Yash Dhull’s 92 and Manav Suthar’s unbeaten 56 made life briefly uncomfortable for Vidarbha

Sreshth Shah05-Oct-2025Rest of India’s Yash Dhull produced a valiant 92 in the fourth innings to briefly threaten a come-from-behind win, but Vidarbha tore down his resistance to win the 2025-26 Irani Cup for the third time since 2017-18.Starting the final day at 30 for 2 in pursuit of a 361-run target, Rest of India lost overnight batter and captain Rajat Patidar early when he drove uppishly for a caught-and-bowled to Aditya Thakare. Ruturaj Gaikwad then lasted only 19 balls before edging Darshan Nalkande to the wicketkeeper.Ishan Kishan, the other overnight batter, lost his patience after 64 balls and came down the wicket to hole out on 35 to deep midwicket off left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey. When Saransh Jain was lbw off left-arm spinner Harsh Rakhade, Rest of Irani were reeling at 133 for 6.However, 22-year-old Dhull, batting at No. 6, gave Rest of India hope by scoring at a brisk rate alongside a more subdued Manav Suthar in a 104-run seventh-wicket stand. Dhull struck eight fours and a six for a 117-ball 92 before playing an uppercut off Yash Thakur to deep third that couldn’t clear the boundary. The frustration – and relief – was clearly visible on the faces of the namesakes as they exchanged words after the dismissal. Next ball, Thakur cleaned up Anshul Kamboj’s stumps with a length ball jagging in, and with Rest of India at 237 for 8, victory was in sight for Vidarbha.When Dubey tossed one up to Akash Deep next, his expansive cover drive found air and when he looked back, his poles were flattened. Suthar battled on with the No. 11 Gurnoor Brar to earn his sixth first-class fifty. Dubey picked off the final wicket to finish with 4 for 73.Earlier in the game, Vidarbha rode on Atharva Taide’s 143 and Yash Rathod’s 91 in the first innings to post 342. Thakur then took a four-for to skittle Rest of India for 214 despite half-centuries from Patidar and Abhimanyu Easwaran. A four-wicket haul from Kamboj in the third innings then restricted Vidarbha to 232. But a target of 361 in the fourth innings turned out to be too steep for Rest of India.

The former Australia batter will take over from Matthew Mott, who was fired after the franchise had lost their last five games in MLC 2025

Tristan Lavalette02-Dec-2025Outgoing Western Australia head coach Adam Voges will take the reins of Seattle Orcas in next season’s Major League Cricket as he furthers his leadership credentials on the T20 franchise circuit.Voges replaces Australian compatriot Matthew Mott, who was fired after Orcas lost their first five games of the 2025 season. Having recently announced that he will step down as WA head coach at the end of the current domestic season, it was widely anticipated that Voges would take up a senior role at an MLC franchise.”I am very excited to be joining the Seattle Orcas for the upcoming season,” Voges said. “The MLC competition continues to grow and I look forward to working with the owners, players and staff to help bring success both on and off the field.”Overseeing an incredible run of success for WA after replacing Justin Langer in 2018, Voges has long been touted as a successor to Australia head coach Andrew McDonald whose current contract runs through to 2027. McDonald has indicated that he is unlikely to seek an extension having been in the job since early 2022.Voges has previously coached Australia A and worked with the national side.In the meantime, Voges has decided to further his coaching development through T20 franchise cricket. As flagged by ESPNcricinfo, Voges has joined Trent Rockets in the Hundred as an assistant coach.WA Cricket are continuing discussions with Voges about staying on as Perth Scorchers head coach in the BBL having led the franchise to back-to-back titles in BBL11 and 12. Voges also twice lifted the trophy as captain of Scorchers.Related

Seattle Orcas part ways with coach Mott

Assistants Beau Casson and Tim MacDonald will likely be in the mix to replace Voges as WA head coach.Voges, who averaged a remarkable 61.87 from 20 Tests for Australia, will be tasked with lifting Orcas back up the ladder. After making the final in MLC’s debut season, Orcas won just four of 17 games across 2024-25.”We are thrilled to welcome Adam Voges to the Seattle Orcas family,” Orcas chief Hemant Dua said. “He brings a proven pedigree of winning, a distinctive ability to develop world-class talent, and a deep understanding of the nuances of T20 franchise cricket.”His dominant run with Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers speaks to his expertise. We believe Adam’s calm demeanor, tactical intelligence, and commitment to building a high-performance culture will be pivotal as we aim for the Major League Cricket title.”We are building something special in Seattle, and Adam is undoubtedly the right person to lead the charge.”Orcas are co-owned, among others, by GMR Group and JSW Sports, who are also co-owners of Delhi Capitals in the IPL and WPL, and their entities in SA20 (Pretoria Capitals) and UAE’s ILT20 (Dubai Capitals).

He’s bowling better than he is batting at the moment. Can he change that against his former team?

Shashank Kishore17-Apr-20255:15

What has gone wrong for Maxwell?

Nearly a year ago, Glenn Maxwell took a mid-season break during a lean run for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), having scored just 32 runs in six innings at an average of 5.33. He need time to refresh and reboot.Maxwell had entered IPL 2024 in red-hot form, with 552 runs at 42.46 and a 185.85 strike rate in his previous 17 T20s. He also had a strong BBL season – 325 runs in nine innings at a 186.78 strike rate.A year on in IPL 2025, things are eerily similar. He started the season for Punjab Kings (PBKS) with a golden duck against Gujarat Titans when he tried to reverse-sweep R Sai Kishore in Ahmedabad.Related

• RCB return home aiming to avoid a hat-trick of defeats

Despite a strong lead-up, Maxwell averages just 8.20 after five innings in this IPL.Maxwell’s struggles have been worsened by spin – four of his five dismissals have come against it. It’s a stark contrast to his early RCB days, when he built his reputation as a spin-hitter. In RCB’s run to the playoffs in 2021, Maxwell averaged 52.8 and struck at nearly 155. Since last year, his average against spin has plummeted to 4.87.”It’s a hard one, to decipher how Maxwell operates, his run of consistency or otherwise,” former RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar said on ESPNcricinfo T20 Time Out. “Those three years at RCB, he had a couple of batters around him who took the attention away from him.”There was Virat [Kohli], Faf du Plessis – he wasn’t really the main guy the team looked up to for miracles. He was expected to do those impactful performances, and he was delivering quite well. Here in a new role [at PBKS], he’s batting slightly lower down the order as well, for me they’re still looking at him as a primary overseas batter, which wasn’t the case with RCB.”

“I’m a little critical, but there are times where as a player you need to wake up.”Pujara on Maxwell

Maxwell’s spin woes appear India-specific, with a lower aggressive shot percentage than elsewhere. Since IPL 2024, he’s fallen six times to spin off just 13 attacking shots – nearly a dismissal every two balls, something RCB would have taken note of when they face him on Friday.They will have three spinners – Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, and Suyash Sharma – to use as match-ups against Maxwell. While Livingstone hasn’t bowled to Maxwell in the IPL, Krunal has dismissed him three times, with Maxwell striking at just 120.”For the first two-three games, we saw a different Maxwell, he was trying to take the bowling on from ball one,” Bangar said. “In the last two innings, he was happy to spend some time in the middle. Till the time he got out to Varun [Chakravathy’s] googly [in the previous game against KKR], he was giving himself time, played good cricketing shots.”He played a back foot drive past point. If he’d started with this approach, the pressure wouldn’t have been so much. Now it’s this way or that. I don’t think Punjab will be patient to stick with him if they were to drop a couple of games, by which time the season would be on the line.”Glenn Maxwell has not been able to find his form in IPL 2025•Punjab KingsSo far, PBKS have backed Maxwell, benching Marcus Stoinis in their previous game to bring in Josh Inglis. Maxwell has contributed with the ball, taking four wickets at an economy of 8.46 in six innings, and often bowling in the powerplay. But how long a rope can PBKS give him because of his bowling?Numbers between 2021 and 2023 – among his most formidable years in the IPL – make a case for moving him up to No. 4, where he scored 908 runs at a 157.36 strike rate. But that would mean demoting the in-form Nehal Wadhera.Cheteshwar Pujara, Maxwell’s team-mate at Punjab in 2014, called his approach “casual,” attributing his poor form to over-attacking. “The way he bats hasn’t changed much,” Pujara said. “He hasn’t changed the way he has approached the IPL. There have been times where he’s been a little casual. He’s the same what he was maybe eight-ten years ago. I’m a little critical, but there are times where as a player you need to wake up.”You need to realise you’re getting an opportunity to play and be part of a franchise where things are at stake. And there are times a player can get casual, they’re not worried about what’s happening. I’m sure he wants to perform but when you’re not performing there’s a fine line of being causal and just trying to pull up your socks and trying to perform. He has to find that balance, if there was any other player he would’ve been out of the XI, but because he’s Maxwell he’s getting that opportunity.”Maxwell now returns to a venue where he strikes at 171 across 18 IPL innings, including three fifties. The Chinnaswamy Stadium is also the scene of his unbeaten 113 off 55 balls for Australia in a T20I in 2019.With his form under scrutiny, Friday night might just be Maxwell’s chance to flip the script this season. Will PBKS give him that opportunity?

Kate Cross has lost her England contract, capping a difficult month in which she also learned she had been overlooked for the World Cup.Cross revealed that England Women’s head coach Charlotte Edwards and director of cricket Jonathan Finch had told her during a post-season appraisal in August that her central contract wouldn’t be renewed, after playing 102 matches for her country across formats in an international career spanning nearly 12 years.”I had my appraisal with Lot and Finchy, our director of cricket, and they just told me that I’m not going to get my England contract renewed next year,” Cross said in a pre-recorded segment for the latest episode of , the podcast that she co-hosts with best friend and former team-mate Alex Hartley. “So as of October this year, 2025, I will not be a professional cricketer for England anymore.””I was dreading saying that, I feel sick,” Cross added in the episode released on Tuesday.Cross had her appraisal in early August, on the eve of the Hundred, in which she was ultimately part of the Northern Superchargers side that won the title, and learned of her World Cup omission partway through the tournament. She also revealed that Edwards had approached her after the Hundred to be a reserve for the World Cup.”I had a phonecall with Lottie at the end of the Hundred where she was like: ‘Look if you’re willing, can you keep training through October? Because if an injury goes down to one of the seamers, we are going to need you.’ That’s the bit I’m finding tough, because the end point isn’t now for me,” Cross said. “I’m back at Old Trafford next week bowling. It’s not been great. But I also have to think if an injury does go down, I have to go and be ready to play for England in a World Cup.”Cross claimed two wickets in the Hundred final to help power Northern Superchargers to the title•Julian Finney/Getty Images

With England Women’s central contracts due to be announced in December, Cross said she had a bad feeling about her future at the end of England’s home ODI series with India, which the hosts lost 2-1 in late July.”I started the India series opening the bowling for England as vice-captain, and I finished that series not even making the 13 that was named the night before, for the squad to play in that last ODI,” Cross said. “Lottie said to me, in a chat the day before the game, that it was a must-win game and I’m not part of the 13. As a cricketer who’s always prided myself on being a reliable bowler for your captain, who would hopefully stand up in big moments and do what I’ve done for a while for England, that was pretty tough to hear. I felt like a lot of trust had been lost quite quickly.”I’m not daft, I’m old enough and wise enough, and been around the block plenty of times to know that something’s happened there that might mean my future is maybe in a little bit of jeopardy.”When I came out of that India series, I felt a little bit lost and I didn’t feel like Lottie trusted me that much, having started the series where I did. I even said to Lottie, ‘I’m not daft, I know I didn’t bowl great (in the first ODI) at Southampton’. I didn’t feel like it was a droppable offence, but I know that wasn’t me at my best.”Cross wondered whether the back injury that she sustained in South Africa last year meant she had “lost a little bit of something”. Though she remained with the squad for England’s subsequent Ashes campaign in Australia, she didn’t play a match as England were whitewashed by seven matches to none.”That’s the stuff that you come to terms with, I guess, but I don’t quite feel like that’s the case,” she said. “I feel like I still have a lot to give the team and I know everyone that gets pushed out will say that, they’ll say that they always still felt like they’ve got stuff to give.Related

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“I’m so aware that my international career had to come to an end at some point, and it was going to be unlikely that I’d get to do it on my terms, because not many people get the privilege of finishing it on their terms. So I always knew that this would be probably how it was done, that I wouldn’t be ready for it.”But I think it’s just the speed of it. I honestly think in a couple of months’ time, a couple of years’ time, I might look back and be really pleased at how quickly it all happened, so I’ve not had to do that year of getting phased out and doing drinks and stuff like that. But I’m also sat here questioning whether I want to play cricket again.”With all this going on, Cross was also part of the Lancashire side which won the inaugural Metro Bank One Day Cup Women’s title on Sunday. She was unsure whether she would seek out a domestic contract for next year and said she would spend the winter away from the game deciding what she wanted to do.”Lottie has, to be fair to her, kept reaching out saying, ‘can we have a chat?’ and I’m like, there’s no point for me yet because I don’t know what to say,” Cross said. “I don’t have anything to say to you that’s going to make me feel better.”The chat might make her feel better, but I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. That almost feels like something that might happen next year or in two years’ time, or maybe never.”

حسم خوان لابورتا رئيس برشلونة الجدل حول فكرة تسمية ملعب سبوتيفاي كامب نو بـ ملعب ليونيل ميسي، كما أشار لموقف النادي من دخول سوق الانتقالات الشتوية المقبلة.

وكانت تقارير صحفية قد ترددت أن هناك اقتراحات تتعالى في برشلونة بشأن مزيد من إعطاء التقدير والتكريم للأسطورة الأرجنتينية بتسمية ملعب الكامب نو الجديد باسمه.

وقال لابورتا في تصريحات نشرتها “Barca Universal”: “لن نطلق اسم ميسي على الملعب، لا أعتقد أن هذا هو الخيار الأمثل، سيبقى الملعب سبوتيفاي كامب نو”.

وحول تكريم ميسي بمنحه تمثالاً في ملعب الكامب نو: “ليس هناك قرار نهائي ونهتم بأمور أخرى، لن يفتتح تمثال ميسي خارج الكامب نو إلا عندما يكتمل الملعب بالكامل، يجب إنجازه بدقة وليس بشكل سريع”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. ميسي يختار أفضل مدرب في التاريخ.. ويكشف عن طموح الأرجنتين في كأس العالم

ودعم لابورتا مدافع برشلونة رونالد أراوخو بسبب الأزمة النفسية التي يمر بها: “أراوخو شخص حساس وعاطفي ويحتاج للدعم، لعب وهو يعاني من الألم والآن علينا مساعدته على التعافي نفسياً وجسدياً”.

وسئل لابورتا عن فكرة تعاقد برشلونة مع صفقة من العيار الثقيل: “برشلونة مستعد للتعاقد مع لاعب من الطراز العالمي ولكن فقط إذا كان ذلك ضرورياً حقاً، إن وجود عدد كبير من النجوم الكبار في نفس الفريق فكرة غير ناجحة وهناك أمثلة حية على ذلك من حولنا”.

وأشاد لابورتا بالمدرب هانز فليك: “هو مدرب صريح ومباشر للغاية ويستحق احترام اللاعبين، لا يتوقف عن البحث عن حلول، شخصيته تناسب هذا الفريق تماماً”.

وأكمل حول ما تردد عن طلبات فليك لتدعيم برشلونة في سوق الانتقالات الشتوية: “يريد التعاقد مع جناح، نحتاج لبدائل ولكن فقط بالمواصفات المناسبة”.

وأتم رئيس برشلونة تصريحاته عن روبرت ليفاندوفسكي ومصيره بعد نهاية عقده هذا الموسم: “يجب أن نتحدث مع ديكو حول وضعه، ليفاندوفسكي عانى من تراجع مستواه لكنه يسجل مرة أخرى، لدينا لاعب مخضرم يرشد الشباب وتأثيره مهم جداً في غرفة الملابس”.

Visitors ensure third-placed finish, while Kent pick up the wooden spoon

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay27-Sep-2025

Derbyshire 698 for 6 dec (Reece 211, Madsen 198, Andersson 85, Donald 55, Dal 52*) beat Kent 271 (Ekansh 71, Dawkins 61, Morley 5-99) and 198 (Compton 65, Evison 53, Reece 5-63) by an innings and 229 runsDerbyshire routed Kent by an innings and 229 runs in their final Rothesay County Championship match of the season at Canterbury.Luis Reece, who scored 211 in Derbyshire’s only innings, took 5 for 63, while Ben Aitchison and Zak Chappell both took two wickets apiece as the visitors sealed third place in Division Two. Ben Compton was Kent’s top scorer with 65 but the home side already knew they would finish bottom, regardless of the outcome.Kent began day four on 135 for 5 in their second innings, 291 behind, and their tissue-paper thin hopes of avoiding defeat faded when they lost Harry Finch in the fourth over of the morning, lbw to Aitchison for 14.Aitchison, whose sister Holly is in the England squad for today’s Rugby World Cup final with Canada, then got the key wicket of Compton, again lbw and although Corey Flintoff hung around for 35 balls, he eventually pulled Chappell straight to Aneurin Donald at square leg and was caught for 11.Grant Stewart gave a sparse crowd some entertainment, hooking Chappell for six, but the bowler than had Matt Parkinson caught by Donald at short leg for a six-ball duck.The visitors concluded a win that had looked inevitable for the best part of three days when Michael Cohen flashed at Reece and was caught by a diving Brooke Guest, also without scoring. The wicket meant Reece became only the 51st person worldwide to score a double-century and take five wickets in a first-class match.

Jude Bellingham has been handed a 2026 World Cup boost, with Nigel Winterburn exclusively telling GOAL that he does not expect Thomas Tuchel to overlook any “big names” when it comes to piecing together his England squad. There will inevitably be some disappointed performers when a 26-man group is named, but said selection will be loaded with talent.

Strength in depth: Who will make England's 2026 World Cup squad?

The Three Lions boast strength in depth across just about every department, with quality cover able to step in and counter any untimely form and fitness issues. Tuchel finds himself in the enviable position of dipping into a star-studded talent pool.

The odd question has been asked of England’s defensive options – particularly at left-back, where nobody has nailed down that role – but there is an abundance of options heading forward.

Harry Kane is the undisputed No.9 for his country, and the man in charge of the captain’s armband, with nobody breathing heavily down his neck just yet. When it comes to playmaking berths and wide attacking posts, picks become a little trickier to settle upon.

Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham and Morgan Gibbs-White all harbour dreams of making the plane heading to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

They cannot all get the nod. Questions have been asked of whether Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ Bellingham could be left behind, with Tuchel making it clear that he will not bring any divisive characters with him that threaten to disturb collective harmony.

AdvertisementBellingham under threat: Will Real Madrid star make the cut?

Quizzed on whether he can see Tuchel leaving a so-called ‘big name’ behind, ex-Three Lions defender Winterburn – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “No, I don’t. It would depend on who considers what player to be a big name. We are already seeing that Thomas Tuchel is about the team. He’s not afraid to make decisions, it doesn’t look like he is going to pamper anybody. You could flip it round a bit and say there are some players that we think might be there but due to form or injury won’t make the squad. Our attacking talent out wide is huge. I would suggest that there may be one or two of those players that may not make the squad. That is simply because of the amount of numbers we have got in those positions.”

Getty Images

Tuchel warning & encouraging words from Henderson

Tuchel said when warning the likes of Bellingham and Palmer – who have missed games due to injury – that nobody is guaranteed a place in his squad: “For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don’t collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance.”

Those that work alongside Bellingham remain adamant that he is a positive presence in the England squad. Jordan Henderson has said of a player that he struck up a close bond with at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: “He is very special, very special. We have a few special players in this squad, to be fair. But, with Jude, I think we all knew he was a very special player when he first came into the squad. The way he trains, the way he lives his life around football, loves the game, wants to improve and there is the ability that he has on the pitch. He is a world-class player and I know there will be a lot of stories and a lot of headlines, but for him, it is just about focusing on football.”

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Getty Images SportWorld Cup draw date: When England will discover group stage opponents

There will be another international break in March, as Bellingham and Co get a final opportunity to prove their worth to Tuchel. For now, though, everyone connected with the England camp is waiting to discover who they will face in the 2026 World Cup group stage – with that draw set to take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on December 5.

Wolves fans orchestrated a powerful demonstration against controversial owners Fosun International during Monday’s 4-1 defeat to Man United, with an update coming to light on the future of the club.

Wolves linked with potential takeover amid torrid campaign

Supporters boycotted the opening 15 minutes of their heavy loss to highlight growing discontent with the Chinese conglomerate’s stewardship, and tensions have now reached boiling point.

The Old Gold Pack supporter group coordinated the protest, urging fellow fans to remain outside Molineux whilst displaying banners demanding change.

Multiple fan organisations, including Wolves 1877 Trust, Talking Wolves and Punjabi Wolves provided backing, describing the demonstration as “peaceful but unmistakable.”

Fosun acquired Wolves for £45 million in 2016, initially delivering impressive progress that even saw the club reach the Europa League quarter-finals under Nuno Espírito Santo.

However, supporters now view recent years as representing ‘managed decline’, with the systematic sale of key players, including Matheus Cunha’s £62.5m departure to United most recently, failing to result in adequate replacements.

The club currently sit rock bottom of the Premier League with two points from 15 games, not to mention zero wins, and are now 13 points adrift from safety.

Rob Edwards has struggled to generate momentum since arriving from Middlesbrough last month, with relegation appearing increasingly inevitable.

Fosun currently value Wolves at north of £350 million, with maligned American businessman, John Textor, previously submitting a ‘surprise’ estimanted £400 million offer (talkSPORT).

This proposal was made up of £150 million cash upfront plus £262.million in shares, though Fosun rejected the approach whilst maintaining the club’s ‘not for sale’ stance.

The ownership group instead seeks minority investment rather than an outright sale, though this stance contradicts supporters’ demands for wholesale change.

Executive chairman Jeff Shi faces particular criticism, with protesters displaying “Shi out” banners throughout Monday’s fixture.

Wolves now want to sign 'top talent' from Man City with player set to leave in January

Rob Edwards’ side need inspiration from somewhere.

ByEmilio Galantini 6 days ago

Financial implications weigh heavily, with relegation potentially costing over £60 million in revenue based on 2023-24 accounts showing a £177.7 million turnover. Historical precedent suggests the club’s value could plummet by £200 million should they drop into the Championship.

Bearing this in mind, a report this week by Football Insider makes sense.

Wolves will be 'forced to accept' cut-price takeover bid

According to their information, Wolves’ owners ‘will be forced to accept a cut-price offer’ if they decide to sell.

Given the club’s woes right now, Fosun’s negotiating position to demand their £350m valuation weakens by each passing day, with the club marooned bottom of the table and staring a drop to the Championship in the face.

However, the noise remains that, for the time being, they’re not interested in selling and only seek minority investment, according to Football Insider.

Wolves are also looking to be active in the January transfer window, even if it could be too little, too late.

Textor is now reportedly ready to make an official approach to buy Derby County instead, but according to former Botafogo president Carlos Augusto Montenegro, Wolves may have dodged a bullet.

He has been one of cricket’s most laidback vibes for years but in leadership is revealing some of his more intense, driven, and occasionally unforgiving forms

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Jun-2025″Most teams sort of become an image of their captain, right?” These were the thoughts of Brendon McCullum, who over a 21-year career in international cricket has perhaps shaped the tenor of Test-match cricket more than any other single figure this century.Right now, this Sri Lanka Test team is being crafted by Dhananjaya de Silva. And his cricketing DNA and his vision for where the team could go are all over the enterprise. The team, increasingly, is becoming a reflection.For starters, there is an emphasis on utility. How many skills can you bring to the table is a primary question. De Silva frequently fields at slip himself, is the kind of captain who finds reasons to bowl his offspin, has just launched himself up the order to No. 4, and cannot stand letting a game drift. If wickets are not forthcoming, there is a new field in place, a new angle of attack he encourages, a fresh problem he puts in front of the batter to solve. There is, you sense, no play that he doesn’t want to be part of.Related

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Hit the deck, break a neck, still no cheque: the quiet sacrifice of SL's red-ball quicks

Kusal Mendis counterattack balloons Sri Lanka's lead before Bangladesh collapse

It follows that this Sri Lanka XI for the Colombo Test has two spin-bowling allrounders, an opener and a No. 3 who can potentially keep wicket (Lahiru Udara stood in for 38.4 overs as Kusal Mendis was unavailable through injury). Then there is one frontline bowler who can bowl with either arm and can bat a bit, one top-order batter who bowls a bit with either arm, a left-arm seamer, a right-arm seamer, and a spin bowler who is frequently happy to strap the pads on and produce a brave showing as nightwatcher.This is, essentially, a team of generalists. If you’re going to specialise, buddy, you better be damn good at that one thing. The three single-discipline players – Pathum Nissanka, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando – have all acquitted themselves nicely in this match. It’s worth mentioning on Asitha and Vishwa’s behalf that de Silva has insisted that more seam bowlers play home Tests for Sri Lanka, despite having been blooded in a team that found seam bowling at home essentially redundant in the late 2010s.De Silva himself has not been in especially good batting form, but he has found ways to be central to Sri Lanka’s progress in this series. He has also been visibly more of a general than he has previously been. On day three, he took two vital wickets, pinning form batter Najmul Hossain Shanto in front of the stumps soon after having Mominul Haque caught at slip. He also dismissed Mominul in the first innings.De Silva began this WTC cycle by laying out to his team how intently he wanted them to get to the final•AFP/Getty ImagesDe Silva’s bowling is not especially menacing – he doesn’t get the kind of drift or the ragging turn, or possess the subtleties that might make him a wicket-taking option on flatter tracks. But on pitches that give him a little to work with – left-armers’ footmarks, a little dryness underneath the surface, a tackiness off the deck – he can find ways to strike. He already has more Test wickets than Angelo Mathews or Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka players he can be most readily compared to.This is the first World Test Championship [WTC] cycle he is in charge of from the beginning, so he seems especially intent on putting his mark on what he sees as a trophy campaign. Although for captains such as Ben Stokes, “there was nothing wrong with Test cricket before” the WTC, for the likes of de Silva, it has become a cycle to build an entire team identity around. In the first two Tests of this cycle, there have been three debutants. Milan Rathnayake, another allrounder, may not have been elevated to international cricket as he has had de Silva not been a key decision-maker.De Silva himself had revealed that he told his team how close they had been to the last WTC final, and how intently he wanted them to get to that final in this cycle. Kamindu Mendis, Sri Lanka’s best Test batter of the last 18 months, affirmed that that was a major driver.”We were close in the last two cycles,” Kamindu said. “In the one just past, we actually had a big opportunity. Honestly, our team plan is built around the WTC. We’re trying to correct the mistakes of the last two cycles. This time, we’ve got a good start. If we keep going like this, I think we can achieve what we are aiming for.”Aesthetically, de Silva has been one of cricket’s most laidback vibes for years. He plays in a long-sleeved jersey with a popped half-collar. His drives are pure. His pulls are languid. Even the sweeps have grace. The sleeve tattoo on his arm has a floral design. In nine years of international cricket, there have never been angry de Silva moments. There have been plenty of chill ones.This is a cricketer comfortable with the softer parts of his personality, but who, in leadership, is now revealing some of his more intense, driven, and occasionally unforgiving forms. If he is fashioning this Test team like a knife-maker hones an edge, he may soon quite clearly see his own image looking back at him.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos venceu de virada a Inter de Limeira por 3 a 2 neste sábado (9), na Vila Belmiro, pela última rodada da fase de grupos do Campeonato Paulista. Os gols do Peixe foram marcados por Julio Furch (2x) e Cazares. Quirino (2x) anotou para os visitantes.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

Com o resultado, o Peixe assegurou a segunda melhor campanha na fase regular do torneio estadual e encara a Portuguesa nas quartas de final da competição. A equipe do interior, por sua vez, enfrenta o Bragantino, em Bragança Paulista.

⚽COMO FOI A PARTIDA?

O Santos encontrou dificuldades para criar oportunidades na primeira etapa e viu Quirino, atacante rival, abrir o placar. No lance seguinte, Furch marcou de cabeça e igualou o marcador. Bem na partida, a equipe visitante viu Quirino vencer o duelo contra a zaga do Peixe e marcar seu segundo gol no duelo.

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A segunda etapa foi de domínio total do time de Fábio Carille. Furch. De pênalti, Furch igualou o marcador, e Cazares, nos minutos finais, virou a partida.

✅O QUE VEM POR AÍ?

Nas quartas de final do Paulistão, o Santos encara a Portuguesa, no domingo (17), na Vila Belmiro.

✅ SANTOS 3 X 2 INTER DE LIMEIRA
Campeonato Paulista – Primeira fase – Décima Segunda Rodada

Data e horário: Sábado, 9 de Março de 2024, às 18h00 (de Brasília)
Local: Vila Belmiro, Santos (SP)
Árbitro: Matheus Delgado Candançan
Assistentes: Luiz Alberto Andrini Nogueira e Mauro Freitas

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⚽ ESCALAÇÕES

SANTOS
João Paulo; Hayner, Joaquim, Gil e Felipe Jonatan; Nonato, Rincón e Cazares; Otero, Pedrinho e Furch. Técnico: Fábio Carille

INTER DE LIMEIRA
Max; JP Galvão, Jussani, Mancini e César; Émerson, Lima e Bochecha; João Felipe, Albano e Quirino. Técnico: Júnior Rocha

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Campeonato PaulistaFutebol Nacional