'You can't become a good spinner if you don't get over the fear of getting hit'

Kuldeep Yadav talks about his craft, the disappointment of Lord’s 2018, and taking tips from Shane Warne

Interview by Shashank Kishore01-Mar-20194:23

The hard truth is that I didn’t bowl well at Lord’s – Kuldeep Yadav

“No problem, mate. Bangalore traffic is a killer. Don’t worry, I’m waiting.” Kuldeep Yadav puts you to ease as he cools off after a two-hour gym session and a fitness assessment. As he waits, he poses for a few pictures with fans and then joins his ODI colleagues, who are sweating it out in the nets. There’s healthy banter and laughter, and the promise of “Wait till I get you out.””I haven’t held the ball for a week. My coach is waiting for me back home in Kanpur,” he says. “I’m bored now, . Bowling is an obsession for me.”Kuldeep has just won ESPNcricinfo Awards for the ODI and T20I bowling performances of 2018, and has agreed to record two small acceptance speeches. “Bowling in the hot sun is easier,” he laughs after two retakes. Then he gets on a roll, chatting about the year that went by, how he overcame the disappointment of Lord’s 2018, and his interactions with Shane Warne, among other things.What are your takeaways from the year gone by?
That it’s very difficult to switch from white-ball cricket to red-ball cricket. If you keep playing red-ball cricket, it’s easy to adjust as a spinner, but I’m regularly playing with the white ball, so when I got the chance [at Lord’s], I wasn’t prepared enough to tackle everything. For me, red-ball cricket is the biggest challenge. Everyone loves Test cricket and I’m no different.ALSO READ: ‘I really worked on my bowling after the Lord’s Test’It’s difficult when you’re playing abroad. At Lord’s, I can’t say the conditions weren’t up to the mark, but it was difficult. I wasn’t used to bowling with the Dukes ball, so when I returned, I worked really hard with my coach [Kapil Pandey]. I discussed what I’d done there, and from then, I started thinking about Test cricket. That has been the one thing in my mind since then.What have you done since then?
I had time to go back to Kanpur and work with my coach. The Rovers Club, where I have practised since childhood, gives me positive vibes. It is where I am myself, with a lot of freedom to just do my thing quietly without having so many cameras trying to pick what you are trying. It took me seven days to actually get over my Lord’s performance and bounce back. I was in England for one more game after the Lord’s Test. The team management sent me home as they felt I would get game time before the West Indies series by playing against Australia A. I made plans, which I executed in the unofficial Tests against Australia A. In the first game I went okay, I was bowling too full, but in the second game, I got a five-for. That settled me down.”Sometimes our physio and trainers fear I bowl a lot [in the nets]. Now I listen to them”•Getty ImagesWere you critical of yourself after Lord’s?
I didn’t bowl well. That’s the hard truth. I didn’t think of wickets or conditions. It was just that I didn’t bowl well.Did coming back home help you refocus?
It gave me time to discuss with my coach. He pointed out what I did right, and asked me to focus on accuracy rather than trying too many things.How did you prepare for the tour of Australia?
I first started bowling with the SG red ball, because we were playing at home against Australia A. Then I realised maybe I should bowl with the Kookaburra as well, because I thought if I perform well against West Indies, I could get a chance in Australia. I bowled for two days, 16-17 overs, with it. I found it easy to handle – you get good grip.How do you plan?
I think a lot at the ground, even when I’m not playing. Of course I watch some videos to understand a batsman’s strengths and weaknesses. But I don’t think, “If I bowl here, he will hit me there.” I don’t believe in too much video analysis because my skill sets are different. If I bowl, I see if I have executed well. I don’t think I should stress about it too much at this stage. I think about how I should get better, how to pick up wickets. Yes, I don’t watch videos, but it doesn’t mean I don’t think much about my bowling.Tell us about your interactions with Shane Warne in Australia.
I’ve followed him from childhood. My coach wanted me to watch his videos. When I met him during the Pune Test [2017] for the first time, I discussed many aspects of bowling. When we were in Australia this time, Ravi Shastri got me to chat with him. From that day, he was often by my side to help me and guide me through aspects I need to focus on bowling in Australia.Was it just a one-off meeting or did you have a series of chats?
We met every morning of the Test matches. Before the Tests, I was bowling well, so I told him I’m in good rhythm, getting turn and getting everything I wanted to get out of my bowling. He looked at my action and spoke to me about handling different situations, how to bowl when you’re under pressure. The kind of body language you should have. He told me: when you’re under pressure, remain calm and give a big smile.

What changes did he suggest?
He looked at one replay on commentary and suggested minor changes with my bowling arm. He pointed to my knees bending at the time of release, and body alignment. He felt if it is straight, I’d be able to use my core better and be able to flight the ball more.He also spoke to me about the kind of fields you need to set in Australia. The lengths you need to vary for your stock ball, googly and flipper. I was like, “Wow, this man is like an encyclopaedia.” He demonstrated by bowling left-handed. Even now, from time to time he sends me texts and I remain in touch with him with him on WhatsApp. It has been great to have his support.When you finally got a chance, in Sydney, were you nervous?
It felt like I was making my debut. I didn’t want to make the mistakes I made at Lord’s. I planned. Like, Usman Khawaja is a good player through the off side, so I planned to bowl a few wrong’uns to him.You come across as a much-more confident white-ball bowler. Why is that?
If you’re playing with the white ball regularly, it becomes easy to adjust. I’m more settled in white-ball cricket, I never feel any pressure. For any spinner, in ODIs, there’s a limited quota, so you need to attack in that way. You need to challenge yourself every time to perform for the team.ALSO READ: What makes the left-arm legspinner such a threat?Has bowling to someone like Andre Russell in the KKR nets helped you?
I haven’t bowled much to him! I don’t bowl much in the nets [during the IPL] so that I don’t give away too many clues. At the Indian nets, I do, but otherwise I prefer sticking to my drills and doing single-wicket bowling. I hardly bowl five overs and then move over to nets and just bowl at the stumps. Once I feel comfortable, I follow my drills.I bowl just about enough to make me feel comfortable. When you’re with the Indian team, you have to bowl a lot anyway, so when I have some time away from that environment, I focus on my game and my drills. Sometimes, when I lose my rhythm, I go back to these basics to become comfortable again. Sometimes our physio and trainers fear I bowl a lot. They know I will keep bowling a lot when on a break. They mean it in a good way, so now I listen to them.Tell us about your bowling partnership with Yuzvendra Chahal.
When you play together regularly, you learn from your partner. So I’ve learnt a lot from him. Whenever we play together, we try and improve together. Also in general, since my younger days, my coach made me bowl from the centre wicket, and challenged the batsmen to hit sixes, so the fear disappeared right from early stages of my career. You can’t become a good spinner if you don’t overcome that fear and just think wickets. That’s what Chahal and I have done. The middle overs are important in ODIs – if you don’t attack, teams will get 320, so the focus is on picking up wickets in the middle overs.Are you happy with where your game is at today?
I haven’t thought about that (). I’m the kind of person who underestimates himself. I feel I’m never ready. I never feel I’m 100%. The only thought process is: I should keep getting better. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t.My coach often asks for five wickets from each every match, but it doesn’t always happen. My mindset is, “Yes, I should do well for my team.” As an individual you tend to be satisfied sometimes, but the biggest satisfaction is if the team wins.How do you switch off?
I stay at home, go to my ground, because the vibes I get there are different. Youngsters come, those who I’ve spent time with in the age-group days come. My coach is always around, so I hang out with them. Otherwise, I’m at home with family. I’m fond of movies, I love soccer. I follow Neymar. I can’t play [football] well, but to see and watch, I’m a big fan.

Sunderland player on more money than Hume and Neil set to leave after talks

A first team Sunderland player on higher wages than the likes of Trai Hume and Dan Neil is in talks to leave the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland suffer automatic promotion blow with defeats to Hull and Leeds

The Black Cats have impressed on the whole during Regis Le Bris’ first season in charge of the club, and at the very least, look set for a place in the Championship playoffs.

Sunderland have been pushing for a top-two finish in the second tier, but back-to-back defeats to Leeds United and Hull City put a significant dent in those hopes.

Speaking before Friday’s clash with Sheffield Wednesday, Le Bris stated his squad are “really positive” and “very engaged” ahead of the run-in.

Sunderland manager RegisLeBris on the touchline

“The atmosphere after the Hull game was really positive – not that we enjoyed defeat, but we managed the situation properly. The three sessions this week have been intense. The output wasn’t always perfect, but the behaviour and commitment were very positive.

“The squad is very engaged in the process, and we know this league is always tough – we will have highs and lows, but the main thing is the consistency. We can’t be too emotional, positive or negative. If we want to play at the best level, we will face many obstacles.”

Sunderland suffer youngster injury news alongside Le Fee and Ballard blows

This is not what Regis Le Bris will want to hear.

By
Henry Jackson

Feb 25, 2025

One player who hasn’t contributed to the Championship season is Jewison Bennette, who has played just nine senior minutes under Le Bris in an EFL Cup defeat to Preston North End back in August.

He has been linked with a move to Ukrainian side FC LNZ Cherkasy, with the transfer window closing on March 11th.

Jewison Bennette set to leave Sunderland with talks over exit underway

Talking in the last 48 hours, relayed by The Northern Echo, Le Bris admitted that Sunderland attacker Bennette is in talks to leave the club. He is currently on £5,000-a-week, more than Hume, Neil and Chris Rigg, but is set to depart in search of more game time.

“Yes [he is in talks to leave], but I don’t know exactly what stage the deal is at. He needs to play.”

Bennette’s Sunderland stats

Appearances

21

Goals

2

Assists

2

The 20-year-old, who is a Costa Rica international, was praised by academy coach Graeme Murty last year after a Premier League International Cup game where the winger had two goals ruled out for offside.

“He’s great to work with. He’s never complaining. He’s always open to listen. He’s really disappointed that both goals were ruled off, because they could have been the critical moments in the game.

“We came out on the wrong side of them, but he had to keep going and he had to then restart himself, and actually get himself back into the game… Hats off to him because it’s not easy, but he can be really, really happy with his day’s work.”

It looks as if a move away for the winger will be one to watch for Bennette, and it’ll be interesting to see whether it is on loan or permanent, with his Stadium of Light contract expiring in 2026.

Allen's record-breaking 137 seals the series for New Zealand with two games left

Pakistan inserted the hosts for the third time in a row, and failed to chase the target down on all three occasions

Vishal Dikshit17-Jan-2024

Finn Allen hit 16 sixes in his knock of 137•Getty Images

A blizzard of sixes off Finn Allen’s bat tumbled records in Dunedin, where his second T20I hundred deflated Pakistan and helped New Zealand pile on 224 for a comfortable 45-run win in the third T20I. For the third game in a row, New Zealand were put in to bat; and for the third time in a row, Pakistan failed to chase down the score by relying on Babar Azam again, this time to lose the series which still has two games to go.New Zealand had been going hard with the bat all series, and Allen took it up a level on Wednesday by smashing 16 of their 18 sixes and recording the highest individual T20I score for the hosts by going past Brendon McCullum’s 123 from the 2012 World Cup. Allen’s 16 sixes are also the joint-highest in a T20I innings, which helped him sprint to a 26-ball fifty and then a 48-ball century.Pakistan also helped Allen by bowling too short even with the new ball, and the opening batter laid into their attack with his belligerent pulls and golf-like swings down the ground.In reply, only Mohammad Rizwan briefly gave Babar some support with his 24 but once he fell in the eighth over, no other Pakistan batter lasted more than 10 balls while Babar was out there. Babar fell for 58 while trying to up the scoring as the asking rate soared and Pakistan fell short again.Allen demolishes Pakistan againAllen had been going hard at the top earlier too, and with his highest T20 score, he already has 373 runs from five innings in the format this year. His assault started in the third over when he made the ball disappear beyond the square-leg boundary with consecutive sixes off Shaheen Afridi.Haris Rauf would have thought he would have a good day when he dismissed Devon Conway in the next over that saw just two runs, but his second over – the last of the powerplay – was smashed for 28, with 27 of those coming off Allen’s bat. Whether Rauf pitched it short or on good length, Allen put them away for two fours and three sixes in the over to help New Zealand post 67 in the powerplay.Coming into the XI for this game, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim combined for two boundary-less overs after that, but Allen, who crossed 50 meanwhile, then charged against Nawaz for two sixes in the ninth over. Wasim and Zaman Khan managed to keep Allen quiet with a few yorkers and slower ones to pull the scoring rate under ten briefly, but Allen took off again once Rauf returned.He raced from 72 to 91 in just five deliveries by smashing Rauf for three sixes in an over that went for 23, and went past a hundred with a six and a four over covers off Afridi. All this, and there were seven overs still left in the innings. Even though Tim Seifert, who came in for the injured Kane Williamson, and Daryl Mitchell fell in successive overs, there was no stopping Allen. He belted Nawaz for consecutive sixes in the 15th over, and Wasim too for the same treatment when the fast bowler erred towards the pads.It was finally an accurate length ball from Zaman that lacked pace and stopped the carnage when Allen chopped on, after the previous ball – a full toss – had been smashed into the sight screen. Allen’s 137 off 62 also featured five fours, which were hardly the highlight of the knock. His liking for the leg side was evident no matter where the ball was pitched to him – 13 of his 16 sixes landed on that area, where he smashed 95 (69%) of his total runs.Wickets continued to fall after Allen’s in New Zealand’s attempt to score quick runs. Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips fell in the space of seven balls as Pakistan conceded just 13 runs in the last 12 deliveries to stop New Zealand just short of their first-T20I score of 226.Babar Azam hit his third consecutive fifty of the series•Getty Images

Babar the lone man standing for PakistanBabar was left to do the bulk of the scoring without much support from the other end, amid a stiff asking rate to keep up with. The promising Saim Ayub fell to Tim Southee again after miscuing his slower ball, before Babar and Rizwan kept the chase going. Rizwan’s two meaty sixes would have given Pakistan hope as he and Babar put on 39 off 28 for the second wicket to keep them ticking at above eight runs an over, but when Santner fired one wide of the crease after seeing Rizwan charge, Seifert completed the stumping to dent Pakistan.Fakhar could have been dismissed next over too had his leading edge off Ish Sodhi not landed in no-man’s land behind the wicketkeeper, but his luck soon ran out when he miscued Lockie Ferguson to mid-off. That left Pakistan needing 130 from 55 balls.Babar unfurled sublime strokes like he did in his 57 and 66 in the first two games – like some wristy flicks and lofted strokes off Sodhi, even as his handsome pull off Matt Henry was probably his shot of the day. His third fifty in a row was again not enough because Azam Khan holed out to a sharp catch from Phillips at deep midwicket at the end of the 13th over, and seven balls later, Iftikhar Ahmed fell short for a quick run with a lazy attempt after he drove the ball to cover from where Santner fired in a direct hit.Babar unleashed two more fours off Sodhi before falling in the same over, the 16th, and Pakistan’s task of scoring another 91 runs off 25 balls was not going to happen despite some boundaries from Nawaz and Afridi.

Fewer touches than Sa: Pereira got it wrong by starting 6/10 Wolves star

Despite a fighting effort from Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, they suffered a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Fulham. It was a game in which the Old Gold dominated, but could not get over the line against a Cottagers side fighting for Europe.

Vitor Pereira’s side went 1-0 down just one minute into the game. It was a brilliant piece of play from Fulham, who, within a few passes, were in the Wolves penalty box, with Ryan Sessegnon slotting home past Jose Sa. It was far from ideal defending from Wolves, who gifted the Englishman acres of space on the left.

However, the West Midlands outfit hit back with almost 18 minutes on the clock. It was a sublime finish from midfielder Joao Gomes from which they equalised, thrashing home a volley into the roof of the net.

Wolves started the second half much like they did the first, by conceding a goal. This time it was two minutes after kick-off, with Rodrigo Muniz making a run in behind the defence and dinking a finish over the onrushing Sa.

Pereira’s side never managed to get themselves back in the game and ended up as the losing side. However, there were some standout performers, particularly Matheus Cunha and Gomes.

Wolves' best players against Fulham

Wolves’ Brazilian duo are simply vital players at Molineux. Although they were defeated against Fulham, the two still stood out. He did not get a goal or assist on Tuesday night, but Cunha was certainly excellent against the Cottagers.

One of the most impressive things was his influence off the ball. As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old won an exceptional nine out of 14 ground duels, whilst still creating one chance and completing two out of three dribbles.

As for Gomes, he put in a great showing in a more advanced midfield role aside from his goal. The midfielder’s sensational strike, which left Bernd Leno with no chance of saving it, was the highlight of his night, but he was also a creative influence.

This was noted by Charlie Haffenden, journalist for Birmingham World. He gave the Brazilian an 8/10 for his performance, explaining that he ‘created one good opportunity’ for his fellow attacking midfielder Cunha.

Despite the loss, there were certainly positives to take from the clash against Marco Silva’s side. However, a few players did struggle, including one man who was utilised out of position.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

The Wolves star who struggled against Fulham

It was a tough night at the office for January arrival Marshall Munetsi, who played as a centre-forward on Tuesday evening, despite Jorgen Stand Larsen being available and on the bench.

However, it’s safe to say that the experiment for Munetsi to lead the line did not quite work.

The Zimbabwean, who is a midfielder by trade, was rather isolated against the Cottagers. Although he was a presence in the opposition penalty box, the 28-year-old did not make much of an impact, and perhaps could have made a better contribution in the midfield role he is more used to playing.

The stats certainly demonstrate just how well the former Reims star struggled. Despite playing the entire game, he had just 24 touches, fewer than Old Gold goalkeeper Sa. He also won three from six duels and did not manage a shot on target, out of two efforts.

Touches

24

Pass accuracy

75%

Passes completed

12/16

Groud duels won

1/3

Aerial duels won

2/3

Chances created

1

Shots on target

0/2

Haffenden pointed out one of the issues Munetsi had against the West Londoners. The journalist explained he ‘was unable to make much stick in the final third’ despite being ‘heavily involved’ at both ends of the pitch.

It was a tough night for the Old Gold, with the experiment starting Munetsi as a centre-forward instead of Larsen ultimately not paying off. It has certainly given Pereira something to think about ahead of their next fixture, an FA Cup clash against Bournemouth.

£90k-p/w Wolves ace to miss indefinite number of games after injury blow

The news comes at a frustrating time…

ByTom Cunningham Feb 25, 2025

Tough talking: How Beaumont faced commentating on Sri Lanka's upset of England

Opener returns to the fold as hosts look to flip results in ODIs

Valkerie Baynes08-Sep-2023

Tammy Beaumont speaks to England Women’s head coach Jon Lewis•ECB via Getty Images

Tammy Beaumont hasn’t had the easiest of gigs over the past week. Not only has she spent that time commentating for TV on a format she hasn’t played internationally in over a year-and-a-half, but on a T20I series England lost 2-1 to a Sri Lanka side ranked six places below them.Back in the fold for the ODI series as one of the form batters in the country this summer, she is in prime position to turn things around for the hosts and is backing her side – and herself – to do so.”It’s great to be back,” Beaumont told reporters ahead of Saturday’s first ODI in Durham. “You always feel like you’re missing out a little bit on something when you’re not involved. Obviously I watched the T20 series, I was actually broadcasting during it, and I’m not going to lie, it was tough to broadcast on at times.”Being a current player, you’re desperate to just try and grow the game and show how good the girls are and get to talk about their characters and build up that kind of thing. So having to broadcast about it was difficult at times.”Full credit to Sri Lanka, they came out and played really well in the second and third T20 and thoroughly deserved the series win. They stuck to their strengths, which is obviously their spin-bowling department and exposed something that we know as an England team we need to work on… I’m fully backing the girls and myself included to bounce back really well in this ODI series.”A Test double-century followed by knocks of 47 and 60 in the ODI section of the drawn Ashes series, 118 from 61 balls – the highest score recorded in the Hundred – as well as a half-century for Welsh Fire and an average of 48.20 in the ongoing Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy mean the positives far outweigh the negatives for opener Beaumont, whom England will be relying on after being bowled out for 104 and 116 as Sri Lanka romped to eight- and seven-wicket victories respectively in the last two T20 games.Related

Nat Sciver-Brunt's stunning 81* gives Trent Rockets lift-off

Beaumont's red-hot century takes Welsh Fire to 41-run win

England face up to spin concerns after Sri Lanka's shock triumph

Ratnayake: Sri Lanka's win against England 'really huge' for cricket in the country

Sri Lanka’s spinners have posed particular problems for the England batters, prompting head coach Jon Lewis to confirm that he would take a group to a training camp in Mumbai to prepare for the year-end tour of India, next year’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the 2025 ODI World Cup in India.And while her experience and professionalism – exemplified by successfully juggling playing and broadcasting careers this year – will go a long way to helping Beaumont pick up where she left off, the task ahead is slightly more nuanced than that.”I always find it difficult being in and out, it’s not easy,” Beaumont said. “The way Jon Lewis has set up the team and how hard he works with the communication and how we function as a group, even just in 10 days you feel like you’re missing out on some evolution of this group. So coming back in, you’re desperate to get up to speed quickly.”Yes, I went back to domestic cricket with the Blaze and had a good game, well, had good fun at Edgbaston in our game there. International cricket’s a whole different ball game. Sometimes it’s quite difficult, but luckily I’ve felt pretty good most of the summer in terms of how I’ve been playing so hopefully it’s not too different and it’s just a case of that mental sharpness that I really need to just switch on to international cricket.”Beaumont’s last match was in victory for the table-topping Blaze over second-placed Central Sparks in the RHFT on Tuesday. She was run out for 24 while team-mate Nat Sciver-Brunt scored an unbeaten 66 ahead of bolstering England for the ODIs against Sri Lanka, having been rested for the T20I leg.Chamari Attapaththu’s side, however, will be full of confidence after becoming the first team besides Australia to defeat England in a bilateral T20I series since New Zealand did it in 2010. It was a triumph Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lanka’s head coach, described as “really huge” for the nation.”If I cover up my England badge and if you think for a moment about being a neutral women’s cricket supporter, the fact Sri Lanka are capable of beating England in a T20 series, the fact Pakistan have beaten South Africa, is possibly the best thing for the global women’s game,” Beaumont said.”As much as it hurts to have lost to them and we’ll be reeling, we’ll be desperate to put it right, for the global women’s game, it’s a must. There’s no point in 10 years’ time only England, India and Australia kind of fighting it out at the top three and all the rest of the cricket not being worth it. So yeah, for a moment, if I take my England hat off, it’s absolutely the best thing for the women’s game.”

Run-out calls in MI-DC game turn focus on rules around LED stumps

On three occasions, the third umpire ruled Capitals batters to be not out, seemingly not considering the stumps lighting up as the point at which the wicket should be considered broken

S Sudarshanan15-Feb-2025Three contentious run-out decisions occurred in the closing stages of Delhi Capitals’ (DC) last-ball win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Vadodara. In all three instances, third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan ruled not out, seemingly not considering the LED stumps lighting up as the point at which the wicket should be considered broken.Former India captain Mithali Raj, in her role as commentator, said that two of those decisions – involving Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav – should have gone in favour of MI. “Pandey was given not out while the batter had the bat on the line,” Raj said while speaking on JioHotstar after the match.”When you dive and your bat first hits the ground [inside the crease] and then it [bounces up] because you have to dive full stretch, then it is not out. [But] with Radha Yadav, we can see the blade of the bat up. It is nowhere touching any part of the ground [inside] the crease [when the LED stumps light up]. That means she is out. The bat was never in the crease. That is pretty much out.”Related

  • Zing-bail glitch prompts WPL rule change: Wicket broken only when bail fully dislodged

  • Priya Mishra sets up easy win for Giants

  • Shafali Verma, Niki Prasad star as DC seal last-ball thriller

Appendix D of the WPL 2025 playing conditions has this to say on what constitutes the wicket being broken when there are LED stumps in play: “Where LED wickets are used, the moment at which the wicket has been put down shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the LED lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps.”The Pandey incident happened first ball for her, in the 18th over of Capitals’ chase. After stepping across the stumps and missing a heave, she looked to steal a bye but was sent back by Niki Prasad. There was a direct-hit at the striker’s end and, after the batters stole a bye on the deflection, the run-out appeal was referred to the TV umpire. The replays showed that Pandey’s bat was on the line when the LED stumps first lit up. However, the TV umpire rolled forward and based her not-out decision on the next frame, in which the bails visibly came off the groove, by which time Pandey’s bat was inside the crease.

MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur was seemingly not pleased with the decision and had a chat with the on-field umpires N Janani and Anish Sahasrabudhe. The bye brought DC’s equation down to 24 off 14 balls, and Pandey was run-out mid-way through the 19th.Two balls after that, another mix-up meant Radha was diving to make her crease at the striker’s end even while Prasad was also mid-pitch. The throw went to the striker’s end – had it gone to the non-striker’s end, Prasad would likely have been well short. Wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia broke the stumps even as Radha dived with the face of the bat up, with no part of the bat seemingly touching the ground beyond the crease line when the LED stumps lit up. Again, the umpire seemed to disregard this and base her decision on when the bails visibly lifted off their grove, by which time Radha was safe. She was given not out and she hit a six next ball, bringing the equation down to 10 off 6.

With two needed off the last two balls, Prasad holed out to deep midwicket, bringing Arundhati Reddy in to face the final ball. She chipped it over cover, where it just evaded Harmanpreet running backwards. With the batters going back for the second – the winning run – Harmanpreet fired a flat throw to Bhatia, who broke the wicket as Reddy dived full-stretch. Once again the frame when the LED stumps lit up for the first time showed Reddy’s bat on the line, but the third umpire looked at later frames and concluded “the batter has made her ground before the wicket is completely dislodged”. The DC players celebrated, and the MI players didn’t seem to protest.

Rohit praises Sarfaraz and Pant for showing maturity

Rohit Sharma has praised the maturity Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan showed against New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru, where their 177-run stand on the fourth day gave India hope of coming back despite a disastrous collapse in the first innings.India were bundled out for 46 on the second day – their lowest Test score at home – and eventually lost the game by eight wickets. But because of Sarfaraz’s 150 and Pant’s 99, they were able to overturn the deficit of 356.”When those two are batting, everyone’s on the edge of the seat because they like to play the game which has got them success,” Rohit told the broadcaster after the game. “You’ve seen it over time with Rishabh, the way he bats, obviously takes a bit of risk, but I thought it was a very mature innings. [He] defended good balls, left few balls as well, and then, again, backed himself to play those shots, and that is what he’s all about.Related

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  • Rachin Ravindra headlines NZ's first Test win in India since 1988

“Not to forget Sarfaraz. Sarfaraz, as well, playing in only his third or fourth Test match [fourth], to show that kind of maturity [was great], and [he was] very clear in his mind what kind of shots he wants to play. When you’re clear in your mind, you find yourself in good seat.”Rohit was pleased with the determination India’s batters showed in their second innings, after New Zealand had posted 402.”When you are 350 runs behind, you can’t think too much about it. All you got to do is try and bat the ball, as simple as that. That was the plan,” Rohit said. “We wanted to bat and see where the game goes. A couple of big partnerships there, really was exciting to watch, and put us back in the game. Like I said, when you’re 350 behind, it could have been easily [a situation] where we could have [been] bowled out before even getting 350. It was a great effort with the bat, something as a team we’re very proud of.”India are trailing 0-1 in the three Test series but Rohit was confident of a comeback. Earlier this year, India lost the series opener to England in Hyderabad but fought back to finish win 4-1.”There are guys who have been in this place before, where we’ve lost a game. We lost a game against England in the first Test, and we won four games after that. These things happen. It’s still two Test matches to go, and we know exactly what is required from each one of us. So, we’ll try and put our best game forward.”The second Test of the series starts on October 24 in Pune.

ECB hierarchy 'confident in our product' as Hundred bids deadline looms

The range of viable investors in the Hundred teams is “way broader and bigger” than anticipated ahead of Friday’s first-round deadline for bids. That is according to the ECB’s senior leadership team, who defended the Hundred’s projected valuations of overseas broadcast rights on Wednesday by insisting: “We are confident in our product”.The ECB sent investment prospectuses to around 100 interested parties last month, who were set a deadline of October 18 to register their initial interest in buying a stake in one of the eight Hundred teams. The teams are currently owned by the ECB but will become franchises run as joint-ventures with host counties (or the MCC) once the sale process is complete.The Hundred’s overseas broadcast rights are currently valued at around £2 million per year. Financial projections in the prospectuses distributed by Deloitte and the Raine Group – who are running the sales process – involve a jump to £33 million by 2030, with a year-on-year growth rate of 42%.One prospective investor, who has since withdrawn from the sales process, told ESPNcricinfo that those figures “make no sense” and had not been fully explained. “It seems like they first thought of a valuation then made up the numbers to justify it – things like the sudden and exponential growth in broadcast revenue from India and North America,” they said.Richard Gould and Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chief executive and chair respectively, are in Multan this week during England’s second Test against Pakistan, ahead of the first-round deadline. They said the board has fielded interest from a “full gamut” of potential investors and defended the projected increase in revenue from Indian broadcast rights.Related

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“We are not making an assumption that India’s men’s players will be released, because that has not been what has happened,” Gould said. “We are confident in our product, in terms of the window we occupy and the players we’ve got available. There are loads of T20 and short-format franchise competitions out there at the moment, and I don’t think they are all going to last, in truth.”Gould said that “about 100 or so” interested parties had requested access to the ECB’s “data room”, including “a lot of Indian interest” with the majority of owners of IPL and WPL franchises understood to be involved in the process. He said there has also been interest “from America, from other sports and investment houses”.He said: “We’re getting towards the end of stage one this week… at the moment, they can express an interest in all eight clubs. We’ll have a better indication over the next week or two. Thereafter, we’ll spend a month or so going through those. At the end of that process, they will be able to go and meet the county clubs and see where their relationships work best.”During that period they can have an interest in up to four teams. When we get to the crunch time, which is the next phase, they can only put their name in for two teams, and they can only win one. Clearly, we want to maximise the value, because the value the ECB holds is on behalf of the game.”Gould said there were “a few tyre-kickers” among the parties to initially register their interest, but Thompson insisted that the ECB had outstripped expectations overall. “Raine originally said they thought there’d be three to four bidders per team,” he said. “The investment base is way broader and bigger than they expected.”Vikram Banerjee, the ECB’s director of business operations, said last month that the sale process could be delayed beyond next year if the right bids do not come in. Thompson suggested that the 2025 season could be a “hybrid” model, with some teams still owned by ECB and others by private investors.”What we don’t want is to just feel bounced into selling all of them and thinking, ‘We could have got a lot more if we’d held back because that particular team wasn’t ready to go,'” he said. “The worst thing we could do would be to undersell the game and look back thinking, ‘We let some of these franchises go at prices that weren’t full market value.'”

Offer made: Leeds submit £25m+ bid to sign new striker Alan Shearer loves

da bet7: Leeds United have submitted an offer worth more than £25m to sign a former Championship title winner for Daniel Farke.

Leeds transfer business heating up with Nmecha and Bijol

da stake casino: The Whites and the 49ers Enterprises have made early progress in the summer transfer window, with Lukas Nmecha agreeing to move to Elland Road on a two-year contract from July 1.

The German forward will leave Wolfsburg for Leeds and won’t cost the 49ers a penny, providing competition to the likes of Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph.

At the back, Leeds are now set to sign Udinese centre-back Jaka Bijol after weeks of talks and rumours. The Slovenia international was in Yorkshire on Wednesday and will be the next through the Elland Road door.

With the fixture list announced, Leeds still have plenty of time until their opening game of the Premier League season against Everton and will be hoping to make more additions after Nmecha and Bijol.

Another attacker is wanted alongside Nmecha, and a top target appears to be Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz.

Leeds submit bid to sign Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz

Reports from Sky Sports in recent days claimed Leeds were interested in signing the Brazilian this summer.

According to The Evening Standard, Leeds have made a bid worth an initial £26m to bring Muniz to Yorkshire. The offer also included £6m worth of add-ons, however, those at Craven Cottage have declined the bid from the 49ers.

Fulham see Muniz ‘as one of the club’s most valuable assets’ but they ‘may be forced to consider his exit if an offer too good to refuse arrives’.

It is added that ‘Leeds plan to sign a top striker this summer but are expected to move on to other targets now that their bid for Muniz has been rebuffed’.

Rodrigo Muniz Premier League stats

23/24

24/25

Games

26

31

Goals

9

8

Minutes played

1,599

950

The 24-year-old, who won the Championship title with Fulham in 2021/22, has scored 17 Premier League goals in the last two seasons in the equivalent of just over 28 full games.

He has also caught the eye of Premier League icon Alan Shearer, who called Muniz “horrible to play against” in 2024.

For now, though, it looks as if Leeds will have to look elsewhere for their top striker signing.

He's better than Diarra: Leeds now looking at deal to sign £26m "threat"

Leeds United are eyeing up a midfield star who could be even better than Habib Diarra.

1 ByDan Emery Jun 19, 2025

Which is Joe Root's best Test innings?

From Ashes tons to subcontinental clinics, it’s time to vote for which Root knock you most rate

Alan Gardner03-Feb-2021Please click here if the list does not load.

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