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NCA will submit final assessment on batsman to BCCI

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Dec-20202:15

No idea why Rohit wasn’t on the flight to Australia – Kohli

Will Rohit Sharma travel to Australia for the upcoming four-match Test series? The answer is expected on Friday when the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where Sharma is undergoing rehabilitation, will submit its final assessment to the BCCI on his fitness. If the NCA gives a positive feedback then the BCCI will need to figure how it can fly Sharma to Australia and integrate him with the Indian Test squad which is in a bio-secure bubble.As per the Australian government regulations, Sharma will need to spend 14 days in quarantine before he can enter the team bubble. It could not be ascertained what the BCCI plans to do in case Sharma is declared fit by the NCA.Last month, Sharma had been ruled out of the first two Test matches, with a hamstring injury he sustained in the IPL, after which he travelled to the NCA.The Sharma episode has been full of intrigue ever since he injured his left hamstring during a league match while playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL in September. The injury initially prompted the national selectors to omit Sharma from the Australia tour with the caveat that he would be “monitored”. On November 9, though, the BCCI provided an update, stating the selectors had ruled Sharma out of the limited-overs leg in order for him to “rest” and “regain full fitness” for the Tests series as they included him in the red-ball squad.However, instead of travelling with the Indian contingent to Australia from the UAE (where the IPL was held), Sharma returned home to Mumbai after Mumbai had won the IPL on November 10, to attend his dad who was “ailing.”The reason for Sharma returning to India was revealed by the BCCI in a media release on November 26, a day after India captain Virat Kohli claimed he did not know the reasons why Sharma, along with Ishant Sharma, had not done their rehab in Australia, which could have put them both in a position to play the first Test.Sharma’s last Test was the day-night match against Bangladesh last year. He missed the two-Test series in New Zealand after picking up a calf injury in the limited-overs segment of that tour.

Arsenal legend Santi Cazorla had revealed that he had talked to Mikel Arteta about a potential return, however that is now unlikely to happen.

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• Cazorla signs new deal with Oviedo
• Had revealed discussions with Arteta
• Talked about a return to Arsenal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Cazorla, who is now 38 years old, is still playing football unlike his former team-mate Arteta. The former Arsenal midfielder is currently with the Spanish second-tier side, Real Oviedo. Cazorla had revealed he had talked to Arteta about a potential return but maintained that that wouldn't happen anytime soon as he was focused on Oviedo.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Last weekend, Oviedo and Cazorla fell agonising short as they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Espanyol in the promotion play-off final. However, the Spaniard has decided to stay put at his boyhood club as he signed a one-year extension as he hopes to give the club one last gift and take them back to the Spanish first division.

• WHAT CAZORLA SAID

  Speaking to Sky Sports earlier this month, Cazorla said: "I have a very special affection for Arsenal. I spent six wonderful years there and I know how much all the people love me there.

  "Of course, I was fortunate to share a dressing room with Mikel Arteta and now he is the manager. We had conversations about that but right now I am not focused on anything other than contributing to this club, Oviedo, and continuing to enjoy football as a player.

  "After that, we will see what the future holds for me. It is clear that Arsenal is a club that has always left the door open to me to return. But right now, I have enough on my mind with the play-offs and trying to enjoy the last days of my playing career."

• WHAT NEXT FOR CAZORLA?

  It is likely that when Cazorla decides to call it a day on his playing career, he will return to the sport in a coaching role. The highly-praised Spaniard was known for his awareness and tactical flexibility alongside his supreme control on the game around him.

The Asia Cup final went down to the wire as Tilak calmly helped India chase down 147

Alagappan Muthu28-Sep-20253:17

Which Indian spinner had the biggest impact?

India blinked. They were 20 for 3 chasing 147. Their world-beating batting line-up was panicking as Pakistan came at them – this time for every reason because there was a title on the line.A collapse of 9 for 33 had left Salman Agha’s men with no room for error and for the most part they coped with it. They got rid of Abhishek Sharma early. That sent jitters through a middle-order that was upended to accommodate Shubman Gill.A straightforward chase was going pear-shaped. And Tilak Varma felt all of this out in the middle. The quiet of the stands. The belief among the Pakistan players. The doubts of a billion people back home. Somehow he absorbed it all and produced a really special half-century.Concentrating as hard as he had to, there wasn’t a single moment through the innings where Tilak showed emotion. But once it was done, he yelled, he punched, he made little heart signs with his hands and basked in the glory of winning India their ninth Asia Cup title.

Farhan’s opening salvo

This entire Asia Cup has been a referendum on Pakistan’s decision to move on from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. There is credence to the theory that they do not push hard enough when they bat up the order, and the powerplay is not a time to be shy.Sahibzada Farhan went for his shots early•Getty Images

Sahibzada Farhan took that to heart and although he didn’t always come up with the goods, he never stopped swinging. A series of slogs took him to 26 off 21. And those same series of slogs – when they started connecting – brought him 50 off 35.

The Pakistan collapse

Farhan and Fakhar Zaman were able to put one of India’s bankers – Kuldeep Yadav – under pressure. The left-arm wristspinner’s first two overs went for 23. That prompted Suryakumar Yadav to turn to Varun Chakravarthy, whose mystery Pakistan have just not been able to solve. As if on cue, he took down both of Pakistan’s top scorers. Farhan and Fakhar were the only two to cross 15.On the back of Varun’s incisions, his team-mates came into their own. Axar Patel took two wickets in back-to-back overs. Kuldeep took three in one single over. Pakistan were 107 for 1 with 44 balls to play. They were bowled out with five balls remaining. A large part of their innings involved the batters going for slogs. In the front 10, they either made good contact or just plain missed. So just one wicket fell. In the back 10, the big hits were all mis-hits. So nine wickets fell.

Tilak’s method

Where all his team-mates tried to force the issue, Tilak found ways to trust himself. He was 24 off 26. But he didn’t seem to care. Early in his innings, he hit a back foot punch though extra cover for four off Ashraf. There was no pace on that ball. The only way he could find the boundary was if he timed the ball perfectly. And for that to happen, he had to have the measure of this pitch down pat. He did.Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube’s brisk stand lifted India•Getty Images

That confidence fuelled the rest of his innings, reminding him that he needn’t over-exert himself. India had to settle for either singles or dots through the eighth and ninth overs of the chase as Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub stuck to the basics – keeping the stumps in play and asking India to take risks if they wanted to score quickly. Tilak rose to that challenge but even then, he was careful to go after the full one, the one that he could get to the pitch of and negate the turn. All that good work meant even with long-on in play, the ball went for six.In the 15th over, Tilak did another cool thing. With wickets falling around him, he had shown he was ready for a fight. In rebuilding India’s innings with barely a false shot, he showed he was in the zone. Now, seeing Haris Rauf running in, he showed a mind for problem-solving. He had seen how hard it was to hit with pace off the ball. Now that Pakistan were offering pace, he took full toll. Seventeen runs came from that 15th over and changed the complexion of the game. From needing 64 off 36, India needed 47 off 30.

Dube cameo

India were without their first-choice seam-bowling allrounder. Hardik Pandya was nursing a quad niggle and couldn’t make the XI. Shivam Dube did, after resting the last game. He was responsible for two absolutely vital sixes. The first of those showcased his spin-hitting ability as he tonked Abrar down the ground. The second exemplified how well he reads the game. He had faced, and watched from the other end, as Ashraf in the 19th over, tried to hide the ball outside off stump. So when he got back on strike, he indulged in an exaggerated trigger movement across his stumps to get closer to the ball and launch it over wide long-on. Dube contributed 33 off 22 to a momentum-shifting, match-winning, fifth-wicket partnership that yielded 60 runs off 40 balls. He also had to open the bowling for the first time in any format of cricket, finishing with 3-0-23-0. It was a splendid day’s work.

The finish

These three India-Pakistan games have taken place under the shadow of far greater events. The two countries were in military conflict earlier this year. The two teams have not shaken hands. The two captains have even been avoiding eye contact. Rauf was fined for making gestures that seemed to point to those cross-border tensions. Jasprit Bumrah used the same gesture – hand pointed down, arcing to the floor – to give it back to Rauf after bringing down his stumps with a yorker.Tilak Varma celebrates a tense victory•AFP/Getty Images

The highly charged atmosphere that has been taking focus away from the cricket now added to it. The two coaches – Mike Hesson and Gautam Gambhir – would not accept being left on the sidelines, sending out messages to help the teams as the equation grew tighter. 30 off 18. 17 off 12. 10 off 6.With eight to get off five, Tilak launched a six over square leg – once more showcasing just how well he had grown accustomed to tough batting conditions and Rauf once again falling short by putting pace on the ball. Everything that happened after that will be turned into a meme. Tilak making the heart sign. Rinku Singh haring off into the distance. Gambhir banging a desk. This was an India-Pakistan classic worth the 41-year wait both teams needed to make the final of the Asia Cup.

El Tri started Copa America out with a victory, but losing Edson Alvarez brings cloud to tournament

Mexico are entering a new era. Their veterans of old, players like Memo Ochoa, Hector Herrera and Chucky Lozano are seemingly out of the national team picture. They are undergoing a rebuild of sorts, but at the same time, they knew that Copa America 2024 was their chance to prove to the world that they are among the game's elite and one of the best in CONCACAF.

They took on one of their regional opponents in the Reggae Boyz Saturday, and it was the perfect test to begin the tournament.

Nothing went to plan – at all.

Jaime Lozano's squad lost their captain and star player Edson Alvarez to a hamstring injury just 30 minutes into the match, and from there on out, it was just messy.

Santiago Gimenez, their superstar forward, had just 16 touches across 68 minutes. The attack was a nightmare all night, with little to no service from wide areas, and Orbelin Pineda failing to connect the midfield and attack centrally.

Lucky for El Tri, they didn't need their attack to get their winner.

In the 69th minute, fullback Gerardo Arteaga stepped up to score a belter of an effort from the edge of the box, handing them the winner in their 1-0 victory.

Jamaica, meanwhile, had initially scored only to see it called back for an offsides on Michail Antonio in the 50th minute. Other than that moment, the Reggae Boyz failed to be much of a threat.

For Lozano and Co. in a tight Group B, it was a really important three points. However, this sort of performance won't be enough throughout the tournament if they want to make any sort of run.

GOAL rates Mexico's players from NRG Stadium.

• Getty Images
  

  Goalkeeper & Defense

  Julio Gonzalez (6/10):

  Played his role well, made a few saves and kept a clean sheet.

  Jorge Sanchez (7/10):

  The Porto fullback operated his flank well and was defenisvely sound.

  Cesar Montes (7/10):

  A rock on the backline. Defended well, was rarely beaten and was the leader needed after Alvarez's departure early in the first half.

  Johan Vazquez (6/10):

  Struggled with passing and linking well with the midfield, but played his role well defensively.

  Gerardo Arteaga (7/10):

  My goodness, have a hit. Not the best performance from him, but that goal makes up for it. He stepped up when El Tri needed him.

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  Midfield

  Luis Chavez (7/10):

  A composed showing; he stepped up massively when they needed him. Good tempo control, good patience on the ball, all around, a solid showing.

  Edson Alvarez (N/A):

  Was removed from the match 30 minutes in with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Could be a terrible blow.

• Getty Images
  

  Attack

  Uriel Antuna (6/10):

  Struggled to provide width and any sort of dynamic to the attack. Lozano will expect more out of him from a creative perspective.

  Orbelin Pineda (6/10):

  Not his best evening, but he didn't do anything wrong, either. He created one big moment and completed 78% of his chances.

  Julio Quinones (5/10):

  A few promising moments, but lacked a clinical touch when entering the box. Failed to provide any sort of service into the box when tasked.

  Santiago Gimenez (4/10):

  Hard to blame him with no service in the attack, but he was a ghost the entire match. Was removed in the 67th minute after a lifeless showing.

• Getty Images
  

  Subs & Manager

  Luis Romo (8/10):

  He stepped in for Alvarez and was brilliant in the midfield. Had the assist on Arteaga's strike, too.

  Carlos Rodriguez (6/10):

  Arrived off the bench in the second half, but didn't impact the match much.

  Guillermo Martinez (6/10):

  Replaced Santi, but in the same way as the Feyenoord striker, had no service.

  Roberto Alvarado (N/A):

  Subbed on late to help close out the match.

  Erick Sanchez (N/A):

  Subbed on late, replaced Luis Chavez.

  Jaime Lozano (5/10):

  Losing Alvarez is less than ideal – that's understood. However, the El Tri attack was abysmal Saturday night. The tactics set up by Lozano failed Gimenez, Quinones and Antuna. A brilliant strike from their fullback saved Mexico – that won't happen against one of CONMEBOL's elite later in this tournament.

The new captain lauded his team’s brave approach and how they made the early running in both Tests

Deivarayan Muthu26-Oct-20241:51

How did Santner succeed when Jadeja struggled?

Before 2024, New Zealand visited India 12 times across 69 years from 1955 to play Test cricket, but they had never managed to win a series. On Saturday, in his first stint as full-time New Zealand captain, Tom Latham did an Edmund Hillary, leading New Zealand to their first-ever Test series win in India.Latham was part of the New Zealand team that won the inaugural World Test Championship after beating India in the final in Southampton in 2021. But beating India is a different challenge altogether and arguably the toughest challenge in world cricket right now. Latham was overwhelmed with emotion when he was asked to explain what the triumph in India meant to him, his team, and the New Zealand public.Related

• Changing of the guard: Pune 2024 a window into New Zealand's future

• Santner takes 13 to hand India their first home Test series defeat since 2012

• 'I don't want to do too much of a post-mortem' – Rohit after loss in Pune

• Side soreness no barrier for 13-wicket Santner

“I’m sort of lost for words,” Latham said. “It’s obviously an immensely proud moment for this group. I think coming off the back of a Sri Lankan series where we didn’t get the results that we wanted to come here and play the style of cricket that we played. We’re obviously immensely proud to be in the position of winning two Test matches here. A lot of New Zealand teams have come here over the past… I guess to be the first team to win a series over here is immensely special and, yeah, very proud of this group.”So what did Latham’s New Zealand do better than the other New Zealand teams of the past and this current India team?”I think we’ve been on the right side of a couple of tosses,” Latham said. “That obviously played a big part I think, especially in Bangalore. Just as I said, I think we’ve come here, and we’ve wanted to fire a shot. We’ve wanted to be the one that puts India under pressure, what that may look like from a batting point of view or a bowling point of view. I certainly think we’ve done that. I think the way we played in this game with the bat was really important. I think it was a wicket where time wasn’t necessarily an issue, it was runs.”Mitchell Santner was the hero with the ball•AFP/Getty Images

It’s incredibly rare for any overseas team to out-bat and out-bowl India in a Test match. This New Zealand team has managed to do that twice in contrasting conditions in Bengaluru and Pune.New Zealand’s bowlers had thrown the first punch in Benglauru in seaming conditions, where they skittled India for 46. New Zealand’s batters then threw the first punch in Pune on a turner, where they countered R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar with a variety of sweeps, including the reverse. Latham was pleased with his players buying into the attack-first approach.”We’ve come here, and we’ve wanted to compete, and we’ve wanted to fire a shot first up,” Latham said. “I certainly think we’ve done that in both games. Obviously with the ball in the first game but also with the bat here. Being able to put first innings runs on the board has been really important. Obviously the bowlers went to work over the last couple of days which has been very pleasing to see.” Latham hailed Mitchell Santner for wheeling away for 29 overs on the trot in the final innings despite a sore side. The left-arm fingerspinner came away with six wickets during that marathon spell and almost single-handedly spun New Zealand to victory. He finished with match figures of 13 for 157 – the third-best by any visiting bowler in India.”He did a fantastic job,” Latham said of Santner. “I think obviously the wickets that he got… But I think what will go unnoticed is the amount of overs he bowled back-to-back. I think Will [O’Rourke] bowled one over with the new ball from that end and Mitch bowled the rest. Someone like that to come and bowl that amount of overs, to keep in a threat for that amount of time.”I keep trying to take him off, but he keeps taking a wicket. So, I said ‘you can keep going’. Look, I can’t praise him enough in terms of what he’s done this game. He was simply fantastic.”

Joao Felix's agent will hold talks with Chelsea to facilitate the forward's transfer to Benfica despite the clubs being far from an agreement.

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• Joao Felix wants to return to boyhood club Benfica
• Chelsea's valuation too high for Benfica
• Attacker's agent to mediate deal between the clubs

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Felix's plans to return to Lisbon have come to a halt after Benfica and Chelsea weren't able to agree on the forward's valuation. According to , Jorge Mendes will now have to get personally involved to find a way out for his player and strike a deal between the two clubs. Mendes will talk to Chelsea's co-owner, Behdad Eghbali, to find an exit from Stamford Bridge for the 25-year-old.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chelsea paid Atletico Madrid €52 million (£45m/$60m) last year for the 2019 Golden Boy award winner. The player is now out of the club's plans and Benfica are the only viable option to offload the Portuguese. The London club want to recoup on their investment and have kept a price tag of €40m (£35m/$47m) on Felix; Benfica, on the other hand, want to sign 50 per cent of his rights for €20m (£17m/$23m).

• TELL ME MORE

  The Eagles can increase their bid for the ex-Atletico Madrid player, but it will still be way off the Blues' valuation. Chelsea have already declined to send Felix out on loan again and are looking for a permanent solution. The Portuguese forward has expressed his desire to play for his boyhood club and hence agreed to take a pay cut to aid the negotiations. Mendes will thus have to reach a common ground which benefits both parties.

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR BENFICA & CHELSEA?

  Benfica want to reunite Felix with his former coach Bruno Lage, under whom the forward rose to prominence. The Eagles have failed to win the domestic title for the past two campaigns and don't want to leave any stone unturned in their title pursuit in the upcoming season.

  Driven by financial concerns, Chelsea have their own incentives to offload the player and should facilitate his transfer out of the club rather than playing hardball.

The Wellington batted admitted he was still coming to terms with his first international call-up

Andrew McGlashan03-Apr-2024Tim Robinson, the newest member of New Zealand’s T20I squad, has a pretty simple outlook when it comes to the format. “I love hitting sixes,” he said, something that started in the backyard as a kid and has now carried him to the brink of an international debut against Pakistan.Robinson only has 20 domestic T20 matches under his belt but, until injury struck, was putting together an impressive Super Smash earlier this year. In the opening match of the season against Otago he plundered 139 off 64 balls with 10 sixes, the second-highest score in the tournament’s history, and later on struck 86 off 56 against Canterbury before his tournament was cut short.Still, it was enough to leave him on the radar of the selectors and, with nine players unavailable for the Pakistan trip due to the IPL, along with Will Young (county) and Tim Latham (paternity) not considered, Robinson was one of those to benefit. But the call from selector Sam Wells was still a lot to take in.”I was actually stuttering away trying to hold a conversation, but I was struggling a little bit,” he told reporters. “I couldn’t believe it and to be honest it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It’s hard to put those kinds of things into words. Something I’ve dreamed off since I was a kid, trying to hit sixes in the back yard but for it to all come to fruition is pretty amazing and just really excited.”I love hitting sixes and trying to entertain people and to be honest it’s addictive when you get one out of the middle and it goes a mile. I took a lot of confidence out of that [century] but this is a completely different challenge and I’m excited to get over there and have a real crack.”Robinson added he would be going into the tour “with an open mind” and was thrilled that the trip would be led by his Wellington team-mate Michael Bracewell.”He’s been a fantastic role model for me,” he said. “We help each other on and see who can hit the ball furthest. He’s a fantastic guy and fills me with comfort that I’m going over with him.”Bracewell himself reflected on a lengthy journey back from injury after suffering a ruptured achilles playing in the T20 Blast for Worcestershire last year. He returned to action in January during the Super Smash and last month claimed a career-best 8 for 41 in the Plunket Shield, two days before being told he would captain New Zealand.”It’s been a slow grind, a lot of days here at the Basin working hard on all the little things,” he said. “It probably feels fast for people who haven’t lived that journey but for me it’s been a bit of a slow grind.”It’s huge to firstly be picked again the another huge honour to be selected as captain. I had a golden sort of three days: got that eight-for at the Basin, a hole-in-one the next day and third thing was the call from Steady about the captaincy. Three days I’ll never forget.”It’s a little bit sweeter when you’ve had a bit of time on the sidelines to reflect and grow that hunger even more to be back out there.”The five matches in Pakistan will play a key part in firming up the small number of uncertain spots in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad and Bracewell, who offers middle-order power with the bat and his offspin, will be a strong contender but he wasn’t looking too far ahead.”There’s obviously some exciting things coming up throughout the rest of the year but the job at hand is taking on Pakistan in their own conditions,” he said. “That’s certainly what we’ll be focusing on. Obviously you have those thoughts of where you’d like to be but the only way you get to where you want to go is focusing on what’s in front of you.”

Sunderland have now “done work” to hijack Leeds United’s move for a “brilliant” midfielder, transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey has revealed.

Black Cats vying to sign midfielder after Bellingham departure

After sealing a move to Borussia Dortmund, Jobe Bellingham has now penned a heart-felt goodbye to the supporters, saying: “Your support, on so many occasions, has completely blown me away, especially in the times of adversity, which we pulled through together.”

Regis Le Bris is now left with the difficult task of finding a replacement for the 19-year-old, who provided four goals and three assists for the Black Cats in a season that will forever be remembered, having achieved promotion back to the Premier League.

Having been promoted alongside Leeds United, Le Bris is likely to be shopping in the same talent pool as the Yorkshire side this summer, with both clubs now battling it out to sign West Ham United’s Vladimir Coufal on a free transfer.

Not only that, but the Black Cats have now started to take steps towards hijacking Leeds’ move for a midfielder, namely Strasbourg’s Habib Diarra, with some reports suggesting Daniel Farke’s side have already submitted a £22m bid for his services.

In an interview with The Boot Room, Bailey denies the reports of an offer being made, but confirms that Sunderland have now joined the race for Diarra’s signature, saying: “Leeds are looking at him. They like him and have enquired and held talks with his camp – however, we can confirm no bid yet.

“He had a very good season and a number of Premier League clubs have looked at him. Sunderland, Fulham, Bournemouth – all have done work on him… they are all clearly watching him (vs England) too!”

"Brilliant" Diarra starred in Senegal's triumph over England

The recent international break was far from ideal for Thomas Tuchel, stumbling to a 1-0 victory over Andorra before losing 3-1 against Senegal at the City Ground, where the Strasbourg midfielder put in a quality performance to help his side secure the win.

The 21-year-old scored the second goal in his side’s surprise victory, while also displaying his ability in possession of the ball by maintaining a 88% pass-success rate throughout the match, with Senegal going on to become the first-ever African nation to defeat England.

Football scout Ben Mattinson has also praised the Senegal international for his passing ability in the past, amongst other things.

As such, it is exciting news that Sunderland are now “doing work” on a deal for Diarra, and having sold Bellingham for £32m, they should have ample funds to secure his signature.

Jhye Richardson believes he could play Test cricket this summer if needed having progressed to bowling off his full run coming off shoulder surgery

Alex Malcolm09-Oct-2025Mitchell Starc believes Pat Cummins won’t need much preparation to play in the first Ashes Test in Perth, saying the skipper remains upbeat despite not yet being cleared to bowl with six weeks to go before the series starts.Doubts are growing over Cummins’ availability for the first Test of the Ashes as he continues to rehab the hot spot in his lower back having not bowled a ball since Australia’s last Test against West Indies in July.While it is understood that Cricket Australia has made no decisions on Cummins’ return to bowling and his availability for the first Test of the Ashes and beyond, the tightness of the timeline for the skipper to build-up his bowling loads adequately has become a major talking point.Related

• Cummins says he's 'less likely than likely' to play in the first Ashes Test

• Cummins 'running out of time' as Perth D-day looms but Ashes hopes alive

• Ashes tracker: Labuschagne shines as Konstas stumbles

• Hazlewood, Starc in line for SCG Shield outing before Ashes

• Doubts over Cummins' fitness for first Ashes Test grow

Starc, who will return to the BBL for the first time in 11 years in the upcoming season, believes Cummins is so unique that he could play a Test match off very limited preparation.”Playing with Pat and being close with Pat, he doesn’t need much,” Starc said. “Whether he bowls three warm-up balls and the first over the game, he’s on the money, he just knows when to switch on or how to switch on really quickly. So what it looks like for him in his prep, it’s going to be certainly different to what mine feels and looks like, and that comes with experience and age.”Having spent so much time with Josh [Hazlewood] and Pat and myself and Scotty [Boland], we all prepare slightly differently. We all feel like we need different things. I feel like at times I need to bowl more around preparation stuff, whether it be training or after layoffs.”Starc has returned to bowling ahead of the ODI series against India after a lengthy pre-season having not played since the Caribbean Test tour. Both Starc and Hazlewood are also set to play in New South Wales’ round four Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the SCG from November 10-13 in preparation for the first Ashes Test which starts on November 21 in Perth.Starc said he had been in touch with Cummins but had seen less of him since returning to NSW training as the skipper continues to do his gym rehab.Mitchell Starc expects Steven Smith to be “the logical choice” to lead if Pat Cummins isn’t fit•BCCI

“He’s in good spirits,” Starc said. “He’s ultra-positive as always, and there’s still some weeks to go before we get to Perth for the Test prep. So we’ll see where that lands. Hopefully we see a lot of him through the summer, and we’ll see where we get to in Perth.”If Cummins were to be ruled out, the question of who replaces him as captain will be raised but Starc said Steven Smith would be the logical choice given he has captained Australia in 40 Test matches including deputising for Cummins in six over the last four years.”We’ve got a group of us that have played cricket with Steve as captain anyway,” Starc said. “And then the times that he’s filled in over the last few seasons for Pat, whether it be for personal reasons, for illness or for injury, it’s an easy transition for Steve. He’s obviously a very experienced cricket brain and thinks heavily about the game, and we have a team of experienced guys that can give their two cents worth along the journey as well.”Cummins’ potential absence has also raised questions about Australia’s fast-bowling depth beyond the big four of Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Boland.Starc cited Michael Neser and Sean Abbott as two experienced options and also mentioned another man who has played for Australia previously and took five wickets in an Ashes game in his most recent Test appearance.”There’s been a little bit of noise around Jhye Richardson coming back from his shoulder as well,” Starc said. “We know what skills he has. We’ve got a fairly talented group of 19-20-year-old bowlers, and then a lot of depth from there up to us that have played a lot of domestic cricket. I think the depth is there.”Richardson, speaking at another BBL event in Melbourne on Thursday, was confident he could play a Test this summer if required despite still progressing his bowling in the nets following shoulder surgery earlier this year.Jhye Richardson last played a Test match in December 2021•AFP/Getty Images

“I think so,” Richardson said. “Body’s really good. At this stage of the recovery what we wanted was for everything else to be right, and the only limiting factor to be my shoulder, which is the case at the moment, which is really good. I’m bowling off a full run, just waiting for a bit of ball speed to come back, which I think is a pretty good position to be in this time of year, or what we were hoping for anyway.”There’s no specific timeline in place at the moment, but I think returning to some sort of competitive cricket, whether it’s club cricket or second XI [for Western Australia] sometime in November I think would be a good start, and then build up from there, and then see where it takes us.”Richardson revealed he was still only bowling at speeds in the low 120s but expected the speed to come with more mobility and confidence in the shoulder, having been through the process before after previous shoulder surgeries. He is hoping to play round five or six of the Sheffield Shield, with WA’s two games starting on November 22 and December 4 respectively.”You never really know how linear the process is going to be,” Richardson said. “I think at the start of the year, we were sort of speaking around that [round] five or six mark leading into the Big Bash and potentially back-end Ashes.”But I don’t want to think too far ahead.”

The 32-year-old joins to boost promotion push following relegation to Division Two

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2025Australia batter Marcus Harris has joined Lancashire for the 2025 season.The left-handed opener will be available for the club’s County Championship and Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaigns through to September. He is due to arrive in the UK ahead of Lancashire’s opening Championship fixture against Middlesex at Lord’s, which begins on April 4.Acquiring someone of Harris’ standing brings vital experience to Emirates Old Trafford, which head coach Dale Benkenstein cited as vital for an immediate return to Division One after the county were relegated in 2024. Lancashire were keen to bring back New Zealand star Daryl Mitchell, who impressed with bat and ball during a stint in 2023, only for the allrounder to secure a lucrative Platinum deal with PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars.Harris has 12 Test caps for Australia, three of which came in the 2019 Ashes when the tourists secured the urn in Manchester. He came close to a recall for the home Test series against Australia, only for selectors to opt for Nathan McSweeney and then Sam Konstas.The 32-year-old has been a consistent performer domestically, and currently boasts 445 runs at an average of 49.44 for Victoria in this season’s Sheffield Shield. He is also well-versed in county cricket following spells at Leicestershire (2021 and 2024) and Gloucestershire (2022 and 2023), averaging 48.39 from 29 first-class appearances across both teams, with nine centuries.”I am really excited by the opportunity to join Lancashire for the English summer and will give my all to help this great Club win promotion back to Division One of the County Championship,” Harris said, via a statement from Lancashire on Thursday.”Emirates Old Trafford holds some special memories for me after we retained the Ashes there back in 2019 and I know that Nathan Lyon and Chris Green have both spoken so highly about their time at the club.”I have really enjoyed my time playing county cricket in England over the last few years and to start a new challenge with Lancashire is something which I am really looking forward to getting stuck into.”Director of Cricket Performance Mark Chilton said: “Marcus is an experienced operator with international pedigree and has a proven track record of scoring runs at the top of the order in domestic cricket in Australia and England.”He has a strong record in England, following a number of games with both Leicestershire and Gloucestershire in recent years. We are looking forward to working with Marcus and believe that he will play a key role as we look to earn promotion back into Division One at the first time of asking.”It was important to us that we got somebody on board who was going to be available for the majority of the County Championship this summer with the appropriate pedigree, and Marcus ticks that box, while he will also add valuable experience to our side in the One-Day Cup during August.”Harris will play alongside James Anderson, who earlier this month signed on for the upcoming season with Lancashire having not played since last July, when he bowed out of Test cricket against West Indies at Lord’s.West Indies quick Anderson Phillip is the club’s other overseas signing, and is available through to July for the first 11 Championship matches.