumrah doesn’t play in Manchester’

On a low, turning pitch where a horizontal bat was often fatal, Jurel negotiated Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley admirably despite playing in the company of India’s tail. Jurel charged at anything remotely in his arc to hit over mid-on, mid-wicket and mid-off, and swept confidently when the line was outside leg stump. He brought India back into the match from a dire position, and duly earned the Player-of-the-Match award.Just as he had impressed with bold knocks of 80 and 68 in testing conditions in the warm-up match preceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy late last year in Australia, Jurel put himself in the shop window once again upon arriving in England, with three half-centuries against England Lions in the two unofficial Tests in June. If the Canterbury pitch in the first match was dead flat, overcast conditions posed a good challenge and Jurel showed skill and patience while constructing a healthy partnership with KL Rahul.All that, unfortunately for him, did not earn him a spot in the first three Tests mainly because Rishabh Pant remains indispensable even with an injured finger and India prefer batting depth and bowling options in the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar. On Thursday, though, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said Jurel remained a viable option for the Old Trafford Test next week in case Pant, who hurt his left index finger while intercepting a leg-side delivery from Jasprit Bumrah during the first innings at Lord’s, was not fit to keep wickets.Dhruv Jurel’s catch of Ollie Pope showcased his balance and quick hands•Getty ImagesEven as a wicketkeeper, Jurel is rated highly by experts like former India glovesman Dinesh Karthik. Speaking on during the Lord’s Test where Jurel replaced Pant behind the stumps, Karthik observed that Jurel had strong basics including a well-balanced set-up that allowed him to brilliantly pouch Ollie Pope off Ravindra Jadeja. On Thursday, Jurel did keeping drills under the guidance of India’s fielding coach T Dilip who stressed the importance of taking the ball in the line of the body.So if Jurel does play and Pant takes on a specialist batting role, who goes out of the XI that played the third Test? The likely options are Karun Nair, Reddy and Washington. Nair has failed to convert several starts in the first three Tests, but India might persist with him given that No. 3 might be too high a slot for either the keeper or the allrounders, and that Shubman Gill and Pant are settled at Nos. 4 and 5. Washington will be optimistic about retaining his spot not only because he found ample drift and picked up vital wickets in both innings at Lord’s, but also because Old Trafford is known to offer bounce to spinners. That leaves Reddy, who picked up important top-order wickets in both innings at Lord’s, but hasn’t yet found the batting form that made him such a find during his debut series in Australia.It will be a difficult decision in each case, but if he’s needed, Jurel will be ready to take on the job, chest out and chin up.

There's a value to making Shaheen Afridi feel loved and the PSL has shown that

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The Lahore Qalandars management understands it and the PCB is just beginning to appreciate it

Danyal Rasool26-May-2025Ostensibly armour-plated, yet surprisingly sensitive. Pressure-hardened prodigy, yet a successful adult superstar who still yearns for unconditional appreciation. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who just won a record-extending third PSL title as captain amid wild scenes at his home ground, is perhaps not a man who loves playing cricket so much as one who loves to be loved for playing cricket.What else could explain the change in mood from the delirious high of a last-gasp title victory as Sunday gave way to Monday, to the stultifying demeanour at the post-match trophy ceremony?When Sikandar Raza – his own dramatic journey now well-documented – struck the winning runs for Lahore Qalandars, Afridi was among the first to pour onto the field to exult with his team, uncomplicated joy writ large on his face. Half-an-hour later, as an almost comically large cadre of dignitaries gathered on stage to present the trophy, it seemed the complex emotions that Afridi has come to associate with Pakistan cricket were back.Related

  • Mohammad Naeem, and the curious case of PSL's emerging player rule

  • Pakistan white-ball coach Hesson: Want players who are multi-skilled, not milestone obsessed

  • Kusal Perera, Sikandar Raza take Qalandars to PSL title

  • From Nottingham to Lahore: How Raza travelled the world for PSL glory

There was an acceptance of felicitations from the Pakistan president, but PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Afridi shared little more than frosty nods of acknowledgement, Naqvi increasingly receding into the background as the ceremony went on. The relationship between the two men is difficult, on occasion spilling out openly in the public domain. When Naqvi took over as PCB chief, Afridi was Pakistan captain. Now, he is no longer in the national side.It was a point clearly on his mind during a punchy post-match press conference. At the toss, Ramiz Raja had asked about his return to form, a question Afridi repeatedly appeared to interpret as a slight, because alluding to a return would suggest bad form earlier. When a journalist asked about it post-match, he got the same answer as Raja.”Ramiz asked about my form too and I said I am the same. But you need to have the eyes to see me. I am the same bowler. I have not changed, and I will not change.”When another spoke of how brilliant his final four games had been, he gave a stock reply, but the true riposte was playing around in his head, and, ten minutes later, he returned to it as an aside. “A journalist earlier mentioned that I performed in the last four games. Thank you for noticing that at least I performed in four games! People mention my performances in the last four matches, and appeared to forget all my previous performances.”It is, for the record, not controversial to say Afridi’s form towards the tail-end of this tournament has far superseded what he produced earlier on in the tournament. The last four games saw him take ten wickets, more than in the first seven games put together. His bowling in the second qualifier and the final are contenders for bowling performances of the tournament. But for Afridi, who feels he has endured more than he deserves to in Pakistani cricket as well as in its media, every compliment comes transfigured as a barb. The guard, lowered during the last six weeks with Qalandars, is back up against everyone else.Sameen Rana, the Qalandars owner, was alongside him at the press conference, if only to temper his captain should things go overboard. He referred to Afridi as “not a Qalandars player, but a family member”. He would then speak of his own philosophy of player management, one that, to his and Qalandars’ credit, has not wavered in good times or bad. “The advantage we have at Lahore Qalandars is we don’t judge our players, we back them. When you truly back someone, the results come.”Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Lahore Qalandars won the PSL title on Sunday•AFP/Getty ImagesThat is no longer the case with Afridi and the national side. There are days when that can be justified; the cold hard numbers tell a tale of a bowler not quite as effective in the Pakistan colours anymore. But then, there are also nights like these.After enduring a somewhat indifferent PSL, the suspension and resumption gave Afridi a second wind. By the time he was bowling the first ball in the final, he had become the most valuable bowler in the tournament. The first over lacked a wicket but none of his vintage brilliance, starting it with three consecutive yorkers, the ball hooping around at pace as Finn Allen and Saud Shakeel went into survival mode. Three years earlier in a T20 World Cup semi-final, Afridi had taken three balls to trap Allen in front; here, Allen wisely got off strike on the second.The wicket Afridi got in his second over was fortuitous (Shakeel wasn’t close to making contact on that flick down the leg side) but not undeserved. With Quetta Gladiators finding their feet from the other end and getting off to a fast start despite Afridi’s menace, there was, perhaps, an argument for a missed trick when the Qalandars captain did not return for a third powerplay over. That over, bowled by Haris Rauf, would instead go for 16, and Gladiators finished the powerplay at a relatively comfortable 57 for 2.But Afridi would save each of his remaining overs for the most difficult time to bowl. Gladiators rollicked along against the rest of the bowling attack, Hasan Nawaz surging to 52 off 23, the score 106 for 3 in 11 overs. After starting with a wide and a nasty boundary collision that saw two fielders injured and a needless boundary conceded, Afridi produced five consecutive yorkers of near-military accuracy. Gladiators could do little more than forage three singles, and at least the momentum was punctured.But by his fourth over, it was all Gladiators. They were up to 170 for 4 in 17, on course to producing a total high enough to never have been chased in the final of any T20 competition, and knocking Qalandars out of the contest halfway through. The fifth-wicket partnership between Hasan and Dinesh Chandimal was 45 off 25 balls when Afridi marked his run-up around the wicket.There’s no denying that Shaheen Shah Afridi is a generational talent•Associated PressHasan squeezed a low full toss for a single before Chandimal failed to get underneath one and holed out to long-on. Three balls later, Afridi had removed dangerman Hasan himself, drawing a miscue that Raza held on to. The 18th over had produced two runs, and shaved a chunk of Gladiators’ final total. His bowling figures read 4-0-24-3; the other four in his side had conceded 41, 42, 43 and 51.Halfway through the press conference between the Qalandars captain and owner, an official came up to place the PSL trophy on the table. Afridi barely glanced at it; it wasn’t the silverware he craved as much as the joy of achieving success in an environment he has come to value beyond all else.”The atmosphere here is familial,” he said. “No one is anyone’s boss or captain. Everyone is heard, everyone is respected. No one is allowed to disrespect someone else.”That last sentence, perhaps, explains much of what has gone wrong between Afridi and Pakistan cricket over the last 18 months. It is not the way he would characterise the PCB, or the environment within Pakistan cricket, one he has gradually begun to be excluded from.”To improve Pakistan cricket, we need to support our players. You look at the strong national teams abroad, their former players support their team. They don’t call for sackings and removals,” Afridi said. “When you don’t give players that atmosphere, nothing we can do will change the situation. If the media had been positive, the crowds that didn’t come for large parts of the PSL would have been full. I truly believe that. All we have in Pakistan is cricket.”It is likely difficult managing Afridi, as is the case for most high-profile sports stars. He may sometimes lash out, and take offence where it isn’t given. He can have frustratingly long spells of poor form when the analytical side of his game appears to desert him wholly, and he shrinks under pressure. There will be clashes of egos among team-mates and between player and board. But as he has shown time and again with Qalandars, and used to show so often with the national side, he is also a generationally talented bowler, and walking away from him is invariably a failure of management, and a waste of talent.As Rana appears to understand, there is a value to making Shaheen Afridi feel loved and, as the PCB may just be beginning to appreciate, a real cost to not doing that.

Plunket Shield: Williamson makes low-key return, Nicholls piles on the runs

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The Phillips brothers sparkle in the Plunket Shield while Abbas returns from injury in the tour game against the West Indians

Deivarayan Muthu29-Nov-2025In his first game for Northern Districts in a year, Williamson lasted only 27 balls across two innings. After scoring 17 in ND’s first innings, he was dismissed for just 3 in their second on the final day at Bay Oval, his home ground, against Auckland. Williamson fell to rookie left-arm spinner Rohit Gulati in both innings. In the first dig, Williamson stepped out and shanked a catch to mid-off before being bowled in the second. Williamson will look to shake off the red-ball rust when he lines up for New Zealand against West Indies in their WTC opener in Christchurch from December 2.

Nicholls notches up twin tons

Henry Nicholls missed the cut for the upcoming three-match Test series at home against West Indies, which will kick off New Zealand’s new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, and was not needed as a reserve batter during the preceding ODI series, but he reminded the selectors of his worth with twin centuries for Canterbury against Otago in Dunedin. This, after he had topped the one-day Ford Trophy charts in the first chunk of the season, with 306 runs in five innings.Nicholls, Canterbury’s captain, emulated his coach Peter Fulton in scoring centuries in each innings. Only four other Canterbury players have achieved the dual feat in the Plunket Shield. After making 111 off 157 balls in the first innings, Nicholls was even more fluent in the second, cracking an unbeaten 109 off 119 balls, which strengthened Canterbury’s push for victory.Canterbury also had hundreds from Ish Sodhi and No. 9 Sean Davey. Their unbroken 204-run partnership was the third-highest for the eighth wicket in the Plunket Shield. Sodhi celebrated his maiden first-class ton in dramatic fashion, pulling off the D-Generation X celebration, perhaps inspired by wrestling stars Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

The Phillips brothers sparkle

After impressing in the first round on his return from injury, Glenn Phillips had another solid workout in the second, especially with the ball, bowling more than 25 overs in each innings for Otago against Canterbury. He came away with a match haul of four wickets, including that of New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham in both innings. Phillips found turn to scratch the outside edge of Latham and also snagged Canterbury’s first-round hero Matt Boyle. Legspinner Sodhi stopped Phillips six short of a hundred in Otago’s first innings and proceeded to dismiss him in their second innings, too, for 2.For Auckland, Glenn’s brother Dale followed up his first-innings 40 with his first hundred for his new side, having moved from Otago ahead of the season.Glenn Phillips had another good workout for Otago•AFP via Getty Images

Abbas, Allen return to action

Elsewhere in Lincoln, young batter Muhammad Abbas marked his return from a rib injury, which had forced him to miss five rounds of the Ford Trophy, with a half-century against the West Indians in a two-day tour game. Abbas stood up to Kemar Roach, pulling and punching the West Indians’ spearhead for fours.In Auckland, Finn Allen returned from injury for Auckland A, managing a run-a-ball 7 while opening the batting in a T20 game against Otago A at Keith Hay Park. This was Allen’s first competitive fixture since he suffered a foot injury during his MLC stint with San Francisco Unicorns.

CD hunt down 361 after tactical declaration

After captain Tom Bruce bravely declared with Central Districts 236 runs behind hosts Wellington in their first innings, his team successfully chased 361 on the final day to script a stunning win. Brad Schmulian and Curtis Heaphy, who was back from a hamstring injury, helmed the chase with a 292-run stand for the second wicket. Opener Heaphy departed for 132, but Schmulian remained unbeaten on 167 and got the job done for CD along with Dean Foxcroft.

Longstaff 2.0: Leeds plot January move to re-sign “exquisite” £60k-p/w star

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

While Sunderland stole many of the plaudits in the summer for their outrageous transfer activity, with £100m+ splashed out on new recruits, Leeds United were arguably a tad more methodical in their approach when winning themselves some gems from all around Europe.

Daniel Farke and Co. are already thanking their lucky stars that they gambled on acquiring both Anton Stach and Noah Okafor from Hoffenheim and AC Milan, respectively, with a combined four goal contributions already picked up by the promising midfield duo in Premier League action.

In defence, Gabriel Gudmundsson also already looks like a steal in the left-back spot, having only cost £10m to snap up from Lille, while Lucas Perri was agonisingly close to his first clean sheet in his new location up against West Ham United last time out.

But, away from all these names mentioned, Sean Longstaff rightly sticks out as the best bit of business Leeds signed off on over a bumper summer, with the Premier League-experienced 27-year-old very much allowing the Whites to tick so far this season from the middle of the park.

Why Longstaff is one of Leeds' best signings

Already, the £12m summer purchase feels as if he has been in and around Elland Road for some time.

Longstaff has played a part in all nine of Leeds’ league matches so far this season on their return to the daunting top-flight, and while there have been some nerves on display as they navigate the choppy waters of the top division, the Newcastle-born midfielder has cut a cool and composed figure throughout.

Longstaff’s PL numbers for Leeds (25/26)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Longstaff

Games played

9

Goals scored

1

Assists

2

Touches*

46.2

Accurate passes*

27.1 (85%)

Key passes*

2.0

Big chances created

5

Tackles*

3.0

Ball recoveries*

3.0

Total duels won*

5.0

Stats by Sofascore

Having seen his career at his boyhood Magpies fizzle out, Longstaff clearly knew – from the get-go at his new employers – that he needed to prove himself, and he has certainly done that when looking at the table above.

Already, the brand-new number eight has chipped in with one goal and two assists from a central position on the pitch, but he has offered up far more than just a goal threat, with an average of five duels won per contest enabling Farke’s men to see out some tight contests.

Accumulating five big chances being created, too, has even led to some bold shouts that Longstaff is Leeds’ second coming of Pablo Hernandez, as Farke now potentially attempts to recreate the magic of this shrewd deal in January by landing another classy top-flight veteran when the transfer window swings back open.

Leeds considering another Longstaff-style signing

It has been some turnaround for Longstaff since ditching the home comforts of Tyneside, with zero goals or assists falling into his lap during his final campaign at Eddie Howe’s Toon.

Ross Barkley will hope he can similarly breathe life back into his waning playing days at Elland Road if rumours are to be believed, with a report from The Leeds Press revealing that the West Yorkshire outfit is considering a move for the reserve Aston Villa presence, who even once had a short-term loan stint at Leeds way back in 2013.

Now, he could be returning, again on loan, but this time as a far more experienced option, as Leeds reportedly weigh up a move for an attacking midfielder in the window, and while he has struggled to break into Emery’s first team picture as of late, he is certainly a classy operator on his day.

Indeed, this fiercely struck effort against Leicester City earlier in the year is just one of seven goals Barkley has put away for the Villans, meaning he definitely has a similar eye for a goal to that of Longstaff.

Barkley’s PL record

Stat

Barkley

Games played

287

Goals scored

37

Assists

34

Sourced by Transfermarkt

More importantly, too, the 31-year-old has also shone before in a team that is attempting to beat the drop in Luton Town – as seen in his weighty five goals and seven assists for the then troubled Hatters – and became a beloved fan favourite, subsequently, with one of his teammates in Andros Townsend at Kenilworth Road even hailing him as “unbelievable” to play alongside.

It could well be, much like Longstaff, that Barkley comes back into his own in West Yorkshire, with the well-travelled attacking midfielder also being dubbed as “exquisite” by his former Everton manager in Roberto Martinez, for his skilful approach on the pitch.

The £60k-per-week star is somewhat fading away at Villa Park, though, with just 30 minutes of action handed to him this season.

Yet, if he relocates to Leeds this coming January, he could end up rebuilding his career before it’s too late, just as Longstaff has already done this season.

Forget Longstaff: £10m star is now Leeds' best signing since Bielsa left

This Leeds United star could now be considered the best signing the Whites have made since Marcelo Bielsa left.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 28, 2025

Announcers Left Stunned by Umpire's Blown Call to End Diamondbacks-Astros Game

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The Houston Astros won their fourth game in a row on Wednesday afternoon thanks, in part, to a brutal call by home plate umpire Brian Walsh.

With his team up 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, closer Josh Hader delivered a 3-2 pitch to Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte—one that was pretty clearly a ball and would have put runners on first and second. Walsh, however, saw it differently, and rung up Marte to give Houston the win.

Here's a look at the pitch:

Pretty clearly a ball.

As you can hear in the video, Arizona's broadcast team was left stunned by the home plate ump's call.

"Oh no. Oh no…" reacted Diamondbacks play-by-play announcer Steve Berthiaume. "That's a called strike three to end the game."

"[Hader's] slider was never in the strike zone," added analyst Bob Brenly. "Ever."

With the win, Houston improves to 60-42 while Arizona—losers of three-straight—drops to 50-53 and sits 5.5 games back in the National League wild-card race.

VIDEO: Wazza's still got it! Wayne Rooney scores brilliant overhead kick as Man Utd legend recreates iconic derby strike

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Wayne Rooney scored a sackful of brilliant goals during his illustrious career and he's proven he hasn't lost any of his world-class talent, despite turning 40 a few weeks ago, after scoring a thrilling overhead kick on popular TV show A League of Their Own. Rooney famously scored an iconic bicycle kick against Manchester City in 2011 and has rolled back the years during filming of the sports-based comedy panel gameshow.

  • Rooney thrills the crowd with overhead stunner

    Rooney thrilled the watching studio audience after receiving a pass from host, comedian Romesh Ranganathan, he controlled it with his first touch, with the second he lifted the ball above his head and then acrobatically spun backwards and fired the ball over his head and into the (empty) net from a few yards out. The audience roared their approval and Rooney was quickly joined in celebrations by Ranganathan and his team-mates on the evening, fellow ex-pro Jamie Redknapp and comedian Alex Brooker. 

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  • Watch Rooney's bicycle kick brilliance

  • Rooney rolls back the years

    Rooney’s goal on the brought back memories of another overhead kick he scored during his playing days, a stunning strike for United against rivals City. The former England striker scored 253 goals during playing days at United, but his sensational goal against City in February 2011, at Old Trafford is etched in football history as one of the Premier League's most iconic. The score was level at 1-1 in the Manchester derby when the moment of magic arrived in the 78th minute. A cross from Nani was deflected high into the air, and with his back to goal, Rooney launched himself into an acrobatic bicycle kick. The ball soared into the top corner, leaving goalkeeper Joe Hart stunned. Rooney himself admitted it wasn't his best game, but his pure instinct and spectacular technique produced a goal that secured a crucial 2-1 victory for United on their way to winning the league title that season. The strike was later voted the best goal in Premier League history. 

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  • Getty Images Sport

    Public spat with Virgil van Dijk

    After taking time to consider his stinging comments, Rooney has conceded he was wrong to claim Virgil van Dijk had "downed tools" after signing a new deal at Liverpool. The row had threatened to boil over as the pair clashed live on TV, but Rooney has moved to cool the disagreement and also offered Van Dijk advice on how to get the champions' faltering season back on track

    Rooney, speaking on , said: "My job now is to give my opinions, and I like to think I'm straight and honest with my opinions and how I feel. The one thing where I maybe went a bit too strong is where I said he’s downed tools since he signed his new contract – that's a big thing to say, and maybe I was wrong on that. But from a performance level, from what we’ve seen from Van Dijk, I don’t think he's been at that level this season, and I said I’m sure as captain he'd be speaking to players, taking them out for food, which he said he has done. Clearly if he's felt he’s done that, if he had to do that, there’s something not right."

    He added: "As champions, you can’t lose four games in a row. If you lose one game, there’s questions, and if you lose four in a row, there’s something not quite right. I think getting involved too much in the outside noise – that’s our job (as pundits), focus on your game. As a younger player, I’d be looking at Van Dijk and how he reacts to this – how is it going to help them? You have to get on with your game and speak internally."

Farke must drop Ampadu to unleash Leeds star who's like Declan Rice

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The step up from the Championship to the Premier League is a difficult one to make, as Leeds United have found out so far this season with 11 points from 11 games.

Joel Piroe is a player who perfectly illustrates the gap between the two divisions. He was the top goalscorer in the second tier with 19 goals last season, yet he has no goals in five Premier League games and has been an unused substitute five times, per Sofascore.

As Daniel Farke learns more and more about his players in the top-flight, other stars from the 2024/25 campaign may end up losing their place in the starting line-up, as Piroe did.

Club captain and starting defensive midfielder Ethan Ampadu has started all nine of his appearances in the Premier League this season, but he is not undroppable.

Why Ethan Ampadu is not undroppable for Leeds

The Wales international has been a fantastic player for the club since his move from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, leading the Whites to the title as captain last term.

Ampadu is not undroppable, though, as some of his performances in the number six position for Leeds in the Premier League have left a little bit to be desired from, most recently against Nottingham Forest.

Vs Forest

Ethan Ampadu

Minutes

90

Pass accuracy

76%

Possession lost

15x

Tackles won

1

Ground duels won

3/7

Aerial duels won

1/2

Fouls committed

3

Dribbled past

1x

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Welsh midfielder lost the majority of his ground duels and was dribbled past as many times as he completed a tackle, which shows that it was a bit too easy for the Forest midfielders to get the better of him.

Per FotMob, Ampadu ranks within the bottom 40% of midfielders in the division for being dribbled past (four times) and the bottom 39% for aerial duel success rate (50%). This shows that his issues against Forest were not isolated incidents.

With this in mind, Farke could improve the robustness of his midfield by ruthlessly dropping the skipper to unleash Anton Stach in a new role as the number six.

Why Leeds should play Anton Stach over Ethan Ampadu

Per Transfermarkt, all of the German midfielder’s starts in the Premier League this season have been as a central midfielder or as an attacking midfielder. That is despite the fact that he has more starts in his career (138) as a defensive midfielder than in any other role.

Chalkboard

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

AllLeedsTV presenter Oscar Marrio, who claimed Stach “was cooking” earlier in the season, recently noted that the 6 foot 4 star “excelled” for Hoffenheim as a number six, earning him a comparison to Arsenal star Declan Rice.

Stach’s defensive output as a central midfielder in the Premier League so far this term suggests that he does have the potential to offer more security in front of the defence than Ampadu has.

25/26 Premier League

Ampadu

Stach

Tackles won

23

15

Duels won

39

49

Duel success rate

57%

60%

Aerial duels won

8

17

Aerial duel success rate

50%

85%

Dribbled past

4x

1x

Fouls committed

16

14

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, the £17.4m signing from Hoffenheim has outperformed the Welshman in duels, particularly in the air, and has been harder to get past for opposition midfielders.

These statistics suggest that Stach, who has scored one goal in the Premier League this season, could be well-suited to sitting in as the number six in Farke’s 4-3-3 system to provide a physical presence in front of the back four.

Ampadu’s struggles aerially and in allowing players to dribble past him as the number six have been evident, which is why dropping him from the line-up to unleash Stach in a new role, albeit one he has played a lot elsewhere in his career, could be a good move.

That also does not mean that the captain has to completely lose his place in the team. Farke could play the former Chelsea man as one of the two midfielders ahead of Stach, to see if that is a more successful dynamic.

Big DCL upgrade: Leeds have "unstoppable" £40m talent on "their radar"

Leeds United are keeping tabs on a star who would be a big upgrade on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 14, 2025

Rana takes down Ashwin as Royals spring the trap on CSK

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

A surprise promotion to No. 3 set him on course to play a match-winning innings

Sidharth Monga30-Mar-2025Sometimes one cursory glance at a scorecard can tell you the story of the match. In a 182-vs-176 match, eight batters batted more than 10 balls. Only one managed a strike rate of over 150. That of 225. Over 36 balls.Mega auctions can be tough on the mid card. Nitish Rana was one such solid and bankable mid-card player with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In the year immediately preceding the auction, Rana injured his middle finger and played only two games. A year before that, he was their captain as Shreyas Iyer was out with injury. It is difficult for teams to reward loyalty with only so many players they can retain. In Rana’s case, the India cap he earned when two India teams played simultaneously in 2021 disqualified him from being retained in the uncapped quota.It is not to say the hurt was not justified. When KKR didn’t bid for him nor use the right-to-match card for him, Rana’s wife posted on social media: “loyalty is expensive, not everyone can afford it.” What a time then to produce his best IPL knock: only his fifth score in the 80s but his only half-century at more than two runs a ball.Related

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That Riyan Parag would be pushed from mid card to main event was decided and conveyed to Rana even before the RR coach Rahul Dravid talked up Parag as the No. 3 in a press conference. There was a clear plan to what Dravid wanted, and he didn’t want it telegraphed to the opposition, who had anyway taken a long flight from Chennai to Guwahati with one day’s gap between their two defeats.RR wanted to make the most of the powerplay, so it made sense to deploy a low-cost wicket, but they also wanted to deny Chennai Super Kings (CSK) the use of R Ashwin with the new ball. CSK have Khaleel Ahmed to exploit the early movement, but have struggled for a quick to share the new ball. Sam Curran’s replacement, Jamie Overton is also more of an into-the-pitch user of the older ball.Now, you might wonder, why a left-hand batter to deny an offspinner? For starters, by now you know Rana enjoys a sweet match-up against Ashwin, who finally managed to dismiss him for the first time today but not before the carnage. Ashwin, though, is not the only offspinner to suffer at the hands of Rana. Before this game, Rana averaged 33.9 and struck at 154.13 against all offspin in the IPL.It’s not that CSK were not aware of the match-up, but they didn’t have too much choice but to go to Ashwin once Rana got off to a flier. Against left-arm orthodox, Rana enjoys an even better match-up. Off 21 balls from Kuldeep Yadav, the only left-arm wristspinner he has faced before this game, Rana had scored 36 runs without getting out. There could still be a case made for going to Noor Ahmad before feeding Rana the bowling of Ashwin, but CSK are a side that plays percentage cricket. Not for them such fancy moves of bowling Noor inside the powerplay only for the seventh time in an IPL career of 26 matches.2:27

Rapid fire review: How did Rana play so well when others couldn’t?

Rana didn’t waste any time in showing why he dominates fingerspin so much. He swept Ashwin for successive sixes and a four immediately. Ashwin was aware of the spin threat, which explains the attempt at really full balls, but he ended up overcooking two of the first three. The full length nearly worked when he got an lbw call but the DRS review reinstated Rana. He went on to drive Ashwin over extra cover and also reverse-hit him for four. In between, he also played perhaps his best shot of the innings: an inside-out extra-cover drive off Noor.While it was the perfect tactical ploy by Dravid and Parag to exploit CSK’s lack of bowlers who can test Rana with high pace, Rana took care of the execution perfectly.In an interview on Rana’s comeback last year, Harsha Bhogle said he was trying to catch a glimpse of his injured finger, to which he had said: “Sir, that I can’t show you because it is my middle finger.”Given his anger at not being valued enough by his previous franchise – Rana and his wife unfollowed KKR on socials – he showed his mature side in a “rocking-the-baby” celebration.

Hameed hundred leads Notts to Championship title glory

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Captain sets the tone as batting bonus points put Division One leaders out of Surrey’s reach

ECB Reporters Network25-Sep-2025Warwickshire 258 and 7 for 3 trail Nottinghamshire 374 (Hameed 122, Verreynne 83, Patterson-White 70) by 109 runsLed impressively from the front by captain Haseeb Hameed’s fourth century of the season, Nottinghamshire clinched the 2025 Rothesay County Championship on day two of the final round of fixtures, the Division One leaders putting themselves out of reach of defending champions Surrey as they totalled 374 in reply to Warwickshire’s 258.Needing just two more points at the start of play to deny Surrey a fourth consecutive title, Nottinghamshire achieved that goal at six minutes before five o’clock as Kyle Verreynne, their South Africa international wicketkeeper, pulled seamer Nathan Gilchrist high over the deep midwicket boundary for six, taking their first-innings total past 300 to secure a second batting bonus point.Verreynne, who also hit the winning runs as South Africa beat Australia at Lord’s to be crowned World Test champions in June, raised both arms in the air before embracing batting partner Liam Patterson-White as a Trent Bridge crowd that had grown considerably since lunch rose to their feet.He went on to make 83, with Patterson-White hitting 70 as the two shared a decisive seventh-wicket partnership of 119. Ethan Bamber, Ed Barnard and Gilchrist took three wickets each but at 7 for 3 in their second innings, trailing by 109 runs, Warwickshire, who had their sights on overtaking Somerset to take third place in the table, are in deep trouble.It is Nottinghamshire’s seventh County Championship in all and their first since 2010, one that was effectively won a week ago when victory over Surrey at the Kia Oval made them short-priced favourites to take the crown.Head coach Peter Moores, for many years the only coach to win the title with two counties until Mark Robinson, twice a winner with Sussex, equalled the feat in 2021 with Warwickshire, now stands alone in winning Championships with three counties, having previously done so with Sussex and Lancashire.Yet for all that it was Verreynne, who hit four sixes, and Patterson-White, who struck 11 fours, who grabbed the glory, it was Hameed who made it possible.Haseeb Hameed raises his bat on reaching three figures•Getty Images

The 28-year-old sometime England opener’s 122 laid the foundations and took his season aggregate to 1,253 runs in first-class matches, the highest of his career. This is the third time in four seasons he has exceeded 1000 runs.Earlier in the day, he and Ben Slater had put on 56 for the first wicket as Nottinghamshire, who had claimed the final Warwickshire wicket with the last ball of the opening day, came through a difficult morning session at 100 for 2.Slater, caught behind as Michael Booth found some extra bounce from the Radcliffe Road End, and Freddie McCann, who lost his middle stump to Bamber, were the two morning casualties.It would have been 78 for 3 had Hameed not been put down by Rob Yates at second slip on 45. As it was, as conditions for batting became a little easier after lunch, Hameed and Joe Clarke (52) added 122 in 32 overs for the third wicket.Two dismissals in three balls then jolted their progress. Clarke, reaching for a delivery outside off stump, feathered a catch to Alex Davies off Bamber, before Jack Haynes, confident he had let his second ball go past the bat, looked up to find Warwickshire’s appeals for a thin edge to the keeper had been granted.Haynes was the third of six victims in the innings for Davies, a total in a single innings bettered by only two other keepers in Warwickshire’s history.If that was not a reminder to Nottinghamshire supporters to take nothing for granted, then the sight of Hameed completing his fourth hundred of the season flat on his stomach surely must have been.Confident there was a single on as he clipped Bamber towards midwicket, the captain was startled to see Tazeem Ali swooping to field and even his full-length dive might not have saved him had the teenager’s shy hit. As it was, Warwickshire ran out neither Hameed nor new partner Verreynne, who would have been out by a distance without scoring had the throw gone to the keeper’s end.Hameed – dropped at slip in the previous over – was bowled middle stump by Nathan Gilchrist on the stroke of tea, leaving them 218 for 5. The ovation from the spectators was fully deserved. The season has seen him make a double-hundred twice and carry his bat through the innings twice.Warwickshire’s seamers were rewarded again half an hour into the final session as Lyndon James edged Barnard to give Davies a fourth catch. Nottinghamshire, now six down, still needed another 52 for 300 and with the second new ball soon to become available.It might have been a moment of jeopardy, yet any sense of that quickly disappeared. Verreynne and Patterson-White had clearly decided on a glorious finale and it was Gilchrist who felt the full force of it.His first over with the new ball went for 17 after Patterson-White had begun it with three glorious shots for four, his second for 15 as Verreynne took centre stage.It was the cue for the seventh-wicket due to really let rip, stretching their partnership to 100 in precisely 100 balls and 119 from 120 before Verreynne, who hit nine fours and four sixes, became a fifth victim for Davies behind the stumps, a ball from Barnard glancing the bat as the South African tried to pull it clear.Back for another spell after his chastening experience earlier, Gilchrist then obtained the smallest modicum of revenge by bowling Patterson-White, and Barnard picked up his third wicket by bowling Brett Hutton.Gilchrist was the bowler as Mohammad Abbas nicked to Davies, leaving Warwickshire, 116 behind, to face four overs before the close, in which they lost both Yates and Davies leg before to Abbas as the Pakistan international delivered a final flourish to Nottinghamshire’s day, Hutton getting in on the act by having nightwatcher Bamber caught at second slip.

Jen Pawol Officially Becomes First Female Umpire in MLB History

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Jen Pawol officially made history on Saturday when she became the first female to umpire a regular season game in Major League Baseball.

Pawol was one of the field umpires for Saturday's contest between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves. She will work both games of Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's series finale as well, when she will serve as the home plate umpire.

Pawol's ascent to this historic day began in February of 2024, when she became the third woman to ever umpire a spring training game. A year-and-a-half later, she gets an opportunity in a regular season contest.

The spring training game came one year after she became the first woman to umpire at the Triple-A level in 34 years in 2023.

The 48-year-old Pawol played collegiate softball at Hofstra and was a member of the 2001 U.S. women's national team that won the first Baseball Women's World Series.

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