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Glasgow Rangers decided to part ways with head coach Russell Martin last month after a dismal start to the season, which saw them win five of 17 matches in all competitions.

The Light Blues endured a dismal time on the pitch for the majority of his tenure, losing more than they won and conceding more goals than they scored.

Along with that, several of the club’s signings in the summer transfer window failed to make much of an impact for the former Southampton manager, including Thelo Aasgaard.

Why Thelo Aasgard has not been a successful signing

The Norway international was signed on a permanent deal from Luton Town in the summer, but he was unable to provide a single goal or assist as an attacking midfielder for Martin.

Aasgaard’s only goal in 16 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues so far this season came against Dundee United in Stevie Smith’s match as the interim manager before Danny Rohl arrived at Ibrox.

Hibernian

Danny Rohl

0 + 1

Kilmarnock

Danny Rohl

0 + 0

Dundee United

Stevie Smith

1 + 4

Falkirk

Russell Martin

0 + 0

Livingston

Russell Martin

0 + 0

Hearts

Russell Martin

0 + 1

Celtic

Russell Martin

0 + 0

St Mirren

Russell Martin

0 + 0

As you can see in the table above, the English-born midfielder flopped under Martin in the Scottish Premiership, and has yet to produce the goods for Rohl.

The 23-year-old flop was then sent off against Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup at Hampden Park on Sunday, as he continues to struggle at Ibrox.

After that red card, Rohl should bring another player who flopped under Martin into the side, as Nedim Bajrami could be even better than the ex-Luton man.

Why Nedim Bajrami should be unleashed by Danny Rohl

The Albania international only played 195 minutes of football for the Scottish manager, per Sofascore, and made five appearances off the bench without managing a goal, an assist, or a key pass.

Chalkboard

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

Bajrami was described as “anonymous” in a game last season by content creator Stevie Clifford, and that is exactly what he was throughout Martin’s reign.

However, the former Sassuolo man did show signs of promise when given opportunities to impress in the Scottish Premiership and the Europa League by Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson in the 2024/25 campaign.

Starts

15

8

Goals

2

1

Key passes per game

1.0

1.3

Big chances created

4

6

Assists

1

0

Dribbles completed per game

1.0

1.5

As you can see in the table above, Bajrami created ten ‘big chances’ in 23 starts across both competitions, but was only rewarded with one assist for his creative efforts.

This suggests that he was let down by poor finishing from his teammates, rather than it being a lack of creativity on his part, which is why Rohl should provide him with a chance to show what he can do in Aasgaard’s place.

After the clash with Roma in the Europa League this evening, Rohl should bring Bajrami into the starting line-up for the match against Dundee on Sunday, as he has the potential to provide more creativity than Aasgaard has.

The Norway international has failed to create a single ‘big chance’ in 809 minutes this season, per Sofascore, whilst the Albanian star created 11 in 2,330 minutes in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign.

Rohl can unearth his own Osmand by finally unleashing Rangers' "Boy Wonder"

Danny Rohl can unearth his own Callum Osmand by unleashing this Rangers youngster.

ByDan Emery Nov 4, 2025

This suggests that Rohl could unleash a more effective player than Aasgaard by bringing Bajrami into his XI to feature more prominently than he did under Martin, when he was completely anonymous due to his lack of game time.

The Oakland Athletics played what will likely be their next to last game at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday night. While the visiting Texas Rangers won the game, 5-1, fans were more there to say goodbye. The results haven't mattered in a while. After Thursday's game there will be no more games to produce results.

This final homestand is Oakland's last chance to see their team in person. It's also their last chance to say goodbye. Most importantly, a last chance to chant "sell the team," a sentiment that will certainly follow the team to Sacramento.

Some fans came looking for souvenirs. At least one rusted set of seats was torn up to be taken home by a fan. Who knows what else was forcibly removed by sad and angry fans.

A more wholesome moment was shown on the broadcast as someone from the grounds crew poured dirt from the field into fans' water bottles, cups and bags.

The entire scene was some weird amalgam of humor and sadness. No matter how mad fans have been, they want something to hold onto. Sometimes that means destruction of property, sometimes it's just a little pile of dirt to spread in the backyard so you know a piece of the team remains no matter where they play ball.

Former Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann believes that Manuel Neuer could come out of retirement and return to the national team if he continues his current form for Bayern Munich. With current first choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen struggling at Barcelona, the national team hero suggested Neuer is the natural choice to fill in should his compatriot fail to find a new club in January.

• Neuer still shining under Kompany

  Germany are facing a goalkeeping crisis ahead of the 2026 World Cup. With Ter Stegen sidelined due to an injury suffered before the 2025-26 season and his replacement, Oliver Baumann, lacking international experience, questions have emerged about who will guard the posts for Die Mannschaft. In this context, speculation has grown around the possible return of Neuer, who retired from international football after Euro 2024. The veteran goalkeeper has experienced a remarkable resurgence under Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich, playing a key role in their 2024-25 Bundesliga triumph. Kompany’s tactical system and strong man-management have revitalised Neuer, helping him maintain top form even at the age of 40. His leadership, composure, and consistency have impressed Bayern’s hierarchy, who are reportedly in talks to extend his contract. If his form continues, Neuer’s return to the national team could become a real possibility for Germany’s 2026 World Cup campaign.

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  Will he come out of retirement?

  In an interview with , Hamann expressed his belief that Neuer is likely to feature for Germany at the 2026 World Cup, saying: “I think it's very likely that Manuel Neuer will play in the World Cup.”

  Wishing the veteran goalkeeper good health, Hamann added that if Neuer continues performing at his current level, a national team return would be inevitable. He said: “I hope Manuel Neuer stays healthy. If he continues to perform as he is doing now in April, then it will happen – it has to happen – that he will be asked.”

  However, Hamann acknowledged that recalling Neuer could be tough on Baumann, noting: “If he wants to, that would be tough for Oliver Baumann.”

• Ter Stegen's poor season at barcelona

  Ter Stegen’s situation at Barcelona has taken a dramatic downturn under Hansi Flick, who has demoted the German to third-choice goalkeeper behind Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny this season. Tensions between Ter Stegen and the club began in the summer when Barcelona pursued Garcia without informing him, a move the long-serving keeper viewed as deeply disrespectful after years of loyalty and leadership. Matters worsened when Barcelona needed Ter Stegen to sign off on a medical report declaring a long-term injury so they could register Garcia for the domestic campaign. Initially, the German refused, prompting the club to impose disciplinary measures and strip him of the captaincy. He eventually relented, signing the report to facilitate Garcia’s registration. However, Germany coach Nagelsmann has already made it clear that Ter Stegen will only feature at the 2026 World Cup if he plays regularly, while former Barcelona and Germany star Bernd Schuster has warned that a move away is now essential. With less than a year to go for the 2026 World Cup, time is running out for the Barcelona veteran. Unless he secures regular playing time soon, he risks losing the Germany No. 1 spot he has long pursued but never fully claimed with Neuer around. And now, with the Bayern veteran being urged to return, the pressure on him is only increasing.

  Hamann echoed Schuster’s views, saying that Ter Stegen needs to find a new club, preferably one competing in Europe, if he hopes to regain his place as Germany’s No. 1 goalkeeper. Saying: “Marc-Andre ter Stegen first has to find a new club, ideally one that plays in Europe. As harsh as it may sound, for me the train has left the station.”

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• Getty Images
  

  Nagelsmann's hope

  Nagelsmann will hope that Ter Stegen can secure a move in the winter transfer window to regain his place and stay match-fit ahead of the 2026 World Cup. However, if Ter Stegen is not ready in time, Nagelsmann will count on Neuer to come out of retirement and answer his country’s call once again.

LAKR hardly got going in the chase, as Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad shared four wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2025Texas Super Kings returned to winning ways and rose to second place on the MLC 2025 points table with an all-round display that brushed Los Angeles Knight Riders aside. It was TSK’s fourth win in six games and LAKR’s fourth loss in five matches as the tournament reached the halfway mark of its league phase.The stars of the game for TSK were lower-middle-order batters Shubham Ranjane and Donovan Ferreira and left-arm spinners Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad.LAKR had started well, making good use of their decision to bowl by reducing TSK to 33 for 3 in four overs, all three taken by Shadley van Schalkwyk including the big wicket of Marcus Stoinis for a golden duck.Akeal Hosein struck twice before the Los Angeles Knight Riders batters even had time to settle down•Sportzpics for MLCOpener Smit Patel then resurrected the innings with a steady stand of 64 off 46 with Ranjane, nearly taking the score to 100 when Smit scooped Andre Russell to short fine-leg for 38 off 33. The wicket turned out to be detrimental for LAKR because there was no stopping Ferreira and Ranjane after that. Ferreira started with back-to-back fours off Ali Khan and then went after Russell with 6, 4 and 4. Van Schalkwyk then leaked sixes to both batters in his last over – which went for 23 – as the two put on 82 in just 40 balls. The stand ended in the 19th over after a big mix up led to Ferreira’s run out, and Ranjane also fell two balls later. Two more wickets fell in the last over but TSK finished on 196, which proved to be enough.The LAKR openers had hardly found their feet when Hosein struck twice in two balls, dismissing Nitish Kumar with a spectacular arm ball that swung in sharply to knock over middle stump. Unmukt Chand and Saif Badar struggled to score quickly, taking the team to 39 for 2 in the powerplay, before a cross-seam delivery from Stoinis had Badar edging behind. The asking rate had shot above 12 an over now and never came down as variations from the TSK bowlers – both spinners and fast bowlers – kept LAKR on a leash.Sherfane Rutherford struggled his way to 13 off 15 before being bowled by Noor, and even the hard-hitting Jamaican duo of Rovman Powell and Russell couldn’t turn things around. Powell hit the first six of the innings in the 15th over just before Russell was deceived by a sharp wrong’un from Noor that turned from leg stump with plenty of drift to dislodge his off stump. LAKR now needed 95 from 27 balls and never even got close.

The left-hander’s third first-class hundred came after Worcestershire were bowled out for 202

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay19-Apr-2025

Paul Walter now averages 79.25 as a makeshift opener•Getty Images

Paul Walter scored his third career first-class century to steady a listing Essex ship and help towards setting up a run chase for Worcestershire at Chelmsford.The 30-year-old left-hander has been auditioning in the first three Rothesay County Championship matches for the vacant opening spot alongside Dean Elgar when the South African returns for paternity leave at the end of the month. Walter has already accumulated 317 runs in five innings this season at an average of 79.25.His 104 from 154 balls guided Essex from 128 for 5, and a lead of just 105 at that point, to a more comfortable 211-6 when he was eventually out following a stand of 83 with Noah Thain. At the close, Essex were 233 for 6 with a lead of 210 and Thain had reach a career-best 49 not out.Worcestershire’s first-innings total of 202 was built largely on a 102-run fifth wicket partnership between the not-out overnight pair of Adam Hose and Brett D’Oliveira, who both departed for identical scores of 48 from 78 balls. Both also fell victim to Essex’s Sri Lankan debutant Kasun Rajitha, whose pace helped him finish with 4 for 52.Essex needed just six overs to wipe out the 23-run deficit as Walter and Charlie Allison built a patient first-wicket stand of 53. Allison had already creamed his brother Ben – late of Essex, now of Worcestershire – past cover point for four. But he was first out when he slashed at Matthew Waite and was caught behind. Waite doubled his wicket tally when he had Tom Westley playing an indeterminate shot and being pinned lbw.Walter combined with Jordan Cox in a big-hitting stand of 48 in seven overs that included three fours in one Tom Taylor over for Cox. However, in attempting to hammer Taylor out of the ground Cox chipped up tamely to mid-on and departed for 24 from 21 balls.Walter was particularly strong off the backfoot where he gained the majority of his 13 boundaries. There was, in addition, a powerful hook off Jacob Duffy that brooked no argument.Walter lost further partners in quick succession when Matt Critchley went for a wild swing at Eathan Brookes, who walked across to short midwicket to take the skier. And the injured Michael Pepper, again with the aid of Allison as his runner, lasted just seven balls before his off-stump was sent cartwheeling by a rampant Waite.However, he found a willing partner in Thain and the pair settled into a lively rhythm. Walter’s 13th boundary, a pull off Brookes, took him to his century from 149 balls. Walter was eventually out after four hours and 15 minutes when Taylor beat his forward lunge and upended his middle-stump.At the start of the day Hose and D’Oliveira continued to reprise their match-saving century partnership of two weeks ago at Taunton. Coming together at a perilous 22 for 4, they passed three-figures again in a 25-over stand that ended in controversy.Hose edged Rajitha and Walter claimed the catch low down at first slip. Hose refused to walk while the umpires conferred to adjudicate whether the ball had actually carried. They came down on the side of the fielder, though subsequent replays were inconclusive.D’Oliveira departed in Rajitha’s next over, pinned lbw on his crease without offering a meaningful shot. Waite kept the scoreboard clicking over at nearly a run a ball until he swatted at a short delivery from Jamie Porter and was caught behind by substitute wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes, fielding in place of Pepper.Walter took a more regulation slip catch, this time around waist-height, to dismiss Brookes off Thain. The innings was wrapped up when Snater snapped up Taylor at midwicket to give Rajitha a fourth wicket before Thain took a second wicket when Allison was caught behind.

The fringe and the future of Australian fast bowling was on display on day one of the Sheffield Shield final with Brendan Doggett taking six wickets to roll Queensland for 95 before 19-year-old Callum Vidler took four to ensure South Australia did not run away with the game on a dramatic day at Karen Rolton Oval where 16 wickets fell.Doggett tore through Queensland’s line-up to bowl them out for the lowest first innings total in Shield final history. He took his best ever figures in Shield cricket of 6 for 31 and his second five-wicket haul in a final, having done it previously for Queensland in the 2017-18 decider. He also became the 10th bowler to take multiple five-wicket hauls in a final. Queensland’s total was also the third-lowest in Shield history in any innings.Related

• Sangha and Carey tons hand South Australia first Shield title in 29 years

• 'That is 100% wrong' – Emotional Khawaja insists Queensland knew about his injury

• Ironman Doggett has Shield glory in sights after career resurgence

• From rock-bottom to title favourites: How South Australia learned to believe again

Vidler then responded with a stunning display that was reminiscent of Pat Cummins’ breakout performance in a Shield final as a 17-year-old in 2011. Vidler showcased high pace, swing and accuracy in just his third first-class game to claim 4 for 33, including Test batters Alex Carey and Nathan McSweeney.But when Vidler ran out of gas late in the day, Jake Lehmann continued his phenomenal form to finish 42 not out at stumps, sharing an unbeaten 45-run stand with Ben Manenti, who finished 36 not out to push the hosts to 158 for 6 and a priceless lead of 63 that had been earned by some hard work from opener Conor McInerney who made a vital 38 against the new ball.Doggett made the most of some excellent morning bowling conditions after McSweeney made the unusual decision to bowl first at Karen Rolton Oval given the surface looked far more seam-friendly than usual. The ball swung consistently with Queensland’s batters unable to handle it.Nathan McAndrew celebrates the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne•Getty Images

Doggett made the first breakthrough after coming on first change, removing Usman Khawaja for a tortured 2 off 28 deliveries when he pulled a short ball down fine leg’s throat. But Khawaja should not have survived that long.Nathan McAndrew had him dropped twice in the slips. He edged the third ball of the match to Manenti at second and he failed to hold onto the low chance. In the seventh over, McAndrew’s fourth, Khawaja edged a near identical delivery that angled in and swung away. It floated waist high to McSweeney at first slip and he grassed the simple chance.The weight of the 29-year Shield drought looked heavy on the entire team at that point. But the tide quickly shifted after Khawaja holed out.McAndrew endured more bad luck when Marnus Labuschagne defended a ball onto his heel and it rolled into leg stump at speed but did not knock off the leg bail. However, McAndrew’s frustration turned to elation next ball when Labuschagne glanced a catch to Lehmann at a well-placed leg gully to fall for a seven-ball duck.The next delivery Jack Clayton made a bizarre call. He defended a ball into the offside and took off for a single that was never. Opener Angus Lovell, who was a late inclusion for Queensland after Matthew Renshaw had to fly home for the birth of his second child, rightly sent Clayton back. Liam Scott swooped having been stationed very close at mid-off to prevent the single and produced a direct hit before Clayton could scramble back.

How a drawn final is decided

In the event the Sheffield Shield final ends in a draw, the title will be decided on first-innings bonus points which are accrued across the first 100 overs.

Batting teams earn 0.01 of a bonus point for every run scored over 200 in the initial 100 overs; bowling sides get 0.1 of a bonus point for every wicket in the first 100 overs. For example, the batting side scores 350 all out in 90 overs they earn 1.5 points and the bowling side 1 point.

Should bonus points be tied and the match drawn, SA will win the Shield given they finished top of the ladder and earned hosting rights for the final.

Queensland quickly slumped from 16 for 3 to 22 for 5. Lovell had survived two very close lbw shouts and having hit the pad with a sharp offcutter, Doggett found Lovell’s outside edge with a perfect outswinger to have him caught behind.Three overs later Ben McDermott chipped a poorly executed drive back to Jordan Buckingham who held on with two bites. Replays were needed to examine if Buckingham had overstepped the front line but the inconclusive evidence meant McDermott was given out.Michael Neser and Jimmy Peirson dug in just as they had done a week ago when they rescued Queensland from 86 for 5 to ensure a draw that got them into the final. Neser struck six boundaries in an excellent counterattack given the ball was still swinging consistently. But after a 46-run stand that got Queensland past lunch, Doggett struck twice in two overs.Peirson shuffled across too far to a ball that thundered into his front pad and was adjudged lbw. Neser had played and missed a few times in between playing some glorious drives but finally nicked a lovely outswinger from Doggett to McSweeney at first slip who let out a sigh of relief after holding on.McAndrew claimed a richly-deserved second when he lured Jack Wildermuth into a leaden-footed drive to have him caught behind.Doggett completed his five-wicket haul by cleaning up Mitchell Swepson and closed out the innings when Mark Steketee clubbed to deep mid-onNineteen-year-old Callum Vidler was outstanding with the new ball•Getty Images

Vidler, 19, then copied the Doggett blueprint to keep Queensland in the game, showing that high-pace outswing is a method for success on this surface. Playing just his third first-class game, he was trusted to open the bowling ahead of Steketee and did not let his captain down.He bowled 11 straight deliveries at opener Henry Hunt without letting him score, although one ran off the pad for four leg byes. Off the 12th, in Vidler’s third over, Hunt’s eyes lit up at a fuller length but some late shape at pace caught the edge and Lovell held the sharp chance at third slip.He bowled 12 deliveries to McSweeney without letting him get off the mark before scratching his outside edge with an even better delivery. Vidler went slightly wider of the crease, angled in and shaped away as McSweeney tried to defend on the crease. It wasn’t going to carry to first slip and Peirson took a blinder diving full length to his right with one glove. At that point, Vidler had bowled five overs, four maidens and had 2 for 2.But the scoreboard was moving at the other end thanks to McInerney. There was some luck involved. He edged Steketee on 14 but McDermott failed to lay a hand on the sharp chance and Steketee’s poor luck continued when Jason Sangha offered a similar edge high to Lovell’s left.Ben Manenti added valuable lower-order runs•Getty Images

Sangha edged a wide half volley from Neser to leave SA vulnerable at 41 for 3, but Carey and McInerney learnt from the mistakes of their team-mates and went on the offensive.Carey struck two fours and a six to put pressure back on Queensland’s attack. McInerney gloved an attempted pull down the leg side off Wildermuth to leave SA 65 for 4.But Lehmann and Carey kept the pedal down. Lehmann created width at every opportunity carving several balls from a fourth stump line behind point. He also benefited from some strange captaincy from Labuschagne who bowled part-time medium pace and gave up 18 runs in four overs, including three boundaries and a six.Vidler returned from the other end to wreak more havoc. Carey chopped on for 24, hurried by the extra pace trying to pull. Liam Scott was also done for pace, gloving a short ball down the leg side.But Vidler understandably tired at the back end of a second six-over spell. Manenti clubbed a pull shot for six to get himself going before he and Lehmann cashed in on some slower and more wayward offerings from and under par Neser and Wildermuth to put South Australia in a strong position at stumps.

Stead resigns as New Zealand white-ball coach and will take some time to consider if he wants to reapply as Test coach, with split roles an option NZC is considering

Alex Malcolm08-Apr-2025

Gary Stead looks on•ICC via Getty Images

Gary Stead has stepped down as New Zealand men’s white-ball coach and will decide in the coming weeks if he wishes to reapply to lead the Test team as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) considers having split head coaches for the men’s program.Stead, 53, has been New Zealand men’s all-format coach since 2018 but his contract is set to expire in June of this year. The NZC issued a release on Tuesday where Stead confirmed he would step away from the white-ball role after leading New Zealand to the 2019 World Cup final, the 2021 T20 World Cup final and the 2024 Champions Trophy final.The news comes after Rob Walter was linked to a role with New Zealand’s team after he resigned as South Africa’s white-ball coach.Related

Stead calls time on seven-year tenure as New Zealand coach

Rob Walter linked to NZ role after quitting as SA coach

Stead will take some time over the coming weeks to decide if he wishes to reapply for the Test coaching role as advertising for the roles will commence over the next week.”I’m looking forward to getting away from touring life for a while and having a think about my future,” Stead said. “My focus has been on finishing the season strongly with a lesser experienced team.”The past six to seven months has been particularly busy with relatively non-stop cricket action since September.”I now want to evaluate my options but still feel I have coaching left in me, albeit not as head coach across all formats.”The next month will give me the opportunity to discuss the situation more with my wife, family and others.”I’ll be in a better position to know whether I want to reapply for the Test coaching position after this time of reflection.”Stead has had great success with New Zealand’s Test team leading them to the 2021 World Test Championship and the recent 3-0 series victory in India last year. He has managed his coaching duties across the three formats in recent years with the likes of his assistant Luke Ronchi taking charge for various white-ball assignments to give Stead a break.New Zealand’s chief high performance officer Bryan Stronach said Stead had earned the right to take his time with his decision and confirmed that the NZC were open to all possibilities as far as the head coaching role moving forward.”Gary’s results have been very impressive over a long period and we’re very comfortable giving him some time to collect his thoughts and mull things over,” Stronach said.”At the moment we haven’t any strong preference for either a split-coaching role or a sole appointment who covers all three formats, and we’re unlikely to be clearer on that until we see who’s putting their name forward.”

India will need to pull off the highest successful chase at the MCG to win the Boxing Day Test

Alagappan Muthu29-Dec-20243:36

Labuschagne on state of MCG pitch: diminishing bounce making batting harder

A see-sawing Boxing Day Test at the MCG is heading into territory rarely seen these days. A fifth-day finish and all results possible, with varying degrees of probability.Australia have earned a handsome lead – 333 with one wicket standing – after recovering from a wobble early in their second innings. India had looked in a promising position on Sunday – they had the hosts 91 for 6 – but they struggled to get through the tail and will have to break the record for the highest successful chase at the MCG to win the Test.Marnus Labuschagne, who top-scored for Australia with 70 off 139 balls, believed his team had always been ahead in the game. They took a first-innings lead of 105 and were able to build on it with crowd favourites Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon putting up a 55-run partnership for the last wicket.Related

India, and Bumrah, fall short in compelling push for perfection

Allrounder Reddy wants more: 'Not happy with the way I'm bowling'

Bumrah gets to 200 wickets with the best average in Test cricket

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Boxing Day Test 2024-25 – a match to remember for the lower order

“I felt like we were probably ahead of the game just the whole way,” Labuschagne said. “I was sitting up at the top with our batting coach Michael Di Venuto and I was just watching every ball. We’re scrapping for runs, there was overthrows, leg byes, running twos, that last bit had everything. I mean we even had the game finished with a no-ball wicket into a last ball four, so I mean people that say Test cricket isn’t exciting, I mean I’m a player and I was watching and I was excited.”The natural wear and tear of the pitch as a Test match goes into the fifth day has brought a new challenge for the batters for the first time in this series.”As the game’s gone on the bounce has got less and more inconsistent,” Labuschagne said, wearing a bandage on his right arm from where an Akash Deep ball kicked up and hit him. “So we’re getting more balls hitting the stumps, more balls skidding through and we’re getting that coming through on the data. And that’s probably the major difference. The seam movement’s probably been the same [throughout the game] but just the amount of bounce is significantly lower so that makes for pretty tricky batting there. More balls are hitting the stumps from a shorter length, balls are skidding through, few balls shot up today.”India understand the challenge but prefer keeping that in the back of their mind as they look to correct the mistakes they made in the first innings, when they lost many wickets in a heap and needed to be rescued from 191 for 6 by a maiden Test century from Nitish Kumar Reddy.”About the pitch, I feel like you need to get one or two good partnerships, I feel like from the first day the movement was there off the pitch,” Reddy said. “The pitch is doing something and we can see later on the fourth day it was doing a little bit more, but we don’t need to put more pressure like the pitch is doing this or that, we need to go instantly according to the situation.”Does it help that India have a century-maker in their ranks as they prepare for a big chase? “Obviously when I come to the second-innings batting, it’s a fresh innings, I can’t start my innings from 100,” Reddy said. “So it’s a fresh innings, I have to start from starting, how I approached in the first innings, I have to be the same thing, and let’s see what the team plan, and according to that we’ll plan, and I think I have to leave the 100 behind and start the fresh innings.”We’ll come back strong in batting order, what we have done in the first innings, we’ll rectify the mistakes … we have to first take the last wicket and then we’ll plan accordingly.”

Dane Piedt was left out from the unit that won the Test series in Bangladesh

Firdose Moonda19-Nov-2024Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s Test captain, has recovered from his elbow injury in time to be available for their two-Test series at home against Sri Lanka. Bavuma will lead a 14-man side which also features Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee, who both made their international returns from a conditioning break in the recent T20I series against India and have not played Tests since last summer.Bavuma will bolster an inexperienced batting line-up, who had three maiden centurions in Bangladesh last month, and a team who are chasing a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.South Africa need to win all four Tests at home – two against Sri Lanka and two against Pakistan – to guarantee their place at Lord’s next year. They could also make it with three wins out of four, based on results elsewhere. Either way, the importance of the next four Tests is clear and having their regular captain back was top of mind for Test coach Shukri Conrad who called his side “still Temba’s team” where Bavuma was unable to play.Related

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Groin injury rules Ngidi out of action till January

Embuldeniya and Oshada Fernando return for Sri Lanka's Tests in South Africa

He travelled with the side but was battling the after-effects of the injury, which was sustained during an ODI against Ireland on October 4. Bavuma has not played any competitive cricket since then. He has also not played any red-ball cricket since Tests against West Indies in August, but Conrad is confident Bavuma will be ready for the upcoming challenges.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”He’s probably going in cold in the back of not having played any matches but we’re certainly going to be simulating match situations during our short camp we’re going to have in Pretoria,” Conrad said. “His fitness test was always going to be yesterday (Monday, November 18) and then it would just be too close to a four-day match and too close to the Test match (for him to play a game). If we had asked him to or forced him to play last week, I think it could have been detrimental. And I don’t think there was anything to gain from that.”Instead, Bavuma underwent an extensive assessment which included batting for 90 minutes on Monday to determine whether his left elbow had sufficiently recovered from an awkward land when completing a run against Ireland. It is the same elbow that Bavuma injured in 2022.”The concern was the impact on striking the ball and if there was any pain associated with that. That was still the case when we were in Bangladesh, which then ruled him out of the second Test there. So, it included a battery of tests,” Conrad said. “There was the fitness side of things, the aerobic stuff with the running and doing all of that. We had our high-performance lead, Tumi Masekela, there. And then, also, he had an hour-and-a-half of batting with quick bowlers. He had a throw-down net with (fielding coach) Kruger van Wyk and a couple of throwers there as well. He got through that really well; unscathed and there was absolutely no pain. We felt that on the back of that, he could be cleared to play.Equally, Conrad said Bavuma is looking forward to leading a side he has only captained five times out of 10 possible opportunities since being named Test captain in March 2023. “He’s excited,” Conrad said. “He’s like a little kid in a toy shop at the moment because he hasn’t played Test cricket in a while.”The sense of expectation is high given the opportunity of making the WTC final. South Africa have loaded up with as many available fast bowlers possible with Kagiso Rabada to lead the attack, the experienced Dane Paterson included and the recall of Jansen and Coetzee. Lungi Ngidi is unavailable (groin injury) until January and Anrich Nortje has opted out of Tests for the time being having come back from lower-back stress fractures.There was some concern around Coetzee, who left the field during the fourth T20I against India, with what looked like a hamstring concern but returned to bowl later in the game. He has cleared the scans.South Africa have included two spinners in Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy, but have no space for US-based offspinner Dane Piedt, who has been part of the last three Test squads. The batting line-up will include Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi at the top, Tristan Stubbs at No. 3 and allrounder Wiaan Mulder in the lower middle order. Ryan Rickelton will likely make way for Bavuma in what Conrad called “almost like a knockout quarter-final with us and Sri Lanka.”Sri Lanka are third on the WTC points table, 1.39 percentage points above South Africa, and also in with a chance of making the final. “That table is going to be quite a topsy-turvy one over the next couple of months,” Conrad said. “We all understand the magnitude of it. We also understand that we’ve got to play really good cricket in order for us to achieve the goal. I think we’re going to run into a very confident Sri Lanka side.”But we certainly know that if we play anything close to our ability, that we’ll be right there when it matters. It’s an exciting time for the Test side.”The two-Test series begins in Durban on November 27 before the teams move to Gqeberha for the second Test starting December 5.South Africa squad for Test series against Sri LankaTemba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton and Kyle Verreynne

Liam Livingstone to lead ODI side for first time, as captain’s absence extends to four months

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2024

Jos Buttler hasn’t played a competitive match since the T20 World Cup semi-final in June•Getty Images

Jos Buttler’s return as England white-ball captain has been delayed by at least three more matches, after he was ruled out of next week’s ODI leg of their tour of the Caribbean due to his long-standing calf injury.Buttler, 34, has been plagued by the injury for four months, and has not played a competitive match since England’s elimination from the T20 World Cup, with their semi-final defeat to India in Guyana in June.He missed the entirety of Manchester Originals’ Hundred campaign, and then withdrew from the T20I and ODI series against Australia in September as well. According to the ECB, he has now suffered a “slight setback” in his rehabilitation, and will consequently fly direct to Barbados ahead of the five-match T20I series, which begins on November 9.Related

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In Buttler’s absence, Liam Livingstone has been named as England’s ODI captain. It will be his first opportunity in the role, with Harry Brook – Buttler’s stand-in in the ODIs against Australia – currently in Rawalpindi preparing for the third Test against Pakistan.Michael Pepper, the Essex wicketkeeper-batter, has been added to the squad as cover, although the selectors had always intended to add two extra players to the tour, depending on the team selection for the third Test in Rawalpindi. Jordan Cox, England’s spare Test batter who made his white-ball debut against Australia, is one likely inclusion, while Olly Stone – back with the squad after his honeymoon but omitted from the match – could also feature.Pepper has only played seven List A games but was third third-highest run-scorer in 2024 Vitality Blast and finished the season with Essex in good form, scoring his maiden first-class hundreds.Buttler’s continued absence will raise speculation around his international future, despite the assurances from Brendon McCullum, England’s incoming white-ball coach, that he would remain front and centre of his plans, with McCullum pointedly saying that “he’s been a little bit miserable at times.””He’s an incredibly gifted player,” McCullum added at his unveiling. “He’s a fine leader. My job is to get the best out of him so that all those that sit in the dressing-room feel like they can be ten-feet tall and bulletproof when they walk out to play, and they know that the skipper is going to give them that extra pat on the back and and enjoy the ride with them.”Buttler was a non-playing presence during the Australia series, with Marcus Trescothick, England’s interim white-ball coach who will be leading the Caribbean tour, insisting: “There’s no reason why Jos won’t fit back into that mould, score millions of runs, captain well and fit back into the team perfectly.””Let’s make it clear,” Trescothick said. “He will come straight back in. At what position, I don’t know. We’ll look at that for the Caribbean.”