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تحدثت صحف نيوزيلندا عن مواجهة منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس العالم، نسخة 2026، وذلك حسب القرعة التي تمت اليوم في مركز “جون كينيدي” في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

وتستضيف كل من الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كندا والمكسيك نهائيات النسخة المقبلة من بطولة كأس العالم، في الفترة بين 11 يونيو و19 يوليو.

وتُعد تلك هي النسخة الأولى من بطولة كأس العالم، بعد استحداث نظامها، حيث سيشارك فيها 48 منتخبًا، سيتم تقسيمهم على 12 مجموعة، ويتأهل متصدر ووصيف كل مجموعة إلى دور الـ32، بالإضافة إلى أفضل 8 منتخبات في مركز ثالث.

وشهدت القرعة تواجد كل من: بلجيكا، مصر، إيران ونيوزيلندا في المجموعة السابعة في بطولة كأس العالم الصيف المقبل (لمطالعة التفاصيل كاملة عن القرعة من هنا).

وقالت صحيفة “rnz” النيوزيلندية: “وُضعت نيوزيلندا ضمن أسهل المجموعات الاثنتي عشرة في بطولة العالم العام المقبل، على الرغم من أنها ستظل من غير المرشحين للتأهل إلى مرحلة خروج المغلوب لأول مرة في تاريخها، لقد تجنبت نيوزيلندا بعضًا من الفرق الكبيرة في كرة القدم، لكنها ستواجه صعوبة بالغة في مواجهة بلجيكا، المصنفة ثامنًا، وإيران، المصنفة 20، ومصر، المصنفة 34”.

وأضافت: “صُنفت مصر من بين أقوى الفرق في المستوى الثالث، مما يعني أنه لا يوجد فريق يقارب نيوزيلندا في ترتيبها المتدني نسبيًا، ولعب منتخب نيوزيلندا ضد مصر في مارس من العام الماضي، وخسر بنتيجة 1-0 في مباراة تنافسية في القاهرة حُسمت بركلة جزاء مثيرة للجدل، على الرغم من أن الفريق الإفريقي كان بدون نجمه محمد صلاح، مهاجم ليفربول”.

في حين قالت صحيفة “1news” بعد القرعة: “سيواجه منتخب نيوزيلندا بلجيكا ومصر وإيران في كأس العالم 2026! لقد احتفظوا بأفضل ما لديهم للنهاية، حيث كانت نيوزيلندا آخر منتخب تم سحب ورقته، ستكون بلجيكا، المصنفة ثامنًا، خصمًا صعبًا للنيوزيلنديين، لكن من بين فرق المستوى الأول، هذه ليست أسوأ قرعة، بينما سيواجه محمد صلاح، جناح مصر وليفربول، منتخب نيوزيلندا في المجموعة نفسها”.

بينما قالت صحيفة “thepress” عن القرعة نفسها: “سيخوض منتخب نيوزيلندا مواجهات قوية مع بلجيكا ومصر وإيران في كأس العالم لكرة القدم العام المقبل، حيث سيواجه إيران أولًا يوم 16 يونيو ثم مصر 22 وبلجيكا 27”.

Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways on Tuesday night when they secured an impressive 4-0 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League, after their defeat to Chelsea at the weekend.

Thomas Frank’s side put in, arguably, their best performance of the 2025/26 campaign as they created a whopping eight ‘big chances’ to find the back of the net.

That is the most ‘big chances’ the Lilywhites have created in a single game under the former Brentford head coach, per Sofascore, and they did so despite going down to ten men when Brennan Johnson was sent off.

Spurs are yet to find consistency in their creative play in the Premier League, though, as they rank 12th for ‘big chances’ created (17) and 15th for xG (10.1), per Sofascore and FBref.

Frank needs to find a way for his team to create chances in the way that they did against Copenhagen on a regular basis in the Premier League to improve those rankings.

The North London outfit rarely used to have a problem with creating chances when they had Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen in their side.

Why Spurs need their next Christian Eriksen

The Lilywhites need their next version of the Denmark international, who is currently at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, because he provided a consistent creative presence in the middle of the park.

Signed from Ajax in 2013, Eriksen hit double figures for assists in four of his seven Premier League campaigns with Spurs, per Transfermarkt, which speaks to his consistency in the final third.

The right-footed playmaker produced 69 goals and 88 assists in 305 matches for the club in total before his departure in the summer of 2020. He offered a goalscoring threat to go along with his impressive creativity.

The former Manchester United central midfielder is, undoubtedly, one of the most creative players to have worn a Spurs shirt in the Premier League era.

Only Heung-min Son (71) has assisted more Premier League goals for Tottenham than Eriksen (63), but he played 107 more matches to assist eight more goals, per Transfermarkt.

Heung-min Son

71

Christian Eriksen

63

Aaron Lennon

49

Harry Kane

46

Dele Alli

34

Robbie Keane

31

Gareth Bale

27

Erik Lamela

23

Dimitar Berbatov

22

Jermaine Defoe

22

Eriksen’s eye for a pass and ability to execute all kinds of passes made him a constant threat with the ball at his feet and a joy to play with for any forward with intelligent movement, because they knew that he would be able to find them.

The Danish maestro had the quality to create high-quality chances on a regular basis, as evidenced by his impressive assist haul for the club, and that is what Spurs need in the Premier League in the present day.

Frank, though, does have a player within his Tottenham squad who has the potential to be Eriksen 2.0 for the Lilywhites this season, and beyond.

Chalkboard

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

Dutch attacking midfielder Xavi Simons put in an impressive performance against Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and showed that he does have the quality to be the club’s next Eriksen if he can add consistency to his performances.

Why Xavi Simons can be Tottenham's new Christian Eriksen

The Netherlands international created three ‘big chances’ in the first half of the 4-0 win, the most by any Spurs player in a Champions League match for the best part of a decade.

Per Sofascore, the former RB Leipzig star ended the night with four key passes, three ‘big chances’ created, and one assist in 61 minutes of action, before he was withdrawn after Brennan Johnson’s red card.

The Dutchman registered his assist by playing a brilliant through ball for Johnson to race onto and slot into an empty net after dribbling past the goalkeeper.

After the win over Copenhagen, Spurs writer and content creator Mitch Fretton claimed that Xavi is “going to be an elite player for Tottenham”, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment, despite his rocky start in the Premier League.

The £52m signing from RB Leipzig has yet to set the world alight since his move from Germany, as he has produced no goals and one assist in the top-flight so far.

xG

0.28

Bottom 20%

Goals

0.00

Bottom 3%

Shots on target

1

Bottom 13%

xA

0.60

Top 46%

Assists

1

Top 46%

Chances created

6

Top 49%

As you can see in the table above, Xavi has yet to provide consistent quality in the final third in the Premier League, but his performance against Copenhagen was a glimpse at what he can produce at his best.

The 22-year-old star assisted 11 goals in 48 matches for PSV and racked up 24 assists in 78 appearances for RB Leipzig, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has provided consistent quality as a creator for his previous clubs.

Xavi also scored 22 goals each for PSV and RB Leipzig in that time, before his move to Spurs, and can offer a threat as a scorer as well as being a creator when he is on form.

Frank will now be hoping that his brilliant creative display against Copenhagen will allow him to kick on and make an impact in the final third on a consistent basis.

As good as Simons: 8/10 star had his "best performance in a Spurs shirt"

Spurs put in their best display under Thomas Frank yet against Copenhagen in the Champions League.

ByDan Emery Nov 5, 2025

If the Dutch playmaker can replicate the level of consistency he showed at PSV and Leipzig, Spurs could unlock their next version of Eriksen in the middle of the park.

Harshit Rana has been pulled up and has had a demerit point added to his disciplinary record for his gesture at Dewald Brevis after dismissing the batter, which was a breach of the ICC’s code of conduct, in the first India vs South Africa ODI in Ranchi on Sunday.In a statement on Wednesday, the day of the second ODI, ICC said Rana’s gesture “breached Article 2.5” of the code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter”. It was Rana’s first offence in a 24-month period.A level 1 breach such as this carries a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.Related

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The incident took place in the 22nd over of South Africa’s chase of India’s 349, when Rana dismissed Brevis caught at deep point by Ruturaj Gaikwad and pointed in the direction of the dressing room.Brevis fell at a crucial juncture in the game when South Africa were 130 in the 22nd over and he was in a strong-looking partnership with Matthew Breetzke, who was South Africa’s top-scorer with 72. Rana had earlier sent back Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock and finished with 3 for 65. Virat Kohli had earlier scored 135 in 120 balls – a record 52nd ODI century for him – to headline India’s batting effort after South Africa had won the toss and inserted them.Rana admitted to the offence after the charge was levelled by on-field umpires Jayaraman Madanagopal and Sam Nogajski, third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Rohan Pandit.

The defeat all but ended Sydney Thunder’s qualification hopes

AAP30-Nov-2025An Ellyse Perry masterclass has catapulted the Sydney Sixers back into the WBBL’s top four, with the allrounder leading her side to a crucial win over the Thunder.Chasing 175 for victory on Sunday, Perry scored an unbeaten 77 to take the Sixers to victory with six wickets and five balls to spare.The result all but ends the Thunder’s finals hopes, after a season where they have won just two of their seven completed games.On a crucial day in the WBBL’s finals race, Adelaide Strikers also kept their finals hopes alive with a last-over victory over the winless Brisbane Heat.The victory left them equal on eight points with the Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers, with all three teams having two games to play. The Sixers are one point ahead in third with a game in hand, with the four sides now seemingly battling for the last two spots in the finals.Seemingly down and out when bowled out for 42 against the second-placed Melbourne Stars 10 days ago, the Sixers have not lost since.After Heather Knight (65) and Anika Learoyd (43) rescued the Thunder from 58 for 4 at the end of the 10th over to post 174 for 6, Perry took charge in front of a crowd of 5024.She hit Sam Bates for two big sixes down the ground, including one that landed next to the famous Fig Tree at one end of North Sydney Oval.The veteran also charged quick Shabnim Ismail and hit her over long-on, with Perry rarely looking troubled in her 44-ball 77.Englishwoman Sophia Dunkley also hit 44 up top for the Sixers, while Alyssa Healy provided a quickfire 33 before perishing late.

Essex 295 for 2 (Walter 158, Elgar 111*) trail Somerset 433 (Goldsworthy 100, Overton 60, Porter 3-66, Bennett 3-73) by 138 runsPaul Walter exerted total mastery over Somerset’s flagging bowlers as his highest first-class score of 158 eased Essex closer to safety in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.The left-hander was barely troubled as he combined perfect timing with seeing everything clearly and early while spraying the ball around Chelmsford with an air of supreme confidence. For much of his 167-ball innings he outscored his opening partner, the former South Africa captain Dean Elgar, two to one as the first-wicket pair compiled a stand of 277 in 61 overs. At the close Essex were 295 for 2.Elgar, too, reached a second century of the season but was content to play second fiddle while Walter pulled, drove and flicked with nonchalant ease 21 fours and three sixes. Elgar contributed 16 fours and a six in his unbeaten 212-ball 111.Somerset’s first-innings 433 had looked formidable until Essex made mincemeat of it in an emphatic response. That Somerset had achieved as many as they did was latterly down to Lewis Goldsworthy’s four-hour and 21-minute century that took 193 balls. He was last man out, a third wicket on debut for seamer Charlie Bennett, who finished with 3 for 73.When it was their turn, Somerset struggled to get any response out of a docile pitch and had tried seven bowlers to no avail by the 29th over. They spent two sessions literally chasing shadows on a sunny autumn day.Essex survived two overs before lunch and immediately afterwards Elgar punched back-to-back drives past mid-off for fours off Craig Overton. It set the tone for the rest of the day as they rattled along at above four-and-a-half runs an over.Walter was the most aggressive from the start, at one point lofting Archie Vaughan straight down the ground for four and cutting Lewis Gregory for another to reach a 54-ball fifty. An off-drive for his 13th boundary took Essex to three-figures in only 21 overs.Walter motored along at more than double the rate of his fellow left-hander. His dominance was summed up when he launched Jack Leach for six over long-off and next ball rocked on to his back foot to drive the spinner through the covers for four.When Walter reached his century from exactly 100 balls just before tea, having plundered 16 fours, Elgar was stuck on 49 from 10 balls more. It took Elgar a further dozen balls after tea to reach his fifty, courtesy of an angled shot backward of square off Kasey Aldridge and celebrated by lofting Vaughan straight back over the bowler’s head for six. Walter could not resist following suit and bounced down the wicket in the same over for another maximum.Walter’s third six, pulling Leach over square leg, took him past his previous highest score. His 150 took 154 balls, while Elgar’s 54th first-class century was reached in 184 balls.Walter eventually departed seven overs from stumps to a stupendous tumbling catch at midwicket by Goldsworthy off Overton, who also accounted for nightwatchman Simon Harmer before the close.To emphasis the unresponsiveness of the hybrid wicket, it took Essex an hour and three-quarters to winkle out the last four Somerset wickets while conceding a further 94 runs. Overton recorded a second successive fifty, and a third of the season, from the 54th ball he faced. But he fell to a ball in Harmer’s first over of the day that spun past his outstretched leg and bowled him between bat and pad after a partnership with Goldsworthy worth 98 in 20 overs.Another bowling change prefaced another wicket when Leach nibbled at one from Bennett to provide substitute wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes with a fourth catch. Gregory swept Harmer for six during a brief appearance but attempted a repeat next ball and top-edged to short fine leg.Goldsworthy made it to three-figures just in time, pushing a quick single off Harmer, but departed two balls later when he swung Bennett to deep square leg.

Celtic are considering appointing Nicky Hayen as their next manager and a new update has now emerged regarding their pursuit of the Belgian.

Hayen has been mentioned as one of the leading contenders to replace Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead, with the Northern Irishman departing last week. The 45-year-old has been very open about potentially leaving his role in charge of Brugge, hinting that he would be keen on coming in as the new Celtic boss.

Hayen is far from the only option for Celtic, however, with Martin O’Neill thought to be open to the idea of staying in charge of the Hoops for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, should the club’s owners like that idea.

The likes of Lee Carsley, Kieran McKenna and Damien Duff have all been linked with the job, too, as the Scottish Premiership champions look to nail their appointment and claw back the deficit on Hearts in the title race.

Celtic willing to offer Hayen big wages

According to Voetbal Nieuws [via Sport Witness], Celtic will try to “lure” Hayen away from Brugge with a high salary, and have knocked on his door. The Hoops are trying to use “money, prestige, and the lure of Glasgow” to bring him to Parkhead, with his current club hesitant to allow him to leave without receiving plenty of compensation.

It is easy to see why Hayen is a leading contender to be Celtic’s next manager, with the Belgian averaging 2.03 points per game across 80 matches in charge of Brugge. He also won the league title with them in 2023/24, and the Belgian Cup last season, showing that the Hoops would be bringing in a manager who knows how to win trophies.

Hayen’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation isn’t dissimilar to Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system, meaning Celtic’s players shouldn’t find it too difficult to make the adjustment, and at 45, he is still a young manager who would bring vibrancy to Parkhead.

Postecoglou 2.0: Celtic looking at hiring "box-office" McKenna alternative

With Ange Postecoglou unlikely to return to Celtic, should the Hoops appoint a “box office” title-winning manager instead of Kieran McKenna?

By
Ben Gray

Nov 1, 2025

There may be a temptation to give O’Neill the job until the end of the season, but if Hayen makes himself available very soon, he should be looked at as a great option.

Celtic are looking at hiring "box-office" alternative to Nicky Hayen

India’s captain said she always had belief in her team even when things got tough in the World Cup

Sruthi Ravindranath03-Nov-2025

Harmanpreet Kaur sprints off after taking the final catch of the tournament•ICC/Getty Images

If the semi-final win against Australia was emotional – captain Harmanpreet Kaur was unable to hold back tears in the dugout – the day India finally lifted their first-ever Women’s World Cup was filled with nothing but smiles. A beaming Harmanpreet walked into the press conference room, bringing the trophy along. The emotion this time was of a different kind, like the buzz of a dream realised. And the one word she kept returning to was “self-belief”.One of the first questions, inevitably, was about the feeling of finally touching a trophy that had long eluded India.”I’m just trying to express what I’m feeling. I’m numb, I’m not able to understand,” Harmanpreet said. “So, it’s just that there were ups and downs, but the team had self-belief. I’ve been saying this since day one. We weren’t looking to the left or right. We were only looking at our main end goal.Related

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“We felt we could win from the first ball itself because the way our team was playing in the last three games, a lot of things changed for us, especially our self-belief. We have played good cricket for a long time. We knew what we could do as a team. We knew there would be tough conditions for batting, but credit goes to Smriti [Mandhana] and Shafali [Verma]; they handled the first 10 overs very well.”There was laughter, too. Harmanpreet’s luck with the toss hadn’t improved all tournament – she won one in nine attempts – and she lost it again on the day of the final. “From the first ball itself, I had the belief that it doesn’t matter – because we don’t normally win the toss – we knew we had to bat first,” she said, smiling.There was belief, but there were also nerves. Laura Wolvaardt’s century had kept South Africa in the chase before her dismissal in the 42nd over finally swung momentum India’s way.”Our aim was simple. We knew that if we thought of a big target, we would come under pressure,” Harmanpreet said. “The main thing was to keep batting and keep playing our game. We tried to score 300 runs on the board; we were one run short. But after that, I think we came onto the field as a strong unit. Whenever we needed it, we got a breakthrough. It was a very good match.”It seems easy to say now, but there was a lot of tension in between when they were batting – like Laura, she was not giving a chance. But at the end of the day, I’m feeling great. I don’t know how to express it, but I’m just trying to tell you what I’m feeling.”After the final wicket fell – fittingly, with Harmanpreet taking the catch – India took a victory lap around a roaring DY Patil Stadium. At one point, former India players Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra joined the team and were handed the trophy. Goswami was in tears as she embraced Harmanpreet and a few other team-mates in the middle.Pratika Rawal gets off her wheelchair to celebrate with her team-mates•ICC/Getty Images

“Jhulan was my biggest support,” Harmanpreet said, when asked what it meant to share that moment with former players. “When I joined the team, she was leading it. She always supported me in my early days when I was very raw and didn’t know much about cricket. Anjum , too. Both of them have been a great support for me. I’m very grateful that I got to share a special moment with them. It was a very emotional moment. I think we all were waiting for this. Finally, we were able to touch this trophy.”The campaign itself had been a deeply emotional one. Harmanpreet revealed how injuries to Yastika Bhatia and Pratika Rawal had left the dressing room in tears.”When she [Pratika] got injured, everybody was crying…yet, everybody was so positive. Everyone was thinking that our end goal was this trophy. We had to keep working hard day and night. And this is the result.”India’s journey through the tournament was far from smooth. Two early wins were followed by three straight losses – to South Africa, Australia and England – before a recovery against New Zealand sealed their semi-final berth. Beating Australia in the semi-final was the breakthrough they needed.”The last month has been very interesting,” Harmanpreet said. “It’s very rare that things don’t go according to your plan, and yet you stay so positive. After that day [the loss against England], a lot changed for us. Every time, we cannot go on repeating the same things. We had to come with a strong mind.”That defeat to England proved transformative. The squad turned inward, working on visualisation and meditation sessions to refocus.”That night changed a lot for us,” she added. “It had an impact on everyone. We were more prepared for the World Cup. We started visualisation and meditation. That showed we were here for something, and this time we had to do it.”There have been parallels drawn between this and India’s men’s World Cup win in 1983. For a side that had reached finals and semi-finals but always fallen just short, Harmanpreet saw this win as the long-awaited shift Indian women’s cricket.DY Patil Stadium was a sea of blue on Sunday•ICC/Getty Images

“We have been talking about this for many years – we’ve been playing good cricket, but we had to win one big tournament. Without that, we couldn’t talk about change…we were waiting badly for this moment, and today we got a chance to live it. I don’t know how to express it, but I’m so happy and so proud of this team.”When the final wicket fell, Harmanpreet sprinted across the field, embracing each of her team-mates in celebration. But the longest hug was reserved for Smriti Mandhana, her partner across 106 ODIs.”I’ve played many World Cups with her [Mandhana]. Every time we lost, we went home heartbroken and stayed quiet for a few days. When we returned, we always said, ‘we have to start again from ball one’. It was heartbreaking because we played so many World Cups – reaching finals, semi-finals, and sometimes not even that far. We were always thinking, when will we break this?”The 39,555-strong Navi Mumbai crowd stayed through a two-hour rain delay, unrelenting in their chants for the home side. The DY Patil Stadium, which had hosted several women’s international and WPL fixtures, and long seen as the home of women’s cricket in India, once again proved a lucky venue. Harmanpreet also shared an anecdote about how the side felt relieved when the venue had changed from Bengaluru to Navi Mumbai in August.”As soon as we got to know that our venue had been changed to DY Patil Stadium, we all got so happy because we’ve always played good cricket there. We said, ‘We’ve come home now, and we’ll start fresh.’ We didn’t want to look back at previous World Cups, we left them there. The new World Cup had just started.”Celebrations stretched late into the night. After the victory lap and presentations, the team stayed on the ground with friends and family before heading to their hotel with a procession.”We’ve been waiting for this moment. The celebration will go on all night. And then let’s see what BCCI is planning for us,” Harmanpreet quipped.

Bangladesh’s spinners wrested back control from Ireland at stumps on the first day of the Sylhet Test. The visitors lost their way after a strong first session, ending the day on 270 for 8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took three wickets while Hasan Murad, the debutant left-arm spinner, picked up two wickets.Ireland started losing their way in the middle session as they went from 96 for 1 to 184 for 4. Four more fell in the last session as they ended the first day in a disappointing note. Paul Stirling and debutant Cade Carmichael had given Ireland a bright start with a 96-run second-wicket stand. Stirling, opening for the second time in his career, made 60, with a dominant display through square on the off-side. He struck seven of his nine boundaries through that region.The 22-year-old Carmichael was composed in his first day of Test cricket, batting confidently in his 59. Stirling and Carmichael struck fifties while Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker got out in the forties. Towards the end of the day, the 19-year-old debutant Jordan Neill impressed with his drives in his unbeaten 30.Bangladesh had to wait for about half an hour in the last session to get their first breakthrough. But once they had removed Campher, who struck six boundaries including two sixes in his 94-ball 44, Bangladesh made more headways into the Ireland innings.Campher, who was caught at slip, was Murad’s first Test wicket. It was followed by the wicket of Tucker, who was beaten by Murad’s flight and stumped for 41 off 80 balls. Tucker was looking good and hit three fours and two sixes, but he got sucked into an aggressive false shot by Murad. Mehidy got the big wicket of Andy McBrine, also stumped, for five.Ireland however fought back with the eighth wicket stand between Neill and Barry McCarthy, who added 48 runs till the end of the day. Neill made 30 with three fours and a six before falling on the last ball of the day.Bangladesh could have had a much better start to the day, had they held on to three chances in successive overs in the morning. Stirling was dropped twice, at slip and gully, while Taijul Islam spilled Carmichael’s chance at short square-leg. All of this happened betwen overs 4 and 7.Already a wicket down and with Bangladesh creating regular chances, Stirling and Carmichael rode out the difficult period. They found regular boundaries, particularly Stirling cracking numerous hits through backward point. Carmichael was circumspect during the first session, hitting three boundaries.Ireland started losing their way in the middle session. Nahid Rana removed the well-set Stirling in the first over after lunch, getting caught at second slip. Mehidy Hasan Miraz trapped Harry Tector lbw for one in the next over, before Carmichael reached his fifty off 110 balls. Miraz however removed him for 59. Najmul Hossain Shanto then dropped Lorcan Tucker on 11 late in the second session.

For the first five years, Rohit struggled to cement his place in the side. For the next five, he was among the finest batters in the world

Sidharth Monga08-May-20252:16

Kumble: Straight from the heart, that’s Rohit Sharma

The last act of Rohit Sharma the Test batter and captain will remain sitting out of the Sydney Test. The writing had been on the wall from the time he conceded he didn’t consider himself good enough – or in good enough form – to be one of the five best Test batters in the country. It is a move highly uncharacteristic of an elite cricketer. They get there in the first place by living in denial of any limitation. A comeback from there is unheard of. If at all, it had to come through substantial evidence of a return to form in domestic cricket.There were indications that Rohit didn’t see the end coming. In a recent interview with former Australia captain Michael Clarke, he said he looked forward to leading the attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in England. It is unfortunate that the eventual announcement of retirement was a summary, likely a reaction to the breaking of news that the selectors had officially communicated to the BCCI that they were ready to name a new captain.How you choose to end your career, how you convey to the world that you will no longer wear the cap you worked so hard for and cherished, is a deeply personal thing. Ideally, your hand should never be forced on that. Not in the middle of the IPL when your team is alive in the competition.Related

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Gill leads the race for India's next Test captain after Rohit's retirement

Rohit announces retirement from Test cricket

Some might say this imperfect end is in nice symmetry with an imperfect career. A career whose start was stalled for three years because minutes before the toss in what was supposed to be his debut Test, he stepped on a team-mate’s foot when going for a rocketball and injured himself.Rohit might have found it tough to get in, but once he was in, selectors and team managements moved heaven and earth to accommodate him. It was no favour to him, of course. They saw a high ceiling in him, which, if realised, would help India win more games. Higher than Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, one of whom would be left out for him.Outside the two centuries in his debut series against West Indies, Rohit wasn’t really able to vindicate the decision-makers for five years. In the 27 Tests that he played in this period, he averaged 39.62 when the average top-six batter in matches that he played went at 38.02. A team playing just five specialist batters wanted someone more than just average. That Rohit was strictly average confounded everyone, fans and outside observers included.Rohit Sharma’s last act as Test captain was dropping himself•Getty ImagesWhen thrown another – final, most likely – lifeline, something clicked for Rohit. Opening the innings brought out the best in him. For the next five years and a bit, Rohit was India’s best Test batter, and among the finest in the world. Only three batters in the world scored more hundreds than him in this period; none of them opened the innings.In this period, Rohit averaged 50.03 when the average top-six batter in Tests that he played went at 41.97. These were the returns everybody hoped for when making way for him. The 2021 tour of England was his absolute peak. He played 866 balls, and left alone 182 of them. He didn’t score off 680 balls, about as many balls as he had ever faced in a series previously.England 2021 was a perfect mix of skill, endurance and discipline in consistently challenging conditions. While he could never repeat this kind of feat of endurance, Rohit dominated bowlers in this period, even on treacherous turners in India. When he scored runs, he did so quickly, giving the bowlers time to win matches. All his 12 Test hundreds resulted in a win. No one has scored these many hundreds all in a win. Nearly 70% of his Test runs came in wins.When the other batters of his age group started to dip, when the spinners started to get on, Rohit the batter played a big role in sustaining India’s unbeaten series streak at home. In this dominant period, Rohit averaged 54.43 at home when the average top-six batter managed only 34.47 in these Tests. At home he was like Virender Sehwag – incidentally the only Indian to have hit more Test sixes than Rohit’s 88 – but in 2021 he also showed the promise of being able to bat like Rahul Dravid when away.Rohit Sharma hit 88 sixes in Test cricket. Only Virender Sehwag hit more for India•BCCIAlas, it was too good to last. His body didn’t cooperate. He was able to play just 32 of the 47 Tests India played during his best years. The itch was there now that he had tasted success. He made what seemed like an improbable return to fitness and spent a week locked up in a flat just to be able to play two Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy of 2020-21.As a leader, Rohit put a tense dressing room at ease. As a captain on the field, he didn’t fiddle with the winning formula he inherited. If anything, he tried to attack even more, but as his own game fell off a cliff, so did India’s fortunes. In his last eight Tests, Rohit averaged a little under 11. When he missed one Test and his replacement opener did well, he didn’t do what he would have done what elite players do: take back that spot. First signs perhaps that he knew his game was not elite anymore.Many coaches and captains tell their players that when all is said and done, people don’t instinctively remember your stats or trophies, but how you made them feel. It might be a little truer in Rohit’s case than in some others. For the first five years of his Test career, Rohit divided opinion: his backers felt he didn’t get enough consecutive chances, others saw injustice for Pujara and Rahane.What made us forget that was the next five years and a bit. During that period, Rohit made us feel batting was easier than it actually was, in arguably the toughest era for batting. Even when he was actually grinding out ugly runs in England. It felt like it was late morning on a late February Sunday when he batted. That everything was pleasant. That there was time at hand. Just like that late February idyll, there could have been more of it.

From 25 for 3, James Rew and Tom Abell set a new Somerset record for the fourth wicket

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay29-Jul-2025Somerset 338 for 4 (Rew 162*, Abell 156, Abbas 3-49) vs Nottinghamshire Centuries from James Rew and Tom Abell in a county record partnership enabled Somerset to take an opening-day advantage over Nottinghamshire in the clash between second and third in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship, closing on 338 for four.Rew (162 not out) and Abell, who fell for a career-best 156 moments before the close, added 313 in 81 overs, overtaking the 310 shared by Peter Denning and Ian Botham against Gloucestershire at Taunton in 1980 as Somerset’s biggest fourth-wicket stand.It was all the more impressive for Somerset having been two wickets down in three overs without a run on the board when Rew walked to the crease, and 25 for 3 when he was joined by Abell.Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas – who reached the milestone of 800 first-class victims – took all three wickets in a difficult first hour for the visitors after losing the toss but they were the only successes for the Nottinghamshire attack until the final minutes of the day.Rew earned a call-up to the England squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May after two centuries in the first month of the season. The 21-year-old did not make the cut on that occasion but senior international recognition must surely come in time.Nottinghamshire began this round of matches – the 11th of 14 – a point behind leaders and defending champions Surrey, with Somerset third after their victory over Durham last week.Somerset’s painful beginning to the day saw Abbas remove Lewis Gregory and Tom Lammonby in his first and second overs, the captain leg before offering no shot to a delivery he clearly judged would slide harmlessly past his off stump before Lammonby, with only defensive intent, nicked to second slip.Under heavy cloud cover after a damp early morning, conditions looked ideal for the veteran Abbas. Haseeb Hameed, the Nottinghamshire captain, duly gave him an extended spell while the Kookaburra ball retained its hardness.He was rewarded again, finding the outside edge of Josh Davey’s straight bat. With this dismissal, Abbas totalled 800 first-class wickets, 284 of them in the English county game.Somerset were in some trouble, but Rew had already shown a glimpse of his class when he drove Abbas to the cover boundary and pulled him for four in the same over with two high-quality strokes. More would follow.As batting became easier, Abell began to look as assured as his partner, the two adding 65 in what remained of the opening session, which proved to be a platform from which they dominated the afternoon.Rew, who reached 51 from 75 balls with his first scoring shot of the afternoon, lofting left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White clear of the straight boundary in front of the currently shrouded pavilion, went to a century – his third of the season – from 138, adding two more sixes to the shorter side of the playing area off Calvin Harrison, the leg spinner. Other than an edge off Patterson-White on 92, the ball looping out of even the tall Harrison’s reach at slip, he had looked in complete control.By tea, Abell having completed his first hundred of the year, Somerset had added 137 for no loss to be 227 for 3 and Nottinghamshire, though there had been signs of turn, needed some inspiration.Thereafter, Rew’s touch seemed a little less sure, both batters comparatively quiet as the Nottinghamshire spinners gained some control.They attacked the second new ball with some success, although Rew, cutting vigorously, survived a half-chance to second slip off Brett Hutton on 148 before going to 150 from 239 balls.Abell in turn reached 151 from 245 balls, setting the partnership record with two into the offside off Dillon Pennington, before falling to a top-edged pull off the same bowler, after which only two more deliveries were possible before failing light forced the players off 15 balls before the scheduled close.