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Opting for increased batting insurance is placing a greater workload on India’s MVP – and Jasprit Bumrah is still delivering

Alagappan Muthu26-Dec-20242:08

Manjrekar: India preferring Reddy over Gill not a great call

Boxing Day was going to be hard on the team that had to bowl at the MCG. The heat and lack of moisture was so severe that the Met Department had issued a warning. This is “fire weather,” indicating an increased risk of bush fires if people weren’t careful. It was 38C when Jasprit Bumrah came on for his fourth spell.He has been carrying the Indian attack and not just because the rest have been flat -the team’s selections have also been strange. They picked six bowling options for Melbourne but for the first 50 overs of Australia’s innings they had to turn to the same four over and over again. The two India barely needed – Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy – seem to be in the XI as a safety net for a fragile top order.Test cricket brings time into the game. Batters are required to give risk the cold shoulder here. To prise them out – especially in the harsh weather of Melbourne – specialists are needed. The three India had actually did a good job. Bumrah (22), Mohammed Siraj (16) and Akash Deep (14) induced 52 false shots in the first 30 overs (one every three balls). In total there were 55. Ravindra Jadeja contributed the other three at a rate of one every eight balls.The risks Sam Konstas took kept coming off. His livewire half-century forced India into playing catch-up and playing catch-up is not easy when half the bowling attack comprises batting allrounders. That’s the kind of thing that works in limited-overs games because there, batters are obliged to attack and that increases the chance of making a mistake. You don’t always need a specialist to capitalise on that. Sachin Tendulkar has more five-fors than Shane Warne in ODIs.Related

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So at 237 for 2 in the 66th over, with Marnus Labuschagne on 72 and Steven Smith on 42, India were courting trouble. Then came a bit of luck. Or perhaps a change of luck, considering a lot of their good work didn’t yield results earlier in the innings? Either way, after Labuschagne charged Sundar but couldn’t clear mid-off, all eyes turned to one man. The ball was too old to be threatening. The weather too hot to be outside. The team angry and too far behind. But as soon as Bumrah is at the top of his mark, there’s renewed hope.Rohit Sharma went to him because walking into bat was . Travis Head. Taking him down was vital. All batters are vulnerable early. Even those who have single-handedly whisked Tests that were in the balance and thrust them into match-winning territory. Twice in this series. Bumrah started from around the wicket. He snapped his wrist down on the ball. Head could have seen the shine was on the inside, which normally means it would move away from the left-hander. This one didn’t. It came in and took his off bail. In the slips, Rohit leapt into the air with the same joy kids all over the world would have done 24 hours or so earlier. Tis the season for jaffas.That three-over spell from Bumrah produced nearly as many wickets as India were able to take all day. There was an immediate debrief at stumps with Rohit and the entire coaching staff. Assistant coach Abhishek Nayar then arrived for the press conference and said he was happy with the XI India picked, though he sympathised with Shubman Gill who paid the price for his team hedging its bets.Jasprit Bumrah bowled 21 out of 86 overs on a hot day in Melbourne•Associated PressIndia have changed their combination before every match of this tour. The spinner that played in Perth didn’t play in Adelaide and the spinner that played in Adelaide didn’t play in Brisbane. Harshit Rana is back on the bench. KL Rahul has been pushed down the order. R Ashwin, who might have enjoyed this pitch, has retired. Is all this a horses for courses thing, or is it something else? Australia have only budged to accommodate injury or loss of form.”The thought process [in picking the XI] wasn’t so much batting,” Nayar said, “If there was an overemphasis on batting, then we would have had Shubman in the team. We just think of the balance of the team based on the conditions and what’s ahead of us.”It is pretty obvious that we felt in these conditions, looking at the pitch, having Washi in the bowling attack will give us that variation. Especially towards the end once the ball gets old, post the 50 overs, we felt that is an area that we wanted to get better at. We felt Washi could give us that solidity with Jaddu, especially the way Travis Head and Alex Carey were getting runs lower down, so we felt having an offie in the ranks will provide us with that.”India went back with a share of the day’s spoils because Bumrah bowled 21 of the 86 overs. That’s nearly 25%. Only twice has he bowled more in a day. By the end, he needed to slip off the field for short periods, which meant India delayed taking the new ball until he had spent that time back on the field and could bowl again, and was seen requiring the physio’s attention on his left calf.Those visuals along with the scorecard, which shows Reddy bowling only five overs – some of them with the wicketkeeper standing up – and Washington not being needed until the last over before tea, tell the story of this series. India’s efforts to protect their out-of-form top-order by picking bowlers based on their batting ability is putting a lot of stress on their greatest asset.

Despite the late collapse, Bangladesh find themselves well placed at the end of day two with Mushfiqur, Litton and Shanto scoring runs

Mohammad Isam18-Jun-2025A batting collapse hastened Bangladesh’s first innings towards its end in the Galle Test but the visitors will be more than happy to take 484 for 9 to start their new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.Bangladesh are trying to get out of a long batting slump, so runs from three of their main batters were a welcome sight. Their top six averaged only 24.38 during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, contributing heavily to the team’s indifferent form in the last two years. In a marked improvement, in the first Test of the new cycle, Bangladesh’s top six added 444 of the 484 runs at the end of day two. This was only the third time in the last five years that the top six have scored more than 400 runs in a Test innings.A particular gripe of Bangladesh has been the quality of pitches back home, where they often play on raging turners in Dhaka. Faced with entirely different conditions in Galle, the batters filled their boots in much the same way as they did in 2013. Galle provided Bangladesh their highest total in Test cricket as they put up 638 on the back of Mushfiqur Rahim’s double-century.Related

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Sri Lanka claw back after Mushfiqur 163, Litton 90

Twelve years later, Galle has proven to be Bangladesh’s happy hunting ground again. Mushfiqur once again led the charge with 163, his seventh 150-plus score in Tests. The century helped him get over a form slump since the Pakistan tour in August last year. Litton Das too struck his first half-century in any format since that tour. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto broke an even longer duck when he got a century for the first time since November 2023.Shanto was quite attacking on the first morning, hitting the ball well down the ground. He focused on playing straight, but also employed the sweep whenever the opportunity was right. The Sri Lankan spinners asked him to play the shot, with two fielders behind square on the leg side, and he resisted. When that gap opened up, he unleashed. It was a sign of his maturity.What pleased the Bangladesh team management was the fight shown by Shanto, who was playing with an injured finger. He hurt himself during fielding drills on the eve of the Test, but Mohammad Salahuddin, the team’s assistant coach, said that Shanto shrugged off the pain.”He did play with a swollen finger, but Shanto is a tough guy, ” Salahuddin said. “I don’t think a lot of people would be able to keep their wits about themselves despite going through so much trolling [during his lean run of form]. He is a mentally tough character as a leader, and that helps the rest of the team.”Najmul Hossain Shanto batted with an injured finger•AFP/Getty ImagesAfter Shanto and Mushfiqur added 264 runs for the fourth wicket, Bangladesh’s second-highest fourth-wicket partnership, Mushfiqur and Litton put on 149 for the fifth wicket. Litton pressed on the accelerator during his 90 off 123 balls, especially after Pathum Nissanka put down a catch when he was on 14. Litton kept the spinners at bay with his square-cuts and dabs, often finding a boundary with Mushfiqur consolidating at the other end.”Litton batted with much control. He batted calmly,” Salahuddin said. “I think it was his only bad shot in the game [his dismissal to a reverse sweep]. It can happen in cricket. He can learn from this and play bigger innings. I think he will not repeat the mistake again.”Bangladesh’s team management is meanwhile looking to shake off the late batting collapse, as they hope the bowlers can take advantage of an already decent score. “We batted really well in the first two sessions. We could have done better later. We still have a pretty good total. Maybe tomorrow, if we can bowl well, we can actually control the game,” Salahuddin said. “Our batting could have been a little better in the last session. I still think we have enough runs on the board. If we bowl well, I think we can control the game. We played some bad shots, which is why we lost some wickets.”Bangladesh lost five wickets for 26 runs at the end of the second day, having earlier slipped to 45 for 3 in the first hour on day one. In between, Mushfiqur, Shanto and Litton have given them a lifeline to get over a long batting downturn. Mushfiqur is heading towards his 100th Test later this year, so he will keep going, but for Shanto and Litton, their scores couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time.

How a motley band of expats and part-timers powered the side to their first-ever senior ICC tournament

S Sudarshanan22-Jul-2025Jaspreet Singh inadvertently found himself in the middle of a historic moment. When he bowled the last ball of the men’s T20 World Cup Europe qualifier, Netherlands’ Max O’Dowd pulled it to deep midwicket to give his side a nine-wicket win, but it also sealed Italy’s first-ever qualification for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, alongside Netherlands.Jaspreet moved to Italy from India in 2006 as a cricket-crazy teenager when his father brought the family over to Telgate, a town about 60km north-east of Milan. A few years later, Jaspreet was playing informal tape-ball games and eventually got into the Bergamo Cricket Club, about 40 minutes from his town. He started playing in matches organised by the Italian Cricket Federation (FCRI) from 2016-17, which paved the way to his international debut in 2019.Crishan Kalugamage was 15 when he moved to Lucca, a town in central Italy, from Sri Lanka. He got into athletics for the first five to six years before playing amateur cricket in the local clubs from 2012. Three years later, he was spotted by a coach from Roma Cricket Club and went on to make his international debut in 2022.Related

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The qualification of Italy – the only European team other than Netherlands to make it to the 20-team World Cup – comes at a time when the country’s football is in shambles – the didn’t qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 (for the first time since 1958) and 2022, and are in danger of missing the 2026 edition as well.

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Kevin O’Brien has already been part of some World Cup epics for Ireland as an allrounder. In 2022, he took up a different kind of challenge: he was asked to go over to Italy for a couple of days to review some local players and scout others for their national side. Instead, he ended up becoming Italy’s assistant coach.”It’s absolutely amazing for me as a relatively new coach,” O’Brien tells ESPNcricinfo. “I am still finding my feet in the coaching world, but I am glad to be able to help players achieve something that not many would have thought they would.”O’Brien found Italy to be in a similar situation to what Ireland were in in 2007, when he was part of the team that beat Pakistan and Bangladesh in the World Cup: plenty of enthusiasm, talented players, with belief that they could win matches, but lacking the facilities needed for professional sport.Jaspreet Singh has been part of the national side since 2019•Getty Images”I think I can help the Federation navigate their way through this and identify what they need to improve at home, first and foremost, so that the players coming up in age-group cricket can train in better facilities in Rome or Milan or Bologna and better their skills.”The group of players O’Brien helped identify along with former captain and coach Gareth Berg have largely the same background of either having moved to the country or having familial roots there. Captain Joe Burns’ grandfather was an Italian prisoner-of-war in North Africa, and his family emigrated to Australia after the Second World War. Ben and Harry Manenti’s parents also relocated to Australia after the war for better opportunities. Emilio Gay, Thomas Draca and Grant Stewart’s mothers are Italian while both parents of Anthony and Justin Mosca are from the country. For the likes of Gay, Stewart and the Manenti brothers, among others, playing for Italy doesn’t hamper their chances of playing for England or Australia, should the opportunity arise.Besides O’Brien, Italy also recruited support staff with prior World Cup experience – head coach John Davison, the former Canada captain, played the 2003, 2007 and 2011 World Cups, while assistant coach Dougie Brown played for Scotland at the 2007 World Cup.Two weeks before the Europe qualifier started, the team gathered at the Italian National Olympic Committee (Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano, CONI), the organisation that manages all sport in Italy. With cricket now being part of the Olympics, players are required to be regularly tested for fitness at CONI. After a few sessions there, they trained at the Roma Cricket Club on artificial turf, because Italy has no grass pitches, and then moved to Horsham, in West Sussex, to play three T20 matches against an Abu Dhabi T10 team. A couple of matches against Scotland and Guernsey in the Netherlands also helped lock in roles for every player and iron out any last wrinkles before the Europe qualifier.Peter di Venuto, Italy’s manager for the qualifier, has been part of the set-up since 2023 and a witness to the team’s past fumbles.

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A remarkable ODI played out in Raipur when conditions, injuries and two teams who did not want to give up went head-to-head

Alagappan Muthu04-Dec-20254:31

Gaikwad: I decided I’d try to be consistent in any game this year

Arshdeep Singh didn’t look back. He had done his bit – secured a false shot from Quinton de Kock – and just kept on jogging through. Wake up babe, a new celebrappeal just dropped.A few hours later, the India left-arm quick coaxed another mis-hit. And this time he whipped right round to see if the catch would be taken. On his face was a rare kind of anxiety. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was just north of seeing three dots appearing and disappearing while texting your crush.Arshdeep was on his haunches when Ruturaj Gaikwad did his part and ended Marco Jansen’s stay at the wicket. This game was no longer fun.Signs of South Africa going on to complete the joint-highest chase by any team against India in India began to show up in the 28th over. Rohit Sharma spent more time in Harshit Rana’s ear than at mid-off where he was supposed to field. In the 30th over, he went up to Rohan Pandit, who was making a big step up on Wednesday, umpiring in an India ODI for the first time. Those other four matches in Dubai between USA, UAE and Nepal can’t have possibly prepared him to deal with one of the biggest names in cricket expressing abject displeasure about the condition of the ball.Related

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Pandit went to Rod Tucker, who officiated the 2019 World Cup final, for a little help and he had zero sympathy for India’s plight. Even when India did eventually get a drier Kookaburra, it was whacked straight out of the ground. This game was now just cruel. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was just short of doing a simple stretch at the gym and hearing a very loud rip.”Even scoring 350 is very difficult when batting first,” Gaikwad said at the post-match presentation. “There’s moisture in the wicket in the first ten overs and the ball doesn’t come onto the bat that well. After 34 overs, there’s only one ball and the wicket also slows down, so it’s not easy to hit.We scored 350 in the last match, 360 in this match, so there’s an improvement of ten runs. Any more improvement you probably cannot pre-decide. You can think you will score 380-400, but the opposition is also good, they have got good bowlers. So you cannot have that gameplan.”Conditions did change, as Gaikwad said. The toss did matter, as KL Rahul said. Dew made run-scoring easier, as Aiden Markram said. But through it all an Indian side without Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj kept fighting. A South African side also skewered by injury refused to go away. Tony de Zorzi actually thought he could get the last 31 runs off 31 balls on one functioning leg. One attempt, hopping between the wickets, showed that though he was brave he was being foolish. He ended up watching the rest of the chase from the dugout, still kitted from head to toe.”I feel at phases we bowled really well,” Gaikwad said. “I think first 10-15 overs we bowled really well but after that there was obviously huge amount of dew and because of that the spinners were slightly out of the game and I think after that I feel every South African batter who ever came in chipped really well, played really well. So I think lot of credit goes to them, they batted really well and hats off to them.” He left out the part where the match-winner who went on to make 110 was dropped on 53.Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram were crucial in South Africa’s series-levelling win•BCCIUntil Wednesday, there had only been seven successful chases of even 300-plus scores against India in India. Keeping it there required an enormous effort from the hosts. Some of them came away a little worse for wear. Prasidh Krishna, whose role in the middle overs is to hit the deck, wasn’t getting any purchase. Still the team insisted that he keep trying and he would now hope they see his figures – 15.4 overs for 133 runs – with some leniency.South Africa running down 359 required a lot of composure. By the end, there were echoes of not one but two hall-of-fame finishes. The equation reading 27 off 30 took the mind back to Bridgetown. Keshav Maharaj’s appearance with the series on the line punched a hole straight through to Chennai 2023. The man still has ice in his veins. He was leaving balls in the 48th over, confident in his judgment that Rana’s bouncers were too high and would be called wide.In these situations, Indian cricket grounds become impossible engines. The silence in them turns deafening. This game – sandwiched between a seminal Test series result and T20 World Cup prep – had no business being this dramatic. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was everything.

Galatasaray have escalated their protest over Jhon Duran’s controversial celebration in Sunday’s heated Istanbul derby against Fenerbahce by filing a criminal complaint with the Anadolu Courthouse. The two giants shared the spoils following a 1-1 draw in the 14th matchday of the Turkish Super Lig.

Complaint lands at Anadolu Courthouse after fiery derby draw

It is mostly a fiesty affair when Galatasaray and Fenerbahce lock horns in Istanbul. On Sunday evening, Leroy Sane handed the visitors a lead just before the half-hour mark. Fenerbahce were chasing for the bulk of the game, and just when it seemed that they would have to leave the pitch empty-handed, Duran struck deep into stoppage time. He went on to celebrate in a manner that Galatasaray insist was both provocative and indecent. Though the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) had already dismissed their initial request for disciplinary action, the club elected to take the matter to the courts, accusing the 21-year-old forward of harassment and indecent exposure.

After the match, manager Domenico Tedesco heaped praise on his players. He said: "We wanted to start the first half lightly. We experienced this in the Beşiktaş derby. We played the ball a lot in that match, made dangerous passes, and fell behind 2-0. So, our plan today was to play simple for the first 10-15 minutes. What we wanted to see was Galatasaray defending in their own penalty area. We wanted to play with intensity throughout the match, and I think we did that well. Going down 1-0 at the start of the match is partly due to Sane's individual contribution. In these kinds of matches, things like this can happen against players like that. We controlled the game both at the end of the first half and in the second."

AdvertisementAFPDuran’s meteoric rise before the Turkish storm

Duran left Aston Villa in January in a blockbuster £71 million ($88m) deal to join Al-Nassr, where he continued his prolific form with 12 goals in 18 appearances for the Saudi Pro League club. Before that, he had been one of the Premier League’s most explosive young forwards. Across the first half of the 2024–25 campaign, he hit 12 goals in all competitions for Villa, including spectacular long-range strikes against Everton and Bayern Munich that underlined his potential as one of Europe’s most dynamic attacking prospects. Fenerbahçe secured his services on a season-long loan during the summer window, hoping he would provide the extra cutting edge required in a title race that shows no sign of letting up. In his five Super Lig appearances so far, he has registered two goals and two assists, including the derby equaliser that ignited this week’s uproar.

Tff declines to punish Duran as derby fallout intensifies

Sunday’s derby was tense even by Istanbul standards, with both teams desperate to seize the psychological upper hand in the tight title race. When Duran levelled the match late on, the stadium erupted in noise, but his subsequent celebration sparked immediate fury from Galatasaray players and later from club officials.

Galatasaray officially requested that the TFF take action, but the disciplinary board reviewed the footage and concluded that Duran would not be referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK). Several individuals from both clubs were cited for other incidents surrounding the match, yet Duran’s celebration was deemed not to violate the federation’s code of conduct.

The ruling did little to soothe Galatasaray’s frustration. Soon, the club’s legal representatives had arrived at the Anadolu Courthouse to file criminal charges, arguing the celebration constituted harassment and indecent exposure, which was a serious escalation that took the conflict out of the football authorities’ hands and into the judicial arena. Whether the courts will take up the case remains uncertain. Football-related celebrations rarely enter criminal territory, and it is unclear whether Duran’s actions will meet the legal threshold that Galatasaray allege. For now, however, the complaint itself adds fresh tension to a rivalry that exists on a perpetual knife-edge.

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AFPWhat comes next?

Amid the controversy, Fenerbahce’s focus must quickly turn back to the pitch. Duran’s equaliser ensured the gap between the two clubs remains just one point, preserving the narrowest of margins as the season enters a critical phase. The side return to action on Saturday against Istanbul Basaksehir, a fixture that now arrives under the shadow of the derby row. Tedesco will be eager to shield his players from distraction, particularly as Duran has begun to find consistency in his performances following the adaptation period to Turkish football.

Robert Lewandowski is approaching a defining moment in his career, as the Barcelona striker’s contract expires in June 2026 and while his priority is to stay, the club has yet to make a decision on whether to offer him an extension. Saudi Arabia is not an attractive option, and if Barcelona close the door, retirement is now a genuine possibility for the legendary goalscorer.

Lewandowski's future remains a mystery

The veteran striker Lewa has reached a crossroads, as his contract runs until June 2026, but Barca have not yet committed to extending or redefining his role, leaving one of Europe’s most iconic strikers in an unusual position of waiting. Despite a reduced role this season, Lewandowski remains Barca’s top scorer in La Liga with seven goals, ahead of Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamall and Ferran Torres, proving his efficiency even in limited minutes.

According to a , inside the club offices, there are contrasting evaluations. On one hand, Lewandowski’s continued scoring gives Barca guaranteed quality and leadership. On the other, his departure would free up huge salary space to sign the long-term No.9 the club has been scouting across Europe.

For the Polish international and his family, the preference is clearly to remain in Barcelona. They feel settled in the city and deeply connected to the environment. Moving to Saudi Arabia for a massive contract has not been appealing to him, as per the report, his priority is both competitive level and lifestyle stability. However, the club’s planning is tied to financial structure as much as sporting performance, meaning the coming months will be decisive.

AdvertisementStriker fine with reduced role under Hansi Flick

The 37-year-old does not expect to keep star status or the symbolic leadership role in the dressing room. Instead, he is open to adapting his responsibilities, taking fewer minutes, and even accepting a substitute role if a new striker arrives to lead the project.

His aim is to remain competitive at the highest level, contributing in decisive phases, winning duels in the box and closing the circle of his journey at the club he joined in 2022 with the goal of conquering Spain. The Poland captain views the evolving situation pragmatically, as he will assess his body, performance and the sporting project across this season before making any final judgment.

The club, meanwhile, insist there is time and that no decision will be rushed. Executives point to the second half of the season as the real measure: his influence in big games, physical consistency, and the team’s direction under Hansi Flick will all shape the outcome.

New records and numbers strengthening his case

Lewandowski has continued to produce and, in doing so, has strengthened his argument for staying. His recent hat-trick against Celta Vigo took him to 106 Barcelona goals in just 159 appearances, passing Neymar in the club’s all-time scoring list. He remains within reach of the top 10, a remarkable feat for a player who joined the club in his mid-thirties.

Last season was his best in terms of output at Barca, with 42 goals in 52 matches. This season’s return of seven goals in nine La Liga matches shows he continues to convert chances with elite efficiency. For a club seeking stability upfront while it rebuilds around young players, Lewa continues to offer reliability.

However, the financial reality remains difficult to ignore, shedding his salary next summer would allow Barca to accelerate the signing of their striker of the future. Dusan Vlahovic, Julian Alvarez and Levante prospect Karl Etta Eyong are reportedly among the profiles being monitored.

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AFPIs retirement now a real possibility?

While discussions continue, an unexpected reality has emerged, if Barcelona decide not to renew and no external offer meets both his competitive standards and personal priorities, retirement is a genuine option. 

Should he choose to stop, it would be on his own terms, rather than being pushed out by decline or forced into a league he does not believe aligns with where he wants his career to end. For him, the decision is not about one more contract, but about the value of exiting the game as he entered it: sharp, respected, and fully competitive.

The outcome will likely rest on performance and fitness across the second half of the campaign, but if Lewandowski continues scoring at his current rate, the club will face strong pressure to retain him in a reduced but meaningful role. If form dips, Barcelona may consider an earlier transition.

Meanwhile, the interest from Saudi will remain, and European suitors will wait to see if Barcelona step back. For now, Lewandowski continues to let the football speak. And for now, the goals keep coming.

Two years ago, she was forced to miss the ODI World Cup semi-finals due to Covid-19. At 38, she is excited to have another crack at it, in UAE

Shashank Kishore17-Oct-2024Afy Fletcher, the West Indies legspinner, doesn’t need to look at the clock to know it’s 3pm. It’s as if she is wired with an in-built alarm that is coded as the “good morning call” to her three-year-old back in Grenada.It’s a reflection of Fletcher’s life on tours ever since she returned from an 18-month maternity break in January 2022. At the time, she didn’t think a return was possible. But when she dropped in at a West Indies camp in Barbados, her team-mates and coaches were amazed at her transformed fitness barely a few months into motherhood.That confidence, coupled with her own drive to be an inspiration to other mums, fueled Fletcher’s return at 34. In Dubai, ahead of West Indies’ semi-final at the T20 World Cup, Fletcher reflects on that moment as one of the turning points in a long career that began in 2008.Related

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“It’s overwhelming, it’s unbelievable, it’s a joy,” Fletcher tells ESPNcricinfo about balancing motherhood and competitive sport, which has been her lifelong passion.At the World Cup in UAE, Fletcher has played a key role in West Indies’ run to the semi-finals. Two nights ago in a must-win game, she cut England’s batting line-up to size with a three-wicket haul, before Qiana Joseph delivered the knockout blow.For Fletcher, it’ll be a crack at another semi-final, a prospect she’s excited by. Two years ago in New Zealand, she was forced to miss the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup due to Covid-19. West Indies lost to eventual champions Australia with Fletcher watching it all unfold in quarantine.It’s a feeling she describes as “heart-sinking for being so near, yet so far.””To find out the news before the game was a sinking feeling,” Fletcher says. “You’re like, damn, it’s Covid and you can’t do much. I was in quarantine. You could only go out when alarms would ring at different times during the day. Mentally it was tough.”The only good thing was at least you could go out and get fresh air. My son had just been born; he was back home. As it is, things can be overwhelming being a young mother. Covid made me tougher. Looking back on that journey, I feel blessed to have been able to comeback and give myself another chance.”Initially, I had so many questions. Can I come back? Will my body allow me? Will I have the same level of skills? How can I manage my emotions of being away from my child on tours? But unless you actually put yourself through it, you can’t really tell how strong you are.”Fletcher describes the first few months of return as “really tough on the body” but once she had decided to give cricket another crack, she decided to go all in.Afy Fletcher was part of the title-winning squad in 2016•ICC/Getty Images”I think that was the challenging part, having to get your body back into it gradually,” she says. “You can’t just rush into it because you remember the cuts [from caesarian delivery] and have to be rather cautious. I have no regrets in continuing my career. I mean, it has been challenging, but when you overcome challenges to find success, it makes it all worth it.”I know that I am a role model to some. I know that it will be inspiring to a lot of young girls around the world, whichever profession they’re in. I know that I did make some impact and give them motivation and courage.”Fletcher was part of the victorious squad of 2016, but believes this current group is equally special. “We just go to the nets and try to have fun,” she says. “Most importantly be relaxed. We don’t just sulk around after a defeat. We decided we’re going to still keep that push and that drive, rallying around each other.”

“One of the next things I would love to do is get an academy up and running in Grenada, give back to the game and create a pathway for young girls in my island.”Afy Fletcher

Fletcher says this energy makes her feel younger and want to push for more, even though she’s touching 38 and is among the oldest players at the tournament. Having put in the hard yards, she sees this as a reward for her hard work.It wasn’t always this way. After just two T20Is in 2008, she had to wait for seven years to make a comeback. During this period, she became a football referee to become an assistant in local club games, and started working a full-time job -“secretarial work” – at the ministry of sport in Grenada, until cricket found a way back into her life.In 2014, she moved out of Grenada to Trinidad and Tobago to play club cricket. A season full of wickets for Technocrats fueled her comeback. While doing all of this, Fletcher also finished her Level 1 and 2 coaching certifications to “learn and grow.””Back then when I had much time on my hand, I was always keen on helping young people at training. That was partly why I wanted to get into coaching certifications. Even today, all this success I’ve had in my career, it’s only because I’ve always been hungry to learn.”One of the next things I would love to do is get an academy up and running in Grenada, give back to the game and create a pathway for young girls in my island. I am looking for some support [funding and infrastructure]. If people are reading this, and they’d like to get in touch, I will be delighted to chat with them.”

Arne Slot’s contentious selection decision for Liverpool’s latest in a long litany of defeats was a gamble, alright, but whether it has paid off is anybody’s guess at this stage.

Crystal Palace secured a 3-0 win at Anfield against a second-string home side, and Liverpool are now out of the Carabao Cup. But the tactical fault lines run far deeper, and the Reds know that their upcoming run of games will prove decisive in exactly how the club emerge from this dismal run of form.

Aston Villa travel to Merseyside at the weekend, and then next week’s double header of Real Madrid and Manchester City will perhaps show exactly how Slot will fare over the coming months.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Liverpool have one of the most talented and expensive squads in the world, after all, and have seen a few stars go from strength to strength over the past several months.

Chief among them is the tireless Dominik Szoboszlai, but, despite his smaller role, Federico Chiesa has been just as impressive.

How Chiesa is rebuilding his Liverpool career

Liverpool only signed one player during the 2024 summer transfer window: Chiesa. What a contrast to the window just passed. The Italian arrived for a cut-price £12.5m fee, but injuries and Slot’s wariness kept him on the fringes.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed quite the revival this season, among the most prolific players in Slot’s squad. Despite starting only two matches in all competitions (both of the Reds’ domestic cup fixtures), he has notched two goals and three assists.

And still he waits for his first Premier League start of the season. Chiesa is earning starts on tournamental fronts but will perhaps feel somewhat aggrieved by sitting in the centre on Wednesday evening, flanked as he was by teenagers Rio Ngumoha and Kieran Morrison.

Hugo Ekitike

13

6 (1)

Mohamed Salah

13

4 (3)

Cody Gakpo

13

4 (3)

Federico Chiesa

10

2 (3)

Alexander Isak

8

1 (1)

Florian Wirtz

13

0 (3)

Rio Ngumoha

7

1 (0)

Chiesa has in the past proved he has the talent to sit alongside the world’s best forwards. He has been deeply unfortunate with injuries, but his mental fortitude and underlying talent are beginning to shine, and there is a real chance for him to lay down a marker over the coming months, especially when you consider Mohamed Salah will be away at AFCON come January.

Liverpool's new version of Chiesa

Last season, Chiesa drifted through Liverpool’s title-winning campaign. Clearly, he was a talented player who had the skills to make a mark, but for whatever reason, Slot opted against unleashing him.

Now that he’s seen Calvin Ramsay put in a fine showing against Crystal Palace, the Dutch coach may want to avoid repeating that same mistake. Right-back Ramsay has not played much football over the past several years, but he showed what he can do against the Eagles.

The 22-year-old was composed on the ball and looked to progress play forward when the chance arose. In the first half, he played a Trent-esque diagonal cross over to Ngumoha, demonstrating a range of strings on his bow.

Liverpool signed Ramsay from Aberdeen in July 2022, adding him to the squad for an initial £4m fee. Jurgen Klopp once said “the sky is the limit” for the one-cap Scotland international, but a low-hanging fog has clouded his potential over the past three years, restricting him to just three first-team appearances for the Merseysiders and a string of unsuccessful loan spells.

But there’s a real player in there.

Against Palace, the Scotsman won six duels, made seven recoveries and four clearances, as per Sofascore. Promising stuff, even if the rust was clear to see, losing the ball 19 times despite not creating a chance.

Like Chiesa, Ramsay has been shaken by injuries over the past several years, and at the early stage of his career, this has had a detrimental impact on his hopes of getting going at the highest level.

Liverpool have lost six of their past seven matches in all competitions, with that emphatic win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League an outlier born from the Germans’ own deep defensive deficiencies.

Analytical Reds writer Sam McGuire even said that Slot’s decision to exclude Ramsay previously is “a sackable offence”. Of course, we must take this as tongue in cheek, but it does underline the quality of talent Liverpool have in this Scottish defender, and it’s certainly frustrating that he is now unavailable for the men’s team over the next few months.

Chiesa stands a real chance of continuing to go from strength to strength in Liverpool’s senior squad this year, adding a dimension that Slot simply cannot ignore.

With Jeremie Frimpong not quite a natural full-back and Conor Bradley’s performances leaving something to be desired, might there not be a chance for Ramsay to sneak his way into the club’s plans too?

The defeat to Crystal Palace, the third of the campaign, emphasised the scale of Liverpool’s plight at the moment, with wholesale changes and a bench full of youngsters backing firing on a head coach who now stares down the barrel of a gun, preparing to take on some of Europe’s most threatening outfits.

He will need every tool at his disposal, and allowing Ramsay to taste some more action might not be the worst thing in the world for a side currently lacking solutions.

Van Dijk's new Matip: Liverpool now chasing "sensational" Guehi alternative

Liverpool are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements in 2026.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 29, 2025

231-run stand between 36-year-old club captain and 20-year-old rookie sets up home win

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay20-Aug-2025Tom Westley and Charlie Allison chalked up career-best List A scores while posting a 231-run third-wicket partnership that underpinned Essex’s third successive Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory.The Essex captain’s 141 was his eighth List A century, while Allison’s 131 was his first in the white-ball format but his fourth of a summer in which the 20-year-old has established himself as a forceful and elegant middle-order stroke-maker. As a statistical curiosity, both players’ innings lasted 113 balls.Allison slammed five sixes and 15 fours, while Westley chipped in with 16 fours and three sixes. Simon Harmer made sure the target was beyond Glamorgan with a 22-ball cameo including four sixes in 42 and then ripped through the visitors’ brittle batting with best bowling figures of 5 for 47.Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson smashed four sixes in a defiant 36-ball 64, and Asa Tribe a pedestrian 71 from 79, but it only delayed the inevitable in a day-night match that barely reached nightfall. The reigning champions, still without a win this season, succumbed to 181 all out to lose by 190 runs inside 33 overs.Having elected to bat on a well-used hybrid wicket, Essex lost both openers inside the first eight overs. Matt Critchley attempted to loft Zain ul Hassan straight down the ground, instead hitting high but barely clearing the square, before Robin Das fizzed a delivery from Ned Leonard low to backward point.However, Essex’s tentative start gave way to a free-flowing partnership. Both batsmen dealt almost exclusively in boundaries for a spell, Allison hitting three in an over from Dan Douthwaite. He also added back-to-back fours off Carlson, the first through extra cover, the second a very late cut, before launching the off-spinner over long-off for six.Westley was no less aggressive, whipping Leonard through midwicket, driving the same bowler through the covers and next ball hooking a third boundary. Allison brought up the century partnership with a second six over long leg off Ben Morris. A third six over extra cover off Asa Tribe took Allison beyond his previous best of 85 as well as marking the pair’s 150-run stand. Soon after, he turned Leonord off his legs to reach a 92-ball hundred.Neither player gave a chance until Westley, on 99, drove uppishly to short extra cover where he was dropped by a leaping Henry Hurle while reaching three figures from 93 balls.Eddie Byrom dropped Allison at deep square leg on 126 but made amends shortly after when he held on at cow corner to give Tribe the first of two wickets in four balls. Luc Benkenstein sliced to long-off to give Hurle some compensation.Westley added two more sixes but fell to a similar catch in a similar position to the same fielder as Allison to complete the symmetry of their respective innings.Harmer kept up the barrage before he was caught in the deep from the last ball of the innings to give ul Hassan a third wicket.Jamie Porter struck with his first ball in Glamorgan’s reply when he had Byrom edging to slip and Shane Snater upped the pressure when Hurle nicked behind in only the fifth over.However, Kiran Carlson took up the challenge almost single-handedly. He dominated the first fifty runs of the 78-run third-wicket stand, to which Tribe contributed just seven, and reached his own half-century from 31 balls with an audacious reverse-sweep off Harmer for his third six. A fourth maximum, to cow corner off Benkenstein, followed before he fell, driving Harmer to mid-off.Then the collapse began in earnest. Will Smale lasted just four balls before attempting a lavish sweep against Benkenstein and was lbw. Billy Root didn’t hang around much longer, sweeping Harmer to the square-leg boundary, while ul Hassan’s three-ball stay ended when he was caught behind. Harmer claimed a simple caught-and-bowled to remove Douthwaite and then bowled Tribe for his fifth wicket.