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His T20 powers may be on the wane, but he couldn’t have asked for a better environment than the CSK set-up to reinvigorate his game

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai05-Apr-20181:56

IPL Lead Up: MS Dhoni

When MS Dhoni last captained in the IPL (in 2016), his side Rising Pune Supergiant finished seventh. When Dhoni should have last played the T20 format in March but was rested, second-choice wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik became an instant hero courtesy a whirlwind knock that helped India beat Bangladesh and clinch the Nidahas Trophy.Now, Dhoni returns to the shortest format as captain of a side that was suspended for the previous two seasons. He hasn’t led a T20 side since August 2016, when India played West Indies in Florida. Will he be rusty as a leader in IPL 2018?His tactical and verbal skills as picked up by the stump mics during the tour of South Africa in January-February suggest that may not be the case. Dhoni did them all: made minute adjustments in the field, advised bowlers on where to pitch the ball and made clear calls while running between the wickets. Even his yelp at a junior team-mate for not being alert enough for an extra run showed the hunger and passion.Now, will he be rusty as a batsman? In four ODI innings in South Africa, he managed to cross 15 only once and ended the series with a strike rate of just over 80. He batted at No. 6 in the three T20Is, coming out in the 15th over or later in two of those. When he got more time in the second T20I by walking out in the 11th over, he faced 28 balls and clubbed 52 unbeaten runs with four fours and three sixes.

Dhoni has all the support and backing of the owners, the management, the dressing room and possibly every Chennai resident who watches cricket

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming must have been aware of this when he said Dhoni will be promoted up the order this time. “MS will bat relatively high, not necessarily a position with him but a time that we may choose depending on what conditions we see. But he will definitely play a more prominent role as a batter,” Fleming said earlier this week.The numbers back Fleming. When Dhoni has batted at No. 6 in the IPL, his average is 27.50 and strike rate an unimpressive 113.20. At No. 4, the numbers go up to 35.83 and 141.44. But his best position, going by the numbers, is No. 5 where he averages 46.12 and strikes at 147.72.What will give Dhoni a bigger boost is the CSK environment and his camaraderie with his old mates. His fading T20I performances in the last year or so have attracted all the attention from the media and experts, but the IPL now brings him in his territory.There have been calls from some of his former team-mates, most notably VVS Laxman who wanted youngsters to be given a chance in India’s T20 set up. But there was no doubt that Dhoni was going to return as captain of Super Kings upon their re-entry.Dhoni has all the support and backing of the owners, the management, the dressing room and possibly every Chennai resident who watches cricket. He is their undisputed leader.MS Dhoni couldn’t have asked for a better environment than CSK to reinvigorate his game•BCCIWhy else would 20,000-odd people turn up at Chepauk to watch him and the squad play practice matches? Also, Dhoni calls Chennai his second home. So much so that he became teary-eyed while talking about their return to the IPL. This from a man who has barely shown emotions on the field in all these years.Dhoni also ensured they retained the core with Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo. Whether Dhoni makes way for youngsters in the Indian team or not remains to be seen but in the Super Kings squad, he has a team whose average age is 32.The change in setting for him is such that even the media may not criticise him if Super Kings don’t make it big this IPL. Sure, there might be columns if his batting fades, there might be discussions on TV if he is not able to finish games the way he used to, but seeing someone asking him to step down as CSK captain is unlikely. And the credit goes to Dhoni for that.He is the only player to have captained CSK in all these years and has even won back-to-back titles. No other captain has survived in the same role since. CSK have with them the most experienced Indian T20 player as their captain, and the most experienced T20 and IPL captain. He has also led different teams in 11 T20 finals and six IPL finals, the most by any captain.As great as those records are, recent form counts for a lot. What CSK will not want to know is that Dhoni scored under 300 runs in each of his two seasons with Rising Pune. The last time that happened was in 2010. To add to that, he struck under 17 sixes in each of the last two IPL seasons. The last time he did that was in 2012.Dhoni has averaged below 30 in just two seasons: 2012 and 2017. The previous IPL season was particularly harsh on him: he finished with a strike rate of 116, his lowest in IPL history, and took over eight balls on average to strike a boundary.To overcome all this and shake some pressure off, Dhoni could not have found a better place than CSK. To return as captain and lead his team to the playoffs yet another time, he could not have found a better platform than the IPL. And to kick things off, he will face the same team his side beat in the IPL 2010 final in the same city where he lifted that first IPL trophy for him – against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai.

استقر بيير إميريك أوباميانج المهاجم الجابوني المخضرم على وجهته المقبلة بعد الرحيل عن الدوري السعودي خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

وأعلن نادي أوليمبيك مارسيليا الفرنسي عن عودة بيير إيميريك أوباميانج في صفقة انتقال حر، وقد وقع على عقد لمدة عامين.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بعد ارتباطه بـ الأهلي.. كوكا ينضم إلى ناديه الجديد رسميًا

ويعود أوباميانج الذي سبق له اللعب مع أوليمبيك مارسيليا خلال موسم 2023-2024 إلى الدوري الفرنسي بعد فترة قضاها مع نادي القادسية السعودي.

Of course 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞! ⚡️⚡️
𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑰𝑴𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬 𝑨𝑼𝑩𝑨 🇬🇦 is an Olympien again! 🐆🔵⚪️ https://t.co/lBze6QY3mF pic.twitter.com/IjPJqygrTE — Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) July 31, 2025

ومن المتوقع أن تعزز عودة أوباميانج بشكل كبير خيارات أوليمبيك مارسيليا استعدادًا للموسم الجديد من الدوري الفرنسي 2025-2026.

وكانت فترة لعب أوباميانج الأولى مع أوليمبيك مارسيليا قد شهدت تألقًا كبيرًا منه، حيث ساهم بشكل رئيسي في العديد من الأهداف والتمريرات الحاسمة، وكذلك واصل تألقه مع القادسية السعودي.

واختار أوباميانج العودة للعب مع مارسيليا، حيث يطمح المهاجم الجابوني في مساعدة النادي الفرنسي على المنافسة بقوة على البطولات محليًا وأوروبيًا.

MatériaMais Notícias

da gbg bet： O Corinthians está pronto para a final da Copa do Brasil. Nesta manhã, Vítor Pereira comandou a última atividade antes do jogo de volta contra o Flamengo, e o Timão terá força máxima na quarta, no Maracanã. Ao deixar o CT Joaquim Grava, a delegação foi “abraçada” pelos cerca de 500 torcedores.

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da stake casino： + Lançamento do terceiro uniforme nesta quinta! Relembre outras camisas alternativas do Corinthians

A concentração de corintianos na porta do CT Joaquim Grava começou por volta de 13h30. Os torcedores cantaram música de apoio ao time e fizeram a festa com bandeirões, fogos de artifício e muita fumaça antes do embarque da delegação alvinegra para o Rio de Janeiro, onde ficarão hospedados em Copacabana. A torcida ‘escoltou’ o ônibus da delegação na saída do CT.

+ Confira a tabela da Copa do Brasil e simule a decisão entre Flamengo e Corinthians

Sem nenhum desfalque de peso, Vítor Pereira deve escalar o Corinthians com: Cássio; Fagner, Gil, Balbuena e Fábio Santos; Fausto Vera, Du Queiroz e Renato Augusto; Adson (Ramiro), Yuri Alberto e Róger Guedes.

O técnico português não poderá contar com Bruno Méndez, que já disputou a competição pelo Internacional, além de Paulinho, em recuperação de uma lesão no ligamento do joelho esquerdo, e Xavier, que não participou do treino aberto na segunda-feira (17) por um problema físico.

The T20 World Cup champions were humbled in Dhaka

Mohammad Isam12-Mar-2023The optimistic Bangladesh fan would have predicted exactly the opposite of what happened in this England tour. Shakib Al Hasan’s men won the T20I series, convincingly in the second game in Dhaka, after conceding the ODI series 1-2 last week. Bangladesh are usually at their best when they play ODI cricket, but who could tell after this tour?Mehidy Hasan Miraz had a great all-round hand in this win. He first took 4-12 in his four overs, an economically effective spell that sparked England’s second collapse in the innings. He put the exclamation point in when, promoted to No 5, he knocked a couple of sixes in a 16-ball 20.Najmul Hossain Shanto ensured Bangladesh didn’t have too much of a wobble in the end, remaining unbeaten on 46 off 47 balls. Taskin Ahmed hit the winning runs with two fours in the penultimate over, as they ran off in delight.This was Bangladesh’s first bilateral T20I series against England, and having emerged winners, they ticked off another little stat. A first series victory (min of three matches played) after two-and-a-half years. It also ended England’s long run of success in this format, having won the T20 World Cup, and bilateral series against Australia and Pakistan last year.England’s strong start slips into collapseThe last thing England wanted with limited batting options was a collapse but that’s exactly what happened to them in the middle overs. They raced to 50 for 1 in seven overs when Shakib removed Phil Salt, who continued his get-set-get-out theme on this tour. Salt struck one back at Shakib, a delivery that he should have smashed through either side of the pitch with ease, and it became the catalyst for an England collapse.Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed four wickets in his four overs•AFP/Getty ImagesThe impressive Hasan Mahmud broke through Jos Buttler in the next over, a turning point for the home side. Buttler made a quickfire 67 in the first game, and was expected to be a major threat. But he was undone by a yorker length delivery that swerved back into his stumps prompting Hasan to leap in delight. Hasan had given up just five runs in two overs in the death in the first game, rapidly growing in reputation as a white-ball bowler. Then it was Mehidy’s turn to shine, as Moeen Ali hit one down deep midwicket’s throat in the next over. England were 57 for 4, having lost three wickets in the space of 16 balls.Mehidy sparks second England collapseSam Curran and Ben Duckett added 34 runs for the fifth wicket, before Mehidy’s triple-strike sent the visitors into free fall. Litton stumped Curran and Chris Woakes in the space of three balls. Both tricky deliveries but handled smoothly by the gloveman. As soon as England reached three-figures, Mehidy landed his maiden four-wicket haul when Chris Jordan hit one to deep midwicket. England slipped from 91 for 4 to 100 for 7 in 17 balls.The remaining three wickets fell in the last over. Duckett, the only one who looked remotely close to giving England a good finish, was caught superbly by Shanto, before Rehan Ahmed and Jofra Archer were run out off the last two balls of the innings.Shanto calms nervesBangladesh didn’t have the smoothest chase. Curran removed Litton for yet another soft dismissal, caught at deep square leg, the only deep fielder on the leg-side at the time. Rony Talukdar couldn’t quite get Archer away, falling for 9 in the sixth over. Legspinner Rehan then took his first T20I wicket, when Towhid Hridoy, playing his second T20I, toe-ended the ball to Woakes at point. It was a rank half-tracker from Rehan, but he’d nonetheless take the wicket.Shanto held his own at the other end, adding 41 runs in 5.2 overs with Mehidy. But Bangladesh slipped again, this time losing Mehidy, Shakib and Afif Hossain in the space of two overs. Shakib threw away his wicket, while Archer blew away Afif’s off bail, which landed at fine leg. Shanto and Taskin scored the remaining 15 runs, with the former providing the calming influence in that final partnership.

Yankuba Minteh has revealed he has no ill will towards Newcastle after the Magpies' financial issues forced them to sell the young winger to Brighton.

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Minteh left Newcastle for Brighton last yearMagpies forced into sale due to PSR issuesYoung winger says he has "fallen in love" with SeagullsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Minteh left Newcastle without making a first-team appearance last year, with the Magpies needing to make some big sales to comply with Profit & Sustainability Rules. The 20-year-old arrived at the AMEX Stadium for a reported £30m fee after spending the previous campaign on loan with Feyenoord and has since impressed with Brighton, scoring six goals in all competitions. One of those strikes came in Albion's 2-1 win at St James' Park in the FA Cup last month.

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Newcastle's issues with PSR also forced them to part with midfielder Elliot Anderson, who joined Nottingham Forest for around £35m. Their summer dealings have been justified as the Magpies chase Champions League qualification after winning the Carabao Cup, ending a 56-year trophy draught with victory over Liverpool at Wembley last month.

Getty Images SportWHAT MINTEH SAID

Minteh told The Athletic: "I didn't know anything about that because I'd never heard of it – that thing, 'PFA' [PSR], or something like that.

"I just heard from my agent that they wanted to sell me. I said: 'OK, if they want to sell me, then it's fine. I can go to another club and try. I know other clubs are interested in me, so if I don't play there, then it's an opportunity to play for another team.' I wasn't sad or anything like that.

"All I was doing in the Netherlands [with Feyenoord] was trying to show I could play in the Premier League, because that is all I want. It doesn't matter if it is Newcastle, Bournemouth or Brighton, but, after finding myself in Brighton, I have fallen in love with the club now. I am settled here and I am good here now.

"I don't have anything against Newcastle. This is how football works. You go to this team, you think you are going to stay there for the rest of your life. Another team wants you, you move to another team."

DID YOU KNOW?

Newcastle could have been handed a points deduction if they had not made the considerable sales needed to balance the books. However, they got it right and now sit third in the Premier League table, four points Arsenal with a trip to the Emirates Stadium still to come on the penultimate weekend of the season.

Gabby Agbonlahor has hailed Aston Villa despite their 3-1 defeat to PSG in their Champions League quarter-final first leg tie in France.

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Villa gave brave performance in FranceBeaten 3-1 by Ligue 1 giantsAgbonlahor insists performance was creditableFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Agbonlahor believes Villa can be proud of their performance against Paris Saint-Germain despite falling to a 3-1 defeat at the Parc des Princes. The former Villa striker was particularly impressed with the Premier League side's ability to stay in the game after going behind, as Emiliano Martinez kept the score down with a string of fine saves.

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Unai Emery's team travelled to the French capital as significant underdogs and face an uphill battle to reach the Champions League semi-finals. Despite the loss, Agbonlahor was keen to highlight the positives after watching his former club frustrate the Parisians for large spells.

WHAT AGBONLAHOR SAID

Speaking on talkSPORT, the ex-Villa striker said: "From an Aston Villa point of view, the players must be proud of themselves. You're playing against the best team in the world… Teams will go to that stadium and get beat 6-7. For Aston Villa to keep it down to 3-1, you're in the tie."

AFPWHAT NEXT?

Villa face already-relegated Southampton this weekend before the second leg against PSG at Villa Park.

An exemplary fielding performance and a perfectly executed 19th over help Australia eke out a narrow win

Valkerie Baynes24-Feb-20232:45

Baynes: Australia’s death bowling the difference

India needed 18 runs off nine balls when Ellyse Perry sprinted to her right from deep-backward square leg, threw herself into the air and flicked the ball back before tumbling over the boundary rope to save two runs. That moment epitomised what makes Australia tick. Every piece of effort is given at 100% and forms part of the whole juggernaut, which even when pushed by India in the T20 World Cup semi-final prevails by five runs.At the time, left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen – who hadn’t played since their opening match as Australia opted for legspinner Alana King for the next three games – was in the middle of executing the perfect 19th over, conceding just four runs when India needed 20 from 12 balls, and pegging Sneh Rana’s leg stump back with the last ball.With India left to get 16 off the last over, the eventual Player of the Match Ashleigh Gardner gave away only ten and claimed her second wicket as Perry again held her nerve and settled under a skier, by Radha Yadav, at long-on to allow Australia to snatch a berth in their seventh successive T20 World Cup final.Related

• The anatomy of India's heartbreak

• Australia clinch thriller to make seventh straight final

• Harmanpreet rues luck, missed chances after semi-final exit

After the win, Gardner said the victory ranked “pretty high” on Australia’s unmatched list of triumphs.”I think at the ten-over mark in India’s batting innings, everyone had probably written us off, but I think that just shows our character within our side and that’s why the best teams win in those types of positions,” she said.”What we speak about is when our backs are up against the wall, we always try and find a way, and today we probably had no right to win at one point there. They were cruising and then we found a way to get some wickets and ultimately came out on top.”It was similar to last year’s Commonwealth Games gold-medal match, which Australia had won by nine runs. That, combined with Thursday’s performance at Newlands, suggests the gap might be closing somewhat compared to the 85-run thumping they had dished out to India in the final of the T20 World Cup back in 2020.India, on the other hand, squandered their chances with crucial drops of Beth Mooney and Meg Lanning, Australia’s two biggest run-scorers on this occasion, as well as leaking runs through numerous misfields and overthrows.”We showed our class today in the field and we always speak about as a group being the best fielding team in the world, and I think today really showed that,” Gardner said. “Ellyse Perry was elite on the boundary. Whether it’s dropped catches, [or] missed opportunities in the field, those ultimately add up to quite a lot of runs and I think we took those moments when we really needed to.Player-of-the-Match Gardner contributed 31 off 18 balls with the bat and followed that with two wickets•ICC/Getty Images

“I certainly think Pez is probably the blueprint for our side going forward – certainly on the boundary. At the end of the day, that could have been the difference between us and them.”Gardner, who had also contributed an excellent 31 off 18 balls with the bat, revealed it was no accident that Australia are so strong in the field.”We have KPIs and there are markers that show us whether we’re positive or negative in the field,” she said. “So there’s a pretty clear indication of how we’ve fielded. We just know how to push each other. In our training sessions, there are always really high-pressure situations, and as athletes, we all push each other – whether it’s on the field or off the field, whether it’s in the gym, running.”That’s something we really pride ourselves on is being fit, being strong, and ultimately that’s one of the things that has an impact in the field.”India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who overcame illness to put her side in a winning position before being run out when her bat got stuck in the pitch, acknowledged that the difference in fielding was the key.”The Australian side, they always field very well; and from our side, we made some mistakes,” Harmanpreet said. “But again, we have to just learn [from] whatever mistakes we have made. But obviously, the Australian side is better than us. They always field well, and today also, after I got out, their body language completely changed. The way they stopped two-three boundaries, that also made a huge difference.”Jemimah Rodrigues, India’s second-highest run-scorer on the day, agreed: “When you lose, you always find a lot of reasons. You can blame anything… but yeah, that is one aspect. As an Indian team, we know that we need to improve our fielding and our running between wickets. Today the running between was really good but I think there’s so much to learn from.”Gardner, Jonassen and Mooney all said that competing under pressure in franchise tournaments such as their own WBBL and England’s much-newer Hundred had contributed to Australia’s strength, which is encouraging for India ahead of their inaugural WPL season, which starts next month.”It probably comes back to the exposure of those sorts of situations,” Jonassen said. “Having such a quality domestic set-up, having the WBBL, having some of the best international players coming over every year – that plays a significant part. Then we’re almost primed for those same situations on the international stage.”We’ve had a few young players making debuts in different formats this season as well that have come from those competitions, and we’re always looking to try and improve, and try and push each other to that next level and try and get the most out of each and every person because ultimately we know if we can gain an extra one or two percent individually, then the team’s collectively going to be better off.”And such is Australia’s depth that Jonassen jokingly revealed her disbelief when head coach Shelley Nitschke told her after training on match eve that she was back in the side.”I had to get her to repeat it because I had walked about ten laps after training yesterday, sort of getting my head around how I would mentally deal with if I missed out again,” Jonassen said. “I’ve got my partner and my mum who have flown over, so I was pretty disappointed up until today that I wasn’t able to play a game in front of them. Hopefully one more and it’s another successful one.”One more will mean a contest for the trophy against either hosts South Africa or England. Besides India at this World Cup, only England have looked capable of threatening Australia. Whoever it is will need to do more than just threaten, as India found out.

Celtic are back in action once again in the Scottish Premiership this evening as they prepare to welcome their closest rivals Aberdeen to Parkhead.

The Dons, who have played one match more, are four points behind the Hoops in the table, which means that Brendan Rodgers’ side can move seven points clear with a win tonight.

Goals from Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Adam Idah, Callum McGregor, and Paulo Bernardo secured a 5-0 win for Celtic against Ross County on Saturday.

However, the Premiership champions and leaders must be wary of the threat that Aberdeen can pose to them this evening, particularly centre-forward Kevin Nisbet.

Kevin Nisbet's form for Aberdeen

The 27-year-old marksman, who is on loan from Millwall, scored 39 goals in 101 appearances for Hibernian in all competitions during his last spell in Scottish football.

That included a return of 12 goals in 16 outings in the Premiership for Hibs during the 2022/23 campaign, which meant that Aberdeen were bringing in a proven performer in the league.

The Spartans

League Cup

1

0

Dundee

Premiership

1

0

Hearts

Premiership

0

0

Celtic

Premiership

0

0

Dundee

Premiership

1

1

St Mirren

Premiership

0

1

Hibernian

Premiership

0

0

As you can see in the table above, Nisbet has scored three goals and provided two assists in his last seven appearances for the Dons, despite only starting four of those matches and playing just 45 minutes against Celtic.

Based on his recent form for Aberdeen, and his previously impressive goal return with Hibernian, Rodgers will need to find a way to silence the Scottish marksman.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

One way to completely silence the Dons centre-forward could be to bring USA international Auston Trusty back into the starting XI, after he was left on the bench for the win over Ross County.

Why Auston Trusty should be unleashed

The £6m summer signing from Sheffield United was selected ahead of Liam Scales for Club Brugge and Hearts games, before the manager made a host of changes to the team for the win over Ross County, including the Irish defender coming back in alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Rodgers must, now, bring Trusty back into the fold alongside his compatriot, as the American colossus could play a big role in keeping Nisbet quiet.

Appearances

7

12

Pass accuracy

95%

92%

Tackles per game

1.6

1.3

Interceptions per game

1.1

1.0

Penalties committed

0

1

Ground duels won

2.6

2.1

As you can see in the table above, the left-footed star has made fewer defensive errors than Scales whilst winning more tackles, ground duels, and interceptions per game.

These statistics suggest that the former Arsenal prospect could be better suited to dealing with Aberdeen’s attacking threats, as he makes more defensive interventions to cut out attacks each match.

Trusty, who was described as “phenomenal” in the 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in Europe by Chris Sutton, also started in the 6-0 win over Aberdeen in the League Cup, although Nisbet did not feature in that match.

Celtic already have a "superb" Kyogo replacement and it's not Adam Idah

Brendan Rodgers may already have Celtic’s long-term replacement for Kyogo at the club.

ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2024

Therefore, Rodgers could silence the Dons frontman, and their attack in general, by unleashing the summer signing over Scales at Parkhead tonight.

“To play over there and hopefully play really well is kind of the goal,” Agar, whose last Test had come in 2017, said

Tristan Lavalette10-Nov-2022Eyeing Australia’s tour of India early next year, Ashton Agar has started his preparation towards a potential long-awaited Test recall, confident he can shift between formats “quickly”.Agar was a notable inclusion in the Prime Minister’s XI squad to play West Indies in Canberra in a four-day day-night first-class fixture starting on November 23. Back in Perth after Australia’s T20 World Cup exit, Agar hit the WACA nets in a bid to get reacquainted with the red ball.”I just had a nice long bowl at the WACA, and faced the red ball again,” Agar told reporters on Thursday as part of Youth Focus, a leading provider of youth mental-health services in Western Australia, being announced as charity partner for the Perth Test. “I still have a desire to play red-ball cricket. I would love to be part of the India Test tour.”Related

• New candidates emerge as Australia search answers for who after Nathan Lyon?

• Ashton Agar and Todd Murphy named in PM's XI with India tour in mind

• Head returns to Australia ODI squad, multi-format quicks included

• What might Australia look like at the 2024 T20 World Cup?

The Prime Minister’s XI affair is effectively a warm-up for the visiting West Indies side ahead of the two-Test series which begins in Perth on November 30, but also presents opportunities for Australia’s fringe players.Agar has been a regular member of Australia’s limited-overs squads over the years, and played in their victory over Sri Lanka in Perth at the T20 World Cup, where he was a late replacement for frontline spinner Adam Zampa, who had tested positive for Covid-19.But his busy commitments in the limited-overs formats have caused Agar to be unavailable for Western Australia (WA) in the Sheffield Shield, with his last appearance being in April 2021. He has a middling first-class record overall averaging 41.28 and striking at 80.7 with the ball.Despite his suspect red ball record, Agar remains an intriguing prospect for Australia’s hierarchy who are keen for the left-arm spinner to bowl more in first-class cricket with the tour of India looming.Ashton Agar said he was not perturbed by being pigeonholed as a white-ball specialist•AFP via Getty Images

“I think all the skills are there. I have enough experience to shift formats quickly,” he said while revealing he might play in WA’s Shield match against Queensland starting December 1. “But getting your body right and building your bowling loads up to bowl for a long period of time… it’s just a different battle.”I’ve had a couple of decent side strains recently, which I have to be a little wary of. So just taking that extra care on your body and trying to be as professional as you can is probably the key going forward.”Agar, who famously scored 98 from No.11 on Test debut during the 2013 Ashes, played the last of his four Tests in 2017, although was considered a strong chance to play in the mid-year series in Sri Lanka until he suffered a significant side strain.He won’t be playing in WA’s Shield match against South Australia at the WACA starting on Friday, but has been named in Australia’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against England. And Agar said he was not perturbed by being somewhat pigeonholed as a white-ball specialist.”The important thing is communication with the selectors,” he said. “They’ve been really good with me. The communication has been really open and really clear. If they wanted me to play more red-ball cricket, they would have given me the opportunity. That’s exactly what they are doing now with the Prime Minister XI game, and maybe another Shield game after that.”If he does end up playing in India, it would be a dream come true for Agar, whose only previous Test experience in the subcontinent was in Bangladesh, also the last time he played a Test.”They (matches in India) were my favourite games to watch growing up,” Agar said. “Games happen quickly. The ball spins miles… if you bat well over there, you’ve batted really well. To play over there and hopefully play really well is kind of the goal.”

Plays of the day from the Champions League T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Dolphins in Bangalore

Rachna Shetty22-Sep-2014The half-chance
Watching an athletic fielding effort in a Twenty20 can be as exciting as a stroke-filled fifty. Faf du Plessis pulled off one such effort in the deep. A loft smacked straight down the ground by Morne van Wyk almost ended up as a catch as du Plessis raced in from the leg side. He took the ball but his momentum took him across the line. He threw the ball back over the line but stumbled before he could get to the other side.The acrobat
As remarkable as du Plessis’ effort was, it paled in comparison to Brendon McCullum’s near Fosbury flop that saved a certain six. McCullum fielding in the deep kept his eyes on the ball and the boundary line while trying to get under a straight slog from Robbie Frylinck. He jumped up, grabbed the ball but realised he would fall outside the boundary. Almost parallel to the ground, and turning mid-air, McCullum released the ball back over the rope with a flick of his right wrist and then landed smoothly, the left arm taking the weight of his body. A save worthy of the price of admission into the ground.The missing bowler
They might have won by 54 runs but one question to emerge from Monday’s game is Ishwar Pandey’s absence from the Super Kings attack. The fast bowler had bowled his full quota of overs in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders but his most conspicuous moment against Dolphins came thanks a misfield at short fine leg in the sixth over, when he let a ball go through for four.The bat-breaking swipe
Cameron Delport greeted Mohit Sharma at the crease with a six over long-off and successive fours, reaching a manic 28 off 6. He was in the mood to swipe another one to the boundary but mistimed the shot through cover and was left holding his bat handle while the rest of the blade swung wildly in the air. Delport was out for a nine-ball 34 off the last ball of the over, Dolphins went on to lose the match, and he also had to cope with the loss of his favourite bat.The hat-trick
Robbie Frylinck completed an unusual hat-trick in the match against Super Kings. The game against Perth Scorchers ended with Mitchell Marsh smacking two sixes off Frylinck to take the Australian side to victory. Frylinck faced the same treatment when he came on to bowl here, as Suresh Raina hit him for a six over cover first ball.