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Former Hampshire captain is in favour of Lord’s taking central role in London Spirit

Matt Roller21-May-2024

Mark Nicholas, the incoming MCC chair, pictured ringing the five-minute bell during a Test at Lord’s•Getty Images

Mark Nicholas has left his role as chair of Southern Brave’s board. His decision to step down comes as he prepares to take over as Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) chair, at a time when the club – who are proprietors of Lord’s – could become majority owners of London Spirit.Nicholas, who captained Hampshire during his playing career, is a close friend of the club’s ex-chair Rod Bransgrove. He was appointed chair of Southern Brave – who are run jointly by Hampshire and Sussex – in 2019 ahead of the Hundred’s launch, but has now stepped down from that role in recognition of his growing involvement with MCC.Southern Brave filed paperwork to Companies House last week stating that Nicholas has resigned as a director of the company. An MCC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo: “We can confirm that Mark has left his role as chair of Southern Brave. There aren’t currently any plans for him to join the board of London Spirit.”Related

Mark Nicholas recommended to take over as MCC chair

Mervyn King to replace Mark Nicholas as MCC president

Hundred sell-off could be cricket's 'Premier League moment' – Leicestershire chief exec

ECB secures counties agreement on Hundred 'direction of travel'

Nicholas has been MCC president since last year, and will take over as chair in October. He has been prominent in the club’s communication with its members around the imminent changes to the ownership model of Hundred teams, which is expected to see the ECB hand 51% stakes to their hosts – in London Spirit’s case, MCC.MCC has discussed the possibility of owning a stake in London Spirit with its members since late last year and Chris Rogers, the club’s treasurer, is chair of a ‘Hundred working group’. Nicholas has expressed his interest in MCC becoming majority owners, telling members he likes the idea of the club coming together to support a single team under its banner.The global profile of Lord’s means that London Spirit is expected to be the most lucrative team when the ECB invites bids later this year. MCC may consider using a potential windfall as an endowment for the MCC Foundation, to invest in the club’s museum, and to continue to improve the facilities at Lord’s, with approval recently granted for a £61.8 million redevelopment of the Allen and Tavern Stands.

Aston Villa were knocked out of the Champions League in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night as they beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2, only to go out 5-4 on aggregate.

The Villans went 2-0 down early on but brilliantly battled back to put themselves 3-2 ahead on the night, only to fail to find a late equaliser to take the tie to extra time.

Irrespective of the final outcome, it was a sensational effort from Unai Emery’s team as they fought to the very last second to save their campaign, with impressive performers across the board – including Marcus Rashford.

Why Marcus Rashford is now undroppable

After a difficult start to the match, losing possession in the build-up to PSG’s first goal, the Manchester United loanee went on to play a key role in the spirited attempted comeback.

The England international completed four dribbles on the night and two of those came in the build-up to Ezri Konsa’s goal, as he impressively beat two defenders before putting the ball on a plate for the defender to stroke the ball into the bottom corner.

Rashford, who also had two shots on target on the night, was constantly trying to make things happen for the Villans – attempting nine dribbles – and provided the PSG defence with plenty of problems.

The United loanee has now produced three goals and two assists in his last seven appearances for Villa and should be undroppable at this point, due to his form in front of goal, but he is not the only player who should now be considered undroppable.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Why John McGinn is undroppable

John McGinn stepped up with a phenomenal display for the Villans against PSG on Tuesday and should now be as undroppable as Rashford for Emery.

The Scotland international has not been a guaranteed starter at times this season, coming off the bench in each of the last two Premier League matches, but his showing against PSG should change that, as it was one that was rewarded with a 9/10 player rating by the Birmingham Mail.

McGinn, who also scored off the bench against Southampton last time out in the top-flight, was a constant nuisance to the PSG team with his all-action performance in midfield, getting stuck in as well as providing quality on the ball.

Minutes

66

Goals

1

Assists

1

Pass accuracy

75%

Dribbles completed

2/2

Duels won

4

Fouls

3

The Villa star, as you can see in the table above, made three fouls and won four duels to break up play, but he also scored a deflected strike from distance and teed up Youri Tielemans for his goal.

McGinn also had more touches (40) than the Belgian wizard (31), which shows that he was constantly taking responsibility in possession to make things happen, and lost the ball 15 times.

It was a terrific captain’s performance by the Scottish midfielder and one that should convince Emery to make him an undroppable figure in the team for the weeks to come.

Aston Villa working to seal deal for £12.5m player keen on Villa Park move

The Villans are working on a move for a midfielder, who is interested in a move to Villa Park.

ByDominic Lund Apr 15, 2025

Afghanistan will be topping up their Test-match experience in double quick time by facing Sri Lanka and Ireland in February 2024.With most of the focus on the two limited-overs formats, Afghanistan ended up playing just one Test match over a better part of the last three years. Now, however, they’ve found space in the calendar and have announced two separate all-format series taking place between February 2 and March 18.The busy period begins with their first-ever Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, which will then be followed by three ODIs and three T20Is. Seven days after the end of their tour of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will be in the UAE hosting Ireland for a one-off Test match between February 28 and March 3. This series also includes a limited-overs leg as Afghanistan build towards the next T20 World Cup due to take place in the West Indies and the USA in June.Afghanistan’s tour of Sri Lanka was always going to feature a Test match and three T20Is. “The addition of these three ODIs,” ACB chief Mirwais Ashraf said, “is a significant move to ensure a complete and comprehensive tour which not only provides good exposure to Afghanistan Cricket but will also foster stronger relations between the two nations. Playing Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is always tricky but is a challenge that Afghan Atalan can easily embrace.”Prior to all this, Afghanistan will play their first-ever bilateral series against India this month and their chief executive Naseeb Khan was hopeful that all these games would set the team up for the challenges ahead. “The upcoming tours of India, Sri Lanka, and then the home series against Ireland will help us to prepare the team for the much-important T20 World Cup. Eagerly looking for the multiple series upfront.”Along with announcing schedules for these tours, the ACB also modified the sanctions that they placed on Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi for wanting to forego their national contracts. All three players were initially barred from playing in any T20 leagues for the next two years but now the board has had a change of heart.

Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka

February 2-6, 2024 One-Off Test, Colombo
February 9, 2024, 1st ODI, Colombo
February 11, 2024, 2nd ODI, Colombo
February 14, 2024, 3rd ODI, Colombo
February 17, 2024, 1st T20I, Dambulla
February 19, 2024, 2nd T20I, Dambulla
February 21, 2024, 3rd T20I, Dambulla

Afghanistan vs Ireland in the UAE

February 28-March 3, 2024 One-Off Test, Abu Dhabi
March 7, 2024, 1st ODI, Sharjah
March 9, 2024, 2nd ODI, Sharjah
March 12, 2024, 3rd ODI, Sharjah
March 15, 2024, 1st T20I, Sharjah
March 17, 2024 2nd T20I, Sharjah
March 18, 2024, 3rd T20I Sharjah

واصل قائد منتخب الأرجنتين وفريق إنتر ميامي، ليونيل ميسي، إثارة قلق محبيه وجماهير بلاده فيما يخص إمكانية مشاركته في بطولة كأس العالم المرتقبة، نسخة 2026.

كان ليونيل ميسي قد خاض آخر مباراة رفقة الأرجنتين، على ملعبهم، في الساعات الأولى من صباح اليوم الجمعة وذلك ضد نظيره منتخب فنزويلا، ضمن تصفيات قارة أمريكا الجنوبية المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026.

وحقق منتخب الأرجنتين فوزًا على فنزويلا بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، حيث سجل ليونيل ميسي هدفين في مباراة كانت الدراما والدموع عنوانها الأول، وسط تحية الجماهير الحاشدة له وحزنهم على ظهوره الأخير وسطهم.

وأدلى ليونيل ميسي عقب المباراة، بتصريحات مقلقة حول موقفه من المشاركة في النسخة المقبلة من كأس العالم 2026، والتي تستضيفها الولايات المتحدة، كندا والمكسيك.

وأكد ميسي أن المنطق يميل إلى كونه لن يشارك في كأس العالم بسبب العمر وتأثيره على الجسد، ولكنه أوضح في الوقت نفسه أنه لم يتخذ قراره بعد (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

واستمر ميسي في إثارة قلق جمهور الأرجنتين حول إمكانية مشاركته في المونديال، حيث كتب عبر “إكس”: “ليلة مميزة جدًا جعلتني غير قادر على الحديث من شدة التأثر”.

وأضاف: “شكرًا جزيلًا للجميع على حبهم ودعمهم الدائم لنا، مهما حدث ومهما خبأ لنا المستقبل، الله وحده من يعلم ذلك، هيا أرجنتين”.

Una noche muy especial que todavía me deja sin palabras de la emoción. Gracias de corazón a toda la gente por el cariño y por estar bancándonos siempre. Pase lo que pase y sea cual sea el futuro, que solo Dios lo sabe… ¡VAMOS ARGENTINA! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/rdHkxsvcRt — Leo Messi (@leomessisite) September 5, 2025

Former Manchester United wonderkid Ravel Morrison has revealed his ambitious plan to return to Old Trafford.

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• Morrison was a prodigious young talent
• United spell did not work out
• Has eyes on returning in a new role

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Morrison came through the youth system at United, and was hailed as a future first-team star, as he played alongside Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, but his career did not pan out that way. Instead, after just three first-team appearances, he moved to West Ham in 2012, and has since embarked on something of a nomadic career.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Morrison has played for eight clubs permanently since leaving United and is currently playing for Precision in the United Arab Emirates. Now, he has outlined his plans for once he hangs up his boots, and has confirmed that he is attempting to gain his coaching badges, with one eye on a potential appointment at Old Trafford.

• WHAT RAVEL MORRISON SAID

  Morrison told the Undr The Cosh podcast: "I've got my B licence now – I did it in the summer.

  'I do want to get into some type of coaching [after I retire]. That'd be good. I'd like to go back to United!'

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Morrison is now 32 so he may look to move into coaching sooner rather than later. Given his unique career trajectory, culminating in a call-up to the Jamaica national team, he may well have some sound advice to pass on.

Brazil superstar Neymar has treated himself to a brand new Ferrari SUV, complete with personalised trim, as he adds to his supercar collection.

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• Neymar buys new supercar
• Splashes out over £1m on Ferrari SUV
• Has also added a personal touch to latest extravagance

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neymar's latest addition to his garage is a black four-door, four-seater Ferrari Purosangue. The car is thought to have cost the Brazilian ace over £1m and goes from 0-60mph in just 3.2 seconds. It had a two-year waiting list to buy when it first arrived in Brazil in 2023, according to Globo.

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• THE GOSSIP

  Neymar has also added a personalised trim to his new Ferrari and showed off his new look on Instagram. The car is Neymar's latest extravagance and adds to other supercars in his collections including a Rolls-Royce Ghost, Bentley Continental GT, Lamborghini Huracan Mercedes G Wagon and Aston Martin DBX.

  Instagram

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Neymar is currently preparing to welcome another new addition to his family. Girlfriend Bruna Biancardi is expecting the couple's second daughter after the couple rekindled their relationship last year.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR

  Neymar returned to Santos in the winter but is currently sidelined through injury once more. However, the Brazilian club are hoping to keep hold of the forward past the end of his current contract.

Indian coach lauds “exceptional leader” Rohit Sharma for “giving so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys”

Yash Jha19-Nov-20235:24

Dravid: ‘We gave it everything we had’

India fell “30-40 runs short” of a good total in the final, but it wasn’t because of a safety-first approach in the middle overs – that’s the line Rahul Dravid took in the wake of his team’s defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup title bout in Ahmedabad.”I won’t agree that we played with fear. We had 80 runs in ten overs. We had lost wickets, and when you lose wickets you have to change your strategy,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference.Rohit Sharma’s 31-ball 47 had set India on their way, with the team reaching 80 at the end of the first powerplay. But they only managed four boundaries in the rest of their innings to eventually finish on 240. Dravid attributed the slowdown to the loss of wickets at regular intervals, and not a lack of intent.Related

Rohit: 'It was not so easy to just move on' from World Cup final defeat

India's heartbreak is most poignant in the dashed hopes of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid

India lost to the conditions, but could they have been braver with the bat?

How Australia silenced 90,000 voices

Rohit Sharma: 'We were not good enough today'

“We haven’t played any fearful cricket in this final. In the middle overs, they bowled really well and we had lost three wickets. So a period of consolidation was needed, and every time we thought we could get on the attack, we would lose a wicket,” he said. “If you lose wickets, you have to rebuild. We didn’t set out to play defensively.”While Australia eventually coasted to the target with seven overs to spare and six wickets in hand, Dravid reckoned the game would have played out differently had India got 30-40 more runs on a surface he believed was tougher to bat on in the afternoon.”Just felt like the ball was stopping in the afternoon a little bit more than it did in the evening,” he said. “It felt like the ball came on to the bat a lot better in the evening. There was that period where the ball was stopping and we weren’t able to get boundaries. We were able to rotate the strike but we weren’t able to get those boundaries.”If we had got to 280-290 and they were 60 for 3 then it might have been a very different game. But 240, I think they were always one partnership away from getting there.”Sunday’s loss extended India’s run of near-misses at global events; in the last 13 months alone, they have faced a semi-final exit at the T20 World Cup, lost the World Test Championship final, and now the ODI World Cup final.”I’ve been involved in three… and I think we haven’t played really well on the day,” Dravid said. “I thought we were a bit short in Adelaide, in the semi-final [of the T20 World Cup, against England]. We lost the first day in the World Test Championship [final]. We didn’t bowl particularly well after Australia were three down. And here we didn’t bat well enough.”There’s not one particular reason you can pin it down to. I didn’t feel at any stage going into this game that there were any nerves or the guys were intimidated by the game. I thought the energy and the mental space the boys were in leading into this particular game was spot on.”Dravid, whose two-year contract as head coach runs out this month, heaped praise on Rohit for his leadership and his batting throughout the World Cup.”I think he has been an exceptional leader, always felt he’s led this team fantastically well,” Dravid said. “He’s given so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys. There’s been a lot of planning, a lot of strategy, he’s always committed to those things.2:06

Should one of Kohli or Rahul have taken charge?

“His batting as well, I thought it was fantastic the way he set the tone for us. We knew that we wanted to play a certain way, we wanted to play a positive, attacking brand of cricket, and he was very committed to doing that. He wanted to lead by example, and I thought right throughout the tournament he was superb. Can’t speak more highly of him, as a person and a leader.”Dravid, who had made the walk towards the press-conference room even as Australia were being handed their winners’ medals, admitted that emotions were running high in the Indian dressing room.”There was a lot of emotions in that dressing room. It was tough to see as a coach, because I know how hard these guys have worked, what they’ve put in, the sacrifices they’ve made,” he said. “But that’s sport. That happens. It can happen. And the better team won on the day. I’m sure the sun will come up tomorrow morning.”We’ll learn from it, we’ll reflect, and we’ll move on. That’s what you do as sportsmen. You have some great highs in sport, and you have some lows in sport. And you keep moving on. You don’t stop.”

A star turn from 17-year-old Jaydn Denly helped Kent Spitfires to a 60-run victory over Essex in the Metro Bank Cup at Canterbury.Jack Leaning hit a brilliant 137 from 127 balls and Ben Compton made 65 as Kent recovered from a middle-order collapse to post 287 for eight, but it was Denly, playing in the same team as his uncle Joe for the first time, who stole the show by claiming a wicket, a run-out and an outrageous catch, as well as finishing as Kent’s third-highest run scorer with 37.Will Buttleman made an unbeaten 50 and Feroze Khushi hit exactly 50 for Essex but the visitors lost wickets too frequently to mount a credible run chase and they were all out for 227, with 5.1 overs remaining.Grant Stewart, Hamid Qadri and Matt Parkinson all took two wickets for the Spitfires.History was made at the Spitfire Ground on Sunday, where Joe and Jaydn became the first uncle and nephew to play since the modern club was formed in 1870, and the first since Fuller Pilch and his nephew William appeared together for the “Grand Old Kent XI” 41 times between 1838 and 1854.In front of a crowd of 2400 Kent chose to bat, but for a third consecutive game they threw away a promising start, having been 130 for one at halfway.With Daniel Bell-Drummond back on Hundred duty, Uncle Joe opened, but he was the first wicket to fall when he edged Aaron Beard behind for 17.Compton and Leaning put on 98 for the second wicket, but after what by his standards was a fairly rapid half-century the former was caught behind off Beau Webster in the 25th.Webster then bowled Alex Blake for one and Beard strangled Harry Finch down the leg side for seven.Jaydn Denly joined Leaning to steer Kent past 200 but he was bowled for 37 attempting to sweep Webster and Kent’s hopes of passing 300 vanished in the 43rd over, when Aron Nijjar struck twice.Grant Stewart was out first ball when he played on and Hamid Qadri had made just one when he chipped the bowler to Webster.When Matt Quinn then drove Richards straight to Nijjar at mid-on four wickets had fallen for five runs in 10 balls, 250 looked a long way off and Leaning was in danger of running out of partners until Jas Singh came in and played the Jack Leach role. Smart running between the wickets saw Leaning to the brink of three figures, which he reached when he punched Beard for a single through mid-on and he then launched an assault in the last two overs.The 29th, bowled by Ben Allison, went for 13 and a pivotal 27 then came of the 50th, with Leaning hitting Beard for three leg-side sixes and Singh ending on two not out after a match-turning unbeaten stand of 69 from 44 legitimate balls.Essex were 33 without loss in reply when Luc Benkenstein was run out by Jaydn Denly chasing a second.Quinn then nearly had Tom Westley caught behind for a duck and although the ball came lose as the diving Finch hit he ground, he was caught behind off Stewart for two in the next over, the seventh.Webster came in and put some pressure back on the bowlers, but he was out for 26 from 25 balls when Jaydn Denly had him caught at long on by Blake.The younger Denly then produced what was arguably the game’s champagne moment when he took a sensational diving catch to remove Khushi, who’d just reached 50 and was trying to hit Matt Parkinson through cow corner.Hamid Qadri struck with only his fourth ball, when he had Noah Thain caught by Stewart at mid-off for 141, before claiming the key wicket of Charlie Allison, lbw for 44.Parkinson trapped Ben Allison lbw for seven in the 38th and in the next over Beard went in the same fashion to Leaning for two.Leaning then caught and bowled Jamal Richards with his next delivery and although Buttleman hit the hat-trick ball for six Kent sealed the win when Stewart had Nijjar caught by the sub fielder Nathan Gilchrist.Kent remain in the hunt for a place for the knock-out stages, but will probably need to win at Hampshire on Tuesday and hope results elsewhere in Group A go their way.

Having turned 35 last month, Ajinkya Rahane says he still has a “lot of cricket left” in him, but is firmly focused on living in the moment instead of looking too far into the future as India begin their new WTC cycle with the two-match Test series against West Indies beginning July 12 in Roseau.Call it a quirk of fate, and Rahane has been named vice-captain of the Test team, even though he was making a comeback to the side only last month after more than a year away. In that game against Australia – the WTC final no less – he was India’s best batter, with scores of 89 and 46.”I’m still young and there’s a lot of cricket left in me. In the last one year or so, I’ve worked a lot on my fitness,” Rahane said after rain cut short India’s training session for a second day in a row at Windsor Park. “There were a few points in my batting that I’ve worked on. I’m enjoying my cricket a lot, enjoying my batting. I’m not thinking too much into the future. Every game is important, personally and also from the team point of view. I’m focusing on just that.”Related

• Rahane pulls out of Leicestershire stint because of 'hectic schedule'

• Rohit: 'Gill will play at No. 3' against West Indies

• Ganguly on Rahane as vice-captain: 'I don't understand the thought'

• Succession: What next for India in Tests?

• Rahane sends team-mate Jaiswal off the field for disciplinary reasons

Since being left out of the Test side in February 2022, Rahane has focused on deriving joy out of the game without setting any expectations. He captained Mumbai across formats in the 2022-23 domestic season, leading them to the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 title, while also throwing in some compelling performances with the bat.In all first-class cricket since September 2022 until February this year, he scored 884 runs in 16 innings with three hundreds and a half-century at 58.93. The numbers, excellent though not world beating, were a sign that he had kept himself in the hunt should a spot open up.As it turned out, India needed experience for the WTC final in Shreyas Iyer’s absence. And when Rahane got the call, he was batting in the manner few expected him to in the IPL, going from an anchor to a full-blown boundary-hitter.The turnaround was remarkable because Rahane wasn’t in Chennai Super Kings’ original plans. His IPL career seemed to have hit a dead end; he hadn’t hit a fifty in the tournament since the 2020 edition. And like at the Indian team, a spot opened up for Super Kings because Ben Stokes was injured and Moeen Ali unwell. He vindicated the backing in his second game, scoring a match-winning 61 off just 27 balls against Mumbai Indians.”Playing under Rohit Sharma is great. We share a great equation” – Ajinkya Rahane•BCCI

“Nothing has changed,” Rahane insisted when asked of this latest turn in his career. “CSK gave me a role, and you try to fulfil that role. Prior to that, my role was of an anchor, [and] I played according to that. CSK told me, ‘You have freedom, go out and play according to that’. I’m actually a stroke-maker, I always look for runs. The role has changed, nothing else has changed. I’ve always said I’ll fulfil the role the team gives me. That’s what I’m focusing on.”The WTC final last month was Rahane’s first match under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy for India, even though they both go back a long way, having grown up playing together for Mumbai through the age-group circuit and then the first-class format.”The role Rohit gives me, I’ll fulfil that. Playing under Rohit is great,” Rahane said. “He gives freedom to the players, and then backs them. They’re signs of a great captain. I’m feeling good. We share a great equation. I’m used to this role [as vice-captain]. I did the job for almost five years, but I’m really happy to be back in the team. Really happy to be back as vice-captain.”Rahane was particularly chuffed for another Mumbai boy – 21-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, who Rahane captained in domestic cricket all through 2022-23, where Jaiswal made heads turn with his temperament and stroke-play. In all, Jaiswal has a first-class average of 80.21 in 26 innings, and scores of 213 and 144 in his most recent first-class game, in the Irani Cup in March.Having been a part of the reserves for the WTC final, Jaiswal has now been given an elevation into the main squad. It’s likely he will be handed a cap to slot in either at the top or at one drop in place of Cheteshwar Pujara.”I’m really happy for him. He’s an exciting talent,” Rahane said. “He’s done really well for Mumbai, [and] did well in the IPL. Most important [is] the way he’s batting in red-ball cricket. His record is good, he did well in the Duleep Trophy last year and for Mumbai as well. My message will be to just go out there and express himself the way he’s batting, and not think too much about [the stage of] international cricket. It’s about going in the middle and playing with freedom.”Rahane also didn’t think India fielding a pace attack with just 88 Test wickets between them was a concern. While Mohammed Siraj will be India’s spearhead in the West Indies with 52 wickets so far in Tests, Jaydev Unadkat, who made a return to the format after 12 years against Bangladesh last December, has been India’s most consistent red-ball bowler in domestic cricket for the last four seasons.In two of them, Unadkat led the team to a title and in one season – 2019-20 – picked up a record-breaking 67 wickets, the most by a fast bowler in a single Ranji season. In 2022-23, he featured in just four Ranji games owing to national call-ups. Unadkat led the side in all those fixtures, and took 26 wickets at an average of 13.88. His best performance came against Delhi, in which he took a hat-trick in the first over of the match on his way to career-best figures of 8 for 39.”Siraj is there as a senior bowler, [and] Jaydev has a lot of experience. The other two guys [Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini] are pretty much experienced, so it’s an opportunity,” Rahane said. “[Mohammed] Shami is our senior bowler who has really done well for us, but with a long season ahead, need to give him a rest as well.”At the same time, we are not underestimating West Indies. We don’t know what people are saying on the outside, but we are definitely not taking them lightly. Their performance at home in Tests has been good in the last one to two years. We’ve had good preparation in Barbados before coming in, so we’re well covered. It’s all about starting well now.”

Mason Greenwood scored a stunning individual goal to help secure Marseille a return to the Champions League in style.

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Marseille win 3-1 at Le HavreGreenwood scores stunning goalSecure Champions League qualificationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Marseille looked like they would drop points in the Champions League qualification race on Saturday at Le Havre, but ex-Manchester United man Greenwood rifled in a superb strike from 25 yards to settle the away team's nerves. They went on to win the game 3-1, which meant with one game remaining, they cannot drop out of the top four and the Champions League spots.

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Greenwood has now scored 20 goals in his debut season for Marseille, but this campaign has not been without its troubles. The forward has been criticised for his "nonchalant" attitude, benched by head coach Roberto De Zerbi for a perceived lack of effort, and reports have suggested he could make a Premier League return due to homesickness. But his efforts have secured Marseille their return to Europe's elite competition for the first time since 2021 and that should not be overlooked.

AFPWHAT NEXT?

Marseille, who sit second in Ligue 1, will try to finish the season on a high when they host Rennes next Saturday. They are currently one point ahead of third-placed Monaco.