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Tymal Mills could be forced to retire from first-class cricket after being diagnosed with a congenital back condition

George Dobell21-May-2015Tymal Mills could be forced to retire from first-class cricket after being diagnosed with a congenital back condition.Mills, who is thought to be the fastest bowler in English cricket, moved to Sussex from Essex over the winter and has been thought of as an England bowler of the near future. But, after breaking down in the early weeks of the season, he has been diagnosed as having a narrow spinal cord, which he has been warned could, in a worst case scenario, eventually cause substantial mobility problems if he continues to bowl.For a man with so much natural talent, who had started to find the accuracy to complement his pace, it is crushing news.”I have accepted that I might not have a future in first-class cricket,” Mills told ESPNcricinfo. “It is absolutely gutting and I had a very difficult 48 hours when I first heard the news.”I haven’t completely given up on the dream of playing Test cricket but, realistically, it looks as if my future may be in the shorter formats. I still want to play 50-over and T20 cricket.”Sussex have already announced that Mills will play no first-class cricket for a couple of months, but specialists have advised that he will probably have to limit his bowling load significantly if he is to enjoy a prolonged career.Mills bowled in Sussex’s NatWest T20 Blast victory over Gloucestershire on Sunday and took three wickets – all bowled – and could feature in the side to play Somerset on Friday. He is travelling with the squad and hopes to shake off a minor ankle injury.With that in mind, a career as a T20 specialist seems the most likely solution for a 22-year-old who, only weeks ago, was thought of as one of the most exciting prospects in England.”I just hope nobody portrays me as a mercenary,” Mills said. “This isn’t a case of me not wanting to bowl; it’s a case of me having a medical condition would could affect my future. It’s all been pretty hard to take.”

The North Africans eliminated the Super Eagles in Sunday’s Round of 16 encounter in Garoua

BackpagepixNigeria 0-1 Tunisia

Despite winning all their group stage games, the three-time African champions were beaten by a Tunisia side that were loaded with positive coronavirus tests.

Augustine Eguavoen’s side were heavy favourites to progress to the quarter-finals, but Youssef Msakni’s goal just after half-time put paid to Nigeria’s prospects of claiming a fourth Africa Cup of Nations crown.

In this feature, we highlight a few reactions following the Super Eagles’ exit.

AdvertisementBackpagePix.Weak response to going behind

Admittedly, Alex Iwobi’s 66th-minute sending off made things doubly difficult for the Super Eagles, yet Tunisia’s preference for containment meant the West Africans still had the upper hand.

Regardless, very little was created in the subsequent half-hour, although Moses Simon and Umar Sadiq had chances to level.

Some wondered how Nigeria would react to going behind at Afcon 2021, having led in all three group stage games, and they got their answer on Sunday.

Umar Sadiq’s cameo showed promise

The Almeria frontman had been widely criticised following previous showings since his debut against Egypt, but Sunday’s display offered some encouragement.

Sadiq won every one-v-one tussle in those 16 minutes and could have levelled for the West African giants late on for his second Nigeria goal.

While he may be a step below Victor Osimhen, judging the frontman after a handful of appearances will be ill-advised.

Fans are yet to witness the full Sadiq experience.

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GettyShackling Simon dulled Nigeria

Moses Simon had been the competition’s finest performer hitherto Sunday’s encounter, so there was always going to be a plan to render him ineffectual.

There was an obvious inclination to double-team the Nantes wide attacker — and by extension, Samuel Chukwueze — thus curbing Nigeria’s effectiveness from wide positions.

Eguavoen’s troops mostly attacked down the flanks, so limiting their wingers meant the three-time champions carried almost no threat as there was little central invention.

USMNT defender Matt Miazga has accepted his actions were inappropriate, but believes MLS's punishment was harsh regarding his recent suspension.

Article continues below

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Miazga suspended by MLS for 3 gamesFCC eliminated from playoffs without himDefender responds over 'unfitting' punishmentWHAT HAPPENED?

Speaking to media on Tuesday, the FC Cincinnati central defender claimed he thought MLS's punishment was unjust, but understood that his actions were inappropriate and that he let his team down. On November 4, Miazga confronted a referee postgame in the tunnel – and reports have been scattered since, but as a result of his actions, he was suspended for three games ahead of the Eastern Conference semifinals last weekend. Cincy fell to the Columbus Crew in extra-time, 3-2.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT MIAZGA SAID

"I want to take responsibility for what happened. The intentions of what happened, my intentions didn't play out to what has actually happened. I take full responsibility… I felt the punishment didn't fit what had happened, but you know, I accept it and we got to move forward now."

"It was frustrating because you've been an in-form player all year and then all of a sudden, one of the most important games of the year you can't play. So that was frustrating, but I had confidence in my team that they can get the job done."

Despite crashing out of the playoffs in harsh fashion, the USMNT defender has optimism for 2024: "We're so close and it's a learning experience obviously for everyone involved, especially me as well. So, now there's that extra hunger for next year and extra motivation and, you know, we're a real team so we're excited for the challenges ahead."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Initial reports claimed that Miazga was 'forcibly removed' from the official's room following their November 4 victory over the New York Red Bulls, but as more news surrounding the incident came out, the official's report was described as 'exaggerated' by The Athletic. Fast forward nearly three weeks and MLS's investigation into the incident resulted in suspension – 72 hours prior to kickoff in their most important playoff match of the year.

Following the announcement of his removal from their remaining matches on the calendar, the MLS Players Association released a statement claiming that the investigation contained 'falsehoods' and 'false narratives' to paint the MLS Defender of the Year in the wrong.

Now, following Cincy's removal from the playoffs, Miazga has taken responsibility for his actions, but admits his 'frustration' over the league's findings.

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USA Today Sports WHAT NEXT FOR MIAZGA?

He will be suspended for two matches to begin the 2024 MLS season, but the dates for those matches will not be announced until next year. Until then, it will be a massive 'what if' for the defender, knowing that his side conceded three goals in a conference final without him.

Middlesex’s offspinning allrounder Ollie Rayner has been put on standby for the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka after concerns emerged about Simon Kerrigan’s fitness

George Dobell15-Jan-2014Middlesex’s offspinning allrounder Ollie Rayner has been put on standby for the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka after concerns emerged about Simon Kerrigan’s fitness. Kerrigan has a back problem and is due to be assessed by medical staff next week.Rayner, an unusually tall spinner, claimed figures of 15 for 118 in a Championship match against Surrey at The Oval in September, the best figures by a Middlesex bowler since Fred Titmus in 1955. While his overall record remains modest, Rayner enjoyed by far the best season of his career in 2013, taking 46 first-class wickets at an average of 22.04, and, aged 28, should still have his best years ahead of him.He was called up to the England Performance Squad at the end of 2008 but has never won national selection at any level. The retirement of Graeme Swann, however, and the struggles of Monty Panesar and Kerrigan have left the door ajar for several candidates who might previously have thought international cricket would prove a step too far.Rayner will train with the Lions squad at the National Performance Centre in Loughborough this week, with the tour party set to depart at the end of January.Kerrigan, having earned a reputation as the brightest young spinner in county cricket over recent seasons, endured a chastening Test debut at The Oval in August, where his eight overs were thrashed for 53 and he was not trusted to bowl in the second innings. While he was included in the England Performance Programme squad to tour Australia, the 24-year-old slow left-armer was subsequently withdrawn to continue to work on his game in the less-pressurised environments at Loughborough and Old Trafford.

South Australia have rewarded Jake Lehmann, the son of Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann, with his first state rookie contract after strong performances in last summer’s Futures League

Daniel Brettig24-Apr-2014South Australia have rewarded Jake Lehmann, the son of Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann, with his first state rookie contract after strong performances in last summer’s Futures League.Lehmann’s inclusion in the SA squad followed his compiling of 255 runs at 36.42, with a top score of 92, in four Futures League matches.He joined Sam Raphael and Trent Lawford among the final additions to SA’s squad for next season, for which the loss of Michael Klinger to Western Australia will be compensated by Mark Cosgrove’s return from Tasmania.Cosgrove is the only interstate addition to the squad, which will again rely heavily on the spin bowling and leadership of the South African Johan Botha in the push to win SA’s first Sheffield Shield title since 1996.However a batting line-up of Cosgrove, Phillip Hughes, Callum Ferguson, Tom Cooper, Andrew McDonald and Travis Head should ensure swift runs for the Redbacks.”We want a team where players are battling for positions and no-one’s spot is guaranteed. With the batting list we have this season, we have a huge amount of depth to draw upon and competition is going to be intense,” said SACA’s high performance manager Jamie Cox.”Last year we finished just one wicket away from the final and have a number of players who took huge strides in terms of development. We believe the stability we have offered this group will be a huge advantage for us as we chase our first Sheffield Shield title in 19 years.”The major obstacle to the Redbacks’ progress in 2014-15 would appear to be the drop-in pitch at Adelaide Oval, which reaped four draws in addition to another stalemate at Glenelg Oval as the redeveloped ground completed its makeover.SA won three matches outright away from home, and were strongly placed to win a fourth before Usman Khawaja guided an outstanding fourth innings chase by Queensland at the Gabba.Apart from Klinger, others not to have their state contracts renewed included Alex Carey, Sam Miller, Elliot Opie and the tall pace bowler Peter George, who played one Test match for Australia against India in Bangalore in 2010.South Australia squad: Johan Botha, Tom Cooper, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Travis Head, Phil Hughes (CA), Trent Lawford, Tim Ludeman, Andrew McDonald, Joe Mennie, Gary Putland, Sam Raphael, Kane Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Kelvin Smith, Dan Worrall, Adam Zampa. Rookies: Tom Andrews, Alex Gregory, Jake Lehmann, Alex Ross, Nick Winter

The wear on the Dubai pitch and how it will only increase makes Trent Boult believe setting a target in excess of 200 is optimum

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2014As high as the totals have been in the first innings of UAE Tests recently, the wear on the Dubai pitch and how it will only increase makes Trent Boult believe setting a target in excess of 200 is optimum.An aim like that seemed quite difficult with Younis Khan and Azhar Ali shepherding the Pakistan line-up with their fifth fifty-plus score in seven innings, but New Zealand bounced back from a wicketless session on the second morning to dismiss both half-centurions and snap up some late wickets to go into the fourth day with a 122-run advantage, and only four more Pakistan batsmen to get rid of.”As we can see what the wicket’s doing, how it’s deteriorating, it’s going to be a challenge to score 200-plus with whatever time’s left,” Boult said. “And if we can focus on that and then leave them as much time as possible [for us to get 10 wickets], I guess that’s the focus so come day four, day five, it should be a tricky wicket to bat on”Besides an impressive chase of 302 by Pakistan in Sharjah in January, the next best total to achieve victory in the country is 137 by Sri Lanka during the same series. Pakistan though hold the record for the highest total made in the fourth innings in Dubai and have handled Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig well enough. But Boult is confident New Zealand’s frontline would be able rise to the challenge.”They’ve had a big role to fill the whole time and I think they’re really standing up,” Boult said. “Ish bowled superbly today, I reckon. The best I’ve seen it come out of his hand in a long time so the more the wicket deteriorates and breaks up even more then obviously they’re going to become more important”For the spinners to flourish, though, Boult said he and the other seamers had to stifle the batsmen at their ends.”But obviously the likes of myself and Tim [Southee], Corey [Anderson], Neesh [James Neesham] are important as well. We’ve got to come in and build that pressure to really support their spinners”

The day before England fly out to Australia for the Ashes tour, the ECB have confirmed the recipients of central contracts for the next 12 months after protracted talks which began during the summer

Andrew McGlashan and George Dobell22-Oct-20130:00

McGlashan: A year ago Root hadn’t played

The day before England fly out to Australia for the Ashes tour, the ECB have confirmed the recipients of central contracts for the next 12 months after protracted talks which began during the summer. There is one change among the 11 from the previous batch with Eoin Morgan losing his deal and Joe Root, who plays all three formats for England, included in his place.The make-up of the current deals will run until 2019 – although individual contracts still last 12 months – and they are understood to be considerably enhanced terms which the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) were pushing hard for throughout the process. They had claimed in February that England players were “substantially underpaid” compared to their counterparts in Australia.The initial timescale had been to announce the new contracts when the Ashes squad was named last month, but the final negotiations took extra time although there was no suggestion of talks breaking down at any stage. As part of the raft of alterations made to enable players to increase their chances of maximising their earning opportunities, England’s home Tests will be pushed back to June from May to allow a longer period for lucrative IPL appearances.Angus Porter, the PCA chief executive, said: “I am pleased that we have secured a fair and appropriate long term agreement, and have done so via amicable and constructive dialogue.”Rapid rise: Joe Root is the one new face among England’s centrally contracted players•AFPMorgan’s absence is of no surprise. Although he remains integral to both limited-overs formats – and captained England against Australia last month in Alastair Cook’s absence – he has drifted well down the pecking order for a Test berth after opting for a full stint at the IPL and has not made a first-class 50 in more than a year.His potential route back onto the Test side would be at No. 6, a position that no-one has cemented since Paul Collingwood’s retirement after the 2010-11 Ashes. That the contracts list only includes five batsman confirms that the final berth in the middle-order remains up for grabs. There are three potential candidates in the Ashes squad with Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes vying for a place in the Brisbane Test.Root’s elevation to a full central contract is a natural progression after a year in which he has rapidly become a fixture in all three formats. This time 12 months ago he had not made his debut for England, but since his first appearance against India in Nagpur – where he scored a vital, composed 73 – he has produced key contributions in 20-over, 50-over and Test cricket even though his elevation to opener in the summer’s Ashes proved a challenge for him.England have resisted contracting extra fast-bowling resources, such as Boyd Rankin or Chris Tremlett, but despite his inconsistent year Steven Finn remains on the list.Geoff Miller, the national selector who was presiding over his final selection of contracts before stepping down, said: “Contracts are on-going recognition for those players who have regularly been selected for England and have performed consistently, as well as those players we feel are likely to play an important role for England over the next year.”Congratulations to Joe Root who is the one addition to the list of players awarded a central contract and this reflects the important role Joe has played for England since making his international debut last year and will I’m sure continue to play across all formats.”The outgoing managing director England Cricket, Hugh Morris, said: “We are delighted to have concluded a six-year deal and to have all contractual issues resolved in advance of what we all hope to be another successful Ashes tour. We thank the PCA, Team England Player Partnership and the ECB Board for reaching this agreement which now allows the players to focus solely on cricket, not just during this tour, but for a considerable period beyond.”Central contracts James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott

Leeds United remain top of the Championship despite suffering defeat against Stoke City last weekend, and with just a few days remaining in the transfer window to strengthen the squad Victor Orta is facing a race against time to give Marcelo Bielsa what he wants. 

Bielsa has made no secret of his preference to keep his squad tightly-knit and promote talented youth players to deputise for injured senior players. That attitude has served Leeds well so far but, considering how physically demanding the season has been and Bielsa’s history of faltering in the final months of the season, the club need at least one more signing to maximise their chances of clinching promotion.

The arrival of Kiko Casilla was widely regarded as a timely coup for the club, and if anyone is likely to join him at Elland Road this month it seems it will be Swansea City’s Daniel James.

Indeed, a recent report from the Daily Mirror suggests Bielsa has left Orta in charge of concluding a deal for James this month, with no further signings requested from the enigmatic Argentine.

Orta’s success in the final days of the transfer window has the potential to be season-defining in the context of Leeds’ promotion bid.

The succession of injury problems this season have been compounded by the departures of both Samu Saiz and Lewis Baker, and with the squad wearing thin the arrival of James could be priceless.

James is relatively inexperienced at this level but he has rapidly demonstrated a sound ability to perform well in the Championship, with his technical quality and willingness to work hard off the ball making him an ideal fit for Leeds.

His arrival would add greater depth in wide positions and consequently help to facilitate a permanent role for Pablo Hernandez at number ten, which is where Bielsa understandably wants him to operate.

The same report also claims that Leeds will happily walk away from the negotiating table if they believe a potential deal is not good value, but with promotion on the line it’s vital that Orta manages to strike an agreement to hand Bielsa a priceless asset during the final months of the season.

Orta has completed a handful of smart deals in the transfer market since becoming the club’s director of football, but a successful bid for James could be crucial in the context of Leeds’ bid to end their top-flight exile.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Mahela Jayawardene has said Daredevils’ injury issues had prompted him to bat in the middle order at the start of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2013Delhi Daredevils finally have their first points of IPL 2013, after cruising to a nine-wicket win against Mumbai Indians on Sunday. While it was quite a poor showing by Mumbai’s new-ball bowlers, credit would have to go to Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene for captialising on the chances offered them and allowing Daredevils to close out the chase of 162 with three overs to spare.Daredevils rejigged their batting line-up, reuniting Sehwag and Jayawardene at the top, and the pair went on to become only the third combination in the IPL to put together a second century opening partnership – they added 151 at almost 10 an over. Speaking after the match, Jayawardene said Daredevils’ injury issues had prompted him to bat in the middle order at the start of the tournament. “Losing Kevin [Pietersen] and Jesse [Ryder] prompted me to go down the order as we needed some solidity in the middle. But since our batting unit did not click, it was a call that I had to take,” he said. “I spoke to David [Warner] about it and told him that I wanted him to play the role that Kevin played last year.”Sehwag’s style suited him, Jayawardene said: “We complemented each other very well. As it is, Viru took a lot of pressure off me and my job was to give him more strike. His batting also allowed me to play freely and I could control the innings. We kept talking to each other, that we should not get carried away with good start.”After scores of 12, 25 and 17, and time out due to a recurrence of back trouble, Sehwag finally clicked, slamming 95 off 57 and batting through the innings. “I have seen how passionate Viru was about performing well. There is a lot of fire in his belly,” Jayawardene said. “He was also coming off injury, the back spasms. So you’ve got to give him a bit of time [to get back into touch].”Mumbai Indians captain Ricky Ponting was disappointed in the lines his bowlers delivered at the start. While Jasprit Bumrah bowled a lot outside off, Munaf Patel kept straying onto leg stump with fine leg up. “I think we could have stopped Sehwag getting off to the kind of start he got off to. With Sehwag, what’s important is to tuck him up at the start,” Ponting said. “Today, we gave him too many scoring options early on and let him get away. All the line and lengths that we spoke about, we weren’t able to execute.”

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continued their prolific runs to set up India’s chase with effortless half-centuries after India’s spinners, led by Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina, had taken eight wickets to bowl West Indies out for a below-par total in Koc

The Report by Devashish Fuloria21-Nov-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFor Indian bowlers, the Kochi pitch brought respite as they finally exerted some control over the batsmen•BCCIRohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continued their prolific runs to set up India’s chase with effortless half-centuries after India’s spinners, led by Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina, had taken eight wickets to bowl West Indies out for a below-par total in Kochi.Shikhar Dhawan was caught behind off a rising Jason Holder delivery in the fourth over, but Rohit and Kohli were unfazed by the dual nature of the pitch, and kept scoring freely throughout their 133-run partnership in 21.4 overs.It was Kohli who did the bulk of the scoring in the first 10 overs, hitting five boundaries against Rohit’s one. But as soon as Sunil Narine was introduced in the 11th over, Rohit took over the role of aggressor. The next seven hits to the boundary came from Rohit’s bat, as he used a wide array of shots – from powerful slog-sweeps to deft late-cuts – to zoom past Kohli. During the course of his innings, he went past Misbah-ul-Haq to become the leading run-scorer in 2013, but just when a century looked certain, he pulled one straight to deep midwicket to be dismissed for 72, with his tally of international runs since October standing on 859.Kohli had been happy to turn over the strike to Rohit during their partnership, but he switched gears as a struggling Yuvraj Singh – not Raina – joined him in the middle. A couple of powerful pulls were unleashed against the fast bowlers – the second one making him the joint-fastest to reach 5000 ODI runs along with Viv Richards, in 114 innings. But just like Rohit, he too was dismissed when a hundred appeared for the taking.India needed 20 runs at that stage off 18.4 overs, which despite a brief flutter, was not enough for the West Indies to defend. Apart from Rohit and Kohli, none of the batsmen from either team found it easy to bat.For Indian bowlers though, the Kochi pitch brought a respite, soothing the wounds they endured during the series against Australia last month, as they finally exerted some control over the batsmen.West Indies had recovered from the loss of Chris Gayle in the first over to get to 63 for 1 after ten overs when spin was introduced. Jadeja, who had been left out of the Tests to nurse his injured shoulder, took only four balls to make an impact. Johnson Charles, trying to whip a flighted delivery to the leg side, got a leading edge towards Jadeja, who dived full length to his left to pull off a one-handed blinder.Smart stats

Virat Kohli completed 5000 ODI runs in this match, in his 114th innings, equalling Viv Richards’ record as the fastest batsman in ODIs to 5000 runs. For India, Sourav Ganguly was the previous batsman fastest to 5000 ODI runs, having reached the landmark in 126 innings.

Kohli has won five Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs in 2013, the most by any batsman this year. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Misbah-ul-Haq are next in that list with four awards each.

Ravindra Jadeja has become the leading wicket-taker in ODIs in 2013 going ahead of Saeed Ajmal. Jadeja has taken 49 wickets at 22.22 from 29 ODIs this year as opposed to Ajmal’s 48 wickets at 19.77 from 25 ODIs. Click here for a list of the leading wicket-takers in ODIs this year.

Rohit Sharma has become the highest run-scorer in ODIs this year. He has scored 1143 runs at 60.15 from 23 matches. Kohli is joint-second in that list; he has scored 1119 from 26 innings at 55.95 and is tied with Misbah.

The 133-run partnership between Kohli and Rohit in this match was the second highest for India for the second wicket against West Indies.

Raina’s bowling figures of 3 for 34 were his best in ODIs and the first time he took three wickets in an innings. His previous-best ODI figures also came against West Indies, in Indore in 2011, when he took 2 for 17.

West Indies’ opening partnerships have added all of 85 runs in their last ten ODIs against India in India. The highest they have put together for their first wicket in the last ten ODIs is 34, added by Kirk Edwards and Dwayne Smith in the 2011 World Cup league match.

That the ball had stopped a touch on the batsman was an indication for MS Dhoni to introduce spin at both ends. Raina didn’t have to wait for long either. His eighth delivery barely bounced, hitting the base of the middle stump to dismiss a well-set Marlon Samuels.Raina added two more wickets – Lendl Simmons was adjudged lbw to one which was probably spinning down the leg side while Narsingh Deonarine had himself to blame for playing across the line to a straighter one – and ended up with his best ODI figures of 10-1-34-3.Darren Bravo, though, fought back with 59 off 77 deliveries. He manoeuvered the strike around in company of Simmons – both adding 65 for the fourth wicket – while being severe on anything that was pitched up. Twice, he hit flighted deliveries from Jadeja into the stands. However, he too was dismissed by one that stayed low from Mohammed Shami during the Powerplay. His dismissal signaled the end of resistance from West Indies as the rest of the batsmen could only manage 28 more runs. Jadeja finished with three wickets that also propped him up to the top of the ODI wicket-takers’ charts this year.Spin was thought to be a factor at the start of the match because of the presence of cracks on the pitch. West Indies chose to bat, hoping to build the pressure in a format they are more comfortable with.The change to coloured clothing was supposed to bring relief for Gayle, who had endured a difficult time in the Test series with a top score of 35. But he didn’t give himself a chance to settle. He dabbed the second delivery of the match towards the non-striker and called straightaway for a risky single. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has dismissed Gayle four times this year already, sprinted to his right, swiveled and threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end, catching Gayle well short.But as Gayle tried to make his ground, he took a tumble and injured his hamstring that is likely to keep him out for up to four weeks.