The New Zealand legspinner talks about working his way back from a career-threatening back injury, training at the CSK academy, and his hopes for the coming year

Deivarayan Muthu05-Jul-2025″.” [My way is a unique way].New Zealand legspinner Adithya Ashok has Rajinikanth’s famous punchline from inked on his bowling arm. It’s a tribute to the actor, and to Adithya’s late grandfather, with whom he watched the movie.Last month, Adithya, now 22, reconnected with his friends and family in Vellore in north-east Tamil Nadu, where he was born and raised before his family moved to New Zealand when he was around four. He was in India to hone his skills at a two-week spin camp at the CSK academy in Chennai.”Last time I was here in India, my grandfather was a bit ill, and I was fortunate to spend the last while with him and we were having a meaningful conversation and the Rajini film was on at the time,” Adithya says. “Days after he passed away, I got this tattoo because it reminded me of a special moment we shared. It’s also a connection to my Tamil roots, to Vellore, and a popular Tamil icon and a global icon as well.”The phrase also fits as a description of Adithya’s unique path to winning a New Zealand central contract. He moved to Auckland as a child when his parents got the opportunity to emigrate to New Zealand. His mother worked as a nurse at the city hospital and his father, a cricketer-turned-radiographer, worked at the Starship Children’s Hospital.After rising through the ranks in school cricket, Adithya represented New Zealand in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, where he impressed with his ability to give the ball a rip.Related

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He was earmarked as a future Black Cap from then, but major back surgery forced him out of action for almost a year starting December 2023. During this period, something as simple as getting out of a car was difficult for him.”Honestly, it was a pretty scary time for me,” he recalls. “I’ve reflected on it over the last while and I think it has changed my attitude towards understanding myself as a person, and I’m grateful to be doing something like everyday chores. I feel blessed to have the support of New Zealand Cricket through all of it. They put me in touch with one of the best surgeons in the world. He was the surgeon who operated on [Jasprit] Bumrah, but I don’t think any other spinner has had this back surgery.”I also had the support of my team in Auckland, the physio, the S&C [strength and conditioning] coach, and my family and girlfriend during one of my hardest phases of life. It was a big 12-15 months, but it’s definitely something I wouldn’t trade for anything else because it gave me so much perspective on life.”After rehab and navigating through his loads on a “trial-and-error basis”, Adithya returned to action in late 2024 and played his part in Auckland’s run to the 50-overs Ford Trophy final, which they lost to Canterbury. After handsome contributions in the 20-overs Super Smash and the four-day Plunket Shield, he has worked his way back into the New Zealand A and New Zealand set-ups. In May this year, he claimed a fourth-innings five-for to spin New Zealand A to victory against Bangladesh A in the first Test in Sylhet.Adithya’s tattoo in Tamil reads “My way is a unique way”•Deivarayan Muthu/ESPNcricinfo”I think the Bangladesh tour was amazing,” he says. “Any chance you get to contribute towards a red-ball win is something that’s very close to my heart. I really enjoy playing red-ball cricket and I think just getting the opportunity to go and play somewhere foreign, have a few weeks trying to understand the conditions and then coming up with a plan to try and be effective and then for it to work, that’s the model.”I think that’s the part that I’m most happy with – having the opportunity to do that. And coming here to India is just another opportunity to do the same. In terms of trying to hit a new level, you’re always trying to push yourself to a higher standard, but I think I’ve just enjoyed the opportunity for the first time to go somewhere different, try and implement a plan, and for that plan to come away and have some success, I think it was cool.”In Chennai, Adithya tested his variations, which include the wrong’un and the square-seam slider, on various types of surfaces against local batters and New Zealand’s Rhys Mariu and Dale Phillips (brother of international Glenn), who were also part of the camp.”We don’t get the black soil, we don’t get the [same] red soil, we don’t get the clay [in New Zealand],” Adithya says. “Understanding that on red soil you don’t have to potentially bowl as much overspin as we do back home in New Zealand. Red soil is a bit more conducive, so you can afford to bowl a little bit faster, you can afford to use a little bit more of the sidespin, square-seam deliveries that you see all the Indian bowlers bowl so well with.Adithya took ten wickets at an economy of 4.9 from seven matches in the 2024-25 Ford Trophy•Joe Allison/Getty Images”Just getting accustomed to what that feels like in hand, even something as small as using the SG ball, something that I’ve never done before, so understanding what that feels like in my hands… Do I have to grip it a certain way to get the same result? We are kind of on a fact-finding mission.”Adithya credits former New Zealand spinners Tarun Nethula, his long-time mentor, and Paul Wiseman, the current New Zealand talent identification manager, for his progress.”Tarun and Paul have been massive for me in terms of my spin bowling, and [are] two people that I’ve admired and really gone to for advice or technical help or anything,” he says. “I needed to be stronger [after the back injury], so that was a big part of it.”But from a technical aspect, we were just trying to make sure that I was a little bit more aligned at the crease, trying to make sure that my approach to the crease is a little bit more direct, keeping my front arm in play for longer and trying to make sure I put as much as I can on the ball, keep imparting a lot of overspin, especially in white-ball cricket.”Any changes I need to make in order to put more sidespin on the ball or bowl a little bit faster – I think I’m very lucky to have those two in my corner to be able to be able to WhatsApp them at any point in the day. I know that when I wake up the next morning or come back from lunch, there will definitely be a message with a lot of knowledge and wisdom, which I’m very excited to read always.”During his “fact-finding mission” at the CSK academy, Adithya got to understand different soil types and how to bat and bowl on them•Super Kings AcademyAdithya is not part of New Zealand’s T20I squad for the upcoming tri-nation series against hosts Zimbabwe and South Africa but he is set for more opportunities during the upcoming season. There’s also a T20 World Cup in the horizon, but he isn’t looking too far ahead.”My priority now is to learn from Sri [Sriram Krishnamurthy, current head coach of the Super Kings academy and a former Wellington coach], stay where my feet are at the moment and experience this phase of the calendar in Chennai and Vellore,” he says. “Then there’s an A tour to South Africa and the domestic season with Auckland.”For now, I’m looking to soak up these experiences and invest into what I’m learning here, find new things, try to take some learnings away to South Africa with the A tour, learn more things there, enjoy the culture, and from there we’ll have a look at what the next little phase looks like.”Adithya’s top priority is to add to his three internationals for New Zealand and win games for them, but he also has ambitions of playing for CSK in the IPL in the future.”Ever since I moved to New Zealand, Auckland and New Zealand has been my home and I’d love to play for New Zealand as much as I can and win trophies for them. But I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that wants to connect with my heritage and local side that aligns with Chennai. That’s something that excites me, but the foremost thing is to represent New Zealand.”Adithya has travelled a long and winding road from Vellore to New Zealand and continues to tread his own path to becoming a Black Caps regular.

Manchester City have been fined £3 million by the Premier League over the last two seasons for delaying kick-offs to 30 matches after half-time. The club were forced to pay £2m at the end of the 2023-24 campaign and £1m last term for taking too long to emerge after the break following Pep Guardiola's lengthy team talks. The coach has also been warned about holding press conferences too late in the day.

City late for 30 matches after half-time

has reported that 22 of City's 38 Premier League games in 2023-24 were delayed City, with eight of their matches in 2024-25 falling foul of the league's guidelines on half-time breaks. The league states that kicking off on time helps "ensure the organisation of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard" as well as assisting broadcasters. 

Guardiola, however, was unapologetic about the delays and said that musicians performing at matches such as the Champions League should be fined when causing a delay to kick off, as happened when Burna Boy appeared before City met Inter in the 2023 final in Istanbul. He also said that the Premier League's rules on press conferences led to him holding his latest briefing ahead of the next match against Newcastle on Friday at 9am.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesGuardiola: We paid a lot of money!

Guardiola told a press conference: "We paid a lot of money as I’m late at half-time, but when we played in the Champions League final they had a show before the game and they are always late. They have to fine the singers! That is why I decided 9am and the journalists have had their breakfast and will need to take a coffee. I arrive one minute later but the rules are the rules. We are training later and if we train at 12 until 1.30, I cannot be here [at the press conference] in time. The Premier League don’t allow me at 2pm. The club said if I don’t start by 2pm they will fine me or fine the club."

Guardiola congratulates Haaland on World Cup qualification

Guardiola extended his congratulations to Erling Haaland after Norway secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup, their first time reaching the tournament since 1998. "He’s incredible this season, he’s breaking all the records, personal and individual records, Premier League records, for Norway," Guardiola said. "Happy for him, his national team, many of the squad for Norway weren’t even born the last time Norway were in the World Cup. For the country it’s incredible, an incredible qualification scoring a lot of goals. As a football player, world-class player, he deserves to play a World Cup and live the experience. I’m so happy for him."

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Getty Haaland can hit 100 PL goals on Shearer's turf

Haaland scored his 99th Premier League goal in City's last game against Liverpool and he can hit his century of goals in England's top flight against Newcastle on Saturday at St James' Park. Haaland is being tipped to go on and beat Magpies' legend Alan Shearer as the league's all-time top scorer if he sees out his 10-year contract with City. Guardiola – who declared his admiration for Shearer's goal tally for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle – believes he has a good chance of toppling the former England striker.

He said: "His [Shearer’s] quality to score goals in big teams. He won the Premier League, but not in the teams that everybody knows. The guys who have been making numbers for a long time, not just one or two seasons, I always admire them because it means resilience and being there every season.

"They don’t score goals for one season. They do it over a lot of seasons and that means being incredibly focused, professional and you have to love the game. For Erling to be there with Alan Shearer is really good for both of them. You don’t have to know mathematics to realise that if he [Haaland] stays a long, long time and continues this average, he will be close to Harry Kane and close to Alan Shearer."

Early next year the selectors will need to decide if there’s a spot in a 15-player squad for a reserve keeper

Andrew McGlashan13-Aug-2025

Alex Carey completed an unusual stumping on his T20I return•AFP/Getty Images

The second T20I in Darwin was lit up by Dewald Brevis’ century, but it also highlighted a question Australia have to answer before the T20 World Cup: do they need to have wicketkeeping cover in their 15-player squad?With Josh Inglis suffering from flu which he had played through in the opening game, Alex Carey was flown in ahead of schedule and earned his first T20I since 2021. He pulled off one of the more unusual stumpings to remove Lhuan-dre Pretorius and was Australia’s second-highest scorer with 26 off 18 balls.Related

• Inglis out of T20 tour of New Zealand with a calf strain, Carey called up

• Australia in unfamiliar territory in T20I series decider against South Africa

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In a home bilateral series it was easy enough for the selectors to make a quick phone call to Carey and have him fly up to Darwin at short notice. But things are trickier in global tournaments where squad sizes are restricted, replacement players need approval and once a player is removed from the squad they can’t return.Inglis is locked in as Australia’s white-ball keeper but there would be a risk of entering a World Cup without another option on hand to take the gloves, particularly with Inglis managing ongoing back problems. None of the other batters in the current T20I squad, which seems likely to form the core of the World Cup group, are viable alternatives behind the stumps.Australia nearly found themselves in such a situation at the 2022 T20 World Cup when Matthew Wade came down with Covid prior to the game against England. Inglis, who was in the original squad, had suffered a hand injury playing golf prior to the tournament and been replaced by Cameron Green. As it was, the match was washed out although Wade would likely have pushed through and played. Australia’s contingencies on that day were potentially David Warner, who once took the gloves in a Test match, and captain Aaron Finch.In Darwin, Alex Carey batted as low as No. 7 in a T20 only for the seventh time, and the first since 2018•Getty ImagesAt the most recent T20 World Cup in the Caribbean last year, Wade and Inglis were both in the 15-player squad, as they were for the 2021 edition in the UAE that Australia won. At the 2023 ODI World Cup, Inglis was in the squad and replaced Carey after one game. Now the duo feature together in the one-day side, with Carey playing as a batter in the Champions Trophy earlier this year.In the 50-over format they can both carry themselves as frontline batters, but that is not so clear cut for the T20I team. Tuesday was only the seventh time Carey had batted as low as No. 7 in a T20 and the first since 2018, with everyone else moved up a place in Inglis’ absence. His two BBL hundreds have come as an opener while he also has a solid record at No. 4. Overall in T20, Carey’s strike-rate is 129.04 compared to Inglis’ 150.98. However, in limited BBL appearances over the last three seasons, Carey has lifted his strike-rate to 146.52, which is higher than Inglis’ 138.57 over the same period.The issue the selectors will need to ponder early next year is whether there’s a spot in a 15-player squad for Carey, where the choice could come down to between him and another frontline batter, to cover for the eventuality where Inglis is unavailable for a game but hasn’t suffered a tournament-ending injury.On the recent tour of West Indies, a key reason Jake Fraser-McGurk was called in as a replacement when Spencer Johnson was ruled out was because the selectors are looking to build on the wicketkeeping side of his game and they wanted cover for Inglis in a condensed series.There is a chance he will have the gloves at some point for Australia A in the one-day series against India A in late September with him and Lachlan Shaw the two keeping options in that squad. But currently Fraser-McGurk doesn’t warrant a place as a batter in the national side – he made 2 in his one innings in West Indies to continue a lean year in T20s where he is averaging 19.41 albeit with a strike-rate of 150.22.

Eddie Howe didn’t rip things up ahead of Newcastle United’s crunch Premier League clash against Manchester City, but instead opted for smaller tweaks to arrest the slide in form that had cast an air of frustration across Tyneside.

Hope reigned across the November international break that the Toon would undergo a systematic reset, with three defeats from four leaving the club down in the bottom half. But Howe got it right, and Pep Guardiola was sent packing with none of the spoils.

With Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga, ostensibly the Magpies’ two most talented wide forwards, out of sorts, it was crucial that Howe saw some other attacking stars step up.

Newcastle's evolving frontline

When Newcastle sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a British record fee, it was a poignant moment. But Newcastle have evolved, and Nick Woltemade has proved by this stage his potential to be a star in the Premier League.

Theoretically, the 23-year-old German’s technical quality on the ball and his willingness to roam, dropping deep and aiding the pacy wingers either side of him, should give rise to Gordon and Elanga’s qualities, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Harvey Barnes is thriving, though. The prolific left winger scored twice to sink City, and that’s three in two Premier League matches for him.

Then, of course, Jacob Murphy continues to add flair and industriousness down the right flank. This is important, given Elanga’s own woes. Murphy, 30, worked so hard against his tide of the opposition, and he still managed to showcase his creativity, creating three chances and completing four of six attempted crosses, as per Sofascore.

We haven’t even mentioned Yoane Wissa, who was involved in Saturday’s celebrations but remains sidelined after joining from Brentford this summer. The DR Congo striker will add a new dimension to Howe’s frontline and offer a more traditional take than Woltemade, an interesting counterpoint.

These are all influential forwards, but it might be that Newcastle are developing another more influential member of their squad. This player offers shades of Erling Haaland, and yet he’s anything but a striker.

Newcastle's own version of Haaland

Haaland is one of the best players in the world, and, at Manchester City, his influence is unmatched.

Newcastle might not have anyone in their side who comes close to the Norwegian in terms of attacking output, but Malick Thiaw is beginning to single-handedly define his side’s defensive strength, and in this, he could curiously become United’s own version of the free-scoring machine.

Newcastle completed a £35m move for Thiaw in August, reinforcing a backline that was crying out for some extra depth last season.

Hailed as an “absolute steal” of a signing by one United content creator, who lauded Thiaw’s “Saliba-esque” presence in central defence, this is a defender who has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, and this was underscored and then some upon keeping Haaland at bay on Saturday.

Haaland failed to score, but his physicality and the scare factor that comes into play when he’s involved were both negated by the Germany international, whose willingness to go one-on-one and engage with crisp and combative challenges emphasise the level of player Newcastle have reeled in. One podcast host actually marvelled at the display and said, “he might be the Premier League’s next elite centre-back.”

Mentality is just as important as technical mastery, and luckily, the £75k-per-week Thiaw offers both elements in bucketloads.

Sofascore record that he made seven clearances and six ball recoveries against City, timing a last-man challenge just right.

Moreover, Thiaw is already sitting pretty across some intriguing statistical metrics. In the Premier League this season, for example, the 24-year-old ranks among the top 15% of centre-backs for interceptions, the top 13% for blocks, the top 9% for ball recoveries, the top 15% for progressive passes and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90 (data provided by FBref).

Couple that with his remarkable success rate in the duel, both in the Premier League and out on the continent this season, and you begin to see why so many Newcastle supporters are boarding the hype train at this early stage of his English career.

Matches (starts)

9 (8)

4 (3)

Goals

0

0

Assists

0

0

Touches*

52.7

57.0

Accurate passes*

35.1 (86%)

43.8 (91%)

Recoveries*

4.1

4.8

Tackles + interceptions*

2.4

1.8

Clearances*

5.0

3.3

Ground duels*

1.4 (68%)

1.5 (55%)

Aerial duels*

3.1 (72%)

3.3 (76%)

Errors made

0

0

Error-free, confident on the ball and commanding in defensive phases, Thiaw is a “monster” of a centre-half, in the words of journalist Martino Puccio, and he’s only going to keep getting better as he settles into his role on Tyneside.

Given the current struggles of Sven Botman – who started from the bench at St. James’ Park at the weekend – and the ageing legs of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar – Newcastle’s new central defender may well far outstrip his positional competition and enter a league of his own.

In this way, he could emulate Haaland’s own matchless presence at the Etihad Stadium and establish himself as a one-of-a-kind talent on Tyneside, becoming not just one of the best players in Newcastle’s first team but a figure to be feared across the entire continent, just as Haaland is right now.

PIF can fund Anderson move by selling Newcastle star who's a "nightmare"

Newcastle are proving themselves to be a team in transition this season.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 25, 2025

Harsh Dubey, the left-arm spinner who has been at the centre of Vidarbha’s strong red-ball campaigns over the last two seasons, feels it is the the team’s discipline that makes them stand out from other Indian sides.Last season, Dubey’s 69 wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season were the most for any bowler in the competition’s history. Part of Vidarbha’s age-group set-up before graduating into the senior team, he also said the closeness of the squad and the structure in place has helped Vidarbha become successful.”I will not say [Vidarbha are the] strongest, because I feel that more than being the strongest, we have the most disciplined cricketers overall in India, because of our structure, our team bonding,” Dubey said on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai. “So, I feel that because of the unity we play with, we defeat the strongest teams. This is my observation.”Related

• Dubey and Thakur seal Irani Cup title for Vidarbha

• The 91st season of the Ranji Trophy is unmissable – here's why

• Tireless Bawne will 'put the body on the line' again to try and win the Ranji Trophy

• For Agarwal, it's all about cashing in when the call comes

• Shami: If I can play Ranji Trophy, I can play 50-overs

Vidarbha have been on a roll over the last two seasons in red-ball competitions. They reached the Ranji Trophy final in 2023-24, won it in 2024-25 and have started the 2025-26 domestic season by securing their third Irani Cup title. They also won back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19.”See, honestly, the current lot that’s playing now, we have won at least 2-3 trophies in age group cricket. So, we know that winning habit,” Dubey said. “And even the structure of our off-season camps in the VCA, it makes a lot of difference as to how strong your basics are.”Because our coach, Usman Ghani, he was most of our players’ coach in U-14 or U-19. So, I think he has a very good understanding of the players – ‘who can be useful to me and when’.”And even the role of of our backroom team, our trainers, our physios, their role is very important. So, I think we are getting the result of their hard work in the last 7-8 years.”Despite Vidarbha’s successes, very few players from the team have made the national side. Karun Nair, who has now moved to Karnataka between seasons, made a comeback in England, while Jitesh Sharma’s white-ball credentials have made him a regular in the T20I team. However, the list is sparse, with Umesh Yadav being the standout from the team over the past two decades.When asked if players from Vidarbha not getting picked for India can demoralise the team, Dubey said it was all a matter of perspective.”I think it’s a matter of motivation,” Dubey said. “That just ‘this much’ won’t do. You have to do more. So, if you think positively about this negative point, then I think you will have a mindset that will help you do even better.Akshay Wadkar’s leadership has been a standout in Vidarbha’s recent successes•PTI

“So, I think the players who are doing well – like Yash Rathod is doing well, Danish Malewar is doing well, our skipper [Akshay Wadkar] is doing well – there are a lot of such players. So, if you keep doing well consistently. You will get an opportunity at some point.”Vidarbha have replaced Nair in the squad by signing up ex-Karnataka batter R Samarth for this season, who has made the switch from Uttarakhand. It leaves a big gap in their middle-order, but Dubey said the Irani Cup performance of beating a strong Rest of India team showed there’s no void.”I read this in another place that if Karun Nair is not here, how will Vidarbha win Irani Trophy?,” Dubey said. “We won the Irani Trophy. We won without Karun Nair, and even Samarth didn’t even play this time.”So it’s not that if a player leaves, it will leave a gap. I think we have enough good players and even if we don’t have professionals, we can still do well. But yes, having a professional is an additional benefit because they bring experience with them and you get to learn new things many times. I don’t think if anyone leaves Vidarbha, there will be a gap.”On Wednesday, Vidarbha began their Ranji Trophy title defence against Nagaland in Bengaluru. They are in a tough Elite Group A alongside Jharkhand, Andhra, Baroda, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Nagaland.

In what could be their last outing together down under, the duo produced a vintage partnership to seal India’s win

Sidharth Monga25-Oct-20252:03

Chopra: Kohli and Rohit keep adding confidence

For likely one final time in Australia, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli turned the clock back with an unbroken 168-run partnership to take India to a win in front of a full house SCG, comprised primarily of Indian fans. Then the highest and third-highest centurions of the format signed off with emotional words.It was at the SCG back in 2008, in the first final of the CB Series, that Rohit first announced himself on the international scene with a half-century as he and Sachin Tendulkar chased down 240. Rohit scored his 33rd ODI century at the same venue to end his love affair with Australia as the player of the match and the player of the series.”I’ve always loved coming here,” Rohit told the broadcasters after the match. “I enjoy playing cricket here in Australia. Fond memories of 2008, and nice way to finish, getting that knock and getting that win as well. I don’t know if we’ll be coming back to Australia, but it was fun all these years that we played here. A lot of good memories, bad memories, but all in all, I’ll take the cricket that I played here.”Related

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Rohit and Kohli now play one format of the three, which can leave them short on game time as India plan for the 2027 ODI World Cup, but Rohit spoke for both of them when he said they are loving what they are doing. “Looks like it, yes,” Rohit said when asked if the “two old dogs still had sting in the tail”.”We enjoy our cricket, most importantly, no matter what. Accolades we’ve achieved, but it’s important that whenever you get an opportunity to play, you’ve got to come and start fresh, and that’s what we did. When we arrived in Perth, forget what has happened in the last 15-17 years, wanted to start fresh, and that’s how I personally look at all the games that I’ve played. I’m sure it’ll be the same for Virat as well, but enjoyed playing these three games.”Kohli didn’t have the greatest of times as he scored consecutive ducks for the first time in his ODI career, but turned it around with a vintage half-century to see the chase through, in the company of his old partner in crime.”Good to be out of the pond, honestly,” Kohli said to huge cheers from the crowd that hung on to every word. “You’ve scored so many runs in international cricket, but then the game shows you everything. Even at this stage, almost 37 in not many days, and still can feel like I don’t know how to get a run. I mean this game is amazing.Virat Kohli congratulates centurion Rohit Sharma•Cricket Australia/Getty Images”That’s why we love batting, we love batsmanship, and it’s so challenging when it’s not going your way and just to find your rhythm again. Go out there, having a situation to play in always is something that always brings out the best in me. And yeah, when Rohit’s already batting there, it’s pretty easy to kind of keep rotating strike. We understand each other’s game pretty well. So again, really good to have a big partnership and another match-finishing partnership for us.”During the course of this win, the duo reached 5483 partnership runs and went past the alliance of Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan to No. 3 on the most prolific ODI partners. They are nearly 3000 behind Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, who had the advantage of opening together and thus batting together more often, but they can still go past Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who added 5992 runs in each other’s company.

“It’s important that whenever you get an opportunity to play, you’ve got to come and start fresh, and that’s what we did.”Rohit Sharma

“I think from very early on, it was pretty clear that we both understood the game pretty well,” Kohli said. “That’s the only reason you can play for so long. When you have an understanding of the situation, your own game, and how to apply it in different situations. That’s something that we’ve always taken a lot of pride in.”And when we’re back together, of course, we understand we’re probably the most experienced players now, but even back in the day, we used to think if we have a big partnership, the kind of strokes we can play, we can really take the game away from the opposition. And it was just about communication, staying in the game.”I think it all started from that 2013 series against Australia at home, when we really started getting those big partnerships together and really taking the game on. From then on, it was pretty clear the opposition also knew if these guys are in for 20 overs together, any total is chaseable, and the game’s never done in the opposition’s favour. I’ve really enjoyed batting with Rohit, and, yeah, good to know we’ve scored a few together.”

Closing in on his arrival, Kim Hellberg has already reportedly made the decision to overhaul Middlesbrough’s backroom staff and hand interim manager Adi Viveash a new role at the club.

The Swedish manager has already caused plenty of controversy around the Championship after he rejected Swansea City in favour of Boro in a late twist, and is now set to arrive in Teesside with the task of picking up where Rob Edwards left off.

Having reportedly paid £250k to secure his services, Boro will be hoping to see Hellberg get off to the perfect start, but to say he doesn’t have an easy start would be an understatement.

With Viveash set to remain in charge against Oxford United this Saturday, Hellberg’s first game in charge is likely to come against Championship leaders Coventry City. If nothing changes between now and that game, then Middlesbrough will be able to go within a point of the league leaders with victory on their manager’s debut.

It will be interesting to see how the 37-year-old sets his side up for that game. His preferred formation is a 4-2-3-1, which Boro played so often under Edwards and will now look to use to their advantage under a new manager. This should at least help ease any period of adjustment for all involved.

The Swede isn’t wasting any time before implementing other changes, however. Reports are now claiming that he’s already made an immediate staff overhaul involving interim boss Viveash.

Hellberg makes instant Viveash decision at Middlesbrough

According to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Hellberg has already appointed David Selini as his assistant manager and made the decision to keep Viveash on as a technical coach as part of a staff overhaul. The young coach has instantly got to work to make changes in an attempt to hit the ground running in Riverside.

It’s a new role that Viveash has more than earned. The Boro coach stepped up for the club when Edwards departed, leading them to a 2-1 victory over Birmingham City and there’s no doubt his presence will help to welcome Hellberg to the job.

Meanwhile, Selini is also an interesting appointment. The Hammarby assistant has only worked with Hellberg for over a year, but is now set to join him in the Championship at just 31 years old.

In Hellberg and his assistant, Selini, Boro have placed their trust in a young management team and must now hope that their gamble ends in the pay out of promotion.

“The BCCI medical team, along with specialists in Sydney and India, are pleased with his recovery,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia says

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2025

Shreyas Iyer clutches his side after taking a tumbling catch•Getty Images

Shreyas Iyer has been discharged from the Sydney hospital he had been admitted to for the spleen laceration, with internal bleeding, he suffered during India’s third ODI against Australia on October 25, and “is now stable and recovering well”, the BCCI said in a statement on Saturday morning.”The injury was promptly identified, and the bleeding was immediately arrested following a minor procedure. He has undergone appropriate medical management for the same,” the statement, quoting secretary Devajit Saikia, said. “He is now stable and recovering well. The BCCI medical team, along with specialists in Sydney and India, are pleased with his recovery, and he has been discharged from the hospital today.”Iyer was treated by Dr Koroush Haghighi and his team in Sydney with help from Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala in India. The BCCI added, “Shreyas will continue to stay in Sydney for his follow-up consultations and will return to India once he is deemed fit to fly.”The injury took place when Iyer took a catch running backwards from point to dismiss Alex Carey in the Sydney ODI. He immediately clutched his rib cage and signalled for medical attention. He was taken off the field and did not return for the remainder of Australia’s innings.India won the third ODI by nine wickets, but lost the three-match series 2-1 after going down in the first two games in Perth and Adelaide. They are currently 1-0 down after two matches in the T20I series that has followed the ODIs.

Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, at the 2022 World Cup

S Sudarshanan06-Oct-20253:40

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Big picture – a rare meeting

England take on Bangladesh in an ODI World Cup match.The sentence itself is an event. Despite qualifying for back-to-back ODI World Cups – in 2022 and now in 2025 – Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, and that too in the previous edition.”This is the stage where we show our capabilities so that teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us,” Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said on match eve.Related

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As per the new future tours programme which will run from 2025-29, Bangladesh are scheduled to tour England for three ODIs and as many T20Is in September 2027. That is perhaps when the fixture will stop being an event.On the field, both teams are coming on the back of comfortable wins. England’s multi-pronged attack could pose a tough challenge for Bangladesh, whose batters often struggle to force the pace. Conversely, if the track assists spin, Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack led by Nahida Akter could be more than just a handful for England. Their batters were hardly challenged in the opening game.

Form guide

England WLWLW (last five matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WLLWW

In the spotlight: Lamb and Marufa

She is just 21 ODIs old, but Emma Lamb is already adapting to a second role in England’s batting unit. A natural opener, she scored her only century at the top of the order and was the leading run-scorer in the ECB Women’s One-Day Cup while opening for champions Lancashire. At the start of this English summer, though, Amy Jones was promoted to open, and Lamb was moved to No. 3 when Heather Knight was recovering from a hamstring injury. Now, with Knight back for the World Cup, Lamb is set to take on an altogether different role – batting in the lower-middle order and chipping in with a few overs of offspin. She wasn’t needed with either bat or ball in England’s tournament opener, but could get her first go in this new role against Bangladesh if her team bats first.Marufa Akter will be key for Bangladesh•ICC/Getty Images

Marufa Akter just loves to bowl. After setting the tone in Bangladesh’s win over Pakistan, she lit up their first practice session in India. With rain forcing the team indoors, Marufa was full of energy, bowling at full tilt two days out from the contest. She constantly troubled captain Sultana in the nets, eventually bowling her once. With her ability to move the new ball and generate sharp pace, Marufa could be a real handful for England’s openers – Tammy Beaumont tends to struggle against the incoming angle early on, while Jones prefers a cautious start.

Team news

Given England’s line-up was hardly tested against South Africa, expect them to go in with an unchanged XI.England (probable XI): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Emma Lamb, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren BellAgainst England’s right-hand heavy line-up, Bangladesh could look to play left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter Meghla for an offspinner in Nishita Akter Nishi.Bangladesh (probable XI): 1 Fargana Hoque, 2 Rubya Haider, 3 Sharmin Akhter, 4 Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), 5 Sobhana Mostary, 6 Shorna Akter, 7 Fahima Khatun, 8 Nahida Akter, 9 Rabeya Khan, 10 Marufa Akter, 11 Nishita Akter Nishi/Sanjida Akter Meghla

Pitch and conditions

A fresh pitch will be used for the game. But it may not behave too differently from the first two tracks. Both the pitches assisted spin as the afternoon wore on but against fast bowling, the ball came nicely onto the bat.As for the weather, there is slight chance of rain. There was rain predicted for the England-South Africa game on Monday, but it stayed dry, while Bangladesh were forced indoors two days before this match due to an unexpected shower.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh’s only ODI against England came at the previous World Cup.
• Only Fargana Hoque, Fahima Khatun and Ritu Moni from the current Bangladesh squad have played an ODI in India before.
• England’s win/loss ratio of 1.0 in 2025, their worst in a calendar year since 2007. They have won three games against West Indies, one each against India and South Africa.
• England will play their 94th ODI World Cup game to be on par with Australia for the joint-most.

Quotes

“With sub-continent conditions comes the offer of extra spin. So, [I am] trying to really make sure that you’re hitting with the spin and going through all your different options. I’ve been sweeping quite a lot, reverse sweeping, which is something that I might not get out in a game straight away, but it’s something that I’ve put a lot of hours into to make sure that when I do, hopefully it goes well.”
“We have a lot of information on them because of our analysts. We want to play our “A” game and don’t want to go by just names. We will try to make lesser mistakes and take confidence from the win over Pakistan.”

Southampton have been one of a number of teams with a managerial vacancy in the Championship during the international break, alongside Norwich, Middlesbrough, and Swansea.

Boro are set to appoint Kim Hellberg from Hammarby and Vitor Matos is in talks to take over at Swansea, but it is Norwich who have made the most eyebrow-raising appointment.

The Canaries have hired Belgian coach Philippe Clement, who has won four domestic cups in Belgium and Scotland and four Belgian top-flight titles in his career, per Transfermarkt, working for Club Brugge, Genk, Monaco, and Rangers.

Norwich are 23rd in the Championship table, with half as many points as Southampton, yet they have attracted a head coach who has won 170 of his 287 league games as a manager, averaging 2.00 points per game, per Transfermarkt.

The latest on Southampton's managerial search

According to Daily Echo reporter Alfie House, as relayed by SaintsExtra, Southampton are set to hand interim head coach Tonda Eckert the next three Championship matches before further assessing the situation.

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The Saints play Charlton, Leicester City, and Millwall in those three games, after Eckert beat QPR 2-1 and Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 in his first two matches in the dugout.

House’s update adds that Southampton have spoken with managerial targets and that they do not have a clear standout candidate at this moment in time, which is why Eckert will be given the next three games to stake his claim for the permanent job.

Instead of appointing the interim on a permanent basis, Sport Republic could hire their answer to Norwich’s ambitious Clement swoop by bringing reported target Brendan Rodgers to St. Mary’s.

Why Southampton should appoint Brendan Rodgers

If the Canaries are able to attract a manager like Clement, who has won eight trophies and managed some big European clubs, whilst second from bottom in the Championship, Southampton should make a statement of their own with a move for the former Celtic boss.

Described as “world-class” by Gabby Agbonlahor, like the new Norwich manager, Rodgers would come in with an incredible career behind him and a history of winning games and trophies on a consistent basis. In fact, he won the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership title with Celtic ahead of Clement’s Rangers side.

The Northern Irish boss, who was hailed as a “pillar of strength” by Hoops captain Callum McGregor, is an incredibly experienced tactician who has been there and done it in England and Scotland.

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers is even more experienced than Clement and has won five more trophies in his career, with 11 of those coming at Celtic, and the other two with Leicester.

The Saints target also has experience in getting out of the Championship. He won the play-offs in the 2010/11 campaign after a third-placed finish in the second tier with Swansea, which shows that he also has experience for what Southampton need this season.

Therefore, Rodgers could be a brilliant appointment for the club if they can convince him to make the drop down to the Championship, which is what Norwich were able to do with Clement.

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