All posts by n8rngtd.top

England captain stands down from Hundred duty to manage workload

Valkerie Baynes28-Jun-2025Nat Sciver-Brunt has opted not to captain Trent Rockets in the Hundred this year to manage her workloads.ESPNcricinfo understands that Sciver-Brunt has made the decision to play for her Hundred team but will step aside as their skipper to ease the pressure of her responsibilities, having been appointed as the England Women’s captain two months ago.England’s T20I series against India, starting at Trent Bridge on Saturday, will be her third in charge after leading the side to twin 3-0 sweeps of the T20I and ODI series against West Indies.Trent Rockets are yet to appoint a replacement captain, but options could include Australian allrounder Ash Gardner, who led Gujarat Giants at this year’s WPL and stood in for one game at WBBL side Sydney Sixers while Ellyse Perry served a suspension for over-rates penalties in 2023.Grace Scrivens, the former England Under-19 captain who has been mooted as a potential senior captain despite being yet to make her international debut at that level, could take the next step in her leadership development after she led England Women A on the T20 and four-day legs of their recent tour of Australia.Related

• Deepti Sharma pulls out of Women's Hundred to manage workload

• Hundred sale process encounters delay over future TV rights

• Heather Knight ruled out of home summer after hamstring injury

• Nat Sciver-Brunt 57* leads England to 3-0 sweep in rain-wrecked final ODI

• ECB consider 'de-coupling' Women's Hundred in bid for standalone sell-outs

Sciver-Brunt played as a batter only through the West Indies series while continuing her recovery from a long-standing Achilles tendon injury which she hopes will allow her to return to an allrounder role at the 50-over World Cup in India later this year.She also became a mother in March when wife Katherine gave birth to their son, Theo. It is a role that team-mate Tammy Beaumont told ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast she had taken to with admirable ease.”Nat is just a complete natural,” Beaumont said. “She’s always been great with kids and being with her own son is absolutely no different.”She’s almost superhuman at times, just to be able to be a mother and a new England captain and perform at the level that she always has done. I think it’s just a testament to her character that she can always take anything and everything in her stride.”Sciver-Brunt scored three fifties during West Indies’ tour of England, including the first ODI, which was dominated by a 222-run opening partnership between Beaumont and Amy Jones. She scored an unbeaten 55 in the second T20I at Hove.India are expected to pose a more difficult opposition for England and new head coach Charlotte Edwards, who replaced Jon Lewis in the aftermath of a dire Ashes campaign, in which Australia won the points series 16-0.England and India will play five T20Is followed by three ODIs, the latter series starting at Southampton on July 16.

Gill was run out for his first score past 20 and under 100 since arriving in England

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2025Shubman Gill has been the man all through this tour and once again he was able to tick off a record – most runs by an India captain in a Test series – but his poor luck with the toss continued. And just as he was helping get his team past that disadvantage he was run out for his first score past 20 and under 100 since arriving in England, meaning he had gotten a start and, against the odds, gave it away. Ten balls later, the rain came and swept everyone back into the dressing room. It was as untimely as a wicket could ever be, leaving India at 85 for 3.B Sai Sudharsan was the batter at the other end, and although he took a step forward, there was no way he was going to make it across for a single. Of all the ways to get out on a pitch with 8mm of grass and consistent sideways movement – both swing and seam. India were negotiating all that well for the most part. Gus Atkinson, returning to the fold after just a second XIs game to judge his fitness, was the single biggest threat from England. He took down Yashasvi Jaiswal in the fourth over and had a part to play in the Gill run-out as well – quick to spot the opportunity in his follow-through and nailing a direct hit at the keeper’s end.England went into the Oval Test with a vastly changed bowling attack, Chris Woakes the unlikely survivor despite playing all five matches. Ben Stokes was out with injury. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse were rested and the replacements didn’t seem quite up for it. Josh Tongue gave away 11 runs in wides in his first over and Jamie Overton’s first three overs cost more than five runs apiece. Atkinson was keeping them in it, his first spell a wonderful example of how to keep it simple and reap the rewards on offer. He pitched the ball up, kept a tight line around off stump and walked away with figures of 6-1-7-1.India, though, were recovering from that. Sai Sudharsan was leaving the ball well – a marked improvement from the last Test where he was out for a duck leaving the ball to second slip – and seemed better equipped to handle balls aimed at his body as well. He is 28 off 84, having played some gorgeous drives down the ground. There were only six overs bowled in the middle session due to rain interruptions but that was still enough to cause a significant dent to India, whose hopes now lie with one batter who made his debut on this tour and another on the comeback trail which might not have a lot of trail left. Karun Nair, brought back in place of Shardul Thakur, was unbeaten on 0 off 8 at tea.

Tim Seifert and Ackeem Auguste led the chase of 110, as Kings topped the table and ended TKR’s winning streak

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2025The St Lucia Kings spinners Tabraiz Shamsi, Roston Chase and Khary Pierre shared seven wickets to bundle Trinbago Knight Riders for 109 and set up a commanding seven-wicket win in Tarouba. Victory took Kings into the playoffs of CPL 2025.Tim Seifert, Ackeem Auguste, Chase and Tim David made sure the chase was wrapped up at the start of the 12th over to give their net run rate a big boost with their fourth win in a row that placed them on top of the points table. Their streak also ended TKR’s hot run of five wins in a row as they lost the top spot after the game.Pierre struck on the second ball of the match after Kings opted to bowl. He had Colin Munro caught for a duck off a delivery which kept a little low. In the third over, Darren Bravo chipped Pierre to short fine leg for 11, before captain Nicholas Pooran staged a brief recovery.But once Chase had Hales bowled for 9 to end the powerplay, Kings began to slide. Forty for 2 soon became 59 for 5 by the end of ten overs. Shamsi cleaned up Akeal Hosein with a wrong ‘un first ball while Chase, who ended with 2 for 19, had Pooran caught behind albeit with help from DRS. After Pooran’s knock of 30 off 27, no TKR batter managed to cross 20.Keiron Pollard and Andre Russell were TKR’s biggest hopes if they were to reach a respectable total. But Shamsi had both batters bowled with his deceptive turn to finish with 3 for 12 without conceding a single boundary in his four overs. Nathan Edward and Terrance Hinds took TKR past 100, but Delano Potgieter and Alzarri Joseph wrapped the tail up to leave Kings only 110 to win.Seifert came out firing first ball. He swept Hosein for six, before cutting and punching him for fours in the first over that went for 14. TKR removed Seifert’s partner Johnson Charles for 1 to end the second over; but by then, Seifert had crashed 25 off ten deliveries. Two quiet overs followed before Auguste and Seifert ensured TKR’s momentum was short lived.The two batters doubled the score in the last two overs of the powerplay, which ended with Kings at 66 for 1. Usman Tariq, though, ended the fun for Kings in the seventh over when he had Seifert caught at deep midwicket for 36 from 19 balls. Next over, Sunil Narine trapped Auguste for an attacking 28, but Chase, who hit Tariq for three fours in the ninth over, and David took Kings home with 53 balls to spare.

Bosch, de Klerk, Shangase and Dercksen are also first-timers for an ODI World Cup

Firdose Moonda03-Sep-2025Karabo Meso, the 17-year-old wicket-keeper batter, will go to her first World Cup after being included in South Africa’s squad for the ODI tournament in India and Sri Lanka which starts later this month.She has just two ODI caps to her name and has played seven senior internationals in all, but has featured in two Under-19 World Cups and won the SA20 Schools title with Steyn City earlier this year. Meso is one of two players who will play at a World Cup for the first time. Offspin-bowling allrounder Nondumiso Shangase, who was recalled to South Africa’s squad in May, is the other.Top-order batter Anneke Bosch and allrounders Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen will also feature in an ODI World Cup squad for the first time; they have previously been in T20 World Cup squads.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The rest of South Africa’s 15-player group is as expected, led by Laura Wolvaardt with significant experience in different departments. Allrounders Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon and seamer Ayabonga Khaka all played important roles in South Africa reaching the last ODI World Cup semi-finals and will be present again.As reported last week, there was no room for former captain Dane van Niekerk, who was included in a training camp but her international comeback remains a while away.Others present in that camp but not making the squad are batters Lara Goodall and Faye Tunnicliffe, seamer Ayanda Hlubi, legspinner Seshnie Naidu and allrounders Eliz-Mari Marx and Luyanda Ntuza. Miane Smit, an allrounder who bowls offspin, has been included as the lone travelling reserve.”The make-up of the squad is underpinned by the consistent selection process that was adhered to during the recent ICC Women’s Championship cycle, while taking into account the subcontinent conditions and the different characteristics of the group required for a successful tournament of this nature,” Clinton du Preez, South Africa’s convenor of selectors, said.Under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, SA have lost four ODIs in 10 outings•Cricket South Africa

This will be the first major tournament South Africa will play under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, who succeeded Hilton Moreeng in a permanent capacity last year. In Mashimbyi’s tenure, South Africa have been inconsistent, with four wins in ten ODIs, including a series win over West Indies in June. Mashimbyi was occasionally without some senior players – such as Kapp for the tri-series in Sri Lanka – but will have one more opportunity to fine-tune his combinations before the tournament starts.South Africa tour Pakistan for three ODIs to be played between September 16 and 22 before moving on to India for their World Cup opener against England. Their recent tournament run has included two ODI World Cup semi-finals and back-to-back T20 World Cup finals, and there is expectation for them to take the next step and claim a cup. Mashimbyi is confident this group of players can deliver.”From the moment I joined this team, and even before my time when the squad went through the qualification phase, it was all about working towards this moment,” Mashimbyi said. “We can look back at the amount of preparation we have put in and know that we have done our best. We are ready to send a squad to the World Cup that will make South Africa proud.”We believe we have the squad of players that can go out there and deliver on the world stage. Now it is all about carrying that belief with us every step of the way, along with the support of the entire nation.”

South Africa squad for Women’s ODI World Cup

Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloe Tryon

Travelling reserve: Miane Smit

West Indies gave a better account of themselves with the bat than in Ahmedabad, but India remained in control of the Delhi Test

Sidharth Monga11-Oct-20252:57

Chopra: Gill destined for greatness

West Indies gave a better account of themselves with the bat than in Ahmedabad, but India still remained in control of the Delhi Test after Shubman Gill scored his 10th Test hundred and declared midway through the day at 518 for 5. In response, West Indies put on their first half-century stand of the series – a contrast to at least 57 for every wicket for India in this Test, Alick Athanaze posted their highest individual score of 41 and they went 43 overs with the loss of four wickets. It was an improvement after they failed to bat 50 overs in either of their innings in Ahmedabad, but they still needed 179 to avoid the follow-on.The day began on a sour note for India when the voracious Yashasvi Jaiswal was run-out after he had added just two to his overnight 173. He was quite demonstrative in letting his partner, Gill, know it was his call and that he should be looking at him and not the ball. However, Jaiswal had hit the ball to mid-off a little too well, and Gill had been quick to turn his back. Jaiswal, though, kept going, and left himself no opportunity to recover.The ever-calm Gill took it in his stride, and – at least for the spectators – more than made up for the run-out with sumptuous strokeplay to bring up his fifth century in just seven Tests as captain. For company he had 40s from Nitish Kumar Reddy, promoted so he can play some role in home Tests, and Dhruv Jurel, whose dismissal brought about the declaration.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

For most part, Gill hardly played a shot in anger. When the seamers produced a mildly testing spell in the morning, Gill prospered with short-arm cuts and defensive pushes for boundaries into the leg side, often after stepping out of the crease. He brought up his half-century with slight abandon, a lovely flick through midwicket. When Justin Greaves tried to mix cutters, he picked one even as he stepped out and then lofted him for a six.Reddy, who bowled just four overs in the first match and didn’t get to bat, was sent in at No. 5 so that India can give him time in the middle and give him every opportunity to develop into an allrounder when he is next needed overseas. It wasn’t the smoothest of innings, with an early edge falling short, but featured two sixes against the turn before a third attempt ended it on 43 off 54.Jurel was a more reliable ally, once again showing good judgement of length against spin. He preferred to press forward in preparation to face the ball, but was quick to rock back every time the spinners dropped short.Gill strolled through to his hundred before flicking into a higher gear, scoring 27 off 19 after reaching the landmark. In trying to match Gill’s pace, Jurel tried to manufacture a pull and was bowled off Roston Chase, the first man other than Jomel Warrican to take a wicket.Gill pulled the plug on the innings with that dismissal. Unbeaten, he now averaged 43.47 in Tests and 84.81 as captain. No India captain has scored more hundreds in a year than Gill’s five after he took over practically in the second half of 2025.1:08

Warrican: Need to be ‘extremely disciplined’ bowling here on first two days

Averaging 20 over the last 40 innings, the West Indies opening wicket failed to change that number either way, although this time they were unlucky. John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul had looked comfortable against pace. Campbell welcomed Ravindra Jadeja’s spin with a paddle-swept boundary, but the next sweep, nailed off the middle of the bat, hit the short leg’s helmet and lodged itself in the fielder’s arms. B Sai Sudharsan, the fielder, stayed off the field for the rest of the day, but had brought about a breakthrough.Chanderpaul and Athanaze then put together West Indies’ most assured phase with the bat, using their feet, sweeping, lofting down the ground, and then Chanderpaul was beaten in the air by a quick Jadeja delivery, which he steered for a sharp catch at first slip.Athanaze then hit Kuldeep Yadav’s first ball of a new spell straight to midwicket, having got too close to the pitch of the ball on this slog-sweep. Captain Roston Chase tamely flicked one back to Jadeja. In the stands, Viv Richards and Brian Lara were seen gesturing he should have defended it with the turn and not flicked against it.Shai Hope and Tevin Imlach saw West Indies through to stumps without further damage but they still had a mountain to climb.

Tottenham Hotspur have been widely linked with a move for Adrien Rabiot in recent days, but the 23-year-old’s problematic history should force Mauricio Pochettino to focus his efforts on signing another reported target, Youri Tielemans. 

According to a recent report from Metro, Rabiot has already rejected a move to Spurs in favour of Liverpool. Various reports have all pointed towards a different conclusion to the ongoing Rabiot saga, but a report from TEAMtalk suggests that Daniel Levy and Pochettino have their eye on another midfield target.

According to the report, Spurs are in the hunt for Monaco’s Youri Tielemans, with Leicester City boss Claude Puel appearing to rule out a potential move following a string of reports linking his side with a January bid.

On paper, both Tielemans and Rabiot would be excellent additions to Tottenham’s squad. That Barcelona have been consistently linked with a move for the PSG misfit vindicates Rabiot’s reputation as one of the best young midfielders in Europe, but his attitude problem is a notable concern.

Rabiot’s most public display of petulance arrived shortly before the World Cup after he was omitted from Didier Deschamps’ France squad. He was selected for the standby list but he declined the opportunity to wait in the wings, a decision which was presumably born out of anger in the wake of his omission from the 23-man squad.

The presence of a player of Rabiot’s temperament would be detrimental to the harmonious environment Pochettino has created in north London, so the Argentine should target Tielemans instead.

The 21-year-old Belgium international signed for Monaco in a deal worth £21.63 million in 2017, and he has been a regular for the struggling Ligue 1 outfit this season, scoring five goals from 20 appearances.

While Spurs will undoubtedly be looking for much more than just goals in a potential midfield recruit, his tendency to find the back of the net is a factor which will naturally capture their attention.

Tielemans is best known for his playmaking qualities and his desire to influence the game in the final-third, and the fact he scored 35 goals and provided 31 assists from 185 appearances at Anderlecht proves that reputation is thoroughly justified.

The Monaco man may be two years younger than Rabiot but he already has 13 more caps at international level, and the fact his history is yet to be blighted by acrimonious displays of unprofessional behaviour suggests he would be the far wiser addition of the two Tottenham-linked midfielders.

And, if Tielemans makes the switch to Tottenham, he could yet represent the club’s long-term replacement for Mousa Dembele.

Tottenham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

[ad_pod ]

Rangers fans both love and hate the dirty side of Alfredo Morelos’ game, but former Ger Alex Rae believes the club must seek specialist help for the striker.

What’s the story?

Rangers beat Aberdeen in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, pulling five points clear of the Pittodrie Stadium outfit with a 4-2 win.

Morelos was once again the difference maker, as the 22 year-old opened the scoring by being in the right place at the right time, before showing his class with a cultured finish to add his second just before half time.

The feisty youngster was sent off before he could complete his hat-trick though, kicking out at Scott McKenna in an incident that saw both players receive straight red cards.

The Gers have since appealed the decision, as replays suggest McKenna was the aggressor, but this is still Morelos’ fourth red card of the season, and Rae’s comments are absolutely spot on.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

What’s he said?

“You have to support him first and foremost, ” Rae, who made 34 league appearances for the Gers between 2004 and 2006, told Sky Sports.

“He’s out of his comfort zone, but he must learn from this. They have to get him specialist help to try and get an understanding because if they can get on top of this behaviour you have a hell of a player on your hands.

“In terms of what he brings to the football side of things, he’s absolutely tremendous. It’s not to curtail his aggression, but he’s got to get a lid on it.”

What does he mean?

Well, what Rae is basically saying is that Morelos needs to be more like Diego Costa.

That might sound ridiculous for a player the Gers are trying to calm down, but Costa has received just four red cards in his entire career, the last of which coming all the way back in 2012 (Morelos has four this season alone).

The Spanish international is perhaps the most well-known “on-the-edge” type of player in the world, but he knows how to channel his aggression in the right way, using it to rile up the fans, harass defenders and influence the referee all without going over the top.

Rae, who was no stranger to a crunching tackle himself, is clearly a big fan of Morelos and even appreciates his nasty streak, but the Gers must take their former player’s advice if the Colombian is to fulfil his limitless potential.

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool face Bayern Munich on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League Round-of-16 tie, and they will be hoping for a solid start at Anfield against the Bundesliga champions. Despite his previous connection to the Bavarian outfit, there are no doubts about Xherdan Shaqiri’s mindset ahead of the game.

What’s he said?

Talking to the Reds’ official club website, the Swiss had this to say on facing his former club, whom he played for between 2012 and 2015 before securing a switch to Inter Milan:

“I was very happy because I wanted to play against Bayern Munich, against my old teammates and my old team. I’m looking forward to the game.

“Two-and-a-half years I was there [at Bayern] and it was amazing; we won a lot of titles, we won the Champions League.

“I’m really looking forward to going there and trying to win the game in Munich with my team.”

With one eye clearly on the return fixture in March the former Stoke man will be hoping that he can cause Bayern problems, although it is currently unclear as to whether he will be fit to play on Tuesday night.

Fingers crossed

Asked about his side’s fitness going into the European clash, Jurgen Klopp said that the 27-year-old “did a lot, so it will be close, we have to see”.

Having completed his move to Anfield in the summer after Stoke were relegated from the Premier League, Shaqiri has enjoyed spells on the right flank as Klopp chops and changes his formation to accommodate all of his attacking talent, and has popped up with some hugely important goals this season.

If he is not cleared to play in the first leg, there is no doubt that the winger will be counting down the days until his side jet off to Germany for the clash at the Allianz Arena.

Regardless, the number 23’s words will be music to the ears of Liverpool fans who will be expecting each and every player to give their all.

We all love the Champions League theme tune but you’ve never heard it like this before! Check out the video below…

Recent comments by Everton winger Bernard shows just why manager Marco Silva is the right man to steer the club to better results and ultimate success.

The Brazilian revealed to Portuguese outlet Record (via the Liverpool Echo) the squad is still fully dedicated to Silva’s structures at the club and have complete confidence in his style of coaching and managing.

The former Watford manager has been under a huge amount of scrutiny since the start of the New Year, following a bad string of results.

One win in their last six matches in all competitions has seen the manager change his team in almost every encounter and their FA Cup defeat at Millwall certainly raised question marks over Silva’s capabilities as the man in charge.

But, Bernard’s comments on how Silva prepares for every match and the detail he focuses on proves why he needs a little bit more time to get the best out of the Everton players.

According to the 26-year-old, Silva is excellent in his preparation before matches and provides a lot of insight into set-pieces, an aspect of the game where the Toffees have been really poor at this season.

Patience and maybe one or two more transfer windows could finally lead to Everton achieving new heights under the Portuguese manager.

The comments by Bernard should also be encouraging to Evertonians, who might have feared that Silva had lost the dressing but that clearly isn’t the case.

The off-weekend might also have been just what the club needed to regroup and get their campaign back on track with a Premier League clash against Cardiff City at Goodison Park coming up next week.

The encounter with Neil Warnock’s men could be the ideal opportunity for Everton to hit their stride again and get an all-important win under their belt.

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool moved back into top spot in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon following their 0-0 draw against Manchester United, but there weren’t too many positives to draw from the game for Jurgen Klopp.

What’s the word?

The Reds once again struggled to discover their electric touch at the weekend. A meek attacking performance from a typically devastating front three ensured a quiet afternoon for David De Gea, but Alisson had to stay fully alert to keep his side level.

United also struggled to create clear cut opportunities throughout the game, but a clever through ball from Romelu Lukaku appeared to have opened the door for Jesse Lingard to break the deadlock in the first-half.

However, just as the England international looked set to round Liverpool’s stopper and tap into an empty net, Alisson stretched out his arm to intercept the ball and save what looked a certain goal.

It was a game-defining moment which enabled the visitors to clinch a point, and BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks was eager to pay tribute to the Brazilian for his save in his team of the week column.

‘The save by Alisson as Jesse Lingard tried to take the ball around the Brazil international was a game-changer at Old Trafford.’

Crooks went on to add: ‘Liverpool went top of the table on Sunday all because of Alisson’s moment of sheer brilliance.’

Alisson could match Premier League’s best

Liverpool’s number one has been in inspired form since he arrived at Anfield from Roma in the summer and his latest showing will only serve to enhance his growing reputation amongst the supporters.

In tightly-contested fixtures it’s imperative that goalkeepers remain alert during spells when their services are effectively redundant, and Alisson proved that he possesses an elite level of concentration by anticipating Lingard’s attempt to dribble past him.

It was a moment of pure genius which is typically reserved for the top players in world football and, if he continues to showcase that level of quality between the sticks, there is no doubt he can establish himself on a level with David De Gea and Ederson in the coming years.