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Also, who are Mumbai Indians’ first choice overseas players? Here’s ESPNcricinfo’s analysis of the puzzles teams face ahead of IPL 2022

Nagraj Gollapudi and Gaurav Sundararaman17-Mar-20228:52

Runorder: Who will take Deepak Chahar’s place at Chennai Super Kings?

Chennai Super Kings: How to plug the Deepak Chahar hole?
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings have lost their pace spearhead Deepak Chahar for a big chunk of the tournament, if not more. How do they ensure this does not affect the team’s balance? Since 2018, Chahar has been the most prolific powerplay bowler in the IPL, with 42 wickets in the phase. The next best is Trent Boult with 27 wickets. So it would be very difficult to find a replacement who could have a similar impact with the ball. Even so, it would still be better to look to strengthen the bowling as pitches are likely to favour the batters early in the tournament.One option is to have Robin Uthappa open the batting with Ruturaj Gaikwad while playing two overseas fast bowlers in Chris Jordan and Adam Milne. The other option is to bring in uncapped Indian fast bowler Rajvardhan Hangargekar and have Devon Conway opening with Gaikwad.Other than Hangargekar, who was part of India’s recent Under-19 World Cup win, Super Kings have a rich stable of Indian fast bowlers in Mukesh Choudhary, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh and KM Asif.Royal Challengers Bangalore: Where does Virat Kohli bat?
Let’s start with the numbers. Virat Kohli’s powerplay strike rate in the IPL over the last three seasons is 130.16 – that is eighth-best among the 19 players who have played a minimum of 250 balls in that phase. He averages 37.40 in this period.Related

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In the middle overs in the last three years, Kohli strikes at 110.16, which is 23rd among 25 players who have played a minimum of 300 balls. Also, over the last two seasons, Kohli’s scoring rate against spin has been below par – just 105.35, though he averages 70. Read: he does not get out to spin, but he does not score quickly either. Among 20 batters who have played a minimum of 200 balls against spin in these seasons, Kohli is ranked 19th in terms of strike rate.So, the numbers point towards Kohli being better off as an opener, rather than coming lower down and potentially facing more spin post-powerplay. However, given Royal Challengers’ middle-order options, and taking into account Kohli’s No. 3 role with India, it might be feasible for the team to have him at one-down with Indian uncapped batter Anuj Rawat partnering new captain Faf du Plessis at the top. That could prove particularly beneficial early in the tournament in terms of spreading the experience around, with Glenn Maxwell joining at least a week late as he is getting married. If Kohli ends up opening with du Plessis, then Rawat is likely to be No. 3.David Willey is another potential opening option, with Kohli, Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik completing the middle order.Venkatesh Iyer: top of the order for KKR, finisher for India•BCCIKolkata Knight Riders: Should Venkatesh Iyer open, and who keeps wicket?
Venkatesh Iyer shot to fame with his fearless approach as an opener last IPL, when Kolkata Knight Riders reversed a horrendous start to the season to make the final. Since then Iyer has debuted for India in white-ball cricket, where he is being nurtured as a finisher. However, there is no obligation for the franchises to allow players to mirror their roles at the international level, so Knight Riders, you’d expect, will want Iyer to open. But that is only half the challenge resolved. Who will be Iyer’s opening partner? The answer to that could be linked to the second key question confronting the franchise: who keeps wicket?Knight Riders’ gameplan has seemingly been hit by the late pullout of Alex Hales, who was a prime contender for the opening slot. But there are other options: Englishman Sam Billings, who can both keep and float in the batting order, Saurashtra wicketkeeper-batter Sheldon Jackson, and Tamil Nadu batter B Indrajith who also keeps wicket.Or Knight Riders can make Hales’ replacement, Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch, open with Iyer. That in turn would mean Jackson would bat in the middle order and keep wicket.Of course, Knight Riders’ squad also includes Ajinkya Rahane, who has vast experience opening in the IPL, and Sunil Narine. Ideally, though, they would want Narine following Andre Russell to provide batting depth.Do Mumbai Indians bank on Riley Meredith’s pace?•Getty ImagesMumbai Indians: Who takes the four overseas slots?
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have a strong core, but a lot of their overseas players and uncapped Indians are new to the franchise. The first challenge for them is to pick their four overseas players. While Kieron Pollard and the big-hitting Tim David pick themselves, the other two slots are less clear-cut. Conditions are likely to favour batters and so, in Jofra Archer’s absence, Mumbai might want to strengthen their death bowling with the inclusion of Tymal Mills.The fourth slot should be a toss-up between the fast-bowling pair of Riley Meredith and Daniel Sams. Meredith’s pace could be a tempting option to start with, but Sams offers some batting depth with his robust hitting.As for the uncapped Indians likely to make the XI, as it stands Hyderabad youngster Tilak Varma is likely to start at No. 3 and Tamil Nadu allrounder Sanjay Yadav could be utilised as a floater, performing a similar role to Krunal Pandya over the last five seasons.Who’s going to fill Delhi Capitals’ Anrich-Nortje-sized hole?•BCCIDelhi Capitals: What if Anrich Nortje is out?
Anrich Nortje, the South Africa fast bowler, has been sidelined since the T20 World Cup in November 2021 due to a hip injury, and, as per Cricket South Africa, there is no definitive date of return yet. Nortje was arguably Capitals’ most impactful bowler – and second-highest wicket-taker – in the last two IPLs, which was enough for them to retain him. But their failure to pick a like-for-like back-up for Nortje at the auction could come back to haunt them. Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman are the other two overseas fast bowlers in the squad, but neither has performed on the same level as Nortje in terms of striking ability upfront nor do they possess the same pace.The Indian left-arm fast-bowling pair of Chetan Sakariya and Khaleel Ahmed could be other options in Nortje’s place, with Capitals perhaps going in with only three overseas players.The other challenge Capitals face is the late arrival of Australia’s David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, who are set to miss at least the first two matches. They are expected to join Capitals’ squad around April 6; Capitals’ third game is on April 7. Their absence is bound to make Capitals’ batting thin, at least on paper. Till they are good to go, New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert could open with Prithvi Shaw, while West Indies’ Rovman Powell could bat in the middle order.

Tall fast bowlers tend to struggle with pitching the ball up, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for NZ’s debutant

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Wellington21-Feb-20202:17

Last couple of weeks have been surreal – Jamieson 

It helps to be six feet and eight inches tall. It can be the first step to a promising basketball career, and Kyle Jamieson could have gotten pretty far playing that sport – though he says his “jump height is not the greatest”. Having to choose between two sports in high school, when juggling them “just became quite full-on”, he chose cricket.Jamieson was more of a batsman growing up – his father Michael says batting outweighed bowling 60-40 in those days – and he’s already shown glimpses of his potential as a lower-order contributor, clattering 101 against an English attack that included James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood in a tour game, and putting on an unbroken 76 with Ross Taylor for the ninth wicket, on his ODI debut.But he’s now a bowler first, a six-feet-eight-inches fast bowler. There are things a six-eight fast bowler can do that others cannot, and on Friday at the Basin Reserve, he did those things often. There were two balls, for instance, that climbed almost vertically at Ajinkya Rahane, lifting him off his feet. Rahane was batting on 10 when he got the first of them, and he rode the bounce as best as he could, played the ball as close to his body as he could, with the softest hands he could summon up, and kept the ball down despite only managing to meet it with his handle.The second came when Rahane was on 24. He’d already faced 71 balls by then, and had negotiated difficult conditions – it was green underfoot, grey overhead, and the wind blowing across the ground was frequently causing the trees lining the grass banks to judder violently – with utmost serenity. But this ball from Jamieson, springing up towards his neck, shook him out of his sure-footed ways, causing him to twist awkwardly in midair, with eyes off the ball and hands rising instinctively to protect his face.

“I think as a tall guy, naturally your length is further back, but over time you get used to trying to bring it a little bit fuller.”Kyle Jamieson

The ball hit his glove, or arm guard, or both, and ballooned over a desperately backtracking wicketkeeper and ran away for four.There was plenty of bounce to be extracted from this surface, and Jamieson was extracting every little drop. It was effortless bounce, reminiscent of Morne Morkel at his scariest, even if Jamieson isn’t nearly as quick.”I guess it just comes from a steeper angle,” Jamieson said at the end of the day’s play. “I guess not as quick as what some of the other guys are around the world, but I think still my short ball is a weapon, from the height that I can bowl it.”The ability to extract this sort of bounce had been Jamieson’s ticket to play this game. Neil Wagner, New Zealand’s one-of-a-kind short-ball specialist, was unavailable, and the team management could have picked either Jamieson or the more experienced Matt Henry in his stead. Henry, though, is a swing bowler much like Tim Southee and Trent Boult, and New Zealand wanted a third seamer with a point of difference.So here Jamieson was, providing that point of difference. Except that wasn’t all he did.Kyle Jamieson is pumped up after getting rid of Virat Kohli•Getty ImagesAt Test level, tall quicks who turn the pitch into a trampoline can often struggle for wickets despite routinely making batsmen look uncomfortable. They’re often told to try and pitch the ball fuller, so that they can threaten the stumps, or kiss the edges that they so often zip past, but to go away from your natural length, and to do it without losing your pace and venom, is difficult. Just ask Ishant Sharma. Or the aforementioned Morkel.On Test debut, Jamieson shifted his length forward and back effortlessly, without floating the ball up or losing his line, and he made it sound just as simple as he made it look.”Yeah, look, I guess with my height, I can afford to go a fraction fuller, especially out here as well, with the extra bounce,” he said. “I was trying to, I guess, make guys commit to play off the front foot. I think in my second spell, the first half of it, there was a lot of balls left on length, so it was just how do you commit them on the front foot, especially if it does swing or seam, then you’re a chance of bringing the edge in.”I think as a tall guy, naturally your length is further back, but over time you get used to trying to bring it a little bit fuller.”It was just one day’s work, of course, in near-perfect fast-bowling conditions, and that day was curtailed by rain. We can only really judge Jamieson the Test bowler when he’s built up a proper body of work, but as far as first impressions go, this was most encouraging.The best length a fast bowler – any bowler, really – can bowl is the shortest one that still draws the batsman forward. Jamieson hit that length time and again at the Basin, bowling from fairly wide on the crease, angling the ball into the right-hander, and every now and then getting it to straighten off the pitch.One such delivery in his first over beat both Cheteshwar Pujara’s outside edge and the top of off stump by what seemed like millimeters. Pujara did everything right while defending it, playing the angle, protecting his stumps, playing close to his body and not letting his hands get drawn towards the movement. He had to do everything right to survive it.Kyle Jamieson bowls on Test debut•AFPIn his third over, he bowled a similar delivery, only slightly fuller, and Pujara nicked it despite once again doing most things right.Not a bad first Test wicket, and the second was of a reasonably good player too. It was one of those Virat Kohli dismissals that leave you scratching your head, the thick edge while driving away from his body at a ball that’s nowhere near full enough, but it’s also the kind of dismissal that makes you wonder about all the times he middles drives just as far from his body and off just those lengths.It wasn’t the shot for the circumstances – 40 for 2, first day of a Test series in difficult conditions – but the ball also straightened off the seam, and had Jamieson’s extra bounce. Also consider what happened off the previous ball, a short one that made Kohli spring onto his toes to defend it.Push him back, then bring him forward, knowing there’s a chance he may not come as far forward as he should.There was a similar sequence of deliveries later on to Hanuma Vihari, and an edged drive fell just short of gully. Then, in his next over, Jamieson bowled one a fraction too full, and Vihari drove it back past him, holding his pose. Jamieson corrected his length beautifully next ball, pitching it on a fullish but not easily driveable length, and shifting his line outside off stump.Vihari’s set-up at the crease is built for driving down the ground and through midwicket, but not so much for the front-foot cover drive, because his head doesn’t really get over the ball when he plays the shot. He went for it anyway, perhaps still feeling the rush of the shot he’d played off the previous ball, and missed.Vihari survived through to drinks, but not the first ball after the mini-break. It was much like the ball that had dismissed Pujara, angling into the batsman, drawing him forward, straightening just enough. If Jamieson keeps bowling that length and that line, over after over and match after match, and gets a little bit of help every now and then from the conditions, he could have quite a career.

عاد النجم المصري السابق، محمد أبو تريكة، للحديث عن محمد صلاح وأزمته الحالية داخل أروقة ليفربول، بسبب التصريحات التي أدلى بها قبل أيام، ضد الإدارة والمدرب آرني سلوت.

كان محمد صلاح قد فاجأ الجميع بقنبلة مدوية، بعدما أدلى بتصريحات نارية، يوم السبت الماضي، هاجم خلالها إدارة ليفربول والمدير الفني، آرني سلوت، بسبب تهميشه في 3 مباريات متتالية.

وتم استبعاد محمد صلاح من مباراة ليفربول وإنتر ميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا نتيجة لذلك، قبل خوضه جلسة محادثات إيجابية مع سلوت، حيث عاد إلى الفريق وشارك كبديل في مباراة الأمس ضد برايتون.

وقال أبو تريكة في تصريحات عبر الاستوديو التحليلي لشبكة “بي إن سبورتس” القطرية: “على المستوى الشخصي، محمد صلاح سيعود، لا يزال لديه عامين في عقده (حتى يونيو 2027)، ويريد إكمالهما، المشكلة لديه عدم مشاركته والسبب وراء ذلك، هو ليس سيئًا، ولكن من حوله غير جيدين كذلك، يمكنه التفكير (لماذا يحدث ذلك معي فقط؟)، من المفترض أن يتحمل الفريق بأكمله النتائج السلبية، لماذا يتعين عليه تحملها بمفرده؟”.

وأضاف: “إذا كنت كمدرب تريد تغيير الفريق بعد النتائج السلبية، لماذا تقوم بتغييره هو فقط دون غيره؟ وعندما يتواجد على دكة البدلاء لا تدفع به، كذلك طريقة التعامل معه من على دكة البدلاء وطلب الإحماء منه دون أن يلعب، التعامل مع النجوم مختلف يا سلوت، إذا كنت ترغب في الدفع بنجمك الأول من الدكة، وطالما قام بعمل إحماء، فعليك مشاركته، هذا هو تعامل النجوم الذي لا تعرفه”.

وواصل: “كذلك، على سلوت الجلوس مع محمد صلاح إذا كنت ترغب في إبقائه على دكة البدلاء، عليك التحدث إليه وتخبره بتراجع مجهوده ومن ثم يتعين عليه كمدرب إراحته قليلًا، هذا الحوار لم يحدث، كذلك تصريحات محمد صلاح لا تتعلق بـ آرني سلوت، ولكن النادي كذلك، لأنك لا تتحدث عن أي لاعب، أنت تتحدث عن النجم الأول للفريق”.

اقرأ أيضًا | هل فاته الرهن العقاري؟.. بول ميرسون ينتقد سلوك محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وبرايتون

وأردف: “لقد منحته النصيحة، يمكن للناس أن تفهم، ولكن المدير الفني الذكي عليه ألا يتسبب في أن يصل نجمه الأول إلى مرحة الانفجار، عليه رؤية المشكلة قبل حدوثها ويضع حلًا لها كذلك، هذا هو سلوك المدربين الكبار، وليس آرني سلوت، هو لا يمتلك تلك المهارات كما قلت، لا يمكن مطالبته بها”.

واسترسل: “الأمر تم حله، محمد صلاح سعيد طالما لعب والفريق فاز، عليه الانضمام إلى منتخب مصر ولديه مزاج رائق وفي حالة تركيز من أجل التتويج بكأس أمم إفريقيا للمرة الثامنة، منتخب مصر لديه لاعب ضمن أفضل 5 أو 6 لاعبين في العالم حاليًا، يمتلك مجموعة جيدة كذلك من اللاعبين، عليه أن يأتي مركزًا مع المنتخب، نريد اللقب الثامن”.

وشدد: “إنها بطولة صعبة، صاحبة الأرض هي المغرب، رابع كأس العالم، تستطيع الدخول بـ3 فرق في البطولة، يمكنها اللعب بـ3 فرق وتحصد المراكز الأولى، كما قلت، مسألة محمد صلاح مع ليفربول في طريقها إلى الحل، هو يريد البقاء حتى نهاية عقده، هو سعيد في النادي، مشكلته عدم اللعب، أسرته سعيدة بتواجده في ذلك النادي، كان تعامل المُلاك قبل تلك المشكلة محترمًا نوعًا ما، هناك تقدير له ولتاريخه، المشكلة في سلوت، جعله يقول تلك التصريحات، وبعدها أصبحت مشكلة ناد وكبرياء، الأمر الآن أصبح هادئَا بعد مباراة ليفربول، لا تواجد عواصف، سيستعد للمشاركة في كأس الأمم الإفريقية، وبعدها من وجهة نظري سيعود للفريق ويكمل الموسم”. وأفاد: “هو شخصيًا يريد أن يتوج ببطولة مع المنتخب، أتمنى إحرازه لها، حتى إذا لم يفز، نحن نحاسبه على مجهوده، هو لا يبخل في ذلك، وفي الوقت نفسه لديه تاريخ مع المنتخب، قاده إلى كأس العالم مرتين بعد غياب 30 عامًا، كان سببًا رئيسيًا في أن يصعد منتخب مصر لكاس عالم”. واستأنف: “الجمهور يحب الزيادة، (ناس طماعة)، تاريخ مصر حافل بالإنجازات، ويُقال طالما محمد صلاح موجود، علينا وضع الضغوط عليه، وهو يستطيع تحملها، ولكن كما قلت، حتى لو لم يفز بالبطولة، سيظلل أفضل لاعب في تاريخ العرب حتى الآن، بالنظر إلى كل ما حققه، جميعها إنجازات كبرى، وأخيرًا مشكلته انتهت مع ليفربول، لا نريد إعادتها مرة أخرى”.

The England quick bowled two four-over spells before leaving the field at Lilac Hill

Tristan Lavalette13-Nov-2025England have received a major injury scare ahead of the Ashes after quick Mark Wood experienced stiffness in his left hamstring during their only warm-up match in Perth.Wood had bowled two four-over spells against the Lions at Lilac Hill in his first competitive match in nine months since surgery on his left knee. He left the field after his second four-over spell midway through the second session.Related

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“The plan for Mark Wood was for him to bowl eight overs today,” an ECB statement said. “He has some stiffness in his hamstring, which has kept him off the field for some time during the second session of the first day and will undergo a precautionary scan tomorrow.”He is expected to bowl again in two days’ time. It is unlikely he will return to the field today.”England have taken a cautious approach with Wood’s rehabilitation from the knee injury that he sustained at the Champions Trophy in February. He had initially hoped to feature in the final Test of their summer series against India, but a setback in training ended up ruling him out of the entire home season.Wood had bowled several lively deliveries on a relatively sedate surface, conditions far different to what is expected in the first Test at Optus Stadium. He is part of an all-out England pace attack against the Lions, with offspinner Shoaib Bashir not selected in the main XI.”That’s not ideal, but that’s part of being an extremely fast bowler,” Harry Brook said after the day’s play. “I haven’t seen him yet and spoken to him, so I don’t know his current situation. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”There was further frustration for England’s pace attack with Brydon Carse unavailable on the first day of the warm-up match due to illness, prompting him to stay at the team’s hotel.Captain Ben Stokes had been the standout bowler, with four of the five wickets to fall before tea in an encouraging return in his first match since late July.The development comes just a day after Australia quick Josh Hazlewood was cleared of a hamstring injury. But fellow Ashes Test squad member Sean Abbott was withdrawn from the squad after scans on his left hamstring confirmed a moderate grade strain.

Brendan Doggett is in the “prime of his career” and has been backed by his South Australia coach Ryan Harris to be able to step into Test cricket during the Ashes if needed.Doggett was part of the Australia Test squad last season, having first been called up back in 2018 for a series against Pakistan in the UAE, and was a traveling reserve for the World Test Championship final against South Africa.He had been due to tour the West Indies before being withdrawn because of a hip injury but is on track to start the season for the double defending champions although from there will have his workload managed in conjunction with the Australia set-up.Related

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The depth of Australia’s pace bowling has been brought firmly into view with Pat Cummins’ back injury, and while Scott Boland will be the next in line for a spot in the startling XI, Doggett is likely only one more injury away from a debut.”He’s had a really good winter,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo. “He came back from the World Test Championship with a couple of niggles [but] he had good time to let them heal.”He had a really good programme that he was following and he was diligent. We didn’t take him to Darwin in our pre-season camp and let him just get himself right down here.”We’ve got a couple of trial games [this week] which he’ll bowl some good overs in. But what I’ve seen in training, he’s up and about. He’s ready to go. He’s bowling fast and he’s moving the ball, which is good. He’ll definitely start for us.”Doggett’s elevation to the Test squad last season came on the back of a career-best 6 for 15 against India A in Mackay. He capped his summer with a career-best match haul of 11 wickets in the Sheffield Shield final, where South Australia secured the title with victory over Queensland, to finish with 44 first-class wickets at 20.56 which followed 32 wickets at 21.90 the previous season.”He’s definitely ready [for Test cricket],” Harris said. “[With] his mind, I think, and the confidence he has now in his game. He was a bit mixed [up] probably a couple of years ago where he was trying to swing it and he wasn’t trying to swing it, but he’s worked it all out.”He knows what he needs to do. He knows when he has step it up and bowl quick and knows he can control his pace. He’s in the prime of his career now. There’s no doubt that if Brendan gets a call, I have absolute full confidence in that he can go in and do a good job in that team.”There will be a balancing act for the selectors in the lead-up to the Ashes in ensuring the fast bowlers in the mix have enough work to be ready while avoiding pushing them too far.It is expected that Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will combine the ODIs against India with potentially one Sheffield Shield game for New South Wales before the first Test, while Boland is expected to play at least two four-day games for Victoria. Lance Morris, who would have been in the frame, has been ruled out for 12 months after undergoing back surgery.Brendan Doggett will likely be around Australia’s Ashes squads•Getty Images

Cameron Green has been left out of the T20I tour of New Zealand so that he can play for Western Australia in the first round of the Sheffield Shield, which could mark his return to bowling following the surgery he had a year ago.Speaking earlier this week, Cummins said he was confident in the fast-bowling reverses Australia had heading into the summer.”We feel really well placed,” he said. “A lot of planning goes in. It’s not just a month before, it’s 12 months out. Someone like Jhye Richardson, hopefully he will be available for some of the summer. There’s [Michael] Neser. Brendan Doggett was part of squads last year. Sean Abbott. So I’m really confident in our depth.”Obviously there is a bit of Shield cricket and white-ball cricket before that to make sure everyone is up and raring to go.”Those who are involved in the one-day leg of the Australia A tour of India or the T20I tour to New Zealand will miss the opening round of Sheffield Shield matches which start on October 4. The men’s domestic season starts on September 16 with the 50-over Dean Jones Trophy.

Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards is now seen by Wolves as the “favoured candidate” for their managerial vacancy.

Wolves have been on the search for a new boss since Vitor Pereira, who signed a contract extension in September, was sacked on the 2nd November. In the days since, Wolves have been linked with a number of options as they continue searching for a permanent Pereira replacement.

James Collins and Richard Walker, who both work within the youth set-up at Wolves, will take interim charge of the club when they face Chelsea on Saturday. Whoever replaces Pereira will have a momentous task ahead of them, as Wolves sit bottom of the Premier League table with two points from 10 games.

In recent days, Rob Edwards has been linked with the vacancy and despite initial reports that a move appeared unlikely, it would now seem as though Wolves have settled on who they think is the man to try and keep them in the Premier League.

Wolves homing in on Edwards

According to Sky Sports, Wolves view Edwards as their preferred target. Replacing Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough in the summer, Edwards has lost just two Championship games from 14 during his time at the Riverside Stadium thus far.

Prior to his current work, Edwards spent just over two years at Luton Town between 2022 and early 2025, guiding them to the Premier League in his first season at the club.

As a player, Edwards spent four years at Molineux, making over a century of appearances for the Old Gold between 2004 and 2008. To begin his managerial career, he spent time with the club’s youth academy and even had a stint as interim manager of the club back in 2016, later taking charge of their under-23s side.

Generally preferring to play a 3-4-2-1 formation, which could certainly work with Wolves’ current squad, Edwards being the main target is understandable, given both his previous links to the club and his reputation as a coach.

Having been called an “outstanding” manager in the past, it could be argued that, across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, Edwards’ Luton side were the only one of six promoted teams that had a fighting chance of avoiding immediate relegation, something Wolves, given their current position, have no doubt recognised.

Despite Wolves’ evident interest, however, Sky Sports have also reported that Middlesbrough have “rejected” their advances for Edwards. Understandably, Boro are keen to keep the 42-year-old, who has given them the hopes of making a promotion push.

Romano offers update on future Wolves appointments

Fakhar Zaman will return home after the T20I series and continue his rehab at the PCB’s National Cricket Academy

Danyal Rasool04-Aug-2025

Pakistan top-order batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the third T20I and the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies after sustaining a left hamstring strain during the second T20I in Lauderhill. Khushdil Shah replaced him in the playing XI for the third T20I.The injury took place in the 19th over of West Indies’ innings when Fakhar was chasing a ball in the outfield. A subsequent medical assessment by the team’s support staff confirmed a mild strain to his left hamstring.The PCB confirmed that immediate treatment and initial management were provided, and Fakhar will now fly back to Pakistan on August 4, the day after the final, deciding T20I. His rehabilitation will continue under the supervision of the PCB medical team at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. The PCB are yet to confirm if a replacement player will join the ODI squad.Fakhar got starts in each of the first two games, but found himself unable to kick on in either, getting scored of 28 and 20.The injury to Fakhar, 35, bears uncanny resemblance to a knock he picked up at the start of the Champions Trophy earlier this year. Off the second ball of the opening game, he hared off in pursuit of a cover drive before pulling up in discomfort; he was ruled out of the tournament the following day. At the time, he was himself a part of the squad to replace Saim Ayub, who, too, was injured chasing after a ball to the boundary six weeks earlier in South Africa, and spent three months on the sidelines.The T20I series in Florida is tied at one apiece. The three ODIs will take place in Trinidad.

Josh de Caires struck his highest first-class score, to put Middlesex in a strong position at the end of day three of this Rothesay County Championship match at Wantage Road. Playing his first game of the season, de Caires, who has batted at No. 7 for the last couple of years as a spinning allrounder, shared an opening stand of 89 with Sam Robson, the Seaxes finishing the day on 215 for 3, a lead of 193.De Caires’ 87, from 144 balls with 12 fours, helped wrestle back the initiative for Middlesex after allrounder Justin Broad hit 70 (81 balls, 10 fours) and combined with Lloyd Pope in a record 10th wicket partnership for Northamptonshire against Middlesex to earn a slender first-innings lead.Broad and Pope’s heroics came after Ryan Higgins’ hat-trick spearheaded a Northamptonshire batting collapse in the morning session. From a dominant 342 for 5, the hosts lost four wickets for eight runs in just 4.2 overs after Saif Zaib posted an excellent 102, his fourth century of the summer (170 balls, 13 fours), the first Northamptonshire batter since Ben Duckett in 2016 to reach that milestone.Higgins finished with figures of 3 for 48 while spinner Zafar Gohar took a further wicket to complete a five-for.Resuming on 308 for 5, Zaib and Lewis McManus looked to extend their defiant partnership which already extended into three figures.Zaib’s progress through the 90s was eased when sub-fielder Stevie Eskinazi’s misfield gifted him a boundary. He reached three figures by bottom-edging an attempted reverse sweep past the keeper for four, but the shot proved his undoing later in the over when he picked out de Caires who took a stunning flying catch at backward point off Gohar.That set in motion Northamptonshire’s collapse, as Higgins, employing a short-pitched tactic, had McManus fending a leg-side bouncer to the keeper with the final ball of the 103rd over. He struck again with the first two balls of his next over to complete his hattrick. Rob Keogh moved across his stumps and was bowled around his legs while Liam Guthrie upper cut a short ball straight to point.Broad was proactive from the outset, employing the sweep and reverse sweep against the spinners and muscling Gohar through midwicket.With Pope providing solid support, Broad cut Gohar for four to bring up the 50 partnership and take Northamptonshire to 400. He pulled Toby Roland-Jones to the ropes, but the Middlesex captain couldn’t hold onto a difficult diving chance at midwicket, the ball going for four to bring up Broad’s half-century.Middlesex targeted Pope with the short ball, but he was content to duck under the bouncers and take runs off the spinners and give Broad the bulk of the strike.Broad duly wiped out the deficit and took Northamptonshire into the lead just before the delayed lunch interval before falling shortly after the resumption when he stepped away to a Robson delivery which turned and hit leg-stump.With the bat, Robson took three boundaries off Northamptonshire’s seamers but the hosts soon turned to the spinners.While he bowled the occasional half-tracker which Middlesex punished, Pope obtained some sharp turn and bounce out of the foot holes, flighting the ball and finding some drift.Calvin Harrison bowled tidily, conceding just one boundary in his first five overs. He posed some tough questions for both batters, beating Robson’s outside edge before de Caires failed to pick the wrong’un as Harrison found some sharp bounce off a good length ball. He struck with another wrong’un soon afterwards, trapping Robson lbw as he moved across his stumps.De Caires drove Keogh both sides of the wicket off consecutive balls and slog swept Keogh before taking a single off Harrison on the cusp of tea to bring up his half-century off 84 balls.After the break, de Caires was harsh on anything loose from the spinners, pulling anything short to the boundary as well as sweeping sweetly.With de Caires and Max Holden extending their partnership to 65, Northamptonshire turned to Guthrie who made the breakthrough almost instantly, bowling a bouncer which lifted sharply to de Caires who could only fend to second slip.Max Holden (and Leus du Plooy then added a brisk 48 together. Du Plooy punched Guthrie off the back foot to get off the mark and whipped Harrison through midwicket, while Holden dispatched Keogh back over his head.Holden continued to accelerate, sweeping Harrison over midwicket and coming down the wicket next ball to power him over long-on.du Plooy’s departure came via a bizarre dismissal in the closing overs. Caught in two minds, he seemed to be considering whether to reverse sweep or the run the ball down to third man but instead guided the ball straight to the keeper.The day ended tantalisingly poised with Middlesex considering when best to time their day four declaration.

Former Mexico international and ex-PSV and Real Betis player Andrés Guardado expressed concern about the current state of El Tri following their 4-0 loss to Colombia over the weekend. The retired midfielder believes Javier Aguirre’s side could face a tough World Cup campaign, insisting that “you can’t cover the sun with one finger.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Guardado concerned about process

  Mexico’s recent 4-0 loss to Colombia deepened the worries surrounding Javier Aguirre’s project, drawing concern not just from fans but also from former national team icons such as Andrés Guardado.

  In an interview with TUDN, the former captain of El Tri didn’t hide his unease about the team’s performance and trajectory heading toward the 2026 World Cup.

  “Now that I’m on the outside, as just another fan, it’s clear we can’t cover the sun with one finger,” Guardado admitted. “The process is complicated. We’re struggling to find a way to make people believe again ahead of the World Cup, but I trust that Aguirre will find the answers to make this team competitive.”

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Defends El Tri players

  Guardado also defended the current generation of players from accusations of lacking effort.

  “The word ‘attitude’ can be misleading,” he said. “I don’t think any player goes onto the pitch without trying to win. I was a player myself, and I know that’s not the case. Sometimes, you just face a better opponent.

  "Colombia played well-Luis Díaz found plenty of space, and James Rodríguez had time to make decisions between the lines. People who don’t analyze the tactical side might say it’s about attitude, but it’s not that simple.”

• AFP
  

  What happened to Guardado?

  Guardado played in five World Cups with the Mexican national team. After the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he announced his retirement from El Tri. Earlier this year, he officially hung up his boots, with Club León being his last professional team. He is now studying to become a coach in Europe.

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  What comes next?

  Javier Aguirre’s side will face Ecuador Tuesday night at the Arkon Stadium in Guadalajara, looking to redeem themselves after Saturday’s poor performance at AT&T Stadium.

Leeds United’s lack of a clinical edge let them down once more at Elland Road on Saturday as Tottenham Hotspur scraped a 2-1 win in West Yorkshire.

The Premier League newcomers accumulated a hefty 16 shots on the Spurs goal, but only found the back of the net via Noah Okafor.

On the contrary, the North Londoners amassed just three shots on target all afternoon, but broke hearts in the second half when Mohamed Kudus delivered a killer blow.

It was, arguably, another afternoon to forget for Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Leeds’ main threat up top, as the ex-Everton marksman remains on just the one strike since leaving Merseyside behind in the summer.

Calvert-Lewin's goalscoring woes

It was always going to be a risk bringing the 28-year-old attacker into the building, with his last few seasons with the Toffees exposing some obvious weaknesses to his game.

Away from being regularly out of the side with injury niggles, Calvert-Lewin’s once red-hot ability to finish off chances for fun – which saw him bag 16 Premier League strikes during the 2020/21 season – is also not that visible anymore, with just three top-flight goals coming his way last season, ending his long stay with Everton in forgettable fashion.

Thankfully, he has broken his Leeds duck when putting his lofty 6-foot-2 frame to good use away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but it was undoubtedly another frustrating afternoon for the hit-and-miss 28-year-old against Thomas Frank’s men last weekend.

Indeed, while Calvert-Lewin has gained some plaudits for his hold-up play already, he will – of course – be judged mostly on his output, with another goalless game passing him by.

Just 23 touches of the ball would come the goal-shy number nine’s way at Elland Road against Spurs, and while he did amass three key passes, yet another big chance was spurned, with a costly three big chances missed against AFC Bournemouth too.

It could well be that Daniel Farke needs to experiment a bit more with his forward players moving forward, with a different deadly finisher on his day, perhaps, getting the nod to start over Calvert-Lewin very soon.

Leeds must unleash the "best finisher" Farke has ever worked with

Farke has worked with many a clinical attacker during his managerial career in England to date, having managed to get 70 goals out of Teemu Pukki when the pair were together at Norwich City.

His time at the Canaries also saw him work closely with Emiliano Buendia and James Maddison, but, despite these illustrious names catching the eye, Farke has actually labelled one of his current Leeds personnel the “best finisher” he has ever worked with recently, even as early Premier League opportunities evade the attacker in question.

There is plenty of logic behind the German’s praise, though, even if Joel Piroe hasn’t been handed regular top-flight appearances so far, with this 20-minute hat-trick towards the close of last season by the ex-Swansea City striker pushing Leeds ever closer to the Championship title.

Labelled by journalist Josh Bunting as “dangerous”, he certainly demonstrated that during the 2024/25 campaign.

In total, last season, a blistering 19 league strikes came the golden boot winner’s way with now perhaps being the apt time to gamble on the EFL sharpshooter to finally come good in the top division, after bagging 33 strikes across 101 games under Farke’s wing so far.

25/26

4

0 + 0

238

24/25

48

19 + 7

3204

23/24

48

14 + 3

3104

He has hardly any experience of the bright lights of the Premier League, but with Calvert-Lewin spurning gilt-edge chances consistently, there are certainly worse shouts than trying to throw Piroe into the first-team mix right now, especially when Farke rates him so highly.

Ideally, down the line, both Piroe and Calvert-Lewin might well line up alongside each other, with the 26-year-old actually well accustomed to lining up as a right winger or as a number ten.

But, with the current system in play not having a number ten, and Okafor shining on the right channel, Piroe’s only way into the first-team picture looks to be up top, with Calvert-Lewin dropping out subsequently.

Not just Aaronson: "Superb" star has saved his Leeds United career

This Leeds United star has revived his career at Elland Road and it is not Brenden Aaronson.

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