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Tourists make two changes for second Multan Test with spin expected to play bigger role

Matt Roller14-Oct-2024Ben Stokes will return to captain England in Multan this week after two months sidelined with a torn hamstring. Stokes has stepped up his recovery in the past week and will replace Chris Woakes in one of two England changes from the first Test, with Matthew Potts also coming in for the rested Gus Atkinson.”I feel good. I’m looking forward to getting back on the field,” Stokes said ahead of his return. “I’ve worked really hard at the back end of my rehab period at home and throughout the last Test match as well. I’ve put myself through a fitness test, pretty much, over the last couple of days, and come through that pretty well.”England are braced for a lower-scoring second Test, with the match set to be played on the same strip as the one used for their innings win last week. The pitch has been heavily watered but has dried out in the sun during two practice days, and the used surface could bring both teams’ spinners into the game.Stokes has been bowling in training and will be England’s third seam option behind Potts and Brydon Carse, his Durham team-mates. It is a rare example of England picking three seamers from the same county. “It’s going to be a proud moment for the club,” he said. “Durham have a great record of producing England cricketers, and in particular fast bowlers.”On his own fitness to bowl, Stokes said: “I’ve obviously got to be sensible. Playing on a used wicket made the decision a little bit easier… We’ve got two workhorses in the team in Carsey and Potts who just keep going and going and going. But I’m available to bowl, and when I sense the time is right for me to come on and make an impact, there won’t be any doubts in my mind.”Related

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England’s seamers all had a heavy workload in the first Test, despite their innings win: Atkinson bowled 39 overs, Carse 38 and Woakes 35. Atkinson and Woakes both played all six Tests of England’s home summer and have been rested, with a short turnaround between matches, while Carse should be much fresher after spending June, July and August serving a ban.”You’re looking at the last seven Test matches being pretty gruelling – in particular, the last one,” Stokes said. “Looking at the seamers we’ve got out here, this is a good time for them to have a rest and refresh the body. They’ve had a really big summer and put in really good performances, bowled a lot of overs. It’s a good time for them to get their feet up and have a break.”Ben Duckett retains his place at the top of the order after recovering from a dislocated thumb sustained on the second evening of the first Test, while Jamie Smith will shuffle back down to No. 7 to allow Stokes to return in his favoured role at No. 6.England have stuck with the same spinners – Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir – despite Bashir’s quiet first Test, in which he returned match figures of 1 for 156. Rehan Ahmed is the other spin option in their squad, while the Warwickshire and England Under-19s legspinner Tazeem Ali is on holiday in Pakistan and has been bowling in the nets this week.England XI: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Matthew Potts, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Shoaib Bashir

Fatima Sana, the Pakistan captain, will return home to Karachi on Thursday via the first available flight following the death of her father, a PCB media statement said. It’s likely she will miss Pakistan’s next game against Australia in Dubai on Friday.Muneeba Ali will stand in for Sana.Sana’s absence will be a big blow for Pakistan, who need to win at least one, preferably both games, to stand a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals from a tough Group A. They are currently placed third in the group after a win and loss each from their two games. After the Australia game, Pakistan will round off their league stage against New Zealand in Dubai on Monday.Sana, the youngest captain at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at 22, has been central to Pakistan’s campaign so far. She top-scored with 30 and picked up two crucial wickets, including that of Chamari Athapaththu, in their opening-night upset of Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka.Against India, Sana was instrumental in India huffing and puffing in pursuit of a small target. Her back-to-back wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh briefly gave India the jitters and ensured Pakistan’s net run rate didn’t take a massive hit.Since replacing Nida Dar as captain, Sana has tried to ring in a change in mindset with Pakistan’s focus switching towards marrying data along with a more robust batting approach.

Manchester United’s pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo feels as though it has been going on for months now, with no deal yet agreed for the Brentford star this summer.

The Cameroonian has been a key target for many months now, unsurprisingly so given his record of 20 Premier League goals for the Bees throughout 2024/25.

The Red Devils have so far had two separate offers rejected for the 25-year-old, with Ruben Amorim yet to get his hands on the player who could transform the club’s fortunes in attacking areas.

Keith Andrews’ side are said to be holding out for £65m to part ways with their star man during the current window, but the sides are yet to agree to such a figure, with United’s latest offer totalling £62.5m including add-ons.

It would be a huge disappointment to miss out on the forward, given the huge attempts made for his signature, but other targets have been drawn up over the last couple of weeks as a result of the delay.

The latest on United’s hunt for new signings this summer

Southampton forward Tyler Dibling was a name that was thrown into the mix last week over a potential move to join United, with his current employers demanding a fee in the region of £55m.

Other attackers such as Christopher Nkunku, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Benjamin Sesko have all been touted with moves to join the Red Devils this summer.

However, other areas of the pitch have also been subject to interest, with the hierarchy currently exploring a deal to sign Brighton star Pervis Estupiñán, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

He claims that the club have already held talks with the player and his representatives over a move to Old Trafford, after he made 30 league appearances last campaign.

Jacobs also states that the Seagulls will be open to allowing the 27-year-old to depart this summer, after securing the signing of Maxim De Cuyper, but doesn’t state the fee any deal would cost Amorim’s side.

Why United’s latest target would be perfect for Mbeumo

Despite the delay around a deal for Mbeumo in recent weeks, there’s still a strong feeling that the club will complete a deal for his services at some stage this window.

It would be such a shame to miss out on the forward, especially considering the tiny difference of just £2.5m in valuation between the Red Devils and the Bees.

The player himself has previously expressed his desire to move to Old Trafford, which should only bolster their chances of landing the Cameroonian international in the coming weeks.

However, he will need to be aided in his attempt for success should he move to the club, with Mbeumo unable to transform the Red Devils’ fortunes all by himself.

The addition of fellow attacker Matheus Cunha will certainly help him in the final third, but Estupinan could also play a vital role in the Bees star’s hunt to be a success in the North West.

Despite being a full-back, the Ecuadorian international has showcased his talents higher up the pitch, potentially playing perfectly into the hands of Mbeumo as a result.

Estupinan, who’s been labelled “exceptional” by journalist Ryan Adsett, registered 4.9 progressive passes per 90 along with 3.9 passes into the final third – having the tools to provide Mbeumo with opportunities in attacking areas.

Games played

30

Goals & assists

2

Progressive passes

4.9

Passes into final third

3.9

Take-ons attempted

56%

Carries into final third

2.3

Tackles won

1.6

Interceptions made

1.4

He also completed 56% of the take-ons he attempted, whilst making 2.3 carries into the final third, able to overlap the forwards and add a new dimension to Amorim’s attack.

However, despite his attacking capabilities, he’s also been just as impressive without the ball, making 1.6 tackles per 90 and 1.4 interceptions per 90, arguably being the perfect wing-back in United’s 3-4-2-1 system.

Whilst it’s unclear how much a deal for the full-back would cost this summer, it’s evident that he has all the tools needed to thrive on the left side of United’s system.

If he can form a partnership with Mbeumo at Old Trafford, it would further add to the quality of any addition, helping the side massively in their quest for success in the near future.

Amorim's own Pogba: Man Utd leading race to sign "sensational" £42m star

Manchester United could be about to make a move to land a key target in their plans for the 2025/26 campaign.

ByEthan Lamb Jul 16, 2025

England captain believes her players have become ‘smarter’ while sticking to aggressive mantra

Valkerie Baynes18-Jun-2024

For some 18 months, England Women have committed to playing a harder, faster, more aggressive style of cricket but, according to Heather Knight, they are also becoming smarter.Since Jon Lewis took over as head coach at the end of the 2022 English summer, the team vision has been clear, expressed in mantras such as “attacking mindset”, “walk towards the danger” and the even more ubiquitous “inspire and entertain”.It has worked in so far as it has transformed a team which was comprehensively beaten 12 points to four by Australia in the 2019 Ashes and 6-4 in a rain-hit 2021-22 series into a side which drew last year’s series on points, winning four matches to Australia’s three.But it is very much a work in progress. In their recent home series against Pakistan, England lacked ruthlessness and polish, despite being a far stronger side.Knight, England’s captain, believes that in hosting New Zealand in three ODIs starting next week followed by five T20Is, they have an opportunity to build on knowledge gained against the White Ferns in New Zealand earlier this year.”We became a bit of a smarter team,” Knight told ESPNcricinfo, looking back on England’s tour of New Zealand in March and April. “We played on bigger boundaries, wickets that did a little bit more in the powerplay, so it wasn’t really easy to attack then. We learned how to be a bit smarter and how to adapt a little bit to different conditions.”Sometimes it’s going to be hard to attack in the powerplay, the idea was to sort of go from ball one and keep the foot down, but that isn’t always going to be possible and sometimes there’s going to be little bumps along the road, but I think we learned a lot from that tour.”Heather Knight speaks at a Chance to Shine event at Lord’s•Chance to Shine

England defeated New Zealand in their ODIs earlier this year 2-1 and won the T20I series 4-1.England have lost only two of their 13 completed ODIs since the start of December 2022 and they have won 21 of their 27 T20Is in that time. Crucially, with a T20 World Cup fast approaching in Bangladesh in October, one of those defeats was to hosts and underdogs South Africa in the semi-final of last year’s T20 World Cup and two more to a visiting Sri Lanka side who had never beaten them in a series before.There were also learnings against Pakistan, including playing on slower wickets. At Edgbaston, England recovered from 11 for 4 to win the first T20I, then secured a 37-run ODI victory in Derby which Knight described at the time as “scrappy”.”Our job is just to keep getting better, keep playing cricket that we want to play and also winning those games when it’s tough,” Knight said.”You look at that Derby game, it wasn’t probably the most exciting to watch sometimes,” she added, recalling how England failed to claim the final wicket of a match that they had otherwise dominated. “I guess in that case it is just about punching out results and trying to say, look, it wasn’t quite the perfect wicket to be able to play how we wanted to, but being smart with it and adapting to what’s in front of us.”Because ultimately our biggest chance to inspire as well is winning big competitions and performing in big events, and trying to win in the way that we want to do, which is exciting and attacking.”The balance is much finer in T20 cricket, where the margins for error are far smaller and understanding that is becoming a key part of England’s narrative.Danni Wyatt’s 48-ball 87 in the third T20I against Pakistan was by far the standout performance for England, while Nat Sciver-Brunt produced a corresponding innings in the ODIs with an unbeaten century in the last match of the tour.”T20 is so hard to be consistent, it’s really a tough thing to do,” Knight said. “A top opening batter in world cricket maybe might come off one in three, one in four, and someone like Danni is one of the best openers in the world. She doesn’t come off every game and she’s brilliant at being able to manage that.”It can be quite mentally tough, honestly. Her super-strength has been able to say: ‘Right, I didn’t get any runs, I’m completely fine. That’s how I want to play and I’m going to go and try and play exactly the same way in the next game’.”It’s about being really clear going into that T20 World Cup in particular, how we want to do things. It’s all well and good saying, ‘oh, we’re going to be attacking, we’re going to be aggressive,’ but being really clear on individually the ‘how’ of that.”But it is not only a World Cup victory, or how it is achieved, that has the potential to inspire, as Knight well knows. On Monday, she joined Chance to Shine, the children’s cricket charity with whom she has held a long association, in welcoming hundreds of state school pupils to Lord’s for a day of cricket coaching and other activities.Related

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Knight has worked with the organisation since finishing university, when she coached state-school children – often alongside Charlotte Edwards – two days a week while juggling a burgeoning playing career that, for her, didn’t become fully professional until three years later, in 2013.”It enabled us to pay the bills basically whilst we were still playing cricket for England and enabled us to live before everything became professional,” Knight said. “It’s really important to try to get cricket into state schools and there’s a lot of barriers there, like facilities. At my old school there, people used to smoke on the rubbish astro turf that we had and there was stains on it and things like that.”Here today there’s state-school children from all over the place, from all backgrounds, coming in and having an amazing day at Lord’s. It’s all about giving them a good first experience of cricket really, and trying to get them interested in the game and more involved.”Chance to Shine deliver cricket to over 600,000 young people each year, working in state schools and underserved communities. Until midday on 18th June donations made to Chance to Shine will be doubled by the Big Give campaign. Support the charity today and help inspire more young people through cricket.

Tottenham Hotspur are now confident they can win the race for a midfield “magician” following their Europa League triumph against Manchester United, according to a report.

Spurs end 17-year trophy drought in Bilbao

Tottenham’s long wait for a trophy came to an end earlier this week, sealing European glory with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao, which sparked some wild scenes upon their return to north London.

Ending the 17-year wait for major silverware was of the utmost importance to Ange Postecoglou, who once again delivered in his second season, but his side’s Europa League triumph also secures a return to the Champions League next season, despite their dismal Premier League form.

As such, moving to Spurs should be an attractive proposition for some top players in the summer transfer window, and they are now growing in confidence they can win the race for a midfielder, who is also being targeted by Man United.

Indeed, according to a report from The Boot Room, both Tottenham and United are interested in signing Lille’s Angel Gomes, who is set to be available on a free transfer upon the expiration of his contract this summer, and the north Londoners are now confident about winning the race.

The Red Devils’ defeat in the Europa League final means they will not be playing European football of any description next season, which could make a move to north London more appealing for Gomes, who has been a long-standing target for Postecoglou’s side.

"Magician" Gomes could be excellent signing for Spurs

Ange has been plagued with injuries throughout the campaign, with the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison spending time on the sidelines, while there is also a feeling the manager could look to offload fellow midfielder Yves Bissouma in the summer.

As such, it makes perfect sense for Tottenham to bring in more depth in the middle of the park this summer, and the Lille maestro could be an excellent addition to the squad, having received his first England call-up earlier this season.

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He’s been likened to the former Man City captain and Bayern Munich manager.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 24, 2025

Indeed, the Englishman caught the eye of former interim boss Lee Carsley, while he has also received high praise from former teammate Jonathan Panzo, who said: “He’s like a magician,”

“He’s a small player, but his IQ is so smart and he just knows how to get around the pitch.”

Tottenham’s return to the Champions League should ensure they have money to spend in the upcoming window, but signing Gomes on a free transfer would still be a smart piece of business, and a move to north London should be far more appealing than Old Trafford after the heroics in Bilbao.

Chelsea are now determined to win the race for a “decisive creator”, and they are readying a €30m (£26m) offer for his services, according to a report.

Blues pursuing new attacking midfielder

Throughout the campaign, Enzo Maresca’s side have largely done a good job crafting opportunities for Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku in attack, having created 83 big chances in the Premier League, the joint-second highest total in the division.

Those figures suggest a lack of cutting edge from the strikers may be a problem for the Blues, so it is little wonder they are set to pursue a new striker in the summer transfer window, and they are now leading the race for Borussia Dortmund star Serhou Guirassy.

However, Maresca is also clearly keen to bring in a new playmaker this summer, with Lyon assist king Rayan Cherki among the potential targets, alongside Como’s Nico Paz, who has impressed manager Cesc Fàbregas with his performances in Italy this season.

He's like Lampard: Chelsea want to sign one of 'Europe's best young stars'

Chelsea could be about to sign an attacking midfield star who plays like former Blues icon Frank Lampard.

By
Kelan Sarson

Apr 21, 2025

There has now been a new update on Chelsea’s pursuit of Paz, with a report from Spain revealing the west Londoners are now readying a €30m (£26m) offer for the 20-year-old, as they are determined to win the race for his signature.

Doing so could be a tall order, however, with the Argentine attracting attention from some of Europe’s top clubs, including Real Madrid, who retain the option to re-sign their former player for the bargain fee of less than €10m (£8.6m), which could be appealing.

The report states the youngster has been one of the Serie A’s stars this season, so it is little wonder he has garnered interest from some European giants, and he is said to be a prime target for the Blues, whose model is built around signing young players.

"Decisive creator" Paz impressing in Italy

Although Real Madrid have a buy-back clause, they may be ruing the decision to let the Como star leave in the first place, given the level of his performances in the Serie A this season.

The Spain-born maestro has six goals and seven assists to his name in 30 appearances, and his displays have earned him a call-up to national side Argentina, setting up a goal on his debut against Bolivia back in October.

The starlet has developed a strong relationship with Como forward Assane Diao, and Ben Mattinson lauded him as a “decisive creator” after setting up the Senegal international’s goal in the 3-0 victory against Lecce last time out.

Paz’s performances for Como suggest he is now ready for a move to a top club, so it is exciting news that Chelsea are stepping up their transfer pursuit, but Real Madrid’s cheap buy-back clause could pose a major problem.

Nottingham Forest have reportedly made an approach to sign a new £30m+ striker who has been compared to Man City star Omar Marmoush.

Nottingham Forest take one step closer to Champions League football

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took another step closer to qualifying for the Champions League on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at the City Ground.

Former Red Devils winger Anthony Elanga scored the winning goal to take Forest to an incredible 57 points in the Premier League with eight games remaining.

Centre-back Murillo was also the hero in the final stage with a goal-line clearance to deny Harry Maguire. Talking after the win, Nuno said: “Over the moon. We are delighted, realising how the game went. We could not be more proud than we are, because it was very tough.

“The fans played their part. We were against the ropes. In this moment, we were against the ropes, and it was about heart and belief because the legs weren’t there anymore.”

Nottingham Forest now racing to sign £33m defender wanted by Real Madrid

He’s a man in-demand…

ByTom Cunningham Apr 2, 2025

With European football on the cards in 2025/26 for Forest, attention is already turning to the transfer market and a new signing in attack is on the to-do list.

Evangelos Marinakis is ready to break the bank and spend big, with the likes of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, Wolves star Matheus Cunha and Brentford forward Yoane Wissa three forwards linked with moves to Forest. Now, another name has emerged on the radar from the Bundesliga.

Nottingham Forest make contact to sign Mohamed Amoura

According to reports in France, relayed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest have been in contact over a move to sign Mohamed Amoura who is under contract at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

It isn’t said whether or not Forest have made an approach to Amoura’s camp or the club, however, Arsenal and Liverpool have also been in touch as all three eye a deal.

The 24-year-old is currently on loan at VfL Wolfsburg, who have the option to make a move permanent for around €14m plus €4m bonuses in the summer. They look likely to do that and could then sell the Algeria international for up to €40m (£33.3m) to make a quick profit.

Julian Alvarez

Atletico Madrid

Omar Marmoush

Man City

Kai Havertz

Arsenal

Charles De Ketelaere

Atalanta

Antoine Griezmann

Atletico Madrid

Amoura has been impressing in Germany for Wolfsburg, netting 10 goals and providing eight assists from 24 Bundesliga games in 2024/25, and by the looks of things, he could be seen as a real rival to Chris Wood at the City Ground.

Amoura, dubbed a player with “exceptional” pace, has been likened to City star Marmoush and other high-quality forwards, so a move to Forest could be one to keep an eye on.

Ellyse Perry keen to get started under new head coach Ali Maiden, who steered Bears Women to Blast runners-up spot

Alan Gardner06-Aug-2025Ellyse Perry says Birmingham Phoenix will be approaching the new women’s Hundred season with “very much a clean slate” as they look to make significant improvement on last year’s seventh-place finish and reach the knockouts for the first time since the competition began in 2021.Perry is back for a third campaign in Phoenix orange, and second as captain, but there have been extensive changes throughout the set-up at Edgbaston, with a new head coach – Ali Maiden replacing Ben Sawyer – and significant turnover among the playing group.Perry’s Australia compatriots, Megan Schutt and Georgia Voll – the latter a £65,000 (US$86,350) signing in March’s draft after her stellar rise – will help fill the overseas slots, with former Phoenix captain Sophie Devine having moved to Southern Brave, while the core of the squad that Maiden, who was on the coaching staff of title-winners London Spirit last year, has assembled features an increased number of the players that he works with in his joint role in charge of Bears Women.Stir in another international recruit in Emma Lamb, who arrives from Manchester Originals having returned to England colours in recent weeks, and with Sterre Kalis, the Netherlands batter who was a key cog of the Bears side that reached the final of the women’s T20 Blast last month, leading the social side of things and Phoenix will hope to begin their season on Friday against Trent Rockets in buoyant mood.Related

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“I’ve chatted to Ali for the last six months or so, since he has come into the role, and he’s obviously also taken on Warwickshire over the summer, and I think it was really clear the way that they wanted to play, especially in the Vitality Blast,” Perry said at a KP Snacks event in Charlton Park, helping to celebrate their achievement of installing 100 all-weather, grassroots community cricket pitches across England and Wales.”It’s a really positive brand of cricket, which I know is spoken about all the time in the shorter format, but I think he’s got a real emphasis on athleticism, and creating opportunities with bat and ball through that. So that’s really exciting for us. He’s obviously had some really great success with Warwickshire in the first season of the new competition, and he just brings some great energy and enthusiasm to the group. I know the girls are really excited to play under him.”Perry led both the batting and bowling averages in 2024 but lacked support, notably in run-scoring, with Kalis, Devine and Amy Jones the only other Phoenix players to aggregate more than 100. Although the team finished second from bottom, their tally of three wins was three more than the season before, when they came last in the group.Perry said that recruitment for the upcoming campaign had focused on building “some really strong batting depth, which is something we’ve spoken about a lot in terms of being able to take the game on earlier, probably something that we struggled with last year”.”When you build depth, it gives you a little bit more leeway to do that [bat aggressively] and confidence and sort of buy in from the entire group, knowing that we’ve got a lot of weaponry in the cupboard to do that right throughout. So yeah, it will definitely be a focus for us, and I think we’ve got the blend to do that.”Joining Kalis in the squad are fellow Bears, Em Arlott, Hannah Baker, Phoebe Brett, Bethan Ellis and Miller Taylor. Alongside confidence built from the team’s Blast form, as they narrowly lost out to Surrey in the final, Perry said the group would benefit from Maiden’s “clarity” in the way he wants to play.”Ali is quite distinct and prescriptive about how he wants us to play in some respects, which is a really nice thing with when you see that be effective. And, yeah, I thought the Bears played some really great cricket across the Vitality Blast, and got some girls in some really good form. But equally someone like Emma Lamb’s had a great summer so far. It’s just nice to have that real clarity and confidence in the way that you want to play and know that it can be effective.”I guess every season in a franchise competition is really very much a clean slate. You look at how much changes across the board, whether that’s personnel or, in particular in women’s cricket, the depth of the competition and just and how close teams are now becoming in terms of lists.”So we’ve got a really fresh team this year, new staff, right across the board. So I think it’s probably just a really great opportunity to lay a new foundation, play a style of cricket that we’re really keen on playing. In terms of results, the things that you can control are really just the effort that you put in and how you want to play. The rest of it is kind of a bit of madness in franchise cricket, and to see how that pans out.”Perry was able to observe Maiden’s Bears at reasonably close quarters, having spent the last month playing for Hampshire; she made 58 off 44 balls before falling to Phoenix team-mate Baker when the Hawks were beaten at Utilita Bowl. The switch to lining up alongside those same players is one that regulars on the franchise circuit such as Perry are used to.”In this day and age, that’s not really a foreign concept. You play against and with team-mates all the time across various competitions. I had an absolutely amazing time at Hampshire. Was a really great experience, and a wonderful group of people. And just really lovely to be able to make new friends.”In terms of the Phoenix girls, we’ve got a pretty fresh group, not too many players from last year. So there’s quite an air of excitement around the group, some nerves, but in a good way, and just lots of energy, which is really cool. I know some of the girls from various instances, and then there’s some girls I don’t know as well. So it’ll be really cool to bring all that together.”KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of the Hundred, are celebrating the installation of 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales. To find out more and search for your nearest pitch, visit: www.everyonein.co.uk/pitchfinder

At just 22, the India batter has played two World Cups, the Commonwealth Games, and won the inaugural WPL title, but she’s just getting started

S Sudarshanan07-Jul-20231:21

“Wicketkeeping has helped me pick deliveries out of bowlers’ hands better while batting”

Yastika Bhatia has featured in only 13 of the 35 women’s T20Is India have played since the start of 2022. Two of those were crunch matches – the Commonwealth Games final in August 2022 and the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final in February this year. While it said a bit about how Yastika fit into India’s T20I plans, it also revealed the management looks at her as someone who can hold her own under pressure.”I am still learning about how to play in that situation,” she says, ahead of India’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh. “That usually comes only from experience.”In the CWG final, Yastika walked out to bat at No. 9, with India needing 17 off 11, as a replacement for the concussed Taniya Bhatia, and was the last player out for a five-ball 2. She was trapped lbw when she missed a reverse sweep against Australia’s Jess Jonassen, and India fell short by nine runs.Related

• Yastika Bhatia: 'I'm willing to sacrifice biryani to get better results out of my cricket'

• Five first-timers who impressed at the World Cup

• Yastika Bhatia's 80* helps India D lift T20 Challenger title

• Mumbai Indians, the maximum team of the WPL

“Anybody can sit outside and say you should have done this or that,” she reflects. “When you are inside, you know what’s going on and how to tackle the situation.”If that shot had come off and it [had] been a boundary, everybody would have said something else. I just take it in my stride, whatever has happened. My intent was to win the match for the team. That will always be there. I will always put my best foot forward, never anything else.”Tackling pressure at the international level is vastly different from that in domestic cricket, Yastika says. She scored 223 in six matches in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, 212 in six outings in the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Trophy, and 203 in four outings in the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy in the 2022-23 season. She often stayed unbeaten in tricky chases, including in the final of the T20 Challenger Trophy for India D.Yastika doesn’t rue her missed chance in the CWG final: “If that shot had come off and it was a boundary, everybody would have said something else”•Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press”At the domestic level, if you face four dots and then if you hit a boundary on the fifth ball, you can cover up,” Yastika says. “But at the international level, you don’t get boundaries easily. You have to be on your toes from the first ball and cannot afford too many mistakes. That is what brings the best out of you. If you just play for Baroda, how would you understand your capacity? You understand that only at the international level.”Yastika is coming off a successful Women’s Premier League (WPL), where she was part of Mumbai Indians’ title-winning outfit. She formed a potent opening pair with West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, scoring 214 runs in the tournament. She flourished at the franchise under India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and a coaching set-up that made her feel valued.Head coach Charlotte Edwards’ clear message to Yastika – that she would play all games in the season – helped, giving her a “boost of confidence”, she says.”You must have seen in the WPL how that translated!” she laughs. “She gave me a lot of freedom. [Edwards said] ‘You just go out and play like a youngster would, without any pressure. There are a lot of good batters after you, so you need not just rotate strike. Just play your game and go for fours and sixes.'”At 22 and in only her second year of international cricket, Yastika has played an ODI and T20 World Cup each, the Commonwealth Games, and a Test – a checklist that many aspire to tick over a long career. She is well aware of what works for her and which of her skills she needs to hone.”If I focus on one thing, I more often than not accomplish it. That has been one of my biggest strengths since childhood and I am proud of that,” she says, reflecting on her learnings from the World Cups.”It is not always that [the expectations at world events] get fulfilled because the other team is also there [to win] after [putting in] a lot of effort. Perhaps our efforts may not be enough, and we need to do more. It is about learning from other teams or by looking at players from your own team; what they have done better, we can learn and apply [those lessons]. You only understand these once you go through those situations. Playing World Cups showed me what I am and what I need to do better. That was an important experience for my career.”Yastika was Mumbai Indians’ fourth highest run-scorer in the WPL, with 214 runs from ten games•BCCIAnd for times when things don’t go to plan, Yastika has her support system to lean on.”I vent to my parents – they listen and don’t say much, but I know they are there for me. They don’t judge me at all and are like ” [You have overcome multiple obstacles, so this is also something you can get through]. My coaches Kiran [More] sir and Santosh [Chaughule] sir help me in terms of what’s lacking in my game. For them, I am their kid.”You will treat your child the same, whether they have scored a century or a zero. Their [the coaches’] behaviour is the same and they shower me with a lot of love. That gives me belief that my support will be the same irrespective of results.”The white-ball tour to Bangladesh next month is the start of a busy season for India, one that features Tests against England and Australia, apart from white-ball series against South Africa and New Zealand. One eye will also be on the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh next year. Yastika has had a taste of it all, and she wants more of it.

His record in the tournament, for four teams, has been middling, but on the back of his recent success as a hitter and finisher, he’s looking to change that with RCB

Matt Roller23-Mar-2021Dan Christian’s most recent IPL game was a stinker. Brought into the Delhi Daredevils side after two weeks on the bench, he managed 7 not out off nine balls from No. 7, strangled by the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s pace-off options. In the chase, the Sunrisers needed 14 to win at the start of the final over. Christian was whacked for a six and a four by Yusuf Pathan, finishing with figures of 0 for 37 as the game was lost with a ball to spare. He was promptly dropped, and at 35 it seemed as though his unfulfilled IPL career had come to a subdued end.Three years later Christian is back, with success on the global short-form circuit under his belt – including four trophies. He was signed for Rs 4.8 crore (US$657,000 approx) by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in last month’s IPL auction and is looking to add a tenth title to his T20 trophy cabinet.The reason Christian is coveted is simple: he remains one of the best in the world at hitting boundaries at the end of an innings. Since the 2018 IPL final, only Kieron Pollard has scored more runs at the death than Christian around the world, and Christian’s strike rate in the last four overs – 192.69 – puts him in the same bracket as T20’s elite death-over hitters. Throw in the fact that he offers teams a sixth bowling option, the experience of 347 games – including nine wins in finals – and it is obvious why teams like what he brings them.”I’ve no doubt that I’m a better player than when I first played in the IPL – or when I’ve ever played in it,” Christian says from the UAE, where he is preparing for the season with Ben Cutting and Chris Lynn, following the postponement of the second half of the PSL. “I just feel like I’m a really good place with my game.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”I’m confident in what I’m trying to do when I’m out there, and from a batting perspective I’m really happy with how things are going. I just feel confident and comfortable in the role I’m playing in every side. All I’m really thinking about these days is just trying to win, so whatever a team needs at a certain time, I’m going out trying to do that.”The roots of Christian’s late-career flourish can be found in the end of his red-ball career. He lost his state contract with Victoria in early 2018, when he was phased out in favour of younger alternatives, and the result has been the opportunity to focus solely on his T20 skills – and in particular, his six-hitting swing.”It turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise, really,” he says. “I got the opportunity to play a few more tournaments and it’s worked out pretty well in the end. I think that the grounding that I got from playing four-day cricket is the majority of the reason that I’m still having some success, but being able to focus my training on T20 skills has helped me quite a lot.”It’s been about five years now of just playing this specific role: it doesn’t really matter where I am in the order, but I’ve been coming in around about the 10th-12th over mark – sometimes a little bit later, depending on which team I’m in – and playing that finishing role with the bat. I’ve been able to specifically train for that. With that grounding, you work out how to do it and what you need to do at what time.Specific training is not always straightforward when you live a nomadic, contract-to-contract lifestyle, but Christian has found a home away from home at Nottinghamshire. Since signing as a replacement for Daren Sammy midway through the 2015 T20 Blast, he has been a key part of the side’s short-form success, and has captained them since 2016.Christian sets specific scenarios for himself to bat to at practice•Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty ImagesAs a result, Paul Franks and Peter Moores, the club’s assistant coach and head coach respectively, have been key influences. “Those two are the ones that have probably helped me the most,” Christian says. “Generally if I’m playing in another competition and I feel like I need to talk to someone about something, they’re the two that I’d go to.”I do a little bit of scenario stuff, where I’ll set up little games, with a coach who will be throwing balls or using the flingers, and I’ll need x off however many balls. But the main things I do are specific nets, where I’m facing bowlers and treating it like a one-day game – trying not to face any dots, knocking ones around, and then occasionally hitting a boundary. And then separate throwdowns or bowling-machine stuff, where I’m working on grooving my six-hitting swing and trying to hit the ball as far as I can while making sure that my shapes are still good.”I’ve done a lot of research and watched a lot of videos of baseballers and golfers and how they generate their power to help me with that. My personal opinion is that batting at the end, you almost need a completely different swing – a slogging swing – to what you do when you’re batting normally.”Golf has been of particular help for Christian, who plays off a handicap of three. “Watch the way a golfer swings and the way they use the lower part of their body to generate that power, driving up out of the ground – and the way their body coils before they release and then swing through the ball. I’ve tried to bring in a bit of that, just to help with that power.”I know it’s a completely different game – stationary ball versus a moving ball, and the fact there are so many other variables involved with batting – but there are some common themes with the way that you swing. I play a lot of golf – clubs are the first thing I’d pack going on a trip somewhere – and it’s certainly helped me with the general mechanics of it.”Christian was the Player of the Match for his 4 for 23 and an unbeaten 11-ball 21 in Nottinghamshire’s win in the 2020 Vitality Blast final•Nathan Stirk/Getty ImagesThe result is that Christian arrives at the IPL feeling as though he has a real chance to improve on his own mixed record in the competition and propel RCB into the latter stages of the season. Since he was signed for Rs 4.14 crore ($900,000) by the Deccan Chargers in the 2011 auction, Christian has been a semi-regular squad player in the tournament. He feels as though he has unfinished business after the heartbreak of the 2017 final, where he played for the Rising Pune Supergiant and needed to hit the last ball of the innings for four and could only manage two. Now he’s heading back to a franchise that picked him only twice in their XI in the 2013 season.”I’m really excited to be back and hopefully to have some success – both personally, and also trying to win one. I got really close in 2017, which was pretty disappointing and the IPL is one that I’d love to add to the trophy cabinet. I’m really looking forward to being back at Bangalore too – playing under Virat [Kohli] and with AB [de Villiers], Glenn Maxwell, and playing under Simon Katich, who I played with at New South Wales years ago and have known for a long time.”Last time I was at RCB, I was on the bench for the Gayle 175 game. That was extraordinary to watch – as good a show of hitting as you’ll ever see. One of the highlights that season was playing against Mumbai and opening the bowling against [Ricky] Ponting and [Sachin] Tendulkar – two guys that I idolised growing up, and two legends of the game.”I’ve made a bit of a joke on my social media recently that whenever I’ve won something, I put a caption saying ‘That’s why you play’, but it’s the truth. When you’re a kid and you first do something, you want to win – that’s where it all comes from. As your professional career ebbs and flows, you have other [goals] that might sometimes cloud that, but as you get older, you go full circle and go back to thinking about how you started, which for me was always that competitiveness of trying to win.”Girish TS/ESPNcricinfo LtdChristian is not an automatic starter for RCB, with Maxwell, de Villiers, and big-money recruit Kyle Jamieson set to fill three of their four overseas slots for the majority of the season. But as he completes yet another period of quarantine – he has spent more than a month in mandatory self-isolation over the last year travelling for tournaments, playing online chess to kill time – he may reflect that any success he has in Indian conditions could help him press a case for an international recall.For all Christian’s experience as a short-format globetrotter, he has faced a paltry 28 balls in a T20I career spanning seven years, despite the fact that since his most recent appearance, on the 2017-18 tour of India, the finishing role has been a problem position for Australia. With two T20 World Cups looming, it is not completely out of the question that he could yet make a return.”I haven’t had much opportunity with the bat for Australia at all,” he says. “When I’ve played in the past, it’s generally been as a bowling allrounder. I’d love another opportunity – obviously Australia have never won a T20 World Cup, and being part of a World Cup-winning squad is one thing I’d love to do.”I’ve kept in touch [with the selectors]. I played a lot with George Bailey, so we speak a bit, and I’ve talked to Justin Langer a little bit as well – he might send me a ‘congratulations’ text if I’ve done something well.”I think it is realistic – I’m not completely on the outer, put it that way. If I’m putting performances on the board, staying fit, and the teams I’m playing in are winning, then I’d like to think that I’m certainly a chance.”