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Essex must win at Surrey to stand any chance of a place in quarter-finals

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2023Middlesex 226 for 8 (Higgins 61, Critchley 5-28) beat Essex 225 for 6 (Sams 69*) by two wicketsRyan Higgins led Middlesex to a second unlikely victory in three Vitality Blast matches to leave Essex’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage hanging by a thread.The Middlesex all-rounder’s 61 was plundered off just 24 balls and included three sixes and eight fours. It laid the foundations for a chase after 226 runs only surpassed by their record 253 to beat Surrey last week.Even Matt Critchley’s career-best 5 for 28 could not prevent Middlesex reaching their target with two balls to spare for only their second win of the season.Essex now head to The Oval on Sunday where they must beat Surrey to stand any chance of a place in next week’s quarter-finals.Essex owed their 225 for 6 to a splendid 69 off 34 balls from all-rounder Daniel Sams that included six sixes. Essex’s innings yielded 16 sixes, during which Sams, Michael Pepper (32) and Paul Walter (45) all passed 300 runs in this year’s competition.Essex, put in, typically lost three wickets in the powerplay while creeping along to 52 runs. It was the calm before the storm. Feroze Khushi was first to go taking a swing at Ethan Bamber and picking out deep mid-off.Adam Rossington, returning after a finger injury, hit two sixes, one ramped off Tom Helm, before edging behind for 19 off 13 balls.Dan Lawrence completed the trio of early wickets when he retreated towards square leg against Josh De Caires and found himself stretching in vain as the ball thudded into his stumps. Lawrence showed his anger with himself by kicking furiously at the blameless crease.However, the run-rate accelerated once Walter joined Pepper and the pair put on 36 inside four overs. Pepper hammered six fours and a six into the pavilion in a 20-ball knock before he leaned back and slashed Martin Andersson to backward point.Walter, who had recorded single-figure scores in his previous two innings, was back to big-hitting form. The second of the quartet of sixes was the longest, clearing the scorers’ box over de Caires’s head. He perished when slicing Luke Hollman to cover point.Sams slipped almost seamlessly into Walter’s boots and battered 43 of the runs in a fifty partnership for the sixth wicket, in which Matt Critchley contributed three. However, Critchley still hit three sixes in an 18-ball 36 before he was caught by Joe Cracknell sliding in from the midwicket boundary. The pair had shared a stand of 79 in six overs.Sams’s eyes lit up in the final over in which Andersson conceded 26 runs, including three sixes, two off the last two balls, the first over fine leg, the second over third man.The ubiquitous Sams was back on the scorecard when he held a pull from Stevie Eskinazi on the boundary to give Aaron Beard a wicket as Middlesex got off to a steady start in reply. He was in the same position to take the catch that ended Max Holden’s whirlwind 15 off five balls during which 32 runs were compiled from just nine balls in partnership with Higgins.Before that, Cracknell was dropped by Rossington on four and added six, four and a six in his 36 before misreading Critchley and seeing his bails dislodged.Higgins reached his fifty from 20 balls with his third six, swept off Walter, but eventually fell when he pulled Critchley straight into Beard’s hands on the midwicket fence.The third and fourth wickets, with Higgins at the helm, accumulated 78 runs off 24 balls. But three wickets in seven balls turned the tide back in Essex’s favour as Middlesex slide from 173 for 4 to 175 for 7. Sams tempted John Simpson in pick out short midwicket and Critchley had Hollman caught by Beard at mid-on and Alex Davies leg before.Middlesex needed nine off the last over with two wickets standing but a six by Andersson off Walter’s third ball all but wrapped it up.

Arsenal have been told exactly what it will take for Benjamin Sesko to leave RB Leipzig this summer, as his agent speaks out about reports linking his client with a move away from the Red Bull Arena.

Arsenal offered 21-goal striker who's a "priority signing" for Tottenham

The north London clubs could go head-to-head.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 19, 2025

Sesko has just finished a career-best Bundesliga campaign, bagging 21 goals in all competitions, but he couldn’t quite guide Leipzig to a European spot – with the Germans missing out on a place in the Conference League, Europa League and Champions League.

19/20 – winter

£0

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£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

It is the first time Leipzig haven’t qualified for Europe since their top-flight arrival in 2016, and this will surely get Sesko thinking about his immediate future as Arsenal reportedly circle to offer him a route out.

The Slovenia international is a top target for Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, who’s been chasing his signature for 12 months.

Arsenal had a proposal rejected for Sesko last summer, who instead put pen to paper on a contract extension to remain at Leipzig and further his development, with the north Londoners also having an attempt rebuffed in January (Ben Jacobs).

They’re now trying to make it ‘third-time-lucky’ with another move for Sesko, and “concrete talks” have been taking place since late May (Florian Plettenberg). However, as things stand, Sky Germany are reporting that Arsenal are unwilling to match Leipzig’s financial demands for the centre-forward.

With plenty of work still to do, the 22-year-old’s own representative, Elvis Basanovic, has now provided an update on his client’s future in an interview with GiveMeSport this week.

Arsenal told key transfer condition by Benjamin Sesko's agent

Speaking to GMS, Basanovic has revealed the key condition for Sesko to depart Leipzig before summer deadline day on September 1.

The agent claims he’ll only leave Leipzig for a “special” new destination, refusing to clarify whether Arsenal fall into this category. When asked if the plan for Sesko is to find a new club, Basanovic said: “Well, his numbers at his age compared to some strikers with already great careers at his age are confirming my words.

“He will move from RB Leipzig only when we recognise a special club, a special project with a special coach.”

More worryingly for Arteta, the intermediary even suggested that Sesko could stay at Leipzig for years if they deem it the right call.

“It can be next week, or next year, or in 3 years,” Basanovic continued.

“Even if there may be – or will be – a strong desire of the player to move to a certain club, we will never force or blackmail RB Leipzig. I believe this is not the right way, because the way you actually exit from the club shows your values. Values that you are bringing into a new club.

“I can understand in very big transfers, there are a lot of different interests, but no matter what, I believe in the football world ‘there’ should be more respect. So that’s why we do things in the right way, or we don’t do them. It’s very simple, even maybe in the media it looks very complicated.”

da dobrowin： It is practically indisputable that Arsenal are in the market for a new striker this summer, and Mikel Arteta’s side have now been handed the chance to get one over on arch rivals Tottenham by signing a key target of Thomas Frank’s side.

Related Arsenal make contact to sign trophy-laden £400k-per-week ex-Man City star

He’d be quite the addition to Arteta’s dressing room.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jun 17, 2025

da cassino： New sporting director Andrea Berta is currently busy attempting to negotiate agreeable terms on a deal for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, but find themselves some way off the Bundesliga side’s asking price of around £68-85 million, according to Sky Germany’s (Florian Plettenberg).

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)

Money on new signings

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Arsenal negotiations for Sesko have been ongoing since late May, but if a deal cannot be struck for the Slovenia international, Berta does have other reported striker targets on his shortlist.

Arsenal have also worked on a deal for Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, who is currently keen on a move to north London and open to joining other high-profile Premier League suitors like Man United.

“Viktor Gyökeres prefers a move to the Premier League, and would welcome an Arsenal bid,” reported Ben Jacobs on X recently.

“Arsenal still deciding between Benjamin Sesko and Gyökeres. Andrea Berta simultaneously advancing both deals. Gyökeres would be open to Manchester United. There has been no formal rejection, but a deal to date has also never been at an advanced stage, despite suggestions.

“United have not made any formal approach to Sporting. Swedish striker one of several striker options discussed. Gyökeres believes he’ll still be allowed to leave Sporting for €70m. Arsenal have always been one to watch, but it will depend on Berta now because he is also in ongoing talks for Sesko at the same time, with a bid for one of the two targets expected soon.”

Either centre-forward would be an upgrade on Arteta’s current options. Sesko is fresh off a career-best Bundesliga campaign at Leipzig, while Gyokeres has just guided Sporting to their first domestic double in 20 years after scoring 54 goals in all competitions.

However, Arsenal now also have a new left-field option.

Arsenal offered Dynamo Kyiv striker Vladyslav Vanat

According to website Just Arsenal, Dynamo Kyiv striker Vladyslav Vanat has been put forward to Arteta’s side.

Vanat scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, helping Kyiv to lift the Ukranian Premier League title whilst ending the season unbeaten. He also finished 2024/2025 as the division’s top scorer with 17, and this has attracted some attention from England.

It is now believed that Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign Vanat, who has a reported £17 million release clause in his contract. Arteta doesn’t view the 23-year-old’s signing as an urgent need right now, but is fully aware of Vanat’s quality, so it’s apparently a situation they could revisit later in the window.

However, if they do decide they want him, Arsenal will need to be wary of rival interest. Manchester United, Leeds United, Everton, and Tottenham are all keen on Vanat, with the latter even viewing him as a “priority signing” for new manager Frank.

They’ve battled injuries and unexpectedly slow pitches, but they’ve scrapped their way into the Super 12s

Sidharth Monga20-Oct-2022As far as banana peels go, Sri Lanka found themselves on a big one, which in turn was placed on an oily surface. Playing the first round of the 2022 T20 World Cup, after coming in as Asia Cup champions, they struggled to adjust to a slow, two-paced Geelong pitch and ended up paying for it with a defeat to Namibia. Add to it a soft outfield that can leave you vulnerable to injuries.Five of the Sri Lanka players have been injured so far. Dilshan Madushanka tore his quad during training on the eve of the first match. Dushmantha Chameera did his calf during the second game. Pramod Madushan and Danushka Gunathilaka injured their hamstrings. Pathum Nissanka has now gone for a scan of his groin.Related

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Mendis' 79, spinners steer Sri Lanka into Super 12s

Maheesh Theekshana feels the risk of injuries is high on this ground. “Even when we’re batting, we can see how the ball is not going to the boundaries; the ball stops early,” he said. “There’s a lot of tension on the body. That’s why there are more injuries.”Then, on the day after their defeat against Namibia, Sri Lanka saw a forecast for rain on Thursday, the final day of the first round, which left them even more anxious. And these are not conditions where you can blast away an opposition. You have to swallow your pride a little.Sri Lanka fell back on conservative, unsexy cricket to get back on their feet. Their first win, against UAE, was centred on Nissanka’s 74 at a strike rate of 123.33. In their next game, Kusal Mendis went at a run a ball for his first 17 balls against Netherlands. Just what you are taught not to do in T20 cricket. But they knew they couldn’t make the conditions bend to their will.”When we saw the pitch, I didn’t think it would be that slow in the morning,” Mendis said. “It’s very slow, and the spinners turned the ball. You can’t get to your normal game. Even if you jump out of the crease, it’s a bit slow. So we had to bat normally for 10 or 12 overs. Because we did that, we were able to score heavily in the last five.”[It’s] a little bit different here. In Australia, you come expecting bounce and pace. Here you have to play your normal game in the first six overs. Then we can hit out in the last ten overs. In the first game, we struggled. The wicket was slow. We didn’t know how to play on this pitch. The second and third game, I knew how to play here.”Often in T20s, not taking risks is the risk. Mendis was willing to take that risk. The pitch was perhaps slightly better than in the first two matches. Once he realised the slower ones were not gripping as much, Mendis played with the ground dimensions: short square boundaries and a long hit down the ground.Mendis managed to hit 23 balls between fine leg and midwicket, which brought him 62 of his 79 runs, including all five sixes. This points to a few loose balls especially as some of the slower ones didn’t grip. But it also points to ruthless execution and upscaling of his ambition as he went along.Sri Lanka didn’t quite avoid the banana peel but have managed to get back up. It has taken a heavy toll, but there’s no time to lick their wounds. They will have to regroup quickly, adjust to real Australian tracks, and keep finding answers and replacements as they go along.

West Indies’ No. 7 was at it again, trying to dig his team out of a hole – the way he often goes about it begs the question: does he deserve a promotion?

Shashank Kishore06-Feb-2022Not for the first time in his career, Jason Holder had to clean up a top-order mess. And not for the first time, he showed how the job ought to have been done. Again, not for the first time, he made you wonder if he was batting too low at No. 7.Ahead of the series, Kieron Pollard spoke of batting out 50 overs being a realistic goal, but West Indies were in danger of folding inside 30 overs in the series opener against India. Holder’s defiance, which quickly turned into a full-blown attack, especially with India’s spinners trying to exercise control, helped them bat out 43.5 overs eventually. This was by no means any consolation.For the record, West Indies haven’t batted out 50 overs for seven matches in a row now, stretching back to the Australia series at home in July 2021. It merely reaffirms Pollard’s statement that West Indies have a batting problem.Related

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Pollard wants Windies to bat entire 50 overs

Holder put on a batting show that many of his team-mates would do well to emulate. There was no premeditation, neither was there an attempt to throw the bowlers off their lengths. He was simply reacting to what was presented to him and played shots he thought were appropriate without worrying about how the pitch was playing or how one good ball could get him.The essence of his innings was built around trying to get fully forward and using his long levers to play Yuzvendra Chahal’s teasing legbreaks, and playing Washington Sundar by going right back into the crease because the offspinner was looking to largely bowl good length.It wasn’t that the class of his batting suddenly stood out; he has oozed plenty of it right from his debut seven years ago. You don’t average 30 across 53 Tests at No. 7 without possessing it. You don’t make a Test highest off 202 not out without learning to apply yourself at the crease. Yet, you couldn’t help but marvel at his ability to loft the ball cleanly with the spin, pick lengths early to punch through the covers, and nonchalantly play the pickup shot to anything that veered into the pads. More than anything, Holder seemed to revel even when he walked out to immense scoreboard pressure at 71 for 5 in the 20th over.For a better part of the last seven years, Holder has shouldered much of West Indies’ lower-order batting in ODIs. Since the 2015 World Cup, Holder has walked into bat inside the 25-over mark 19 times when he has batted at No. 7 or lower. He has made 564 runs at an average of 35.25, including six half-centuries, in these games. He has struck these runs at 88. Does this merit a promotion? You’d think yes.”When you’re looking at different things, you can say that,” Pollard told host broadcaster Star Sports at the presentation ceremony, when asked if there was merit in promoting Holder. “For instance, 12 months ago, guys wouldn’t have been saying that from a statistical point of view. But last couple of games, he has done well. He has played Test cricket, he has made a double-hundred, so he can bat at any position in the order.”But again, the combination of the team, when you look at it, yes he can bat at No. 6 or at No. 5, but when you watch the make-up of our team, we have international batsmen who have played Test cricket. He (Holder) has a role to play for us, and he came into a crucial scenario and made a crucial fifty. In the last couple of weeks, his cricket has improved and he’s doing well for himself. We’re happy for Jason as a team and long may it continue.”Jason Holder adapted to the challenge of batting in India despite limited time to acclimatise•ICC via GettyThis batting ability from a bowling allrounder is something teams around the world yearn for. Holder’s batting, along with his nagging bowling, has contributed largely to whatever success West Indies have had in Test cricket too, in recent years. It has allowed them to play five bowlers for one thing. But Holder’s improved batting hasn’t quite been enough to mask the inefficiency, and in some cases recklessness, of some of his colleagues.In Ahmedabad, Shai Hope was out driving with no feet in the same over that he dispatched Mohammed Siraj for two glorious boundaries. Pollard was out looking to hit out, disregarding Chahal’s dip and spin as he attempted a big mow first ball with his team four down and trying to rebuild inside the 20th over. Brandon King and Fabian Allen tamely lobbed return-catches to deliveries that stopped on them. Nicholas Pooran completely misjudged the length trying to sweep a full delivery, only to lose his balance and wicket. Of course, you could make some allowances for the fact West Indies came into the series barely having had one full training session, but the question remains: if Holder could, maybe some of the others could, too?Holder aside, there were a few other positives too for the visitors. Alzarri Joseph, fresh off a short stint in the Bangladesh Premier League, was zippy and nipped out the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in an over. Kohli’s, in particular, was a wicket well-earned because he surprised him for pace and got him to top-edge an attempted pull to fine leg. Rohit was beaten and nipped out lbw trying to play across the line.West Indies have little time between now and the second ODI to get their mindset right. If they need to look for inspiration, they needn’t look beyond Holder. In an era of the Pollards, Bravos, Narines and Gayles, that he has managed to carve a niche for himself speaks volumes of his drive and resolve. His team-mates will do well to try and match the benchmark he has set.

da esoccer bet： Derby County face Blackburn Rovers in the race to sign a versatile midfielder with the same agent as Craig Forsyth, according to a new report.

Forsyth signs new Derby contract as Eustace targets attackers

da brdice： Earlier this week, Derby announced that experienced defender Forsyth has signed a new two-year contract to remain with the Rams. The left-back’s contract was set to expire at the end of this month, but John Eustace, who was a teammate of Forsyth’s during his playing career, has decided to keep the 36-year-old at the club until 2027.

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Posts BySean Markus Clifford Jun 12, 2025

Forsyth played 39 times for the Rams in the Championship last season, as they avoided relegation to League One. In those appearances, the defender managed to score an impressive three goals and grab four assists. This latest contract will see Forsyth extend his football career to 20 years, and this contract will also see Derby support him in getting his coaching qualifications.

As Eustace decides to keep valuable experience in his defence, in a fan forum held at Pride Park, the Derby boss has revealed that signing new attackers is a priority for the club this summer, given their lack of goals last season.

Eustace said, via BBC Sport: “I’d love to play a back four, some exciting attacking wingers and two good strikers.”

This comes as the Rams have agreed a deal with Luton Town to sign striker Carlton Morris, who is set to undergo his medical once he returns from holiday.

Derby face Blackburn in race to sign Russell

The arrivals at Pride Park don’t look to be stopping there, as according to Football League World, Derby are keen on signing midfielder Jon Russell from League One side Barnsley.

It isn’t just the Rams looking at the 24-year-old however; Blackburn Rovers, Oxford United and Stoke City are also keeping an eye on the player’s situation ahead of a potential move.

Russell, who is a former Chelsea academy graduate, has been with the Tykes since January 2023, when he joined from Huddersfield Town.

The Jamaica international has been a key contributor for Barnsley in his two full seasons at the club – he played 31 times during the 2023/24 League One season, as Barnsley reached the play-offs. He then bettered that last term, as he played 40 times in the league, scoring an impressive 11 goals, as well as grabbing two assists.

Jon Russell’s 24/25 League One stats

Apps

40

Starts

34

Goals

11

Chance conversion

19%

Assists

2

Touches per game

38.9

Key passes per game

0.8

Big chances created

4

Duels per game (won)

4.0 (50%)

This report doesn’t claim how much the League One side would want for Russell, but given his contract expires next summer, Barnsley may have to consider cashing in on the midfielder now, before he leaves for nothing.

In further good news for Derby, they may hold an advantage in this race, as Russell, who can play in a defensive role as well as an advanced role in midfield, has the same representatives, Two Touch Agency, as Derby defender Forsyth, who they have of course recently concluded positive talks with.

The Astros and Blue Jays square off for the fourth game of a four-game series Thursday night at the Rogers Center. The Jays lead this series 2-1, winning the last two in a row after Alek Manoah’s implosion in game one of the series.

When this series started, I said I believed the teams would split, 2-2, so I am following up my prediction and backing Houston behind Frambe Valdez at -120 tonight.

Valdez has been excellent this season and is once again in the AL Cy Young conversation. His ERA of 2.17 is well below his xERA of 3.85, but Valdez’s 59.5% ground ball rate continues to work in his favor, and his 2.87 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) says the ERA should remain low. More importantly, however, Valdez is likely to go deep in the game. His 79 innings pitched this season are the seventh-most in MLB. The Jays struggle when facing lefties, ranking 22nd in OPS (.706), 25th in SLG (.382) and 32nd in ISO (a mere .121). Houston should have the advantage on the bump tonight.

The Jays will start Jose Berrios, who has been better of late, lowering his ERA to 3.66 after a bumpy start in April. Berrios owns a 2.22 ERA when pitching at home this year, so I don’t expect a lot of scoring for either team tonight, though Berrios’s xERA of 4.58 and 2.78 walks per nine innings suggest he’s the more vulnerable pitcher.

Games at the Rogers Center are averaging only 7.82 runs per game this year, and I predict the game total will stay under the listed market value of 8.5. A low-scoring, close game feels like the most likely outcome tonight- with the Astros edging the Jays to split the series 2-2.

A few more trends to note:

Games have gone under 50.8% of the time for Houston this season, while games have gone under 51.7% of the time for Toronto.

Houston has won 68.8% of the time as the road favorite this year (11-5-0).

Toronto has won 75% of the time as home underdog (3-1).

Toronto is averaging 3.86 runs per game across the past two weeks of play, while Houston is averaging 4.86.

The Bets: Houston ML( -120) | Under 8.5 (-115)

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

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“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.”

India captain Rohit Sharma said there was swelling on the knee after the blow on day two; he did not take the field on the third morning either

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2024

Rishabh Pant hasn’t taken part in the ongoing Bengaluru Test after getting hit on the right knee while keeping on the second day (effectively the first day after no play was possible on Wednesday). Dhruv Jurel kept wickets for the remainder of New Zealand’s first innings, but Pant did walk out for a brief throwdown session during the tea break on the third day.India went into tea at 57 for no loss in their second innings, having started with a deficit of 356. Pant is expected to bat if needed, which is likely given the match situation.Pant went out at the interval close to the edge of the boundary near the pavilion wearing just one pad – on the non-injured right knee – but was still hobbling a little bit. He, however, struck the ball cleanly with batting coach Abhishek Nayar keeping a close watch. The focus appeared to be on playing the drives, to stretch and test the knee. At the end of the 15-odd minute session, Pant also played a few aerial shots into the crowd much to their delight.Related

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Rishabh Pant undergoes knee ligament surgery in Mumbai hospital

Rishabh Pant suffers multiple injuries in serious car crash

Rohit Sharma had said on the second evening that Pant had some swelling in the injured area and the team didn’t want to take any risks given Pant had recovered from serious knee injuries sustained in a car crash in December 2022. On the third morning, a BCCI statement said, “The BCCI medical team is monitoring his progress.”In the Bengaluru Test, Pant was hurt in the 37th over of New Zealand’s innings. Attempting to stump Devon Conway off Ravindra Jadeja, he failed to collect the ball and it hit him in the knee He went off the field immediately and was replaced by Jurel.”Unfortunately, the ball hit straight on his knee cap, the same leg on which he has got a surgery done. So he has got a bit of swelling on it,” Rohit said after the day’s play. “And you know the muscles are quite tender at this point in time, so it’s a precautionary measure. We don’t want to take a risk. Rishabh doesn’t want to take a risk because he has gone through a massive surgery on that particular leg. That was the reason for him to go inside.”After suffering career-threatening injuries during the car crash, Pant made his comeback only in IPL 2024.

Aston Villa are in a position where they may need to sell players to meet the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules and there is plenty of contention surrounding their situation from fans, pundits and journalists alike.

Aston Villa's PSR situation and who may leave the club this summer

In short, Aston Villa are one of the Premier League’s most at-risk clubs with PSR heading towards the deadline on June 30th. Per The Athletic’s projection, they can only lose £15 million in 2024/25 to remain within regulatory boundaries.

Unai Emery’s men have recorded a pre-tax loss of £206.2 million in the last two years, which is the highest deficit across the top-flight in that time and leaves the Birmingham-based outfit in danger of punishment.

Big money sales such as Jhon Duran leaving for Al Nassr and Leon Bailey’s anticipated move to Saudi Arabian outfit Neom SC have left hope that the Villans can evade any form of penalty.

However, they are teetering on the brink and their failure to qualify for Champions League football ended up being a massive setback, especially when Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio’s expensive loan deals formed part of their bid to secure a place despite already treading water in their efforts to balance the books.

There have been suggestions that Aston Villa could sell stakes in their women’s team to make ends meet, an option that remains active following a failed bill to cancel that practice after Chelsea flipped £90 million in losses to a £128 million profit in 2024.

Aston Villa now seriously interested in signing "aggressive" 13-goal rival

He could be on the move.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 5, 2025

Losing a maximum of £105 million over three rolling years is the limit for Premier League clubs in order to comply. Still, not everyone is happy at the rules that their clubs have to abide by to evade sanctions.

Journalist fumes at Aston Villa PSR latest

Taking to social media platform X, iNews correspondent Mark Douglas vented his frustration at Aston Villa’s need to sell and made the point that Newcastle United have suffered a similar fate in their efforts to progress as a club.

Admittedly, PSR has become a controversial topic among football fans for a number of reasons, with some feeling that the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs are protected more than others due to the ease in making ‘pure profit’ sales or by filing via subsidiaries of their PLC’s entity.

Regulation is critical to promote fairness, though there are clear elements in the current system that leave a lot to be desired. Aston Villa find themselves in a frustrating situation and will need to meticulously ensure they don’t fall foul of the authorities.

Others will argue their wage to revenue ratio is a problem, brought on by decisions such as paying £227,500 of Marcus Rashford’s salary weekly during his stay. Either way, the rise of PSR over the last few years has become a contentious issue and continues to limit the progression of those attempting to challenge the traditional order.