Category Uncategorized

Deepti Sharma, Megan Schutt and Marizanne Kapp have bowling landmarks within their sights

Namooh Shah29-Sep-20251 – Bates is 257 runs away from becoming the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket. Bates (10,612) is currently second in the list after Mithali Raj (who finished with 10,868 runs).Bates is also just 104 runs away from reaching 6000 ODI runs. If she does so, she will only be the second after Raj (7805) to reach the landmark.Related

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112 – Runs required by Mandhana to complete 5000 ODI runs. She will be the second India batter after Raj and fifth overall in women’s ODIs to reach the milestone. Mandhana will also be the fastest by innings if she manages to reach the milestone in this tournament.323 – Runs required for Bates to surpass Debbie Hockley’s tally of 1501 in the women’s ODI World Cup and become the leading run-scorer in the tournament.1000 – Mandhana is 72 away from becoming the first to score 1000 runs in a calendar year in women’s ODIs. The record is held by Belinda Clark, who scored 970 runs in 1997.Suzie Bates is eyeing a number of records in the women’s World Cup•Getty Images1 – Bates will be playing her 350th international at her second match of the tournament. That will make her the first player to get to 350 international caps in women’s cricket.3 – Marizanne Kapp is 12 away from becoming the third-highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs, having taken 169 wickets before the start of the tournament. Kapp will surpass Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Anisa Mohammed, who finished their career at 180 ODI wickets. Jhulan Goswami, with 255 wickets, heads the ODI list, while Shabnim Ismail is second on the list with 191.150 – Schutt and Deepti have 140 wickets in women’s ODIs and need ten more to get to the 150 mark.Schutt, on 34 wickets, can also become the leading wicket-taker at women’s ODI World Cups if she picks up ten more wickets. That will take her tally past Goswami’s 43. Kapp, with 32 wickets, also has a chance to overhaul Goswami’s tally.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Mandhana, currently with 16 international hundreds, needs two more to become the most prolific century-scorer in women’s international cricket. Meg Lanning with 17 is currently at the top.3 – Both Mandhana and Bates are three away from topping the list for most hundreds in women’s ODIs where Lanning sits at the top with 15.198 – Runs Pratika Rawal needs to complete 1000 runs in women’s ODIs. She has a chance to become the fastest to reach the milestone if she does it in the next five innings.

While Arsenal dropped points prior to the international break, this weekend represented a colossal opportunity for Mikel Arteta’s men to stamp their authority on this Premier League title race.

Manchester City and Liverpool suffered defeat, meaning that once the Gunners had beaten fierce rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, their advantage over City in third was now seven points.

As Jamie Carragher put it at full-time on Sky Sports, the only team who can stop Arsenal from winning the league are Arsenal.

They have the tactics, they have the defensive shape and they now have the attacking firepower and depth to their squad to take on anyone.

As Arsenal swatted aside Spurs, they did so without a recognised centre-forward, they did so without captain Martin Odegaard and they did so without Gabriel, one of the most influential players in the entire division this season.

The man to thank? Well, it was certainly Eberechi Eze.

The key men as Arsenal defeat Spurs

Coming into this game the narrative was all about Eze.

The attacking midfielder had famously rejected a move to Spurs in the summer in favour of returning to his boyhood club.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank was quizzed on that in his pre-game press conference and muttered a response that he will now live to regret: “Who’s Eze?”

The Dane said that with a smile. Well, he certainly knows who Eze is now.

He became the first Arsenal player to score a hat-trick in the north London derby since Alan Sunderland in 1978 and he did so in some style.

It was Leandro Trossard who has opened the scoring but Eze, signed for £67.5m over the summer from Crystal Palace, stole the show.

Arsenal have lacked a player with his ability to shoot on sight and boy did he do so on Sunday evening. His first was a brilliant taken effort in a crowded penalty area but his second and third goals came with more space.

The quality, however, was equally as good each time. The England international scored a stunning goal for his country over the international break and was bang in form again here. The way he dispatched his second on his weaker foot spoke volumes of the form this man is in.

The third was also sumptuous. Fed the ball by Trossard, the former Palace star took one touch to set himself, ignored Bukayo Saka to his right and rifled the ball home.

Eze deserved most of the plaudits but the aforementioned Trossard did too. He scored and assisted, meaning that in the 32 games where he has found the net for Arsenal, he has never been on the losing team.

An amount of praise must be passed to Piero Hincapie too.

With Gabriel injured and out of the side the Ecuadorian stood in at centre-half and was exemplary on his first start in the Premier League, winning all three of his contested aerial duels.

Still, there was a rather underrated performance elsewhere that we’re yet to mention.

Arsenal star shows shades of Ozil and Odegaard

An attacking midfielder lights up the Emirates again and you’d be forgiven for thinking that Eze was the most alike to a certain Mesut Ozil and Odegaard.

Yet, in rather surprising circumstances, the player who evoked memories of those dazzling Arsenal players was Mikel Merino.

Chalkboard

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

When the Spaniard signed for the Gunners in 2024 he was renowned as something of a duel monster. While he’s played regularly in midfield for Arteta, he has been most impactful as a makeshift striker.

Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus last term meant that the Spain international needed to fill in as a centre-forward. He performed admirably too, notably scoring against Real Madrid and rescuing that win against Leicester when he first featured as the number 9.

Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres in the summer but have still had to rely on Merino with Jesus, Havertz and the Swede on the sidelines in recent weeks.

The £32m midfielder netted twice against Slavia Prague in the Champions League a few weeks ago but perhaps saved his finest display of the season for Spurs on Sunday.

He started the game slowly but held the ball up admirably and although he won’t run the channels like Gyokeres, he made the team click and was the catalyst for Eze’s hat-trick. That was outlined by analyst Raj Chohan on social media.

That wasn’t the best thing Merino did, however. The pass for Trossard’s goal was remarkable.

He received the ball 25 yards from goal, waited for precisely the right moment to clip the ball into the box and he did so delightfully, finding the Belgian who swivelled and then found the net.

It was a scarily good pass, one that evoked memories of a certain Ozil.

In the process of being hailed as “Arsenal’s most underrated player” by club insider, Hand of Arsenal, he stated that “if that pass is made by Ozil we are raving.”

Minutes played

88

Touches

44

Accurate passes

16/22 (73%)

Shots

1

Key passes

1

Successful dribbles

0/2

Tackles won

5/5

Ground duels won

8/15

Aerial duels won

2/7

Recoveries

3

CBS reporter James Benge had a similar viewpoint, remarking that it was “an Arsene Wenger building an entire midfield out of diminutive playmakers” type of pass.

Cast your mind back to the days of Ozil, to some of Odegaard’s magical assists in Arsenal colours, it was right out of their playbook and it broke down what had been a stubborn Spurs defence up to that point.

Merino is not the most stylish of players, he is not the Rolls-Royce. However, what he will always guarantee is a mighty strong shift and a very efficient performance. He delivered just that on Sunday again, all with a bit of Ozil flavour.

Not just Eze: £27m star just had his best game for Arsenal

Eberechi Eze scored a remarkable hat-trick as Arsenal defeated Spurs.

ByMatt Dawson Nov 23, 2025

Marnus Labuschagne will captain Queensland as he continues his push for a Test recall to face England

Alex Malcolm30-Sep-2025Test opener Usman Khawaja has been named to play in Queensland’s Sheffield Shield opener against Tasmania alongside Marnus Labuschagne who begins his quest to regain his Test place in the Ashes.Khawaja is likely to open alongside with another former Test batter in Matthew Renshaw at Allan Border Field on Saturday, with Queensland captain Labsuchagne likely to bat at No. 3 despite being one of the candidates to open with Khawaja in the Ashes.Related

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Elsewhere, fast bowler Brendan Doggett, another Ashes contender, will miss South Australia’s opening round clash with Victoria in Adelaide due to a slight hamstring niggle. They are hopeful he will be available for the second round which starts on October 15. Australia quick Scott Boland is a certain starter for Victoria.Khawaja, 38, has not played any cricket since the third Test of the Caribbean tour in early July. He has a top score of 47 in his last ten Test innings. Heading into last summer he played club cricket for Valley as well as three One-Day Cup matches for Queensland and three Shield games before the first Test.It remains to be seen whether Khawaja plays two or three Shield matches before the first Test in Perth but he is unlikely to play all four. Following the drama of last summer when Khawaja and Queensland high performance manager Joe Dawes traded public barbs late in the season over his hamstring issue and unavailability in the final round of the season, Queensland Cricket stated on Tuesday that they “will work with Cricket Australia and support their plans for Khawaja’s individual playing preparations between now and the opening Test of the Ashes series on 21 November.”Queensland have also named exciting former Australia Under-19 World Cup winning captain Hugh Weibgen in their squad and he looks likely to make his first-class debut following a superb start to the season in the Dean Jones Trophy where he made a stunning 115 not out from 94 balls to chase down 322 against Western Australia.Former New South Wales allrounder Hayden Kerr is also in line to play his first Shield game for his new state having not played first-class cricket since October 2023.Queensland are without Xavier Bartlett who is in New Zealand with Australia’s T20I squad while Tom Staker and Lachlan Hearne are unavailable due to Australia A duty in India. Callum Vidler (back) and Mark Steketee (hamstring) are also unavailable.Queensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Hugo Burdon, Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Hayden Kerr, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth

India chased down 237 to beat New Zealand by four wickets in their second Women’s World Cup warm-up match in Bengaluru after a heavy loss to England in their first match.After a solid start, where they reached 54 for 0 in the eighth over, India lost Pratika Rawal and Uma Chetry to leave the score at 71 for 2. Harleen Deol (74) and Harmanpreet Kaur (69) then put on a 132-run third-wicket partnership, guiding India towards the target. Despite a late collapse from 203 for 2 to 230 for 6, India held on to win with ten balls to spare.Earlier, after a rain delay, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat. India struck early, reducing them to 38 for 2 by the eighth over. Sophie Devine’s 54 and Amelia Kerr’s 40 steadied the innings, taking New Zealand to 132 for 3. They finished on 232 for 8 in a 42-overs-a-side contest.For India, N Shree Charani claimed three wickets, while pacers Kranti Goud and Arundhati Reddy – back in action after suffering a blow to her leg in the previous match – each took two.

Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill talked up Hearts’ title chances hours before agreeing to return to Parkhead, also insisting that Rangers are “no threat whatsoever”.

The 73-year-old will be back in the Celtic Park dugout along with Shaun Maloney for Wednesday’s visit of Falkirk, 20 years after exiting the club, following Brendan Rodgers’ dramatic and acrimonious departure.

O’Neill’s previous arrival kick-started a period of dominance which has seen Celtic win 18 of the past 25 championships, as well as 23 cup competitions.

But the former Republic of Ireland manager returns with Hearts threatening to disrupt the dynamics of Scottish football after going eight points clear with a 3-1 win against Celtic on Sunday.

The result sparked an end to a fractious last few months of Rodgers’ second reign, which saw tension over transfer policy made public before principal shareholder Dermot Desmond accused the former Liverpool manager of being “divisive” and “self-serving”.

Rangers "no threat whatsoever" in title race

When asked by talkSPORT on Monday if this was the season that there could be a “disruptor” in Scottish football, O’Neill said: “Without a doubt, this is it. Celtic are not as physically strong, can actually lose games, whereas before they looked invincible in matches.

“Rangers are no threat whatsoever, although the new manager (Danny Rohl), I think he can maybe do something in time. But they are so far adrift, it’s untrue.”

Rohl had recently commented on his aspirations at Ibrox, revealing he chose Rangers because he “looked for a club to win titles”.

“We are not happy, and it’s the reason why I’m here,” the German said on being appointed in Govan. “I’ve said in the past I was looking for an ambitious club, that’s looking for more.

“I looked for a club to win titles. This club has everything for all these goals and it’s amazing to be coach at this fantastic club. I know what it means and I think I will feel this in the next couple of days and weeks.

“My job is clear and I know what I want to do with this group of players.”

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The Glasgow stranglehold on the Scottish league has been in place since Aberdeen won a third title in six seasons in 1985, but O’Neill admitted “the time is now” at Tynecastle.

“This is the moment, this is the time now for Hearts. They have gone eight points clear, and that is a decent enough lead, really. And their confidence is growing, and it will grow from that victory as well.

“All things are happening for Hearts, it’s great, whereas just at this minute Celtic are in a wee bit of trouble.

“This is the best time for any side outside the Old Firm to go and win. There is a long way to go but there is momentum gathering at Tynecastle.”

The two bowlers picked up four wickets apiece and Taijul also completed 250 Test wickets

Mohammad Isam23-Nov-2025Hasan Murad broke through Ireland’s resistance on the fifth day in an improbable chase of 509 to complete Bangladesh’s 217-run win in the second Test in Dhaka. Curtis Campher remained unbeaten on 71 from 259 balls for an effort that lasted more than six hours. Gavin Hoey and Campher survived for more than 31 overs, before Murad removed both Hoey and No. 11 Matthew Humphreys in consecutive balls to complete Bangladesh’s 2-0 win.Murad and Taijul Islam finished with four wickets each, but Mushfiqur Rahim’s century in his 100th Test was the highlight of the match. Taijul also completed 250 Test wickets, becoming the sixth left-arm spinner to reach the mark. He had earlier gone past Shakib Al Hasan’s 246 wickets to become Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker.Campher and Hoey batted with remarkable composure on the fifth morning, as Bangladesh’s frustration grew after lunch with only two wickets left for victory. The pair ensured that Ireland batted 59.3 overs on the last day, despite there being a few close calls.Ireland started the day on 176 for 6 and Campher offered the full face of the bat while his overnight batting partner Andy McBrine survived for almost an hour before he was trapped lbw by Taijul for 21 to become his 250th Test wicket. Jordan Neill started off with a string of boundaries off Taijul, using the square cut and cover drives, before launching him down the ground. Neill’s only six came off Murad, though he also survived a dropped chance by Litton, on 23. It was Mehidy Hasan Miraz who got one to spin past Neill’s forward prod, which snuck through to hit the stumps soon after the second new ball was taken. Campher got to his fifty with a straight six that sailed over the long-on boundary.Campher and Hoey then took Ireland to lunch on 263 for 8 with a stand that crossed 50 in the second session, barely scoring at two runs an over. Even as Campher continued to resist, it took Murad just two balls in the end to seal the game.

All the talk at Elland Road at the moment centres on whether Daniel Farke will remain in the Leeds United dug-out, heading into an unforgiving December list of fixtures.

With five defeats from your last six games in the Premier League, the last thing a bruised Whites outfit needs is back-to-back fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea up next, especially as City will want to immediately respond to their Champions League embarrassment at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.

Therefore, an Erling Haaland-led effort could take their frustrations out on the pitiful away side, with the German’s grip on his job post looking even more fragile, if they’re on the receiving end of a drubbing.

The powers that be in West Yorkshire will surely have a plan up their sleeve if they do decide to finally bite the bullet and get rid.

Who could replace Farke at Leeds?

As the 49ers gear up to potentially replace Farke at Elland Road, one man who is unlikely to move to England is former Union Berlin boss Bo Svensson.

Indeed, according to reports from Germany, he is unlikely to return to the managerial game soon, having recently turned down approaches from Rangers and Union Saint-Gilloise. He has also been allegedly on the relegation-threatened side’s radar, but that looks like it will now be stopped in its tracks, before anything serious materialises.

This surely swings the door wide open for Brendan Rodgers to be a prime candidate to oust the ex-Norwich City boss.

TEAMTalk recently revealed this week that the former Celtic manager would be keen on a return to the Premier League with Leeds.

After all, Rodgers has been here before when picking up the pieces post-Claude Puel’s failed stint at Leicester City, with the Northern Irishman even going on to clinch an FA Cup success with the Foxes, before furthering his varied managerial career in Glasgow.

The out-of-work 52-year-old coming in now could well be a masterstroke as Leeds attempt to turn around their hopeless season.

Perhaps Rodgers could have the same impact at the Whites that Regis Le Bris has managed to have at Sunderland, in such a short space of time.

How Rodgers could be Leeds' own Le Bris

Scanning back to just last season, Leeds did finish above the Black Cats in the Championship promotion standings, accumulating 100 points to lift the title, while Le Bris and Co secured promotion via the more adventurous route of the playoffs.

Yet, in the here and now, the Wearside underdogs find themselves all the way up in a dizzy seventh position in the early top-flight standings, while Farke hangs onto his employment, as he drags Leeds into the relegation spaces.

Sunderland fans are rightly singing the praises of their overachieving manager at this moment in time, with Leeds now potentially wanting a Le Bris-style figure of their own in Rodgers, to bring the good times back to Elland Road.

Rodgers, before going on to manage at Liverpool and the King Power Stadium, did manage to show off a similar breakneck transition to the Premier League like Le Bris is experiencing at the Stadium of Light.

His Swansea City side jumped all the way up to 11th in the league standings, right after promotion was sealed come the end of the 2010/11 season.

Rodgers’ Premier League numbers
Stat	Rodgers
Games	312
Wins	139
Draws	71
Losses	102
Points accumulated	488
Sourced by Transfermarkt

He would further reinforce his reputation as a capable boss in the tough division with the Reds, as he nearly delivered a Premier League triumph at Anfield. But, it will be his transformative presence at Leicester that will give Leeds fans the most hope that he can push them up the division, much like Le Bris has managed on Wearside.

From four full seasons at the King Power helm, Rodgers would collect 64 league victories, with a fifth-place finish clinched during his first full season at the helm quite the achievement, considering Puel ended his reign with the Foxes on five defeats from his final six games.

Coincidentally, that is the exact form Farke now finds himself deep in at Leeds, with a move for such a “world-class” manager in Rodgers – as Gabriel Agbonlahor once labelled him – perhaps just what the doctor ordered in turning around the Whites’ dismal fortunes.

Le Bris is yet to receive such a wild tag, but it surely won’t be far off if he clinches an unbelievable mid-table finish for the Black Cats.

Yet, with time on Leeds’ side still, they could also mount a surge up the division, too, if they were to gain Rodgers’ services.

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1

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 27, 2025

There’s no denying that Chelsea employed a scattergun spending approach in the early days of BlueCo’s ownership, but that has since been streamlined over the past few years, with Enzo Maresca proving the perfect man for the job.

Sunday’s Premier League clash is a big one, with Stamford Bridge playing host to a top-of-the-table clash between Chelsea and Arsenal. The second-place Blues will narrow the deficit to just three points with a win.

This is a team building toward a period of sustained success, and the tactical readings suggest that Chelsea are already one of the most exciting attacking outfits in the division, even if there is a sense that there are several levels still to be scaled.

Premier League 25/26 – xG Leaders

Club

Position

xG

Chelsea

2nd

22.1

Man City

3rd

21.8

Arsenal

1st

20.7

Crystal Palace

5th

20.2

Man Utd

10th

19.9

Data via FBref

However, a question mark lingers over number nine, with Liam Delap yet to prove he is the answer. Could Chelsea be looking to sign an upgrade?

Why Chelsea are searching for a striker

In fairness, Delap has spent a sizeable portion of his first months in west London in the infirmary. Still, since returning from a hamstring injury that has kept him out for much of the autumn, the English striker has started twice in the Premier League and failed to break his duck on both counts.

That said, he did net his first goal of the campaign for the Blues against Barcelona in midweek, coming off the bench and coolly converting to seal the 3-0 win after neat interplay between Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez.

However, the £30m summer signing from Ipswich Town has yet to prove he has what it takes to nail down a berth at the front of Maresca’s system, and co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart are searching for a potential upgrade.

They may have found one. According to Sky Germany, Chelsea are among the outfits to have been informed that Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy is worth about €50m (£44m), applicable for a number of top European outfits.

Chelsea are in the mix, and though Delap and Joao Pedro make up a dynamic central strike force in west London, Guirassy’s clinical record suggests he could add an interesting dimension to a title-challenging side.

What Guirassy would bring to Chelsea

Guirassy, 29, might not fit the age profile Chelsea have focused on targeting in recent years, but his experience and maturity in the final third would serve as a neat counterpoint to the younger generation.

Delap caught the eye for Ipswich last season, a shining light as he scored 12 goals across 37 Premier League outings. Kieran McKenna’s side were relegated, but so many teams swarmed for Delap’s signature, and Chelsea won the race.

The 22-year-old has a future at Stamford Bridge, but Maresca’s side need someone in the now who can maintain a fight against Arsenal, while pushing deep into the Champions League too.

Guirassy is “one of the best strikers in Europe”, according to German legend Lothar Matthaus, and he ranks among the top 11% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, as per FBref.

Serhou Guirassy – Last 4 Seasons (Bundesliga)

Season

Apps

Goals + Assists

25/26

10

5 + 1

24/25

30

21 + 2

23/24

28

28 + 2

22/23

22

11 + 0

Data via Sofascore

He’s hardly just a mindless poacher, with silky footwork and intelligent positioning that allows him to roam around the attacking half and link up with teammates.

But, at his core, Guirassy is indeed a goalscorer, and Chelsea may find that Delap earns fewer minutes with the Guinean striker in the mix.

It’s a tough one, but given the promising position Maresca’s side have placed themselves into, it might just be the move to make.

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Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 28, 2025

Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2025New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe, starting on July 30 in Bulawayo, with a shoulder injury. In his absence, New Zealand white-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the side.Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game for Birmingham Bears earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test. According to an NZC release, he will remain with the squad and hope to be fit for the second Test starting August 7.”It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” head coach Rob Walter said.Related

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“It’s never great when you lose your captain, who’s a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said we’re going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test. “We’ll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he’ll recover in time.”Santner, who’s played 30 Tests, will be leading New Zealand in the format for the first time. New Zealand will go into the Tests fresh off a T20I tri-series win in Harare where they remained unbeaten throughout the series under Santner’s captaincy.”Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series,” Walter said. “He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game.”Whilst the format is different, he certainly has the respect of the players and will be supported by some highly experienced Test cricketers, so I trust that he’s going to do a great job.”The two-match series will mark New Zealand’s first Test tour of Zimbabwe since 2016.

Chris Woakes is available to bat on the final morning at The Oval despite a suspected shoulder dislocation. Woakes was initially ruled out of the remainder of the fifth Test against India after sustaining the injury while fielding on the first day, and had his left arm in a sling in the dressing room on Sunday, but is prepared to “put his body on the line” if England need him.Woakes practiced batting one-handed in the indoor school on Sunday, and changed into his whites during the evening session, readying himself to bat at No. 11 if required. England need a further 35 runs to win with four wickets in hand to clinch a 3-1 series win on the fifth day, and Joe Root said that Woakes’ willingness to bat showed his commitment to the cause.”He’s all-in, like the rest of us,” Root, whose 105 set up England’s run chase, said. “It’s been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it doesn’t get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here (the indoor school) at one point, and he’s ready if needed… He’s desperate to do what it takes.”Related

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It remains to be seen whether Woakes would attempt to bat right-handed – like Malcolm Marshall in 1984 – or switch to left-handed on account of his injury, as Pakistan’s Saleem Malik once did.”I’m not sure,” Root said. “I’ve not seen him practice yet. You might get a better indication tomorrow if he has some throwdowns in the morning.”England have not yet confirmed the specifics of Woakes’ injury, and he will go for further scans after this match for a full diagnosis. But he is considered highly unlikely to play again this summer, and is already a major doubt for the first Ashes Test in Perth starting November 21, and potentially the rest of that series.”Clearly, he’s in a huge amount of pain having done what he’s done,” Root said. “It just shows, as we’ve seen from other guys in this series – [Rishabh] Pant batting with a broken foot, guys taking all sorts of blows here and there – but it means a huge amount to him.”It just shows the character and the person that he’s willing to put his body on the line like that for England, and hopefully – well, hopefully he doesn’t have to, but if it does come to that – get us across the line and win us an incredible series.”1:44

Bangar: India could have bowled straighter to Root

Root’s century has taken England close enough to their target of 374 that Woakes may not be required, and he celebrated the milestone with a tribute to the late Graham Thorpe, his long-time mentor. Root wore one of Thorpe’s trademark white headbands – which have been sold for charity this week – and pointed to the skies on reaching his hundred.”It’s been amazing that Surrey, as a club, and the ECB, have recognised everything that he’s done for English cricket as a player, as a coach, as a mentor, as a friend, to the dressing room, to the game of cricket,” Root said of Thorpe. “That [celebration] was on behalf of our team, really, and everything that he’s given and sacrificed for English cricket.”It is just really great to see the amount of love that there is for him and for his family as well… He’s someone that’s impacted my career, personally, a huge amount. This week, the amount of love and support there’s been for him and his family, and all the good that’s come from it and the amount of money that’s been raised [over £150,000] is amazing.”It’s special that sport can provide that. More than anything, it was just a ‘thank you’ for everything that he’s given the game of cricket and given English cricket, on and off the field.”