Both Kohli and Gaikwad accessed similar areas in the field to help India score risk-free runs in the middle overs

Alagappan Muthu03-Dec-20254:31

Gaikwad: I decided I’d try to be consistent in any game this year

At the halfway stage, on a pitch that wasn’t completely straightforward to bat on, Virat Kohli was 51 not out. Considering he was playing two games in one that was pretty good going.As soon as the coin fell against them, India had to play both the ball in front of them – which in the first innings was holding up on the surface – and the ball that lay in wait – when dew in the second innings would make run-scoring a much more appealing occupation.A one in a million event – losing 20 tosses in a row – set the stage for a one in a million player. Kohli made his 53rd ODI century. South Africa haven’t been able to keep up with him. But someone else was.Related

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• Kohli dictates South Africa's reality from within his bubble

• Stats – Kohli with back-to-back tons again; SA ace record chase

At the halfway stage, on a pitch that wasn’t completely straightforward to bat on, Ruturaj Gaikwad was 51 not out as well. When the ODI squad for this South Africa series was announced, it seemed like he would be more of a bench player. The back-up if one of the openers got injured. Except, on training day in Ranchi, he batted with Kohli. Shadowed him, almost. On match day, it became clear that India saw him in a different role. Eighty-one of his 88 List A innings may have come at the top of the order but here this team saw him as a No. 4. Or maybe, somewhere way out in the future, a No. 3.It is only one innings – played in Shreyas Iyer’s absence who will very likely get his spot back once he recovers from his injury – but right the way through, it mirrored one of the greatest of all time. Gaikwad being in such good sync with Kohli actually became vital to his health because there were a couple of blistering on drives that came straight at him and would’ve taken him out if he were even a step off.Virat Kohli gives Ruturaj Gaikwad a pat on the back after the latter tonned up•AFP/Getty ImagesThe two of them accessed similar areas in the field to further the same agenda. India needed regular, risk-free runs through the middle overs so that the wickets they ended up saving could help them launch at the back end (which they did, scoring 200 runs in 25 overs). Kohli directed it all. When the two of them got together in between overs, he kept pointing to the field in front of the wicket and gesturing “tap and run”.”Well, obviously a dream to bat with him and, you know, have a wonderful partnership,” Gaikwad told the broadcaster in between innings. “He helped me a lot throughout [our time in] the middle about how to access gaps, what lengths the bowler might be bowling and how you can adjust your technique and score some runs by taking less dot balls. So definitely very helpful and good learning for me.”Gaikwad followed suit so well that when they brought up their fifties, their underlying stats were almost identical: 24 singles and three twos for the master vs 23 singles and three twos for the protégé accessing areas in front of the wicket because the pitch was two-paced and searching for runs behind square was too risky.”I think we kept thinking about five-five overs,” Gaikwad said about how they broke their 195-run partnership. “We had set small targets and we just thought that five overs we have to achieve this, five overs we have to achieve this. Once we felt that we were really comfortable in the middle and there came a phase where the ball wasn’t doing much and it was coming really nicely onto the bat. And I just said that I’ll back my instincts, whatever it is, and let’s see how it goes on.”Gaikwad went from fifty to hundred in 25 balls. His boundary count nearly tripled, from five to 14. The moment came after a tiny bit of teasing. Deep midwicket tracked a pull shot placed past mid-on. Sixty-thousand people went “oooohhh” as the ball skipped across the outfield. Gaikwad himself couldn’t take his eyes off the ball even though he was in the middle of running between the wickets. When it hit the rope, all that tension melted away. The crowd went up in a roar. So did Gaikwad. Kohli stood back, letting his junior enjoy his moment, and when he was ready, the two of them embraced.All round the country – when Kohli landed in Mumbai, when he trained in Ranchi, when he batted in Raipur – people have been begging him for some attention. It was kinda funny that the one time he was instigating the PDA, he ended up having to wait. A first ODI hundred is always special but one made in the company of the king, matching him shot for shot, must feel even better. Unfortunately for him, this one suffered the same fate as his other international century, with the opposition pulling off a record chase.

The wicketkeeper-batter shows his full range during a maiden Test hundred of uninterrupted poise

Karthik Krishnaswamy03-Oct-20251:39

Jurel: The idea is to score ‘risk-free runs’

In the course of going from 36 to 60 on Friday afternoon in Ahmedabad, Dhruv Jurel hit three fours off West Indies’ seamers. He hit all three off the back foot, all three in the arc behind square on the off side, and each was subtly different from the other.The first came off a Jayden Seales delivery that was short but not necessarily wide, rising to just below shoulder height. Jurel rose with the ball, leaning slightly backwards to create room, and met it below his chin with his bat face open, using all of Seales’ pace to guide the ball wide of gully.The second and third came off Justin Greaves, and while there was a little more width to work with on these occasions, there wasn’t as much pace, so Jurel manufactured the power himself, with two distinct kinds of wristwork. First, the conventional back-cut with wrists imparting topspin; here the emphasis was on getting on top of the bounce and keeping the ball down. The next one didn’t bounce quite as much, so Jurel was able to employ the slice – with the point fielder having been pushed back, this way of playing the shot ensured he had no chance of saving the boundary, with the ball curving further and further away to his left as it scudded over the outfield.Related

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These weren’t particularly difficult shots for a Test batter to execute in excellent batting conditions, particularly against a bowler of Greaves’ pace limitations. They made for gorgeous watching, though, particularly for viewers invested in Indian cricket’s vast talent pool. We have watched Jurel bat and score runs before, and we’ve watched him do it in Test cricket, but we hadn’t really had the chance of seeing this facet of his game, this deft, square-of-the-wicket artistry.The innings that made everyone sit up and take notice of Jurel, the match-turning 90 against England in Ranchi last year, had come on a pitch of treacherous low bounce that all but took square-of-the-wicket runs out of the equation. That innings had been all about the full face of the bat and the opportunism of pouncing on scoring opportunities down the ground.This innings, a maiden Test hundred of uninterrupted poise in straightforward batting conditions, allowed Jurel to show off his full square-of-the-wicket range. You could admire the fleetness of his footwork when he pulled Roston Chase for six when the offspinner dropped marginally short. From watching him do it again and again, you could marvel at his ability to place his leg-side clips exactly where he wanted, square or even behind square, without needing to close the face of his bat, just by meeting the ball a little closer to his body or a little further away.2:02

Chopra: Jurel making a strong case for No. 6 spot

It all looked so calm and organised that you began to forget this was a man playing just the sixth Test match of an understudy’s career, all but one of his chances having arrived thanks to injury to one of the game’s great wicketkeeper-batters. You began to forget that he had never before batted as high as No. 5.But Jurel has always had this effect on the viewer, with that confident strut to the crease, that compact technique – with his hands never seeming to stray too far from his body, from backlift to follow-through – and those light feet that never seem to move all that much but usually seem to be in the right place. “Relax,” all of that tells you. “I know what I’m doing.”He makes this look effortless, but it could be the outcome of the rigorous mental preparation he does before matches, visualising all the scenarios he’s likely to come up against – the bowlers, the fields they are likely to set, the gaps he can target, the areas where he can score risk-free runs. And he does all this even when he knows he’s not playing.”I visualise a lot, whether I’m playing or not – I visualise what I would be doing I was playing,” he said at the end of the second day’s play in Ahmedabad. “When I do play a match, nothing feels new to me. It feels like I’ve already experienced it, and I know what the feeling is.”Everything I visualise – walking in, taking stance, taking leg [stump] guard, everything I visualise, so nothing feels different. I’m always prepared, whether I’m playing or not playing, I make that effort to keep myself ready.”So far, Jurel has had to keep himself ready for opportunities that could come without warning, but the assurance he radiates every time he keeps wicket and bat will surely lead India’s team management to consider playing him regardless of Rishabh Pant’s availability, with one of them keeping and the other playing as a specialist batter.That discussion is gaining volume, but Jurel isn’t about to get drawn into it.”I feel you control what’s in your control. It’s not my decision whether I’m played as a batter or as a keeper. Wherever I get to play a match, whether it’s [international or] domestic, my job is to score runs.”For the moment, he’s doing that as well as he possibly can.

All the stats highlights from the second Ashes Test, which Australia won at the Gabba

Shubh Agarwal07-Dec-2025

Mitchell Starc went past Wasim Akram at the Gabba•AFP/Getty Images

17 – This was England’s 17th consecutive Test in Australia without a win. They last won a Test in Australia at the SCG in January 2011. England have lost 15 matches since and drawn two. They are now level with West Indies and Pakistan for the longest streak without a win in Australia. Only New Zealand have had a longer winless streak (18).511 – Australia scored 511 in their first innings at the Gabba without any player scoring a hundred. It is only the sixth 500-plus team total in Tests without any batter getting into the triple-digit scores.The highest team total in Tests without a hundred belongs to Sri Lanka – 531 vs Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2024. For Australia, the highest such total is 520 for 7 against West Indies in 2009.Related

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6 – This was only the sixth time in Test cricket that all 11 batters in a Test innings scored in double-digits. The highest score in Australia’s first innings was Mitchell Starc’s 77 and the lowest was Brendan Doggett’s 13. The only such occasion for Australia before this came in Colombo in 1992 when Mike Whitney’s unbeaten 10 was the lowest score of the innings.420 – Starc finished the second Test with 420 wickets in his Test career, surpassing Wasim Akram (414) for the most scalps by a left-arm fast bowler in the format. Among all left-arm bowlers, only Rangana Herath (433) is ahead of Starc.16 – Tests Joe Root has played in Australia and he is yet to win one there. He went past Kapil Dev’s tally of playing the most Tests in an away country without a single win. Dev played 15 Tests in Pakistan which resulted in 10 draws and five defeats.In total, this was the 14th time Root ended up on the losing side in Australia. Only Alastair Cook and James Anderson have lost more Tests in an away country (15 each).200 – Overseas Test defeats for England. They have lost 101 Test matches in Australia now. In the rest of the world (barring England), they have lost 99 matches combined.2 – Starc is only the second bowler to take a wicket in the opening over of a Test innings in four consecutive innings – Jamaica, Perth (twice) and Brisbane. Sri Lanka’s Dhammika Prasad was the first to do so, picking up a first-over wicket in each of the four innings of the last two Tests, against India in 2015.6 – Starc is also the sixth fast bowler to pick up a six-wicket haul in three consecutive Tests. The list includes George Lohmann (in 1896), Tom Richardson (1895-1896), Imran Khan (1982-1983), Malcolm Marshall (1988) and Blessing Muzarabani (2025).2 – This was only the second time in his career that Starc had the best figures and the highest score in a Test match for Australia. He scored 77 and picked 6 for 75. In the WACA Test against South Africa in 2012, Starc picked up 6 for 154 and scored 68 not out in the second innings.In the Ashes, he is only the fourth player to pick up over six wickets and score more than 75 in an innings. The last such instance was from Ian Botham way back in 1981 – when he finished with 6 for 95 and 149 not out3 – Starc won his third Player-of-the-Match award in a row. Michael Hussey is the only other Australian to replicate this feat. In a single Ashes series, Starc is only the fifth player to win back-to-back Player-of-the-Match awards after Botham (three successive awards in 1981), Ricky Ponting (2006-07), Mitchell Johnson (2013-14) and Ben Stokes (2019).18 – Starc now has 18 wickets in this Ashes, becoming only the 11th bowler to pick these many wickets in the first two Tests of an Ashes series. The last bowler to do so was Shane Warne 31 years ago in the 1994 Ashes.ESPNcricinfo Ltd50 – The 70-run stand between Root and Jofra Archer in the first innings was the 50th 50-plus partnership for the 10th wicket in the Ashes. However, it was the first in Australia since Allan Border and Jeff Thomson added 50 runs for the 10th wicket in the Melbourne Test in 1982. Since then, there had been 10 10th-wicket partnerships of 50 or more in the Ashes, all of which came in England.210 – Steven Smith drew level with Rahul Dravid for the second-most catches in Test cricket as a fielder. Smith took three catches on the fourth day of the Gabba Test. Only Root is ahead now with 213 catches and counting.255.55 – Smith’s strike rate in the chase of 65 at the Gabba. He scored 23 not out off only nine balls with two fours and two sixes. It is the highest strike rate for Smith in an innings where he has scored more than 20.

While the batters showed brilliance at various stages, the bowlers lacked control and failed to match India’s discipline

Firdose Moonda06-Dec-2025Fans in Ranchi, Raipur and Visakhapatnam were not only ones happy to see Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in action in the ODI series against South Africa, the opposition’s young batters were too.For Ryan Rickelton, Matthew Breetzke and Dewald Brevis, none of whom had played ODIs against India before, watching the two of the top-ten leading run-scorers in the format up close would have been an education their coach Shukri Conrad hopes they immersed themselves in. “For our young batters to see what the world’s best – Virat and Rohit – can do and how they go about the business, I’d like to think that we’ll take that learning with us and then grow from there.”Kohli was in imperious form through the series, with centuries in the first two games, and finished as its highest run-scorer while Rohit contributed two quick and classy half-centuries. Both played important roles in India’s ability to post massive scores and though South Africa did the same in two of the three fixtures, the consistency of India’s best was something both to behold and aspire to.South Africa’s highest run-scorer was Breetzke, whose two half-centuries added to his tally of five (and a century) in his first 12 ODIs, and whose intensity has been compared with Kohli’s by his SA20 captain Keshav Maharaj. But he still had just over half Kohli’s runs in the series, which shows something of where South Africa fell short.Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock got hundreds and Temba Bavuma and Brevis a fifty each but South Africa collectively did not kick on like they would have wanted to. Rickelton’s form is a concern, especially his lack of footwork, and the composition of the top order remains in question. Tony de Zorzi, who did a lot of good work over the last two months in the subcontinent, will be out for an extended period of time after suffering a grade three hamstring injury which will further scupper some of South Africa’s medium-term plans.Related

• Injured Burger, de Zorzi out of third ODI against India

• 'Wanted them to really grovel' – SA coach Conrad on keeping India on the field

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They have nine more ODIs scheduled on the FTP before April 2027, which is a long time but not many matches to confirm their home World Cup plans. It’s still far enough away to not be too concerned and Conrad isn’t. “Part of this is building towards 2027, the World Cup in South Africa and I’d like to think that a few things are starting to fall into place for that,” he said. “We’ve built a lot of experience and you gain so much more experience when you’re up against the best.”Naturally, after the success of their Test side last month, South Africa also wanted to beat the best and they gave it a decent shot. They fell 18 runs short of a target of 350 in game one, chased 359 in game two and then ultimately could not post a competitive total in game three, which is the only match where they batted first. Conrad did not use that as an excuse. “There’s no doubt that the toss plays a part. Batting second is easier, but that’s not the reason India thumped us tonight,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the dew factor that was the only difference between the two sides. We let ourselves down with the bat. We needed to post something a lot more competitive to put India under pressure. We left a lot of runs out there this evening.”Lungi Ngidi was among South Africa’s bowlers who struggled for control•Associated PressAfter de Kock’s dismissal for 106, South Africa lost five wickets for 59 runs and were bowled out with 13 deliveries remaining in their innings. India’s chase, inside 40 overs, suggested they would have needed to face those balls and score significantly more runs to have challenged them. And while there is a massive focus on batting in a high-scoring series, South Africa will also zoom in on their bowlers.They were without Kagiso Rabada from the outset and then Nandre Burger for the decider and found it difficult both to control the run-rate and to take wickets. Marco Jansen’s four was the most for them across three matches and less than half of the leading wicket-taker, Kuldeep Yadav’s nine, though he has a different discipline. South Africa’s premier spinner, Keshav Maharaj, played two matches and took one wicket but his economy of 5.70 was their most efficient.What South Africa lacked was a seamer who could hold an end, as Arshdeep Singh did for India. He conceded at 5.5 runs to the over and took five wickets. “With the ball they’ve been a lot more disciplined than we’ve been throughout the series. You only need to look at the wide count,” Conrad said.ver the three matches, South Africa gave away 47 runs in wides compared to India’s 21 which is indicative of their struggle for control. It also cost the chance to do the double, so to speak, which would have been a feather in Conrad’s cap. “We had a chance to do something really special. I think the last time India lost both a Test and ODI series at home goes back to the 1990s,” Conrad said. “So we missed out on that opportunity. But they’re a world-class side with world-class players. And when Rohit’s in the type of form, and Virat, especially, is in the type of form that he’s in, you cannot afford to be off your game.”South Africa were and they don’t have another trophy but they do have a five-match T20I series to prepare for, which starts on Tuesday.

England U19 273 for 6 (Mohammed 104, Basir 3-35) beat Bangladesh U19 272 for 9 (Hossan 57, Beg 51, Minto 3-48) by four wicketsA superb Isaac Mohammed century guided England Men U19s to a four-wicket win against Bangladesh Men U19s in the second Youth one-day international at Loughborough.The Worcestershire batter, who was dropped on six, was the backbone of a potentially tricky run chase after half-centuries from Rifat Beg and Rizan Hossan helped Bangladesh post 272 for nine.James Minto claimed three for 48 from his 10 overs – to follow his five-wicket haul in the opening-match defeat – although the highlight of the innings was arguably Joe Moores’ stunning catch to remove KS Aleen off Manny Lumsden.Moores dived full length to his right at a floating slip to haul in a remarkable one-handed catch and then struck 47 alongside Mohammed at the top of the order to put the hosts on track in their pursuit.Mohammed went on to reach 104 from 95 balls, which included nine sixes, before Jack Nelson, who made his debut in the opening game on Friday, saw the Young Lions over the line with an unbeaten 35 from 38 balls.The five-match series is level 1-1 heading into the next match at Bristol on Tuesday.Despite the early loss of Zawad Abrar, caught at mid-off from Matthew Firbank’s bowling, Bangladesh edged the initial stages, reaching 67 for one after 10 overs.The drinks interval proved pivotal, as three wickets fell in three consecutive overs, after the break. The pace of Hampshire’s Manny Lumsden rushed Beg into a mistake, ending a promising knock of 51 from 52 balls. The soft dismissal of Azizul Hakim Tamim followed, as he offered a simple chance to square leg and Lumsden claimed his second wicket courtesy of Moores excellent catch.At 126 for four inside 20 overs, Bangladesh were precariously placed but Hossan, a centurion in Friday’s game and wicketkeeper Mohammed Abdullah rebuilt with a partnership of 69. It was ended when Abdullah mistimed a pull shot off Minto.Hossan, displaying power and subtlety, got to his fifty soon after, off 54 balls. His crucial wicket was taken the ball after he deposited a huge six onto the roof of an adjacent building, Jack Nelson being rewarded for perseverance.At 218 for six Bangladesh’s innings never really regained impetus, as Nelson’s leg-spin claimed another wicket in his next over, with Samiun Basir Ratul’s top edge being caught by Bryon Hatton-Lowe.Two further cheap wickets followed as the England bowlers continued to apply themselves, although late innings hitting from Al Fahad elevated the final total to 272-9 off 47 overs – three overs being reduced due to rain.In response, the England openers raced to f50 off 6.5 overs, to get ahead of the asking rate. Mohammed’s graceful straight hits and Moores’s scooped six, were highlights of a partnership worth 68. Moores was out gloving the ball behind, from Shahrir Al-Amin’s first delivery.The next wicket came somewhat against the run of play, Ben Mayes bowled by Ratul when the second-wicket partnership looked well set, leaving the score on 120 for two. Mohammed’s second successive fifty came shortly afterwards off 69 balls, and in a run soaked 26th over he struck three sixes off Hossan’s medium pace.At the other end, a sharp stumping sent Will Bennison back for 12, before skipper Thomas Rew departed for 14 to a catch in the deep, which just kept Bangladesh in the game with 59 runs needed off 14 overs.Mohammed was dismissed, holing out off Fahad, two balls after completing a composed century. The sixth-wicket pair of Nelson and Ralphie Albert took England to the brink of victory, which eventually came with 3.5 overs remaining.Moores said: “It was a really good win, I though last game we were pretty close for a lot of the time, we had a lot of good moments, we spoke about trying to build that for longer.”Obviously Isaac batted really well, he set the tone really nicely, the lads who came in after him followed it up really nicely as well. Everyone chipped in, it’s definitely good to get the win and go one-all.”Speaking about his scoop for six, Moores added: “It’s just going to your strengths as quickly as possible, I feel like those kinds of shots are one of my strengths. It felt like it was a good option.”Moores added about his diving slip catch: “I was very pleased, it’s one of those that sticks, it felt like it was going in slow motion, it was a nice feeling (to take the catch).”

England were kept on the field for 143 overs in the second innings as teams head to The Oval with India trailing 2-1

Matt Roller27-Jul-20252:09

Manjrekar: ‘Warriors’ keep sprouting for India when needed

An epic series will be decided at The Oval. England lead 2-1 after 20 tense days of Test cricket but were denied a decisive win by five sessions of doughty, determined batting in which India lost only two wickets. Not even Ben Stokes, battling cramp and a shoulder injury, could pull this one off, and was forced to settle for only the second draw of his captaincy tenure.India were 1 for 2 at lunch on the fourth day, frazzled after more than 150 overs in the field, and still trailing by over 300 runs. But Shubman Gill’s new-look side underlined their character with two mammoth, match-saving partnerships – Gill put on 188 with KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja put on an unbroken 203 – to ensure India escaped with a draw.Related

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They can no longer win the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but will travel down to London on Monday battered, bruised and bullish. India’s batters not only saved this match, but ground England’s bowlers down: they spent 257.1 overs in the field in Manchester, including 143 in the second innings, and now face a three-day turnaround before Thursday’s fifth Test.The finale was farcical: Stokes offered a draw at the start of the last hour but Gill had no interest, instead allowing his two allrounders to complete their centuries. England were incensed, serving up some 35mph/56kmph lobs, but India’s players celebrated on the balcony as their batters filled their boots.”It’s going to happen in a flurry, lads,” Ben Duckett had promised his team-mates during the second session. In fact, it never happened at all. It was long established that no captain had ever won a Test match at Old Trafford after winning the toss and choosing to bowl; Stokes asked his team to defy history, but they could not.It was Gill who had walked in to face a hat-trick ball in the first over of India’s second innings shortly before lunch on the fourth day. When he walked back off just over 24 hours later, he had become only the third man to score four hundreds in a Test series as captain, going past 700 runs for the tour. Every time he has reached 20, he has gone on to score a century.1:19

Harmison: ‘A little bit farcical towards the end’

He was supported by two marathon efforts from his spin-bowling allrounders. Washington batted at No. 8 in the first innings but was promoted to No. 5 after Rishabh Pant’s injury, and made his maiden Test hundred, while Jadeja capped his stellar series with the bat. Much as it frustrated England, both players deserved centuries, and had earned the right to make them.Stokes’ bowling fitness was uncertain overnight: he did not bowl at all on the fourth day after a heavy workload in the series – and a five-wicket haul in the first innings – having retired hurt during his century. But he shared the old ball with Liam Dawson early in the day and threatened to break the game open, creating two early chances in an eight-over spell.He grimaced after every ball he bowled and repeatedly stretched out his right shoulder, but Stokes bowled with good pace and found variable bounce on a good length outside the right-handers’ off stump. He had Gill dropped early on, Ollie Pope failing to cling on to a stinger at short cover, but then trapped Rahul on the back pad to have him lbw for 90.It was a brilliant spell, one which exposed just how much England had missed his bowling on the fourth evening. Stokes was in pain, then inflicted some on his opposite number: he found some steep bounce to strike Gill on the helmet – via the glove – with a lifter which exploded from a good length.3:12

‘Would they have walked off?’ – Gambhir on Stokes’ draw offer

But Gill pressed on, steering Chris Woakes through the off side then yelping in celebration as he brought up his fourth century of the tour. His dismissal, edging Jofra Archer behind, represented an opening, not least when Jadeja edged his first ball to first slip. But Joe Root put the catch down, and England hardly created another chance all day.Dawson wheeled away for 47 overs in the second innings and bowled tightly, but rarely threatened the edge, and the seamers had nothing to work with: Archer exchanged tense words with his captain over a field change, Woakes bowled slower balls into the rough, Brydon Carse was hardly seen, and Stokes bowled only three overs after lunch.Jadeja and Washington had 89 and 80, respectively, when Stokes offered a draw, but Gill looked out steadfastly through the dressing-room window. It prompted Brook to bowl some filth, and both batters reached three figures off his bowling: Jadeja roared in celebration on reaching his by lofting a straight six, while Washington raised his arms as he sauntered back for two.It made for a strange end to a compelling Test match. Only 24 wickets fell across the five days, and the finish was an anti-climax. But the fraying tempers were the result of India’s resistance across five sessions of determined batting. It seemed unfathomable on Saturday afternoon, but they will head to The Oval believing that they can snatch a series draw.

Liverpool star Mo Salah risks causing huge anger in his native Egypt as he prepares for showdown talks with national boss Hossam Hassan to discuss missing a key warm-up match ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. The Pharaohs have a friendly with Nigeria planned in early December, but lands in the same week as key matches for the Reds setting up a potential club-v-country row, which Salah hopes to avoid.

• Liverpool braced for Salah exit

  Hassan would be expected to call-up Salah for the training camp and friendly match which has been scheduled for December 12th. But Liverpool face vital Champions League and Premier League fixtures against Inter Milan and Brighton that same week. The Liverpool talisman has endured a tricky season for the champions and is understood to prefer staying with his club for these competitive matches, according to a report in the . This follows a previous disagreement two years ago when Liverpool successfully requested Salah's delayed release, angering some fans in Egypt. The upcoming talks aim to find a resolution that satisfies both parties and prevents a repeat of past tensions. 

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  Fixture congestion for Liverpool during AFCON

  Salah's upcoming meeting carries significant weight, as the two parties look to finalise the player's release date for the tournament in Morocco which runs from December 21st to January 18th. The talks follow the Egyptian King’s controversial early departure from the last tournament due to injury, which caused frustration among Egyptian fans. The forward, who is just six goals shy of Hassan's own national team scoring record, could miss crucial games for Liverpool. If Egypt, one of the tournament favourites, reach the final on January 18, Salah could be unavailable for up to ten matches, including Tottenham (a), Wolves (h), Leeds (h), Fulham (a), Arsenal (a) and Burnley (h) plus a Champions League game at Marseille and an FA Cup third round tie. These negotiations aim to prevent a repeat of past tensions and find a resolution that works for both the club and country.

• High praise from Reds boss

  Salah has struggled at times this season, seemingly struggling in a new playing system and a number of key new players in attacking positions at Anfield. But boss Slot was clear in explaining why Salah remains so important to his team after reaching the incredible milestone of 250 goals for the Merseysiders.

  Slot said: "It is huge. It's almost unbelievable he has scored 250 goals at one club. Scoring 250 goals is already unbelievable, let alone at one club. You don’t see it that much in football anymore. Apart from the goal he scored tonight he had a very good performance. When we had to play long we played mainly long towards him and he could hold the ball and because of that the rest of the team could come to him and we could keep playing. 

  Slot added: "What I also liked is that he didn’t only do his offensive work really well, but he helped the team out defensively as well. After the 1-0 he was helping Virgil (van Dijk) around the halfway line and this combination of things led to me liking his performance tonight. It’s special for him to score 250 but for him to score is not special as we always know he will score."

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  Man City boss relaxed about AFCON

  City boss Pep Guardiola isn't worried about losing Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri for an extended period of time. Marmoush only returned to the starting XI following injury in the recent 3-1 win over Swansea, a game the 26-year-old scored in. Asked about the scheduling of the tournament, Guardiola said: "This competition (is) for their countries so they have to go. Always I try to solve the problem when the problem is in front of me. Right now I don’t think (about it). I have to use them for Sunday and next Wednesday and next Sunday before the international break. When it is going to happen they cannot be here and we will see the situation and take the decisions."

Jeff Stelling has criticised Unai Emery as a result of one moment in Aston Villa’s 1-0 victory against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

Cash leads Villa to victory over Man City

Emery continued his stellar record at home against Man City on Sunday, with the manager overseeing his third straight victory against Pep Guardiola’s side at Villa Park, courtesy of Matty Cash’s first-half strike from just outside the box.

It was a stellar performance from the full-back, who was voted the Player of the Match, and the Poland international has since put pen to paper on a new contract which lasts until 2029.

The Villans have really turned a corner in recent weeks, having picked up victories against some top teams, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on the road earlier this month, and the Premier League table now makes for much better viewing, having moved up to eighth.

The manager has also silenced the talk about his future, after it was reported last month that Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers were all unhappy with the Spaniard, given the slow start they made to the campaign.

The 53-year-old has certainly turned the corner, but Stelling was still left unimpressed with some of the decisions he made on Sunday, calling out the decision to substitute Jadon Sancho in the second-half, having only introduced the winger just before the 30-minute mark.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Stelling came to Sancho’s defence, saying: “He’s a soft target, because over the years it’s been easy to point the finger at him, but I think on this occasion it was wrong to point the finger at him.”

Sancho's Villa career yet to truly take off

It was always going to be a risk signing the 25-year-old, given that he was unable to live up to his huge price tag at Manchester United, and his Villa career is yet to take off, having only featured for 226 minutes across five matches in all competitions.

Emery defended the decision to substitute the former Man United man by pointing out he has done the same thing with other players before and wants to introduce the Englishman slowly: “Yes, sure he’s (Sancho) not happy but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday,”

Aston Villa take hilarious swipe at Haaland after victory against Man City

The Villans defeated Pep Guardiola’s side 1-0 at Villa Park on Sunday.

ByDominic Lund Oct 27, 2025

“Today when he (Buendia) was injured, my plan was maybe in case he (Sancho) was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.”

That said, given the scale of media attention Sancho received at Man United, it was a strange decision from Emery, who risks damaging his summer signing’s confidence, even if the manager didn’t substitute him due to being unhappy with his performance.

Derbyshire 377 (Andersson 105, Chahal 6-118) and 52 for 4 trail Northamptonshire 550 for 9 dec (Broad 171, Keogh 125*) by 121 runsAllrounder Justin Broad hit a brilliant 171, his second score in excess of 150 this month amid a Northamptonshire run-fest against Derbyshire at Wantage Road as the hosts racked up a mammoth 550 for nine declared.Returning from a wrist injury, Broad struck 18 fours and a six, following his maiden first-class ton, 157 not out at Canterbury at the beginning of July. On a day of records, his 171 was the highest score ever made by a number seven from any team against Derbyshire.With Rob Keogh also striking an excellent unbeaten 125, the pair put on 208, the highest seventh-wicket partnership for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire as the visitors’ attack wilted in the afternoon sunshine.Luis Reece was the pick of Derbyshire’s bowlers, finishing with figures of three for 114.Northamptonshire declared 173 ahead and reduced Derbyshire to 52 for four at stumps, Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal picking up two wickets in two balls. It leaves the visitors with a mountain to climb on a pitch offering turn and bounce, still trailing by 121 at the end of day three of this Rothesay County Championship fixture.Earlier, resuming on 265 for five, Broad and George Bartlett extended their sixth-wicket partnership to 127, also the highest for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire. But after posting 66, his highest score this season, Bartlett was trapped lbw by a Ben Aitchison delivery which nipped back and kept low.Broad and Keogh though looked relatively untroubled by a lacklustre Derbyshire bowling display throughout the morning as they focused on building a partnership and taking a first innings lead, picking up a handful of boundaries along the way. Broad, 64 overnight, deployed the pull against Zak Chappell and on drove handsomely, while Keogh swept and reverse swept against Joe Hawkins’ spin.Broad lunched nervously on 99, but despite flashing outside off stump against Martin Andersson after the break, he took a single off Hawkins to celebrate his first century at home.With the scoring rate accelerating, Keogh drove Andersson sweetly through midwicket to reach his second successive half-century off 112 balls and crunched Andersson through extra cover to bring up the 100 partnership and put Northamptonshire ahead. Broad then punched Blair Tickner down the ground for another boundary.Derbyshire plugged away, trying several short-term experiments to try to force a breakthrough. Andersson bowled consistently wide outside off-stump to Broad, while Aitchison reverted to bowling spin. Then for Chappell, three fielders were stationed in the area between mid-on and short midwicket.But Northamptonshire’s batters continued unabated, Keogh cutting Tickner to backward point to bring up the 150-partnership before passing the previous highest seventh-wicket stand (163) by Josh Cobb and David Willey at Derby in 2015.Frequent Northamptonshire milestones continued to keep the public address announcer busy, Keogh turning Andersson away for two to bring up his century, Broad taking a single next ball off Hawkins to reach his 150.In a scrappy passage of play before tea, Derbyshire’s tired fielders shelled three catches, but picked up one vital wicket in between. First, Keogh, on 101, swept Hawkins firmly to short midwicket where Madsen put down a straightforward chance. Then after Broad smashed Reece through extra cover, Caleb Jewell dropped one at backward point off an attempted reverse sweep.Undeterred, Broad and Keogh celebrated their 200 partnership, Broad swinging Reece for six into the sightscreen as Northamptonshire accelerated further. Broad’s 273-ball knock finally ended though when he hit Reece down the ground again but was caught just inside the ropes.George Scrimshaw won an immediate reprieve when Aitchinson failed to hold a one-handed grab at first slip off Reece. But his intentions were evident as he quickly went on the offensive against Hawkins.Tickner struck after tea castling Scrimshaw with a full and straight delivery, but Keogh found good support from Liam Guthrie (22), Northamptonshire declaring when Hawkins had the Australian caught hitting down the ground.Derbyshire’s reply started ominously when Jewell flashed outside off, Ricardo Vasconcelos snatching the ball at first slip.Promoted to opener Zak Chappell made 22 before Chahal’s double strike. First Chappell reverse swept straight to backward point, then Harry Came was lbw playing back to a slider. Finally skipper Wayne Madsen edged Keogh to Broad at first slip to further compound Derbyshire’s woes.