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Southern Brave fall short after three wickets in seven balls derails chase

Matt Roller18-Aug-2024Saqib Mahmood put two years of injury hell behind him at Lord’s, winning the Hundred final for Oval Invincibles with a devastating spell of reverse-swing. With Southern Brave’s chase of 148 in the balance, Mahmood removed Leus du Plooy, Kieron Pollard and Laurie Evans to take 3 for 1 in seven balls, a timely reminder of his talents on the biggest stage in English domestic cricket.It meant the Hundred’s best team won their second successive title, as the Invincibles’ men of 2023-24 matched their women’s achievement of 2021-22 by retaining the trophy. That they had retained Mahmood despite him missing consecutive seasons with back stress fractures confirmed their success in building the clearest identity of any side in the men’s competition.They have not quite lived up to their moniker, but the Invincibles have lost only three games across the last two seasons. Sam Billings and Tom Moody, their captain and coach, have built their team around three allrounders – Will Jacks and the Curran brothers – in the top seven, giving them unrivalled balance.”Saqib Mahmood came and changed the game with that set of 10. That was a turning point,” Billings said. “It’s been a real team effort throughout, probably even better than last year… Your career goes past very quickly and these are the nights to really remember and cherish, as a group of mates as much as colleagues. Winning trophies is what it’s all about.”Mahmood’s England reminder
The Invincibles can boast the Hundred’s most prolific spin attack, with 34 wickets between them this season after Adam Zampa, Nathan Sowter and Jacks snared four more in Sunday’s final, in front of a full house at Lord’s.Zampa made a crucial breakthrough in his second set of five, bowling Alex Davies with a googly for 35 off 23 following a bright start in the Powerplay. Having himself set the game up for the Invincibles with 37 off 22 balls, Jacks then roared in celebration after dismissing the season’s leading run-scorer in James Vince, bowled looking to hack leg-side.Will Jacks claimed the wicket of James Vince•Getty ImagesBut after Evans tucked into Zampa, slog-sweeping consecutive balls for four and six, the Brave needed a manageable 53 off 30 with seven wickets in hand. Du Plooy launched Mahmood past Dawid Malan’s sprawling dive at extra cover, but backed away to the following ball and lost his leg stump as Mahmood went full and straight.Mahmood had the old ball moving both ways and stayed on for a second consecutive set of five from the Nursery End after three dots to Pollard. Fresh from a breather at the strategic timeout, Mahmood went full and straight to smash Pollard on the knee roll, then had Evans chipping to short cover to leave the chase in disarray.With Australia touring in September for three T20Is and five ODIs, Mahmood’s impact will have nudged England’s selectors. He has not played international cricket since March 2023 and would not have featured in Sunday’s final if Spencer Johnson had been fit, but looked back towards his brilliant best.Chris Jordan, fresh from a match-winning hand in the ‘Super Five’ which decided Saturday’s eliminator, was the Brave’s final hope. When Zampa, the season’s joint-highest wicket-taker with 19, cleaned him up third-ball, the Invincibles’ name was on the trophy once again.Jordan Cox kept Oval Invincibles pressing towards a big total•Getty ImagesJacks sets Invincibles up
The Invincibles recovered from 34 for 5 during their comeback win over Manchester Originals in last year’s final, but made a serene start this time around thanks to Jacks. He raced to 31 off 14 balls with early sixes off Jofra Archer, Craig Overton and Akeal Hosein, and was then given a reprieve when Pollard dropped a straightforward chance at long-on.Archer, playing at Lord’s for the first time since his Test debut during the 2019 Ashes, looked sharp with the new ball, with Jacks top-edging a short ball into his helmet. He had Malan caught at deep midwicket for 7 and Tymal Mills removed his opening partner Jacks seven balls later for 37, his full toss slipping under the bat and crashing into middle and off stumps.Sam Curran and Jordan Cox added 46 for the third wicket, but Hosein then sparked a mini-collapse during a set of 10 consecutive balls delivered from different ends. Curran skied to cover, Billings played around a straight one, and Donovan Ferreira holed out to Pollard on the long-on boundary. When Cox top-edged Mills’ short ball through to Alex Davies, the Invincibles had lost 4 for 9.Tom Curran, the star of their 2023 triumph, crashed 24 off 11 balls to keep the innings moving – including one outrageous punch for six over extra cover off Archer – before falling to an excellent catch from James Coles at deep square leg, and Tom Lammonby added 16 from No. 8 in only his third innings of the season. Their 147 looked just above par – and so it proved.

Heather Knight got herself into form ahead of England’s series with New Zealand with 66 as Western Storm condemned Sunrisers to the wooden spoon in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.England skipper Knight grabbed her second fifty in a row to average 52 in the competition, to put the disappointing Pakistan T20Is behind her before the White Ferns arrive for three ODIs and five T20s from next Wednesday.Her 74-run stand with 20-year-old Emma Corney – who made a CEC best of 46 – put Storm on track for 142 for seven, with Blaze loanee Sophie Munro picking up four for 23.Despite Grace Scrivens and Jo Gardner’s speedy start, Sunrisers fell 11 runs short to end as the bottom-placed side for the fourth year in a row – with Storm ending their tournament a point and a place better off.Storm chose to bat, and used Corney as a facilitator for Dani Gibson and then Knight to score runs quickly at the other end.Gibson used her feet to good effect as she bashed a trio of boundaries before top-edging to short fine, with the visitors reaching a creditable 44 for one in the powerplay.While Corney confidently ticked the runs along from one end, Knight showed all her experience and skill – with the pair putting on 74 for the second wicket.Devon-raised Corney strode past her previous CEC best of 40 – but fell four runs short of a maiden fifty when she slapped to backward point.It began a Storm collapse, which saw them lose six wickets for 41 runs in the final six overs.Fran Wilson was run out by a sensational direct hit from the boundary from Gardner, Sophie Luff chipped to mid-off, Kate Coppack brilliantly pouched Amanda Jade Wellington at short third before Nat Wraith skied one.But throughout, Knight continued to score at a decent pace, slog-sweeping the only six of the innings, as she brought up back-to-back fifties in 34 balls.She was stumped off the final ball – to hand Munro the fourth of her impressive haul – as Storm reached 142 for seven.In reply, Mady Villiers holed out to deep square in the fourth over, but Grace Scrivens and Gardner blitzed Sunrisers ahead of the rate.But the duo fell within six balls of each other either side of the powerplay to begin a wobble they never recovered from.Scrivens had continued her form from the 42 versus Blaze and unbeaten 62 against Stars to crash a quick-fire 26 – before falling to the last ball of the powerplay – while Gardner distributed three consecutive fours off Gibson.But both offered up simple catches, before Lissy MacLeod was caught and bowled first ball by Chloe Skelton.Amara Carr swept to short fine, Flo Miller was bowled and Amu Surenkumar found deep midwicket as Sunrisers never recovered.Jodi Grewcock held firm with 40 – one of two run outs in the last over – but Storm completed their second win of the competition without further anxiety.

After a deal was completed to land Matheus Cunha last week, it appears as though Manchester United have shown no signs of slowing down in the transfer market.

Ruben Amorim has made a move to land Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, with the Cameroon international choosing Old Trafford as his next move if reports are to be believed.

The 25-year-old has notched 20 goals in the Premier League during 2024/25, finishing as just one of only five players to reach such a tally within the division.

He’s likely to be an expensive addition, costing a fee in the region of £60m over the coming months, which will already take their summer spending to over £120m.

Despite the potential fee, he would be a superb addition, potentially forming a deadly partnership with another target in their attempts to return to their former glory.

The latest on United’s hunt for new additions this summer

The attacking department has been of huge interest over the last few weeks, with Amorim clearly wanting to bolster that area of his first-team squad.

Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Liam Delap have all been touted with a switch to Old Trafford, but appear to have moved on to different targets – with the latter moving closer to a move to Chelsea.

However, another name has entered the mix over recent days, with PSG attacker Gonçalo Ramos the latest name on the club’s shortlist, according to United In Focus.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 outfit are willing to part ways with the Portuguese international this summer, with the Red Devils already in talks with his representatives over a move to Old Trafford.

It also states that the 23-year-old is of interest to multiple Saudi Arabian outfits, with the newly crowned Champions of Europe demanding £50m to part ways with him this summer.

Why United’s £50m target could be the next Cavani & the perfect Mbeumo partner

Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani joined United back in the summer of 2020, arriving on a free transfer after his contract with PSG expired a couple of months prior.

He only plied his trade at Old Trafford for two years, but still managed to star within the final third for the Red Devils despite entering the back end of his professional career.

The forward found the net 19 times in his 59 appearances, with 17 of his efforts coming in his first season at the club – helping the side finish second in the Premier League.

However, Cavani would depart at the end of his contract in the summer of 2022, with the club missing such a talisman over the past couple of years – as seen by their efforts for a new one during the off-season.

A move for Ramos would replicate such a deal, landing a talent from the French giants who could fill the void at the top end and lead them back towards a spot in the top four.

He could also partner Mbeumo in the final third, with both of their respective figures aiding Amorim’s ambitions of taking the club back to their former glory.

Ramos, who’s been labelled “outrageous” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has registered 18 goals across all competitions this season, with him and the Brentford star able to add needed goals to the side.

The Portugal international has registered 2.7 shots on target per 90, benefiting from the stats produced by Mbeumo, who’s posting a total of 1.8 chances created per 90 this campaign.

Their respective talents don’t stop there, with the PSG star having won 57% of his aerial battles, able to get on the end of the 25-year-old’s delivery, after he produced a tally of 1.3 successful crosses per game.

The prospect of the pair combining within the final third at Old Trafford is certainly an exciting one, handing Amorim with the attacking ammunition he’s craved since taking the role.

Ramos won’t be a cheap addition this summer, but his goal tally this year is evidence that he can produce the goods when needed, potentially following in Cavani’s footsteps at the Theatre of Dreams.

Better signing than Cunha: Man Utd eye move for PSG Ballon d'Or contender

Manchester United could land a bigger signing than Matheus Cunha by bringing in this PSG star.

By
Dan Emery

Jun 3, 2025

After taking their Premier League throne in dominant fashion, Liverpool are now reportedly plotting a summer hijack to sign a Serie A defender that Manchester City have already agreed personal terms with.

Liverpool looking to use Premier League crown in busy summer

Even when Dominic Solanke headed home to hand Tottenham Hotspur the lead at Anfield on Sunday, not many would have believed that the Lilywhites were there to spoil the part and Liverpool swiftly put any potential upset to bed. Eventually smashing Ange Postecoglou’s side 5-1, it was the afternoon that Arne Slot and his side were dreaming of, as Anfield and the red half of Merseyside erupted into a long-awaited title party.

Liverpool could now be offered instant Robertson heir in stunning swap deal

The Reds would instantly benefit.

ByTom Cunningham Apr 30, 2025

Captain Virgil van Dijk, who will have the honour of lifting the title on the final day of the season, told reporters after securing yet another trophy to add to his collection: “It has been an amazing Premier League season for us, very consistent, well-deserved winners. The reaction we showed after going 1-0 down today was outstanding.

“Obviously it was a very emotional game. The time goes very slow towards the end, by the way! But I’m glad we got the job done and now we – and I speak about obviously everyone who is Liverpool-connected – can enjoy and celebrate because that’s what you should do as well.”

Now, those at Anfield will be looking to put their status as champions to good use when the summer transfer window arrives. Suddenly, names such as Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are not only linked with England’s most successful club in history but also the current Premier League champions. And that could make all the difference in a transfer battle against Manchester City too.

Liverpool looking to hijack Cambiaso deal

According to Calciomercato, Liverpool are now plotting a move to hijack Man City’s deal to sign Andrea Cambiaso from Juventus this summer, despite reports indicating that the Citizens have already agreed personal terms with the defender.

With that in mind, it would be some move from the Reds to beat Man City to Cambiaso’s signature at this stage. Stranger things have happened in the Premier League, however, and as Trent Alexander-Arnold edges closer and closer to Real Madrid, the versatile Cambiaso could emerge as an ideal option.

The Juventus star can play both left and right-back, allowing Slot to add competition for the struggling Andy Robertson as well as welcome a key replacement for Alexander-Arnold should Liverpool make their move.

Praised for his “elite passing ability” by analyst Ben Mattinson at the start of the season, Cambiaso would have little trouble replacing Liverpool’s right-back.

Many Liverpool fans will likely be hoping that Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak will be playing Premier League football in red next season, but it doesn’t look likely.

The Magpies are third in the standings with five games to play, two points ahead of sixth-place Aston Villa, who sit just outside the Champions League-qualifying zone.

26/04/25

Ipswich Town (H)

18th

04/05/25

Brighton (A)

10th

10/05/25

Chelsea (H)

7th

18/05/25

Arsenal (A)

2nd

25/05/25

Everton (H)

13th

Having beaten Arne Slot’s side in the Carabao Cup final and set to restore their place at Europe’s elite table, Newcastle hold all the cards, and they aren’t willing to sell, even listing Isak north of £150m.

FSG, quite rightly, won’t entertain such talk and are gearing up to turn their attention elsewhere.

After all, Liverpool will bring in a new number nine this summer, with Darwin Nunez all but confirmed to have entered the final weeks of his Merseyside career.

Liverpool set to sell Darwin Nunez

It’s been clear for several months, Liverpool having rejected winter approaches from Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League due to the importance of keeping the title-challenging squad together.

Fabrizio Romano has now updated the situation, claiming that Liverpool’s plan is to sell their club-record signing, Nunez having scored just seven goals across 42 matches for Slot’s Reds.

Nunez has only started once in the Premier League since Boxing Day, scoring in a win over bottom club Southampton last month.

Having missed 53 big chances in the Premier League since his 2022 arrival, Nunez hasn’t responded to Klopp and Slot’s tactics and can’t shake the erraticness from his final play, thus consigning him to a bittersweet exit, leaving disappointed but with a winner’s medal around his neck.

Isak may well be out of reach, but Liverpool are open to looking elsewhere. Now, news has emerged that FSG are in for a somewhat left-field forward.

Liverpool lining up Nunez replacement

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool are interested in signing Brentford’s star man, Bryan Mbeumo, this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

In fact, the Champions Elect have received a boost in their pursuit, with Brentford – who are believed to be open to offers – willing to discuss Mbeumo’s sale for the right price this summer.

Mbeumo, 25, has been one of the Premier League’s standout forwards this season and is also being tracked by Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

The Cameroon international supposedly has a £50m price tag, something that has caused Newcastle United to pull out of the race.

Why Liverpool should sign Bryan Mbeumo

Mbeumo has proved over a number of years his capacity for goals and success in the Premier League, having been involved in 68 goals across 131 divisional outings.

This year alone, the versatile forward has netted 18 goals and laid on six assists across 32 top-flight appearances, a haul bettered only by Salah, Isak, Erling Haaland and Chris Wood.

Right winger

28

14

6

Centre-forward

6

4

1

Attacking midfield

1

0

0

Though he’s principally a right-sided forward, Mbeumo has been known to play as the focal frontman and has done so to a prolific effect.

We’ve seen throughout the campaign Slot’s willingness to reshape typical widemen – like Luis Diaz – into central attackers, and who’s to say it hasn’t worked out? Liverpool are on the cusp of the title, after all.

Affectionately described as a “mini-Salah” by talkSPORT’s Jason Cundy, Mbeumo carries the air of a goalscoring forward who brings much more to the table.

As per FBref, Mbeumo ranks among the top 8% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for goals scored and the top 12% for crosses made per 90.

This takes a step toward underscoring Mbeumo’s dynamism, chiefly a goalscorer but also willing to hang wide and whip crisp deliveries in.

The 32-year-old Salah might be staying put for the next couple of years, but he won’t be around forever. The Bees forward could eventually take the veteran’s berth in the years to come.

But for now, he’s more than capable of taking Nunez’s place as Liverpool’s centre-forward, perhaps sharing the berth with Diaz and Diogo Jota.

Given that Mbeumo has only missed eight big chances in the Premier League this term, having scored a whopping 18 times, fans won’t need to worry about Nunez-esque profligacy to hinder Liverpool in their efforts to retain their expected title.

But like all great forwards, those capable of starring for a top-performing outfit such as Slot’s Liverpool, Mbeumo isn’t a one-trick pony either.

He’s averaged 1.8 key passes per top-flight fixture and has created 16 big chances. He might take his share of set-pieces, but this denotes a ranged approach to his play that very much aligns with the role Salah performs with such matchless aplomb.

Analyst Ben Mattinson has recently dubbed Mbeumo as “one of the most deadly players in transition in the Prem,” further evidence – if you needed it – that he’s perfect for this Reds team.

Slot arrived in the Premier League with a reputation for being more ball-focused than his Anfield predecessor, but title-surging Liverpool only rank third in those standings with a 58% average.

This is, of course, not counter-attacking football, but Slot commands one of the deadliest teams in world football when on the break, making that final statement on the myriad reasons behind why this would be a good deal to end Nunez’s frustrating stay and sign the perfect Salah heir at the same time.

Firmino 2.0: Liverpool make "one of the best STs out there" a top target

FSG are going to reward Arne Slot’s Liverpool with a new centre-forward this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 19, 2025

The cricketing gods have not always been on his side, but on Thursday, his hard work finally met the fortune it deserved

Karthik Krishnaswamy02-Oct-20251:46

Aakash Chopra decodes Siraj’s scrambled seam

Getting squared up isn’t a good look for anyone, but sometimes a batter gets a ball so good there’s little else they can do.Mohammed Siraj bowled a ball like this to Roston Chase on Thursday in Ahmedabad. Pretty much every cue the batter must have picked up in the split-seconds either side of the ball leaving the bowler’s hand must have told him it was coming into him. There was, first of all, Siraj’s beyond-the-perpendicular release, which always creates a natural angle into the right-hand batter. Then it swung in further – 0.7 degrees according to ball-tracking data.Chase must have also seen the seam coming out scrambled. When Siraj releases the ball like this, it invariably behaves like an offcutter, nipping into the right-hander and away from the left-hander.Well, not invariably. Not this ball. This one pitched and straightened, seaming away 0.7 degrees. And suddenly, Chase’s perfectly reasonable idea of looking to work the ball into the on side looked very, very silly. All he managed was a sliver of leading edge to the wicketkeeper, and West Indies were 105 for 6, with four of those wickets falling to Siraj.Related

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If the first three had made for satisfying watching for Siraj’s growing ranks of fans, this one must have made them jump out of their seats. What had happened here? Was this a moment of pure randomness, the ball deviating in an unexpected way because it had happened to land in a particular way, with the edge of the seam happening to make contact with a grassy, responsive pitch at a particularly opportune angle?Or had Siraj willed this? Was this a new variation, a new addition to his wobble-seam repertoire?”The wobble-seam [ball] is like this, that it sometimes straightens and sometimes cuts [into the right-hand batter],” Siraj said at his press conference at the end of the day’s play. “That ball kind of straightened towards the shiny side. I mostly look to move the wobble-seam [ball] in, but it kept straightening towards the shiny side, and took the edge, caught behind.”2:02

Siraj: Really enjoyed dismissing Brandon King

From this it seems that ball may have been something of a happy accident – one that Siraj knows can happen from time to time, but not one he can will into occurring. He may deliver some of his wobble-seam balls with the shiny side facing into the batter, some with the shiny side facing away, and this may well influence the way the ball behaves before pitching, but what happens after isn’t entirely in his control.It’s a very Siraj kind of delivery, because which cricketer in the world has a better understanding of what’s in their control and what isn’t?This is a man who, from November 2024 to August 2025, bowled tirelessly and with immense skill, control and smarts across ten Tests in Australia and England, who seldom wavered from good lines and lengths, seldom let his intensity drop, almost always gave batters reason to worry about both their edges, and yet ended up averaging 31.15 and 32.43 in those two series. Even as luckless spell followed luckless spell, he never lost his ironclad belief in his processes, and though he found belated reward and recognition by the time he willed India to a series-levelling victory at The Oval with one of the great Test-match displays by an India fast bowler, his career numbers continued to do him no justice.Thursday was a day of redressal. Tagenarine Chanderpaul strangled him down the leg side. Brandon King shouldered arms to a ball that knocked back middle stump without having deviated in an unusual or unpredictable way. Alick Athanaze edged him, rather than playing and missing, when he chased at a wide tempter, and second slip held on to the chance rather than grassing it.And now the gods had given him a bit of a hand, coaxing this wobble-seam ball to Chase to behave the way it did.Mohammed Siraj leaps in celebration after bowling Brandon King•Associated PressSiraj had earned every bit of good fortune, of course. It was reward for all the work he’s put in over all the months and years of his career, and for all the work he had put in on this new day, another day of impeccable lengths, buzzing intensity, and the relentless threat of movement in either direction, in the air and off the pitch.At his press conference, someone suggested to him that it must have been a relief to get his wickets as quickly as he did today, against lower-ranked opposition, after all the toil he’d endured in England. Without ever losing his sweetly polite manner, he made it clear that the question wounded him.”Sir, even here I took four wickets only by working hard,” Siraj said. “You only get wickets by working hard. I got wickets in England by working hard, and I worked hard for them here too. It isn’t as if anyone gave me wickets free of cost. No one gave me that fifth wicket. All four wickets came from hard work.”It was clear how much a fifth wicket – all five of his Test-match five-fors have come away from home – would have meant to Siraj. He nearly got it when he had an lbw appeal against a shuffling Justin Greaves upheld only for DRS to save the batter, with ball-tracking suggesting his inducker would have missed leg stump.It was as if the cricketing gods had spoken again. Even on this day of redressal, not everything would go Siraj’s way.

Twenty-year old Uttar Pradesh batter is known for his attacking play against spin

Nikhil Sharma20-Dec-20237:32

‘Rizvi capable of batting anywhere in the order’

Twenty-year-old Sameer Rizvi’s house in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh was surrounded by all kinds of people on Wednesday, a day after he had been bought by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 auction for INR 8.4 crore (US$ 1 million approx.). There were media reporters, the local minister, and people from neighbouring houses all wanting a piece of him.Rizvi, who has played just 24 games for the senior UP side so far, could hardly make sense of how the auction had unfolded for him, and that a top side like CSK won a bidding war to snap him up.”All the hard work I’ve been putting in for all these years has paid off about 50%,” Rizvi tells ESPNcricinfo at his house. “I barely slept last night. I couldn’t even watch my bidding happen because a few players went unsold before me so I was nervous. Even while going to sleep I kept thinking about how I’m going to prepare for the IPL, will I do well, but I was also excited.”Even I kept wondering how did I get so much money, and why did CSK bid for me. Even now I’ve not been able to make much sense of that amount. I will leave it to my family to decide what to do with that much money. This is a gift from God because not everyone gets to play for CSK. I’m so happy I’m going to be a part of a champion team.”Related

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Rizvi, a destructive middle-order batter, is popularly called the right-handed Suresh Raina, a moniker quickly catching on social media. He started playing cricket in 2011 at the Gandhibagh Academy in Meerut where his maternal uncle Tanqib Akhtar coached him. The same year UP played against Saurashtra in a Ranji Trophy match in Meerut, in which Raina captained the home side. Raina even watched a five-year-old Rizvi and was so impressed with his fielding display that he gifted him his sunglasses.”People compare me with Raina because of the way I play,” Rizvi says. “If people call me a right-handed Raina then I’ll aim to do what he did for CSK. Even I love fielding like him. I’ll give it my everything.”CSK might be known, or trolled, as the ‘Dad’s Army’, but they have won a record five titles by investing in young players over the years and reinventing the older ones. In an age where a lot of franchises rely on scouts to unearth unknown talent, Tanqib thinks Raina himself might have played a role in CSK buying Rizvi. There were headlines already being written about Rizvi even before the auction when he smashed the most sixes for his team, Kanpur Superstars, in the UP T20 League and also scored two centuries to finish with 455 runs in the tournament.Sameer Rizvi (L) with his coach – and maternal uncle – Tanqib Akhtar•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”CSK must have seen a lot of things in him before buying him, including his skill,” Tanqib says. “I can’t be sure but there’s a chance that Raina might have suggested his name to CSK. Raina had come here to watch one of the UP T20 League games and he had given Sameer the orange cap in that game.”Rizvi had also represented India at Under-19 level and made his Ranji debut at the age of 16 in 2020 but he didn’t get many games. He has already been through some tough phases both on and off the field, having been dropped from the senior side early, and then becoming the main breadwinner at home after his father was diagnosed with a brain haemorrhage three years ago.”Every player goes through phases of not being in the team or not being able to score runs and that’s part of it,” he says. “I couldn’t make the most of the chances I got in the senior side and I gave two trials for Mumbai Indians earlier but didn’t make the cut. This time I was called by all 10 franchises for trials but I made it to only three – Punjab Kings, RCB and Rajasthan Royals – because of my Under-23 games.”Rajiv Shukla sir (former UP cricket association director and now BCCI vice-president) has supported me a lot. He sent me for the junior games when I wasn’t part of the senior side and made me the captain. I could play my natural game then because I got a long run, and then I started getting more senior games and played the T20 league too.”I took it as a positive when I couldn’t play the Under-19 World Cup in 2022. Even Dhoni and he asked me to enjoy this time. I’ve learnt a lot about fielding from him and I ask him a lot of questions, like about a player’s mindset. I have batted many times with him and he always used to say, ‘don’t be nervous, you will find a way to score runs’. In many matches we’ve batted together and I remained unbeaten. He has been a big help.”Throwing a million dollars at a 20-year-old is nothing new for the IPL but it could be life-changing for a young man with a humble background from UP.”My main advice to him will be to remain grounded and not change because of all the money he’s going to earn,” Tanqib says. “The IPL is the first step and he will excel there no matter where he gets to bat. He has matured now and bats accordingly to the match situation, which he didn’t do earlier.”

All the playing XIs at the PSL are required to have an emerging player – that’s worked well for Pakistan cricket

Umar Farooq01-Feb-2022Islamabad UnitedPakistan Under-19 captain Qasim Akram, whose T20 strike rate is 152.04, even though he averages only 14.90 in 21 T20s. He was in Islamabad’s wishlist, and though they tried to get him on board, Karachi Kings used the right-to-match option to retain the allrounder. Qasim will be available only for the league this season, because of his engagements with the Under-19 team at the ongoing World Cup.Why: “He is a truly modern cricketer. He can bat across the batting order and can form a great combination with Shadab [Khan] as a legspinner. He is a gun fielder too, and basically an ideal T20 player.”In the squad: Islamabad went on to pick another emerging player, from Rawalpindi, the offspinning-allrounder Mubasir Khan. As their second pick, they got top-order batter Mohammad Huraira, the second-youngest to score a first-class triple century in Pakistan.Lahore QalandarsAbdul Wahid Bangalzai, who they targeted in the draft, but he went to Quetta Gladiators.Why? “He is exceptionally talented and one of the few technically correct batters in Pakistan at this level. Since he wasn’t meant to be available for the entire PSL, we didn’t go for him in our first pick, but we definitely wanted him. He scored a double-hundred in first-class cricket and is a proper batter who can go a long way. We wanted to be part of his development and help him grow.”In the squad: Zaman Khan, a right-arm fast bowler with a low-slung action, made a name last year in the Kashmir Premier League, playing for Rawalakot Hawks. Qalandars also have Maaz Khan, a legspinner, for the second successive season.Quetta GladiatorsThey got who they wanted – Bangalzai. It was a “pretty straightforward decision,” they said.”He was definitely our prime target. His performances in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and National T20 Cup were solid, his basics are strong, and even against pacer he is really strong. There is a strike-rate issue but that is something he can work on, as he is still young and developing. When a boy is coming up through a proper process and doing well, it’s an easy pick. Also, he belongs to Balochistan, and we definitely would like to elevate a talent from the region. So we have achieved what we wanted to and also picked up another emerging player, Khurram Shehzad, in the silver category.”In the squad: Abdul Wahid Bangalzai and Ashir Qureshi, a legspinner of promise.Multan SultansZaman Khan. Multan had him on their radar in 2018, and the quick bowler with a slingy action was later drafted into Pakistan’s Under-17 circuit, before making his way to the Kashmir Premier League last year.Why? “We got our targets but definitely we had one eye on him, given our past association with him. He is an exciting young boy who already has the skills at this early stage of his career and is improving with every game he plays.”In the squad: Two right-arm quicks, Abbas Afridi and Aamer Azmat.Karachi KingsZaman Khan and Muhammad Zeeshan, a six-foot-eight-inch quick from Faisalabad, who didn’t get a team. But Karachi had all their bases covered with a fast-bowling unit of Mohammad Amir, Chris Jordan, Aamer Yamin, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Imran Jnr and Mohammad Ilyas, from the top categories.”We were dead set about the player we had taken in draft,” they say, explaining why they didn’t make a dash for the youngsters.In the squad: Qasim Akram and offspinner Mohammad Taha.

No bowler before Jasprit Bumrah has got to 200 wickets with an average of less than 20

Shubh Agarwal29-Dec-2024For a bowler whose Test career is laden with breathtaking dismissals, Jasprit Bumrah’s 200th wicket was relatively tame – Travis Head flicking straight to midwicket. Bumrah, however, got to the landmark with incredible numbers, reiterating his status as one of the greatest bowlers.Of the 85 bowlers to have taken 200-plus Test wickets, 12 got there in fewer games than Bumrah, who was playing his 44th Test at the MCG.