The great Indian beard quiz
A majority of India’s players sport one these days. Can you identify them from their beards?
ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2017
A majority of India’s players sport one these days. Can you identify them from their beards?
ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2017
Mikel Arteta has acknowledged it. Nuno Santo acknowledged it in midweek. The whole world knows what the issue is at Arsenal Football Club right now.
2024 saw a progressive year for the Gunners. The back end of last season was met with one defeat as they not only scored goals galore but were resolute defensively, ensuring the team’s title challenge went down to the Premier League’s final day.
They scored six at West Ham, five against Burnley, four versus Newcastle and six against Sheffield United during a run of four devastating matches at the back end of February and the beginning of March.
How much difference a year makes? Now, the club can’t buy a goal for love nor money. Mikel Merino’s double is the only two goals Arsenal have scored over their last three games, subsequently losing 1-0 to West Ham and then playing out a 0-0 stalemate with top-four hopefuls Nottingham Forest.
So, where’s it all gone wrong?
Coming into the winter transfer window Arsenal knew they were a body light. Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury suffered against Crystal Palace back in November ensured they were without their golden boy.
Still, Jason Ayto – their interim sporting director – and the club’s ownership didn’t appear to be in a great hurry. That was, until, Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for the season having sustained an ACL injury in the FA Cup.
With the Brazilian down and out, Arsenal now arguably needed two attackers. Rumours came and went. A move for Alexander Isak was never going to materialise and it was thought as though getting long-term target Benjamin Sesko out of RB Leipzig in January was going to be a tough ask. They may still pursue the Slovenian in the summer but that will be too little too late as far as 2024/25 is concerned.
The window ended with no one arriving. Fans groaned, fans moaned, fans gesticulated aggressively at the Emirates Stadium. Then came the biggest blow of all. Kai Havertz. The man who Arteta claimed that “his robustness and his availability is unbelievable.”
It would appear as though that was a cursed comment. Just a week later, during Arsenal’s warm weather camp in Dubai, the German suffered a hamstring injury. He’s now out for the season too.
All of a sudden, with Gabriel Martinelli also on the sidelines, the Gunners were now down to bare bones. So, what’s been the solution? Arguably, there hasn’t been one.
Against Leicester, it was a front three of Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling. Nwaneri was a menace, providing chance after chance and rattling the post in the second half. Trossard was ineffective up top and Sterling was withdrawn for Mikel Merino. Imagine that.
Merino, however, was the saviour. He scored twice courtesy of delicious assists from Nwaneri and Trossard. Since then, Arsenal have been toothless.
The idea of fielding the Spaniard up top, a player with a similar wirey build to Havertz certainly makes sense but he’s not a centre-forward, far from it.
Against Nottingham Forest, we even saw left-back Riccardo Calafiori drifting into central pockets in offensive zones, notably rattling the woodwork with a fine first-half effort. His erratic defending, however, saw him withdrawn at the break.
So, this will probably be the story for the rest of the season. How they must rue selling some of their finest Hale End talent? Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course, but there’s one who now happens to be outscoring the aforementioned Isak…
Hale End has proven to be a consistent production line for Arsenal in recent years. It was Saka and Emile Smith Rowe who saved Arteta when he first arrived in N5 and now he’s getting the same level of performance from two further Hale Enders; Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
Sadly, the Gunners have already cashed in on a player making greater strides than both of them this term.
That happens to be Mika Biereth. You’ve all heard of him now, but you probably didn’t while he was learning his trade in the academy set-up.
Signed from Fulham, the centre-forward walked straight into the U21 side where he scored 12 times in 26 outings. Those numbers are hardly awe-inspiring.
There were a number of loan spells during that time, featuring for Dutch side RKC Waalwijk and enjoying a fruitful time at Motherwell and Sturm Graz last term, scoring 15 times and supplying nine assists across his spells with both clubs in 2023/24.
|
Mika Biereth’s form in 23/24 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Team |
Motherwell |
Sturm Graz |
|
Appearances |
15 |
22 |
|
Minutes |
1045 |
1624 |
|
Goals |
6 |
9 |
|
Assists |
5 |
4 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt. |
||
Truth be told, Arsenal have been pretty rubbish at loaning out players and growing their value but they were able to do so on this occasion, eventually selling the Denmark youth international last summer to Sturm Graz for just £4m.
After a first half of the year where he lit up Austrian football once again, bagging 11 league goals in 16 games and two Champions League goals, he was on the move again.
Over the winter, Monaco came calling, paying £10.8m for his signature which looks like an absolute bargain considering his form now.
In the words of former GOAL reporter Robin Bairner, the 22-year-old’s “form continues to be absolutely crazy” having scored ten times in seven games including three remarkable hat-tricks.
That makes him the joint-most prolific player in Europe’s top five leagues throughout 2025. He’s been so good that he’s outscoring the aforementioned Isak and Liverpool’s man of the moment, Mo Salah.
|
Top scorers in 2025: Europe’s big 5 leagues |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Games |
Goal tally |
|
1. Ousmane Dembele |
7 |
10 |
|
2. Mika Biereth |
7 |
10 |
|
3. Mateo Retegui |
8 |
9 |
|
4. Jean Philippe Mateta |
8 |
8 |
|
5. Serhou Guirassy |
9 |
8 |
|
6. Mohamed Salah |
10 |
8 |
|
7. Patrik Schick |
9 |
7 |
|
8. Alexander Isak |
7 |
7 |
|
9. Harry Kane |
9 |
7 |
|
10. Chris Wood |
8 |
7 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt. |
||
It’s safe to say that Biereth’s tale is a fascinating one. At Arsenal, he wasn’t generating much hype but there was clearly a talented goalscorer there.
To cash in for just £4m, in hindsight, was a mistake, but very few at Colney will have expected the young Dane to flourish quite as he has done now.
Arsenal can finally end Merino experiment by unleashing "deadly" Hale Ender
The prolific youngster deserves his first start amid Mikel Merino’s inclusion as a striker for Arsenal.
1
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Mar 2, 2025
A few weeks ago, Hamza Igamane was all the talk at Glasgow Rangers. Not only delivering on the European stage, with four goals across six games, but the youngster began to show his worth domestically.
Between December 4 and January 15, Igamane scored nine goals in the Premiership, including a brace against Motherwell to salvage a draw, before netting a wonderful hat trick against Hibernian, although more points were dropped by the Light Blues.
Since then, however, he has looked poor. Philippe Clement will be hoping the Moroccan striker can return to his best over the next couple of weeks.
As mentioned, Igamane has saved his best displays for the European stage. A double against Nice was impressive, but the way he took his goal against Tottenham Hotspur in December was perhaps even more so.
Reportedly, Everton sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old in action against the Premier League side, and it looked as though they might be weighing up a January bid for the striker.
Nothing came of it, but over the previous few weeks, his performances have been rather muted. Could he be affected by the recent interest shown in him from down south?
In the Europa League, Igamane scores once every 91 minutes, while he also has a goal conversion rate of 36%. It is no wonder clubs are showing plenty of interest in the player.
Domestically, Igamane averages three shots per game, while creating five big chances, averaging one key pass and succeeding with 1.3 dribbles per match in the Premiership.
These statistics are excellent, especially considering plenty of eyebrows were raised following his signing from AS FAR last summer, costing the Gers around £1.7m.
Eight months later, he could turn out to be one of the best pieces of transfer business the club has conducted in the previous few years.
One that got away
There is no doubt the Light Blues will make a stunning profit on the centre-forward. The question is, when is the right time to sell him?
Depending on his performances over the next few months, this summer could see a flood of bids arrive for the African sensation, especially with a few more goals under his belt.
Over the years, the Gers have been forced to sell some of their finest players in order to remain financially stable.
However, they have also missed out on a fair few players who have since gone on to bigger and better things. Joey Veerman was wanted by Steven Gerrard during his spell as manager, and now he is shining for PSV Eindhoven.
Another player who the Gers were reportedly keen on a couple of years ago is now attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world after an incredible couple of seasons.
Viktor Gyokeres has been wonderful during his time at Sporting CP. Might the Ibrox side have secured his signature at one time, however?
Towards the end of the 2022/23 season, it was clear Michael Beale required some added quality in his attacking department, especially if he wanted to end Celtic’s domestic dominance.
According to Football Insider, the club were reportedly interested in Coventry City hitman Gyokeres and even made a move to land his signature after lodging an enquiry. The Swedish sensation had scored 21 goals in the second tier and they would go on to lose the playoff final to Luton Town.
This form didn’t go unnoticed as many clubs chased his signature, especially as the Sky Blues failed to secure promotion, it was evident that the striker would be on the move.
Dubbed as “unplayable” by his teammate at Coventry, Maxime Biamou, Gyokeres made the move to Portugal, joining Sporting.
Whether or not Rangers had a chance of luring him to Ibrox back in May 2023, there is absolutely no chance they will be able to sign him now.
The striker is arguably one of the best in Europe.
One thing is certain, the club will make a significant profit on the former Coventry hitman when they do decide to cash in. Sporting paid €24m (£20m) which would have been way out of the Light Blues’ price range anyway.
Since then, he has scored an incredible tally of 77 goals across just 85 games for the Liga Portugal side, spearheading them to the league title during his maiden campaign at the club.
|
Comparing Viktor Gyokeres & Hamza Igamane (domestic stats only – 24/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Metric |
Igamane |
Gyokeres |
|
Goals |
9 |
22 |
|
Assists |
1 |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
7 |
|
Shots per game |
3 |
4.2 |
|
Goal conversion percentage |
15% |
27% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
With three months left of the 2024/25 campaign, Gyokeres has already notched 34 goals in 35 matches, a truly astounding strike rate that puts a lot of strikers to shame.
Compare this to Igamane, who has netted 13 goals in 30 matches, and it proves just how big a gulf there is between the two forwards.
While it was always unlikely he would move to Glasgow, Rangers’ recent woes would surely have subsided had they been able to call upon the talents of Gyokeres, no doubt about that.
It comes as no surprise to hear that Gyokeres is attracting plenty of interest from the biggest clubs in Europe.
The likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and Arsenal have all been linked with a move for the Swedish star over the previous few months.
This summer could be the chance to finally lure him away from Portugal, although it might take a massive fee to do so.
Indeed, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, Gyokeres’ price tag has dropped from €100m (£83m) to €70m (£60m), which could please certain clubs, that’s for sure.
It is clear that Rangers made a huge blunder in not trying to work out a deal to bring the “powerhouse” striker – as hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson – to Ibrox back in 2023, especially considering how wonderful he has been since.
It might have cost a club-record fee, but considering the form he has shown over the previous 18 months, Gyokeres would have raked in a gigantic profit for the Gers.
Rangers must axe Clement to hire exciting 4-3-3 boss who knows Postecoglou
Rangers manager Philippe Clement faces an uncertain future
By
Ross Kilvington
Feb 11, 2025
While there is a strong chance that this season is another that ends without any silverware, Arsenal have an exceptionally talented squad.
When fit, Bukayo Saka is one of the most dangerous wingers in world football, and now, in Ethan Nwaneri, he has a genuine understudy who looks like he could reach the same level a few years from now.
In the middle of the park, an inform Martin Odegaard can be near enough unplayable while Declan Rice continues to run games from central or defensive midfield.
Finally, the team’s strongest area, the defence, is bursting with world-class talent, but without a doubt, the jewel in the crown is William Saliba, and based on recent reports, the club are now looking to sign someone who could be the next version of the Frenchman.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in signing Ajax defender Jorrel Hato.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
In fact, alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Liverpool are all preparing to make an offer for the youngster this summer.
How much the defender might cost is not mentioned in the report, but his final price tag varies dramatically, with some stories claiming he could be available for as little as £25m, while others suggest he’d cost around £40m.
It could be a complicated and potentially costly transfer to get over the line for Arsenal, but given Hato’s impressive ability and immense potential, one well worth pursuing, especially if he can be the next Saliba.
Why Hato could be the next Saliba
Now, we know that comparing a young defender who can thrive as a full-back or centre-back still playing in the Eredivisie to someone like Saliba, who is considered to be one of the best centre-backs in the business and has proven himself in the Premier League, might sound absurd.
Nevertheless, there are some key similarities between the pair.
The first is that, like the Frenchman before he joined Arsenal in 2019, there is an awful lot of hype, excitement and expectation about what Hato could develop into in the coming years.
For example, respected football analyst Ben Mattinson has described the teenager as an “exceptional athlete” who has “the potential to be an elite lockdown full-back”, while U23 scout Antonio Mango simply described the defender as an “insane” prospect and talent scout Jacek Kulig went a step further, dubbing him “one of the most talented CBs of his generation in Europe.”
On top of that, the Rotterdam-born gem has also been named in ninth place, ahead of Archie Gray, on GOAL’s 2025 NXGN list, which looks at the most exciting young players born on or after January 1st 2006.
Appearances
103
Starts
94
Minutes
8457′
Goals
4
Assists
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.12
Minutes per Goal Involvement
650.53′
Points per Game
1.86
Moreover, this belief that the Dutchman is going to be something special is why the Gunners are set to have some serious competition for his signature this summer, as they did when both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur tried to sign Saliba before they got their hands on him.
Finally, if the North Londoners were able to get their hands on the Ajax star this summer, then like the Frenchman in 2019, he’d be making the big move before he was even 20, as he’ll still be a teenager until March 7th next year.
Ultimately, Arsenal already have a sensationally talented defence, with Saliba at the heart of it, and while it could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, they’d only be making it even better by signing Hato at the end of the season.
Arsenal struck gold on amazing star worth more than Trossard & Lewis-Skelly
The incredible ace will be a star for Arsenal.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 19, 2025
da dobrowin： Tottenham Hotspur are now “in the running” to sign a “freak of nature” midfielder this summer, having conducted scouting missions this season, according to former scout Mick Brown.
Spurs eyeing move for midfielder
da apostaganha： Tottenham’s midfield has looked solid at times when everyone is fully-fit, with the trio of James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall performing well in the recent 1-0 victory against Manchester United in the Premier League.
Maddison bagged the winner in the narrow victory over the Red Devils, which saw the Lilywhites rise to 12th place.
However, Ange Postecoglou clearly feels some additional depth is required, given that the manager has been left short on midfield options at times this season due to the injury crisis he has had to deal with.
Several targets have been identified by Spurs, with the likes of Palmeiras’ Richard Rios and Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso on the shortlist, and there is now a feeling they are also keen on signing one of the Championship’s stars.
Manager stalls new contract after Tottenham express interest in hiring him
Ange Postecoglou has been under serious pressure in recent weeks.
ByEmilio Galantini Feb 15, 2025
In a recent interview with Football Insider, ex-scout Mick Brown stated Tottenham are one of the clubs keeping a close eye on Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham, who could leave this summer if the Black Cats receive a big offer.
“Crystal Palace and Tottenham have had scouts watching him this season so they’ll be two of the teams in the running if he is going to leave. So it’ll be up to them to assess whether he’s ready to make that jump.
“From a Sunderland point of view, knowing the way the owners want to operate, I think if they get a huge bid for him then they’ll let him go.“
Amid links to Arsenal last month, the Sunderland star was thought to have a price tag of £20m, but the asking price could theoretically rise if he continues to impress over the course of the next few months.
Bellingham emerging as key player for Sunderland
The Black Cats are pushing for promotion to the Premier League this season, and the 19-year-old has established himself as a key player, making 28 appearances in the Championship, during which time he has picked up four goals and three assists.
Not only is the teenager a threat going forward, but he has also done a stellar job defensively over the past year, ranking in the 90th percentile for aerials won and the 87th percentile for clearances, when compared to his positional peers playing at a similar level.
Fellow Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil has lauded his teammate in the past, saying: “He’s an absolute freak of nature, physically. I have never seen a 17-year-old that size. Technically, he is a top, top, player as well.”
As such, it is exciting news that Tottenham could be in the race to sign Bellingham in the summer, and they should continue to monitor his performances between now and the end of the season.
While Najam Sethi does not disagree that India should get the largest share, he wants clarity about the workings of the model
ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2023The PCB has become the first board to publicly express unhappiness with the proposed ICC revenue distribution model, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo last week. The model is yet to be finalised but is close to what may be a final version. It is supposed to be approved by June, before being formally adopted at the ICC’s AGM in Durban in July. But Najam Sethi, the current PCB head, has said his board will not approve the model, unless it is presented with more details of the workings behind it.In the proposed model, the BCCI is expected to receive 38.5% of an annual projected ICC earning of US$600 million, followed by the ECB with a 6.89% share, CA with 6.25% and the PCB with 5.75%. The remaining Full Member (FM) boards all receive an annual share of less than 5%. The shares for each board are the result of weightage given to four different criteria: an equal share for FM status, variable shares for cricket history and performance at ICC events for men and women, and a share for the commercial contribution each board makes to the game.The commercial contribution weightage is what sets the BCCI apart from other boards and though Sethi agreed that India should receive a larger share, he said there needs to be more clarity where the figures are coming from.”We are insisting that the ICC should tell us how these figures were arrived at,” Sethi told . “We are not happy with the situation as it stands. Come June, when the board is expected to approve the financial model, unless these details are provided to us, we are not going to approve it.”ICC proposed financial model – 2024 to 2027•ESPNcricinfo LtdThe PCB was one of the dissenters when the Big Three surprised the cricketing world by attempting to overhaul the game’s administrative and financial model in January 2014 – the new proposed financial model is based on similar principles of marking members for performance and commercial contributions. The model was voted in before Shashank Manohar took over as the ICC head in 2016 and rolled back the changes the Big Three had made. After some wrangling, the ICC and BCCI agreed to a new financial model in which the BCCI was scheduled to receive USD$405 million over the course of eight years.This time round, the PCB apart, no board has publicly gone on record to say anything about the proposed model. Sethi said that two other Test-playing countries had also asked for more details on the workings of this model.”In principle, India should get more, there is no doubt about that,” Sethi said, “but… how is this table being developed?”All FMs are due to receive considerably more income in this rights cycle than in the last, a result of the increased bounty for the ICC in this cycle. Part of that was down to how the ICC broke down and sold its broadcast rights; where the ICC historically sold broadcast rights to all its events as one property to one broadcaster globally, this time it broke up its rights across different territories, in four and eight-year packages as well as into linear TV rights or for digital streaming (or both). As a result, where the ICC received approximately USD$2.1 billion for eight years in the 2015-23 cycle, they will receive upwards of USD$3 billion for four years from the India market alone this time. That means that a number of boards could end up receiving more than double what they did in the previous cycle.
He scored heaps of runs in age-group cricket, but had only 55 runs to show for his five Ranji Trophy matches before this season
Srinidhi Ramanujam17-Jun-2022Armaan Jaffer has always had an appetite for runs and long innings. At the school level, at the Under-19 level, at the Under-25 level. And now, it was visible at the senior level too, when he scored his second century of the Ranji Trophy season, on day four of the semi-final and blunted Uttar Pradesh with centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal to take Mumbai close to their first final in five years. Mumbai now lead by 662 runs.After a long gap, this hunger for runs reflected in tangible terms only recently. Having started his age-group cricket alongside Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw, he was tipped to be the next big thing with them from Mumbai.But it was a stop-start career for Jaffer after his first-class debut in the 2016-17 season. He missed the following season due to a knee surgery but made his way back into the Mumbai squad in the 2018-19 edition after an unbeaten 300 off 367 against Saurashtra in the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy.However, his career never really took off at the senior level as he would have wanted it to.Before this Ranji season, Jaffer had played five first-class matches and had scored a mere 55 runs.Self-doubt started to creep in and “people also started doubting” him. It was because of the reputation he had earned and the expectations he had set after being prolific in age-group cricket. The ‘Jaffer’ tag also had its own share of pressure.Jaffer first hogged the limelight with a record 498 runs in the Under-14 Giles Shield tournament – the highest individual score in Indian school cricket in 2010. He was then picked for the 2016 Under-19 World Cup on the back of three consecutive double-centuries in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy. In the same year, he was added to the Kings XI Punjab squad for INR 10 lakh.But this drive to play long innings was rekindled by Abhishek Nayar, former India and Mumbai batter, post his 2019 ACL surgery.”I didn’t want to take any innings for granted,” he said of his changed mindset.During his rehabilitation in Mumbai, Jaffer trained with Nayar for six months and those interactions helped him get into a better mental state and “not focus on personal goals.” That was a bit of a “different preparation,” he would say.”Talking to him, him sharing his experiences…that motivated me a lot.”On my chat with Nayar, I came to know that it was his dream to hit a six off the first ball on debut like Vinod Kambli did, but that could not happen because he was under so much pressure. Then he could not string good performances, he got out for consecutive zeroes, and he was left out of the team. But he did not lose his hunger of coming back into the team and playing Ranji Trophy for Bombay for many years. Eventually, he made a comeback and went on to play for India as well. That was quite motivating for me.”For me, there was a time when I played five [Ranji] matches, and post that, I did not do anything.”I had scored so many runs in age-group tournaments that there was so much expectation from everyone, and that could not be fulfilled. So there was a lot of self-doubt, but when I spoke to him [Nayar], my dad, then my mindset changed a bit. This season I think my mindset has been better. There has definitely been hard work, but I think my mindset has been better. And that is paying off through my performances.”This clarity was visible in all the three Ranji games he has played so far. In his first match this season, against Odisha in the group stage, coming in at No. 3 and witnessing Mumbai slip from 73 for 0 to 76 for 3, Jaffer cracked a 223-ball 125 and stitched 277 runs with Sarfaraz to help Mumbai take a big lead. The next opportunity came a few months after the IPL, in the quarter-final against Uttarakhand and he scored 60 and an unbeaten 17.On Friday, in the semi-final, Jaffer scored a breezy 127 in the second innings on a flat pitch at the Just Cricket Academy and put on 286 runs with Jaiswal for the second wicket to further close in on the final spot. Mumbai ended the day at 449 for 4 with another massive lead. Jaiswal made his career-best first-class score of 181, his third consecutive century in the format.”The match was on our side, especially after they got out in the first innings,” Jaffer said. “But personally, I did not want to take any innings for granted. Regardless of the match situation, I did not want to take any innings for granted and did not want to waste any innings. My focus was to score runs. That would have helped the team and me.”In general, I haven’t made too many changes to my preparation. What I was doing at the time, I am continuing with the same now. Maybe, it was not destined to happen at the time, but now it is happening. The hard work that I have put in these years is paying off now. My preparation has been normal, I train with my father.”Mumbai might be closing in on a final spot, but Jaffer still has some unfinished business.”Before the season, the message from our coach [Amol Muzumdar] was that Bombay has won the trophy 41 times, so we have to win the Ranji Trophy anyhow. That was the goal right from the beginning,” he added.The senior Jaffer – Armaan’s uncle – has won 10 Ranji titles in his career. The junior may not be far from adding one to his name.
The RCB batter says his success this season is all down to batting at a more familiar position in the line-up
Hemant Brar03-Oct-20214:21
Manjrekar: Maxwell has changed the fortunes of RCB
Harpreet Brar had conceded only ten from his first three overs. And that includes two overs against a set Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal.Brar is not a mystery spinner. His method is simple and out there. He tries to hit good length with enough pace on the ball that the batter has no time to set himself up for a big shot. Such is his self-belief that whenever he is brought on and his captain asks him for the plan, he just replies, ” [You don’t worry, I won’t give runs]”.Watch the IPL on ESPN+
Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the IPL live in the US. Match highlights of Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Punjab Kings is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).
Now he is up against Glenn Maxwell. In the previous game between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Brar had bowled Maxwell for a first-ball duck. The batter had played back to a delivery he probably should have gone forward to and was beaten on the outside edge. On Sunday, Brar nearly pulled off a repeat. Maxwell once again went back and pushed at the ball. This time he got an outside edge but KL Rahul failed to latch on to it.By the time Brar came for his final over – the 13th of the innings – Maxwell seemed to have adjusted to his pace and length. On the second ball of the over, Brar erred a little on the shorter side, and that was enough for Maxwell to go back and across and pull it for a six. Two balls later, Brar bowled on the fuller side and Maxwell sent it into orbit over deep midwicket.Then, it was Ravi Bishnoi in the firing line, with Maxwell hitting him for back-to-back sixes. The first was a googly, which bobbled right into Maxwell’s hitting arc and was deposited over cow corner. Bishnoi went full on the next ball, only to be walloped down the ground.During his 33-ball 57, Maxwell scored only 19 off 16 balls against seamers. But against spinners, he plundered 38 off 17. In comparison, all other Royal Challengers batters scored only 27 off 37 balls against spin. In fact, this whole season Maxwell has feasted on spinners, taking 216 runs off 137 balls at an average of 54.00 and a strike rate of 157.66. So that was a match-up he nailed.Name that shot – Glenn Maxwell batted in typical Maxwell fashion against Punjab Kings•BCCIEarlier this week, against Mumbai Indians, Maxwell had used switch hits and reverse hits – against both pace and spin – to target the shorter boundary and give his side what proved to be a winning total. But that was in Dubai. This was Sharjah, where the relaid pitches have made life difficult for batters, where the average first-innings total this season had been 134, where the chasing sides had won four out of five games.So, Kohli’s decision to bat first after winning the toss wasn’t a straightforward one. And even though Maxwell seems to be batting on a different level than anyone else, he too acknowledged this wasn’t an easy pitch.”I felt probably this one was the toughest to adjust to,” he said at the post-match presentation. “It skidded on a little bit more from the spinners, which means you’ve got to be a little bit sharper at the start of the innings. The other wickets held up just a tiny bit more and gave you a bit more time on the back foot.”The ball might have been skidding on, but when Maxwell connected those sixes, it seemed to stay on his bat just a fraction of a second longer, giving his wrists enough time to whip it away. His knock propelled Royal Challengers to 164, the highest total in Sharjah this season, and eventually into the playoffs.During IPL 2020, playing for the Punjab franchise and batting mostly at No. 5, Maxwell had managed only 108 runs in 11 innings. This time, in the same number of innings, he has 407. Maxwell attributed the revival to a familiarity with the role he’s been assigned.”In T20s, I have found a nice little rhythm batting at No. 4,” he said. “It’s something I probably had for Australia over a long period of time as well, which is probably why I have success over there. Coming to the RCB, they wanted me to do the exact same role. It’s been really enjoyable to actually come into the change room and actually have to change not too much.”Maxwell has now scored three half-centuries in the last three games. If he continues his form, it could well be a first IPL title for Royal Challengers.
At 36, he is the youngest ICC chair and he was elected unopposed in August
ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2024
Jay Shah served as the BCCI secretary from 2019 to 2024•Associated Press
Jay Shah has begun his tenure as ICC chair as of December 1. He takes over from Greg Barclay over the weekend, with the decision on the venue for the 2025 Champions Trophy imminent.”I am honoured to take on the role of ICC chair and grateful for the support and trust of the ICC directors and member boards,” Shah said in a statement on his first day in the role. “This is an exciting time for the sport as we prepare for the LA28 Olympic Games and work to make cricket more inclusive and engaging for fans worldwide.”We are at a critical juncture with the coexistence of multiple formats and the need to accelerate the growth of the women’s game. Cricket holds immense potential globally, and I look forward to working closely with the ICC team and Member countries to seize these opportunities and take the sport to new heights.”Related
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Shah was elected unopposed and at the age of 36 he is the youngest ICC chair. Before moving to the ICC, he was the BCCI secretary, and it is not yet known who will succeed him in that role. He also served as the president of the Asian Cricket Council and as chair of the ICC’s finance and commercial affairs committee.A significant decision immediately facing the ICC is the venue of the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is supposed to be Pakistan. Imran Khwaja, the ICC deputy chair, has been acting as the interim chair and presided over the short board meeting on Friday. It is expected he will see through the Champions Trophy issue as the interim chair.The tournament is scheduled to begin on February 19 and the fixtures haven’t been announced yet following the BCCI’s refusal to send the Indian team to play in Pakistan, citing government advice. The PCB had been firm in its stance that it wanted to host all the Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan, after it sent a team to play the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, but a compromise may be reached where all the matches involving India may be played at a neutral venue. A final decision is expected imminently.
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