Last-over finish leaves Gladiators on the cusp of their fourth straight elimination

Danyal Rasool05-Mar-2023Islamabad United beat Quetta Gladiators by two wickets in a seesawing game to confirm qualification for the last four for the seventh time in eight seasons. Half-centuries from Mohammad Nawaz and Najibullah Zadran helped Gladiators recover from a horror start to post 179. In response, United blazed away in characteristic fashion, even if the resulting fall of wickets brought Gladiators back into the contest. But Azam Khan and Faheem Ashraf struck up a valuable partnership, with Ashraf finishing off the game with three balls to spare.United put Gladiators in to bat, and immediately put them on the back foot. Fazalhaq Farooqi struck in each of his first two overs to remove Will Smeed and Yasir Khan, while a stunning boundary catch from Mubasir Khan got rid of Sarfaraz Ahmed. Iftikhar Ahmed fell to Ashraf soon after, and Gladiators were reduced to 17 for 4 in the sixth over.Nawaz and Zadran led a recovery effort, putting together a 104-run partnership that lifted their side out of the doldrums. Perhaps learning from Lahore Qalandars, they refused to consolidate after losing early wickets, going after the bowling even as it made the loss of wickets more probable. They were rewarded for that intrepid approach, and within relatively little time, the run rate crept upwards. When Farooqi got rid of Nawaz, he had scored a half-century, and with four overs to go, Gladiators were set up for a big finish.Enter Umar Akmal. Remember him? In a stunning display of pure power hitting, the former Pakistan batter clubbed five sixes in 14 balls to smash an unbeaten 43, meaning Gladiators put on 58 in their final four overs.Mohammad Nawaz’s half-century went in vain•PCBUnited went about that chase as you might expect. Even though Naseem Shah trapped Rahmanullah Gurbaz in front off the second ball, Colin Munro dazzled in the powerplay. 18 runs off the second over of the innings – bowled by Odean Smith – made his intentions plain. Naseem was treated with more respect as Munro showed restraint, but when Umaid Asif followed up with the fourth over, 18 more came off it. By the end of the seventh over, a staggering 96 runs had been scored, 63 off which came off Munro’s bat.United wobbled in the passage of play that followed. Shadab Khan holed out to Iftikhar before Nawaz struck next ball to draw the curtain on the Munro show. Umaid cleaned up Mubasir as he heaved at one with little convictions, before Nawaz got one to skid on to Asif Ali to suddenly leave the two-time champions reeling.United still needed 69 from nine overs and had just four wickets left. But just as Faheem and Azam had put on a vital rearguard stand earlier in the week, they rose to the occasion once more. Aware they needed to consolidate – anathema to United’s ostensible philosophy – it wasn’t until his 17th ball that Azam struck his first boundary. Ashraf, too, bided his time as they took the game to the final three overs, of which United needed 31.Azam roared to life at this moment, pummelling Naveen-ul-Haq for a four and a six, before pulling Umaid for six more to bring the asking rate almost run a ball. He fell the next ball and Hasan Ali holed out soon after, leaving Ashraf needing nine in the final over.It took him just three balls as Smith missed his lengths, with the experienced United allrounder hitting three fours to take his side through, and leave Gladiators on the cusp of their fourth straight elimination.

Expect Maxwell to play an important role against a left-hander-heavy Super Kings line-up

Deivarayan Muthu16-Apr-20236:16

Moody: RCB would want to continue their winning ways at home

Big picture: CSK ravaged by injuries, illnessEarlier this week, when quizzed about updates on the injuries in Chennai Super Kings’ side, coach Stephen Fleming jokingly asked reporters if we had an extra half an hour as the clock ticked towards midnight. Fleming saw the funny side of things at the time, but with Super Kings set to play four of their next six games away from home, he will be scrambling to assemble fast-bowling resources.Deepak Chahar, Sisanda Magala, Simarjeet Singh and Ben Stokes are all injured while Matheesha Pathirana has only recently recovered from Covid-19. Super Kings had opted against rushing Pathirana back into action in the home game against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday, but now they might have to throw him into the mix at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, although Dwaine Pretorius offers another option.Royal Challengers Bangalore have also been hit by injuries this IPL, but despite that, they look in better shape than Super Kings, especially on the bowling front. Mohammed Siraj has excelled in the powerplay, local boy Vijaykumar Vyshak has seamlessly transitioned into the XI from being a net bowler, while Harshal Patel has also found some form. Glenn Maxwell has bowled just one over this season but is likely to have a more substantial role with the ball against a left-hander-heavy Super Kings line-up.On Saturday afternoon, Royal Challengers faltered in the second half of their innings against Delhi Capitals, but their bowlers defied the Chinnaswamy conditions to successfully defend 174. Can their bowlers do the job again on Monday, this time in a night game?Form guideRoyal Challengers Bangalore WLLW (most recent match first)
Chennai Super Kings LWWLTeam newsAustralia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has linked up with Royal Challengers and will complete his rehab in India. He is unlikely to be available for selection for Monday’s fixture.Toss and Impact Player strategyRoyal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers are likely to put faith in Anuj Rawat once again as their Impact Player. He could probably replace one of the bowlers when they chase.Possible bat-first XI: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Anuj Rawat, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Wanindu Hasaranga, 10 Wayne Parnell/David Willey, 11 Mohammed SirajPossible bowl-first XI: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Harshal Patel, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Wayne Parnell/David Willey, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Vijaykumar Vyshak1:53

Debutant Vyshak’s variations impress Ian Bishop

Chennai Super Kings
Malinga Pathirana is likely to replace the injured Magala in Super Kings’ XI. Stokes, who is working his way back from a minor toe injury, bowled at the nets in Bengaluru, but he is unlikely to play on Monday. Mike Hussey, Super Kings’ batting coach, suggested that MS Dhoni would manage his knee injury “as best as he can along the way”.If Super Kings bowl first, they could start with Akash Singh and consider bringing Ambati Rayudu in as Impact Player during their chase.Possible bat-first XI: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ambati Rayudu, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Matheesha Pathirana/Dwaine Pretorius 11 Tushar DeshpandePossible bowl-first XI: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Matheesha Pathirana/Dwaine Pretorius, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Akash Singh Pitch and conditionsThe Chinnaswamy track is usually full of runs and the ball often skids on under lights in dewy conditions. Fifty-seven sixes have been hit across three matches at the Chinnaswamy – the most at a venue this season. The weather is expected to be fine for the duration of the game.Stats that matter Ravindra Jadeja has dominated Maxwell in the IPL, dismissing him six times in ten innings while keeping him to 49 off 40 balls. He has also kept Virat Kohli quiet, conceding only 140 runs off 131 balls against him for three wickets. Dhoni has smashed Siraj for 51 runs off 28 balls without being dismissed in the IPL.Wayne Parnell or David Willey could pose a threat to Ruturaj Gaikwad. The Super Kings opener has fallen to left-arm seamers 11 times in 19 innings since IPL 2020. No other batter has been dismissed more times by left-arm seamers during this period.Quotes
“It’s always a great occasion, especially playing here. They’ve got a fantastic team and they’ve been playing some good cricket and got some confidence from their win the other day. So, I feel we have to play at our best to hopefully win the match.”

Second week into the third month, Shubman Gill scored his fifth international century of the year to lead India’s response to Australia’s 480. For long periods, Australia did well to keep a lid on the scoring rate, but Gill was not to be denied for too long: his 128 off 235 was a contrast to the 152 the others managed off 361 balls between them.India ended the third day 191 behind with seven wickets in hand. Virat Kohli scored his first fifty since the Cape town Test at the start of last year, and ended the day with the promise of a hundred.There was a little more turn and misbehaviour available from the pitch, but it was not nearly enough to make survival difficult. So Australia did the next best thing possible: bowl to one side of the pitch and wait for mistakes. The batters discovered that while there might not have been great threat to their wicket, scoring wasn’t the easiest either.This Test has been the opposite of the other three in many ways. One of them was a return to the old Indian trend of batting being easier against the new ball. India’s early assault on Mitchell Starc meant the first 15 overs of three of the four new balls used in this match had gone for 193 runs and no wicket. Perplexingly, Starc bowled predominantly around the wicket, failing to create rough for his two offspinners.Once Australia went to spin at both ends, the runs dried up, and a loose stroke arrived. Rohit Sharma punched an innocuous-looking delivery from Matt Kuhnemann straight to short extra cover. The six overs leading up to the wicket had brought just 10 runs.The start to the partnership between Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara wasn’t quite swift, but once Australia went back to pace, the tap opened again. The second ball of Starc’s new spell was cover-driven to bring up Gill’s fifty. In Starc’s next, Gill played the short-arm punch through midwicket for four more. Leading up to lunch, Pujara, too, got a move on.Although a couple of deliveries had disturbed the surface in the first session, there wasn’t anything dramatic. Australia came back with more focused plans. It often involved seven-two leg-side fields with everything turning in. After the two initial boundaries off Cameron Green, India spent 16 overs in the middle session without a boundary.2:05

How Steven Smith’s batting helps his captaincy

All through the period, though, neither Pujara nor Gill looked at any discomfort. Eventually pace provided Gill an opening. He marked it with two lovely cover drives off Green: on the up first, and then to the fuller ball. In his 90s, Gill danced down to Lyon to pop him over his head, and then played the sweep over leg slip to bring up his second Test century.Just before tea, Pujara, too, seemed to make an unforced error, playing down the wrong line of a Todd Murphy offbreak from around the wicket. Even as Pujara reviewed the lbw decision in vain, the crowd cheered on for the arrival of Kohli. In the one over before tea, Kohli edged one wide of short leg, one short of slip and was beaten on the outside edge once.After tea, Gill and Kohli were much more efficient, running hard, not taking any risks. As Gill began to cramp, Kohli took up his scoring, contributing 32 to the 58-run stand. Having made just nine false responses in such a long innings, Gill finally made the fatal error: going back to a quick full offbreak from Nathan Lyon, getting trapped right in front.If there was any designs on dominating the bowling, India shelved those plans and batted sedately. The new ball was eight balls away, but Australia waited for the last 20 minutes to claim it.The offspinners kept trying to test both edges of Kohli as he lunged forward in defence, but the one time that the inside edge was taken, they didn’t have a short leg in place, which can happen when bowling at 250 for 3. Other than the odd half error, Kohli looked in absolute control.The one thing Australia managed by continuing with the old ball was the run-rate. Just 26 came in the first 15.2 overs of the fourth-wicket stand between Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. As soon as the new ball was taken, Jadeja hit a six off Kuhnemann having been 6 off 42.Largely, though, the final exchanges remained a period of cease fire from both sides. Australia had few catchers, India took fewer risks. With only 13 wickets falling in three days, the Test was left needing something dramatic for an outright result.

Antonio Conte will stay at Napoli despite reports of a possible Juventus return as president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed an agreement.

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• Conte guided Napoli to the Scudetto
• Key meetings took place on Wednesday
• Italian has committed to his stay

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Conte will remain at the helm of Napoli next season, quashing recent speculation linking him with a sensational return to Juventus. Gianluca Di Marzio revealed there was a sense of cautious optimism about Conte’s future with the Partenopei heading into a pivotal meeting on Wednesday. The discussion reportedly resolved lingering issues and reassured Conte that Napoli’s ambitions matched his own.

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  Conte also reiterated his commitment to the club during the meeting, stating that he had not entertained offers or negotiations with any other sides. That mutual sense of loyalty and vision played a major role in deciding to move forward together, particularly after Napoli clinched the Serie A title just days earlier.

• WHAT DE LAURENTIIS SAID

  De Laurentiis made Conte’s continuation official in emphatic fashion, taking to the social media platform X to declare: “FULL SPEED AHEAD. STRONGER THAN BEFORE!”

  The club followed up with its own enthusiastic statement, sharing a video focused on the coach.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Conte’s decision to stay wasn’t based on words alone. Reports from Italy suggest De Laurentiis presented a bold vision for the future as the club may invest as much as €200 million (£168m/$227m) in the upcoming transfer window to ensure Napoli can compete at both domestic and European levels. Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has emerged as a potential marquee signing, while Lille striker Jonathan David is reportedly another name on Conte’s shortlist.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been told that his career is entirely in his own hands, insisting no one can tell the Portugal star when to retire.

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Ronaldo in search of new club at age 40Still captains Portugal and may play at CWCShearer says retirement is his decisionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo is still going strong at 40 and may be on his way to a new club this summer, having hinted that he will not stay on at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr following his expiring contract. He has been linked with a short-term move to a club competing in the upcoming Club World Cup, including Saudi side Al-Hilal and Morocco's Wydad, though the possibility of him extending with Al-Nassr is reportedly back on the table.

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Even at national team level, Ronaldo remains a key part of the Portugal squad, having been called up for the Nations League finals in June, when they will face Germany and then either Spain or France. Retirement, it seems, is far from the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star's mind, and ex-England striker Alan Shearer insists it's all up to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to decide when he hangs up his boots.

WHAT SHEARER SAID

"Ronaldo has hinted at an exit from his current club, what’s next for him? I don't know," he told . "He's not as good as he was obviously. It's impossible to be at that age but he's still going somehow and still scoring goals at that level. I haven't got a clue what's going on with him. He's still playing for Portugal, they won't retire him, he'll have to retire himself.

"Whether he wants to play in the Club World Cup, the World Cup next year… I don't know but it'll be really interesting to see what happens with him and what his next step is. You have to be surprised to see him still doing it at his age. To be playing at 40 at any level is remarkable. To still be playing and scoring for Portugal is remarkable but he's been just that all through his career."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

Ronaldo will hope to have his future clarified soon, but it remains to be clear if he aims to appear at the Club World Cup, seek a whole new challenge, or commit to a new deal with Al-Nassr.

According to joint-administrator Kris Wigfield, Sheffield Wednesday are now expecting “concrete” takeover bids “soon” as the Owls push towards a new era.

The numbers of bidders for Sheffield Wednesday are “well into the double figures” but Wigfield urged “patience” in the effort to find a new buyer for the club. Wednesday’s well-established financial issues culminated in them being placed into administration last month, which led to a 12-point deduction and left them rooted to the foot of the Championship.

Sheffield Wednesday now targeting two more Man Utd academy stars in Amass repeat

Amass has been a great success.

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Tom Cunningham

Nov 13, 2025

A flexible deadline of next Friday has been set for offers for the Owls, four weeks after they went into administration, and Wigfield has been encouraged by the number of suitors for the club.

Any sale can only be completed once a prospective owner has passed the English Football League’s fit and proper persons’ test, and Wigfield insisted finding feasible applicants will take time.

Wigfield took the time to thank fans for their support since arriving at the club, which has helped those at Hillsborough pay their staff and players in time.

Regarding the takeover, a number of parties have reportedly shown proof of funds worth £50m and an American party has even been shown around the club ahead of a potential bid.

Sheffield Wednesday braced for "concrete" takeover bid

With next Friday’s soft deadline in place, the Owls are bracing themselves for a “concrete” takeover bid, which may be on its way imminently ahead of next week’s soft deadline.

Wigfield revealed the news and told fans that he expects bids to arrive as soon as enquiries are thinned down to “serious” buyers. The join-administrator once again reiterated that there has been substaintal interest in buying the club.

He said: “This discussion is to be expected for such a big club and as we quickly approach the end of the EFL’s compulsory marketing deadline it is likely to intensify.

“However, we will hope to see concrete offers made soon as enquiries – which have been well into the double figures from across the globe – are thinned down into serious and viable bidders that can secure the long-term future of Sheffield Wednesday. It is during this period that even more patience will be required.”

Whilst they look destined for relegation on the pitch, things are finally beginning to look up for Sheffield Wednesday in the boardroom as they look to meet next Friday’s takeover deadline.

Sheffield Wednesday takeover latest

21-year-old Robin Das announces himself with 69 off 33 as de Lange injury compounds Gloucestershire’s misery

ECB Reporters Network30-May-2023Essex 196 for 7 (Das 69, Khushi 34, Westley 31*) beat Gloucestershire 195 for 7 (Charlesworth 52, Dent 33) by three wicketsRobin Das continued his incredible breakthrough week with his maiden Vitality Blast half-century as Essex belatedly began their campaign with a six-wicket victory over Gloucestershire.Das, the 21-year-old batter, struck a century on his first-class debut against Ireland on Friday before crashing a stylish 69 to help Essex towards a daunting 196 target.That huge Gloucestershire score was in large part down to Ben Charlesworth’s brutal 19-ball fifty, the quickest for the county in T20s.But Das, together with fellow homegrown batter Feroze Khushi’s 34 off 12 balls and Tom Westley’s street-wise 31 not out guided Essex to victory with five balls to spare.”There is a lot of scope for things to go better but I guess I’ve had worse weeks,” Das said. “I am really happy with how the week has gone and hopefully can keep the ball rolling and keep the momentum going.”It is very pleasing to contribute with Feroze. I have played with him since club cricket at the age of 13 or 14. It is nice to play with those players you grew up with and shows a really strength to our club; players coming through the pathways and into the first team.”Related

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Taylor holds his nerve as Gloucestershire clinch first win of season

Essex and Gloucestershire hadn’t bowled a ball at each other at the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford since 2016, following an incredible run of five consecutive washouts. Essex had also delayed the start of their Blast season due to the Ireland clash.Former Eagles Grant Roelofson and Chris Dent got Gloucestershire off to a strong start in the powerplay – 61 for 1 – but the former feathering an edge behind saw them stall.Miles Hammond and Dent fell in the following two overs, with Ollie Price bowled soon after, leaving the visitors on 80 for 4 just past the halfway point. But after an unspectacular start, where he was dropped on 13 and had 20 off his first 13 balls, Charlesworth went into hyperdrive.He took Matt Critchley for two consecutive sixes on the leg side before tearing into Sam Cook. Two fours through mid-on were followed by two maximums over deep square – one on the back foot, the other flicked off the front – to take him to his half-century.Next ball, Cook had the last laugh by finding his edge. James Bracey heaved his first ball for six – which made it 47 runs in 12 balls for Gloucestershire – but next ball he picked out long off, with Jack Taylor coming and going in the same Daniel Sams over.If Essex thought the onslaught had ended with Charlesworth, Marchant de Lange got their necks craning again by helping himself to 18 off the penultimate over – including a run of four, six, six.Danny Lamb, who arrived on a short-term loan from Lancashire before the match, crashed a four and a six off the last over to take Gloucestershire to an imposing 195 for 7.Fast bowler de Lange had Adam Rossington caught at deep midwicket with his third ball but pulled out of his delivery stride before bowling another ball before walking out of proceedings.Khushi had already pinged de Lange back over his head before repeating the trick twice off Tom Smith’s spin. But he fell to a stunning catch at short third as Essex blasted 72 for 2 in the powerplay.

It's not often that Marchant De Lange gets hit back over his head like this #Blast23 pic.twitter.com/ZIxfvB5lkk

— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) May 30, 2023