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Rangers striker Kemar Roofe is battling hard to be fit for the Europa League final. 

The lowdown

Rangers are due to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Seville showpiece in just eight days time. It’s a monumental fixture for the club, who haven’t featured in a European final since 2008 and have never won a continental competition.

Roofe hasn’t featured since the the 2-1 Scottish Cup semifinal victory over Celtic on 17 April.

He missed both legs of the Europa League semifinal against RB Leipzig through injury and has also been sidelined for the last three league matches.

Significantly, Rangers are also without another of their no. 9 options in Alfredo Morelos, whose season is already over because of a thigh problem.

Van Bronckhorst has, then, been providing regular updates on his fitness, with everyone around the club surely anxious to see if he’ll be available.

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The latest

Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie, who’s also a contributor for Sky Sports News, relayed an update from GvB on Roofe’s fitness.

The striker ‘will push himself to be fit’ for the final because ‘all he wants’ is to feature.

What’s more, the club’s ‘medical staff will work hard’ to try to ensure that he’s ‘ready’.

The verdict

To make matters worse for Van Bronckhorst, stand-in no. 9 Joe Aribo suffered a head injury in the semifinal second leg against Leipzig.

Journalist Andrew Dickson says that Aribo could miss the clash with Frankfurt if he sustained a concussion.

The Nigerian played no part in the weekend victory over Dundee United, so it remains to be seen what kind of condition he’s in.

It could yet fall to Fashion Sakala to lead the line, and that would probably generate a mixed reaction.

The 25-year-old has bagged 11 goals this season, but some journalists have raised concerns about his all-round game.

In other news, Jordan Campbell reacts as key Rangers contract news emerges. 

The Manchester United fan put up a stellar performance despite a family bereavement midway through the tournament

Deivarayan Muthu in Bengaluru24-Oct-2019Five hundred-plus runs with the bat. Ten-plus wickets with the ball. And if he doesn’t get you with bat or ball, he gets you in the field. Case in point: his direct hit to run out Gujarat’s Piyush Chawla in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final on Thursday. All of this, despite a family bereavement midway through the tournament.B Aparajith’s paternal grandfather passed away on the eve of Tamil Nadu’s Group C clash against Railways in Jaipur. But he stayed back with the team and produced a brilliant, all-round performance – 4 for 30 and 111 not out – to trump Railways.Aparajith downplayed it, saying, “I was just in the zone and things happened.”ALSO READ – Dinesh Karthik and the story of Tamil Nadu’s unbeaten runHe brings up “I was just in the zone” quite a few times during this conversation with ESPNcricinfo even as R Ashwin engages in some friendly banter, screaming: “Come on, Apar.”Much like his batting and bowling, Aparajith’s fantasy football team is on the rise as well. His only worry for now is the form – or the lack of it – of Manchester United.”I’m still a fan of Manchester United, but I don’t boast about it much these days,” Aparajith laughs. “But [in] these 11 games in the Vijay Hazare we’ve done well as a unit and I’m personally happy with my form as well. When your contributions result in victory, it obviously brings more satisfaction.”While Aparajith has been one of the batting leaders of Tamil Nadu’s middle order for a while, it is the way his bowling has come along that has been a surprise. Given Tamil Nadu’s wealth of spin options, Aparajith was often deemed surplus to the side’s requirements, but the team needed him this season, especially when Ashwin was unavailable and Washington Sundar was recovering from a niggle.ALSO READ – Shahrukh Khan, and a potential box-office hitAparajith explained that captain Dinesh Karthik had “defined his role” during the pre-season camp in Tirupur and credited his senior for making him dig deep into his reserves.B Aparajith celebrates his hundred with childhood friend Vijay Shankar•PTI “I have got good feedback and confidence from the captain when I’m bowling,” he said. “Dinesh [brother] has helped me, and even before the start of the season he told me ‘you will have a role in the bowling department as well’. So he asked me to be prepared for it. I trained hard in Tirupur and I had awareness about my bowling.”Dinesh not only gives confidence, but he’ll also push you. He’ll tell me [it’s okay], even if he [the batsman] hits a four, you back yourself and bowl that ball. Sometimes he tells you have to go defensive. So he also gives me freedom and challenges me as well.”ALSO READ – The rise of B IndrajithA couple of seasons ago, Aparajith was struggling for form, shunting up and down the batting order. He now seems to have nailed down the No. 3 spot, having struck four fifties and hundred from there in this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy.”Batting has also been going well. Touchwood! I’m very confident with my batting rhythm now,” he said. “To do well in both centres [Jaipur and Bengaluru] on challenging wickets is pleasing. You have to keep performing to stay in your position. Even if I’m the captain, I may bring somebody else to this situation if you don’t bat well and score runs. If I keep doing well at No. 3, I will stay at No. 3. I’m ready to take another role for the team as well, but sometimes when you don’t perform well, you will not get the slot you might want.”Aparajith attributed his all-round success to his off-season training, which included gymming, running and batting stints at Chemplast, his local club in Chennai.”Fitness is a must in modern cricket and I had placed a lot of importance on it before the season,” he said. “I feel those fitness sessions have helped me play back-to-back games in different cities. The sessions are like a school timetable – from Monday to Friday. I have three days of strength training and maybe two days of running. And on every morning at 6.30am I make sure I’m batting at the Chemplast nets.”Aparajith, though, is missing his twin brother B Indrajith, who had led the state last season and is now recovering from a shoulder injury.”We’re all missing him in the team, and I’m missing him even more. He follows every ball on our app, and we generally talk a lot about cricket. It’s not easy to be at home watching your friends play. Last time when we won Vijay Hazare [in 2016-17] he was also with the team. We’re sure he will come back soon.”Tamil Nadu, who are unbeaten in the tournament, will run into an equally formidable and star-studded Karnataka side in the final at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Aparajith said he wasn’t putting “too much pressure” on himself and looking to go about things calmly just like he had done in the 11 games leading up to the final.Batting: check. Bowling: check. Fielding: check. Big points in fantasy league: check. The Vijay Hazare title?

Yuvraj Singh has thrilled fans over the years. Which of his ODI performances is your favourite?

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2017

A career that was dotted with rejections and a life-threatening accident is back on track courtesy Krishna Das’ own determination and mentorship from Sanath Kumar

Arun Venugopal22-Nov-2015Krishna Das, a medium-pacer from Assam, has 35 wickets from six games this season at an average of 10.97. He is the joint third -highest wicket-taker, the only seamer in the top-five, and the main reason why Assam have done well. He is 25. It is a miracle he is alive.On October 6, 2006, on Lakshmi Pooja day, Krishna and three other friends were returning home after taking in the festivities. Krishna remembers that around 9-9.30 pm a truck, reversing from a gas station, rammed into the Maruti Zen in which they were driving. They were all injured, but Krishna, who was on the left rear seat bore the brunt of the accident.When he regained consciousness two days later, he was swathed in bandages. Krishna had lost a tooth, suffered a bruised nose, a broken left arm and had ten stitches on the tongue. He spent 16 days, including his 16th birthday, in hospital. Three agonising months later, he was back on the cricket field doing what he loved: bowling long spells.How did he manage such a quick turnaround?”I actually felt bad then [after the accident], looking at my family and [Assam coach] Sanath [Kumar] sir,” Krishna tells ESPNcricinfo. “My family and friends were fully supportive, and that motivated me to get better [sooner than expected]. (Sanath is like God to me). He as well as the state association and Abu Nechim helped me out financially then.”Krishna says he didn’t for a moment entertain thoughts that his cricketing career was finished. “My coaches and team-mates were egging me on to get better and resume playing soon,” he says. “My childhood coach Javed Akhtar Khan and Sanath sir would call me every day.”What also helped Krishna was he wasn’t left to wallow in pity. Once he was able to move around, his friends would take him out to watch cricket – inter-district, inter-club, anything. That, according to Krishna, touched him. “I felt that, ‘Yes this has happened, but how long am I going to get bogged down?'” he says. “There were so many friends and people around me who wanted me to come back to normalcy again. It made me more determined to get back on to the field again.”Krishna had a metal plate inserted to straighten his left arm – which he has till day – and gradually began to bowl in the dream of adding to his four caps for Assam. There were, however, other roadblocks that presented themselves. His first coach and mentor Sanath, who had picked up Krishna from the under-15 nets and thrust him into first-class cricket, had moved to Karnataka. This period coincided with Krishna falling off the Assam radar.He found a place in India’s under-19 teams, BCCI’s specialist academies, but was somehow not deemed good enough to play for Assam. In 2010, he was advised to focus on under-19 cricket with the World Cup approaching, and was not picked in the state side. “A selector told me I was part of the under-19 World Cup probables,” Krishna says. “I felt bad that I wasn’t allowed to play in the Ranji Trophy, which helped me gain recognition in the first place. Ultimately I wasn’t a part of the under-19 World Cup squad as well.”Krishna was dealt a bigger blow two years later when he was included neither in the Assam side nor in its under-25 team. “I felt horrible because I wasn’t picked in any side that represented Assam,” he says. At that point, Krishna’s only vocal backer, in Sanath’s absence, was Abu Nechim. Abu is his team-mate, “room-partner” and best friend. Ask Krishna about his role-models, and Waqar Younis or Allan Donald are trumped by Abu and Mark Ingty, a former Assam seamer.”When I started playing cricket, Abu was very promising at the junior level and I have always wanted to emulate him,” Krishna says. “We even made our Ranji Trophy debuts together, and share a great friendship.”Sanath’s comeback has brought him back into the team, where he belongs. He has had a hand in each of Assam’s three outright wins this season, and believes this is the best bowling attack Assam have had. Senior batsman KB Arun Karthik, who is Assam’s highest run-scorer this season, says Krishna’s biggest strength is his ability to bowl tirelessly. “He might not be too pacy, but can bowl 10 to 12 overs in one spell and get the ball to move both into the batsman and away from him,” Arun says.Through the ups and downs, Krishna has also learnt the importance of letting go. It is perhaps what has helped him reconcile with the accident. Krishna was told by his friends that after the accident his upper body lay suspended outside while waist down he was stuck inside the mangled car. The driver had fled the scene and a subsequent legal battle didn’t yield much monetary compensation.”It was a terrible accident, but it had to happen. I don’t want to lament about (this and that happened),” Krishna says. What rankles him, however, is he still can’t remember what exactly happened in the moments leading up to the accident. He says he tries to recollect the sequence every time he drives past the place. “I have to use that route every time I visit Javed sir at his academy, and I go there often,” he says. “The last thing I remember was I had asked my friend to change the song playing in the car’s stereo.”Ask him if he would have been a better bowler if not for the accident. “(maybe),” he replies and pauses. “.”

Stats highlights at the end of the second day of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at Dubai

Bishen Jeswant23-Oct-201480 Number of balls in which Sarfraz Ahmed got to his century, the fourth fastest by a Pakistan batsman. The record is held by Majid Khan who scored a hundred off 74 balls against New Zealand in 1976. Shahid Afridi has scored two 78-ball hundreds. Across countries, this is the 18th fastest century in Tests (where balls-faced data is available).1 Number of wicketkeepers who have made a faster Test hundred than Sarfraz. Adam Gilchrist scored a 57-ball hundred versus England at Perth in 2006. Safraz’s innings was the 12th time a wicketkeeper posted a 100-plus score at a 100-plus strike rate in Tests, with seven of those being by Gilchrist.5 Number of consecutive 50-plus scores by Sarfraz. The Pakistan record is six consecutive innings, jointly held by Zaheer Abbas, Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq.6 Number of consecutive 50-plus scores for David Warner. His last six Test scores are 75*, 145, 135, 66, 70 and 115. The record for the most consecutive 50-plus scores is seven, jointly held by Andy Flower, Everton Weekes, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kumar Sangakkara.454 Number of runs that Pakistan posted in their first innings. This was their second highest score against Australia in the last 20 years. The only time that Pakistan scored more was when then posted 580 for 9 declared, at Peshawar, in 1998.25 Number of years since all five of Pakistan’s batsmen from Nos. 3 to 7 made 50-plus scores in a Test innings outside Pakistan. In all, Pakistan have done this four times.97 The partnership strike rate during Pakistan’s sixth wicket stand, of 124 from 128 balls, between Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed. This is the fourth quickest 100-plus partnership, in terms of strike rate, for any wicket, for Pakistan.7 Number of 100-plus opening partnerships for Australia over the last two years. No other team has more than three. Australia have three such stands in 2014, which is also the highest for this year.67 Number of wickets cumulatively taken by the Pakistan bowling attack at the start of Australia’s innings. The Australian attack had taken 619 wickets by the end of Pakistan’s first innings.

A near five-hour vigil in his first stint as nightwatchman places Steven Finn’s innings along side some notable efforts down the years for England

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin10-Mar-2013Steven Finn does not have a bat sponsor at the moment. Someone has missed out on almost five hours of valuable airtime after Finn surprised everyone, including a former team-mate and his current captain, with his performance on the final day in Dunedin.He had emerged shortly before the close of the fourth day, for the first time in the role, after Alastair Cook edged behind to end an opening stand of 231. His job was to protect Jonathan Trott so that the specialist batsman could negotiate the final day. In the end, Finn outlasted Trott and Kevin Pietersen during a 203-ball stay.Given that Nick Compton fell shortly after the first hour, Pietersen departed cheaply and two quick wickets fell after tea it is not inconceivable that, had Finn failed, or even been dismissed a couple of hours earlier, England may not have saved the match. When he went from 53 to 54 after fifty dot balls there was a slightly embarrassed look on his face. There was no need.The secret behind his success? According to Cook, it’s a bribe that he did not want to reveal but that Finn, himself, later said was four cases of wine from the captain and James Anderson, two from each for surviving two sessions.*”Bribing Steven, that if he got through a certain number of overs, seemed to work so we might apply that again. It will remain a secret but he gets well rewarded for his efforts today. He’s done very well out of a few of the lads.”The way Steven applied himself was fantastic, I certainly didn’t know he had that in him – I don’t think he did either – but it shows when you really put your mind to something and are really disciplined on a flat wicket anyone can make themselves hard to get out.”Brendon McCullum, who spent time with Finn during his stint in New Zealand domestic cricket, was equally surprised about the innings. “He played at Otago and I’ve seen his batting before. He’s certainly worked on it.”The knock was a product of lengthy net sessions, particularly with batting coach Graham Gooch and his throw-down tool which helped improve the solid forward defence that made plenty of appearances this innings. The middle of the bat was often elusive, but Finn played late and, generally, with soft hands. Gooch lives for such success by the batsmen he works with. This will have given him as much pleasure as a Cook or Ian Bell century.Finn ticked off a host of personal landmarks; highest Test score (for the second time in the game), highest first-class score, maiden Test fifty. The half-century was greeted with a rather apologetic lift of the bat. Across the two innings in this Test he faced more deliveries (243) than he had in his previous 17 Tests. Against South Africa last year he was at No. 11 so his batting has progressed in a short space of time.Finn has assumed the nightwatchman role from James Anderson, who did the job on 21 occasions. The most recent, and now likely to be last when Finn is alongside him, was against India in Ahmedabad, where he fell for 2 on the second evening before seeing through the overs.Anderson put in some battling stints – notably against South Africa at Headingley in 2008 when he was roughed up by Dale Steyn – but is not going to be taking the position back any time soon. “It was a good selection,” Cook said. “We’ve always know Steven has a solid defence and he showed that today.”Nightwatchman statistics can be a grey area – for example a couple of times Anderson batted at No. 8 to protect Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, while Mark Boucher has innings classed as being a nightwatchman – but Finn’s effort was acknowledged as the second longest for England after Jack Russell’s 304-minute marathon against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1990. Russell’s innings was not enough to save the team on that day; Curtly Ambrose blew the lower order away to finish with 8 for 45. No one in the New Zealand attack was capable of that sort of impact. That was not the first time Russell made a name for himself in that position; on Test debut, against Sri Lanka in 1988, he reached 94 before driving a wide delivery to cover.The last England batsman to have such success in the position also came against New Zealand. Alex Tudor is most often remembered for his unbeaten 99 at Edgbaston in 1999 – the high point of a depressing summer for the home side – and would have reached three figures if not for Graham Thorpe finishing things swiftly.The University Oval in Dunedin is no stranger to nightwatchman heroics this season and Finn’s pales into comparison alongside that of Nick Beard, the Otago bowler, who made 188 in 380 balls and 461 minutes against Auckland last month. Beard, 23, is regarded as more of a bowler who bats – perhaps a Graeme Swann or a Broad – but that remains a considerable achievement.Not, however, quite as impressive, or famous, as Jason Gillespie who made an unbeaten double hundred against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2006. It did not do much to prolong Gillespie’s career – that was his final Test.Perhaps, though, one of the better nighwatchman stories involves the former Sussex offspinner, and from 2005 to 2006, MCC president, Robin Marlar. Playing for Rest of England against Surrey in 1955 he was out, stumped, second ball for 6 against Tony Lock. He is believed to have said to his captain: “Told you I wasn’t a nightwatchman.” That is certainly not what Finn will be telling Cook.*0800GMT, March 11: The story was update to make mention of Finn’s wine

This series will be the first serious challenge for two ambitious young men in a hurry to grow

Sriram Veera in Kingston19-Jun-2011Seventeen years ago, Devendra Bishoo’s father, Mohanlal, died with a wish. Five years ago, Virat Kohli’s father, Prem, died with a dream. They wanted their sons to play cricket for the country. Those sons, now young men, are at a cusp, peering down paths their fathers had laid out for them.”I remembered the times I used to get home from school and would spend a lot of time bowling at my father,” Bishoo says. “He was a great help to me and I am happy I have made him proud, even though he is not here to see me.”Kohli’s story is poignant. He was not out at stumps for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy game when his father died during the night. He turned up to bat next morning, rescued his team from trouble with an innings of 90, shook his head at a replay that confirmed he shouldn’t have been given out and left for the crematorium.The stories of Kohli and Bishoo had differences for a while. Kohli went astray for two years, especially after the Under-19 World Cup victory, but he shook himself out of a bad phase and found his path once again. Bishoo was already there.Both of them have a confidence that is striking. Kohli could have learned to swagger before he learned to walk. Bishoo has a calmness and strength about him. They are considered important parts of their country’s cricketing future, and they are aware of it. This series is both a test and an opportunity.Kohli doesn’t appear to be a great batsman at first glance. He looks to be a good one. It’s his demeanour that sets him apart from most men his age and others too. That cocky, teenage confidence has matured into the confidence of an assured, aware batsman. Kohli’s game is simple and his improvement is that he has tried to make it simpler. He quickly glides towards the line of the ball and nudges it into gaps. He uses his signature swat-flick to send length deliveries in line with his stumps to the square-leg boundary. He drives on the up and can pull, but rarely hooks.The short ball will be his test, especially on the fast and bouncy surface at Sabina Park. Kohli has had no problem against it in international cricket but, in a domestic game a couple of years ago, Zaheer Khan had unsettled him with short balls delivered from a left-armer’s angle. He has worked on that aspect of the game in his development as a batsman. During Saturday’s net session, Kohli faced tennis balls served at him from a short distance by Duncan Fletcher. The balls would rear up and fly of Kohli’s hands or body. The coach then had a word with his ward and soon Kohli was swaying and bobbing out of the way.Bishoo looks a good legspinner. He wants to be a great one. It will be fascinating to see how he gets there. He turns the legbreak, has a topspinner and his flipper is a work in progress. He hasn’t reached a stage where he can drop the ball where he desires. He pitches it short or slips it wide every once in a while. His brain is buzzing all the time, though. During the 2011 World Cup, Bishoo adjusted to the slower surfaces and did two things: he slowed his pace further but would suddenly slip in quicker deliveries. He was learning on the go, and he was learning quickly. The best thing about Bishoo is his stock ball. He gets the legbreak to spin with some bounce.Bishoo will be tested this series. Bowling to VVS Laxman and co is one of the harder exams to pass. Another challenge is that Indian batsmen tackle spin in vastly different, accomplished ways. He cannot have just one plan to set up a batsman. Laxman has supple wrists, Rahul Dravid uses the crease the best, often pressing right back to tailor his length, MS Dhoni rarely moves his front foot across, Kohli drives on the front foot and Suresh Raina skips out.”I want to be a great bowler for West Indies,” Bishoo had said. Kohli, too, said he has a burning desire to prove himself as a Test batsman. Fletcher called him “the future of Indian cricket”. This series, which begins in Jamaica on Monday, will be the first serious challenge for two ambitious young men in a hurry to grow.

Cricinfo profiles the Super League teams in Ranji Trophy

Cricinfo staff29-Oct-2007

Bengal

Despite two amazing seasons, Bengal are without any trophies and they must be wondering what more they need to do. This season, they face a hard task of picking themselves up after two of their most experienced players – Deep Dasgupta and Rohan Gavaskar along with many others – have defected to the Indian Cricket League (ICL). They have made it to two finals in a row, but somehow managed to stumble at the last hurdle and had Dasgupta and Gavaskar still been with the team, they would have been strong favourites to go the distance again.Allrounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla, vice-captain last season, has been appointed the captain of the side after he decided to not join the ICL. Shukla, averaging only 32 in first-class cricket, will be looking to make a statement both as a leader and as a batsman. But the major batting attraction once again will be Manoj Tiwary, second in the overall run-getters’ list last season. He was unfortunate in getting injured just before what could have been his ODI debut, but is back among the runs after a shoulder injury. Apart from Dasgupta and Gavaskar, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Subhomoy Das are their big batting losses to the ICL.There is good news though: SS Paul, their leading bowler in 2005-06, is back to full fitness after he missed the whole last season with a knee injury. Along with Ranadeb Bose, the highest wicket-taker last season, vice-captain Saurashish Lahiri and Sourav Sarkar, Bengal can still boast of the most solid bowling attack in the country.With five of their six matches to be played at home, they should be backing themselves to make it to the knockout stage third time running.What they did last season
Bengal’s performance last season was an almost perfect mix of efficiency and flair: while Bose never let them miss Paul, with consistent and stable medium-pace bowling, Tiwary led the batting in typical aggressive style. Sourav Ganguly put in his cameos whenever he was available to play. They were almost perfect because they fell at the last hurdle: unable to overcome a strong and star-studded Mumbai side.They also showed resilience when in an away game they rolled Hyderabad over for 76 after having fallen behind by 109 in the first innings. They led their pool with 17 points from three outright wins and two first-innings leads. Bose and Tiwary led the statistics and they were solid until the finals.Men to watch
Tiwary, Bose and Paul would want to continue from where they finished off last season. Tiwary with 796 runs at 99.50, Bose with 57 wickets at 14.22 and Paul with 36 wickets at 25.38 in the previous season; came close to national selection, but face a fresh domestic season ahead. Tiwary still stands with a realistic chance for a call-up anytime, while for Bose and Paul it is another opportunity to put up a statement.

Hyderabad

Probably the side most hit by the ICL, Hyderabad go into the season with a new look side with few expectations. They have always been difficult to ignore, hovering in and around the top four, but it would require something special to reach the knockout stage this time. Anirudh Singh, who led their one-day team for part of the last season, Ambati Rayudu, Ibrahim Khaleel, Indershekar Reddy, Kaushik Reddy, Shashank Nag, Alfred Absolem and D Vinay Kumar have defected to the ICL, removing a major chunk of their Ranji side.VVS Laxman has been appointed captain, but he is unlikely to feature in more than two games, what with India having Tests scheduled against Pakistan and Australia. Laxman, Arjun Yadav, the vice-captain, Pragyan Ojha and Daniel Manohar will be the only four Hyderabad players with the experience of more than 10 first-class matches.They will be comforted by the schedule – four of their games are at home – and might be tempted to prepare sporting tracks, giving themselves a chance of winning outright.What they did last season
Finishing third in a tough group represented a satisfactory effort, but it could easily have been a special one. They had the better of some early draws before getting within striking range of the semi-final slot. A calamitous collapse against Bengal – having gained a 109-run lead they fell for just 76 – jeopardised their chances and left them a bit too far behind. A win there could have almost certainly ensured a knockout spot.Ravi Teja, the dashing opening batsman, was the find of the season with 393 runs at 43.66. Rayudu and Anirudh turned in some consistent performances as well, but won’t be featuring in this edition.Men to watch
Teja is definitely one for the future though he will want to break the century barrier at the earliest opportunity. Medium-pacer MP Arjun made a good impression in his first few games and would be expected to lead the attack this time around. Left-arm spinner Ojha, one touted as good enough for India, will also have to shoulder a big responsibility.

Saurashtra

With a record that has veered from the middling to sloppy, Saurashtra have rarely made an impact in the Indian domestic circles. For long viewed as minnows who could be easily rolled over, Saurashtra are gradually establishing themselves as a side with surprise potential. Relying on budding talent, they have a bigger challenge ahead of them this time: all their games are away from home. They are one of the few sides without too many changes – none defected to the ICL – and as a seasoned observer pointed out, “nothing much has changed in Saurashtra in the last 15 years”.What they did last season
They started poorly, conceding a first-innings lead against Uttar Pradesh, losing to Baroda and Andhra Pradesh and missing out on the lead against Tamil Nadu as well. A couple of inspired home wins against Delhi and Haryana, both engineered by handy left-arm spin from Rakesh Dhurv, provided plenty of cheer and they ended the season with a high-scoring draw against Karnataka. They will hope to get more out of draws – the inability to take the first-innings lead was a concern – and notch up tall totals on their travels. Their batsmen have usually adjusted well to the slow and flat nature of the Rajkot strip, but countering difficult conditions away would be the major challenge.Shitanshu Kotak and Cheteshwar Pujara – one an experienced hand, the other an emerging one – managed more than 500 runs each last year. Dhurv ended with an impressive 25 wickets, at an average of 21.60, and Sandeep Jobanputra, the new-ball bowler, complemented him with 21.Men to watch
Pujara is probably the one closest to the getting on the national radar, that too only for the longer format. He has shone bright in the Under-19 levels and displayed the patience and all-round strokeplay to rack up big scores. Ravindra Jadeja, a left-arm spinner who fields athletically, could develop into a bits-and-pieces player in the one-day version. Dhurv and Kamlesh Makvana will lead the spin department.

Club could seek to sell historic Nevil Road Ground after more than 130 years of residence

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2023Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have confirmed they are exploring the possibility of selling their historic home ground in Bristol, and moving to a bespoke stadium outside of the city.The Nevil Road Ground in central Bristol has been Gloucestershire’s base since 1889, when the land was gifted to the club by WG Grace, and has been a regular venue for England men’s and women’s white-ball internationals since the 1999 World Cup.However, in recent seasons, the ground has been beset by drainage issues that caused the abandonment of each of its last four ODIs, including both of its fixtures at the 2019 World Cup, and most recently Ireland’s visit in September.Gloucestershire’s domestic season was similarly disrupted, with their opening fixture of the County Championship, against Yorkshire in April, being abandoned on the third scheduled day without a ball being bowled. According to their most recently published accounts, the club lost £570,000 to the year ending January 31, 2023, having recorded a profit of £92,000 in 2021-22.Due to its central position, the opportunities to overhaul the ground’s existing infrastructure are limited, and following a report in the Telegraph last week, which estimated that the land could be worth £40 million if it was sold to developers, Gloucestershire have confirmed that a consultation is underway.”To ensure the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of Gloucestershire Cricket, we must look at the possibility of relocating the club and are now looking to enter into more active negotiations around a potential move to an appropriate new site,” the club wrote.”Whilst the current ground is still able to deliver the very highest level of cricket and customer experience at Nevil Road, we have to also prepare for the future. As we continue to grow, the strain on infrastructure and facilities at Nevil Road will become increasingly challenging, as will access to and from the ground.”The opportunity to relocate is a highly exciting prospect for the club to explore, one that would allow us to enter the next stage of our history and thrive in the future as we continue to adjust with the modernisation of cricket, how it is delivered and the diversification of the overall business.”The club’s preferred site is close to the M4 in South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, making it “more accessible to larger parts of the county”, and also allowing it to be “purpose-built to host the highest level of world cricket events including ICC fixtures”.Gloucestershire Cricket chair, David Jones, said: “This is a significant turning point for cricket in Gloucestershire and Bristol as we look to secure the club’s long-term future in an ever-changing sporting world.”As well as delivering for our members the modern and low-carbon facilities they deserve in order to showcase an ever-wider range of world class events here in the South West, we are keen to continue our active role in the community to widen participation and inspire the next generation of sports women and men.”We look forward to engaging with our members, neighbouring residents, stakeholders and the public as we continue a journey that WG Grace started many years ago.”Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, and a former CEO of Bristol City Football Club, hailed the club’s “ambitious plans for growth”. With the board currently in consultation with counties over the future of the Hundred, one possibility being tabled is that two new teams will be introduced, including one in the South West, which would potentially add to the rationale of the development.”We are clear on the importance of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the South West to the game and recognise that continued investment at all levels is vital for the ongoing growth of cricket across the region,” Gould added. “It’s fantastic to see Gloucestershire displaying the ambition to provide cricket fans in the West Country with a state-of-the-art sports and leisure arena.”

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O treinamento desta sexta-feira (24) foi um pouco diferente para o São Paulo. O elenco viajou até Cotia, para promover uma integração entre os atletas profissionais e da categoria Sub-20.

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Rogério Ceni e Juliano Belletti uniram suas equipes e comandaram um coletivo, onde os mais velhos enfrentaram os mais novos. Durante esta atividade, Ceni passou algumas instruções e realizou alguns ajustes. Esta etapa durou cerca de 40 minutos. O treinador conversou com os jogadores tanto dentro quanto fora do gramado.

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O treinamento não contou somente com os jogadores do Sub-20. Alguns atletas de categorias menores também marcaram presença, tanto para assistir quanto para ‘tietar’ e tirar fotos. Alguns nomes revelados em Cotia, como Nestor e Luan, aproveitaram a ocasião para reencontrar alguns funcionários do clube. O recém-contratado Raí Ramos também treinou junto.

Agora, o elenco do São Paulo volta a treinar neste sábado (25), às 9h (de Brasília), no CT da Barra Funda.