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Mike Gatting, Graham Thorpe and Murali Kartik on how England need to bat against the Indian spinners

Interviews by Nagraj Gollapudi12-Nov-2012Jonathan Trott: waits for the spinner to reveal his cards before planning an attack•Associated PressIs playing spin really the biggest challenge for England in this series?
Graham Thorpe Historically it would suggest that it is. There haven’t been too many teams that have won in India. Isn’t it something like three Test series [India] have lost after England won back in 1985? [three in 40 Test series at home] So logically if you look at that record, you have to be able to play spin well. And then you have to look at how you get Indian batsmen out. From a batsman’s perspective, you have to be able to score runs to allow your bowlers a chance. It is a big thing. If you look at the amount of wickets to fall, the highest percentage would be against spin, more than likely.How much has the manner of playing spin changed?
Mike Gatting Everybody plays spin differently because they have different strengths. I mean, taller people will play it differently to shorter people. But the one big thing they will have in common if they do well is, they will have a game plan that works for them. Not everybody can do [the same] things as others.They bowled different lines in my day. In the 1960s, batsmen used the pads a lot. Then people started to sweep a bit, then people started using their feet, then people started using the reverse sweep, and now you have the DRS and most spinners now bowl outside off stump. Still, the basic skills of playing spin should not change: if you can knock the ball with the spin and hit it straight back down the ground, you have got a chance.If you can pick length quickly, it will help you, whether you are forward or back.Thorpe The introduction of the DRS has played a role in how you play spin. Players have to be very much aware that you have to play far more with the bat. Over the years even Asians were used to smothering the ball with the pad, but the DRS has altered that strategy.Playing spin comes down to few things and it has taken players outside of Asia much longer time, naturally, to actually grasp the skills. You have to be able to read spin, pick spin and pick the length – these are the basics. Then you just need quite clinical footwork. You need to understand what is coming at you, and need the skill, the technique to back it up, and the mindset to be able to bat for a long period of time to be able to score your runs; you need to know when to take the risks and you need to know when to sit back in a game, especially against spin bowling.Is the issue more technical than mental for England or the other way round?
Murali Kartik It is more to do with the mind. When they come to the subcontinent, they think something is going to happen. Even before coming here, even before the first ball is bowled, everybody thinks the pitches are dry and it spins. Yes, wickets are different compared to England, but the batsmen approach the challenge differently, even if they are playing the same set of bowlers. You saw the way they played against Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra last year in England. They were very different.Gatting It depends on the kind of form you are in. If the batsmen are playing well then it is technical, and if they are not then it could be both. This time all England batsmen have had a good practice time against spin, so they have all had good time at the crease. What they will get in the Tests is a question we cannot answer now, but I suspect the pitches will turn from the first day. But England must have a game plan which can be implemented easily. And if they do that, they will defeat the challenge.We will have to wait for the first Test match to see what lessons have been learned after last year’s defeat against Pakistan, what sort of mental strength they possess, and what sort of game plans they will be using against two very good spinners [R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha] in addition to Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh.Thorpe If you look at domestic cricket in England, there is not an awful lot of spin bowling. Certainly not of the same quality that players experience at the highest level. When I was a player, I went on A tours to the subcontinent and I did experience that environment beforehand. But when you are back in the country, you really have to master the basic skills. The skill of picking length is very, very important and then you must have the footwork to follow that up.They will relish the idea of the challenge, but when the moment starts to happen, you need to have the answers. If you want to be successful, you need to come up with big performances when they count. I always found that you had to be able to stay in the game in Asia. If you stayed in the game, then you could make the home side come under pressure.

“When I started playing county cricket, there were two spinners in nearly each side. You do not see our best spinner, Graeme Swann, playing regularly in county cricket. You are always facing young, inexperienced spinners, who are easy to play”Mike Gatting

[Against Pakistan in the UAE] they were caught a little bit cold going into that series. They had a big break before that series, and maybe they were not battle-hardened. They had good opportunities but they were not able to grab them against Pakistan when they had a small target to chase. So that becomes more of a mind thing, really. When you are trying to knock off a small target, you panic during the middle of the innings and eventually lose the game. It often comes to the simplicity of your footwork and a strong mind: knowing your own game plan, knowing exactly how you want to be able to play, knowing your risk areas and knowing how to tick over and rotate.Are the England batsmen obsessed with playing the sweep to counter-attack spin?
Kartik Yes, they are. They do not mind losing their wicket to a bowler sweeping, and it is fine with them being caught in the deep or being trapped lbw trying to play that stroke. There are not many batsmen who are willing to use the crease. They do not want to run down the track and look silly getting stumped, but they do not mind sweeping. That seems to be the popular mindset there.Thorpe If you know how to play it well, then play it. The skill to play a sweep is how well you actually set yourself up. You need to know what pitch to play it on: if the pitch is skidding, it is much harder to sweep. But if the pitch is really turning, I actually found it far easier to sweep. You need to be able to smother spin if you are going to sweep. I will encourage people to learn the sweep shot, because you may need to play it. But I will also encourage people to understand good footwork: forward and back, deep in the crease.Gatting I used to sweep a bit, but I also used to use my feet. I used to like coming down the wicket. I felt that combination was as good as any because the length people had to bowl – if they bowled length and I swept and then they pitched it up a bit further, and I would push it for one or four runs. And if the bowler dropped it short and wide, you can cut it for one or four. What you are doing is giving the bowler no time to settle down. It is using the shots that you are happy playing to put the bowler off his length. It is not about smashing or sweeping him out of the ground.The fielders generally tend to stay a lot deeper in India. So if you can just get it into the gap, you can get a single. And that might force them to get a little bit closer and then you could hit it through the field.Are the current English batsmen either overly defensive or aggressive, unlike the Indian batsmen, who are good at rotating the strike?Kartik The Indians are probably the best players of spin in the subcontinent. They know how to manoeuvre the spinners. By that, I do not mean just getting singles – they also allow the spinner to show all his wares before they begin to counter or attack him.Jonathan Trott waits for the spinner to do that too. Ian Bell uses his feet, KP is very different, and [Alastair] Cook actually grinds you down. So it is not that England do not have the kind of batsmen who have the skills, but it also depends on what kind of mindset they come out with. If they come out with the mindset like New Zealand did, where they saw the ball spinning from outside off stump and grew increasingly defensive, then England stand in danger of not conquering the slow bowlers.Gatting The basic way of playing spin is to rotate the strike. That way you make the opposition captain alter his field plans. When you play in India on slow pitches or on pitches that turn, you have got to be a bit more patient and you have got to attack in the right areas. It does not mean you have to always hit out of the ground or a four. If you use your feet to get to the pitch of the ball to smother the spin and hit it to long-off or long-on, then it is good. The important thing is to keep the scoreboard ticking. If you can get four runs an over by playing sensibly, you are taking no risks at all. That, to me, is one of the important things England have not done, and is something the Indians do much better: they just knock the ball wide of mid-on or through square leg, or just run it past short third man and get a single.How do you approach the challenge of playing spin?
Gatting You have to be positive, but that does not mean hitting the spinner out of the ground or slogging. Being positive is knocking the bowler off his length, coming up and down the pitch and leaving the bowler not many options. You have to show positive intent and you do not want to be stuck back in the crease all day long. If you watch the Indian batsmen, all of them use their feet. They pick up the length very quickly. They get used to playing on slower pitches with low bounce, and that is why they use big, heavy bats with lots of weight in the bottom.Murali Kartik: “England batsmen do not mind losing their wicket to a bowler sweeping, and it is fine with them being caught in the deep or being trapped lbw trying to play that stroke”•Getty ImagesI was lucky to play three tours of India and three tours of Pakistan, and had my fair share of playing on turning pitches against some fairly decent spin bowling. A lot of our guys do not see that. When I started playing county cricket, there were two spinners in nearly each side. You do not see our best spinner, Graeme Swann, playing regularly in county cricket. You are always facing young, inexperienced spinners, who are easy to play. The lack of opportunity to play good quality spinners is one of England’s failings.You need to watch the hand closely enough to read which way it spins. A lot of batsmen I see play the spinner off the pitch, and that is not very positive. If you can see when it comes out of the hand, the way it is rotating then you have a chance to hit the right shot instead of waiting for the ball to pitch and then react.Thorpe People talk a lot about the forward-press but it is about how you press and where you press. It can’t be a plant, it must be quite light, and the front foot must be able to move again once you have read the flight and the length of the ball. You must never get stuck with your front leg.I now look at 21- and 22-year-olds. Take the example of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, who spent a whole winter last year in the subcontinent. Both of them understand the method which is required. I did not develop properly myself playing spin until I was 26 or 27: that is when I knew properly how to use my feet.Our performance programme squads toured India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh last year. So we are looking at trying to get our players experience in that environment. [England players need to be] encouraged in the winter to go and play in the subcontinent countries, and to even play club cricket, because the game is very different when you line up against spinners. That is one of the reasons it is more of a struggle. But the current England squad have been to Asia before and will have learned some lessons playing last year against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Byron Buxton put on a show for his bobblehead day at Target Field.

The Minnesota Twins outfielder hit for the cycle during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, doing so for the first time in his career. Buxton began the cycle by hitting a triple during the bottom of the second inning. He added a ground rule double in the third, and hit a single in the fifth.

With three quarters of the cycle done, Buxton completed the cycle by hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Overall, Buxton has compiled five hits, three runs and two RBIs—all on his bobblehead day. It will be hard to find a more special bobblehead day than this one.

Buxton's complete cycle marked the first hit for the cycle by a Twins player since 2019, and the first hit for the cycle by any team at Target Field. The Twins currently hold a 12-3 lead over the Pirates, and are on track to earn their 47th victory of the season.

Car park to be used as drive-through test site by NHS

George Dobell02-Apr-2020Warwickshire have donated their Edgbaston stadium for the use of the NHS in a bid to help in the battle against COVID-19.The ground – more specifically, the car park – will be used as a drive-through testing centre for NHS staff. Those requiring tests will drive in through the Edgbaston Road entrance and undergo the procedure while remaining in their vehicle. They will then leave via the Pershore Road exit.Warwickshire also plan to offer NHS staff free entry to a Vitality Blast fixture later in the summer. Details of this offer will be released as and when the schedule for the 2020 season is announced.The UK has witnessed something of an outpouring of gratitude towards NHS staff in recent weeks. As details of the severity of the crisis have become clear, it has also become apparent that many staff – some of whom are not especially well paid – are working in desperately demanding conditions without adequate protective equipment or access to testing. Sam Curran and Jos Buttler are among the England players who have begun their own fund-raising efforts for NHS related charities.With little immediate prospect of cricket or any of the events that usually occupy Edgbaston, staff at Warwickshire have been looking for ways in which they could help the community through the pandemic. The offer to host a testing centre was gratefully accepted by the Department of Health and Social Care and will be utilised by staff throughout the West Midlands region.”With our county cricket programme and conference and events business closed until 29 May, our staff have been exploring various options which enable the club to keep supporting our local community during these difficult times, whether that be through making calls to our elderly members and ex-players, volunteering and by offering Edgbaston Stadium for use in the wider civil contingency effort,” Neil Snowball, the Warwickshire chief executive, said.”Whilst it is a small part to play in grand scheme of things, we are pleased that our stadium can be utilised to support the fantastic efforts being made by all of our NHS staff in response to the coronavirus crisis.”We are also very grateful for the support that we have received in delivering this project from Patrizia and Homes England, our development partners.”The NHS staff COVID-19 testing station will start operating within a few days and will remain at Edgbaston until further notice. While these are not the type of tests anyone expected to see at the ground, they will, at least, ensure Edgbaston continues to play some part in helping the local community.

Celtic are back in action once again in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon they travel to Fir Park to take on Motherwell in the lunchtime kick-off.

The Hoops moved to five points behind Rangers in the league table after their rivals picked up all three points in their clash with Hearts on Saturday.

That result makes this match against Motherwell all the more important as any dropped points today would extent Philippe Clement's side's two-point lead heading into the weekend.

Brendan Rodgers watched on as his team dropped two points against Kilmarnock last week, which was a result that allowed their rivals to overtake them on the Sunday.

A stoppage time equaliser from David Watson secured a point for the away side on the day and the Hoops boss could now look to make some changes to the starting XI from that match.

With this in mind, Rodgers must drop Adam Idah from the line-up to make way for creative midfielder Paulo Bernardo to return and for Kyogo Furuhashi to play as the lone striker.

Adam Idah's performance against Kilmarnock in numbers

The Ireland international, who joined on loan from English side Norwich City on deadline day at the start of the month, led the line against Kilmarnock.

Idah endured a rough afternoon as a lack of service meant that he was left isolated, which led to a lack of impact from him at the top end of the pitch.

Despite having 71% of the possession, Celtic failed to create a single chance for the Irish marksman, who did not register a single effort on goal in 67 minutes on the pitch.

Kyogo did, however, score the opening goal from the Hoops and had two shots in total after starting the match in the number ten position behind Idah.

The Norwich loanee lost six of his ten duels, as the opposition found it too easy to get the better of him at times, and did not create any chances for his teammates before being substituted during the second half.

It was a disappointing performance from the Canaries academy graduate after he had enjoyed an impressive first two Premiership matches with the club.

Idah came off the bench to provide an assist for Nicolas Kuhn's equaliser against Aberdeen earlier this month and then scored both of Celtic's goals, both from the penalty spot, in a 2-1 win away at Hibernian in his first start.

His first two games with the club show that the potential is there for him to provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Scottish giants.

However, playing him and Kyogo alongside each other may not work in every match, as showcased by Idah's struggles against Kilmarnock.

Therefore, bringing Bernardo in as a number ten to provide more natural creativity for Kyogo, and then bringing the Irish forward off the bench, could be a good change for this game against Motherwell.

Paulo Bernardo's Celtic season in numbers

The Hoops signed the 22-year-old whiz on loan from Portuguese side Benfica last summer and he has shown glimpses of his quality in midfield so far this season.

Bernardo, who has been described as a "baller" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has started nine times in the Premiership for the Scottish giants and contributed with two goals, two assists, and three 'big chances' created in total.

One of the Portugal U21 international's best performances in a Celtic shirt to date came in a 3-0 win away at St Mirren at the start of the year.

Sofascore rating

8.5

Shots

Two

Goals

Zero

Key passes

Three

Big chances created

Two

Assists

Two

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 5 foot 11 magician was on top form in the Premiership clash as he assisted Matt O'Riley and Greg Taylor for goals.

His creativity was also on display in Liga Portugal during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign as he caught the eye on loan with Paços Ferreira.

Bernardo ranked within the top 8% of midfielders in the division for assists (0.24) per 90, whilst also ranking within the top 9% for non-penalty goals (0.24) per 90, as the young gem produced two goals and two assists in nine league starts.

These statistics over the past year or so show that the "tenacious" – as he was described by the aforementioned Mango – dynamo has the quality to split open opposition defences to create chances for attackers when he is at his best.

Why Kyogo could benefit from Bernardo's creativity

Playing Bernardo in a number ten role and getting him closer to Kyogo could benefit the Japan international by getting him into better shooting positions.

The former Vissel Kobe star has already taken 17 shots from outside of the box in 26 league appearances for Celtic this season, having attempted just six in 31 league outings last season.

He racked up a staggering 27 goals in those 31 Premiership games during the 2022/23 campaign but has only plundered nine goals in 26 matches this time around.

It should not be a surprise that his goalscoring numbers are down when you consider that the lack of creativity behind him is resulting in too many long shots being attempted.

Utilising Bernardo's creativity in a number ten position could provide the Japanese marksman with higher-quality opportunities to get his shot off from within the box, rather than from distance, and, therefore, increase his chances of finding the back of the net.

Of course, the Portuguese loanee has not consistently provided high-quality creativity, possibly due to him being deployed as part of a midfield three instead of as a number ten at times, but the potential – as shown by his performance against St Mirren and form in Portugal last term – is there for him to be an excellent option.

Rodgers, therefore, must drop Idah down to the bench to unleash Kyogo as a lone number nine with Bernardo in the hole behind the Japan international.

This would also provide the manager with a fantastic option to change the game as Idah could come on to lead the line and push for a goal if needed in the second half.

Australia now need to beat England on Sunday to qualify for the final of the triangular series

The Report by Daniel Brettig08-Feb-2020A stunning innings by the 16-year-old wunderkind Shafali Verma launched India Women on the way to a dramatic victory over the T20 World Cup favourites Australia. In doing so they announced their genuine candidacy for the global tournament and also ensured the hosts need to beat England at the Junction Oval on Sunday to qualify for the final of the triangular series that is proving to be a bruising warm-up for the event.Verma’s 49 off 28 balls, combined with a calming 55 off 48 from her opening partner Smriti Mandhana, were the difference as India ran down Australia’s 5 for 173 with two balls to spare. The hosts had appeared well-placed at the innings break after Ashleigh Gardner’s powerful 93 off 57 balls with support from Meg Lanning and Beth Mooney, but a halting last few overs proved costly as India went on the charge from the very first over of their chase.With Verma batting fearlessly and Mandhana providing key support, there was further support from Jemimah Rodrigues, before captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma helped India to their highest successful chase in the format. With two losses in three T20Is, this is the first time the Australians have struggled to this extent since 2017 when they lost four out of five.Gardner builds after first over dramasLate-comers to the Junction Oval missed a dramatic start to the afternoon as Alyssa Healy’s survival of a missed stumping cost India precisely one ball. Deepti’s offbreak lured Healy down the pitch out of what seemed idle curiosity as much as intent to score, and a lack of turn saw the ball pass the bat. But Taniya Bhatia was unable to collect the ball cleanly, allowing Healy to scramble back into her crease and reset – for a moment.The very next delivery was dragged down short, only to be tugged straight to midwicket by Healy as India celebrated their good fortune. Gardner walked out to join Beth Mooney, and there were a few more nervy moments as a few lofted shots landed just out of reach of the fielders. These near-misses soon gave way to cleaner blows as Gardner unfurled her power game in the fashion that has prompted Australia to use her at No. 3. Mooney was content to rotate the strike, and when she perished to a Harleen Deol full-toss, Meg Lanning offered similar support, albeit speckled with a few more boundaries.Haynes, Perry splutter at the finishIndia’s fielding display was far from the standard required, exemplified by the missed stumping to start with and several other clear missed chances besides. Gardner made merry as a result, piling up 11 boundaries and three sixes while adding 62 in 47 balls with Mooney and then a whip-cracking 79 in 42 balls with Lanning. That stand meant that the Australians looked ready to launch at 2 for 141 with 29 balls remaining, but the exits of Lanning for 37 and then Gardner, much to her chagrin, for 93, signalled a loss of acceleration.Ashleigh Gardner plays a cut•Getty ImagesEllyse Perry and Rachael Haynes added 22 together but took 19 balls to do it, even with one mighty six from Perry in the final over bowled by Rajeshwari Gayakwad. They also survived another Indian fielding muck-up, this time a comedy of errors when it appeared easier to run out one of Perry or Haynes than neither. In the end, Perry was lbw when she moved too far across the stumps on the penultimate ball of the innings.Verma’s shots heard round the worldOn what had dried out into a beautiful batting pitch, the tourists had a chance provided they got a swift start. “Swift” proved to be too mild an adjective for the hurricane that was Verma, who took a hyper-aggressive approach from the very first over of the chase and was rewarded with a series of boundaries. The opening overs read like a list of cricket teams and squads: 11, 12, 11, 14 and 14 meaning the powerplay was to be worth 70 and the target drastically reduced.Verma’s fearlessness and sharp eye were complemented perfectly by Mandhana, who found her own occasional boundary in between plenty of singles and alert running between the wickets. Some formidable Australia bowlers – Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt and Perry – were momentarily humbled by Verma, and captain Lanning was left looking far and wide for bowling options. No fewer than seven bowlers were to be tried, but it was Perry who snared Verma for a breathless 49 from 28 balls to pull Australia back into the contest.Tourists hold nerve for victoryIn Verma’s slipstream, Rodrigues kept scoring at the required tempo with her own sparkling contribution, adding 37 with Mandhana with only a slight dip in the run rate after the opening stand of 85 in 50 balls. When Rodrigues did err, offering a thin edge behind to Healy off Schutt, Harmanpreet provided plenty of experience and poise to the pursuit as Mandhana reached a meritorious half-century.With 16 still required off 12 balls, a tight over from Nicola Carey could have turned the game towards Australia. But although she managed to win an lbw verdict against Mandhana, two fours including one swatted between mid-on and midwicket by Deepti off Carey’s final ball meant only four remained to be collected from the final over. Harmanpreet and Deepti kept their heads for a rousing win. The World Cup race is widening by the day.

Harry Kane is chasing down a goal-scoring record set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland as he continues to make more history with Bayern Munich. The England captain was in fine form on Saturday as he scored a hat-trick in the Bavarian side's 4-1 win over Hoffenheim. This was Kane's ninth hat-trick since moving to Germany in 2023.

Kane rewrites Bundesliga history with latest goals

With a hat-trick against Hoffenheim on Saturday, Kane reached 70 goals in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich in just 67 appearances, which is the quickest any footballer has reached the 70-goal mark in the league's history.

AdvertisementGettyKane aiming to break Ronaldo & Haaland's record

Kane has now scored 98 goals for Bayern in 103 appearances across all competitions. He will be the quickest player to reach the 100-goal mark in a top-five European League if he nets a brace against Werder Bremen next Friday. Right now, that record is jointly held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland, who achieved the feat in 105 matches for Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively.

German media offer apology to Kane

The English forward has received an apology from a German journalist, who had questioned Bayern's decision to pay €100m to Tottenham for a striker entering his thirties. The journalist took back his words and praised Kane's strict discipline and work ethic.

AFPNeymar's Champions League record also in sight

After facing Werder Bremen on Friday, Vincent Kompany's side will travel to Cyprus for their Champions League fixture against Pafos. If he scores a brace there, Kane will overtake Neymar's Champions League goals tally of 43.

Australia captain ruled out of all white-ball cricket before the Ashes after a scan revealed ‘lumbar bone stress’ following ongoing back soreness post the Caribbean tour

Alex Malcolm02-Sep-20251:10

Bailey: ‘Expect Cummins to be fit for first Ashes Test’

Pat Cummins’ Ashes preparation has been compromised after a scan revealed lumbar bone stress in his lower back which has ruled him out of the three white-ball series against New Zealand and India. It leaves the potential that he won’t play any cricket ahead of the England series which starts on November 21 in Perth.Cummins, Australia’s Test and ODI captain, has not played since the Test tour of the Caribbean where his bowling workloads were significantly lower than usual. He missed the five T20Is against West Indies and both series against South Africa that followed which was a long-held plan to given him a 10-week physical build-up to the Test summer in a similar vein to last year.Related

Doubts over Cummins' fitness for first Ashes Test grow, return remains unknown

Inglis out of T20 tour of New Zealand with a calf strain, Carey called up

Vidler ruled out of Australia A tour of India with a partial stress fracture

Cummins may 'take a few risks' to be able to play Ashes

Australia's pace depth: Who's in the Ashes mix if Cummins and co run aground?

But Cummins experienced some back soreness post the Caribbean tour that lingered much longer than expected and a routine scan on Monday showed the bone stress, otherwise known as a hot spot, which can be a precursor to a stress fracture. However, he has been cleared of any fracture in his lower spine and there remains confidence he will be fit for the opening Test against England.”There always was a de-load planned for him post that West Indies Test series, and then he’s just reported that he had a little bit of ongoing back soreness as part of that, and [the scan] just identified a little bit of lumbar bone stress,” chair of selectors George Bailey said. “I think the focus for him has and will continue to be just preparation for that [Ashes] Test series.”So there’ll just be some further management and a little bit of rehab around that. But in terms of plan for the Ashes, I don’t think too much will change. There still feels like there’s plenty of time. But there’s full expectation that Pat will be right to go come the first Test.”Cummins was plagued by stress fractures across the first six years of his international career and did not play a Test match between his debut in 2011 and his second Test in India in 2017.Since that time he has been incredibly durable with various minor issues, including an ankle injury and a hamstring issue, being managed without him missing large chunks of cricket.This back issue will be a concern given his overall bowling loads have been much lower in 2025. He had bowled 400-plus overs in all cricket in each of the last three calendar years but has only bowled 175.1 overs through nine months of 2025, including just 95.1 across the four Tests recently in June and July against South Africa and West Indies. Even with a handful of ODIs and a possible planned Sheffield Shield game as well as the first four Ashes Test before the end of the year he was likely to fall well short of 400 overs this year.Pat Cummins has missed very few Tests since returning to the side in 2017•Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty ImagesCummins went into last summer deliberately underdone playing one 50-over match for New South Wales and two ODIs against Pakistan before the first Test against India. He was rusty as a result in the first Test in Perth when Australia were beaten heavily. But his freshness showed at the back end of the series as he was Player of the Match in the fourth Test in Melbourne and took five key wickets in the final Test in Sydney while India’s Jasprit Bumrah went down with a back injury following an unsustainable bowling load.Cummins said after the West Indies series in July this year that he planned to play in New Zealand and then against India in the ODIs, as well as potentially play a Sheffield Shield game.He now has just 11 weeks for the hot spot to settle and it would seem highly unlikely, although not impossible, that he could play any cricket before the Ashes starts. There is a domestic one-day game between NSW and Queensland in Sydney on November 3 that could present a chance for some capped competitive overs if his back has settled in time, without being locked into a four-day Sheffield Shield game. NSW’s last Sheffield Shield match before the first Test, against Victoria at the SCG, starts on November 10.”I think he’s one, certainly skill wise, that has entered summers at different stages without a great amount of match balls at different times,” Bailey said. “Given how far out we are there’s the potential for some Shield cricket in the lead-up. There’s still options there. If it got to the stage where they were taken off the table, I still think that we’d be comfortable with Pat’s experience and skill level.”The injury also presents a possibility that Cummins will not be able to play and captain all five Tests. There are eight-day breaks following each of the first and second Tests but those breaks shorten to just four days after the third and fourth, putting major strain on the ability of fast bowlers on both sides to back up later in the series.Steven Smith will likely captain Australia if Cummins were to miss any of the Tests. Smith led Australia in the two Tests against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka earlier this year when Cummins missed due to an ankle issue and the birth of his second child. Smith also captained one Test in the last Ashes series in Australia in December 2021 when Cummins was ruled out of the second match in Adelaide due to the Covid-19 rules in place at the time.Overall, Smith has captained six times in Cummins’ absence since returning to the vice-captaincy in 2021. Travis Head is also formally a Test vice-captain but it would be unlikely he would be called upon to deputise if Smith is in the XI.Steven Smith would likely captain if Pat Cummins missed a Test•Getty ImagesOn a bowling front, Australia have a ready-made replacement in Scott Boland, but should another injury occur to either Josh Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc then the likes of Michael Neser and the uncapped pair of Brendan Doggett and Sean Abbott will come into the frame.Jhye Richardson is hopeful he can be fit by the time the Ashes starts but he is recovering from shoulder surgery and has only just started bowling again and won’t be able to throw properly. Lance Morris is out for the summer after opting to have back surgery following another stress fracture.Hazlewood and Starc’s management will become critical in the lead into the Ashes. Starc’s retirement from T20Is means he will likely play the ODIs against India and at least one Shield game for New South Wales before the first Test, as he did last summer.Hazlewood will play the T20Is in New Zealand, but almost certainly won’t play all three in four days. He, too, will likely play some of the ODIs and at least one Shield game before Perth. Last summer he played one Shield game and one ODI but broke down with a side strain in Perth before returning for the third Test in Brisbane only to injure his calf and miss the rest of the summer.CA will also be extra vigilant in managing allrounder Cameron Green ahead of the Ashes as he returns to bowling for the first time since back surgery last year. Green will not tour New Zealand and will instead play the first Shield round for Western Australia starting on October 4. It is likely he will play three Shield games and potentially only one ODI before the Ashes begins to build up his bowling loads.Cummins’ back issue could also influence Australia’s selection in the Ashes. There had been a thought that Australia did not need the luxury of two allrounders in the same Ashes XI with Green’s return to bowling potentially making the in-form Beau Webster surplus to requirements. But having two allrounders in the same XI could significantly aid Cummins’ chances of playing while managing his workloads given Australia could have five genuine seam options plus Nathan Lyon to spread the overs across.

Third consecutive fifty for opener after miserly spells from Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah reduce NZ to 132

The Report by Sidharth Monga26-Jan-20203:15

Jadeja, seamers set up comfortable India win

Last weekend India were rescuing a home ODI series against Australia. Their jet lag had not yet receded when they raced to a 2-0 lead in the T20I series in New Zealand on Sunday. It was down to their superior bowling once again as they restricted New Zealand to a mere 132, the third-lowest total at Eden Park. Jasprit Bumrah was sensational once again but he found more heroes in the support cast: Ravindra Jadeja took two middle-order wickets, and Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Shami handcuffed the New Zealand batsmen.On a slow pitch, India didn’t find the chase to be a cakewalk, but KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer absorbed the pressure before finishing off in style. Rahul’s purple patch continued with his second fifty on tour. Had New Zealand run him out – stranded mid-pitch – on 42, the remaining 47 off 38 balls might even have become a challenge. It wasn’t to be as India romped home with 15 balls to spare.Munro slows New Zealand downNew Zealand seemed to have looked at the slowness of the pitch when deciding to bat first, which makes the Powerplay even more important: you want to score your runs against the new ball and with the field up. However, Colin Munro’s struggles put Martin Guptill under pressure to go after the bowling. When Yuzvendra Chahal squeezed in the fifth over for just seven runs, the sixth over – bowled by Shardul Thakur – became really important. New Zealand had just 39 after five overs with Munro struggling at 14 off 13.With teams zero down, the sixth over is usually the most difficult to bowl in a Powerplay. Guptill reinforced the challenge with two boundaries in the first four balls, but when he tried to sign the Powerplay off with a six off the last ball, Thakur managed to keep the ball just wide enough to get a toe-edged skier. New Zealand 48 for 1 after six.Chahal keeps up the pressure, Dube cashes inChahal backed up that over with just five runs in his second over, the eighth of the innings. Having hit Shivam Dube for a ramped six in his first over, Munro now needed to line Dube up when he bowled a second over in a row. At 63 for 1 after eight, with three Bumrah overs left, New Zealand just had to go after Dube. Munro pulled the third ball of this over for a four to finally go past strike rate of 100. Next ball, though, went straight to short cover for a catch with Dube having cramped him up again. New Zealand 68 for 2 in 8.4 overs.Jadeja finds turnAfter one Bumrah over to look for a wicket, Jadeja was introduced in the 11th over. In the last match he bowled just two overs. He and Dube constitute India’s fifth bowler. Dube had already bowled two so the plan must have been to get in two or three quiet overs from Jadeja.KL Rahul steadied the innings after a couple of early wickets•Getty ImagesHowever, the second ball from Jadeja stopped and turned to get a return catch from Colin de Grandhomme. Ross Taylor soon saw the ball turning a lot. They were not going to take any risks against Jadeja now, who bowled quick and found turn, tying them down. When Williamson tried to hit out, he found deep fine leg. Even if New Zealand were looking for something around 160, Jadeja had now readjusted the par score. He ended up bowling all four overs without conceding a boundary.Bumrah, Shami close outThe only time New Zealand found breathing space in the last 10 overs in Chahal’s 16th over when Tim Seifert hit a four and a six. It took New Zealand to 109 for 4, leaving them needing 10 an over if they were to get to the fighting total of 150. Not happening with Bumrah bowling two of those overs. What made it worse for New Zealand was excellent 17th and 19th overs from Jadeja and Shami. Since the ninth over, the only boundaries New Zealand managed were off that Chahal over and the one six in the last over.Southee keeps New Zealand aliveNew Zealand needed early wickets to make a fight of the chase. Southee provided them with an outswinger to send back Rohit Sharma in the first over, and with an edge down the leg side to remove Virat Kohli soon afterwards. Signs were already there that this was not an easy pitch to bat on. India 40 for 2 after six overs.Rahul, Iyer weather the stormOver the next five overs, New Zealand built up the pressure with the spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi conceding just one boundary. The duo, though, knew they had the asking rate in check: 70 required off 54 balls.Iyer opens up, Rahul survivesIn the 12th over, Iyer launched Sodhi down the ground for a dismissive six. The tide had begun to turn. New Zealand had to go back to the quicks. In the 14th over, Tickner had a golden opportunity to run Rahul out, but he missed from three yards. In the next over, the floodgates opened. The last 48 runs came in 21 balls.

Mikel Arteta hints at signing more players as Arsenal close in on roping in Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori.

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Arsenal want to sign more playersClose to finalising Calafiori transfer Arteta keen on increasing squad strength WHAT HAPPENED?

Per The Athletic, the Gunners are on the verge of sealing the transfer of Bologna and Italy defender Calafiori in the ongoing summer transfer window as they have reportedly agreed to pay a fee of £42 million ($54.3m) to the Serie A club.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With the 22-year-old centre-back's transfer all but sealed, the North London giants will now look to add more players to their roster ahead of the upcoming 2024/25 campaign as hinted by Mikel Arteta. The Spanish coach claimed that the club still need more players to increase the squad strength so that they can compete for the Premier League title once again with holders Manchester City this season.

WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

Speaking to reporters, the 42-year-old said, "We know there are certain positions that we want to improve and give the squad better resources, especially in terms of numbers where we are very short. We will try our best but the main thing is to focus on falling in love with the players we have and make them better."

He added, "Perfection in this league requires different standards to relate that word to winning the Premier League. That’s what we need to do, we need to upgrade everything we're doing and improve in every area. That’s what we're trying to do. We are so close. There are moments where we had really fine margins. We have earned to be there, and obviously, we want much more and we are going to try to get it.

"When you are so close, you really want to grab it. But I think you have to analyse the whole thing. “In the end, the outcome of this football club has to be to win major trophies, and we are in the process to achieve that – we are very close. The level that we are showing is extremely high, but it’s not been enough to win it. That’s the target. We’re certainly heading in the right direction and we are travelling at a really high speed with the things that we have transformed not only in the football side, but I think as a club as well. Now what is missing is to bring the big titles back home."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

The English giants have been linked with a move for Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino and Athletic Club's Nico Williams as they look to bolster their midfield and attack respectively. They will be next seen in action on Wednesday against Bournemouth in their first pre-season friendly in the United States.

The agent of a player Arsenal are in the race to sign this summer was spotted watching on as Mikel Arteta's side ground out a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Kai Havertz changing Arsenal's transfer priorities

At the turn of the year, it seemed certain that Arsenal would need an expensive new striker in the summer, with the club creating plenty of chances without finding the back of the net regularly enough in the Premier League.

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Now though, it seems that Kai Havertz has changed that. Mikel Arteta moved his summer signing from midfield to attack, and the German has repaid the faith shown in him with an excellent return. His assist for Leandro Trossard marked his 14th goal or assist in his last 13 outings, and ensured his side walked away with all three points at a ground where they historically lose.

Kai Havertz by position this season (in the Premier League)

Striker

Midfielder

Appearances

12

24

Goals

7

5

Assists

7

0

Win %

91.6%

66.6%

So, recent reports claim that a striker of the Victor Osimhen or Ivan Toney type is no longer on the radar of the north London side. Instead, there has been speculation that Arsenal will instead target a younger, less premium striker to provide cover and competition for the German, while reports have even suggested that Gabriel Jesus could leave the club two years after arriving from Manchester City and being handed the no.9 shirt at the Emirates, in a deal worth £45m.

Sesko's agent spotted at Old Trafford

This comes as the agent of RB Leipzig sensation Benjamin Sesko was present to watch Arsenal and Manchester United battle it out at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The striker has been linked with both Manchester United and Arsenal in recent weeks, amid speculation that this season at Leipzig may well be his last for the German side.

After a slow first season in Germany, the Slovenian has burst into life this time around, finding the back of the net 17 times across all competitions. That is a tally that cannot be bettered by any of Arsenal's current striker options, and is more than double the number of goals registered by Jesus this season.

It has led to plenty of interest in his signature, and the Gunners are one of the sides tracking him. Initially thought to be available via a release clause for around £43m, his performances have reportedly seen that increase to £60m and could yet rise to £64m depending on how he ends the season.

His talents have long been spoken about, with Leipzig's former technical director Christopher Vivell singing his praises during his time at the club: "Benjamin Sesko is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player.

"He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6'4") is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”

Should Arsenal be able to fight off competition for his signature, they could have their very own Erling Haaland to beat Manchester City with.