Batter backs team-mate to challenge his England record runs total by end of career

Matt Roller10-Oct-2024Joe Root believes that Harry Brook’s triple-century in Multan is the first of many “monster scores” in his Test career – and hopes that Brook will one day surpass him to become England’s all-time leading run-scorer.Root and Brook spent 86.3 overs batting together in a partnership worth 454, breaking the world record for the fourth wicket and England’s record for any wicket. Their stand set up England’s declaration with a lead of 267, enabling them to push towards an innings victory despite conceding 556 in their first innings on a lifeless pitch.Having surpassed Alastair Cook to become England’s highest run-scorer in Test history when he reached 71 on the third day, Root went on to reach a career-best score of 262. And while he has the opportunity to put the record out of reach in the coming years, Root believes that Brook’s “complete game” could eventually enable him to catch up.”I hope so,” Root said. “You want to create an environment and a team where things are always improving and always getting better. You want the guys that come in to play with that belief that they can go and do really special things… If guys in the future are breaking records then England are in a good place and they’re scoring a lot of runs, so hopefully that is the case.”I love playing with Brooky. I’ve batted a lot together with him at Yorkshire and seeing him come into this team and fit so seamlessly into Test cricket has been awesome. To get the opportunity to stand there at the other end and watch him go and smack 300 is pretty surreal, really, and to be able to get a big chunk of this score and that partnership myself is pretty cool too.Related

• Harry Brook's drive to survive epitomises bold new era of Test batting

• Joe Root: Harry Brook is 'far and away the best player in the world '

• Joe Root: 'Earning the right to win' was England's motivation in historic batting display

• Abrar in hospital after falling ill during Multan Test

• Insatiable appetite and slimline frame behind Brook's Multan marathon

“He’s got such a complete game. He can score all around the wicket, he plays seam well, spin well and high pace well, and that’s a pretty good recipe for scoring runs. I’m not surprised at all in him going on and doing something special like that, but I don’t think it’ll be the last time we see him with a monster score by his name.”Brook was 18 years old when he first played alongside Root for Yorkshire, and described him as “mega” to bat with. “It makes you feel so comfortable when you’re watching him at the other end,” Brook said. “He makes the game look so easy when he’s playing the ball so late, and making the bowlers look so slow… We just tried to cash in on what was a good pitch.”Root described Brook’s innings as a “masterclass” which reflected the strides he has made in his young career – not least the fitness drive that enabled him to spend seven hours in the middle. “One of the best things with Harry is he’s such a quick learner,” Root said. “He always has been, really.”His natural game, with how freely he scores and plays, especially in the corridor outside off stump, is exactly what you want from someone in the middle order: to be able to apply pressure to bowlers’ best balls… He wasn’t really taking many risks and then he just puts the foot down and can hit 360 [degrees] and make it very difficult for both seamers and spinners to tie him down.”Brook joked after his innings that there was a time, not so long ago, that he might have “made 150 and had a slog”, instead of pushing on towards one of the highest scores in England’s history. But, after missing the tour of India and the subsequent IPL following the death of his grandmother earlier this year, Brook used the downtime to work on his stamina in training, and Root acknowledged that the benefits were plain to see.Highest individual men’s Test scores for England•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“He’s gone away and worked extremely hard on his fitness,” he said. “That’s why you put the training in: not just from a physical point of view, being able to stand up to it, but mentally. When you do that training that you don’t really want to do and you put yourself in a dark place in practice, then when you get there in the game, it becomes that much easier because you’ve done it before.”Brook has now scored more Test runs in six innings in Pakistan than in 21 innings at home, with three hundreds on England’s most recent tour here in 2022. He simply ascribed it to “chance” but his feats have not gone unnoticed among his team-mates: “I’m very glad that he was born in England and not in Pakistan because his record here is just a joke,” Root said.Root has played down the significance of his own status as England’s leading run-scorer, explaining that his ambitions extend beyond that. “When I say that, I don’t mean it in an arrogant way or anything,” he said. “I’ve just never really been driven by it. I’ve never really been one to have goals, because I just feel like if you miss them, then you’ve failed.”The biggest driver for me is how many games can we go on to win now for the rest of my career. How many games can you affect with the bat and contribute towards? There’s no better feeling than – especially in these conditions when it’s so heavily favoured one way and so flat – to be able to potentially go and win a Test match tomorrow. It’s so exciting.”After that first Pakistan innings, not many people would have given us a shout at going and doing that. I guess the exciting thing, and the thing that keeps bringing you back and makes you want to turn up to training and enjoy trying to find ways of getting better, is opportunities like tomorrow. I can’t wait to turn up again and hopefully do something really special as a group.”

At 30, he is poised to become India’s latest T20I debutant, and the call-up will be every bit deserved

Shashank Kishore10-Mar-2021The Indian team management seldom refers to selection calls on social media. But in November, after the team was picked for the Australia T20Is and Suryakumar Yadav, widely touted to earn a maiden call-up, missed out, head coach Ravi Shastri tweeted: ‘Surya Namaskar. Stay strong and patient’. An aching Yadav, not for the first time, had to patiently read tons of consolatory messages. Among those, Sachin Tendulkar’s stood out. He is said to have told him: ‘This is your final hurdle. Surrender yourself to the game.’Related

Why India's recent debutants might make other sides envious

India to shed caution for aggression, says Virat Kohli: 'I see us being much more positive from now'

Kohli rules out Ashwin's white-ball return and backs Sundar as first-choice

Spin questions for England as India try on new big-hitting avatar

How Suryakumar Yadav outshone Mumbai Indians' big names

The next day, Yadav squared off for Mumbai Indians against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dubai. Virat Kohli tried to unsettle him, constantly chirping to his in-fielders about Yadav’s apparent discomfort against Yuzvendra Chahal. Yadav remained poker-faced, almost as if he couldn’t hear what was being said. Yadav batted through to make an unbeaten, match-winning 43-ball 79*, and gestured to the dressing room afterwards, as if to say: ‘Keep calm. Why worry when I’m here’, even as a fuming Kohli stormed off. It soon became a meme that spread like wildfire on social media.It’s this calmness that has also defined the second coming of Yadav, who at 30 could become India’s latest T20I debutant. Some teams have no hang ups in picking players at this age. But in India, it’s particularly rare. Among specialist batsmen, you’ll have to go as far back as 1981 to TE Srinivasan for a 30-plus debutant in international cricket. In T20Is, the last such instance was in 2011, when S Badrinath played his first – and only – game in the format. But Yadav’s won’t be an unlikely cap when he gets it. He has been an IPL regular since 2012, has an un-ignorable domestic record: a T20 strike rate of 140 across 150 innings; a List A average of 37.55 and a strike rate of 103 in 87 innings, 5326 first-class runs with 14 centuries and 26 half-centuries.”He’s mentally very tough now, but a few years earlier, I did feel he could have had someone to guide him along the right path,” Chandrakant Pandit, for whose team Yadav turned up as 21-year-old and scored 182 in a club game a day after he was supposedly ruled out for Mumbai with a finger injury in the 2011 Champions League T20, says. Yadav’s career began with this brush of controversy – fit one day, unfit another.Then there were complaints about his “hot headed” avatar when he got involved in an on-field altercation with team-mate Shardul Thakur in 2014. Then there were reports of infighting and indiscipline, and Yadav was stripped of the Mumbai captaincy across formats. It was the lowest ebb to a promising career that appeared to be hitting a dead end.

“He was distracted, demoralised. It was a phase, but you define someone by how they bounce back”Chandrakant Pandit on Yadav’s earlier temperament

But somewhere in 2016, Yadav decided to break the rut, transform his attitude, fitness and batting and mental discipline. That discipline even stopped him from playing certain shots in matches until he knocked off targets set by Pandit. He changed his eating habits, started to develop muscle-strength to hit big, apart from spending hours at the nets. All these changes over the years have contributed in an India call-up. His selection isn’t a punt, but a reward for churning big runs consistently season after season, both in the IPL and for Mumbai. A bit like what Mayank Agarwal did four seasons ago in the Ranji Trophy – breaking the door down and barging his way in.”He was distracted, demoralised,” Pandit says of the bad times. “It was a phase, but you define someone by how they bounce back. He acknowledged there were issues and he worked on it. That is the first step. To know there’s a problem. Hats off to him.”Since the transformation, Yadav made his first big push towards the India cap in 2018-19, when he made 392 runs at a strike rate of 168 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he batted only four times in eight games, but no one had a better average or strike rate (minimum 100 runs) than him.His average (113.00) was higher than that of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made three centuries, including a double-ton in six innings. It was higher than that of one of his middle-order competitors Manish Pandey, who kept piling on runs for fun. Yadav’s strike rate (154.79) was better than anyone else. It made him genuinely believe he was going to “push the door open”.”Keep calm. Why worry when I’m here?”•BCCIIn the IPL too, Yadav has been a key player for the Mumbai Indians since 2018, now having made 400 plus runs for the last three seasons and counting. However, while his role at Mumbai Indians has been that of an anchor who steadily builds, allowing Pollard, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya to don the finisher’s hat, it’s hard to envisage a similar setting for Yadav in the Indian team – given their potentially power-packed top-three in KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Kohli.Then there’s Shikhar Dhawan, who has had a phenomenal IPL, and Shreyas Iyer, an IPL franchise captain, for competition. Rishabh Pant’s recent exploits in Tests – he wasn’t part of the T20Is in Australia – may have virtually sealed his middle-order spot. So Yadav could well be in a situation where he may not get regular opportunities to build an innings. He could find himself having to go from ball one, with Pant and Pandya to follow. It’s not ideal, but it’s the reality for anyone looking to break into India’s middle order. There’s just too much competition.But while some of the other middle-order contenders may still get picked ahead of him, Yadav has the advantage of having gotten used to multiple roles. He opened at Mumbai Indians in 2018 until Sharma made that spot his own, played as a finisher for Kolkata Knight Riders for much of his five seasons there, and then adapted to anchor the innings on his return to Mumbai. What works for Yadav is also he’s an excellent player of spin. He hardly ever gets out to them – a variety we could see a lot of at the T20 World Cup – and scores quickly. His numbers since IPL 2018 are only behind David Warner and Kane Williamson, as he averages 54.54 while striking at 130.At IPL 2020, he added another dimension to his batting: that of a finisher. He not just averaged 40.22 but struck them at 155.36. He counterattacked in the powerplay and showed the ability to accelerate in the death overs. He struck at 235 between overs 17 and 20 last season, faster than Pandya and just a shade off Pollard, who has struck at 210.25 at the death. Yadav has all the textbook shots and scores a lot of runs with drives through the offside, but he has also used the lap and ramp shots effectively – ask Jofra Archer who was reverse-ramped for six – scoring nearly half his runs behind the wicket this season. The change in gears is significant in Yadav’s push to be an India regular.History hasn’t been too kind to India’s most-recent 30-plus debutants. Three of them – Faiz Fazal, Naman Ojha and S Aravind played all of one game. Stuart Binny left the scene within two years of his debut. But for Yadav, it’s a take-off point. Potentially a good series against England followed by a productive IPL could strengthen his hold of a middle order berth for the T20 World Cup. And with two more World Cups in the pipeline, he could well become a trendsetter for other 30-something players for whom the fire still burns.

The Argentine midfielder arrives at The Herons at 31 after spending four seasons with Atlético de Madrid.

• Played 187 matches for the Spanish side
• Scored 14 goals
• Joins initially on loan through the end of the year

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rodrigo De Paul’s arrival at Inter Miami is already making headlines – and not just in MLS circles. The Argentine midfielder, a key piece in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph, has joined on loan from Atlético de Madrid, a move that has generated negative reactions in his home country just months before the 2026 World Cup.

  "Does De Paul want to play with less pressure and in a second-tier league just to enjoy himself alongside Messi? Is he not concerned about joining a tournament with little prestige, where winning or losing doesn’t really matter to anyone? Is he thinking about leaving the national team, or does he simply feel he’s completed a cycle under the demanding Diego Simeone and now wants to play with less stress?" wrote Argentine journalist Alejandro Fabbri for

  “De Paul’s departure from Atlético Madrid to play for Inter Miami, in a league considered to be of a lower level, surprised both insiders and outsiders alike, as he joins his friend Lionel Messi,” reads an article in the renowned Argentine outlet

  News of De Paul’s departure didn’t sit well with Atlético de Madrid fans, either. The midfielder played 187 matches for the club over four seasons and was named to La Liga Team of the Year last season. After the club made the move official on social media, many users flooded the post with insults and backlash over his decision. Comments like “Thanks for leaving and never coming back,” and “Just go and don’t return,” were among the more common – and milder – reactions from Aleti supporters.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  WHAT RODRIGO DE PAUL SAID

  “The excitement that brought me to Inter Miami is the desire to compete, to win titles, to help write this club’s history,” said Rodrigo De Paul in an official statement released by the team. “It’s a club that is being built to become great, to create a legacy, and for many people to follow this incredible team,” he added.

• AFP
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Rodrigo De Paul will become the third 2022 World Cup winner to play in MLS, following in the footsteps of Thiago Almada and, more recently, Lionel Messi. He will be the 18th World Cup champion in history to join MLS.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

  The Herons will host FC Cincinnati this Saturday in a match where they’ll be without Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba, both suspended after skipping the All-Star Game.

Tottenham Hotspur have now held advanced talks to appoint a “phenomenal” manager as a replacement for Ange Postecoglou, according to journalist Tancredi Palmeri.

Sack looming for Postecoglou despite Europa League victory

It appears as though the Europa League triumph in Bilbao will not be enough to prevent Daniel Levy from pulling the trigger on Postecoglou, with Football Insider recently revealing thaty the decision has been made to sack the manager.

That news comes after journalist Miguel Delaney revealed the 59-year-old has very little chance of remaining in his post, saying: “As of Friday morning, Tottenham Hotspur still hadn’t made an official decision on Ange Postecoglou but the chances of staying had apparently gone down from last week’s ‘five percent’.

“His departure is still expected, whenever that may be.”

Sacking the manager who led Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years will no doubt cause unrest within some pockets of the fanbase, but making the decision early will, at the very least, give any new manager an entire summer to instill a new philosophy.

According to Palmeri, who recently spoke to talkSPORT, Daniel Levy now has a top-level manager in mind as a replacement for Ange, namely Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi.

When asked about Inzaghi’s future at the San Siro, the journalist said: “The situation is that Al Hilal offered him £25million per-season for two seasons.

“I can tell you that he had advanced contacts with both Newcastle and Tottenham but at the same time, the priority for him is to stay at Inter.”

"Phenomenal" Inzaghi could be ideal Ange replacement

Tottenham’s 17th-place finish cannot be ignored, despite the Europa League triumph in Bilbao, with Ange’s side losing 22 Premier League games across the campaign, becoming the first side to lose as many without being relegated.

There is no doubting the Inter Milan manager’s talent, having led his side to the Champions League final this season, albeit coming up short in a 5-0 thrashing against Paris Saint-Germain in Munich.

Top target: Tottenham set to hold talks for "unbelievable" £68m forward

Spurs are planning to enter negotiations with the agents of a forward, who is one of their key summer targets.

ByDominic Lund Jun 2, 2025

The Italian has been lauded as “phenomenal” by former Inter striker Felipe Caicedo, and he retains a stellar record across spells with Inter and Lazio, winning three Italian Cups, five Super Cups and one Serie A title in the process.

Inzaghi’s record

Matches

Points per match

Inter Milan

217

2.14

Lazio

244

1.79

It would be a shame to see Ange leave, given that he was responsible for ending Tottenham’s trophy drought, but Inzaghi, who rakes in £5.6m-a-year (£108k-a-week), could be an excellent replacement for the Australian.

da supremo： With Nico Williams set to reject Arsenal in favour of Barcelona, the Gunners have reportedly set their sights on an unexpected move to sign a Chelsea star this summer.

Arsenal set to miss out on Nico Williams to Barcelona

da bet7k： There was a time when Williams looked like a serious option for Arsenal both last summer and this time around. In the end, however, the temptation of a potential Barcelona move proved too strong for the winger to turn down.

Now, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, the Catalan giants have agreed personal terms with the Spanish international and are now working on an agreement with Athletic Bilbao.

It’s a frustrating blow for Arsenal whose attacking limitations saw them miss out on the Premier League title once again – this time at the hands of Liverpool. And as the Reds continue to strengthen themselves, those at The Emirates must ensure that Mikel Arteta’s side are not left behind this summer.

It’s a big task for new sporting director Andrea Berta, but signing an alternative for Williams should now be seen as one of the top priorities at Arsenal in the coming months.

On that front, names such as Real Madrid’s Rodrygo have already threatened to steal the headlines and there’s no doubt that his arrival would make the required statement.

Whether Arsenal are willing to spend big to secure the Brazilian’s signature is another question, however. Instead, as per recent reports, the Gunners could turn towards a London rival in an unexpected move.

Arsenal intensify interest in Chelsea's Madueke

According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are now intensifying their interest in Noni Madueke as an alternative to Williams. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is reportedly open to offers for the winger as the Blues welcome even more fresh faces and that has seemingly left the door open for the Gunners to make their move in the coming months.

Related Arsenal hold talks with "magnificent" Partey replacement as Arteta drives move

The Ghanaian could leave as contract talks hit a standstill.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jun 21, 2025

What’s more, although Chelsea initially valued their winger at as much as €65m (£56m), it is now reportedly believed that they could accept offers worth just €50m (£43m). Given that Madueke is still just 23 years old, that deal could quickly turn into a summer bargain.

Premier League stats 24/24 (via FBref)

Madueke

Saka

Martinelli

Minutes

2,033

1,729

2,290

Goals

7

6

8

Assists

3

10

4

Successful Take-ons P90

1.99

2.14

1.3

Although he lacked consistency at times, Madueke’s numbers from last season represent a player full of potential with his ability to take players on particularly standing out compared to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

England boss Thomas Tuchel recently described the Chelsea star as “dangerous” in the post-season international break and that’s the type of praise that should catch Arsenal’s eye.

If those in North London sign Madueke from a rival club for a cut-price and then get the best out of him, then it would quickly look like an act of genius from Berta.

Rangers manger Russell Martin has provided a new transfer update out of Ibrox, admitting to Sky Sports that he is “excited” with some of the Gers’ targets.

Rangers plan transfers as fixtures are released

Lyall Cameron has become the first addition of the summer in Glasgow after penning a pre-contract agreement earlier in the year.

Leaving Dundee for Rangers, the midfielder is expected to be the first of many through the door in that is the 49ers Enterprises and Martin’s maiden transfer market.

49ers could now sell £50m Rangers stars who Martin wants to keep at Ibrox

It wouldn’t go down well with the new manager.

ByCharlie Smith Jun 18, 2025

Next on the transfer to-do list ahead of the club’s Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos appears to be defensive signings.

Bournemouth right-back Max Aarons and Leicester City centre-back Conor Coady are two firm targets to bolster Martin’s ranks at the back, with approaches made for both.

Meanwhile, turning attention back to the pitch, Rangers have learned their fixture list for the 2025/26 season, with a trip to Motherwell being Martin’s first domestic game in charge of the club.

Motherwell vs Rangers

August 2

Rangers vs Dundee

August 9

St Mirren vs Rangers

August 23

Rangers vs Celtic

August 31

Rangers vs Hearts

September 13

The first league game at Ibrox will be against Dundee on Saturday August 9, whereas the first Old Firm clash against rivals Celtic is scheduled to take place on Sunday August 31 at Ibrox.

Martin “excited" as he shares Rangers transfer update to Sky Sports

Talking to Sky Sports following the Scottish Premiership fixture release, Martin was asked about the chances of any pending signings and revealed he is expected to “a few” to arrive before the first leg against Panathinaikos on July 22.

Martin was also quizzed on the future of striker Cyriel Dessers amid links of a move away from Ibrox, to which he said:

“The updates will come as and when they are actually real. At the minute, I’m expecting him to return on Monday and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

It looks as if there could be some real movement in the weeks to come, and it’ll be interesting to see if the likes of Aarons and Coady are the players Martin is excited about and if they arrive in time to take on the Greek side.

After overseeing a third-consecutive promotion to make unforgettable history, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have now reportedly put Wrexham in pole position to sign a clinical MLS talent.

Reynolds & McElhenney full of praise for Parkinson

Whilst it’s Reynolds and McElhenney who steal the headlines, Phil Parkinson is one of the main reasons why Wrexham find themselves in the Championship from National League frustration. The experienced manager will forever be a legend at the Welsh club and is now set to take charge of a side in England’s second tier for the first time since Bolton Wanderers in the 2018/2019 campaign.

Reynolds and McElhenney are well aware of their manager’s impact too. The former told reporters after promotion was sealed: “You can look at so many beating hearts at the club but it all goes back to Phil, I mean the leadership in that locker room and we thankfully don’t make football decisions but the faith that the club has in Phil and the community has in him speaks volumes.”

McElhenney then added onto that by saying: “In Phil we trust and Ryan and I always find it silly that at the end of the games it’s us standing here with microphones because we’re not the ones out here on the pitch doing the work.”

Alas, the Hollywood stars are far from finished even after securing a place in the Championship. They, alongside Parkinson, will have their sights set on causing their biggest upset yet in the Championship, and the summer transfer window is likely to play a large part in that.

Wrexham lead Sunusi Ibrahim race

According to GiveMeSport, Reynolds and McElhenney are now leading the race to sign Sunusi Ibrahim for Wrexham this summer. The Montreal talent is reportedly valued between $300,000 and $500,000 (£222,000-£370,000) this summer and could be on his way to English football after struggling for starts in the MLS.

Although there may be some concerns that Ibrahim, 22, has yet to earn his place in Montreal’s starting side, it must be said that it’s not for the want of trying. The Nigerian has scored seven goals in around 1,000 minutes this season – the same as just over 11 games – but has still been forced to settle for a bench role.

Reynolds and McElhenney plotting Wrexham move to sign "great" 7-goal star

He could be their first Championship signing…

By
Tom Cunningham

Apr 29, 2025

Whether that starting place would come his way at Wrexham is the big question. Those in Wales can’t risk getting things wrong on the transfer front ahead of their return to England’s second tier and whether they take a risk on an MLS talent remains to be seen.

As ever, of course, Wrexham will be ones to watch when the transfer window swings open amid links to Ibrahim and Cardiff City’s Isaak Davies in recent weeks.