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Leeds United are making a move for an “incredible” striker, who knows he would be guaranteed to play every week under Daniel Farke next season, according to a report.

Leeds eyeing new signings with top-level experience

Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton all suffered relegation in their first season back in the Premier League last season, underlining the need for Leeds to bring in proven players, and they have now set their sights on several options with top-level experience.

Amid doubts over Illan Meslier, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, who is “proven” in the Champions League, has emerged as an option between the sticks, while recent Premier League title winner Kostas Tsimikas may replace Junior Firpo at left-back.

Ipswich being relegated, despite Liam Delap’s form, goes to show that having a top striker is not always enough to avoid the drop, but Farke will be under no illusions about the need to sign a proven goalscorer, and the Whites are now stepping up their pursuit of a new striker.

Leeds now keen on signing "brilliant" Liverpool-born player with 3 England caps

The Whites are now interested in signing a Premier League player, who is set to be available on a free transfer this summer.

3 ByDominic Lund May 27, 2025

According to a report from The Sun, Leeds have made a move for Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson, who has been widely linked with a move away from St. James’ Park upon the expiration of his £46k-a-week contract this summer.

Since arriving at Newcastle from AFC Bournemouth in a £20m deal, Wilson has maintained a solid goal record for the Magpies, but there is now growing interest from rival Premier League clubs, with Everton boss David Moyes thought to be keen to snap him up.

Despite the interest from the Toffees, the Championship title-winners are hopeful they can win the race for the striker, ‘as he would be guaranteed to play every week under Farke.’

"Incredible" Wilson could reignite career at Leeds

Almost any striker in world football would find it difficult to displace Alexander Isak in the starting XI, which is one of the reasons why the Englishman has found game time hard to come by in recent times, alongside various injury issues.

However, should the former Bournemouth man be able to put his injury problems behind him, there are plenty of signs he could play a major role in helping Leeds avoid the drop next season.

Prior to the 2024-25 campaign, the 33-year-old, called “incredible” by Eddie Howe, was a consistent source of goals for both Bournemouth and Newcastle, regularly finding the back of the net in the Premier League.

Season

Appearances

PL Goals

2019-20

35

8

2020-21

26

12

2021-22

18

8

2022-23

31

18

2023-24

20

9

However, there will, understandably, be concerns about Wilson’s age and injury record, with the forward sidelined for over half of Newcastle’s games throughout the 2024/25 campaign, so he will only be a worthwhile addition for Leeds if he is able to improve his fitness, making this one to keep an eye on.

Aston Villa are increasingly confident of signing a young midfielder with a huge future, according to an update from journalist Jacob Tanswell.

Aston Villa eyeing new signings amid Champions League battle

Unai Emery’s side picked up a priceless three points on Saturday evening in the Premier League, winning 1-0 away to Bournemouth to aid their hopes of securing Champions League football next season.

That would allow Villa to attract further top-level players to the club, so the importance of their final two league games of the season cannot be downplayed.

One individual who has been linked with a summer move to Villa Park is Lyon winger Malick Fofana, who is a young player with a huge amount of long-term potential. The 20-year-old has scored six goals in the Europa League this season, despite only making five starts in the competition.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos has also been mentioned as a target for Villa, with the Portuguese not finding it easy to force his way into the Champions League finalists’ starting lineup in recent months. Just 12 starts have come his way in Ligue 1 in 2024/25, so he may like the idea of a fresh challenge.

Aston Villa confident of signing 18 y/o Nypan

Now, according to The Athletic‘s Tanswell, there is a “confidence” at Aston Villa that they will secure the signing of Sverre Nypan this summer. The 18-year-old midfielder is a huge prospect who is currently plying his trade at Rosenborg, with the Villans sending scouts to watch him in action on several occasions. Not only that, but “presentations have been shown to him and the family, outlining plans to integrate him into Emery’s setup”.

While Villa will of course hope to use elite European competition to lure in big names, NSWE are still planning for the long haul. Despite still only being 18 years of age, Nypan has already made 67 appearances for Rosenborg, chipping in with 14 goals and 11 assists in that time. He has been capped by Norway across six different age groups, winning a combined tally of 37 caps for his country, as well as being lauded as a player with a “huge future” by scout/writer Jacek Kulig.

The teenager could arrive as a squad player to begin with, or potentially even be loaned out elsewhere to aid his development, before hopefully maturing into a superstar at Villa Park over time.

Sverre Nypan’s international stats

Caps

Goals

Norway Under-21s

5

0

Norway Under-19s

5

1

Norway Under-18s

3

0

Norway Under-17s

5

0

Norway Under-16s

12

1

Norway Under-15s

7

2

Nypan is already showing so much promise and Villa snapping him up could end up being a major coup over time, and the fact that they are confident of striking a deal can only bode well.

Fresh from their Premier League title celebrations following a 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur, it seems as though Liverpool have already turned their attention towards the summer and one particular winger.

Liverpool crowned Premier League champions

When Jurgen Klopp bellowed Arne Slot’s name in front of an emotional Anfield this time last year, not even those in attendance would have believed that his Liverpool side were champions in waiting. One year on, however, the Reds have done what Manchester United failed to do and Slot has done what David Moyes failed to do by keeping what is now officially England’s most successful club on their perch.

Whilst there’s plenty to celebrate, however, there’s also still plenty of work to do at Anfield this summer. And that should only excite those around the club. Slot’s champions, who rarely looked unlikely to take their crown, still have clear levels to reach which could see them endure a busy transfer window.

The likes of Alexander Isak and Jonathan David have been names mentioned in recent months, which should indicate the attacking overhaul that the Reds are looking to complete this summer.

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Isak, given his outstanding Premier League record at Newcastle United, should be the dream move for Slot. Amid the Swede’s hefty £100m+ valuation though, David wouldn’t be a bad second choice. The LOSC Lille forward is set to become a free agent when the summer arrives, allowing his next club to land one of the bargains of the window.

Strikers aside, meanwhile, it looks as though Michael Edwards is also looking to sign another winger when the summer arrives, reportedly turning towards Ligue 1 and a frustrated player.

Liverpool make first Seghir enquiry

According to L’Equipe, Liverpool have made their first enquiry over signing Eliesse Ben Seghir from AS Monaco this summer. The winger is reportedly valued at just €30m (£25m) and is becoming frustrated by his game time in France, where he has started just 18 of 31 Ligue 1 games.

At 20 years old, Monaco’s caution would be seen as understandable if it wasn’t for Ben Seghir’s impressive form throughout the current campaign, which has seen him score nine goals and assist a further four in all competitions despite those limited starts.

Dubbed an “exciting” player by scout Jacek Kulig earlier this season, Liverpool’s interest should come as no surprise and their status as champions may yet go a long way towards beating Manchester City to Ben Seghir’s signature, with the Blues also showing some interest.

A young talent frustrated by his game time at Monaco, the 20-year-old is certainly one to watch as the summer transfer window approaches, having already drawn in a sponsorship deal with Adidas, who are soon to return as Liverpool’s chief kit manufacturer.

Mikel Arteta remained tight-lipped on Declan Rice's fitness after the Arsenal midfielder hobbled off during the midweek win over Brentford. The Gunners are fighting several fitness issues ahead of their trip to Villa Park this weekend, and the Spaniard refused to give any firm assurances when pressed on an update on the midfielder.

• Arteta urges patience with Rice

  Rice has become the heartbeat of the Gunners’ midfield since his record move from West Ham. However, the player picked up a niggle during the 2-0 victory over the Bees and now remains uncertain for the next match against Unai Emery's side. Although Rice eased initial concerns in the immediate aftermath by insisting he felt "fine", Arteta adopted a noticeably cautious tone when pressed about the 25-year-old’s availability for the club’s next Premier League outing during Friday's press conference. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Arteta provides update on Arsenal injuries

  Arteta was reluctant to discuss specifics, emphasising the need to monitor how Rice responds over the next 24 hours.

  "Well, let's see," Arteta told reporters on Friday. "I think with all the questions I'm going to get, the answer, unfortunately, is going to be the same. We have another training session in the afternoon. Every hour is going to be very important to see the availability of the players. After that, we'll decide who travels."

  Arteta’s uncertainty was not limited to Rice. The manager admitted that defender Cristhian Mosquera faces a particularly difficult race against time to feature this weekend. The prospect of being without Mosquera is a fresh headache for the Arsenal head coach, who is already navigating a defensive shortage with William Saliba and Gabriel also in the treatment room. 

  "That's the more complicated one, but again, we have another test today to see where we are with them," he said. "We need to know, because the feeling that we had after the game and yesterday, we need to corroborate with what happens with all the testing that we do today."

  While speaking on the fitness of William Saliba and Leandro Trossard, Arsenal said: "It is a matter of days with those two, for sure. After the training session, we'll know more."

• Transfer window already open in Arteta's mind

  Despite Arsenal investing more than £250 million on eight new arrivals during the last window, Arteta hinted the club may still dip back into the market if the right conditions present themselves. He stressed that unpredictability is part of the sport, and that the club must be prepared to act if injury setbacks or unexpected departures force their hand.

  "We always have to be prepared," said Arteta. "The moment that we have an option to touch the squad, to improve the squad or to protect the squad, depending on what happens, I think we need to be open for it. From what is going to happen from here until the window is closed as well, is football. So, we don't know but we're certainly going to be on alert and we know where the risk can come in terms of the squad and be ready just in case we have to do something."

  Arsenal played against Brentford on Wednesday night, and they kick off against Villa on Saturday lunchtime. Speaking his mind on the busy football schedule, Arteta said: "The only thing I can say is that whenever it's possible to help and give the players an extra day or hours to fulfil the maximum potential, let's do it. That's it. We are ready for tomorrow's game, that's for sure."

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  Title race tension builds as Arsenal extend lead

  Arsenal’s win against Brentford means they travel to Birmingham with a five-point cushion at the top of the Premier League. Manchester City briefly narrowed the deficit on Tuesday evening after their breathless 5-4 triumph at Fulham, though Pep Guardiola’s men do not kick off until later on Saturday. That scheduling quirk gives Arsenal the chance to stretch the gap to eight points before City take on Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium. It is an opportunity, but not one that will come easily. Villa, under Unai Emery, have surged into third place following a thrilling 4-3 win at Brighton and have turned Villa Park into one of the most formidable venues in the division. Arteta knows the challenge ahead will require some creative problem-solving if several of his first-choice players fail to recover in time.

Pat Cummins joined the list when he went 6, 6, 6 against Shardul Thakur in Hyderabad in IPL 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2025Pat Cummins vs LSG, 2025
Cummins walked out to bat at the end of the 16th over with SRH 156 for 6. He got on strike in the next over, and hit back-to-back sixes off Shardul Thakur’s last two balls to get going. The first ball was short and wide, which he thrashed over point before dumping a juicy full toss over the sight-screen next ball. He faced his third ball in the next over, off Avesh Khan, and deposited the length ball straight down the ground again. He was dismissed next ball, steering one to short third, for a four-ball 18.MS Dhoni vs Mumbai Indians (MI), 2024
Wankhede roared as MS Dhoni made his way to the middle with just four balls left in the innings against MI. They got their money’s worth when he showed no mercy to MI captain Hardik Pandya. He started by clobbering a length ball over long-off, much to the delight of the “away” crowd. The next ball was again on a length, which Dhoni deposited over long-on. Hardik next went for the yorker but dished out a low full toss that was flicked over deep square-leg. Dhoni finished unbeaten on 20 off four with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) winning the game by that exact margin.MS Dhoni hit three sixes off his first three balls against MI in IPL 2024•BCCINicholas Pooran vs SRH, 2023
Nicholas Pooran found himself in the middle with LSG needing 56 off 27 in a chase of 183. Abhishek Sharma had just broken a 43-ball 73-run partnership by dismissing Marcus Stoinis. It mattered little for Pooran, who slog-swept the left-arm spinner over deep midwicket to open his account. The next ball was full, and he powered it straight over the bowler’s head. The third ball – the last of the over – was also full and Pooran got down on his knees to bash it over deep midwicket. In all, five sixes were hit in that over – Stoinis had hit two earlier.Sunil Narine vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), 2021
In the eliminator of IPL 2021 in Sharjah, Sunil Narine went out at No. 5 when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) needed just 60 off 54 balls. He hit three successive sixes off Dan Christian to set about his task of injecting momentum to the close. Two of his sixes came to the shorter leg side – first a pull over fine leg against a short ball and then a slog over midwicket to a full ball on his pads. When Christian provided him the width on his third ball, he powered a one-handed six over long-off. Narine had earlier picked up a four-wicket haul to restrict RCB, and his 15-ball 26 ended Virat Kohli’s tenure as captain in the IPL.

Sri Lanka started well but were all out for a mere 211, a target Pakistan chased down comfortably

Danyal Rasool16-Nov-2025

Pakistan eased to a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka to seal a 3-0 series whitewash. Three wickets from Mohammad Wasim and contributions from others bowled Sri Lanka out for 211, before a half-century by Fakhar Zaman took much of the jeopardy out of the chase. Sri Lanka fought hard through the middle, getting rid of Babar Azam and Salman Agha in quick succession, and though it succeeded in slowing Pakistan down, the visitors ultimately had too few runs to play with as Pakistan cantered to the win with 5.2 overs to spare.When Sri Lanka began their innings, they appeared to have designs on a total above 300. Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara were timing the ball particularly sweetly, racing along to a 50-run partnership inside the first eight overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi, in particular, was punished early by Mishara, who exploited the gaps as an opposition side racked up a 50-run opening partnership against Pakistan for the sixth ODI in succession.But as has been so often the case for the visitors, wickets derailed their progress significantly. Mishara had chopped a few early on and survived, but Nissanka’s first inside edge clattered into the stumps, and from there Pakistan started to squeeze. Wasim found a bit of extra bounce to draw Mishara’s outside edge, and the free-flowing runs were suddenly no longer coming.Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama rebuilt, but not nearly at the speed Sri Lanka needed on a wicket that looked like it would only continue to get better. Left-arm wristspinner Faisal Akram, replacing Abrar Ahmed in the side, enjoyed an excellent first spell, deploying his variations to great effect and keeping the batters honest. He had Samarawickrama trapped in front in single digits, but the batter got the decision reversed on review because the ball was turning too much.Kusal Mendis scored 34•Getty Images

But the pressure was invariably building up. It had taken 75 balls to score just 43 runs, and by the time Wasim returned to the attack, the urgency to score quickly had been amplified. He knocked them off course with a yorker that cleaned up the stand-in captain Kusal Mendis before a double blow from Akram blew the innings wide open. It included a splendid delivery that sliced through Samarawickrama’s defences two runs shy of a half-century, as well as a soft return catch that did for Kamindu Mendis.Sri Lanka have set much store in 23-year-old batting talent Pavan Rathnayake, even if he was batting a tad too deep for their liking. The debutant showed impressive temperament as he shepherded the tail, and arguably played the shot of the day with a back-foot punch that flew over cover for a six. But he got limited support from the tail as Pakistan chipped away at the other end, and with nine wickets down, his desperation to get back on strike cost him his wicket. He had put up a spirited 32, but the 211 Sri Lanka ended up with never looked near enough.Zaman drove that point further home as he started off in a hurry. It was almost as if he was making up for lost time after Haseebullah Khan’s brief tortured stay at the crease resulted in a 12-ball duck, the young wicketkeeper-batter getting more desperate with each ball before ultimately smearing one straight to mid-on. Babar Azam’s arrival lifted the crowd’s spirits while Zaman took care of the run-scoring, freeing his arms and finding the gaps either side of the wicket with regularity in the powerplay. Babar, meanwhile, looked like a man with rediscovered confidence, timing the ball beautifully as Pakistan cruised through the first 15 overs.Fakhar Zaman scored a rapid fifty•AFP/Getty Images

Zaman took on Jeffrey Vandersay, who was playing his first game this series, but the legspinner dragged his side back into the contest. After smacking him for his second boundary, Zaman went after Vandersay again, only for Kamindu Mendis to take a spectacular catch diving forward in the deep. Shortly after, he did for Babar with a googly that beat the batter all ends up, sneaking through the gate and making a mess of his stumps.With their tails up, it was the first time since the opening powerplay in the game that Sri Lanka placed any kind of pressure on Pakistan. Vandersay beat Agha with a lovely legbreak that drifted in and then ripped away to trap him in front, and suddenly, the 97 runs Pakistan still needed seemed very far away.But Rizwan and Hussain Talat hunkered down. For a while, run-scoring seemed a secondary thought; the next ten overs produced just 32 runs. But most importantly, Sri Lanka were being kept out of the wickets column, and with the asking rate far too modest to have any impact on the game, Pakistan, bit by bit, dragged themselves towards the finish line.It left the last hour of the game in a holding pattern where the outcome was all but certain, but Talat and Rizwan were in no hurry to put Sri Lanka out of their misery. Rizwan coasted towards his half-century while Talat saw an opportunity to amass a few more runs in what has been a successful series for him. In the 43rd over, Maheesh Theekshana had Talat lbw but the batter got the decision overturned as the ball-tracking showed the ball bouncing over the stumps. It just about summed up Sri Lanka’s stuttering series in the Rawalpindi cold before the hosts finally limped over the finish line.

The tournament will be held in February-March 2026 in India and Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2025United Arab Emirates (UAE) have qualified for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, after defeating Japan on Thursday by eight wickets in the Asia-EAP Qualifier tournament in Al Amerat.Haider Ali’s 3 for 20 and and an opening partnership of 70 between openers Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem helped them comfortably chase 117 against Japan. UAE now join Nepal and Oman as the last three teams to secure their World Cup spot in next year’s edition.Apart from hosts India and Sri Lanka, the other teams with automatic qualification into the tournament are the top-seven teams from the 2024 T20 World Cup – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States of America and West Indies. The three teams that qualified on basis of their T20I rankings were New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland.Canada comfortably took the lone Americas Qualifier position. Italy, first time T20 World Cup participants, and Netherlands qualified from the five-team tournament in Europe. Namibia and Zimbabwe grabbed the two spots from the eight-team Africa qualifier before Nepal, Oman and UAE wrapped up the list this week in the nine-team Asia-EAP round.The 2026 tournament will follow the same format as the previous edition – the 20 teams will be split into four groups of five each, with every team playing the others once in a round-robin format. The top two teams from every group will progress to the Super 8 stage, where they will be placed into two groups of four according to pre-tournament seedings for another round-robin phase. The top two sides from each Super 8 group will then qualify for the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-final will meet in the final.

Zimbabwe bowling coach Langeveldt was all smiles, saying it “was a great day” for the visitors

Mohammad Isam20-Apr-2025Shortly after the lunch break in Sylhet, Zimbabwe seamer Blessing Muzarabani broke Bangladesh’s back.He gave the Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto a thorough working-over, hammering him with one short ball after another. When Shanto meekly struck one to point, Zimbabwe could sense a chance at a comeback. By the time Muzarabani removed the Bangladesh deputy Mehidy Hasan Miraz with another superb bouncer, the home side were left reeling on the opening day of the Test series.Starting with Shanto’s dismissal, Bangladesh lost five wickets for 48 runs and were eventually bowled out 191 runs, handing Zimbabwe a big advantage. Muzarabani finished with three wickets, Victor Nyauchi had earlier removed both openers, while Wellington Masakadza and Madhevere shared the other five.Related

• Bangladesh and Zimbabwe hope for fresh start in Test cricket

• Muzarabani, Masakadza lead Zimbabwe's dominant opening day

The advantage was grabbed after lunch. Shanto lasted just nine balls post-lunch after tackling Muzarabani successfully before the break. Mehidy lasted just four balls before getting into a tangle against Muzarabani.Charl Langeveldt, Zimbabwe’s bowling coach, hailed his side for adapting to new lengths and using the bouncy conditions in Sylhet to their advantage.”It was a great day for Zimbabwe cricket,” Langeveldt said. “I think the bowlers were too short in the first session. They didn’t make the batters play enough. I told them to string a few overs together without giving away runs. We eventually removed Shanto, which led us to a mini-collapse. It was great for us. The spinners cleaned up the tail. It was a good, disciplined day.”Langeveldt said Nyauchi’s early breakthroughs happened because he bowled to the team’s plans of going slightly wide and full to the openers. “Got the two nicks,” he said, while describing the plan. “Blessing’s aggression and bounce caught them off guard. He has bowled well for us in the last few Tests. Aggression and hitting the right areas is important as the wicket has bounce and carry.”Bangladesh’s assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin felt that openers Shadman Islam and Mahmudul Hasan Joy were complacent against Nyauchi after seeing off the initial threat with the new ball. He also pointed at a technical issue with Joy’s standing position while saying Mehidy’s game against the short ball needed more work.”After playing out their good bowlers, they [the openers] crossed the tough time. When they saw a bowler with less pace, they took it easy. I think that was the big mistake,” Salahuddin said. “Joy stands on off-stump so he is defending a ball on the sixth stump. I think there’s a technical fault here, which we have to fix quickly,” said Salahuddin.”Shanto admitted it wasn’t a delivery to go after, but I think for Miraz to play better at this level, he has to improve against the short ball. West Indies attacked him there. Other teams will do the same.”Bangladesh’s bowlers bowled with “good heat” during a “challenging” final session, according to Langeveldt, when Zimbabwe batted in response to the hosts’ 191. But Zimbabwe openers Ben Curran and Brian Bennett finished at 67 for no loss in 14.1 overs – a near-perfect first day for any visiting side – asked to field first in Bangladesh – moving into day two of a Test.

And does Heather Knight hold the record for captaining the most women’s internationals?

Steven Lynch01-Apr-2025There were three innings of 97 in the space of two days last week, two in the IPL and one in a T20 international. Was this a first for T20s? asked Swaminathan Ramachandran from India
This was indeed a first. A score of 97 is fairly rare in T20 matches anyway – there had been only 53 such innings before last week’s rush. That started when Shreyas Iyer’s 97 not out helped Punjab Kings to victory over Gujarat Titans in the IPL in Ahmedabad on March 25. The following day, Tim Seifert matched that score as New Zealand beat Pakistan in Wellington, then Quinton de Kock also hit 97 not out as, back in the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati.As this list shows, there had never previously been a day with two 97s in T20 matches worldwide, and just two instances of two in the space of three days – February 22-24 in 2023, and October 12-14, 2022, when both 97s were by Saurashtra’s Samarth Vyas.Jofra Archer conceded 76 runs in his four overs the other day, which I read was a record for the IPL. Who held it before him? asked Avikesh Krishna from India
Those painful figures for Rajasthan Royals’ Jofra Archer – 4-0-76-0 – came in just the second match of this IPL, against Sunrisers in Hyderabad. His first over went for 23 (including four fours and a six from Travis Head), his second cost 12 (there were two fours from Nitish Kumar), the third 22 (three sixes from Ishan Kishan) and his last went for 19, plus four byes – it included three fours from Heinrich Klaasen, and another from Kishan.The man who’s probably relieved he no longer holds the IPL record for the costliest analysis is the Indian seamer Mohit Sharma, who leaked 73 runs in his four overs for Gujarat Titans against Delhi Capitals in Delhi in 2024. The only other bowler to concede 70 in an IPL match is Basil Thampi, against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru in 2018.There have been seven costlier analyses than Archer’s in all T20 matches. Right at the top is the unfortunate Musa Jobarteh, whose four overs cost 93 as Zimbabwe piled up a T20I record total of 344 for 4 against Gambia in a T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Nairobi in 2024.Hasan Nawaz started with 0, 0, 105*, 1, 0 in his debut series for Pakistan•AFP/Getty ImagesHasan Nawaz made a century against New Zealand in the T20I series, but also picked up three ducks. Was this a record? asked Nick Peterson from New Zealand
The new Pakistan opener Hasan Nawaz had a strange start to his international career in the recent T20 series in New Zealand: he started with two ducks, hit an undefeated 105 in the third match in Auckland, and rounded the series off by being out for 1 and 0.Only two men have made fewer than 106 runs in a T20 series in which they batted at least three times and also scored a century. South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw made 0 (out first ball), 0 (second) and 100 not out (from 48) against India in 2022. And the New Zealander Colin Munro made 0, 101 and 0 in a home series against Bangladesh in 2017. Chris Gayle’s 113 runs in five matches (four innings) in the 2016 T20 World Cup in India included 100 not out against England in West Indies’ first match, in Mumbai.Heather Knight has just been stood down as England’s captain after about ten years. Did she captain in more international matches than anyone else? asked Alan Varney from England
Heather Knight captained England for the first time in June 2016, and in all skippered in 199 matches – nine Tests, 94 ODIs and 96 T20Is. It turns out that the only person to captain in more women’s internationals is the lady she replaced: Charlotte Edwards skippered in 220 – ten Tests, 117 ODIs and 93 T20Is.Five other women have captained in more than 150 international matches: Mithali Raj 195 (eight Tests, a record 155 ODIs and 32 T20Is), Meg Lanning 182 (4/78/100), Harmanpreet Kaur 154 (3/28/123), Chamari Athapaththu 153 (0/53/100) and Suzie Bates 151 (0/79/72).The men’s record is held by MS Dhoni, who captained in 332 international matches (60 Tests, 200 ODIs and 72 T20Is). Ricky Ponting skippered in 324 (77/230/17) and Stephen Fleming in 303 (80/218/5).I was gobsmacked to discover that Len Hutton batted for 292 overs during the course of his 364, the Test record at the time. Was this the most in a Test? asked Richard Lyle from England
When Len Hutton made 364 against Australia at The Oval in August 1938, both his score and England’s 903 for 7 were Test records (since broken). Hutton was out not long after lunch on the third day: in all he batted for 797 minutes and faced 847 balls.The painstaking researches of the Australian statistician Charles Davis reveal that Hutton was out to the third ball of the 292nd over of the innings, bowled by the great legspinner Bill O’Reilly, who was sending down the 82nd of his eventual 85 overs. This was also a record at the time, but was surpassed nearly 20 years later when Hanif Mohammad batted for more than 16 hours in scoring 337 for Pakistan against West Indies in Bridgetown in January 1958. Ball-by-ball information for this match can no longer be found, but the best guess is that Hanif survived until the 312th over of the innings.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

He has the bouncer, he swings the ball, he also has the slower ball in his artillery. Can he be the next big thing in Indian fast bowling?

Deivarayan Muthu28-Sep-2025Gurjapneet Singh is yet to play an IPL or List A game, and has played just five T20s, but has bolted into the India A squad for the upcoming unofficial ODI series against Australia A in Kanpur from September 30. Having made his Ranji Trophy debut for Tamil Nadu last October, the left-arm quick has since had a stint with the senior India side as a net bowler, earned his maiden IPL gig, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and entered the BCCI’s pool of targeted fast bowlers.Things have happened quickly for Gurjapneet in the past year, but he has taken a long and winding road to get to India A. Born in Ludhiana in Punjab and raised in Ambala in Haryana, he moved to Chennai when he was around 17. After toiling away in Chennai’s sapping heat in league cricket for around seven years, the step up has been swift.Most recently, the 26-year-old emerged as the highest wicket-taker among seamers in the Duleep Trophy, with ten strikes in two games at an average of 24.10, including two four-wicket hauls.Related

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Patidar and Tilak to lead India A in one-dayers against Australia A

After months of missing out, Suthar makes his chance count

At six feet four inches, he hits the deck and generates extra bounce. He also swings the ball both ways. India’s selectors and even IPL franchises have cast their nets wide for tall fast bowlers in the recent past. Prasidh Krishna has graduated to the Test team while Punjab’s Gurnoor Brar has now been fast-tracked into the India A set-up along with Gurjapneet. Jammu & Kashmir’s tall fast bowler Yudhvir Singh Charak has also made the India A squad though his List A and first-class averages are not flash.In his short career at the senior level, Gurjapneet has dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara on Ranji Trophy debut, and Virat Kohli, albeit at the Chepauk nets when he was a support bowler during India’s Test series against Bangladesh last year. He’s now preparing to front up to some international batters from Australia in the unofficial ODI series.”My rhythm has been good in the Duleep Trophy and [I] have also been working with Troy Cooley and others in Bengaluru,” Gurjapneet tells ESPNcricinfo. “They spoke to me about the bowling approach in days’ cricket and one day-cricket and [the] mindset. I’ve also been doing my rehab and gym. Right now, I’m not thinking too much about who the batsman is or how the situation [at India A] will be. It’s important to follow your process and habits and just keep doing that.””I started bowling in TNPL and I was getting better day by day,” Gurjapneet says. “I’m getting the rhythm again. I also played a few league matches in Chennai before the Duleep Trophy. I was ready for the Duleep Trophy and right now mentally and physically I can say I’m getting better.”Gurjapneet has also been working on his batting and showed improvement there during TNPL 2025 where he clattered ten boundaries in 33 balls, including six sixes. He then played out 81 balls for 29 runs from No. 9 for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final.”Whatever the coaches suggested to me, like I was working with Mike Hussey also at CSK,” Gurjapneet says. “I then batted in the TNPL and even in my first Duleep match against North, I scored something like 29. It’s about adding to your game and contributing with the bat too. Hussey gave me some points and I’m also trying to get better at batting.”With a whirlwind year now under his belt, Gurjapneet is now ready for the step up against the Australians in Kanpur.