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Key numbers from the first day of the opening Test between India and Australia in Nagpur

Sampath Bandarupalli09-Feb-2023177 Australia’s first-innings total in Nagpur. Only twice have Australia folded for a lower first-innings total in Asia after opting to bat – 80 all out against Pakistan in 1956 and 120 all out against Sri Lanka in 2004.2005 The last instance of Australia being bundled out for less than 200 in the first innings of a Test series – 190 all out against England at Lord’s. The last time Australia were bowled out for a total lower than the 177 in the first innings of a Test series was 118 all out in 1997 against England in Birmingham.89 Matches needed by R Ashwin to complete 450 wickets in Test cricket. He is the second-fastest bowler to the milestone, behind Muthiah Muralidaran (80). Ashwin is now only the ninth player to take 450-plus Test wickets and the second Indian after Anil Kumble (619).2 Runs scored between David Warner and Usman Khawaja in Australia’s first innings. This is the joint fewest aggregate by Australian openers in a Test innings against India. The Australia openers collectively scored two runs in their second innings of the Kolkata Test in 1956 and also at the Gabba in 1977.75.56 Control percentage of the Australian batters against Ravindra Jadeja in the first innings in Nagpur. Jadeja, by far, was the toughest bowler to face among India’s five-man attack on Thursday as the visitors had a control percentage higher than 80 against the other four bowlers – Ashwin (83.16), Mohammed Siraj (83.33), Axar Patel (86.67) and Mohammed Shami (90.74).3 Instances of Steven Smith being bowled by Jadeja in Test cricket, the most for Smith against anyone in this format. Smith has been dismissed by Jadeja on five occasions across 13 Test innings.57.54 Percentage of wickets by Ashwin and Jadeja for India in home Tests where they played together. They have collectively picked up 389 out of the 676 wickets by the Indian bowlers in the 37 Test matches. The pair has accounted for 25 five-wickets hauls when they played together at home.

Joe Root shines in starring role but will be the first to credit Dom Sibley’s support act

George Dobell05-Feb-2021It was, in the end, the perfect return. After years in hiding, Test cricket peeped out from behind its paywall and proved its charms, like Audrey Hepburn or a trip to Paris, are undimmed by time or fashion.It’s quite some knack Channel 4 have of picking their games. The last time a day’s Test cricket was broadcast free-to-air in the UK, they showed Kevin Pietersen’s maiden century clinching England a first Ashes series in a generation. On their first day back, a decade-and-a-half later, they showed Joe Root cementing his place among the greats of English cricket with a century that was as beautiful as it was important.First, the historic element: in the course of this innings, Root became the third England player (after Sir Colin Cowdrey and Alec Stewart) to register a century in their 100th Test and the second (after Sir Alastair Cook) to make three Test centuries in a row in Asia. He took his Test average back above 50 in the process.More pertinently, Root has given his side a foothold in this game. There’s a lot of cricket to be played in this match and England are not, by any means, out of danger. But by soaking up early pressure and taking his time to build an innings (he scored 12 from his first 54 balls), Root has shown his side how they compete in these conditions. It doesn’t mean they will win, but it shows how they can.It doesn’t seem unreasonable to think a new audience, taking a peek at the game for the first time, may have fallen in love with Root’s cover drives in the same way previous generations did with those of Ian Bell, Graham Thorpe, David Gower and Peter May. And if that shot didn’t grab them, perhaps they would have fallen for the sweeps – be they reverse, slogged or conventional – or a cut so late it had to apologise to all concerned and promise to buy a new alarm clock.And if they didn’t? Well, maybe cricket isn’t for them. For make no mistake, Root is batting at a level very few can match. Yes, we’ll see more dramatic days. And yes, we’ll see faster rates of scoring. But this was a day which showcased a great player at the peak of his form. And yes, if a new generation are searching for a role-model, they could do a lot worse than England’s Test captain. This was a very good day for English cricket.Related

Root, Sibley put England on top with 200-run partnership

Root challenges England to make '600-700' after century to savour

'Sit down, kids. This is how we watched cricket back in my day'

Stats – Root bosses it in Asia again

Standing on the shoulders of giants, Root's best yet to come

Every leading man needs a supporting cast, though. And Root’s straight man, if you like, was Dom Sibley.If you were in the marketing department of Channel 4, you could have been forgiven for letting out a little groan when you turned on the TV some way through the second session on the first day of this series. Whatever they were hoping for when they bought the rights for this series, it probably wasn’t Sibley nudging and nurdling his way to a run-an-over 85. Had he not lost so much weight in recent times, it really might have been a passable impression of a glacier. In a team full of dashers – the likes of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and even Root – he is the anchor. Hoping to watch them and ending up with Sibley is like booking a ticket to see the Beatles and getting a chat with their accountant instead.But from an England perspective, Sibley is what England have been crying out for. This is, remember, an England side which, within eight months in 2019, was bowled out for under 90 in Test cricket three times. A side which attempted to shoehorn Jason Roy into the role of Test opener. A side which, not so long ago, seemed to react to every challenge by trying to hit the ball harder and further. They were entertaining, no doubt. But they weren’t, as a Test side, especially successful.Times have changed. Since Chris Silverwood was appointed coach, England have embraced a more traditional approach to Test cricket which is based upon making significant first-innings runs. To that end, they have selected more traditional opening batsmen and, if they can covert this start into something above 400 on day two, it will be the seventh time they have done so in their 14 most recent first innings. To put that in perspective, before Silverwood took over, they had not managed a first-innings total of 400 in 22 Tests.It’s no coincidence that the improved record coincides with Sibley’s time in the side. Or that England have won four series in a row with him at the top of the order. And while there are times you worry his scorelessness might put him under pressure, such is his determination, his patience and his belief, he seems happy to soak up such periods of play in the knowledge that the bowlers will tire before he does. He richly deserved a century here but can be consoled in the knowledge of the fine foundation he has built for his team.Joe Root shared a 200-run stand with Dom Sibley•BCCIIt’s worth comparing, for a moment, Sibley’s contribution with that of Rory Burns. Burns, too, had built a decent platform. But in attempting to push on, he perished playing the reverse-sweep. It looked ugly.We have to be careful here, though. We can’t praise Root’s daring and criticise Burns’ simply on the basis of the success of the stroke. We can’t just judge by results. Burns had noticed there was nobody at point and he had tried to exploit that gap. It’s not such an unreasonable tactic.But they are differences. While Root has played the reverse-sweep regularly, Burns had (according to Jarrod Kimber’s statistics) played it only 31 times in his first-class career before this innings. Equally, when Keaton Jennings employed the stroke so successfully in Galle, it was on a pitch offering such extravagant turn that he reasoned it was a better defensive option than probing forward with a straight bat.Here the pitch was flat and the ball offering nothing. Here the strike was being rotated and runs were coming smoothly enough. Here three of the bowlers were coming back from injury and might yet prove vulnerable to a prolonged spell in the field. Here there were just the first signs of a bit of frustration within the India ranks. It was the first session of a Test on a surface on which 500 might be par, too.You would think, after his experiences against Pakistan, Burns would be ravenously hungry for runs. He scored only 20 runs in his four innings in that series with Shaheen Shah Afridi, in particularly, bowling him a series of unplayable deliveries. When you’re a Test opener, these things will happen. But when you find yourself in circumstances like this, you have to make it count.But he looked a bit impatient. And in trying to force the pace, altered the percentages to such a degree that he gave the bowler a much greater chance of success. R Ashwin, perhaps spotting the move, bowled his slowest delivery of the day to that point and Burns was through his shot too early. Good bowling, certainly, but there was more than a hint of self-inflicted injury about the dismissal. Dan Lawrence’s departure, almost immediately afterwards, only compounded the blow. Burns could do much worse than look at his opening partner and learn from his hunger.The key thing to remember here is the value of first-innings runs. On the most recent Test on this ground – in 2016 – England won the toss, scored 477 and still lost by an innings. The game before, in 2013, Australia made 380 in their first innings and still lost by eight wickets. Make no mistake: this game is not safe. England have to be ruthless.There is a case, a strong case, for attempting to bat into a third day. It would not only just about take defeat out of the equation in this game, it would put a lot more miles into the legs of this India side. With three more Tests to come within the next few weeks, that is an investment that could pay dividends.In Root, England have the right man in position to capitalise on the second day. But while he will, quite rightly, dominate the headlines, he will be the first to credit the contribution of Sibley.

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا”، عن طاقم تحكيم مباراة بيراميدز وفلامنجو البرازيلي، التي تقام بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال 2025.

ويلعب بيراميدز ضد فلامنجو غدًا السبت 13 ديسمبر، في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، لمواجهات نصف نهائي بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال.

بيراميدز كان قد تخطى أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي بنتيجة 3-0 في مباراة الدور التمهيدي الأول ثم فاز على الأهلي السعودي في دور ربع النهائي.

طالع | يورتشيتش يُعلن قائمة بيراميدز المشاركة في كأس إنتركونتيننتال 2025

بينما فريق فلامنجو انتصر على نظيره كروز أزول المكسيكي “بطل أمريكا الشمالية”، في دور ربع النهائي من بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال ليواجهه بيراميدز في نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال وعلى لقب كأس التحدي. حكم مباراة بيراميدز وفلامنجو في كأس إنتركونتيننتال

وتقرر تعيين الحكم الدولي القطري عبد الرحمن الجاسم، ويعاونه، مواطنه طالب المري المساعد الأول، وسعود المقلة المساعد الثاني.

والحكم الرابع الكوستاريكي خوان كالديرون، ومواطنه الحكم الاحتياطي خوان كارلوس مورا.

Both were masterly on a pitch that had enough to keep them interested, but not enough to give maximum results for their efforts

Sidharth Monga10-Jul-20250:57

What explains England’s ‘Blockball’ approach?

This Test is being played more on an upside-down ground than merely a sloped one. England are the toss and batting at home for only the second time since the start of 2022. Jasprit Bumrah’s deliveries aren’t carrying to the wicketkeeper. Nitish Kumar Reddy’s are surprising everyone with the extra bounce. Reddy is India’s highest wicket-taker in the game at the moment. England are playing according to the conditions and the bowling, and are Bazwalling at 3.02 an over.For a moment, it seemed the gods sent locusts out 20 minutes after the scheduled close of play to deliver judgment on what could be seen as an immoral day’s play in times of moral victories. Thankfully, they were just black ants, arguably the most threatening form of non-human life in England. Some argued they were ladybugs.Whoever they were, hopefully they stayed back to watch two masters at work. Also, the complaints about the ball and the eventual change around the 42nd-43rd over lent bits of normalcy to proceedings. It was only the last bits of it, but Bumrah and Joe Root were masterly on a pitch that had enough to keep them interested, but not enough to give maximum results for their efforts.Related

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Curiously, Root faced just 21 balls from Bumrah. That’s just 21 out of 72 that Bumrah bowled with Root at the wicket. It included Root facing just one ball from Bumrah’s first spell after lunch. Only Washington Sundar bowled less often to him.If it was a conscious thing that Root did, it is another masterful thing for a master batter to do, letting poor Ollie Pope face the brunt of a red-hot Bumrah. During that ten-over period, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj gave away just 15 runs. All told, Root faced just 24 balls in those ten overs. Pope later said it wouldn’t be so smart if it were a conscious move. Ollie, Joe did you in there.Through the day, Bumrah drew 34 false shots. That’s about two per over. That deserves more than the one wicket, but the Pavilion End, the one that alpha bowlers of every team take at Lord’s, hardly had any bounce. The first ball he bowled to Ben Duckett took the edge but didn’t carry to slip. Immediately, he asked everyone behind the wicket to move up. He bowled just four overs in that spell, and moved to the Nursery End, which had more bounce.1:12

Manjrekar: Reddy looked like India’s best seamer

Through the day, there was more swing and seam available than on any of the first days of the three Tests so far, but the lack of pace and bounce made it hard work to take wickets. The lack of pace gave batters time to adjust to the movement, and if they did edge them, they hardly ever carried. Except, of course, when Reddy bowled great balls of fire.It also took away one of the more profitable scoring avenues for Root: the dab behind square on the off side. He kept middling those dabs, but they just didn’t have enough pace on them to go past gully. That showed in his strike rate, and in the number of inside edges that missed the stumps. That’s the little luck you deserve as a Test batter when you are batting at 86% control on a pitch doing a bit.Bumrah tried both ends but had little luck even though he, and India, stuck to good lengths and kept testing the batters. Movement in the pitch notwithstanding, India’s fast bowlers remained on the good length 54% of the time as opposed to England’s 37% on the first day in Leeds and Birmingham. That has been the general trend in the series. India will have reason to feel good about their work, having kept England down to 251 on a day on which only four wickets came about.1:21

What makes Root a special batter?

After tea, Bumrah went back to the Pavilion End, where by now the length to hit the top of stumps had shortened by a metre as compared to the first session. If Ben Stokes felt Birmingham was subcontinent-like, this was subcontinent-like with seam. Just what Bumrah needed then to bowl the ball of the day: one that swung away 2.5 inches and then nipped back in about six inches to hit the top of Harry Brook’s off stump.Root kept doing his work like a busy bee at the other end. Against Bumrah, even he played six false shots in 21 balls. Against others, he accumulated in peace, even though it never looked as easy as milking them.If Root had an asterisk of struggling against Bumrah, India had an asterisk of not hitting the stumps enough. But they did improve as the day progressed: 5.33% in the first session to 10.6% in the second to 15.79% in the third.It was the best first day of the series, even though it was the slowest. There were no clear winners or losers, both sides could be pleased with their work with room for improvement still, and there was a promise of more to come should the pitch deteriorate in the 28-degree heat that is making everything fall apart in England. Of course, the flying ants saw only bits of it.

Losing Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona in the summer of 2022 was a bitter blow for Bayern Munich. The Pole had scored 344 goals in just 375 appearances for the club, after all. Replacing him was never going to be easy, but it ended up taking Bayern more than a year to find a worthy successor, as Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting rather unsurprisingly didn't exactly prove himself up to the task.

It's funny to think about it now, but there were those that questioned the decision to sign Harry Kane to belatedly fill the considerable hole left by Lewandowski in the Bayern attack. Club legend Lothar Matthaus felt that the €100 million signing from Tottenham, who had just turned 30, was "too old and too expensive". Now, though, the German says he doesn't "see a better striker in the world".

It, therefore, shouldn't come as that much of a shock to learn that Barcelona have come to the same conclusion as Bayern two years ago: that there isn't a better Lewandowski replacement on the market right now than Kane.

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  Haaland too costly

  Back in 2023, it was rumoured that part of the reason why Lewandowski wanted out of the Allianz Arena was Bayern's alleged attempt to convince Erling Haaland to move to Munich rather than Manchester that same summer. Lewandowski insisted that Norwegian No.9 had absolutely nothing to do with his desire to swap Bavaria for Barcelona, but it's nonetheless amusing to read reports that Blaugrana president Joan Laporta is 'obsessed' with signing Haaland.

  It's obviously not going to happen – at least not yet. It's going to take at least another year for lever-pulling Laporta to balance the Blaugrana's books – let alone put them back in a position to sign the most valuable players on the planet. With a little more creative accounting, though, Barca could well be in a position to land Kane at the end of the season.

  According to , the England captain has a €65m (£57m/$76m) buyout clause in his contract that can be activated next summer provided the striker notifies Bayern of his desire to leave by the end of January. The Bundesliga champions are, however, reportedly relaxed about the situation for the simple fact that Kane is currently content, on and off the field at the Allianz Arena.

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  Best team in Europe

  From a purely sporting perspective, things certainly couldn't be going any better for Kane and his club. Unbeaten Bayern have made a record-breaking start to their 2025-26 campaign and are presently top of both the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Kane is the principal reason why, having scored an utterly ludicrous 24 goals in just 18 appearances in all competitions – more than any other player in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues.

  The man himself may have had understandable misgivings about the size of Vincent Kompany's squad at the start of the season – but they've made light of the absence of Jamal Musiala through injury thanks to the exciting emergence of 17-year-old sensation Lennart Karl, Luis Diaz's incredible impact since joining from Liverpool and Michael Olise elevating his game to an even higher level after a wonderful debut season in Germany.

  The net result is that Bayern are the best team in Europe at the moment – as they underlined by maintaining their 100 percent in the Champions League with a mightily impressive 2-1 victory over titleholders Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes during which they showcased both their attacking prowess and defensive diligence.

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  Settled in Munich

  Crucially, Kane's family are also loving life right now – and not just because he's enjoying the most prolific spell of his stellar career.

  When he first made the move from his native London to Munich, there were external concerns over how Kane and his family would deal with the change of city, country and culture. However, Kane has repeatedly brought up just how "comfortable" he, his wife Kate and their children feel in Germany, where they are reportedly afforded more privacy than they were back in England.

  "The way the people here welcomed us was extraordinary," the striker said earlier this year. "It touched us deeply as a family – not just me, but all of us. We love it. We truly appreciate every second."

  In that context, one cannot but take Kane at his word when he says that he's even open to extending a contract that expires in 2027.

  "We can certainly talk about that," he said in September. "I have almost two years left, so it's not like I'm in the final year of my contract and anyone is panicking. I'm fine. The club is fine. I think they're happy with me, and I'm happy with them. Those discussions can take place."

  He doubled down on that when directly questioned about the Barcelona links ahead of his return to north London with Bayern on Wednesday when they face Arsenal in the Champions League, telling : "I haven't had any contact with anyone, nobody has contacted me. I feel very comfortable in the current situation, even though we haven't yet discussed my situation with Bayern. There’s no rush. I'm really happy in Munich. You can see that in the way I'm playing. If there’s contact, then we'll see. But I'm not thinking about the new season yet. First up is the World Cup in the summer. And it’s very unlikely that anything will change after this season."

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  Edging towards the exit

  There's no denying, though, that Kane would give serious consideration to a serious bid from Barca, who, for all of their financial troubles, retain an almost mythical status even among elite-level footballers. There are few more attractive destinations on the planet, and what No.9 wouldn't want to play in the same forward line as Lamine Yamal? All things considered, Kane would find an offer from Barca very difficult to turn down, particularly if they resolve their registration problems in 2026.

  It's also clear that the Blaugrana are going to have to replace Lewandowski sooner rather than later. The Poland international is still scoring goals – no Barca player has scored more in La Liga this season (eight) – but he's 37 now and he's had three muscular issues since April, suggesting that his body is starting to betray him.

  It certainly feels significant that talks have yet to begin over a new deal for Lewandowski, who will be out of contract at the end of the current campaign and free to talk to other clubs from January 1.

  When asked about his next move while on Poland duty last week, Lewandowski admitted to reporters, "I still don’t know the answer. That’s why I’m not in a hurry. I’m at peace with myself, and that is the most important thing. Even if, for example, the club contacted me now, I still wouldn’t answer that question, because I also have to feel what’s best for me. But, for now, I’m calm, I’m not in a hurry and, at the moment, I don’t expect anything else."

The India men’s and women’s teams are currently playing international cricket without a team sponsor

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2025

Apollo Tyres has replaced Dream 11 as the lead sponsor of the Indian cricket teams, the BCCI announced on Tuesday.The board’s new sponsorship deal with Apollo is for two and a half years and will run until March 2028. It is worth Rs 579 crore (US$ 65.7 million approx), according to a PTI report.”The new partnership, secured after a rigorous bidding process, represents a substantial increase in sponsorship value, signifying the immense and growing commercial appeal of Indian cricket,” the BCCI said in a statement.The BCCI needed a new lead team sponsor after the Indian government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 in August banning real-money gaming, which was Dream 11’s core business, forcing them to withdraw from their contract.The men’s team is currently playing the Asia Cup in the UAE without a sponsor and so is the women’s team in their ongoing bilateral ODI series against Australia.Dream11 had a US$ 44 million (INR 358 crore approx.) deal with the BCCI for the period 2023 to 2026 before they pulled out. On September 2, the BCCI began the process to secure a new sponsor by releasing an invitation for expression of interest for the lead sponsorship rights and the deadline to submit a bid was September 16. The BCCI had specified that alcohol brands, betting or gambling services, cryptocurrency, online money gaming, tobacco brands, or any product or service likely to “offend public morals such as, including but not limited to, pornography” were not eligible to submit a bid to become the team sponsor.

Chelsea star Axel Disasi, who was long relegated to the club’s infamous "bomb squad", was reportedly spotted training with the first team despite Enzo Maresca repeatedly insisting there is "no way back" for the French defender. The 27-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, has been frozen out since the summer. But fresh images from Cobham appear to show Disasi back among the first team players as he was spotted sprinting after Liam Delap in a drill, as reported by the Daily Mail.

• How Disasi landed in Chelsea's bomb squad

  Disasi was signed from Monaco in January 2023 for £38.5m. He made 61 appearances before his sudden demotion with the other outcasts. He had the opportunity to go out on loan again last summer, with West Ham, Bournemouth and Sunderland all interested. But he rejected each offer as he preferred a move abroad instead. That move never materialised, and now he waits for a January escape.

  During the summer, several senior players were told to train away from the squad while their futures were sorted, banished to the so-called "bomb squad". Disasi was among those axed, joining Raheem Sterling, Renato Veiga and others in the outcast group. In August, Disasi made headlines by giving supporters a rare look inside the bomb squad’s makeshift quarters. In an Instagram post simply captioned "Life", he shared pre-season photos and one of which showed the barren room changing room. There were no plush leather chairs, but just wooden benches, small windows, and an old air-conditioning unit.

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  Disasi's professionalism wins admirers

  Despite being exiled, Disasi has not sulked. In fact, he has embraced a mentoring role within the academy. Recently, he captained the Under-21s to a commanding 4-1 win over Reading. He earned praise internally for his attitude, and his professionalism has not gone unnoticed. 

  However, Chelsea legend Pat Nevin warned that the outcasts must be handled with care, as he feels that they could negatively impact the spirit of the dressing room. 

  He told BetIdeas.com: "The PFA is not the main problem. The main problem is bigger than that. Your main problem is if you treat two players like that and the rest of the team sees it, which they will, because it's their mates – and I know players can be selfish and are selfish and have to be selfish – they all know that's what I'm going to get. Now, management doesn't always think along these terms because it's short term. There's a big danger there. And it is a warning. Being on just about every side of the game and seeing it, it can damage spirit. 

  "Players are selfish and they take care of themselves. But Raheem Sterling is liked, he's popular within that dressing room. You certainly don't just blank your mates. So Chelsea need to be careful because in the end if they have got these players that are in six, seven, eight year contracts. Nicholas Jackson was the main man. He's great. And then suddenly he's in the bomb squad. And then he's not, ‘We want you back in’. So be careful because everybody now knows that's what happens. I promise you that's dangerous. When you treat workers like that, the other workers know this. Just be careful."

• No way back at Chelsea

  Maresca didn’t mince his words when questioned last month about the bomb-squad players.

  He said: "They are Chelsea players because they have a contract with the club," the Blues boss said. "In this moment, they are still training apart. The idea is to continue in exactly the same way. Since we started the season, I didnt see one of them. I didn't see Renato (Veiga), I didn't see Axel (Disasi), I didn't see Raheem (Sterling), because they train at a different time on a different pitch. I haven't seen them since we started the season."

  When asked whether any could return, the Italian was blunt: "With us? No."

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  The January exit plan

  Although the defender trains with the first team, Chelsea reportedly intend to offload him when the January window opens. However, the Blues have registered both Disasi and Sterling in their Premier League squad, which could benefit them in the busy festive period, which includes two Champions League games against Barcelona and Atalanta and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City. In the short term, the Blues return to Premier League action on November 22 with a trip to Burnley. Whether Disasi will be anywhere near the matchday squad remains to be seen.