Swing and miss: PBKS 'lost the battle but not the war'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

PBKS crumbled under pressure, undone by swing and seam early in their innings but their eyes are firmly set on redemption in Qualifier 2

Shashank Kishore30-May-20253:05

Moody: The occasion muddled PBKS’ thinking

Punjab Kings had built up their playoffs aspirations all season. They had dreamt of this moment. On podcasts, at press conferences and over Instagram stories with inspiring music. Their batting line-up had been among the most dominant, and their openers had got stuck into bowling attacks, unperturbed by reputation.To be in this position with the arc lights on them on home territory was a dream scenario. But a lost toss against a gun bowling attack on a surface with swing, devilish seam and spongy bounce wasn’t the cocktail they’d hoped for.In the dugout, James Hopes, their bowling coach, had seen enough from the surface six balls into the game that he quietly chuckled to himself wondering why Royal Challengers Bengaluru hadn’t brought on Josh Hazlewood in the second over right away. This was going to be a challenge unlike any other, perhaps closest to the one they faced against Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue in the league stage.Related

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That night, they had a fiery Marco Jansen and the crafty Yuzvendra Chahal in their ranks to help pull off the lowest-successful defence in IPL history. Neither was available here; Jansen was away preparing for the World Test Championship final and Chahal was nursing an injury he hadn’t sufficiently recovered from. But before they could worry about their bowling resources, there was a simple matter of putting up runs.Priyansh Arya is instinctive mostly. Fast hands and picking lengths early are his bread and butter. But three balls into the second over, he was neither able to get to the pitch nor hit it over and the sticky surface had its first victim. At slip, Virat Kohli urged every bowler to keep hitting the deck hard. Behind the stumps, Jitesh Sharma struggled to find his footing, leaving skid marks at both ends as he wrestled with the extra bounce.For PBKS, there was nothing ‘homely’ about the surface, yet they kept going for their shots. Twice Prabhsimran Singh swung as he charged and tried to negate Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s swing. But the third time, he was completely off balance trying to slog and nicked behind to Jitesh as Bhuvneshwar shortened his length.Those two wickets had been lost even before Hazlewood came on. As Shreyas Iyer took strike, it’s unlikely his match-ups against Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar would’ve been on his mind. Rajat Patidar sent short fine to the boundary, but with midwicket and mid-on in, Iyer looked to hit over the infield, only to be dismissed by an ill-judged slog. By then, there was already a sense of inevitability.2:29

Aaron: PBKS need to assess conditions and game situations

PBKS didn’t buckle down still. Josh Inglis was out to the pull again, off Hazlewood, trying to force the pace in front of square. But at 38 for 4 their hopes were fast fading. “We were a bit befuddled, to be honest, in terms of reading the wicket,” Iyer said after the match, the wounds from the loss still raw. “A lot of wickets we lost [were kind of] random. So, yeah, there’s a lot to go back and study on.”The only semblance of pressure PBKS seemed to shift back on the bowlers was when Marcus Stoinis muscled a few away. But with him trying to literally slog every ball out of the ground, he was skating on thin ice. He was quietly taken out by a Suyash Sharma googly that proved to be deadly accurate. He’d picked up a third wicket, to go with the earlier strikes of Shashank Singh and Impact Player Musheer Khan, both out to the wrong’un – one slogging, and the other sweeping.Hopes echoed Iyer’s call for soul-searching, while also warning against the pitfalls of backing down at a new venue on a new pitch come Qualifier 2. “The worst thing our batsmen can do now is blink and start jumping at shadows and second-guessing themselves,” Hopes said. “We know historically it’s a very good pitch [in Ahmedabad].

“We were a bit befuddled, to be honest, in terms of reading the wicket.”Shreyas Iyer after PBKS’ loss

“We know we’re going to have to go quite hard and score quite quickly. It’s not back to the drawing board by any means. We worked two-and-a-half months to get into a position where we get a second opportunity, and we’re going to have to use our second opportunity now.”For a brief passage in the second innings, with Kyle Jamieson hooping the ball around, you couldn’t quite tell which team was under the pump. Kohli had just been taken out in true Test match style, of the kind that troubled him repeatedly in Australia. Mayank Agarwal kept playing for the lifter and was repeatedly squared up. At the other end, Phil Salt hadn’t yet come to grips with the skid off the pitch, even off someone like Azmatullah Omarzai, who is strictly in the medium-pace bracket.The crowd had found its voice, and it felt like the final session of a Test with two new ball bowlers on fire. At that very moment, you couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve been had PBKS showed a bit more restraint while they batted, perhaps “drawn the line a little bit earlier than we did” in Hopes’ words. But that passage was all too fleeting, as Salt climbed into the bowling, to wallop his fastest IPL half-century to land the knockout punch.But as Iyer put it, PBKS “had lost the battle but not the war” as a second chance beckons come Sunday.

With endurance and resilience, Mushfiqur Rahim scales the summit

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Bangladesh’s most durable cricketer has finished 20 years in international cricket and joins the 100-Test club shortly

Mohammad Isam18-Nov-2025The fist clenched in glee. The cherubic smile. The hours and hours of training. The meticulous care invested in his batting every day. These are some images and qualities from a 20-year career that come to mind when you mention the name Mushfiqur Rahim.Through the good and the bad times, Mushfiqur has built himself into a Bangladesh legend, and is now on the cusp of becoming the first cricketer from his country to play a hundred Tests. Two decades of putting his head down, of running and batting and performing. As a measure of his pioneering presence, Bangladesh itself is only 25 years old as a Test nation and has played 155 Tests.When any long career approaches a major milestone, it calls for reflection. To last as long as Mushfiqur has in the tough terrain of Bangladesh cricket is an achievement in itself. It’s worth remembering that some of those he played alongside in his debut Test, at Lord’s in 2005, are currently administrators and coaches. One is an exiled political leader.Related

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Mushfiqur has gone from debuting as a teenager to becoming the country’s oldest Test cricketer. He is the longest-serving international cricketer currently active. And it feels like he might be among the last of a kind – one of a handful of cricketers from outside the Big Three to have played a hundred Tests, joining Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kraigg Brathwaite who achieved the feat in recent years.Together with Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur is one of the modern pillars of Bangladesh cricket. He went to school with Shakib, is close friends with Tamim, brother-in-law to Mahmudullah, and was a favourite of Mashrafe’s back in the day.Those four are gone from the international scene, and there have definitely been moments in Mushfiqur’s career when many believed he too would leave, particularly when he hung up his white-ball kit earlier this year. Instead, he has taken the speculation as a slight, responding with runs and hours of hard work. Talk to the players today and it’s clear Mushfiqur is still very much on the “why” segment of the retirement spectrum and not the “why not”.

****

Mushfiqur was earmarked as a future Bangladesh cricketer in his early days at the BKSP, Bangladesh’s top sports institute. Faruque Ahmed, the current BCB vice-president, was the chief selector who picked Mushfiqur, only an age-group cricketer at the time, in Bangladesh’s squad for their maiden tour of England, in 2005.Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach in those years, remembers that handing Mushfiqur a Test debut was a big call, given he was only 16 at the time and lacked experience.Mushfiqur has reason to be fond of Galle, where he made his first double-hundred, in 2013, and where, four years later, he made 85 and 34•AFP/Getty Images”I saw a very talented young keeper-batsman,” Whatmore says. “Very young. But he had obvious ability with the bat, and after he hit a century the game before the first Test, we decided to pick him knowing it would be a baptism of fire. The one thing I recall even at that tender young age is his clear-minded preparation. I knew he would have a long career.”The series was indeed a trial by fire, for the side as much as for Mushfiqur. They were routed, and led to questions from some about Bangladesh’s Full-Member status. Others believed that young cricketers like Mushfiqur were the way forward.Faruque championed Mushfiqur, picking the 19-year-old ahead of veteran Khaled Mashud for the 2007 World Cup. When he became the youngest debutant ever at Lord’s, it had piqued interest, but this step up effectively threw Mushfiqur into the big time. He was one of three batters to get half-centuries in Bangladesh’s iconic win against India in the tournament. That his 56 came from No. 3 also went a long way to calming fans who were up in arms about Mashud’s exclusion.It still took him a bit of time to become a consistent performer, made all the more difficult in a team not used to winning. But alongside Tamim and Shakib, he showed enough glimpses for the selectors to begin relying on youth. When a group of top Bangladesh cricketers signed for the rebel Indian Cricket League, it heaped more responsibility on Mushfiqur and his young team-mates.Soon after that, in 2008, Bangladesh toured South Africa. In the second Test, in Centurion, Mushfiqur gave a great account of his ability. Tamim remembers the knock, to this day, as one of his best.”He struck Dale Steyn for two sixes and Steyn was on fire in those days,” Tamim says. “Innings defeats were the norm for Bangladesh. We were touring South Africa, where we lost badly on the previous tour. Mushfiqur showed great character against one of the best bowling attacks in the world.”By then Jamie Siddons had succeeded Whatmore. Like his predecessor, Siddons saw in Mushfiqur a young batter with tremendous work ethic, but also someone who could improve. He worked on Mushfiqur’s game against extreme pace and bounce, particularly his pull and cut, and on improving his backlift.Make mine a double: Mushfiqur celebrates in the 2018 Mirpur Test against Zimbabwe, where he finished with 219 not out in the first innings to level the series 1-1•Raton Gomes/BCBStill, those first years were tough for Mushfiqur and he was yet to truly settle into the consistency for which he became well known.

****

The BCB thrust Mushfiqur into the captaincy when he was 24. Bangladesh had appointed younger captains in Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful but Mushfiqur was still trying to establish himself in the Test side. Less than two years later, however, he broke new ground by becoming the first Bangladesh batter to score a Test double-hundred, against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2013.Mominul Haque, who made his Test debut for Bangladesh in that match, remembers the innings for the transformational effect it had on the team. “I think when he made that double, it took Bangladesh’s batting to the next level,” Mominul says. “I rate that innings as Mushfiq ‘s best knock in Test cricket. To score big runs against that Sri Lankan bowling attack, it allowed the rest of us to dream big. I remember thinking, now we can also score a century in overseas conditions.”Mushfiq made life easier in partnerships. I have personally experienced it. It is not easy to make your batting partner feel comfortable, but these are the things that very experienced cricketers do. What he does is, he talks to the batter about everything that he knows about the pitch, conditions and opposition. Only the masters of the game can do this.”The double-century was soon followed by Mushfiqur’s first Test win, against Zimbabwe in Harare, although it wasn’t a tour he quite enjoyed. After Bangladesh lost the ODI series, he resigned from the captaincy, only for the board to convince him to reverse the decision a few weeks later.Mushfiqur, who has outlasted his more celebrated team-mates, with Tamim Iqbal in 2019•Getty ImagesMushfiqur’s captaincy coincided with plenty of highs and lows for Bangladesh cricket, from 2011 to the end of 2017. They achieved their first Test wins against England and Australia, and Mushfiqur had his most productive year as a batter in the last year of that span: he scored 766 runs at 54.71, with two centuries – in Wellington and Hyderabad – and three fifties. Bangladesh also won their first Test in Sri Lanka that year.That was Mushfiqur’s first batting peak. Tamim believes it owed to Mushfiqur figuring out his best way of training and keeping faith with it. “When he started his international career, he was an okay batter for a number of years,” Tamim says. “He had a lot of technical issues. He probably wasn’t scoring enough runs in those days. But to be a successful cricketer, the most important thing is to understand your game, your strength, and how you are going to prepare. It can be very different to others, even more different than the most successful cricketer in your team.”Mushfiqur led the team to seven wins and captained for a third of his career, 34 Tests. He averaged 41.44 with the bat as captain, slightly higher than his career average, but interestingly did better after letting go of the captaincy, with seven of his 12 hundreds coming in that time.The other major decision in his Test career was giving up the keeper’s role in 2019. That tough call paid dividends, as seen in the improved rate at which he converted fifties to hundreds, and the rise in his batting average from 37 to 45.In the five years starting with 2016, Mushfiqur scored 1763 runs, including two double-hundreds, and given that the bulk of that period fell after his captaincy, it shows he thrived when freed from the pressure of leadership.

He’s had a similarly productive time since 2021, scoring a little under 2000 runs. This has been his busiest period as a Test cricketer; he retired from T20Is and ODIs in 2021 and 2024 respectively.Habibul Bashar, Mushfiqur’s first Test captain and a former Bangladesh selector for years, has seen Mushfiqur from up close. He believes that Mushfiqur’s passion and humility, coupled with his decision to give up wicketkeeping, have helped him in his latter years”I remember telling him about how Kumar Sangakkara gave up the gloves in Tests,” Bashar says. “I think initially he wasn’t comfortable, but then adjusted quite well. He could also bat in the top four or five. It is down to his passion at the end of the day.”Mominul, who with 74 matches sits below Mushfiqur on the table of most-capped Bangladesh Test players, has made Mushfiqur’s mantra of hard work his own. “I think the biggest lesson that you can take from him is his lifestyle,” he says. “You can have skills but you can only apply [them] as long as you have a disciplined lifestyle.”I have never seen him eat more than he needs. Those who want to play for Bangladesh for a long time, they must look at him.”Mushfiqur has touched many lives in his two decades in the international game. He inspired a generation as a teen prodigy. He broke through as a young performer at the 2007 World Cup in one of Bangladesh’s biggest campaigns, and his captaincy ushered in a strong period for the team. He has seen many eras of cricket come and go, and has withstood more than his share of criticism.With the latter phase of his career, he has set a template for Bangladesh cricketers to follow when it comes to having a second wind and prolonging their careers meaningfully. Joining the 100-Test club is just reward for a man who has run what must feel like the iron man triathlon, and lived to tell the tale.

England's lucky break masks deeper batting issues

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Charlie Dean admits England “got away with one” following a batting collapse against Pakistan

Valkerie Baynes15-Oct-2025″We got away with one today,” was Charlie Dean’s summation of England’s great escape from Pakistan in a washed-out World Cup match in Colombo.England have used get-out-of-jail cards against both the teams which had to go through qualifying just to be here. At least against Bangladesh it was largely their own doing after Heather Knight survived three overturned dismissals to haul them out of danger with her 79 not out.This time, it was down to the brewing monsoon season in Sri Lanka and, with matches against India, Australia and New Zealand looming, England should now have a clear indication of the work ahead of them if they are to move forward with a campaign where their unbeaten record so far flatters them somewhat.Related

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Rain rescues England after Sana and Co leave them in deep water

England’s latest batting performance was even worse than the 182 for 6 they managed against Bangladesh, who had them 78 for 5 inside 23 overs. Against some brilliant seam bowling by Fatima Sana, who peppered them with in-duckers on her way to figures of 4 for 27 from six overs, England slumped to 78 for 7 in the 24th.”It wasn’t the start that we wanted with the bat and we didn’t quite adapt quick enough to the wicket, to the way the ball seamed around,” Dean added. “Then I guess we just got a bit bogged down with the spin. It’s hard to really be proactive and take on those options when one, they bowled really well, and I guess when you’ve lost quite a few wickets.”I’m not a top-order batter, so I don’t want to speak for those players and I know that they’ll all be disappointed with how today went and looking to rectify that as quickly as possible. We have some world-class players in our XI, in our 15, so we know that that’s not how the game’s going to go every time but hopefully we can scratch this one off and go ahead on Sunday with a positive mindset.”That they managed to reach 133 for 9 was down largely to Dean who had a job to do – not for the first time – at No. 8, adding 47 runs off 41 balls with No. 9 Em Arlott, called into England’s starting XI for the first time when fellow seamer Lauren Bell fell ill along with spinner Sophie Ecclestone.At this World Cup, Dean has scored 27 not out, having stuck with Knight in for an unbroken 79-run stand against Bangladesh, 19 against Sri Lanka which was the best of England’s batters from No.5-11, and now 33 while the more recognised batters have struggled, Knight’s innings and Nat Sciver-Brunt’s century against Sri Lanka aside.Amy Jones broke the back of England’s pursuit of a paltry 70 against South Africa with 40 not out but hasn’t passed 11 since, fellow opener Tammy Beaumont has reached double figures three times in four innings without passing 32 and the middle order of Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey has failed to fire.Charlie Dean top-scored for England with 33•AFP/Getty ImagesStill, England are top of the table, level on points but with a superior net run rate to Australia, who threaten to pose an even sterner contest.England won their warm-up game against Australia, which was somewhat of a surprise given that they left the Ashes in January without registering a single victory from seven matches across formats. That result sparked a change of head coach and captain with Charlotte Edwards replacing Jon Lewis and Sciver-Brunt taking over from Knight.But the squad make-up hasn’t changed markedly and their ability to adapt to conditions and cope under pressure, which was found so wanting in Australia and at the T20 World Cup before that, is now under scrutiny once more.Next up on Sunday will be India, who are looking to secure a place in the top four after back-to-back defeats at the hands of Australia and South Africa.”We can definitely be better,” said Dean, who was appointed as Sciver-Brunt’s vice-captain ahead of this event. “We really want to take it game by game and look to put some of the best teams under pressure with India, Australia, and New Zealand coming up. We’re excited for hopefully some better batting wickets or higher-scoring games and to really test ourselves against the best oppositions.”

"Superb" – Everton star was "everywhere" vs Fulham, won 100% of his aerial duels

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was praised for his display against Fulham in the Premier League.

Everton 2-0 Fulham

Gueye and Michael Keane supplemented Everton’s misfiring attack in a 2-0 win which extended Fulham’s woes on the road to a fifth successive match.

With the Toffees’ two strikers Beto and Thierno Barry scoring just one Premier League goal between them so far this season, there is an imperative for others to chip in. But in a team boasting the attacking talents of Jack Grealish, Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, it was their defensive midfielder and centre-back who made the difference.

The two teams had scored just 22 between them in 20 combined Premier League matches so the first goal was important and Gueye’s intervention, in the fourth minute of first-half added time, was even more crucial as an offside flag denied Everton on three occasions in a match they should have won more comfortably.

Gueye stabbed home his second of the campaign after Tim Iroegbunam had completely fluffed his shot in front of goal from a James Tarkowski header which rebounded off the crossbar.

After failing to score at all last season, Gueye is well on his way to beat his best return of four in an Everton shirt from 2023-24. Keane flicked home a Dewsbury-Hall corner with 10 minutes to go to banish any late anxiety. They were contributions gratefully received by boss David Moyes, whose side ended a run of one win in eight matches in all competitions.

Unsurprisingly, Gueye’s performance against the Cottagers was highly praised in the aftermath of the game.

Gueye was "brilliant" against Fulham

After opening the scoring against Fulham, pundit Sue Smith, as per Sky Sports, said of Gueye:

Minutes Played

90

Goals

1

Assists

0

Passes Made (Accuracy)

41/48 (85%)

Recoveries

3

Clearances

3

Interceptions

1

Aerial Duels Won

1/1 (100%)

Times Dribbled Past

0

All stats are from SofaScore

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Everton Extra noted that Gueye was “very, very good” in the first half against Everton, form that continued after the half-time break. Initially alongside Iroegbunam until the 22-year-old was replaced by Merlin Rohl in the 67th minute, Gueye helped Everton limit their visitors as they maintained their impressive start to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

In six Premier League games at their new home, Everton have lost just once, picking up 11 points from an available 18. Everton will not play now until after the November international break, which they enter with a win that Gueye contributed heavily towards.

New Iwobi could be unleashed for Everton

Mets Owner Steve Cohen Addresses Team's Recent Struggles, Future

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The New York Mets are in a prolonged slide, having dropped 13 of their last 16 games on the heels of a torrid 45-24 start. This has moved them out of the top of the National League East and caused much frustration for fans. Owner Steve Cohen, the highest-profile of these supporters, acknowledged that things aren't going well in a Monday morning post on X.

"Tough stretch," Cohen wrote. "No sugarcoating it. I didn’t see this coming. I’m as frustrated as everybody else. We will get through this period. Our injured pitching will come back over the next few weeks. It is unlikely the team’s hitting with RISP will continue at this weak pace. Keep the faith!"

These seem like fairly reasonable points. Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill and Sean Manaea are all on the injured list with hopes to return in July. Losing this many starting pitchers at once is not a good recipe for success. As for the clutch hitting, New York is 29th in baseball with runners in scoring position and the season is past the midway point. So that might actually be a problem.

With the highest payroll in MLB, big things are expected for the Mets. Optimism at the highest level remains.

Leeds now in contact to sign "exceptional" Brazilian ace, January move possible

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Leeds United have made an approach to sign Flamengo winger Gonzalo Plata, alongside two other Premier League clubs, and a January move could now be possible.

A lack of goals has been an issue for Leeds so far this season, having scored just ten Premier League goals, the joint-second lowest figure in the top flight, with Danny Murphy bemoaning their lack of quality attacking options back in September.

Murphy said: “I think the biggest problem for Burnley and Leeds is firepower. I agree with what we talked about earlier. I think all the newly promoted sides doing well is great for the Premier League.

“I’d like to see them all stay up, actually. But I don’t think it’ll be the case.

Since then, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has continued to struggle in front of goal, having found the back just once in nine league outings, although Daniel Farke will be glad Lukas Nmecha scored his first goal from open play at the weekend, albeit in a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest.

As a result of that loss, the Whites are just one point above the relegation zone, sitting in 16th place, and it has been revealed they have now made an approach to sign a new forward ahead of the January transfer window.

Leeds make contact to sign Gonzalo Plata

According to journalist Fabricio Lopes (via Sport Witness), Leeds have now made contact to sign Flamengo winger Gonzalo Plata, and the Brazilian club could be willing to sanction a move in the January transfer window.

Indeed, Flamengo have become increasingly frustrated with Plata, given that he went to a nightclub before an important match, which means they will now be open to offers this winter, although there could be competition for his signature.

AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United have also made enquiries over a deal for the Flamengo star, who remains under contract until June 2029, putting his current employers in a strong negotiating position.

There may be some concerns over the 25-year-old’s off-field issues, but he certainly has plenty of ability, having been lauded as “exceptional” by scout Jacek Kulig earlier this year.

The Ecuadorian is established at international level, having scored eight goals in 45 appearances for his national side, while the versatile attacker, who is also capable of playing at centre-forward, has also chipped in with 17 goal contributions in 63 appearances for Flamengo.

Leeds may need a fresh injection of quality in attack if they are to avoid the drop, given that not a single one of their players has scored over two goals this season.

Leeds’ top scorers

Number of goals

Joe Rodon

2

Lukas Nmecha

2

Noah Okofor

2

Sean Longstaff

1

Brenden Aaronson

1

Anton Stach

1

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

1

That said, it would be a risk to sign Plata, given that the Ecuador international is unproven in the Premier League, and wasn’t exactly prolific in the 2025 Brazilian Serie A, netting four goals in 24 outings.

Leeds identify Brendan Rodgers as Daniel Farke replacement Leeds could replace Farke with FA Cup winner who once went 62 games unbeaten

Leeds United could end their Daniel Farke misery by going after this world-class upgrade.

1 ByKelan Sarson Nov 10, 2025

Liverpool Champions League hero enters multi-million pound legal battle with own brother as former star fights to avoid bankruptcy

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The lasting consequences of a "disastrous property business" has left former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan on the brink of bankruptcy, having become embroiled in a legal battle with his brother, Sean, in 2016. Finnan, a Champions League winner with Liverpool in 2005, sued his sibling but never saw any money and has since been liable for other legal costs and bills that have not been paid.

Finnan sues own brother

The lasting consequences of a "disastrous property business" has left former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan on the brink of bankruptcy, having become embroiled in a legal battle with his brother, Sean, in 2016. Finnan sued his sibling but never saw any money and has since been liable for legal costs and bills that have not been paid.

After winding down a playing career that 684 appearances for club and country – including spells at Fulham, Espanyol and Portsmouth either side of five years at Anfield, Finnan went into business with his brother. But their property venture failed and the 49-year-old is reported by to have sued Sean some time around 2016 after becoming "concerned about the way the business was being run". That eventually resulted in a High Court settlement awarding the ex-footballer £4 million ($5.3m) in 2018, but Finnan's brother was declared bankrupt a year later without paying up.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSeries of legal battles

That was only the start of things, with Finnan going to court multiple times since. The ex-Republic of Ireland international, who played at the 2002 World Cup, launched a £6m ($7.9m) negligence claim against law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, which failed. He subsequently took action against an individual lawyer from the firm over alleged contempt of court. Finnan lost and was lumped with a five-figure bill for the costs. He did not pay and is the subject of a bankruptcy petition at Central London County Court. The former footballer lost another battle when he disputed bills with another firm, Candey, that took over his case and was ordered to pay £120,000 ($158,000).

Then, a recent trip to the High Court in an effort to appeal aspects of the aforementioned bankruptcy case resulted in a judge telling Finnan that he was simply employing "delaying" tactics. When the bankruptcy petition was transferred to Central London County Court, Finnan had appealed and managed to get the September date for the final hearing cancelled. He argued that complexity warrants a High Court setting, as well as claiming "bias" against him by the judge.

Finnan's legal challenge have 'no substance'

When Finnan's appeal against the bankruptcy petition – relating to a costs order less than £50,000 ($66,000) – was refused, Mr Justice Mellor said: "Standing back, it is surprising that Mr Finnan has challenged this directions order… his complaints are largely procedural and have no substance.

"I refuse permission to appeal and I dismiss the appeal. I also certify this appeal is totally without merit. It was, at all times, completely hopeless. The petition will have to be the subject of further directions. I think they're best given by a judge in the insolvency list."

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Getty Images SportNo further court date set

As it stands, there is no date for the bankruptcy case to return to court. As it stands, there is no date for the bankruptcy case to return to court. It's a temporary victory for Finnan, although given the outcome of his appeal and the judge's comments, it can only be a matter of time before he has to face the consequences.

Finnan's final game in professional football was for Portsmouth in the 2010 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. He was believed at one stage to have embarked on obtaining coaching badges, but sought to make his income post-football in property instead and has never held a formal coaching role. In 2020, fans discovered that Finnan had listed many items of his personal memorabilia for auction, including his Champions League medal from 2005, as well as a replica Champions League trophy and signed shirts. His financial troubles may explain why he made that decision to try and cash in.

Kohli in Tests: Six double-tons in 18 months, and India's most successful captain

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Kohli ends his Test career with an average under 50 but was among the very best at his peak

Shiva Jayaraman12-May-20254:15

Kumble: Everyone knew if Kohli goes past 20, it’s going to be a big one

Virat Kohli finishes as the fourth-most prolific India batter in Test cricket with 9230 runs at an average of 46.85. His 30 hundreds are also the fourth highest by an India batter in Tests. Kohli’s seven double-hundreds are also the most by an India batter and the highest by any batter in Tests since his debut. Kohli is the only batter in Tests to score over 1000 runs at an average of 75 or more in two successive calendar years.Kohli’s best years in Test cricket started with the Australia tour in 2014-15, when he scored 692 runs in the series at an average of 86.50, including four hundreds. From that series to the end of Bangladesh tour of India in 2019-20, he amassed 5347 runs in Tests at an average of 63.65 and made 21 of his 30 centuries from just 90 innings.This prolific period for Kohli though was bookended by years that belie his stature as a premier Test batter of his era. Since the beginning of 2020, Kohli scored just over 2000 runs in 39 Test matches at a poor average of 30.72. Among 32 top-order batters with 50 or more innings in Tests in this period, Kohli’s average is the fourth lowest. These numbers have fallen dramatically in his last ten Tests: Kohli managed just 382 runs in 19 innings at an average of 22.47. More than a fourth of these runs came in a single in Perth last year where he made an unbeaten 100.

Kohli’s start to his career wasn’t as bad and was acceptable, if not spectacular. In his first 24 Tests before the England tour in 2014, he made 1721 runs at an average of 46.51 and hit six hundreds with a highest of 119. However, in the series in England, his indecisive footwork against the moving ball in English conditions saw him fall cheaply time and again. Kohli could score all of 134 runs in ten innings in the series. Despite this, Martin Crowe would identify him as one of the batters to watch out for in the future – one among the ‘fab four’.And Crowe would be proven right. From the beginning of the 2014-15 season to end of calendar year 2019, Kohli’s 5347 runs in Tests were only surpassed by Steven Smith and Joe Root – two of the other three batters in the fab four. Smith was the only batter to average higher than Kohli during that period among 72 batters to score 1000 or more runs.Kohli was at his absolute peak in the 18-month period between the 2016 and the 2018-19 seasons. His first double-hundred in Tests came against West Indies in North Sound in July 2016. By the end of 2017 he would add five more to that number in his next 33 innings, making it the second-most prolific run of 34 Test innings in terms of double-hundreds after Don Bradman’s. Bradman had a run of 34 innings beginning with his 254 at the Lord’s in the 1930 Ashes, when he racked up eight double-centuries in 34 innings.Getty ImagesThis was the period when Kohli was arguably the best Test batter. No one scored more runs than him and no one with at least 250 runs averaged higher than him in this period. Kohli scored more runs and averaged higher than the other three batters in the fab four.

In fact, Kohli’s most prolific run of 50 Test innings rubs shoulders with the very best in Test cricket. From the Eden Gardens Test against New Zealand in 2016-17 to the Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne in 2018-19, Kohli made 3304 runs at an average of 71.93 in 50 innings. Only six other batters have scored more runs in a stretch of 50 innings in Tests. Not surprisingly, Bradman leads this bunch with over 5000 runs that he scored between 1930 and 1946. The others above in this list are Viv Richards, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara and and Ricky Ponting.ESPNcricinfo LtdKohli was more successful at home than away with the bat. He scored 4336 runs at an average of 55.58 in 55 Tests in India. In away Tests (excluding the two World Test Championship finals) he scored 4774 runs at an average of 41.51. However, that middling average doesn’t mean Kohli didn’t have his highs in away Tests. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2014-15, he made 692 runs at an average of 86.50. Among India batters, only Gavaskar has scored more runs in an away series than Kohli in that series. Kohli’s 692 runs are also the fifth highest by an visiting batter in a series in Australia.After his disastrous first tour to England in 2014, he returned to the country in 2018 to score 593 runs at an average of 59.30, including two hundred and three fifties in ten innings. These are the second-highest runs scored by an India batter in a series in England. Only Rahul Dravid’s tally of 602 from just six innings in the 2002 series is higher.In fact, these two tours make him one of the only two visiting batters to score over 500 runs at an average of 50 or more in a series in both England and Australia, Dravid being the other batter with such a distinction.ESPNcricinfo LtdKohli is among the most prolific visiting batters in Tests in South Africa too since its readmission to Test cricket. His 891 runs scored across four series at an average of 49.50 are the fourth highest by any visiting batter in that country since 1992. Only Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming scored higher than Kohli, but all of them averaged lower than him.While there are visiting batters who averaged higher than Kohli in South Africa, Kohli often had to negotiate tough pitches – like the ones in Johannesberg in 2017-18 and Centurion in 2023-24. He also often had to bat without support from the other India batters against the South Africa pacers who seemed to get more from the pitches than their India counterparts did. That reflected in the average of India batters: in innings when Kohli batted, the other India batters averaged just 18.30 per dismissal. The ratio of Kohli’s average of 2.70 to the other batters in the team is the highest for any visiting batter with at least ten innings in South Africa since 1992.

As Test captain, Kohli was one of the most prolific batters in the format, scoring 5864 runs at an average of 54.80. It helped that his captaincy stint largely coincided with his best years with the bat in Test cricket. While his runs are the fourth highest by a captain, his 20 centuries while leading India are surpassed only Graeme Smith who scored 25 hundreds as a Test captain.In matches that he led India, Kohli contributed 16.45 percent of India’s bat runs. Among 18 captains to have led in 50 or matches, Kohli’s contribution is second highest after Root’s 16.67 percent. No other captain has contributed more than 15 percent to their team’s totals among the others.

However, Kohli’s biggest contribution as a captain in Tests was arguably his eagerness to build an attack that could take 20 wickets in all conditions, by putting together a pace pack that could win matches on its own. India always had spinners who could win Tests in helpful conditions, but it was under Kohli’s captaincy that fast bowlers thrived. Under Kohli as captain, India’s fast bowlers took 591 wickets at an average of 26.00 and strike rate of 51.84. Among those who led in 50 or more Tests, the pacers’ strike rate under Kohli of 51.39 ranks second only to Viv Richards’ pace attack of the 80s.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile there could be debate on where Kohli stands among the echelons of the best batters India has seen, with 40 wins in 68 Tests, he will indisputably sign off as the most successful India captain ever, and also among all captains in the last decade and a half.

Man Utd now leading Barcelona & Liverpool in race to sign "absolute beast"

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Manchester United are now leading Barcelona and Liverpool in the race to sign Nico Schlotterbeck, with it being revealed why the Borussia Dortmund defender could be ideal for Ruben Amorim.

With Amorim making it abundantly clear he is unwilling to compromise on his principles and change the three-at-the-back system, Luke Shaw has predominantly featured as a left-sided centre-back this season, although the 30-year-old has struggled at times.

Man United suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Manchester City back in September, and it would be fair to say Roy Keane wasn’t too impressed with Shaw’s play in the build-up to Phil Foden’s goal, saying: “Shaw’s an England international player. He’s got hundreds of games under his belt, he doesn’t even get his body position right. It’s like he has thrown the towel in.”

The Englishman was also one of the worst performers in the disappointing 4-2 defeat against Brentford, receiving a SofaScore match rating of just 5.9, the second-lowest of any player.

Consequently, it would perhaps be a wise move to bring in a new defender more accustomed to playing in the left centre-back role, and there has been a development in the Red Devils’ pursuit of a Bundesliga star…

Man Utd now leading race for Nico Schlotterbeck

According to a report from Spain, Man United have now moved into pole position in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund star Schlotterbeck, having overtaken Liverpool and Barcelona, given their good relations with the German club.

The German has now been identified as a priority target for United, as there is a feeling he could be ideal for Amorim, given that the 25-year-old is left-footed, physical, and has real quality in possession of the ball.

With the centre-back’s contract due to expire in 2027, Dortmund are willing to sanction a departure, should they receive a significant offer, placing the Red Devils in a strong position to secure his signature.

Scout Jacek Kulig has been a strong admirer of the Bundesliga star for quite some time, waxing lyrical about his performances across the 2021-22 campaign on X.

Since then, the 22-time Germany international has remained a key player for Dortmund, chipping in with six goals and 17 assists in 134 appearances for the Bundesliga side, which is an impressive return for a defender.

Schlotterbeck’s all-round attributes mean he could be the perfect addition for Man United, and the fact he is left-footed is an added bonus, given that Shaw hasn’t exactly been setting the world alight.

Fabrizio Romano confirms key signing Man Utd are set to make in 2026 "For sure" – Fabrizio Romano confirms Man Utd "will" make key signing in 2026

The Red Devils will look to do business in January.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 10, 2025

Yankees Ace Max Fried Replaced by New York Teammate on AL All-Star Team

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The American League All-Star pitching staff will look a little bit different on Tuesday night in Atlanta.

New York Yankees lefthander Max Fried has been replaced on the roster by teammate and fellow southpaw Carlos Rodon, MLB announced Friday.

Fried, who in all likelihood would have pitched an inning in the game, is scheduled to start for the Yankees on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, meaning he'd be pitching on just two days rest in the Midsummer Classic. In taking his place, Rodon, Friday's scheduled starter for the Yankees, would be pitching on three days' rest in the All-Star Game.

The two southpaws have headlined New York's Gerrit Cole-less starting rotation, helping to stabilize the club's pitching staff in the wake of Cole's season-ending surgery in March. Fried leads the MLB in wins and ranks third in the AL with a 2.27 ERA. Meanwhile, Rodon has pitched to a 3.30 ERA and has recorded the sixth-most strikeouts in baseball with 127.

Fried and Rodon are joined by fellow Yankees Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the AL roster. The All-Star Game is at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.

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