In two of India’s chases against England, they promoted Axar Patel, and that left KL Rahul with little to do

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2025India beat England 3-0 quite comprehensively, but two irregularities in the batting department raised a few eyebrows, and both might have something to do with coach Gautam Gambhir’s preference for right-left batting combinations. In two of the chases, Axar Patel was promoted, which left KL Rahul with little to do. It attracted criticism from commentators, but it was in no way an assessment of Rahul’s batting abilities.”That’s the way cricket is meant to be played,” Gambhir said of Axar’s promotion. “I know a lot of people talk about it, but that’s the way we got to play the game, and that’s the way cricket should be played. It’s not about the batting order, it’s about who can create what impact. And it’s about just if you have the option of putting a quality left-hand batter in the middle; why won’t you do that?”Why would you want to have top five as right-handers? We don’t look at averages and stats and all that stuff. We look at who can deliver more at that number. And Axar has done fabulously well. Both the games [in which] he got the opportunity, he delivered for us. I know there will always be talk – there will always be people talking about it – but I think that’s the way we want to go in future as well.”Related

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• Gill century, and Kohli, Shreyas fifties power 3-0 rout of England

That Gambhir likes right-left combinations is no secret. When he came back to Kolkata Knight Riders as a mentor, their right-left partnerships went up from 58% in 2022 and 2023, to 74% in 2024. Having said that, it doesn’t seem to be an unhealthy obsession. For example, it doesn’t penalise Rahul, who has done his job in the middle order well, just for being a right-hand batter.”At the moment, KL is a No.1 wicketkeeper for us, and he’s delivered for us,” Gambhir said when asked about Rishabh Pant’s chances. “And see, when you’ve got two wicketkeepers in this squad, you can’t play both the wicketkeepers with the kind of quality we’ve got. Hopefully, whenever he gets that opportunity, he should be ready for it. That’s all I can say at the moment. Right now, KL is the one who’s going to start.”

Gambhir: Wanted to see what Jaiswal can bring to the table

Then again, India did flirt with the idea of introducing Yashasvi Jaiswal, a left-hand batter, to the already packed line-up. After the first ODI, Shreyas Iyer revealed it was him who was going to sit out to accommodate Jaiswal, but an injury to Virat Kohli afforded him the opportunity to play a match-winning innings, which halted the Jaiswal introduction for the Champions Trophy at least. When asked if Iyer was going to miss the whole series had Kohli not got injured, Gambhir answered in the negative.”He wasn’t supposed to be benched throughout the series,” Gambhir said. “We wanted to give Yashasvi a go in the first game and see what he can bring to the table because he was in really good form in Australia. So we wanted to see what kind of an innings can he play. I know you can’t judge someone by one innings, but we always knew that Shreyas is going to be an important player for us. What he’s done at No. 4, be it the World Cup or forget about even the World Cup, he’s just an important player.”So sometimes when you’ve only got three games, you want to try and rotate your squad as well. See, like for today, we could have easily played Shami but we wanted to give Arsh a go. We could have played Jadeja as well, but we gave Washi a go as well. So when you’ve got Champions Trophy around the corner, you want to try and maximise these three games and try and give everyone an opportunity. Shreyas was always in the scheme of things, and good that he played all the three games.”

Next season is set to be another new dawn for Tottenham Hotspur.

Daniel Levy and Co. made what looks to have been the unpopular decision to sack Ange Postecoglou last Friday and, in his place, hire Thomas Frank.

While fans might’ve liked the club to back the manager who ended their trophy drought, the Danish coach is an exciting appointment, as he took Brentford up from the Championship and turned them into one of the most exciting teams in the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, then, the North Londoners have been linked with one of the Bees’ best players, Bryan Mbeumo, but if reports are to be believed, they could decide to sign someone else, someone better.

Tottenham Transfer news

Before getting to the star in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other talented players touted for a move to Spurs in recent weeks, like Eberechi Eze and Xavi Simons.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former has been a long-term target for the North Londoners, and while his £68m release clause would represent a significant investment, his tally of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 games this season suggest he’d be more than worth it.

Likewise, the £67m it would reportedly take to secure Simons’ services this summer may sound like a lot – because it is – but when you consider he’s still just 22 years old and was able to score 11 goals and provide eight assists in just 33 games this year, it doesn’t sound so bad.

However, another Premier League-proven attacker has entered the frame for the North Londoners, someone who could be better than Mbeumo: Antoine Semenyo.

Yes, according to a recent report from Sky Sports, Spurs have maintained their intense interest in the Bournemouth star, even though that interest originated prior to Postecoglou’s sacking.

The report does not mention a potential price for the Cherries ace, but stories from earlier this month claimed that he could be available for close to £70m.

It would likely be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line this summer, but given Semenyo’s immense ability, it’s one Spurs should be all over, especially as he could be an even better signing than Mbeumo.

How Semenyo compares to Mbeumo

Okay, so we know that Mbeumo is one of the most talked-about targets in England at the moment, and understandably so, as in 42 appearances this season, he was able to score 20 goals and provide nine assists.

But for our money, Semenyo would be the better signing, and there are several reasons why.

Firstly, while he wasn’t able to produce quite as many goal involvements, the Ghanaian international was still an incredibly effective attacker, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists in as many appearances for Bournemouth.

Moreover, as we all know, a winger is and should be judged on more metrics than just his goals and assists in the modern game, and when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers, the Cherries ace starts to come out on top.

For example, while the former Troyes gem does better in some metrics like shot and goal-creating actions as well as progressive passes, the former Bristol City star comes out on top in the majority of relevant metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, passing accuracy, tackles and more, all per 90.

Semenyo vs Mbeumo
Statistics	Semenyo	Mbeumo
Non-Penalty Expected G+As	0.44	0.42
Progressive Passes	3.06	3.72
Progressive Carries	3.93	3.43
Shots	3.49	2.08
Shots on Target	1.11	0.94
Passing Accuracy	73.4%	66.1%
Non-Penalty xG	0.28	0.20
Shot-Creating Actions	3.71	3.80
Goal-Creating Actions	0.37	0.53
Tackles	1.54	1.29
Blocks	1.88	0.69
Successful Take-Ons	1.94	1.37
Ball Recoveries	4.44	4.12
Aerial Duels Won	1.85	0.90
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 EPL Season

Moreover, on top of being the more statistically well-rounded player, the 25-year-old “monster,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is incredibly versatile.

For example, thanks to him being ambipedal – equally able to use both feet – he’s more than happy playing off the right as he is on the left and can even play up top or in midfield if he’s needed to.

Therefore, the dynamic “maverick,” as dubbed by Mattinson, could come in and fill in wherever he’s needed, in turn giving Frank far more tactical flexibility than he’d get from someone only dangerous off the right.

Ultimately, either Mbeumo or Semenyo would be excellent additions for Spurs, but thanks to the latter having the more impressive and promising underlying numbers, combined with his ability to play almost anywhere, we reckon he would be the better signing for the North Londoners.

Alongside Son: Frank must axe £165k-per-week Spurs "monster"

It would be best for Spurs to cash in and help Frank kickstart his time at the club.

3

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 13, 2025

Crystal Palace have made an approach to sign a “powerful” £20m star alongside their talks for Ousmane Diomande, according to a recent report.

Crystal Palace receive Europa League boost as John Textor sells stake

Since Palace won the FA Cup back in May, there has been lots of talk about whether the Eagles would be able to play in the Europa League or not next season, given John Textor was a shareholder at Selhurst Park as well as at Lyon, who are also participating in the same competition next season.

Crystal Palace now in "negotiations" to sign "dominant" 21 y/o defender

Oliver Glasner has reportedly “approved” the signing.

ByHenry Jackson Jun 20, 2025

Palace’s chances of being in the competition have just received a major boost, as Textor has now sold his shares in Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. Textor had a 43 percent stake, but he has now sold all of that to Johnson in a deal worth more than £109 million.

Textor’s sale to Johnson needs the Premier League’s approval, but if all goes well, Palace supporters could now find themselves following their team in Europe next season. As well as being owner of the New York Jets, Johnson was also a former US ambassador to the UK, and his interest in the Premier League is not new, as he’s tried to buy a football club before now, holding interests in West Ham and Chelsea.

As Palace could now be set for a season in the Europa League, they can now turn their focus to summer transfers, and while they work on a deal for Diomande, they have another player on their radar.

Crystal Palace make approach to sign Andy Diouf

According to Alan Nixon, relayed by TBR Football, Crystal Palace have approached RC Lens over a deal to sign Andy Diouf, who they see as their next signing if they can wrap up a deal for Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande.

The report states that the Eagles are aware they could potentially lose midfielder Adam Wharton this summer, given his impressive performances last season in the Premier League, and they are now putting plans in place to have a replacement for the Englishman. It is stated that Lens are willing to sell Diouf this summer, as long as they receive a bid worth £20 million.

Diouf, who has been described as a “powerful ball-carrier” in the past, played 34 times in Ligue 1 last season, scoring one goal in the process. Diouf’s versatility will make him a very useful addition at Selhurst Park, as he can operate anywhere through the spine of midfield, as a number six, eight or ten.

Apps

67

Goals

2

Assists

2

A concrete move for Diouf will likely come once the Eagles have completed the transfer of Diomande. It’s been reported that Palace are in negotiations with Sporting CP over a deal to sign the defender, as he is seen as a replacement for Marc Guehi. It could cost Palace as much as £40 million to get a deal over the line for the Ivory Coast international.

MatériaMais Notícias

da esport bet： O Conselho Deliberativo do Juventude confirmou, por aclamação, a reeleição de Fábio Pizzamiglio para comandar o clube no biênio 2026/2027. Presidente desde o fim de 2022, o dirigente, reeleito para o ciclo 20 24/20 25, inicia agora seu segundo mandato consecutivo com a meta de recolocar o clube na elite do futebol brasileiro.

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Em 2024, segundo relatório da PLURI Consultoria, o Juventude registrou superávit de R$ 34,2 milhões e receita recorde de R$ 131 milhões, sem depender de venda de atletas. A dívida foi reduzida para R$ 12 milhões, uma queda de 69% em somente um ano. Em 2025, a diretoria do Juventude prevê fechamento com novo superávit, o que deverá reduzir ainda mais a dívida remanescente.

Pizzamiglio credita os resultados à disciplina orçamentária e ao modelo de gestão adotado. O cartola iniciou sua trajetória no clube aos 17 anos, como funcionário de TI, e hoje completa quase três décadas de vínculo com o Jaconi.

continua após a publicidade

— Mostramos ser possível fazer futebol com responsabilidade. Nosso compromisso é manter o Juventude saudável, independente e preparado para crescer no longo prazo — afirmou o presidente.

A nova composição da diretoria executiva contará com pilares estratégicos e incorpora reforços técnicos para a próxima fase do projeto. Entre as mudanças, Luis Carlos Bianchi assume a vice-presidência de Futebol, enquanto Leonardo Tonietto passa a comandar a área financeira, antes administrada por Paulo Stumpf, que permanece como 1º vice-presidente. A estrutura ainda conta com Rafael Bellei, no Patrimônio, e Bruno Zaballa, no Marketing.

continua após a publicidade

— Temos desafios grandes pela frente. A missão é reconstruir no campo com a mesma maturidade que demonstramos fora dele, preparando o Juventude para voltar à elite de forma sustentável — destacou.

Tudo sobre

Futebol NacionalJuventude

أعلن هيثم شعبان، المدير الفني لفريق طلائع الجيش، التشكيل الرسمي لفريقه استعدادًا لمواجهة الزمالك، في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما مساء اليوم على استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة عشرة من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويدخل طلائع الجيش اللقاء محتلاً المركز السادس عشر بجدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 10 نقاط، ويطمح لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية تساعده على الابتعاد عن مناطق الهبوط.

وفي المقابل، يحتل الزمالك المركز الرابع برصيد 19 نقطة من 11 مباراة، بعدما حقق الفوز في خمس مواجهات وتعادل في أربع وتلقى هزيمتين.

طالع أيضًا | أحمد عبد الرؤوف يعلن تشكيل الزمالك أمام طلائع الجيش.. الجزيري يقود الهجوم تشكيل طلائع الجيش أمام الزمالك في الدوري

حراسة المرمى: محمد شعبان

خط الدفاع: خالد عوض – محمد فتح الله – خالد سطوحي – أحمد علاء

خط الوسط: حامد الجابري – أحمد عبد الرحمن زولا – مصطفى الخواجة

خط الهجوم: كريم طارق – علي حمدي – إسلام محارب بدلاء طلائع الجيش أمام الزمالك

محمد مجدي – عمرو طارق – مؤمن محمود – أبو بكر كيتا – غيث المدادحة – حسن السويسي – محمد عاطف – أحمد طارق – محمد هاني

MLB announced the winners of the first major annual award on Monday, revealing the winner of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award for both the American and National League.

The Rookie of the Year awards are annually voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America, with 30 voters determining who was the top rookie in MLB during the season. The reigning Rookie of the Year winners are Yankees pitcher Luis Gil and Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes.

Here’s a look at the 2025 Rookie of the Year winners.

American League Rookie of the Year Winner

Winner: Nick Kurtz, Athletics 1B

Finalists: Roman Anthony, Red Sox OF and Jacob Wilson, Athletics SS

Nick Kurtz made his debut for the Athletics on April 23, 2025 and finished his stellar rookie campaign slashing .290/.383/.619 with 122 hits, 90 runs, 36 home runs, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS. Kurtz, nicknamed the “Big Amish” and known for his butter churning celebration, finished 10th in MLB in home runs and led all rookies in 2025 in home runs, RBIs, runs and walks.

Kurtz’s finest performance of the season came on July 25, when he went 6-6 with four home runs and eight RBIs against the Astros, becoming the first rookie ever to hit four home runs in a single game.

He is now the unanimous AL Rookie of the Year. Teammate Jacob Wilson finished second in the voting with 23 second-place votes while Roman Anthony comes up in third after receiving three second-place votes and 15 third-place votes.

“It’s a great ending to the first year,” Kurtz told MLB Network. “Like Jacob said earlier, use this and keep on grinding and come back better next year.”

National League Rookie of the Year Winner

Winner: Drake Baldwin, Braves C

Finalists: Caleb Durbin, Brewers 3B and Cade Horton, Cubs pitcher

Drake Baldwin made his MLB debut at the start of the season on March 27, 2025. Over the course of 124 games during his first season, he slashed .274/.341/.469 for 111 hits, 56 runs, 19 home runs, 80s RBIs and a .810 OPS. Baldwin finished the season leading all National League rookies in RBIs, second among NL rookies in home runs and second on the Braves in WAR.

There was speculation the enclosure would be renamed due to the political dynamics in the country

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2025

The Imran Khan enclosure at Gaddafi Stadium is being renovated•Danyal Rasool

The PCB has dismissed speculation that former captain and politician Imran Khan’s name would be removed from an enclosure at the recently-renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore owing to his imprisonment on charges of corruption.Speculation was doing the rounds that PCB had removed Imran’s name due to the current political situation in Pakistan. The Gaddafi stadium has been renovated for the Champions Trophy that starts on February 19.The Imran Khan enclosure, which is one of the VIP stands in the stadium, has been a permanent fixture at the venue since 1992, when he led Pakistan to victory in the ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Tickets for Champions Trophy games in Lahore are being sold online under the ‘Imran Khan Enclosure’.Imran is presently in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi and has denied allegations of corruption, insisting he is a victim of a political vendetta. However, a court recently convicted him and his wife Bushra Bibi in a corruption case, sentencing them to 14 and seven years respectively in prison.Imran, who leads the Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, is currently in opposition to the ruling coalition government of Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Peoples Party. The Punjab province is governed by a PML (N) government led by Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former premier, Nawaz Sharif.

Henry Hunt and Liam Scott made half-centuries were part of a stop-start SA batting display

AAP01-Nov-2024Former Test paceman Peter Siddle has again proven age is no barrier as the 39-year-old ensured a weakened Victoria remains well placed after day one of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia.Wickets fell at regular intervals throughout the second and third sessions as South Australia ended the day 286 for 9 after being given first use of the Adelaide Oval batting strip by visiting captain Will Sutherland.Related

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Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey was again among the runs while there were half centuries for Henry Hunt and Liam Scott but it was Siddle who made the day’s most decisive contribution.Siddle struck twice in an over to remove Daniel Drew and Jake Lehmann for a second duck in as many matches.The indefatigable Siddle returned late in the day to clean bowl Scott and send the home side’s last recognised batter on his way for 53, and ended the day with 3 for 44 from 18 overs.Siddle, player of the match with 5 for 49 against a strong New South Wales last weekend, returned to the Shield side among a host of absentees for Victoria.Bowlers Scott Boland, Todd Murphy and Fergus O’Neill, as well as opener Marcus Harris, all missed the third round match due to Australia A commitments.Siddle, a veteran of 67 Tests, complemented a young Victoria bowling line-up featuring the returning Cam McClure, Mitch Perry and spinner Doug Warren, who replaced Murphy.The day began in bizarre fashion with the fifth ball of the match eluding wicketkeeper Sam Harper and striking the fielding helmet for five penalty runs.Despite the early gift, South Australia were unable to score fluently and only reached a scoring rate of two runs an over in the final moments of the morning session to be 62 for 1 at lunch.Conor McInerney was the only batter to fall, off the bowling of Sutherland, before Siddle made his double breakthrough after the interval.Hunt made a typically watchful 62 only to edge Warren to first slip from the first ball of the left-arm spinner’s spell.Siddle was also in action in the field, catching the in-form Carey on the boundary off the bowling of Perry.Carey’s knock ended on 44 as a pull shot failed to clear the narrow Adelaide Oval boundary to leave the home side at a wobbly 159 for 5.Scott then played an important innings to revive South Australia, with assistance from Ben Manenti and debutant Henry Thornton.

Mithun, Unadkat, Vinay, Pankaj, Karn are all domestic stalwarts who have struggled on their debuts overseas. That trend could change

Varun Shetty23-Dec-2020If India decide to make a routine of naming XIs a day before the Test, we can make a reasonable assumption that one of Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini is likely to know of a Test debut on Christmas.It’s never prudent to speculate on players’ emotions, but even in the din of 36 all out, and the exits of two more senior players, it’s hard to imagine Siraj and Saini are feeling anything but excitement.It has taken them years of consistently being the frontrunners in India’s representational teams to break into a bowling line-up that’s been described by various people, including those in it, as India’s best ever. A line-up where it took injuries to two key members for one spot to open up.Not bad for a pair who hadn’t played anything beyond tennis-ball cricket through their formative years. To say it’s the stuff of dreams would be reductive; to Saini, who wears a wolf tattoo to signify his free spirit, and who just wanted to bowl fast as Gautam Gambhir fought to make him a regular in Delhi cricket. And to Siraj, who might well have been unavailable for this game if he’d chosen to go home after his father’s death this month, and who stayed after his mother reminded him that it was his father’s wish to see him play for India.Related

• Who is Mohammed Siraj and how did he earn a Test debut?

• Shami ruled out of series with fractured forearm

• Who replaces Kohli and Shami? What about Pant?

Still, it is difficult not to feel wary about their potential entry into Test cricket later this week. Embarrassing losses in the backdrop or not, Indian bowlers over the last decade haven’t debuted well overseas. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, who is yet to play a Test at home, there is a considerable list of bowlers since the start of 2010 who were handed what now seem like cursed debuts.Karn Sharma, a fairly successful domestic cricketer and owner of multiple IPL winners’ medals, is perhaps most widely remembered as the latest entrant of that list. His debut in Adelaide in 2014, as then stand-in captain Virat Kohli’s attacking gambit, came with the wickets of David Warner – twice – and Michael Clarke. But at the cost of 238 runs and an economy of 4.85, which was the foreboding of an end. He hasn’t played for India in any format since.And yet, in some ways – consider he was a spinner in Australia attempting damage control alongside M Vijay and Rohit Sharma – that was one of the better overseas debuts. Go further behind, and you have domestic giants like Jaydev Unadkat, Pankaj Singh, Vinay Kumar, and Abhimanyu Mithun either coming apart on overseas debuts to never play again, or debuting and not holding onto spots over the next few series. Praveen Kumar was successful on tours to England and West Indies, but lasted all of six Tests for a variety of other reasons.Navdeep Saini has worked his way up the ranks despite being branded an ‘outsider’ in Delhi•Getty ImagesIt was the story of the early parts of the decade, India bouncing around from one overseas loss to another, cycling through their best from the Ranji Trophy to form ultimately toothless fast bowling attacks. The best seam bowlers were lost for bite on faster pitches, and the faster ones seemed largely rudderless. In almost each of their cases, they were undercooked.Any fears now of a bowler not being Test-ready would presumably come from a different, healthier context – perhaps the fact that India’s stringent workload management has kept their key fast bowlers fit for most cricket over the last few years. There has been little room to test a prospective bowler. Shardul Thakur was India’s last fast-bowling debutant, at home in October 2018. Ostensibly, India carry no such fears. At least that was the case before the series began.”We have a fabulous five,” Ravi Shastri was quoted as saying by ahead of this series. “[Umesh] Yadav has the experience. Saini is young and fast. Bumrah one of the best in business. [Mohammed] Shami is raring to go. Siraj is an exciting prospect. You put up runs on the board and watch these fast bowlers hunt the opposition. They can beat Australia in their own den.”Until the batting meltdown of Adelaide, the script was largely as Shastri had said it would be. In the absence of Kohli, however, India will worry about how to put runs on the board. Without the edge of Shami’s spells with the older ball, the dramatic notion of hunting Australia down, or staging comebacks, will also be restricted – and it generally is, in Melbourne.But things may not be as bad for a debutant as they have been in the past. Bumrah’s still leading the attack. R Ashwin’s already hit a nice rhythm early in the tour, and Umesh Yadav showed glimpses of that in the first innings. From India’s nets on Wednesday, there is a serious chance that Ravindra Jadeja could be back, and that would make for the best fifth bowler in Test cricket at the moment.Jaydev Unadkat hasn’t managed to add to his one Test appearance in 2010•AFPShould Saini or Siraj make it to the Boxing Day Test, they will not struggle for support. But could they still be unprepared?Since 2015, Shahbaz Nadeem is the only bowler to play more matches for India A, 19, than Siraj (16) and Saini (14). That effectively makes them, at least on numbers, the most experienced options in India’s bowling pool. And on closer look, Siraj’s numbers make a very good case for him.For starters, that’s 16 of his overall 38 first-class matches played at a higher level than the Ranji Trophy. In those games, he’s taken 70 wickets – second to Nadeem, who has 75 – at 21.88 and a strike rate of 42.2. In comparison, Saini has 34 wickets in 14 matches at 34.35, and strikes at 71.4.Siraj has also played more cricket overseas, 12 matches stretched across Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, and West Indies. In those he has 44 wickets at 27.63 as opposed to Saini’s 20 in 8 matches, at 40.45.Outside of a statistical analysis, Siraj was the more effective bowler during India’s practice games on this tour, and has previously bowled to the likes of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, who were both part of his career-best haul of 8 for 59 in 2018.If Siraj ends up debuting in Melbourne, the obvious difference from those who were picked on numbers in the past will be that the decision will be better informed, with a lot more than just data, and the bowler much better prepared for a Test match. Saini’s pace and bluster have been among the most exciting things to emerge in Indian cricket over the last 18 months, so apart from the relatively poorer numbers, there is no obvious reason that he doesn’t get picked either. But pace and bluster is not a new phenomenon – bowlers like Yadav and Varun Aaron were all fast-tracked through exactly those attributes, with varying results.This new structure, the investment in preparing a solid pool, means an Indian bowler is less likely to be forced to learn on the job in the middle of an overseas Test. While that doesn’t guarantee a shift away from the trend for debutants, it does suggest that they are more likely to stay in the fray for longer, and to challenge for incumbent spots. Even if the start is rough. Six years ago, that would have been a Christmas miracle.

Once, there was a future. Now, there is nothing. But still, “cricket can be a life for me”, she hopes

Firdose Moonda27-Apr-20227:07

Roya Samim: I play cricket because I know it’s my future

Roya Samim has finally represented Afghanistan in a cricket match.Virtually, that is.Her avatar, so to say, turned out in an Afghanistan shirt, with her name, a number and the Afghanistan flag on it, for an e-sports contest organised by Global eSports that was an act of protest against the fact that there is no real national Afghanistan women’s team. They played against Australia in a virtual women’s World Cup final, and lost, just like all the teams that played Australia in the actual tournament.But it was not about the result at all.Related

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Afghanistan women's cricket in danger after Taliban opposition

Working group to submit findings about Afg women's cricket to ICC

“Anyone who played that game showed that they stand with us,” 28-year-old Samim told ESPNcricinfo from her home in Canada. “It’s like a candle-light protest, but instead of lighting a candle, it’s playing cricket. And it reminded people that we are here. We exist. I cannot play on the national ground but I played virtually, and when I see that, I am just proud of myself that ‘Yes, I was in the Afghanistan team’.”Samim became interested, and involved, in cricket as an adult, playing with her siblings despite the raised eyebrows of those in their community, who said “cricket is not for you [girls/women]”. Mostly, they played indoors in their home in Afghanistan, but found like-minded enthusiasts, and in 2019, began campaigning for a professional women’s cricket set-up. At the time, Samim was working as a mathematics teacher, but “hoped that cricket could become my career”.By November 2020, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) was convinced enough to roll out contracts for 25 women, with the plan that they would slowly progress to playing competitive fixtures.Though the board indicated it would take time to get a women’s team on the park, given the cultural and traditional norms in Afghanistan, Samim saw attitudes shifting around her.Roya Samim brushes up on her forward defensive•Roya Samim”There were people that accepted us, appreciated us, and said we can do it,” she said. “There were those who allowed their girls to go to the school, to go to cricket, and to go to other sports. It was becoming acceptable.”Spurred on by the pockets of support they got, the group of Afghan women trained as hard as they could. “We had professional coaches – the trainers for the international men’s team, they trained us too,” Samim recalled. “The ACB provided us with camps and three or four days of training in a week. We had two teams and we played against each other. We made ourselves professional.”We spent seven or eight hours a day on cricket. First, we’d go to the ACB headquarters, then we’d go to the [Victory Cricket] academy, then we’d go to the fitness clubs. We wanted to be professional and we developed a lot.”In that time, there was some talk of organising matches against Oman or Bangladesh but that never came to fruition. In fact, nothing did. “Not even six months of our contract was complete when the Taliban came and everything was destroyed.”The Taliban’s political takeover in Afghanistan began in May 2021, and escalated in August. In the space of a week, they claimed territory from Kunduz to Kabul and it was during that period that Samim decided she had to reconsider her options.”At the time, the Taliban had more than two provinces and the big city of Herat. We were just afraid. I went to my cricket manager and said, ‘If you know that cricket can go ahead and there will be peace, I will not leave’, to which she replied, ‘No, I cannot guarantee that, and the situation is not good for girls, so you should leave’. That’s when we left Kabul,” Samim said. “Three days afterwards, the Taliban took [over] Afghanistan. We were in a hotel and my team-mates called me and they cried.”Everything – any dream, any wishes, any hope that me and my team-mates had – was gone. It was such a bad situation. When I remember now, I just want to cry.”While many of Samim’s team-mates remained in Afghanistan, she made it to Canada with “only two pieces of clothing”. Her brother and two sisters joined her, but she had another brother in a different country. She has had to adjust to many things, not least the “completely different weather”, and has just been through a winter with “lots of ice and lots of snow” as well as the loss of both her cricketing and professional career.

“Women’s education is really important for any country. If you want to change the future, you have to have women’s education”Samim on how difficult it has been for women in Afghanistan

“It’s really hard to explain how my life is. In Afghanistan, I had a good career and I had other things. I had friends, and my team,” she said. “When people saw me, they were proud of me. Here, I had to start from zero. But I started because I feel that I am so strong, I can handle anything. I have some friends, I started playing cricket, I started working. I’ve got many friends. Everything is going normal. Well, I want to pretend it’s normal.”Samim has stopped teaching and is now a settlement worker who aims to help other refugees. She laments the loss of learning opportunities for women in Afghanistan but hopes to keep the conversation alive by speaking about it.”When I heard that the Taliban were not going to allow girls to go to school and I wasn’t in Afghanistan to stand against it, I just cried,” she said. “I can’t do anything. It’s so hard, because education – especially women’s education – is really important for any country. If you want to change the future, you have to have women’s education. It is really hard to see that we have completely lost our country. It’s really hard but we can’t do anything. I just raise my voice like this.”Similarly, she is also keeping her cricket ambitions burning and has found a place for it: Fredericton Cricket Club in New Brunswick. She hopes it will open doors for her to play elsewhere – including franchise leagues – and appeals to anyone who has an opportunity to provide it.”Any small chances that are given to us as cricket players, we will be happy,” she said. “Even a trial, if people want to give it to us, we are ready. I play cricket because I know that it’s my future. Sometime in the future maybe I will get into a national team. I am really working for this. I am really training hard. I have lost everything, so cricket can be a life for me.”Samim aims to play for another five to seven years before turning her attention to coaching. With so much invested in cricket, she does not want to see Afghanistan shunned from the world stage. She supports the men’s team in continuing to play rather than face any sanctions, and believes it brings joy to Afghans, wherever they might be.”I would like the men to continue to play. I don’t want the situation to have an effect on them. They are the only team that can bring some happiness in my country. It’s only cricket, not other sports [do that]. It’s good that they continue.”And she hopes one day she will be able to join them in real life in a match for Afghanistan.”To go home now is impossible because the Taliban don’t accept me and I don’t accept them. But if anything changes – for example, maybe they will allow girls to play cricket – [and] if there are matches, I should be there. It’s my country.”