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ESPNcricinfo understands that two other Australian cricketers have told their franchise that they want to go home

Nagraj Gollapudi25-Apr-2021Andrew Tye, the Rajasthan Royals fast bowler, flew back to Australia on Sunday to avoid the risk of not being able to return home, his exit coming even as India battles a severe wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, with over a million positive cases recorded in the past four days.*Although both the BCCI and franchises have stressed that the IPL is secure because it’s being organised in a bio-secure environment without crowds, ESPNcricinfo understands that some players, especially the overseas contingents, are anxious about the situation, which Ricky Ponting, the Delhi Capitals coach, has called “quite grim”.At least two other Australian players have informed their franchise as of Sunday morning that they would look to return home at the first opportunity, in terms of flight availability. Last week the Australian government said it would reduce the number of permitted flights arriving from India by 30% and there are suggestions further restrictions could be introduced. The franchise concerned is yet to respond to our query on the matter.”There was a number of reasons [for leaving], but the main one was with the situation that has started to happen back home in Perth with a lot of cases in hotel quarantine coming out of India,” Tye told SEN radio from Doha on Monday as he transited onto a flight to Sydney. “Now there’s been a community case in Perth governments are trying to restrict numbers coming back in, especially Western Australia.””I just thought to try and get on the front foot and get home before I got locked out of the country. It’s been a long time in bubbles and hubs – doing the calculations earlier, think I’ve had 11 days at home out of the bubble since August, so for me I just wanted to get home.David Hussey, an assistant coach with the Kolkata Knight Riders, opened up on the subject to the . “Everyone’s sort of a bit nervous about whether they can get back into Australia. I dare say there’ll be a few other Australians a bit nervous about getting back into Australia,” he said.”There’s definitely concerns [from the Australians],” Tye said. “A lot of guys have been in touch today once they realised I was leaving. Some of the guys are very interested in what route I took home and other guys are just happy to make sure I’m okay. Not sure if I’ll be the only one.””They are having over 300,000 cases a day and they are only the ones being reported, we know there’s probably a lot more than that number who can’t get tested. Yes, the IPL and BCCI have done an amazing job of keeping us safe but at the same time it’s tough and you also feel bad for the amount of people out there with Covid and we are still able to play cricket.”On Monday, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association issued a joint statement.”Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association remain in regular contact with Australian players, coaches and commentators taking part in the Indian Premier League, which is being conducted under strict biosecurity protocols,” they said.”We will continue to listen to feedback from those on the ground in India and the advice of the Australian Government. Our thoughts are with the people of India at this difficult time.”Tye is the second Royals player to leave the IPL for home after Englishman Liam Livingstone went back last week. Livingstone had cited “bubble fatigue” as the reason, just days before the UK announced it was putting India on the red list of countries barring inbound passengers from the country except locals who would need to quarantine at paid facilities.Tye had been retained by the Royals, but didn’t play in any of their first five games of the ongoing season.1.00am GMT, April 26 – the story was updated with Tye’s comments on radio

Birmingham City won't want to become even more of a laughing stock next season if they struggle in League One, with the expectation being that the Blues will make promotion back up to the third tier look straightforward, instead of a gruelling ordeal.

Yet, Bolton Wanderers – another sleeping giant finding themselves in the lowly division – failed to win promotion out of the league in 2023/24, whilst Portsmouth winning promotion last campaign was a welcome relief from the South Coast outfit's perspective, having been marooned at the level since 2017.

The West Midlands club will just need to take the gutting pain of being relegated and use that agony as fuel to instantly bounce back, with Chris Davies now occupying the managerial hot seat after walking out of Tottenham Hotspur where he was assistant manager.

Davies will hope he can rely on the exploits of Koji Miyoshi in the league below, with the former Royal Antwerp attacker a revelation for the Blues in the Championship, despite their eventual relegation fate.

Koji Miyoshi's numbers for Birmingham

The Japanese attacking midfielder, who can play down the right wing or through the centre as a number ten, is a glowing example of a transfer gamble paying off, having arrived in England as an unknown entity last summer on a free transfer from Belgium.

Miyoshi would go on to amass seven goals and six assists from 48 appearances, with the nimble 27-year-old even netting on the final day to try and pull off a great escape for his unfortunate employers in a narrow 1-0 win over Norwich City.

There could be a slight worry now that Miyoshi might well be targeted by clubs higher up than League One – with the exciting attacker capped by Japan in the past – but Davies will have his fingers crossed he stays put to lead his team back up to the second-tier.

With only the departing Jay Stansfield and midfield teammate Juninho Bacunu picking more goal contributions last season, the "intelligent" Miyoshi – as he was described by former Blues boss Tony Mowbray – could be a real handful for third-tier defences to contain, having shown he can tear up the league above on his day.

Miyoshi standing out for his relegated side next campaign will only make the capture of the Japanese gem for nothing look more and more like a steal, especially if he is gifted hero status in guiding Birmingham back up to the Championship, which will see his transfer value increase.

Miyoshi's transfer value in 2024

According to Football Transfers, Davies' men would already be making a pretty profit on the 27-year-old if they did elect to sell him on this off-season if a suitor was interested, with his valuation now standing at £1.5m.

Birmingham will be thanking their lucky stars that they took a punt on the ex-Antwerp man, therefore, who is now worth more than experienced goalkeeper John Ruddy – who is worth a lesser £1.1m – despite the ex-Norwich shot-stopper accumulating an eye-watering 352 EFL games across his long-lasting career to date.

June 2024

£1.5m

July 2023

£0

October 2022

£846k

January 2021

£1m

July 2020

£1m

On the contrary, when glancing at the table above, his former employers back in Belgium must feel enraged that they allowed Miyoshi to walk away for nothing, as Antwerp's loss becomes Birmingham's major gain.

Of course, there's no guarantees that Miyoshi will excel in League One – with the division an unforgiving beast for a sleeping giant – but he should be able to make the transition comfortably, after taking to the cut and thrust of the Championship smoothly.

Davies will hope he doesn't start life in the dug-out at St. Andrew's nervously, wanting the likes of Miyoshi and Co to shine all season long, with promotion then ultimately achieved.

Twine signs & PL loanee in: Chris Davies' dream lineup at Birmingham

Birmingham City will look to make a whole host of new signings to attempt an immediate return to the Championship.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 11, 2024

The visiting side won the first T20I despite not being at their best, which will give them added confidence

Danyal Rasool11-Apr-2021Big pictureIt’s difficult to establish whether the nail-biting nature of the first T20I was about as good as this hollowed South African unit can produce, or the harbinger of a tremendously competitive T20I series. South Africa would brush off the loss of most of their best players, especially with the bat, blasting to 188, with those who stood in for the likes of Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen more than justifying their places, and possibly even giving the selectors a headache ahead of the T20 World Cup. It was telling, though, that the death bowling couldn’t drive home a victory from an especially favourable situation, which makes one wonder about their ability to be competitive when a bigger effort might be needed from them.South Africa fined for slow over-rate

South Africa were fined 20% of their match fee in the first T20I, for being one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into account. Captain Heinrich Klaasen pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. According to ICC’s code of conduct, players are fined 20% of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

South Africa’s problem is they need to ensure their top five bat as many overs as possible, even as they continue to take the risks necessary to push their batting totals past 200. All of this against an outstanding Pakistan bowling attack, who will be raring to hit the heights after an uncharacteristically poor bowling performance at The Wanderers. With George Linde coming in as early as number six and, Andile Phehlukwayo aside, limited big hitting lower down, South Africa will have to find a way to extract the best of both worlds from the top order. And while they just about managed it in the first game, it’s unclear whether that’s sustainable over a four-match series.Related

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Mohammad Rizwan and Faheem Ashraf complete Pakistan's highest successful chase

Mohammad Rizwan isn't done yet, and South Africa still can't stay away from his hitting zone

Pakistan should both be upset at a poor overall performance, and glad they managed to win despite being so far off their best with both bat and ball. While that might have been a record chase, it needed the rescue act of a red-hot Mohammad Rizwan and a carefree lower order, with most of the big guns up top and through the middle failing to take control of the game. Even if they had lost that game, Pakistan might have been confident they could outlast this South African side over a long series. Now that they go into Monday’s contest with a series lead, that belief will be iron-clad.Much of the debate around Pakistan centres on the personnel, and sequence, of the top order, Fakhar Zaman batting anywhere apart from the top feels weird, especially in a T20I, and with Rizwan in the form he is, Babar Azam could swap places with the destructive left-hander. Sharjeel Khan remains a potent option waiting in the wings, though with Rizwan in the form he is, places in Pakistan’s top order are fiercely competitive.Form guidePakistan WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)South Africa LLWLLHeinrich Klaasen’s batting will be crucial for South Africa•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the spotlightHeinrich Klaasen appeared to struggle with a foot injury following a blow sustained en route to the destructive half-century he scored on Friday, but if fit, his contributions remain pivotal to South Africa’s fledgling middle order. It was no coincidence Pakistan managed to find a way to put the handbrake on after the wicketkeeper batsman was dismissed, with South Africa failing to find a boundary between overs 14 to 19, derailing an innings that looked set to surpass 200. With the lower middle order light on the kind of power hitters South Africa will need, the importance of contributions from the top order, and Klaasen lower down, is even more magnified.Usman Qadir’s long flowing locks shouldn’t have anything to do with his ability to bowl legspin, but having shaved them off before the first T20I, he did perhaps turn in the worst performance of his career. Looking to cement his role as the clear frontrunner for that position ahead of the waning Shadab Khan, 38 in three wretched overs was an inauspicious start. It’s difficult to see him suffering an outing as indifferent as that on Monday. Qadir remains of the canniest problem-solvers in this Pakistan side. Should he be anywhere near his best, South Africa will have one further problem to worry about.Team newsSisanda Magala and Linde were the only South Africans to have notably poor games, so South Africa are unlikely to ring in the changes. Kyle Verreynne, surprisingly left out for the first game, could come in, but if van der Dussen remains unfit, an unchanged eleven might not be a surprise either.South Africa (possible): 1 Janneman Malan 2 Aiden Markram 3 Pite van Biljon 4 Kyle Verreynne/Rassie van der Dussen 5 Heinrich Klaasen (capt & wk) 6 Andile Phehlukwayo 7 George Linde/ Wiaan Mulder 8 Beuran Hendricks 9 Lizaad Williams 10 Tabraiz Shamsi 11 Sisanda MagalaFakhar Zaman may well open this time around, but Pakistan are expected to go in unchanged.Pakistan (likely): 1 Fakhar Zaman 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 3 Babar Azam (capt) 4 Haider Ali 5 Mohammad Hafeez 6 Mohammad Nawaz 7 Faheem Ashraf 8 Hasan Ali 9 Shaheen Afridi 10 Haris Rauf 11 Usman QadirPitch and conditionsClear blue skies are expected for much of the week, so weather shouldn’t play a part. With high scores often chased down at The Wanderers, the side winning the toss might opt to field first on this occasion.Stats and trivia With the exception of Mohammad Sami (8.41), Haris Rauf (9.21) and Hasan Ali (8.37) have worse T20I economy rates than any Pakistan bowler to have taken at least 10 wickets in the format. Andile Phehlukwayo needs four more wickets to leapfrog Wayne Parnell into third place for the all-time T20I wicket-takers for South Africa.

Manchester City's legal battle with the Premier League escalated this week at a "feisty" crisis meeting between all 20 top-flight clubs.

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Prem clubs angry with Man CityCity supporters' group get involvedHuge Etihad sponsorship deal rejectedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The English champions – and their fans – made their feelings known to the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, at a crisis meeting with clubs that turned "feisty", according to The Times. The summit was held following the landmark ruling on sponsorship deals, with City's legal director declaring all associated party transaction (APT) rules "void and unlawful" after seeing their huge new Etihad sponsorship deal rejected.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

City launched a legal battle with the league after their attempts to secure a new sponsorship deal from the Etihad airline was deemed as being not of fair market value. A source has revealed that some of City's top-flight rivals are angry and have accused the club of being "threatening and disruptive". The dispute is set to rumble on, with concerns that the crisis won't be resolved until the end of the year.

DID YOU KNOW?

Masters was called out by a City supporters' group in a mobile digital billboard parked at the Premier League's Paddington headquarters. "Richard's Masters" the billboard read, with the crests of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham underneath. The insinuation obviously is that Masters is under the control of City's rivals.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

The Premier League told clubs that the majority of APT rules are lawful but some amendments are required. It's expected that at least 14 of the 20 clubs would vote in favour of the changes.

At the same MCG where, two years ago, 90,293 people had cheered for Kohli, this Boxing Day Test has panned out very differently

Alagappan Muthu27-Dec-2024Virat Kohli got booed at the MCG.Sound at this ground seems to bubble up, like in the old cartoons where witches prepare their potions, the pot frothing away with each new ingredient until one of them makes the whole thing explode.The shoulder barge with Sam Konstas happened between overs. It wasn’t caught live, like Mohammed Siraj’s send-off to Travis Head. That noise was full throated and organic and it was dwarfed on Friday when Kohli nicked off for 36 off 86. The crowd knew what had happened. They didn’t need help from replays on the big screen or nudges on social media. The displeasure was instant and it rolled down like thunder.”BOOOOOOOOOO!”India had gone from 153 for 2 to 154 for 4.Related

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Seven balls earlier, Kohli had been involved in a mix-up and India lost their top-scorer of both the innings and the series. Yashasvi Jaiswal looks up to Kohli. At training, he steps off from facing the bowler to gather his inputs. Here he barely looked at him. They were three feet apart, both stuck at the bowler’s end, and he barely looked at him. To be fair, though, the single wasn’t on. Pat Cummins was too close at mid-on. There was incredulity in Australia’s celebrations, and ferocity in everything they did afterwards. Those last five overs to stumps were pure theatre.Mitchell Starc came back into the attack. The slip cordon sprouted extra people. The idea that a ball could ever be left alone seemed increasingly obtuse. And half-an-hour’s play began to stretch to eternity. Eighty-five thousand people added to the occasion as they synced their hands coming together to the bowler’s feet pounding the turf.Kohli had been able to stay in his bubble for the entire time he was in the middle until right this very moment.Right this very moment, it popped.”He was really disciplined today,” Steven Smith said at the press conference. “He was leaving nicely, making the bowlers come to him a bit more, and scoring well through the leg side and when we went short. So yeah, I thought we were in for a bit of a masterclass there. But fortunately, Barrel [Boland] got one to sort of straighten, probably off the line on that fifth, sixth stump. And it probably was one of the only ones he played at.”Two years ago, Kohli had made 90,293 people sing his name here. A sizeable portion of the 172,389 that have come through the gates on days one and two of the Boxing Day Test have felt very differently. The put a big red ball on his nose and bumped subtlety off a cliff. “Clown Kohli” said the headline. Cutting Stuart Broad out feels less petty now.Australia’s tabloids haven’t shied away from saying what they think about Virat Kohli•The West AustralianKohli was name-checked by the head of the local organising committee for LA 2028 to explain how cricket got into the Olympics. He is the third-most followed sportsperson on Instagram after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. More to the point, Australia have seen him as their kind of player. Gifted. Positive. Never-give-up. The respect he used to get here wasn’t grudging. It was genuine and it’s eroded because he hasn’t been making runs; far too busy making errors of judgment. There was one at Melbourne airport when he rounded on Australian media for disrespecting his privacy. Another at the ‘G when he disrespected an Australian cricketer’s privacy by making a beeline straight for him.Kohli was in the middle of turning all of that around. For 35 off 83 balls he was pristine. For the last 1 off 3 he was something else. Shaken. Resigned. Done. He didn’t even look back once he edged the ball. His hands just dropped. He just knew.India needed him in the middle when their best batter of the tour, KL Rahul, was dismissed last ball before tea. There were still seven minutes on the clock for the resumption when he and Jaiswal walked out to the dugout. There has always been an eagerness about this batting. It is supposed to translate as wanting to be out there. But it was coming off wanting it too much. The run-out in the dying stages of the second day’s play against New Zealand in Mumbai. Taking guard way in front of his crease in Perth. Chasing after that one cover drive that was supposed to get him into rhythm.On a Melbourne pitch that wanted to patch things up with the batters after putting them through the wringer for the last two or three years, all Kohli had to do was trust himself; trust his training to come through. And it did. The first thing he did once he made it to the crease was practice this leave. People sometimes do the front-foot push just to get a feel of the hands going through to the line of the ball. He’d done enough of that.He’s still popular in Melbourne, mind you, but the local fans’ patience is running thin•Getty ImagesWhen Kohli got off the mark, Cummins looked down at his hands curiously, as if to figure out just how he could bowl on the pads of one of history’s greatest flickers of the ball. He was responding to length a lot better in this innings, actually shifting his weight back when he had to instead of always lunging forward. Even with his leaves.There were a couple that were wide of off stump but he still shifted his weight back, in response to the shorter length, and pulled his bat up. Then there was another against Cummins that was pitched up and on that fifth stump line. He covered his stumps, pressed forward, and then left. The impact point with the ball on the cover drive that brought him his first boundary was right under his eyes. Reaching for the ball has been his forever problem. He wasn’t doing that here. He could only stomach shouldering arms to 34 deliveries across his five previous innings in this Test series. He did it 21 times here, in just two hours at the crease, and it looked so easy. He looked so good.Then came the run-out. Kohli looks for those rapid singles too. He managed one early in his innings, but that time he’d cushioned his shot and the man at short cover meant to prevent the rotation of strike became redundant. Later in his innings, he nudged one off his toes to the left of midwicket, who try as he might, couldn’t get there, and the right of mid-on.”Been stealing doubles since 2012,” he had said during one of his more dour centuries in the West Indies last year, pointing to the act of how he gets going simply by running between the wickets. The glamour shots look good on the reels but singles and twos are the essence of his batting. The fact that it led to his wicket two months ago and his partner’s wicket now – both resulting in the team’s implosion mere minutes before stumps – must be difficult to digest.Kohli got booed out of the MCG. But it almost seemed like he couldn’t hear them.He had looked so good.