SL spinners, Pakistan's ODI form, off-field cuteness among things to watch out for

How batters like Saim Ayub and Pathum Nissanka score in the upcoming series is also worth keeping your eyes on

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Nov-2025So we have arrived at another bilateral ODI series. Believe it or not, these were all the rage back in the first half of the 2010s – used so frequently as schedule-filler, to bulk up tours. T20Is and T20 leagues serve that purpose now, and the ODI World Cup is not till 2027. Still, this is a chance for Pakistan and Sri Lanka to do some building towards the next big event. Here are five things to watch for the three-match series starting on Tuesday.

Can Pakistan build on victory over South Africa?

What is clear is that both Sri Lanka and Pakistan are middling ODI sides. The rankings are some reflection – Sri Lanka are currently fourth on the ODI charts, and Pakistan are fifth, and neither side has had a glut of ODIs this year. The difference, though, is that Sri Lanka appear to be an ODI outfit on the rise, having won seven of their 10 matches this year. Pakistan have lost 10 of their 14, and had also crashed out of their “home” Champions Trophy.There is a little recent uptick for Pakistan, however. They sneaked a victory in the first ODI against South Africa earlier this month, then strode to a thumping win over them in the third ODI to seal a 2-1 series win. That was against a depleted South Africa, and Sri Lanka have sent a full-strength squad.Still, for a team that was looking for inspiration, perhaps their first series under Shaheen Shah Afridi has provided a new beginning.

Saim Ayub a threat at the top of the order

Saim Ayub averages 50.85 in ODIs•AFP via Getty ImagesSo fragile have their runs of form been in the last couple of years, you praise Pakistan batters at your peril. But so far, young left-hand batter Saim Ayub has been putting together the makings of a good ODI career. He has only played 15 innings in the format so far, so we are at the very early stages. But he averages 50.85, and crucially has a strike rate of exactly 100, having hit 712 runs so far.Against South Africa, he made scores of 39, 53, and 77 off 70 in the third ODI. This is the kind of consistency that could prove helpful in concert with Fakhar Zaman’s more erratic returns from the other end. This will be Ayub’s first series against Sri Lanka.

How effective will Sri Lanka’s bowlers be on Pakistani tracks?

While Sri Lanka have won three series this year, against Australia, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe, only the Zimbabwe win came away from home. Generally, over the course of the last two years, as they have rebuilt under captain Charith Asalanka and coach Sanath Jayasuriya, much of their limited-overs success has come at Sri Lankan venues still famed for the turn their tracks offer. The surfaces in Pakistan will likely be more batting-friendly, which will test Sri Lanka’s spinners in particular. This is the less-favoured of Wanindu Hasaranga’s formats, and Maheesh Theekshana has been far from his best in 2025. Sri Lanka will need them to assert themselves.

Can Pathum Nissanka continue unlocking new levels?

By his own increasingly-high standards, 2025 has been just a middling year for Pathum Nissanka in ODIs. In ten innings, he has hit one century and two fifties, and has an average of 32.40, and a strike rate of 84.81. He has been expanding his game in other formats, however. He has hit two Test hundreds in just three innings this year, and his most-recent T20I knock was an outstanding 107 off 58 balls against India. If the surfaces in Rawalpindi are on the flatter side, Nissanka may be a serious force.

Abrar-Hasaranga fun

Wanindu Hasaranga celebrates a wicket with the Abrar Ahmed celebration during the recent Asia Cup•MB Media/Getty ImagesAsia’s rivalries are packed with machismo and cheap political posturing these days, but one that continues to buck the trend is the Sri Lanka-Pakistan relationship. In their match in the Asia Cup, Abrar Ahmed mimicked Hasaranga’s wicket celebration (which Hasaranga had himself pinched from football player Neymar Jr.), and Hasaranga mimicked Abrar’s wicket celebration in return. Although this had the potential to turn tense, the players met after the match, and were seen animatedly bro-ing out together (this is the scientific term).That clip of them shaking hands and half-embracing then became a little piece of viral “brotherhood” content, in an otherwise acrimonious and shameful Asia Cup. The general vibe of Pakistan vs Sri Lanka fixtures over the last 15 years has been that although there can be on-field altercations, the tension seems to almost invariably give way to off-field cuteness.

Frank can fix creativity woes with Spurs star who's "impossible to defend"

Over the last couple of weeks, Tottenham Hotspur have massively struggled to deliver within the final third, which has resulted in numerous disappointing results.

Thomas Frank will no doubt have huge questions to answer in the near future, with the Derby Day defeat against Arsenal the latest failure in his tenure after taking the reins in the summer.

The Dane made a bold decision to switch to a 5-4-1 system at the Emirates to try and nullify the threat posed by Mikel Arteta’s side, but ultimately, it was ineffective as seen by the 4-1 scoreline.

Such a decision also restricted the Lilywhites massively within attacking areas, as Richarlison’s long-range effort was the only moment of note in the final third.

Numerous figures from the club’s recent Premier League outings highlight the struggles in attacking areas, with an immediate solution desperately needing to be found by the manager.

The stats behind Spurs’ recent struggles in attacking areas

As previously mentioned, Sunday was an afternoon to forget for all Spurs supporters, with the defeat arguably the worst of Frank’s tenure after his appointment in June.

The defensive setup massively nullified their own attacking threat, resulting in an embarrassing 0.07 xG produced, with only one shot on target registered, excluding the goal.

In total, the Lilywhites only managed to notch a total of three shots, whilst also registering just four touches in the Gunners’ 18-yard box during the 90-minute contest.

However, the club’s struggles have also been evident in other outings, with the defeat to Chelsea on home soil at the start of the month also showcasing their struggles in front of goal.

Frank’s men failed to find the back of the net in the London derby, again only notching one shot on target and amassing a total xG of just 0.10 in the loss.

No player in the squad was able to complete a cross against Enzo Maresca’s men, which no doubt would have contributed to the lack of quality within the final third.

The Spurs star who can solve Frank’s attacking woes

Spurs’ lack of quality in front of goal has undoubtedly produced a cause for concern, especially given the numbers produced under Ange Postecoglou last season.

The Lilywhites managed to score 64 goals in the Premier League during 2024/25, an average of 1.7 per 90, despite recording a measly 17th-placed finish in England’s top-flight.

Such a tally was the sixth best in the division, but Frank’s men have been unable to replicate such levels over the last couple of months of the new season.

His men have netted 20 goals in the 12 league outings to date, an average of 1.6, with Richarlison sitting as their top scorer on five goals – a quarter of the whole team’s tally.

However, the manager could find an immediate solution to the Lilywhites’ issues in attacking areas by unleashing Brennan Johnson over the next few weeks.

The Welsh international netted 18 goals across all competitions last campaign, but has often struggled for starts under the Dane after the investment from the hierarchy.

Mohammed Kudus arrived in a £55m transfer from West Ham United, which has seen the Ghanaian international often fill the void on the right-hand side of the attack.

However, Johnson is deserving of a recall to the starting eleven, with his numbers from last campaign showcasing the threat he carries within the final third.

His goalscoring tally from 2024/25 was by far and away the highest of any player in the first-team squad, with his underlying figures reflecting his all-round quality.

The 24-year-old achieved a total xG and xA per 90 of 0.51, the third highest in the squad, which further highlights his ability to star alone or find a teammate in dangerous areas.

Games played

51

2nd

Goals scored

18

1st

xG & xA per 90

0.51

3rd

Chances created

22

4th

Crosses per 90

1.4

2nd

Dribble success

56%

2nd

Shots per 90

2.2

3rd

Penalties won

2

1st

Johnson, who’s been labelled “impossible to defend” by one analyst, also ranked fourth in the first team for chances created – which could provide Richarlison with the ammunition to improve his own tallies.

Other tallies, such as 1.4 crosses completed per 90 and how dribble success of 56% both placed him in second position, with the winger having the all-round quality Frank’s men have hugely lacked.

There’s little denying that Johnson is a player who has divided opinion in North London, but his figures from last season highlight the quality he does possess with the ball at his feet.

If Frank is to find an immediate short-term solution to his side’s struggles, he may need to recall the Welshman back to his starting eleven against Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

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All you need to know about the men's T20 Asia Cup

When is the India vs Pakistan game? What’s the format? Who are the players to watch? And a lot more…

Abhijato Sensarma05-Sep-2025

Isn’t the Asia Cup sometime soon?

Indeed, and that’s why we’re here. The 17th edition of the Asia Cup starts on September 9 and ends on September 28. The tournament will be played in the UAE, with matches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. All games start at 6.30pm UAE time, with one double-header day when the two matches start at 4pm and 6.30pm UAE time.

Why is the Asia Cup in the UAE this time?

India were the official hosts of the tournament, but because of their strained political relations with Pakistan, neither team plays in the other’s country now. If India had hosted the tournament, the matches involving Pakistan would have had to be played at a neutral venue, like India’s games were in the UAE when Pakistan hosted the 2025 Champions Trophy. So while the BCCI remains the official host, the matches will be played in the UAE this time.

Tell me more about the Asia Cup…

The first Asia Cup was played in 1984, between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament is only nine years younger than the ODI World Cup. It was set up as a way of promoting goodwill between the participating countries and then became progressively bigger as more Asian countries developed strong teams. It was initially a stop-and-start presence in the international calendar, but has been played every alternate year since 2008, except for the interruption in 2020 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.India are the defending champions. Mohammed Siraj ran through Sri Lanka with a six-for in the 2023 Asia Cup final in Colombo and they chased down the target of 51 in just 6.1 overs. It was India’s eighth Asia Cup title, making them the most successful team in the tournament. Sri Lanka are the second-most-successful team with six Asia Cup wins.Related

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So the Asia Cup is an ODI tournament?

It began as an ODI tournament, but over the last decade it has switched between the ODI and the T20I formats, depending on whether the upcoming World Cup is an ODI or T20I tournament. The previous Asia Cup in 2023 was an ODI tournament because it was held a few months before the 2023 ODI World Cup. This Asia Cup is a T20I tournament ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next February.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are the participating teams?

Not just them. For the first time, there are eight teams in the Asia Cup. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan qualified directly for the tournament, and they are joined by the top three teams – UAE, Oman and Hong Kong – from the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup, which is the top-tier tournament for associate countries in Asia.Salman Agha’s Pakistan will have a new-look top order at the Asia Cup•AFP/Getty Images

Why didn’t Nepal make it?

They came up short in the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup. They topped their group but lost to UAE in the semi-finals, and then to Hong Kong in the third-place playoff in a last-over finish. Hong Kong qualified for the Asia Cup and Nepal, despite their rise in recent years, will sit this tournament out.

What’s the format of this Asia Cup?

The eight teams have been split up: India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE are in Group A, while Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka are in Group B, and each team will play the others in their group once. The top two from each group will qualify for the Super Four round, where they will all play each other again. The top two from the Super Four will play the final on September 28 in Dubai.

India and Pakistan are playing each other?

Yes, but there was some uncertainty around the fixture due to cross-border tensions earlier this year until the Indian government clarified its stance on playing Pakistan recently: India will not play bilateral cricket against Pakistan but will play them in multi-nation events like the Asia Cup and ICC tournaments.Their group A game is on September 14, Sunday, in Dubai. If both teams qualify for the Super Four stage, they will play each other a second time. And then there’s the possibility of an India-Pakistan final too; they have never played an Asia Cup final against each other before, though.Bangladesh recently beat Sri Lanka in a T20I series•Getty Images

What else is there to look forward to in this Asia Cup?

Plenty. Pakistan have a new-look top order, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan still out of the side after a period of diminishing returns (and strike rates).Bangladesh recently beat Sri Lanka in a hard-fought bilateral T20I series.India have picked a full-strength squad for the first time since winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, but questions remain over the balance of their best XI.Hong Kong – who take on Afghanistan in the tournament opener – have a new captain, Yasim Murtaza, and a new coach, former Sri Lanka international Kaushal Silva.Afghanistan are gunning for their first major title after they had their best finish at a global event at the 2024 World Cup, where they got to the semi-finals.Oman will also be playing their first major tournament since a payment dispute with their board, in the aftermath of the same World Cup.India vs Pakistan is the biggest fixture, of course, but there has been a lot of needle in games featuring Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka over the years. No one can be certain where the flashpoints of this year’s tournament might be.Will Afghanistan’s AM Ghazanfar be a hit in T20 internationals?•ACB

Any exciting new players in the Asia Cup?

There is a significant pool of expected debutants and fresh-faced internationals at the Asia Cup. The most high profile among the second lot would be Abhishek Sharma, who already has two T20I centuries and scores at a strike rate of 193.84, but is only 24 and has played just 17 matches for India. This will be his first major tournament since his ascent to being first-choice India opener, and a litmus test too – how will he perform under serious pressure?Afghanistan’s 19-year-old mystery spinner, AM Ghazanfar, has just made his T20I debut after impressing with two five-wicket hauls in 11 ODIs. He is also becoming a regular on the T20 franchise circuit.Pakistan left-arm quick Salman Mirza is 31 and has made a name for himself recently. After an impressive PSL season with Lahore Qalandars, he debuted in the series against Bangladesh and picked up seven wickets at an economy of 5.21.UAE captain and opener Muhammad Waseem is by far their best batter and a prominent name in the T20 franchise circuit. He has a strike rate of 155.73 in T20Is* but he will be entering the Asia Cup without much experience in big tournaments. It remains to be seen if he doubles down on his aggressive batting.Hong Kong’s 34-year-old captain Murtaza has played T20Is for three years but will be captaining the side for the first time. A bowling allrounder, he has taken 70 wickets with a tidy economy of 6.33.

So, a lot of entertainment to look forward to?

Of course. In T20 cricket, even relatively lower-ranked teams have a fair chance of challenging the stronger teams. And, in recent years, the Asia Cup has produced some memorable matches.In their first appearance at the tournament, Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 91 runs in 2014. Four years later, they tied an ODI against India. Hong Kong almost chased down 286 against India after a 174-run opening stand in the 2018 edition. While major shocks have not been too frequent, matches like these prove the quality of cricket has been high and the competition fierce.Sri Lanka won the last T20I edition of the Asia Cup – played in 2022 – against the odds after facing Pakistan in the final, underlining the close gap between top teams. In short, plenty of excitement awaits with no results guaranteed. And we’ll be covering every moment on ESPNcricinfo, so stay tuned.

The IPL was supposed to have been much longer by now. Why isn't it?

Projections said the league would have many more matches per season but we’re still at 74 and that doesn’t look likely to change soon

Matt Roller23-Apr-2025Something almost unheard of happened in the world of sports broadcasting recently. The number of IPL games a season, stipulated to increase to 84 in 2025, according to the IPL’s lucrative media-rights contract of 2022, remained at 74 for the fourth successive year.The decision defied a global trend of incessant growth in sports leagues and events: football’s World Cup and Champions League have both swelled in recent years, while the Club World Cup is growing from seven matches to 63. But in the IPL, even an incremental expansion has been treated with caution, to the point of being deferred.This has been true across the league’s 18-year history. The IPL has become a commercial behemoth since its launch in 2008, but its season has only grown from 59 matches between eight teams to 74 between ten. In fact, the current format is two matches than that used in 2012 and 2013, soon after the IPL’s first expansion to include additional franchises.Related

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A significant change has been the dramatic decline in the number of double-headers. The past two seasons have seen only 12 games played in the afternoon slot, less than one in six; back in 2011, that proportion was more than one in three. The result is a longer IPL window, with the season now stretching past nine weeks.Players much prefer evening games, as demonstrated by Ishant Sharma’s obvious discomfort after bowling in the 40-degree Ahmedabad heat on Saturday. But the decline in the number of afternoon games owes primarily to the decline in broadcast ratings for games that start at 3.30pm compared to 7.30pm – around 30-40% percent lower for the earlier-starting matches.

“The analogy used was a soap opera,” says Mike Fordham, who worked in the IPL from inception for the events company IMG and was later Rajasthan Royals’ chief executive. “There were big traditions in India of families watching soap operas, so the idea was that this would be your nightly entertainment – and you’d have to watch every game to know the full story.”In that sense, the IPL is different to the vast majority of sporting leagues around the world: it does not schedule fixtures that run simultaneously, barring occasional overlaps when an afternoon game overruns. It fuels the idea that the casual viewer is agnostic to whether their team is playing when they tune in, as long as they can watch some of their favourite players.The US business podcast recently released a four-hour IPL special, analysing the league’s growth, and was surprised that it has remained so short. “Looking at it from the outside in, there’s no way that in five-ten years from now there are not more games [played] during the IPL,” says co-host David Rosenthal. “All the economic forces are pointing that way.”Rosenthal believes that the IPL has been “really smart” in avoiding an expansion beyond ten teams. “Take the NBA: nobody cares about an average game on an average night. There’s 30 teams: who cares if the [Charlotte] Hornets are playing the [Atlanta] Hawks? Nobody. There’s a real sense right now in basketball of ‘these games don’t matter’. The IPL is the exact opposite.”The IPL’s current broadcast deal, signed in 2022, is worth US$6 billion across a five-year cycle, giving it the second-highest price-per-match valuation of any sports league in the world, behind the NFL. But that statistic relies on the scarcity of games: in absolute terms, there are four different European football leagues with media rights deals worth more than the IPL’s.Players aren’t big fans of afternoon games, and neither are fans•AFP/Getty Images”[The price-per-match valuation] is both incredibly, incredibly impressive and overstates the size of the IPL in terms of overall economic impact,” Rosenthal says. “To us, that’s why we think this league is clearly going to expand – and it shows the need to keep the right amount of restraint in not going to 30 teams, or playing six months of the year. But it is a good example of the potential of just how big this can get.”Some believe that there is no more juice to squeeze from the lemon: the valuation of the “IPL ecosystem” fell by 11.7% in the Indian firm D&P Advisory’s most recent report, which anticipates “a more conservative approach” in media-rights bids for the next cycle. That prediction follows the completion of the Reliance-Disney merger in India last year, bringing the IPL’s broadcast and streaming platforms together in a single entity.”Everyone knows that this is something that is here to stay, and IPL will only grow bigger,” says Santosh N, the firm’s managing partner. “But from a numbers perspective – some of the billion dollars that we talk about, with regards to media rights or title sponsorship – I actually think that maybe we ran too fast on some of these.”The alternative view comes from the league’s founder, Lalit Modi: “IPL is the golden goose that all want… Don’t worry, IPL will continue to be fiercely bid upon,” he posted on Instagram. Streaming of the league’s games has returned to a paid model this year after two seasons where every match was available for free. JioHotstar vice-chair Uday Shankar said last week that the app already has 200 million paid subscribers: “IPL is a very, very powerful asset.”Among the teams, there is an appetite for a longer season. The current 74-match format is lopsided: each team plays five of their nine opponents both home and away. Officials at multiple franchises told ESPNcricinfo that they would support a move to a full home-and-away season, increasing the total number of fixtures to 94, provided player availability can be guaranteed.One concern commonly raised around extending the season is that squad sizes would have to increase: “We also have to factor the load on the players due to the increase in matches,” Jay Shah, the ex-secretary of the BCCI, told the last year. It would also mean more time away for overseas players, an increase in team salary caps, and buy-in from national boards – an issue that would come across Shah’s desk in his new role as ICC chair.The IPL is pay-to-watch this season, unlike in previous years, when matches were free to stream•BCCIEight of the ten IPL franchises now have interests in at least one short-form league outside of India, demonstrating their desire for growth. But a significantly longer IPL – say, a six-month-long season – remains far-fetched at this stage, not least given the constraints of the global calendar. “It’s a tournament, really, more than a league,” Fordham says. “And despite what some seem to think, there’s no indication that the BCCI wants to destroy the international game.”There are in-built constraints to the IPL’s dates. The monsoon hits most of the lower half of India by mid-June, providing a hard stop at the far end, while ICC events – like this year’s Champions Trophy, and next year’s T20 World Cup – often run into early March. The Women’s Premier League has also run into March, though it will shift forward into a January-February window next year.”Either you need a bigger window or you will end up having more double-headers,” IPL chairman Arun Dhumal recently told the . Expanding the season by another week or two, bringing the start date into early or mid-March, would require international support and assurances from other boards that they would make their players fully available.There has long been speculation of a second, shorter IPL tournament taking place in the second half of the year, around September, which some believe could be a significant new revenue stream for franchises. The trouble, again, would be finding space in a crammed global calendar.The league’s most recent expansion, from eight franchises to ten, has been a qualified success. But while there is little doubt that more new teams would be hugely lucrative – “They’d sell for a billion dollars plus,” Fordham predicts – there is no prospect of another sale coming soon, as newcomers Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants continue to establish themselves.The lack of appetite for expansion in the near term also reflects the dominance of the league’s three biggest brands: Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have more Instagram followers between them than the other seven teams combined. “We have to look at the larger picture and keep in mind what works best for the league,” Dhumal said.Do fans – and therefore broadcasters- really want a longer IPL season? “Maybe India is different, but a personal view is that non-stop T20 cricket for six months could get very samey,” Fordham says. The IPL turns 18 years old this year – but adulthood alone does not guarantee maturity.

Torcedores de Palmeiras e Santos divergem de pênalti marcado por Claus em Endrick

MatériaMais Notícias

O gol de pênalti marcado por Raphael Veiga gerou debate entre torcedores de Palmeiras e Santos nas redes sociais. Após revisão no VAR, Raphael Claus, árbitro da partida, marcou falta dentro da área de João Paulo em Endrick, que se aproveitou de uma falha do sistema defensivo do Peixe.

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A decisão causou revolta nos jogadores do Alvinegro Praiano, que protestaram efusivamente com Claus antes da cobrança. Com tranquilidade, Veiga chutou alto no meio do gol e abriu o placar para o Verdão, que empatou o placar agragado da decisão aos 32 minutos da primeira etapa.

De um lado, torcedores do Palmeiras não tiveram dúvidas a respeito da marcação: “quem falar que isso aqui não é pênalti já pode parar de assistir futebol”.

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Os santistas, por sua vez, contestaram a decisão que resultou no gol. De acordo com um torcedor, “é um absurdo ele (Claus) marcar esse pênalti. Já outro, afirmou que o atacante simulou a falta: “simulação não é pra amarelo”? Confira alguns comentários a seguir.

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Campeonato PaulistaEndrickFutebol NacionalPalmeirasSantos

Stats – India third for most Test wins at home

John Campbell scores West Indies’ first Test century of the year, while Shai Hope ends 2968 days to move from century No. 2 to century No. 3

Shubh Agarwal14-Oct-202510 – The number of consecutive series wins for India against West Indies, starting in 2002. India have now levelled the record for most successive series wins against an opponent alongside South Africa, who have the same 10-0 record against West Indies starting 1998.This was also India’s 27th Test in a row without a defeat against West Indies, the most for them against a single opposition. The last time they lost a Test to West Indies was in 2002.14 – India’s unbeaten Test-match streak in Delhi. The last time India lost a Test in Delhi was in 1987 against West Indies. Since 1993, India have played 14 Tests in Delhi with 12 wins and two draws.With the latest result, Delhi went past Mohali (13 Tests since 1997) and Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium (13 Tests between 1948 and 1965) for India’s longest unbeaten streaks.7 – The number of Test wins Dhruv Jurel has been a part of in his brief international career, the most for any Indian cricketer from debut. Jurel made his debut in the Rajkot Test against England in early 2024 and has been on the winning side in each of his seven Tests. Earlier, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was part of the winning camp in his first six Tests.13 – The number of wickets India lost in this series, the joint-lowest for them in a series win of two matches or more. Earlier, India defeated Zimbabwe 1-0 in the two-match home series in 2000 losing only 13 wickets.122 – Number of Test wins for India at home. India have now gone third on the tally for most home Test wins, going one above South Africa (121) and are only behind England (241) and Australia (262).390 – West Indies registered their first 300-plus total in 2025. The last time they crossed the 300-run mark in an innings was eight Test matches ago – in the first Test against Bangladesh in 2024. It was also the last time they batted more than 80 overs (which they also did in the first innings of this Test), had a 100-run partnership, and a century-maker in an innings.50 – It took John Campbell his 50th Test innings to mark his first Test hundred. Only Ridley Jacobs (56) and Denesh Ramdin (52) had taken more innings among West Indies cricketers to score their first Test centuries. Among all opening batters in Test history, only South Africa’s Trevor Goddard had a longer wait for a maiden century – 59 innings.More notably, Campbell is also the first West Indies batter to score a hundred this year. Justin Greaves scored the last hundred for West Indies in the North Sound Test in 2024. The last West Indies batter to score a Test century in India was Shamarh Brooks, but not against India – 111 vs Afghanistan in Lucknow in 2019.2968 – The number of days Shai Hope had to wait for his third Test century. Since his twin hundreds in Leeds in 2017, Hope had been in and out of the side. Returning to the Test team after a four-year gap, Hope finally got into the three-digits again. Creating an unwanted West Indies record, he went past Gordon Greenidge’s wait of 2204 days for a Test hundred between April 1977 and April 1983.

Gill: India won't be 'looking for any easy options' against West Indies

On managing workloads of Jasprit Bumrah & Co: “We’re going to take a call on a match-to-match basis,” Shubman Gill says

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-20252:50

‘Nothing is pre-decided’ – Gill on Bumrah’s workload

It’s “very important” for India to do well in the two-Test series against West Indies after they were blanked 3-0 in their previous home Test series by New Zealand, Shubman Gill said on the eve of the first Test in Ahmedabad.”We are looking to play some hard, grinding cricket. Over the past few years, if you see the Test matches, they haven’t got to five days. So what we are looking to do is play some good, hard cricket,” Gill said at a press conference. “All the Test matches that we played in England went pretty deep [all five Tests went into the fifth day]. And I think what you can expect from us is good, hard, grinding cricket and we won’t be looking for any easy options.”And I think we have the skills to dominate in any kind of situation and the kind of talent we have got in the team, we can turn around from any situation, so that’s what we will be looking to play.”Related

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In recent years, when India have hosted teams for Test cricket, spin-friendly pitches have been prepared more often than not. Seeing how well India competed in the 2-2 series in England earlier this year, what sort of pitch should we expect?”I can’t speak about the conversations before I came, but we would be looking to play on wickets that offer [something] to both the batsmen and to the bowlers,” Gill said. “But, having said that, any team that comes to India, the challenge is the spin and reverse swing. These are the two things that, if teams can play spin well and if they can challenge the reverse swing, they are going to get good success.”So keeping these challenges in mind, you’d be looking to play on wickets that offer [something] to the batsmen and the bowlers.”In England, India picked a pace-heavy bowling attack, and the only spinners in the mix were the allrounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, with Kuldeep Yadav sitting out all five Tests. Two days out from the Test, the Ahmedabad pitch appeared to be greener than anticipated.”The weather and wickets we have in India, it will be difficult to follow that template [employed in England],” Gill said. “We have such quality in our team. Someone like Kuldeep, such a wicket-taker for us in all formats, didn’t get a chance to play in England, which was very unfortunate. Here, I think, playing four spinners, and spinners of such quality, you are always tempted to look at the batting depth, you have to just weigh in your options, what can give you a bit more.”6:18

Aaron on Bumrah: India not taking any chances after NZ drubbing

Will Jasprit Bumrah play both Tests?It was a constant talking point in England after it had been announced before the series that Jasprit Bumrah would play only three of the five Tests to manage his fitness. What happens now?”We’re going to take a call on a match-to-match basis depending on how long a Test match goes on and how many overs our fast bowlers bowl,” Gill said. “Nothing is pre-decided. We’re going to take the call once the Test match is over and how our fast bowlers feel and how their bodies feel after the match.”And what about Gill himself? Going from red-ball cricket in England to white-ball cricket in the UAE and back to red-ball cricket, on a red-soil pitch this time, just three days after winning the T20 Asia Cup?”For a batsman, I don’t think it’s physical fatigue. It’s more mental for a batsman. That’s a little different for a bowler,” he said. “As of now, I feel fresh and my body is ready. I am just looking at what I have to do this week and next week and that’s how I will be taking my decisions.”

New Zealand in must-win territory with rain in the Navi Mumbai air

Rain has followed New Zealand from Colombo to Navi Mumbai, compounding their problems, while India, after three successive defeats, are running out of opportunities as well

Sruthi Ravindranath22-Oct-20254:02

Preview: A knockout game for New Zealand

Big picture – Time and chances running outThe pressure on India is higher than ever. Three successive losses in matches they could have won, mounting criticism, and five games in, they are still tinkering with combinations. But they now return to Navi Mumbai, a venue many in the squad know well through T20Is and the WPL, needing just a win against New Zealand to reach the semi-finals.New Zealand haven’t had it easy either. Their last two matches were washed out, and qualification now requires them to win both remaining games, against India and England. It’s a tougher ask, but not beyond a side that just celebrated the first anniversary of their T20 World Cup win, where they beat India in the opening match. They have won 34 out of the 57 ODIs against India, including six of their last nine encounters since 2022.Related

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Their campaign this time started with heavy defeats to Australia and South Africa, before they bounced back against Bangladesh. But they remain over-reliant on Sophie Devine with the bat, and their thin spin attack – with just Amelia Kerr and Eden Carson – has had limited impact on slower pitches.India, on the other hand, have had different contributors in every game but haven’t settled on a clear first-choice XI. After four matches with five bowlers, they dropped Jemimah Rodrigues to play an extra bowler against England. The move did seem to work as England were kept to 288 for 8 after a strong start, but India’s batting faltered under pressure in the chase, which has been a familiar story. They will want to address that.The weather could, however, have a say. Devine called the washouts in Colombo “frustrating”, and the forecast for Thursday isn’t encouraging either. Rain hit Navi Mumbai for over two hours in the evening two days before the match, cancelling India’s training session. A washout, however, would favour India, considering New Zealand have a tougher opponent in England to face in their last game, and just haven’t been able to get any sort of momentum going.More than anything else, Sophie Devine will want New Zealand to get a full game to show what they have got•ICC/Getty ImagesForm guideIndia LLLWW
New Zealand WLLWWIn the spotlight – Kranti Gaud and New Zealand’s openersAfter a promising start to the tournament, India’s young pacer Kranti Gaud has hit a bit of a bump. Her early spells, full of discipline and pinpoint yorkers, have been impressive, but her death bowling has come under the scanner. Against South Africa, she opened with a tidy 1 for 19 in five overs, only to concede 40 off her final four. She went wicketless in the last two games, conceding 73 runs off nine overs against Australia and 46 off eight against England. On a Navi Mumbai surface expected to be more batter-friendly, Gaud will need to recalibrate quickly if India are to keep New Zealand quiet.New Zealand are still waiting for their openers to turn up. Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer have endured a poor run – their partnership average of 10.66 is the second-worst among all teams this tournament. Bates followed two ducks with a 29 (run out) against Bangladesh, while Plimmer has managed just 35 runs across three games, struggling for fluency throughout. A more batting-friendly pitch probably awaits them at the DY Patil Stadium, where they will hope to give their side a strong start.Renuka Singh did well against England, but will she have to make way for Jemimah Rodrigues?•Getty ImagesTeam newsWill India revert to five bowlers for the crucial fixture? While their bowlers pulled things back well in the last ten overs against England, India might think they need the experience of Rodrigues at No. 5.India (possible): 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Pratika Rawal, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Amanjot Kaur, 7 Sneh Rana, 8 Deepti Sharma, 9 Renuka Singh/Jemimah Rodrigues, 10 Kranti Gaud, 11 Shree CharaniNew Zealand had kept their senior pacer Lea Tahuhu out tactically in the match against Sri Lanka, but brought her back in for the Pakistan game. They are likely to stay with the same XI.New Zealand (possible): 1 Suzie Bates, 2 Georgia Plimmer, 3 Amelia Kerr, 4 Sophie Devine (capt), 5 Brooke Halliday, 6 Maddy Green, 7 Isabella Gaze (wk), 8 Jess Kerr, 9 Rosemary Mair, 10 Eden Carson, 11 Lea TahuhuPitch and conditionsWhile the Navi Mumbai pitch didn’t seem to offer much for bowlers in the last match, Sri Lanka could post only 202 after opting to bat against Bangladesh. Chamari Athapaththu had said that there was some dew in the second half. There has been some unseasonal rain in Mumbai, and an interruption is likely on Thursday too. It’s expected to be hazy in the afternoon, with a chance of rain in the evening.Stats and trivia India have their poorest win-loss ratio for any team in ODI World Cups against New Zealand Bates is 67 runs away from becoming the second-leading run-scorer in ODIs. She needs 75 runs to complete 6000 runs in the format. Tahuhu will be playing her 200th international match. India have played eight T20Is at the DY Patil Stadium, winning four including one in a Super Over against Australia.

Man Utd being put through their paces! Ruben Amorim maintains strict training schedule despite lack of Europe

Manchester United are being put through their paces as Ruben Amorim implements an unforgiving training programme designed to rebuild standards. Despite having no European fixtures this season, Amorim has refused to scale back demands. Instead, he has kept his squad active six days a week, allowing only Mondays as their guaranteed break.

Amorim’s six-day work week reflects ruthless standards

According to , the Portuguese coach has granted his players a two-day rest on just one occasion since taking charge. The message is unmistakable, as last season’s struggles will not be repeated, and the road back to the elite level begins on the training ground. United’s absence from midweek European action offers an unusual luxury, but Amorim has opted for the opposite approach. With rivals Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, Liverpool and Aston Villa balancing Premier League football with continental commitments, United find themselves uniquely placed to train with consistency, and Amorim intends to use that advantage to lay the foundations for a return to European competition next season.

AdvertisementGOALA demanding weekly schedule meant to instill identity

Amorim’s typical week at Carrington is structured with meticulous precision. Monday is a day off, followed by a high-intensity session on Tuesday. Wednesday sees more than two hours of physical and tactical work with a recovery-based session on Thursday. A shorter session focused on match tactics is held on Friday, followed by the matchday and recovery on Sundays. Unlike many modern coaches who rely heavily on video sessions, Amorim blends analysis with physical walkthroughs. The former midfielder believes players learn more effectively by doing, and not watching.

He said: "I was a football player. Videos more than 12 minutes? Forget! Because they lose concentration. Instead of video, we do it like walking and jogging – it’s a way to do it. Showing some video."

Missing out on Europe 'a blessing in disguise'

United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, sealed by their defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final last season, was widely viewed as a major setback. But Amorim insists the squad simply wasn’t ready for Europe, and that the break will prove beneficial.

"I think we were not prepared to play Europe," he said earlier this season. "That is my feeling; to have strong games in the Champions League and to play Premier League we need time to develop as a team."

Amorim has repeatedly stressed that his first priority is establishing a tactical base the squad can rely on. Only once that bedrock is set, he argues, can United truly handle the twin demands of domestic and European football.

"I said last season we need time to prepare for every game," he said. "The games are really competitive and we need to build to our base and then to perform. And then in the future we need to have Europe for everyone to play games."

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AFPEverton clash demands "100 Miles an Hour" Start

Attention now turns back to the Premier League, where United host Everton at Old Trafford this weekend. Fresh from the international break, Amorim wants his squad to shift gears and re-enter the rhythm of club football quickly.

In his pre-match press conference, Amorim said: "I think everybody is fine, is ready to go. Now it’s about changing the mindset. Forget a little bit about the national team, focus on our league understanding that we need to start at the first minute, 100 miles an hour to be ready for the game. We work today already, we analyse the last game to try to close that chapter. Now we’re preparing for the Everton game. It’s going to be a tough game."

United’s recent run of results has reinvigorated the atmosphere around Carrington, with players responding positively to the manager’s intensity and clarity. But Amorim is wary of complacency.

 Amorim added: "Yes, but we need to understand it’s by winning games, so let’s do everything to win games. We know that Old Trafford is going to be in full spirit. They just want us to run, to fight, and then to play good football, so we will try to do that.

"That is the best thing [missing playing at Old Trafford again], because in the recent past it was hard to play at home. But nowadays you miss playing at home, that is a feeling we should have in our club. I’m really excited to be back playing at home and the players also. We need to continue winning at home."

Amorim’s regime is shaping a new Manchester United, which is disciplined and demanding. The six-day work weeks, the physical walkthroughs, and the insistence on tactical cohesion all signal a manager determined to drag United back to the highest level.

Kuldeep, Khaleel in Jurel-led Central Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

Rajat Patidar named vice-captain while Deepak Chahar is set to return from injury

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2025After warming the bench through the recent five-match Test series in England, Kuldeep Yadav will return to action in the Duleep Trophy, where he will lead Central Zone’s spin attack.Vidarbha left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who broke the record for most wickets in a Ranji Trophy season when he picked up 69 in his side’s run to the title in 2024-25, will combine with Kuldeep and Rajasthan’s Manav Suthar for Central Zone.Dhruv Jurel, who had replaced the injured Rishabh Pant in India’s series-levelling win at The Oval, will captain Central Zone with Rajat Patidar named his deputy.Related

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Left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed, who had cut his county stint short with Essex for personal reasons will return to action and will lead Central Zone’s seam attack along with Deepak Chahar. Chahar, 33, had suffered an injury during IPL 2025 and missed two games for Mumbai Indians, but recently he was bowling at the India nets at Lord’s and The Oval.Yash Rathod, who was the top scorer in the previous Ranji season with 960 runs in 18 innings at an average of over 50, and his Vidarbha team-mate Danish Malewar, who scored 153 and 73 in the final against Kerala, were rewarded for their strong form. UP captain Aryan Juyal also made the cut along with Madhya Pradesh offspinner Saransh Jain and Chhattisgarh batter Sanjeet Desai. Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy-winning coach Usman Ghani was named the head coach of the team.Fast bowler Kuldeep Sen, who has played a solitary ODI for India, was among the stand-bys.The Duleep Trophy has reverted to its traditional format of a zonal contest after a season where four teams – A, B, C and D – comprising players in the Test fray were picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led senior men’s selection committee. Teams for this year’s tournament will be picked by zonal selection committees, comprising one member from each of the state sides from the zone.Central Zone will start their Duleep Trophy campaign against North East on August 28 at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.Central Zone squadDhruv Jurel (capt, wk), Rajat Patidar, Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Sanchit Desai, Kuldeep Yadav, Aditya Thakare, Deepak Chahar, Saransh Jain, Ayush Pandey, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel AhmedStand-bys: Madhav Kaushik, Yash Thakur, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mahipal Lomror, Kuldeep Sen, Upendra Yadav

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