Liverpool have submitted a bid worth €75 million (£65m/$87m) to sign Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike. The Reds are keen on signing a No.9 this summer and want to wrap up the transfer as soon as possible. Newcastle United were also keen on signing the striker, however, the German club is reportedly prioritising the Reds' offer.

• Liverpool close to signing Ekitike
• Tabled a bid higher than Newcastle
• Frankfurt ready to sell striker to the Reds

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Magpies had earlier seen a £70m ($94.6) offer rejected by Eintracht Frankfurt as they are said to be keen on doing business with the Reds, who have now placed a bid higher than Newcastle's, according to . A report from the suggests that the Premier League champions want to conclude the negotiations this weekend and confirm Ekitike's arrival, who wants to move to Anfield.

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  The Merseyside club had earlier shown interest in signing Newcastle star Alexander Isak and were ready to place a record-breaking £130m ($174m) bid, but the club's Saudi owners categorically refused to sell their top scorer. Talks between the clubs have not progressed, and the Magpies are now preparing a bumper new contract for the Swede.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Liverpool could part ways with their star forward Luis Diaz this summer as the Colombia international is reportedly keen on signing for German champions Bayern Munich and joining up with Harry Kane at the Allianz Arena.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  The Premier League winners will travel to Asia to continue with their pre-season preparations and will next face AC Milan in a friendly on July 26 in Hong Kong.

The fast bowler replaces Will O’Rourke in the New Zealand XI but a decision on the final spot remains to be made

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2024Fast bowler Ben Sears will make his Test debut against Australia in Christchurch but New Zealand are once again debating whether to pick a fourth seamer in Scott Kuggeleijn or a specialist spinner in Mitchell Santer with a decision to be made at the toss.Sears, 26, comes into the side for Will O’Rourke who picked up a hamstring injury in Wellington. He has previously played 13 T20Is and impressed with his pace during the recent matches against Australia.Related

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In first-class cricket he has taken 58 wickets at 27.03 from 19 matches. New Zealand captain Tim Southee said he was excited to see what Sears could do.”He’s obviously had a little taste of international cricket in the other formats. He offers real pace,” South said. “We saw him clock 150kph earlier in the summer in a T20 against Bangladesh so we’re excited to see what he’s got at his level. He’s a tall fella. He’s got pace. He’s got something about him. Obviously, with the job that Will O’Rourke did in a couple of Test matches he played, again another tall guy with a bit of pace and a bit of skill about him. We’re excited to see what Ben’s got. It’s a special time for him as well.”Southee, who will play his 100th Test in Christchurch, did not confirm New Zealand’s final XI with the last call to be made between pace bowler Scott Kuggeleijn and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. Kuggeleijn, playing his second Test, was underwhelming in Wellington where he claimed two wickets and made scores of 0 and 26.Head coach Gary Stead has admitted New Zealand made a mistake in their previous two Tests by leaving out Santner in favour of four pace bowlers with the pitches in Hamilton and Wellington then spinning more than expected.”Hopefully we get it right this week,” Southee said.Glenn Phillips took five wickets in Australia’s second innings of the first Test while Nathan Lyon claimed ten in the match.However, Hagley Oval has the highest spin-bowling average of any venue in New Zealand with wickets taken at 55.79.Australia have named an unchanged XI – for the fourth match in a row – which means their frontline bowling attack will have played all seven Tests during the season against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand.

Lionesses legend Mary Earps hailed England's "incredible" Euro 2025 final win over Spain as goalkeeper Hannah Hampton starred in the shootout.

England beat Spain to win EurosEarps sends Lionesses messageHampton stars in shootout victoryFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After a 1-1 draw in normal time and then extra time, the Chelsea stopper saved two penalties to play a huge role in the Lionesses defending their Euros title on Sunday. Following the triumph, ex-England keeper Earps heaped praise on her old team-mates on social media.

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She wrote in an Instagram story: "WOW WOW WOW INCREDIBLE."

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Although Earps lost her place in England's starting lineup to Hampton, with the ex-Manchester United star retiring from international duty shortly before the Euros, it is clear the 32-year-old is delighted Sarina Wiegman's team beat Spain to lift this coveted trophy. Both keepers have helped England create a bit of history with their superb performances in their nation's two Euros victories in 2022 and 2025, and that won't be forgotten.

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After this Euros triumph in Switzerland, both Earps and 24-year-old Hampton will enjoy their summer breaks before returning for their respective teams, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in the coming weeks.

Leicestershire left facing fight to avoid innings defeat after conceding 356-run deficit

ECB Reporters Network14-Apr-2024

Danny Lamb scored his second Championship hundred and first for Sussex•Getty Images

New captain John Simpson struck a maiden double-century as Sussex put Leicestershire to the sword on day three of their Vitality County Championship clash, piling up the third-highest total in their first-class history before declaring on 694 for 9.Leicestershire closed on 86 for 1 in their second innings, trailing by 270.Former Middlesex wicketkeeper Simpson finished on 205 not out, having shared a seventh-wicket partnership of 255 with fellow Lancastrian Danny Lamb, another new face at the south coast club, whose 134 was also a career-best.Ari Karvelas came in at No. 10 to crack 55 off 40 balls and it was with his dismissal six overs after tea that Sussex declared with a first-innings lead of 356 in reply to Leicestershire’s 338 all out, with 24 overs left in the day.With the insurance of a second innings available, Simpson clearly hoped his bowlers could dismiss Leicestershire for a second time in what remains of the match, although the weather forecast for the final day suggests there may be interruptions to play.It was a dispiriting day for Leicestershire, whose bowlers had done an effective containing job with the old ball in Saturday’s final session before taking two important wickets with the new one, leaving Sussex six down and still 56 runs behind.One more wicket while the second ball was still hard at the start of the third morning would have exposed the Sussex tail – but that wicket simply didn’t come. Indeed, apart from one sustained but firmly rejected appeal for a gloved caught behind by Ben Mike against Lamb, there was barely a hint of a breakthrough until five overs after lunch when Lamb, on 85, did get a bat to a leg-side delivery from Matt Salisbury but Ben Cox, diving to his left, could only help it to the boundary.By that time, the seventh-wicket pair had added 150 to Sussex’s burgeoning total, 133 of which had come during as one-sided a morning session as this ground is likely to witness all year. The Kookaburra ball is clearly no friend of bowlers in English April conditions and this one sat up to be hit far too often.Former Middlesex keeper John Simpson made a career-best•Getty Images

Lamb lifted it over the boundary rope four times in the session. On the third occasion, when Lamb slog-swept the spinner Liam Trevaskis over the seats on the popular side and the ball was temporarily lost, Leicestershire were handed a replacement, but it was no more responsive.Simpson reached his fifty from 108 balls and his hundred from 197, passing the bigger milestone when he swivel-pulled Salisbury for his 15th four, his 11th century in first-class cricket. The shot brought up the Sussex 450 for good measure.Lamb, who moved from Lancashire over the winter, was quicker to a hundred than his partner by some distance, needing just 108 balls, adding 10 fours to the four sixes. Judging by the numbers crowding on to the Sussex balcony to applaud as he scampered through for a couple off Trevaskis before raising his bat, he is already a popular figure in his new dressing room.Lamb thanked them with some high entertainment, bringing out the scoop for six number five off Mike, launching Trevaskis high over long-on to chalk up the 500 with his sixth maximum (equalling his old career-best of 125), and reverse-sweeping Louis Kimber, Leicestershire’s part-time offspinner, for his seventh.Little wonder that when his luck finally ran out – he was bowled attempting to heave Trevaskis over midwicket – he walked back to the pavilion grinning from ear to ear. For the record, Lamb was the former Durham left-arm spinner’s maiden Leicestershire wicket, although figures of 1 for 192 might slightly take the gloss off it.There was no end to Leicestershire’s ordeal, however. Jack Carson hit two sixes in a 23-ball 38 and Simpson flexed his muscles to add five sixes to 23 fours, his second hundred coming off 97 balls, before calling time on the innings when Karvelas was caught at long-off from Kimber’s bowling.Leicestershire negotiated the first 14 overs of the second innings without mishap, Rishi Patel having been dropped on 19, until the introduction of Carson brought a breakthrough as the offspinner’s first ball induced an inside edge on to pad as Australian opener Marcus Harris was caught at short leg.

Multan Sultans limited the batting power of Islamabad United through pace and notched their second straight win in the Pakistan Super League on Tuesday.Fast bowler Mohammad Ali grabbed 3-19 as he swung the new ball and delivered some eye-catching yorkers in the death overs to bowl out Islamabad for 144.Reeza Hendricks then followed his unbeaten 79 in Sultans’ win over Karachi Kings with 58 off 46 balls to lead last year’s finalists to a five-wicket win in the last over.Related

• Shaheen: Local players huge deal for us at Lahore Qalandars

• All you need to know about PSL 2024

• Shaheen Afridi: Imran Khan suggested I become Lahore Qalandars captain

• Nafay, Hosein hand Qalandars second successive loss

Islamabad were let down by some sloppy fielding as Imad Wasim dropped Mohammad Rizwan, who went on to score 43 off 33 balls, in the first over, and Hendricks in the eighth over, helping the duo rack up a 71-run stand for the second wicket.Naseem Shah, returning from a shoulder injury, bowled an eventful first over when he clean bowled Dawid Malan for zero as the fast bowler looked to get into rhythm with figures of 2 for 27 off his four overs.Islamabad lost the wickets of Alex Hales and Colin Munro cheaply inside the batting powerplay after Rizwan won the toss and elected to field.Ali shattered the stumps of Munro with a sharp delivery that darted into the left-hand batter from around the wicket and Hales was caught at deep square leg while attempting a big shot against David Willey.Agha Salman (52) and Jordan Cox (41) both capitalized on dropped catches by Khushdil Shah and raised a 68-run stand. Legspinner Usama Mir (2-29) chipped in with quick wickets of Cox and power-hitter Azam Khan that pushed back Islamabad.Islamabad captain Shadab Khan, who scored a prolific half-century in Islamabad’s opening win over Lahore Qalandars, added 35 with Salman, but Abbas Afridi (3-33) and Ali struck with regular intervals in the death overs before the Islamabad innings folded.Afridi varied his pace intelligently and had Shadab clean bowled off a length ball and then Khushdil made amends of his two early fielding lapses by having Salman caught in the deep off Afridi’s legcutter.Ali wrapped up the tail by grabbing two wickets in the last over before running out Naseem off the last ball.Multan joined Quetta Gladiators atop the table with four points from two wins while Islamabad has two points from two games.

The visitors will field at least three debutants with the squad that includes seven uncapped players

Andrew McGlashan13-Jan-2024West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite is “quite clear” on the XI he will take into the first Test against Australia next week, which will include at least three debutants, and praised his largely inexperienced team with making good use of their warm-up match in Adelaide.Across the three days against a Cricket Australia XI, made up of players without BBL deals, a number of the top order spent useful time in the middle with wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva hitting a century on the final day while Kavem Hodge struck 52 and 99 and Justin Greaves was twice in the runs.The bowlers were able to knock over the CA XI for 174 in their first innings with an eye-catching performance from quick Shamar Joseph who is in line for a debut next week along with the senior pair of Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph.Related

• Meet West Indies' new names: the seven uncapped players in Australia

• Hodge, da Silva impress for West Indies after fast bowlers run through CA XI

• Da Silva hits century as West Indies find positives before Test challenge

“[I’m] quite clear on the XI,” Brathwaite told reporters. “Very happy with how all the guys went about the camp [and] went about this game. This time next week it’s about making West Indies proud.”While Brathwaite did not divulge further details of how West Indies will line up, if the warm-up game is an indication it will see Hodge and Greaves making their debuts at No. 5 and 6 respectively along with Shamar.Left-armer Gudakesh Motie, who took 13 wickets in the match against Zimbabwe a year ago, would appear to be the frontline spinner although allrounder Kevin Sinclair may have given selectors something to ponder.West Indies shuffled their batting order in the second innings with Da Silva, one of the players who was part of the Test series in Australia last time around, making the most of his chance with a hundred while Brathwaite was pleased with how Hodge twice made contributions.Joshua Da Silva spent useful time in the middle•CWI Media

“[Da Silva] took it with both hands, the opportunity to open, and he batted for a long period which is what you want In Test cricket so that was good to see,” he said. “Very pleased with how [Hodge] showed he [could] come again in the second innings and do it. That’s what we want.”Brathwaite (87 Tests) along with Roach (79 Tests) will have key roles to play in showing the way while Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Alzarri were also on the previous tour.”[You can talk about] different spells you would have faced, how the pitches played, there’s a lot of information shared,” Brathwaite said. “Obviously Kemar Roach leading the young bowling attack with experience of similar, how the Kookaburra ball reacts off these types of pitches, the lengths, especially with the new ball is very important.”West Indies also caught well during the game – something Pakistan were unable to do during their Test series, which may have cost them the Melbourne Test.”Catching is very important, especially here in Australia,” Brathwaite said. “The pitches get quite a bit of bounce so especially the slip fielders have to be sharp. That’s something the fielding coach speaks about, [but] we’ve got to keep working hard.”West Indies arrived in Adelaide on December 30 so have had the rare opportunity of spending two weeks in the same city to prepare for the opening Test, which this year will be a day game rather than Adelaide’s traditional day-night fixture with Brisbane instead hosting the pink-ball contest.”Having the time to practice here in Adelaide, get accustomed to the pitches and stuff, think that was great for us,” Brathwaite said. “As a team we are very pleased. The facilities here are outstanding and the boys made good use of them.”West Indies’ squad is missing a host of senior players including former captain Jason Holder and allrounder Kyle Mayers who opted to play in T20 leagues.

Jamie Overton injury offers route to recall for 35-year-old allrounder, with Hartley also named in 15-man squad

Vithushan Ehantharajah and Matt Roller30-Apr-2024Chris Jordan has been recalled to England’s white-ball set-up as part of their provisional T20 World Cup squad, at the expense of Chris Woakes, while Jofra Archer is also included as he prepares to return to competitive cricket after almost a year on the sidelines.Jordan, whose last international appearance came in September 2023 against New Zealand – the last of his 88 T20I caps – is part of a 15-man group that includes Archer and uncapped Lancashire left arm spinner Tom Hartley. Archer has been passed fit after recovering from a right elbow injury that has kept him out of competitive action since May 2023. Hartley, who shot to prominence earlier this year with 22 wickets against India in his maiden Test series, has been handed the second frontline spinner’s berth ahead of Rehan Ahmed.Related

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South Africa's batting options for T20 World Cup: de Kock? Hendricks? Du Plessis?

The inclusion of Jordan and subsequent omission of Woakes are the only surprises in Jos Buttler’s squad, charged with defending England’s 2022 title. With Jamie Overton ruled out through a back injury, Jordan’s capacity to score lower down the order – he has averaged 30.05 and struck at 160.53 in all T20 cricket since the start of the 2023 Vitality Blast – has seen him emerge as an alternative, despite missing the T20I series against West Indies in December, which England lost 3-2. He remains an exceptional fielder and a viable option as a death bowler.”We’ve watched CJ for a while now and his bowling has always been a serious factor for us,” Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, said of Jordan’s recall. “The fact that he can bowl at the death has always been something we look for, but his batting seems to have kicked on a bit this time. Having power is a big thing out in the Caribbean, so that’s why CJ has comfortably got in there.”ESPNcricinfo LtdOn Archer, Key acknowledged that England were still keeping their “fingers crossed” given the extent of his injury setbacks in recent years, which included a stress fracture of the back alongside his long-standing elbow problems. But given the prospect of him playing in front of his friends and family in Barbados, Key was optimistic that the four-match T20I series against Pakistan in May would enable him to hit the ground running.”Jofra’s that bowler that’s just so special, you do everything you can to try to get him back playing,” he said. “We’ve taken the longer road this time. But as always with Jofra, it’s fingers crossed until he’s out there playing. You’re waiting for something really good to happen – you don’t quite believe it until he’s there. But he’s tracking well at the moment.”Hopefully the next step is when he gets into that Pakistan series, it’s going to be full-match intensity, and how he keeps going through there. But at the moment we’re doing everything we can, and he’s in a good spot. And playing in Barbados, as you can imagine, is something Jofra is desperate to do as well.”ESPNcricinfo LtdWoakes has been an ever-present in England’s limited-overs set-up, particularly with the new ball in both their 2019 ODI and 2022 T20I World Cup successes. In many ways, his omission, along with Ben Stokes’ decision to make himself unavailable for selection, marks the end of an era. Woakes is yet to feature for Punjab Kings at the IPL this season.Though Key insisted that the door was not closed on Woakes’ white-ball career, he made it clear that, in the wake of his Compton-Miller medal-winning exploits in the Ashes last summer, this year’s Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka would be his likelier focus.”He had an outstanding summer in the Ashes last year so we see him as someone who is going to feature in Test cricket, especially given his ability with the bat in Test cricket where that power is not as important,” Key said. “In Test cricket you’re going to want a varied attack and he’s someone who offers that along with Jimmy Anderson, Matt Potts… he’s in that bracket. Chris is very much in our thoughts going forward.”England’s batting line-up effectively picks itself in Stokes’ absence, with the in-form trio of Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Will Jacks set to fill the top three berths, with Jonny Bairstow confirmed by Key at No. 4 in the wake of his remarkable 41-ball century for Punjab Kings in their record 262-run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders last week.ESPNcricinfo LtdAll four of those players, plus Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Reece Topley, will miss the end of the IPL, with the selectors stating that the players must fly home on May18-19, ahead of the play-offs, and report for England duty in time for the first T20I against Pakistan at Headingley on May 22. The group will then fly to the Caribbean on May 31, ahead of their opening group match against Scotland in Barbados on June 4.Key confirmed that the players had known for some time that this was likely to be the case, but that Buttler – who was already due to miss Rajasthan Royals’ anticipated play-off campaign due to paternity leave – had been especially keen to get the squad together at the earliest opportunity.”There are a few newer players coming into this side, so it’s important it gets together,” Key said. “The likes of Phil Salt, Will Jacks have been around a little bit, but this is now very much their opportunity, with a few others. So you just want them to get together and spend a bit of time and build up to it.”England T20 World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali (vice-captain), Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Tom Hartley, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

The former USMNT players addressed the Argentine’s controversial absence from the 2025 MLS All-Star Game

• Donovan referenced David Beckham's approach
• Inter Miami facing contract negotiations with Messi
• League still determining whether Messi faces suspension

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former U.S. international Alexi Lalas addressed Lionel Messi's absence from the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, describing it as an uncomfortable situation for the league. Lalas emphasized that the All-Star Game is a well-known priority for MLS.

  “Any team, including the MLS All Star team in this case, would want Messi playing in it… so this puts MLS in this awkward situation of having their marquee player not playing in their marquee game, and by contract violation," Lalas said on his podcast. “Messi, we all know more than any player in Major League Soccer history has incredible leverage. And you signed the contract. If you did not like the contract at the time, you should have changed it – with that leverage if you could. And if you can't, then don't sign the contract if you're not going to live up to it.”

  The analyst said that, despite Messi's incredible efforts on the pitch, he deserves criticism for his ASG no-show.

  “This is a contractual obligation, and MLS and Inter Miami are paying you a boatload of money, and Apple for that matter, are paying you a boatload of money," Lalas stated. "And as I said before, you have returned, maybe even more so in what you have done on the field and the attention that you were brought. But it does rub me a little the wrong way that Messi – as awesome as he is – it doesn't mean that he is not worthy of criticism."

  He also called it a bad look for both Messi and for MLS, as the two parties could have found a potential compromise.

  “It's a bad look for Messi. I think it's a bad look for MLS. And again, it goes back to communication," Lalas said. "This could have been sorted out beforehand, if Messi truly does not want to play in the All-Star game. I don't agree with it. But it's Messi. So you figure out a way to just [address] the situation as opposed to making it a story right now.

  "You get with his representation and you get with the league and you figure out a way to make it so that yes, he does have some sort of injury or so or something that's going that's going on.”

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  WHAT DONOVAN SAID

  Landon Donovan used David Beckham as an example, pointing to the fact that he understood what such games meant for MLS.

  “All the talk is around Lionel Messi and why he is not attending,” Donovan posted on Instagram. “When David Beckham came into the league, he uniquely understood the value of these big events for the league. And whether David agreed with it at the time or not, he understood the league's perspective. Now Lionel Messi and David are not the same person, but they're having the same impact on the league at different points in the league’s history."

  Donovan said he understands why Messi skipped the game and acknowledged that the Miami star has played a lot of games over the last few months. But he added that it's going to be interesting to see how the league responds.

  “From the League's perspective this is really frustrating because you have your best player, your partners want him there, the owners want him there, the sponsors want him there, the fans want him there, the other guys on the MLS All-Star team want the chance to play with Messi – that's a dream for them," he said. “So this becomes a really challenging situation, and from the league standpoint now, what do you do? … Inter Miami and the league are trying to renegotiate, so that he stays here – his contract is up at the end of the season."

  He added that Beckham's ownership role with Inter Miami could also complicate matters.

  "Beckham is also an Inter Miami owner, so we don't know exactly what went on behind the scenes," he said. "From Lionel Messi's standpoint, I can understand why he didn't want to come. It makes me appreciate David much more in doing those things he didn't want to do. It puts the league in a really, really tough position now."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As per the MLS’ rules, players who miss the All-Star game are face a one-match suspension, which means that Messi and Alba could potentially miss Inter Miami’s next game against FC Cincinnati. However, the league hasn’t confirmed whether there will be suspensions. Commissioner Don Garber declined to comment on any disciplinary action.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Inter Miami's next match is against FC Cincinnati on Saturday in the MLS at Chase Stadium.

Sarina Wiegman danced and sang with her "favourite artist" Burna Boy during England's Euro 2025 celebrations outside Buckingham Palace. The Dutch coach guided the Lionesses to their second successive European Championship title, with world champions Spain dispatched in the final.

Wiegman dances with Burna BoyLionesses celebrated Euro 2025 win in LondonEngland beat Spain in the finalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The jubilant England side celebrated the title with thousands of fans gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday afternoon. Event host Alex Scott, who also starred for the Lionesses in her playing days, surprised Wieman on stage by introducing her "favourite artist" Burna Boy to the team celebrations. The Dutch coach screamed, "Oh, no way", before joining the Nigerian singer in a rendition of his popular track 'For Your Hand'.

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England pipped Spain 3-1 in a final penalty shootout to successfully defend their European crown. Mariona Caldentey had handed Spain a first-half lead, but Alessia Russo brought the Lionesses back into the game and penalties were eventually needed after a goalless extra time period. Weigman is the only manager in men's or women's football history to reach five consecutive finals of major tournaments, out of which she has now won three titles.

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The English stars will now enjoy a well-earned break after a gruelling 2024-25 campaign. The new season of the Women's Super League kicks off on September 5 with reigning champions Chelsea taking on Manchester City.

Kumble’s progression to 500 wickets

George Binoy11-Mar-2006

Anil Kumble – Second-fastest to the 500 mark © AFP
Three months ago, Anil Kumble became the second Indian bowler, after Kapil Dev, to play 100 Tests. Today he became the first to take 500 Test wickets, and joins Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Glenn McGrath and Courtney Walsh in an exclusive club.In a country that worships stellar batsmen, Kumble’s matchwinning exploits are soon forgotten and unfavourable comparisons are made with other leading bowlers. But the fact is that Kumble, in his 105th Test, is the second-fastest to the 500 mark in terms of matches played, ahead of Warne, McGrath and Walsh. The only bowler to do it in fewer matches is Murali, who achieved the feat in 87 Tests.

Quickest to 500 wickets

Bowler Matches Overs Wickets Avg/SR

Muttiah Muralitharan 87 4970 50522.89/59.0 Anil Kumble 105* 5493.1 50128.87/65.7 Glenn McGrath 110 4286.4 50921.01/50.6 Shane Warne 108 5037.1 50125.51/60.3 Courtney Walsh 129 4835.1 50424.56/57.5*As a matchwinning bowler, Kumble is unparalleled in India. The number of wickets he has in Tests that the team has won is nearly double that of Harbhajan Singh, his closest competitor. Twenty-seven of his 31 five-fors and all eight of his ten-wicket hauls have come in matches that India have either drawn or won.

Most wickets in Indian Test wins

Bowler Matches won Wickets Avg/SR

Anil Kumble 35 240 18.67/ 45.77 Harbhajan Singh 22 122 20.55/ 48.81BS Chandrasekhar 14 98 19.27/ 45.41 Bishan Singh Bedi 17 97 17.65/ 54.03 Kapil Dev 24 90 18.3/ 45.27When Kumble first burst on to the scene, opposition batsmen weren’t used to his unique style of bowling – his first 100 wickets came in quick time, at a superb average of 24. As the batsmen gradually got the measure of his bowling, the wickets became harder to accumulate – his next 100 wickets took him 26 matches. Since then, though, he has got them at a pretty quick rate, and now averages 4.77 wickets per Test.

Cumulative progression of Kumble’s wickets

Wickets Taken in Test no. Average at the time 5w/10w

0-108 21 24.35 6/1 – 204 47 28.07 11/1 – 300 66 28.04 18/4 – 402 85 28.41 24/5 – 501 105 28.87 32/8