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He is expected to be back for the second and third matches of the series

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2024Virat Kohli will miss the first T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali on Friday. India coach Rahul Dravid confirmed on the eve of the match that Kohli would be unavailable for personal reasons, and would be back for the second and third games of the series in Indore and Bengaluru.”Virat Kohli will miss the first game due to personal reasons,” Dravid said. “He will be playing from the second and third T20I.”Related

• India's template in focus in final T20I series before T20 World Cup 2024

• Dravid locks in Rohit and Jaiswal as openers for Afghanistan T20Is

• Suryakumar, Hardik ruled out of Afghanistan T20Is

• India's Kohli and Rohit-shaped elephant in the room

• Kohli and Rohit return to India's T20I squad for Afghanistan series

The three-match series against Afghanistan is notable for Kohli – and India captain Rohit Sharma – returning to T20Is for the first time since the T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to England in November 2022. Both players took a break from the format in this period in order to focus on the two longer formats with India playing the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup in 2023.”There’s been quite a few ICC events over the last two, three years, and a lot of them back to back,” Dravid said. “So there’s not been a lot of time in between these ICC events. At various stages, in the last couple of years that I’ve been here, we’ve had to prioritise certain formats, certain tournaments, simply because just the amount of cricket that is being played, and just managing the players, it’s impossible for all the players to be playing all the time.”So we’ve always had to to prioritise what is important, especially for the guys who are playing all the three formats. Even in this series, people such as [Jasprit] Bumrah, [Ravindra] Jadeja and [Mohammed] Siraj have missed out because keeping in mind the five Test matches that we have against England. So you’re always playing that juggling act a little bit over the last two years.”6:24

Is the Rohit-Kohli T20I selection a step forward or back?

The Afghanistan series is India’s last T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA in June, and represents the last chance outside the IPL – which is scheduled to run from March 29 to May 26 – for players to stake their claim for the tournament. While Rohit and Kohli boast immense experience and knowhow, they could be competing with a number of young batters who have come into the India side over recent months and shown immense ability.”Obviously, for the large part of the last year, and after the last T20 World Cup, we had prioritised the one-day World Cup. There has not been a lot of games after the one-day World Cup for us in terms of the T20 format,” Dravid said. “So this T20 World Cup is slightly different from that perspective, in the sense that there’s not been a lot of time to prepare for it. So we have to rely obviously on the cricket that we have. And also a little bit on the IPL. But the boys will play T20 cricket. So they’ll be playing here, they’ll play the IPL. We might not get many opportunities to play together, so we’ll just have to work around that.”You just have to adapt and be flexible. We had a really good preparation leading into the one-day World Cup; even before the last T20 World Cup, I thought we had a lot of games together as a group. This time, we probably won’t have that and it is a question of adapting and going with it.”Dravid also confirmed that Yashasvi Jaiswal would open along with Rohit in Mohali. With Kohli absent, India could move Shubman Gill – who usually opens the batting – to No. 3, or slot either Sanju Samson or Tilak Varma in at that position. The entire top six is set to wear an unfamiliar look, with the injured Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya also unavailable for the series.

The Las Vegas celebrations continue for Wrexham’s promotion-winning squad, with pool parties and bucking bronco rides being enjoyed.

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• Red Dragons living it up in Nevada
• Trip funded by Hollywood co-owners
• History made with three promotions

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have funded another all-expenses-paid trip to Sin City for the Red Dragons. It is the third year in a row that the Welsh outfit have headed to Nevada.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  That is because they have made EFL history by becoming the first side to go back-to-back-to-back on the promotion front. Phil Parkinson is readying his side for life in the Championship.

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• THE GOSSIP

  Plans for next season have been put on hold for now, with the Wrexham squad letting off serious steam in the United States. They have enjoyed some wild nights out, with James McClean taking to riding a mechanical rodeo bull during one of those.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Pool parties have also been taken in while soaking up the sunshine, with Elliot Lee among those to have posed in a Wrexham t-shirt with drink in hand. The plan is to enjoy every minute of the lavish excursion.

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Tait’s time with Pakistan earlier means he has worked with most of the bowlers he will now take charge of

Danyal Rasool17-Dec-2023Days after appointing former Australian allrounder Shane Watson as head coach, Quetta Gladiators have announced Shaun Tait as bowling coach. Tait, who was Pakistan’s fast bowling coach until earlier this year, will take up the role ahead of the ninth season of the PSL.”I’d like to thank Nadeem Omar (Quetta Gladiators owner) who trusted me with the bowling group,” Tait said in an official statement, “including Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, and Mohammad Amir. Some great talent there to work with alongside the great Shane Watson.”Tait’s time with Pakistan means he has worked with most of the bowlers he will now take charge of. During his stint, he was vocal in his criticism of any attempts to get Pakistan’s express pace bowlers to maintain high workloads. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, he had said there was “no way – no way – express pace bowlers can currently play all three formats consistently.”In the same interview, he was effusive in his praise for Hasnain – currently recuperating from an ankle injury – who falls under his wing once more. “Hasnain has got the ability to bowl proper rapid, but there’s no doubt [there’s an air of vulnerability to him],” he said at the time. “My input with Hasnain is purely about just using his athleticism. Getting that grunt as a fast bowler and being angry. Just running in fast and feeling good.”The announcement marks Gladiators’ push towards an overhaul of the coaching staff as they look to break out of a rut that has seen them miss the playoffs for four successive seasons. Gladiators were the most consistent franchise of the PSL during its first four editions, when they reached the final three times, and also won the title in 2019.Tait was appointed Pakistan coach in February 2022 on a one-year contract. While there was uncertainty on whether it was a rolling contract, and he was understood to be keen on an extension, the contract was not renewed.The PSL starts on February 8, and runs till March 24.

After missing out on Tommy Watson on deadline day, Brighton & Hove Albion are now reportedly plotting a summer move to sign an alternative attacking option for Fabian Hurzeler this summer.

Brighton transfer news

For the first time in a long time, a Brighton manager suddenly finds himself under pressure and facing criticism at The Amex following his side’s humiliating thrashing at the hands of Nottingham Forest. Having initially made a sensational start, Hurzeler has struggled to maintain his side’s form since November and last weekend’s defeat summed up his side’s struggles in one miserable afternoon.

The Seagulls rarely act irrationally, however, and the 31-year-old still seems likely to remain in the technical area with a harsh and early lesson learned against Forest last time out.

Brighton submit £13m bid to sign "exciting forward", they've had a response

The Seagulls are looking to bolster their squad before the transfer deadline.

By
Dominic Lund

Feb 3, 2025

What far from made Brighton’s week any better, meanwhile, was their failure to sign Watson. After reportedly submitting a bid worth £13m to sign the Sunderland teenager, there may have been plenty of hope that they’d get their man. The Black Cats remained stubborn, however, and those in Sussex were left feeling frustrated.

Whether the Seagulls try their luck once again this summer remains to be seen. Instead, reports suggest that they may turn their attention towards another Championship talent.

According to TeamTalk, Brighton are now plotting a summer swoop to sign Tom Fellows from West Bromwich Albion ahead of Premier League rivals Everton in a deal which could be worth as much as £20m.

As ever, promotion to the Premier League could be key to deciding any potential deal. If West Brom earn promotion, then any sale would be far less tempting as they look to navigate instant survival. Failure to earn such an achievement in the current campaign, meanwhile, would arguably leave the door ajar for Brighton or Everton to come calling.

"Unbelievable" Fellows is Premier League-ready

In pursuit of Watson, Brighton were eyeing a future star rather than a player likely to make an instant impact at 18 years old. Fellows, now 21 years old and often stepping up for West Brom, is the opposite of that. The right-midfielder is ready for the Premier League with or without the Baggies and could be handed the perfect summer route by the Seagulls.

Compared to a player who reportedly attracted £50m+ interest from Saudi Arabia towards the end of the transfer window, Fellows has proven exactly where he belongs and could soon join Mitoma at The Amex as a result.

The young winger has earned impressive praise throughout the current campaign, including from West Brom forward Karlan Grant who told BBC Sport in August: “He’s an unbelievable young player. As soon as he does that step-over, I know the ball’s going to be arriving at the back stick and there’s going to be chances.”

Fellows’ 10 assists this season have, of course, proved Grant right since his August prediction with chances arriving time and time again courtesy of the talented winger destined for the Premier League.

Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford is eyeing a move to Barcelona and the Catalan side are reportedly open to signing the England international.

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• Rashford wants to make move to Barcelona
• Barcelona said to still be interested in winger
• Forward certain that he wants to leave United

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rashford decided to part ways with his boyhood club, Manchester United, in January after falling down the order under Ruben Amorim, with Barcelona having been said to be interested. However, after being unable to secure a move to Catalonia, he moved to Aston Villa on a short loan deal without an option to buy in the summer for the Midlands club.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rashford is said to still be keen on leaving United in the summer after having impressed on his loan stint with Aston Villa, and is hoping that a move to Barcelona can come to fruition. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that the Catalan side are still open to a move for the England winger as they are keen on signing a left-winger this summer.

• WHAT ROMANO SAID

  Speaking to CaughtOffside, Romano said: “Let me tell you that, internally at Barcelona, they still believe that Marcus Rashford could be an option for the summer transfer window.

  “They believe at Barcelona that Rashford might be available on the market. They believe at Barcelona that Rashford could be a good solution because he can play as number nine, he can play on the wing, so he can help in several positions and he’s a player appreciated by those at Barcelona.

  “Barca already wanted Rashford in January. It didn’t happen because Ansu Fati didn’t leave, and so in terms of Financial Fair Play it was not possible to balance the deal, but Marcus Rashford remains on the list of Barcelona.

  “If Rashford is not staying at Aston Villa, we will see what happens as he is one of the options under consideration at Barcelona.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?

  The 27-year-old has already taken a major step to try and sign with Barcelona as he is working with super agent Pini Zahavi, who is said to be very close to the Catalan club's top management, including president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco.

Raphinha matched a Cristiano Ronaldo Champions League record with a late strike for Barcelona against Inter.

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• Ronaldo had 21 G/A in the 2013-14 season
• Raphinha equalled landmark with Barcelona
• Had 13 goals and eight assists in 12 UCL games

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Raphinha etched his name into the Champions League history books after equalling Ronaldo’s long-standing record for the most goal involvements in a single campaign. The Brazilian struck late in a pulsating 4-3 loss to Inter, bringing his tally to a staggering 21 goal contributions in the 2024–25 tournament.

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  Ronaldo had set the benchmark during Real Madrid’s victorious run in 2013–14, registering 17 goals and four assists over the course of the competition. That campaign concluded with a decisive penalty from the Portuguese icon in the final against Atlético Madrid, securing a 4-1 triumph in extra time and delivering Real’s coveted “La Decima.” Now, over a decade later, Raphinha has matched that iconic figure with a dazzling blend of goals and assists that have driven Barcelona’s charge through Europe this season. However, his late effort was not enough to fire Barcelona over the line as Inter emerged 4-3 winners, thanks to an extra-time goal from Davide Frattesi.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Under new boss Hansi Flick, Raphinha has flourished in a revitalised Barca setup. He’s amassed 13 goals and eight assists across 12 Champions League appearances this term. Thanks to UEFA’s revamped Champions League structure introduced this season, Raphinha and his team-mates played two additional fixtures in the group stage. Overall, across all competitions, he has 31 goals and 25 assists in 52 appearances.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RAPHINHA?

  Raphinha will be back in action for another titanic clash this weekend as they are set to face arch-rivals Real Madrid in a crucial La Liga fixture. With domestic points at a premium and the title race still open, the pressure will be on both sides.

His opposite number Tom Latham admitted it “hurt” to get so close but fall short, but even he could not help gushing over how “fantastic” a game it was

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-20231:17

Tom Moody: ‘Travis Head highlighted how much his game has evolved’

Australia put up 389 on the board, in Dharamsala, and New Zealand came within one six of chasing that down. It was 19 runs needed off the last over with an in-the-mood James Neesham going strong. Pat Cummins turned to Mitchell Starc, who went wicketless for the first time in 24 ODI World Cup matches and must have been feeling the nerves. Not to mention every other person watching this all unfold. At the height of the chaos, Australia captain Cummins felt like one of these riveted spectators.”That was awesome,” a grinning Cummins said after the game. “Sometimes, I had to remember I’m in the middle of a cricket field; it was a fantastic game. They just kept coming at us. It was fantastic.”Tom Latham, New Zealand’s captain, echoed Cummins’ sentiments. “It was a fantastic game of cricket, ebbs and flows throughout the 100 overs, and then, I guess to come so close… obviously hurts but it was a fantastic game.”Related

• James Neesham: '2019 was the first thing I thought of when coming off'

• Head marks return from broken hand with scintillating century

• Stats – The highest aggregate in a World Cup match

• Travis Head produces the winning hand in 388 vs 383 nail-biter

Starc missed his line and gave away five wides second ball of the final over, leaving New Zealand needing 13 off five. Neesham got the ball into the outfield three consecutive times but agile fielding – from Marnus Labuschagne in particular, putting in the yards repeatedly at deep midwicket – ensured none of these were boundaries. Cummins appreciated that.”Marnus, out there, throwing himself around, it’s not the easiest ground here [to field on],” he said. “But the way the guys threw themselves around, hung on to the catches, made a big difference.”Australia were ahead for most of the game, thanks to a 175-run opening stand between Travis Head and David Warner. Head was returning to the side after a broken hand left him on the sidelines for Australia’s first five games of the tournament, and he hit his straps right away with a punishing 67-ball 109.Pat Cummins relied on Mitchell Starc to bowl the last over•AFP/Getty Images

“Love that”, Cummins said of the partnership. “Especially Trav, who’s been away for five weeks, to just get back in the game; just their intent – that’s the way we want to play, we want to take the game on and that led from the front.””Not really,” Cummins said when asked if Head had shown any signs of his being in this sort of form ahead of the game. “He was close to playing against Netherlands and had a hit [in the nets] the day before, just didn’t quite feel right. [Then he] managed to have a couple more [nets] before this one. He surprised all of us.”

Tim Seifert held New Zealand A together with a fine century while Henry Thornton claimed another four wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2023Will Sutherland returned to bowling for the first time since the end of last season then played an important hand with the bat to help Australia A to a narrow victory in the final one-day game against New Zealand A and a 3-0 series scoreline.Sutherland, who was captaining Australia A, took 1 for 20 from six overs in his first competitive bowl since suffering a stress fracture in the Sheffield Shield final. He then made 32 as part of a seventh-wicket stand of 52 with Ollie Davies to take the home side to the brink of victory after they had lost wickets regularly in the chase.Tim Seifert dominated with the bat for New Zealand A with a superbly-controlled century which included six sixes before being eighth out. He shared a stand of 76 with Leo Carter to lift the innings from 39 for 3.Tim Seifert held New Zealand A together with a century•Getty Images

Tom Bruce, the New Zealand A captain, had avoided three consecutive first-ball ducks but edged Sutherland to slip for 2.When Carter fell to Tom Rogers they stuttered again until Jacob Duffy provided Seifert with support to haul the total over 200. Henry Thornton continued his remarkable few days with four more wickets to make it 11 in two outings after his 7 for 39 in the second game.Matt Short took charge of the early stages of the chase but he fell to the very promising Will O’Rourke who then removed Josh Phillipe and Ashton Turner to bring New Zealand A back into the game.Davies joined Matt Renshaw to settle the chase but when Renshaw drove to cover Australia A still needed 65. Davies and Sutherland got them most of the way there before Thornton’s memorable week ended with him hitting the winning runs.It completed a good bounce back from Australia A who had lost the four-day series 2-0.

Chelsea are reportedly in pole position to sign Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen this summer as doubts surface over Real Madrid's pursuit.

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• Huijsen has £50m release clause
• Madrid have doubts about signing him
• Chelsea now in pole position

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  reports that Madrid have doubts over whether they can afford Huijsen, who has a £50 million ($63m) release clause at Bournemouth. Los Blancos signed Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer last summer and could do the same with Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold in the coming months. Moreover, Chelsea are said to have a good relationship with the Spain international's representatives and want to secure a deal before the Club World Cup starts in mid-June. That could spell doom for Carlo Ancelotti's side.

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  The report adds that a potential stumbling block for Chelsea is that the 20-year-old would favour a move to Madrid if it were on the table. But with Los Blancos unsure over whether they have the funds available, Chelsea are leading the charge for the centre-back. It has also been reported that Huijsen is keen to continue in the Premier League for the time being.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Chelsea do face a lot of competition for the young defender, however, with Arsenal, Liverpool, and Newcastle United also keeping tabs on the former Juventus player.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Before the summer transfer window opens, Huijsen will hope to help Bournemouth secure European football for the first time in their history next season.

The allrounder is still building up to full capacity but Australia are never short of options with the ball

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2023Ellyse Perry’s knee injury could keep her from bowling for the entire white-ball series against West Indies that kicks off the women’s home summer.Perry hurt her left knee playing the second one-day international of Australia’s series against Ireland in July. The injury forced her out of the final match against the Irish, as well as England’s franchise tournament the Hundred.In early September, Cricket Australia (CA) named the 32-year-old allrounder in the squad for the white-ball series against West Indies that begins with a T20I at North Sydney Oval on Sunday.CA said at the time Perry was expected to be “fully available” for the six-match series, and on Tuesday she had her first competitive hit-out since July in a one-dayer for Victoria against Western Australia.Related

• West Indies women mix experience with youth for upcoming Australia tour

• Megan Schutt: 'I didn't have the skill or work ethic, I just happened to be able to swing a ball'

Perry did not bowl in that match and said she may not do so again until after the West Indies series finishes in mid-October.”Nothing’s wrong, it’s just building workloads back up again so I’m fully prepared for the summer,” she said. “In terms of my full fitness, bowling will probably be something that I still work through across this series.”It might mean that I’m not available to bowl until late in the piece or perhaps towards the start of the WBBL.”Australia used Perry’s bowling sparingly during the white-ball legs of the women’s Ashes that preceded the Ireland tour and she has not sent down more than two overs in a T20I since the 2020 T20 World Cup.Australia are rarely short of bowling options in their limited-overs teams. Fellow allrounders Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath, Jess Jonassen and Georgia Wareham have all been selected in the squad to face West Indies.Perry shrugged at criticism of CA’s decision to schedule the first match of the women’s summer on the same day and in the same city as the NRL grand final.”The summer scheduling, and how much cricket we need to fit in, you can’t always get things 100 percent in a clear window,” she said. “Given the time of the match, being played early in the day, at a wonderful venue, there’s plenty of value in this fixture. I’m sure we’ll get a good crowd.”Perry played alongside Meg Lanning as Australia’s captain made her return to cricket this week following a four-month medical absence.Lanning hit a half-century in the first of two matches and CA is hopeful she will return to the national side later in the home summer. Perry heralded Lanning’s return to state cricket as a big step towards an Australia comeback.”That’s absolutely significant,” she said. “At the same time, it’s just significant that she’s back and she’s enjoying playing her cricket. She really just picked up where she left off in terms of her batting.”