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South African coach relishing preparations for second stage of his “four-year project”

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Mar-2023Mickey Arthur accepts this is the time of year every coach will tell you they have never had a better lead-in to an upcoming county season. Even so, he cannot help himself: “But we have!”If you can’t be optimistic in March, why bother going into April for the six months of grind? The difference for Arthur is what he has witnessed at Derbyshire over the last year, the first of what he regards as a “four-year project” – one he is so evidently committed to he even managed to convince PCB chair Najam Sethi as much. Sethi recently ceded ground by allowing Arthur to take up a remote position as a consultant for the Pakistan men’s side. Rarely do counties end up on the right side of such negotiations.What charm Arthur wields on administrators is just as strong when it comes to his players, which is why the original intention of the PCB was to get him back as head coach. He is one of modern cricket’s more sincere enthusiasts.Related

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That quality is exactly what Derbyshire needed when they snagged Arthur at the end of 2021. The club had been drifting aimlessly, an all-too-familiar presence in Division Two. Their last venture into the top flight was in 2013. The last England player they produced was Dominic Cork, who made his Test debut back in 1995. Neither is particularly helpful at a time when English cricket is looking inwards with a scalpel wondering, “what is it that you do here exactly?”The former is easier to rectify than the latter in the short term. But right now there is hope around the club that their current trajectory under Arthur will allow them to eventually solve both.Maybe these are also the noises every county makes, particularly those of Derbyshire’s ilk, as they emerge from a winter with Andrew Strauss’ high performance review still hanging over their heads. Even if proposals have been watered down or dismissed outright by sheer will, justifying a right to exist evokes more fear than focus given where cricket is headed.From Arthur’s point of view, Derbsyhire’s requirement is as much about ridding the tag of consistent underperformers as improving the balance sheets. He believes changing how the club is regarded can be influenced on the field and in the dressing room. He has certainly used the way they are regarded as a tool to influence both.”At times I did use that as a motivation for us,” he tells ESPNcricinfo. “That we’re the county that the perception out there is ‘little old Derbyshire’. We want to change that perception. By and large, last year we changed that perception.”It was the most important part of my job,” he says of that first campaign where a change of mindset was required internally. “To make the dressing room believe we weren’t here to make the numbers up. Make the dressing room believe we were here to win games of cricket and become the best players we can be. To make the dressing room understand there were no comfort zones in there. We’re here to do a job. It’s a high-performance environment and that’s how we operate and that’s how we run. No excuses.”As you would expect from someone who has led four different Test teams, Arthur implemented “international standards” when it came to training intensity, preparation, recovery and behaviour – facets regarded as non-negotiables at the highest level. Those familiar with the workings of the Derbyshire dressing room say the culture has improved and, in turn, so has the robustness of the squad.Last season’s Division Two performances spoke of that change. Derbyshire only won three matches, eventually finishing fifth out of eight, but they only lost as many. Six draws suggested an inner steel was developing. Manufactured steel, to a degree: all six stalemates came at home at the County Ground, where Derbyshire passed 500 four times, as groundstaff were instructed to leave as little as 6mm of grass on their pitches.”For too long, this squad and a lot of those players in it have been whipping boys,” Arthur says. “So we wanted to be a team that was hard to beat, which I think we became last year.”We played very good cricket: there were a lot of games we dominated but we just didn’t finish it on day four. Our wickets here were very, very good – they didn’t deteriorate, it became hard to bowl sides out. But with the points at 16 [for a win] and eight [draw], I knew we could get two draws which were worth a win.”With only five points available for draws this season, that approach won’t fly, not that Arthur is bothered. As per his blueprint, this was always going to be the summer he pushed the group to go further.”For me, we’re good enough. Now, instead of having 6mm of grass, can we leave 10mm of grass on the wicket? Can we challenge ourselves that way? What brand of cricket do we play with that? If we leave that amount of grass, do we become a team that bowls first and chases on day four? That’s where our discussions in the dressing room have got to.”I’m trying to get 20% more out of our players and that for me is going to be the interesting thing – to see how much the players have left. How big a ceiling do they have? Those are the questions we are going to answer in the season I think.”Zak Chappell has joined Derbyshire looking to realise his full potential•Getty ImagesLosing Shan Masood to Yorkshire was a blow, not just because of the 1074 runs in 13 innings he strummed but for an infectious professionalism. Matt Lamb has joined from Warwickshire to strengthen the batting reserves, with Leus Du Plooy given greater responsibility with captaincy in all formats. At 39, Wayne Madsen – Division Two’s leading run-scorer with 1,273 – remains as vital as ever. Two 26-year-olds, however, represent Arthur’s early changes to the club and beyond.Anuj Dal, a bustling allrounder, came to recognise his potential with 957 runs and 34 wickets in 2022. Having been on the cusp of being released a few years ago, he has established himself as a lock at No. 7 and third-change seamer. Arthur describes it as “deadman donkey work”.”He comes in and bowls the donkey overs and he’s either batting when we’re flying or under pressure. His job is the unglamorous one but, you know what, he did it so well last year. He’s just the perfect guy for that role because he’s got the right temperament.”Like many England Under-19 cricketers, Dal, who began his career at Nottinghamshire before leaving in 2017, spent an uncomfortable amount of time trying to figure out his place in the game. Now things could not be clearer.”He’s just the heart and core of Derbyshire County Cricket Club,” beams Arthur, who admits to badgering him to dream big on a daily basis. “I want him to keep thinking he’s going to play for England from Derbyshire because I do believe he’s that good.”Then there is Zak Chappell, who joined on a two-year deal from a similar place Dal found himself: not just as a cricketer on the periphery at Notts but one enduring stasis. His upside as a fast bowler is known throughout the country and the ECB’s performance department, who were made aware of his gifts during his initial progression at Leicestershire. Beyond a few jaunts with England Lions and the odd flash domestically, injuries and struggles with rhythm have him arriving at a third club in five years with a modest record of 68 wickets from just 30 first-class matches.Chappell remains hungry, ambitious, and reticent to be judged on the past. As such, he arrives into a group with an ethos very much aligned with his.”For me, it was an easy sell,” says Arthur on Chappell’s signing. “I wanted a cricketer who wanted to come here to further himself and he felt this was the environment that would further it for him. It was almost the perfect marriage. I don’t want a guy that’s coming with no ambition and just wants to play two years county cricket. I want a guy who is coming here and wants to use us to play for England.”It is at this point Arthur pauses to take a breath and let that last sentence breathe. “That’s almost the criteria now to come to Derbyshire,” he reiterates. “We want to bring guys in with a lot of ambition.”There is a legitimate question to be asked here that could be considered either philosophical or cynical: how much of the good feeling at the moment is linked to having a coach of Arthur’s calibre? And the answer at this juncture is, well, it does not matter. Evidently, structures are in place, values shared and a united vision of what the future of Derbyshire County Cricket Club looks like.A clearer idea will come in September. Not that Arthur has any doubts.”We’ve got to think big – we’re not here to make numbers up. We’re here to compete, we’re here to force promotion, we’re here to win white-ball competitions. We want to be county.”

Centurion’s proactivity on tricky surface could prompt change in England’s approach with the bat

Andrew Miller13-Feb-20212:55

Bell: Players like Rohit can take the game away from you quickly

Day six in Chennai, first session, and the ball was spinning like a roast chicken on a spit. Rumours that this surface was in fact a brand-new offering, rather than a repurposing of the one on which England had rushed to victory inside two sessions on Tuesday, seemed to have been confounded within two overs of Jack Leach’s first spell, as his fingerspin started disturbing the surface with ominous regularity.Day six in Chennai, final session, and the ball was popping like an over-heated frying pan. Joe Root’s part-time tweakers were suddenly the most lethal weapon in England’s armoury, his round-arm, round-the-wicket offerings extracting top-spin galore to threaten the splice and the gloves with mounting hostility. Even Rishabh Pant’s fearlessness out of the rough seemed compromised in the circumstances, although all things are relative where his remarkable style is concerned.But then, linking those two phases of play – including throughout a middle session of the most docile progress imaginable – there was Rohit Sharma’s transcendent innings of 161 from 231 balls.This was a performance every bit as totemic as Root’s double century in the series opener last week – a lobbed gauntlet of an innings from an opener whose twin failures in that contest had set the tone for a flaccid Indian batting display, but who has surely seized this contest with a grip every bit as vice-like as R Ashwin can expect to apply when his turn comes with the ball at some stage on Sunday.For there was little more that England, realistically, could have done to boost their standing in this contest after losing a very significant toss. Sure, they might have had a bit more luck with the TV umpiring, and they might have found more control with the old ball than Moeen Ali, in particular, was able to provide in his first Test outing in 18 months.Related

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Bess' fate sealed by inconsistency and fatigue

But most of all, they found a batsman in the mood to reap his runs before the inevitable crumbling. “Proactivity” was Rohit’s watchword in that dicey early phase, when the hard new ball was tearing regular chunks out of the deck, and a dog-eat-dog mentality seized hold of his innings. “You can’t be reactive,” he said at the close. “Getting on top of the bowler, making sure you are ahead of him, was very, very crucial.”Aside from a few hairy moments in the 90s, his innings proved as chanceless as it was audacious. Whether or not he took a cue from Root’s mastery of the first Test, Rohit’s use of the sweep was the stand-out feature of his game, but his dominance of the scoreline evoked a more home-grown icon of Indian batting – particularly when he strode in at lunch on 80 not out in a lunchtime scoreline of 106 for 3. By that stage of the day, he had already produced an innings as agenda-seizing as Virender Sehwag himself, on this ground in 2008, when his 83 out of an opening stand of 117 broke the back of a famous India run chase.What’s more, not only did Rohit go on to double that impact before his late extraction in the evening session, but his departure – in the 73rd over – lifted with it the veil of normality that he had managed to drape over the contest. England may have been grateful for the late breakthroughs that their day’s endeavours had earned, but as the ball began to rag once more past the more vertical-batted play of India’s middle order, they won’t have been thankful for the circumstances.Rohit Sharma offers the full face of the bat•BCCI”Control the rate, control the game” is the mantra with which England’s bowlers have rebooted their Test competitiveness in recent months. It’s an old-fashioned edict for a new-fangled age of Test cricket, as simple in its message as David Saker’s instructions to James Anderson on England’s triumphant Ashes tour in 2010-11 – “don’t get cut” – but rather trickier to adhere to against an opponent with Rohit’s power and poise.They did plenty right in the invidious circumstances, not least when Olly Stone demonstrated that “fresh” really is the new “match-fit” in England’s lockdown lifestyle, after bursting off the bench to confound Shubman Gill within three balls of his overseas debut, before posting a top speed, 93mph/150.4kph, that only the absent Mark Wood has matched in England’s contests this winter.However, Stuart Broad – taking over from Anderson as England’s wise old head – was neutered with the new ball then failed to unlock any significant reverse swing with the old, and though Ben Stokes had been expected to play a bigger role with the ball in Jofra Archer’s injury-enforced absence, his two overs lacked venom and hinted at an underlying niggle despite the England camp’s insistence he was fully fit.And therefore, as had too often been the case in England’s toothless tour four years ago, the spinners had to be called upon rather more permanently than the team’s gameplan might have hoped for – 52 overs out of 88 all told, including the bulk of that drifty afternoon session.It started well enough for both men. Leach has now scalped Cheteshwar Pujara twice in two innings, quite the achievement after Pujara had not once got out to a left-arm spinner in the previous four years, while Moeen – like the man he replaced for this contest, Dom Bess – bagged the biggest scalp of all with his best ball of the match, a ripping offbreak through a wafty drive that left Virat Kohli as dumbfounded as he had been when Adil Rashid bowled him at Headingley in 2018.England celebrate after Moeen Ali bowls Virat Kohli•BCCIHowever, also like Bess, Moeen leaked his runs at more than four an over, and served up a range of all-sorts – most heinously a first-ball full-toss to the under-pressure Ajinkya Rahane – that denied England any right to control the game once the ball had gone soft. Like Bess, Moeen’s predilection for attack can lure errors that tighter bowlers might not unlock, but to paraphrase Shane Warne’s famous barb about Monty Panesar, this was the sort of surface on which playing the same game 33 times in a row might well have hit the pay-dirt.What is more, the tempo of India’s opening gambit has presented a daunting challenge for England when their own turn comes to bat. Though they were happy to bat into day three in amassing 578 last week, the advancement of this pitch means there is no earthly chance of dodging ten bullets across a similar time-frame this time around, so their fundamental goal of first-innings parity is already fraught with jeopardy.As Ben Stokes showed in his duel with Shabhaz Nadeem last week, sometimes it’s preferable to “take some runs with you” before the inevitable happens. But for all their merits as obdurate opening batsmen, new-ball counter-attacks are not their forte of Dom Sibley and Rory Burns (Burns’ reverse-sweep last week is a reminder of what can happen when he attempts to force the pace) while the absence of the rested Jos Buttler already feels grievous given how imperious his batting can be when given full licence to heed the advice on his bat handle.Root knows a thing or two about sweeping the spinners, of course. But to judge by what was happening when he was not on strike, Rohit may already have reaped more runs from this wearing wicket than it will be willing to relinquish from this point on.

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp hosted the Norfolk Tides in Triple A action on Tuesday. During the bottom of the first inning, the Shrimp got on the board thanks to a balk by Tides pitcher Roansy Contreras, who was in the middle of his windup when an especially loud crash of thunder filled the stadium.

Just about everyone in the area flinched, but only Contreras was penalized as the runner on third was granted home plate because that's just what the rules dictate.

Good job by Marlins prospect Jakob Marsee for stealing third base on the previous pitch to set up a situation where anything can happen. Everyone knows once you're on third you can score on a base hit, a wild pitch or the sound of the gods bowling.

Interestingly enough, Norfolk scored twice in the top half of the inning on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch and bases-loaded walk. If somebody steals home during this game fans can officially say they've seen it all.

Pep Guardiola remains coy, but the plain truth is that Manchester City have closed ground on Premier League table-toppers Arsenal ahead of the Christmas period, and Sky Blue supporters know they would be wise to buckle in.

But then, another truth would be that this is simply not Pep’s strongest City squad. That said, there is enough quality within the Etihad Stadium to challenge for and potentially win the league title, especially with Erling Haaland in such impudent goalscoring form.

However, Haaland can’t do it alone all year long, with the list of the club’s top scorers underscoring the need for more firepower.

Erling Haaland

20

20

Phil Foden

19

9

Jeremy Doku

21

3

Rayan Cherki

14

3

Josko Gvardiol

16

2

Ruben Dias

20

2

Tijjani Reijnders

21

2

Phil Foden is going from strength to strength, and that could be a defining factor in City’s revival, but it’s understandable that Guardiola and the board are hoping to sign a new wide forward.

City's winter transfer plans

Haaland continues to defy expectations. Even his soaring expectations. But there’s no question that Guardiola’s side could pack a few more angles into their punches, and that’s something that may need to be fixed in January if the Premier League title is to return to the blue side of Manchester.

Given that the Norwegian goal machine is fixed into his starting berth at number nine, perhaps a goalscoring wideman could be what Pep needs.

According to TEAMtalk, Man City still have a strong interest in signing Antoine Semenyo despite Liverpool’s ostensible lead in the race. All the pointers suggest the 26-year-old is inching toward an exit from Bournemouth in 2026.

Semenyo has been one of the standout players in the Premier League this season, and with his £65m release clause switching on in January, City will need to pounce quickly to beat off the thick competition for his signature.

Why Pep wants to sign Semenyo

Most of the noise surrounding Semenyo and his future centres around struggling Premier League champions Liverpool, but City know they have it in their power to convince him to join their project.

A big-game player and with six goals and three assists to his name in the English top flight this term, Semenyo is riding the crest of a wave, with a skillset that looks perfect for a team fighting at the top.

His potency and pace could lead him to rival Jeremy Doku as City’s new version of Leroy Sane, who is fondly remembered to this day for his exploits in Manchester.

But, more accurately, Semenyo could actually emerge as Pep’s own version of Sadio Mane, the former Liverpool attacker.

Liverpool analyst Josh Williams has actually suggested that the Ghana international is “the closest you’ll find to peak Mane right now” , and given the terrorising of Premier League defences – including City’s – that the Senegalese winger used to inflict, Pep could do a lot worse than add a new version to his ranks.

Looking at the former Liverpool man during the 2021/22 campaign, leading to a second-place finish at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, in comparison to Semenyo this season, you can perhaps see why such a claim was made, with the Cherries star boasting a completeness that few can claim they have within their locker.

Matches (starts)

34 (32)

14 (14)

Goals

16

6

Assists

2

3

Shots (on target)*

2.9 (1.1)

2.4 (1.4)

Big chances missed

13

5

Accurate passes

23.6 (77%)

19.8 (78%)

Chances created*

1.3

1.3

Succ. dribbles*

1.4

1.6

Tackles*

1.0

1.7

Duels won*

4.7

6.5

Both players are combative and dynamic and deadly in the final third, and while Semenyo has the pace and athleticism to rekindle memories of a star like Sane, it is the one-time Liverpool icon, who he bears a more striking tactical likeness.

Two-footed and able to play across both wings, Semenyo is the real deal, and though Bournemouth are struggling for form at this moment in time, he remains a beaming beacon for Andoni Iraola in the final third, having been named the “best winger in the country” by Chris Waddle for his efforts this season.

How City could do with a fleet-footed winger in their mix like Sane right now, someone to contrast with the electric Jeremy Doku.

Semenyo, with all his hustle and bustle, could be the perfect man for the title-chasing task at hand.

Worse than Nunes: Pep must drop Man City star who "doesn't have the legs"

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola should drop this star who was worse than Matheus Nunes against Fulham.

ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2025

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola is headed to the 15-day injured list with a right ankle sprain, the team announced on Friday.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters that Nola's right ankle sprain occurred before the team's series against the Cleveland Guardians, which started on May 9. Thomson said that Nola sprained his ankle while doing agility work in the outfield, via Luke Arcaini.

It sounds like the Phillies are putting Nola on the IL for precautionary reasons, as Thomson said Nola's sprain is "getting better," but the team doesn't want to push it. They want him to feel 100% before returning to the starting rotation.

This is the first time Nola's been on the IL since 2017. Thomson doesn't believe Nola will be away from the team longer than the 15 days scheduled.

Through nine starts this year so far, Nola has posted a 6.16 ERA, a career-worst for him. He's pitched 49.2 innings and thrown 52 strikes, walked 16 batters and has had 59 hits on him.

To fill his spot in the rotation, the Phillies are giving Mick Abel his first MLB start on Sunday vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates and Paul Skenes. Abel is one of the organization's top prospects and currently plays on the Triple A Lehigh Valley team. He will head back to Triple A after his Sunday start as Taijuan Walker is expected to rejoin the starting rotation next week.

Rajat Patidar, the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy-winning captain, hailed the “great character” shown by Central Zone not just in the final but throughout the tournament. He particularly heaped praise on the two spinners, Kumar Kartikeya and Saransh Jain, who shared 16 wickets between them in the final as Central Zone won their first Duleep Trophy title since 2014-15 by defeating South Zone by six wickets.”They have played a lot of matches together, Kartikeya and Saransh [for Madhya Pradesh] and they have the skill and are very difficult to play on this pitch,” Patidar said after the game. “The track was really good to bat and our bowlers dominated and made it tough for the other team. That was a positive sign.”It’s been a flawless tournament for Central Zone, where they cruised through the quarter-final against North East Zone and the semi-final against West Zone, qualifying for the final by virtue of gaining first-innings leads. Then, in what had been a high-scoring tournament, Central Zone bowled first in the final and skittled South Zone for just 149, which paved the way for a comfortable win on the final day.Related

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“This wicket was slightly dry, and that is why we decided to bowl first,” Patidar said. “We wanted to bowl them out in the first innings as early as possible. That was our aim and it made the game easier.”We predicted that it would help the fast bowlers, but I wanted to give one spinner at least an over to see how the pitch is responding. I realised there was more help for the spinners rather than the fast bowlers.”L Balaji, the South Zone head coach, meanwhile, lamented the first-innings collapse and missing out on a few runs in the second as the major reasons behind his side’s disappointing performance. Chasing 65 on the final day, Central Zone lost three early wickets but despite the surface doing plenty of tricks, the chase was never going to be daunting.”The last day panned out to be bowler-friendly. Had we got more runs in the first innings or the second, had the partnership [between Ankit Sharma and C Andre Siddarth] been extended, it would have been a solid game,” Balaji said. “[A target of] 150 would have been an ideal kind of fourth-innings target for the bowling unit to fight hard.”Kumar Kartikeya kisses the Duleep Trophy silverware•PTI

South Zone’s team combination for the final was also a talking point. They went with three fast bowlers and one spinner in a bid to extend their batting line-up. It backfired with the Central Zone spinners finding plenty of purchase through the game, and the lone South Zone spinner, Ankit, bagging six wickets without any spin support from the other end.”We played three seamers in the previous game and wanted to stick with pretty much the same combination,” Balaji said. “All the bowlers bowled their heart out. Had we won the toss, the third seamer would have come into play. But I felt the boys did well selection-wise. We were consistent when it comes to the combinations.”Balaji also agreed that some of the shots played by the batters in the first innings “were a little bit unnecessary” as South Zone collapsed. But he was confident the experience of playing a major final would keep the players in good stead.”There are a lot of ifs and buts,” he said. “Shot selection-wise, some shots we could have been a little bit restricted. But on the field, when they are instinctively playing, you just have to give them the freedom to play their shot. But it was okay. This is a young batting unit and they will learn from this.”Balaji was also impressed by Siddharth’s temperament in the second innings. The 19-year-old fell for just 12 in the first innings but ensured he made up in the second, scoring an unbeaten 84. He stitched a 192-run seventh-wicket stand with Ankit, keeping the Central Zone players waiting.”We were put under pressure and he came up with a solid knock which we required at that time,” Balaji said about Siddharth’s knock. “That partnership was needed, and yes, coming not out is very important as a cricketer. He will learn. On the way, he will definitely learn a lot from this exposure and from this experience. I am sure he has got the talent to go higher.”

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has made clear that bilateral contests are off but matches in multi-nation tournaments can go ahead

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2025India will not host or visit Pakistan for bilateral contests, but their athletes and teams can take part in multi-nation events that also involve Pakistan, clearing the path for their upcoming fixtures in the men’s Asia Cup in September and the women’s ODI World Cup in October.Pakistan sportspersons can also participate in multilateral events hosted by India.The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports set down these guidelines in a statement, clarifying the Indian government’s position on sporting relations with Pakistan at a time of strained political relations between the two South Asian countries. The statement left one question unanswered: whether Indian athletes can take part in multilateral events hosted by Pakistan.Related

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The statement comes less than three weeks from the scheduled start of the Asia Cup in the UAE, where India and Pakistan, drawn in the same group, are set to meet at least once (on September 14 in Dubai), and potentially up to three times. It will be India’s first cricket match against Pakistan since the two countries exchanged cross-border hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack in April.There have been calls, in this climate, for India to boycott all sporting contact with Pakistan. During July’s World Championship of Legends, a tournament featuring retired players, both matches between the teams from the two countries had been abandoned, with the India Champions forfeiting their semi-final against the Pakistan Champions.With the Indian government making its stand clear, India now have official sanction to play Pakistan in the Asia Cup, which was originally to be hosted by India before being moved to the UAE in July.”In so far as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India,” the ministry’s statement said.In a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, calls for India to boycott all sporting contact with Pakistan have grown louder•Associated Press”With regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons. It is also relevant to take into account India’s emergence as a credible venue to host international sports events.”Accordingly, Indian teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India.”To position India as a preferred destination for hosting international sporting events, the visa process for sportspersons, team officials, technical personnel, and office-bearers of International Sports Governing Bodies shall be simplified. In respect of office-bearers of International Sports Governing Bodies, a multi-entry visa shall be granted on priority basis for the duration of their official tenure, subject to a maximum period of five years. This shall facilitate their smooth movement into and within the country, in accordance with international norms. Due protocol and courtesies, as per established practice, shall be extended to the Heads of International Sports Governing Bodies during their visits to India.”The statement lays down in unambiguous terms what have been the Indian government’s unwritten guidelines for cricketing engagements with Pakistan for more than a decade. The two countries have not met in a bilateral series in any format since 2012, but they have faced off multiple times at the ODI and T20 World Cups, the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup.Pakistan have visited India for the T20 World Cup in 2016 and the ODI World Cup in 2023, but India did not visit Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Their matches, including their semi-final and final, were played in Dubai. The BCCI and the PCB have agreed on this hybrid model for all remaining ICC events in the 2024-27 cycle.

England went to lunch on 83 for 2

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2025

Jasprit Bumrah in action•Getty Images

Nitish Kumar Reddy removed both England openers in his first over but the hosts escaped the first session only two wickets down after choosing to bat first at Lord’s. Reddy struck twice in four balls after Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley scraped through the first hour unscathed. Ollie Pope and Joe Root then led England’s recovery with an unbroken stand of 39 before lunch.Duckett was repeatedly struck on his body in a probing first spell from Jasprit Bumrah, who replaced Prasidh Krishna in India’s only change from the side that won at Edgbaston last week. But England reached the drinks break at 39 for 0, despite a frenetic start from Crawley which featured four boundaries – one via the outside edge – and several plays-and-misses.Reddy’s double-strike opened up both ends for India. His first wicket was a freebie, a long-hop down the leg side which Duckett under-edged through to Rishabh Pant on the pull, but his second was a beauty. He angled the ball into Crawley, then found late movement away off the seam to take the outside edge, as India sensed an opportunity.Pope was dropped between those two wickets, edging his first ball – a full outswinger – to gully, where Shubman Gill could not hold onto a tough, low chance, diving to his right. But after his early life, he grew in confidence alongside Root, and they saw off Bumrah’s third spell to reach the lunch interval at 83 for 2.Ben Stokes’ decision to bat first on winning the toss – for the third time in a row – was met with cheers at Lord’s, after bowling first had backfired at Edgbaston. Gill admitted he was “a bit confused” about what he would have done but said that he would have leaned towards bowling in the belief that the only assistance from the pitch would come early on the first day.

Manchester United have sifted through a familiar pile of problems so far this season, but there’s been enough about Ruben Amorim’s side to suggest a turnaround may yet be on the horizon.

A daunting trip to Anfield looms large for the Red Devils now that the October international break has been wrapped up, and INEOS will expect to see an upswing in results, having unlocked their purse and spent a pretty penny on new signings this summer.

Liverpool

7

£415m

Chelsea

10

£285m

Arsenal

8

£255m

Newcastle

7

£250m

Man United

5

£216m

Given that last year’s 15th-place Premier League finish and defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final have limited Amorim and his team to domestic action only this year, it’s impressive that INEOS granted a significant outlay to help get Old Trafford back on track.

Among those arrivals was Benjamin Sesko, who hasn’t quite hit the ground running after joining from German side RB Leipzig.

Man Utd considering Sesko upgrade

This month, Sesko put the brakes on his Man United progress, having scored two goals in succession, heading out for international action with Slovenia.

He didn’t carry his form over to the World Cup qualifiers, but the 22-year-old striker has shown in recent weeks his capacity to succeed at the Theatre of Dreams, with Wayne Rooney citing the star’s aerial “influence” as proving a “handful” for Sunderland two weeks ago.

But with Rasmus Hojlund now out on loan with Napoli and with a mandatory purchase option worth £38m, there’s a sense Amorim and Man United technical director Jason Wilcox might be seeking an alternative at number nine.

Well, according to Spanish sources this week, that player could be Mateo Retegui, who is already attracting intrigue after leaving Atalanta for Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia this summer.

The 26-year-old cost his new outfit a reported £56m in July, and so would cost United a heavy outlay if they were to pursue this market potential.

In fact, the Spanish media suggest a fee in the region of €60m (about £52m) would do the trick.

But two strikers are better than one, and with United planning to return to European competition by the start of next term, adding Retegui to the ranks might be a shrewd move.

Would his success come at Sesko’s expense?

Why Mateo Retegui is perfect for Man Utd

Retegui, an Italy international but born and raised in Argentina, left his South American homeland in 2023 and joined Genoa, scoring nine times across the 2023/24 campaign and piquing the interest of Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta manager.

Transferring to La Dea following their historic success in the Europa League, Retegui notched 28 goals across the recent campaign, with Italian manager Luciano Spalletti saying, “Inside the box, he is lethal.”

That’s exactly what the Red Devils need going forward, and while Sesko promises much under Amorim’s management, it’s clear he is a work in progress, and that a period of adaptation might spill over into the following season.

Retegui would be the perfect player, at a different stage in his career development, to jockey for a place at the front of the ship and ensure United go from strength to strength next season and beyond.

With five goals and four assists from his past four matches for Gli Azzurri during World Cup qualifying, Retegui is proving he has retained the requisite sharpness to succeed in the Premier League for a superpower such as Man United.

If we’ve learned anything about Man United’s goalscoring conundrum over the past year or so, it’s that strikers need service. Hojlund has come alive since leaving England, and United’s 14th-placed ranking for big chances created last season (66) emphasises the root of their creative struggles then.

But things have changed this term. Tactical imbalances still reign, but Sesko is benefiting from Bruno Fernandes’ creativity; no Premier League player has created more big chances than his 18 this season.

Just imagine the gains that could be made with Retegui thrown into the mix. According to Sofascore, Retegui only missed 18 big chances in Serie A last season, scoring 25 times, which emphasises his clinical quality in the danger area. The Italian averaged more than a chance created per game besides.

For all that is lopsided about Amorim’s system and the application of the players within it, United actually top the xG (expected goals) chart in the top flight so far.

Retegui has proven over the past few years his goalscoring ability and aptitude across the final third. For Atalanta, he was “one of the best acquisitions of the summer transfer window” in 2024, after all.

Kylian Mbappe

34

31

Mohamed Salah

38

29

Robert Lewandowski

34

27

Harry Kane

31

26

Mateo Retegui

36

25

He no longer competes on the European circuit, but the Italian has started life in the Gulf as clinically as he left his career in his homeland, posting three goals from four matches across the Saudi Pro League campaign so far.

Given that, across the past 12 months, he ranks among the top 5% of strikers for goals scored, the top 7% for assists and the top 11% for recoveries completed per 90, as per FBref’s data, there’s a sense that this mobile and aggressive goalscorer could be the perfect counterpoint to the tall and powerful Sesko.

But if Retegui were to hit the ground running, it might actually be to the detriment of Sesko’s own rise in the Premier League.

Man Utd now eyeing record-breaking Lammens upgrade who's "good with his feet"

The Red Devils are already looking to sign a new goalkeeper, despite signing Senne Lammens in the summer.

ByDominic Lund Oct 15, 2025

Paul Pogba may be preparing for his football comeback but he is clearly diversifying his interests after launching a new clothing brand in what could be seen as a major career switch. The former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder is currently on the books at Monaco but has not yet made his debut for the Ligue 1 club.

• Pogba's new interests

  Per , Pogba has launched his own clothing range and has enlisted the help of his wife for the launch. The brand is named 'Pogba MDXCIII' and the Instagram page for the brand was launched at the weekend. Zulay, the midfielder's wife, has been seen modelling some of the range, which includes hats, t-shirts, tracksuits and jackets. 

  The brand's website reads: "From the streets of Lagny-sur-Marne to the world’s biggest stages, Paul Pogba’s journey is talent, determination, and flair in motion. He rose through Manchester United’s academy, conquered Europe with Juventus, and lifted the FIFA World Cup with France. His charisma is undeniable, but his creativity goes beyond the pitch. POGBA is his expression of individuality: a fusion of sport, style, and luxury. Today, alongside his family in Monaco, he continues to inspire in football and in fashion with a life led by passion and authenticity."

  A World Cup winner, Pogba will be hoping he can use his name to make a fortune off his new designs as fans prepare to take a look at each drop of fresh garments.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Expensive threads for luxury brand

  Pogba's fashion range has a studio in Miami and charges in excess of £200 for some of the clothing items, but they claim the brand "represents a bold and modern version of luxury".

  They add: "Founded by Paul Pogba and his partner Jonathan, POGBA MDXCIII represents a bold and modern vision of luxury. More than a brand it’s a statement of style: a strong, instantly recognizable identity rooted in culture, movement, and victory.

  "From our studio in Miami, every creation is crafted as an exceptional piece noble fabrics, precise cuts, flawless finishes. We work with the finest artisans and manufacturers to bring to life garments that embody power, elegance, and timeless design.

  "Our ambition is simple yet immense: to redefine the codes of luxury sport, blending excellence, authenticity, and emotion.

  "POGBA stands for the perfect balance between style and performance."

• Pogba waiting for comeback

  Pogba joined Monaco officially in June but has yet to play for the first time since his doping ban was reduced to 18 months from four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He was poised to make his debut at the weekend but suffered a small fitness issue, and his manager, Sebastien Pocognoli, has insisted that the midfielder is "smiling". 

  He told reporters: "Paul is training but not fully. I think the process for Paul is a process to make everything step by step. [On Monday] he joined with the group for the first time under my coaching.

  "He was smiling, he was enjoying and interacting with the players. For me, this is the first step and this step can take days, can take two to three weeks and then we can build on this through performance and the consistency. So, yeah, that is the first step and here we are. That is the situation, but I am very pleased, for sure, to see him on the pitch."

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• Getty Images
  

  What comes next for Pogba?

  Monaco face Premier League opposition in the Champions League on Wednesday when they take on Tottenham at the Stade Louis II. It is Pocognoli's first fixture in charge of the club, and they will have to win without Pogba. He will likely be donning some of his own designer clothes in the stands. 

  While he will not be playing this week, he may well be able to make his return when Monaco face Toulouse in the league this weekend. They are currently seventh in Ligue 1.