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Old-school knock steers tricky chase and makes it goodnight, Bangladesh

S Sudarshanan07-Oct-20253:25

Knight to the fore as England overcome spirited Bangladesh

Heather Knight was drenched in sweat. Two days in a row. Once under lights, once under the hot, baking afternoon sun.In each of the two training sessions England had before their Women’s World Cup 2025 match against Bangladesh, Knight batted long and worked particularly hard on getting her sweep shots right. She faced a mix of throwdowns and net bowlers bowling left-arm spin, offspin and legspin. All that effort culminated in her Player-of-the-Match effort of 79 not out off 111 balls on Tuesday, which headlined England’s jailbreak.On match eve, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana had called upon her team to “show our capabilities so that teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us”. It was only the second time Bangladesh were playing England in an ODI. Her team-mates responded by reducing England to 78 for 5 and 103 for 6 in defence of 178. Marufa Akter once again set the tone with a fiery new-ball spell, accounting for both the English openers. She had Knight twice but the DRS came to the former captain’s aid on both occasions. Then the spinners, led by leggie Fahima Khatun, applied the squeeze.Related

• Heather Knight: Hamstrung no longer after slow road to recovery

• 'At first look, I thought it was out' – Knight on the catching reprieve

• Knight scraps to help England overcome Bangladesh scare

The track at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati wasn’t the most batting-friendly. It had a darkish look to it, played a little slow and aided spinners without really turning square. In Knight’s words, it was the “inconsistency of the turn” that made life tough for the batters. The wickets were proof, in that none of the England batters actually fell for spin.Nat Sciver-Brunt shunted a full toss straight to midwicket. Sophia Dunkley played down the wrong line, was beaten on the inside and out lbw. Emma Lamb was done in by the dip and miscued one to mid-on. Alice Capsey missed her shot across the line with an angled bat and was trapped leg before.Only Knight was able to apply what she thoroughly practised. This was Knight’s first international innings after returning from a hamstring injury and first in ODIs since January. She was in at the start of the second over and, understandably, a bit slow to start off. The hallmark of her innings was that she was willing to bide her time. She was willing to go old-school since the conditions demanded. For a large part of her innings, her strike rate hovered under the 50 mark; she did not score on 24 of her first 26 balls and on 65 of her 111.Heather Knight uses the sweep against spin•Getty Images”[I] didn’t find it my most fluent [knock], particularly at the start,” Knight said. “It was just a case of trying to get through. The conditions were tricky; obviously. Marufa got a huge amount of swing at the start. She was really tricky and [I] just tried to find a method just to get through the period.”I knew that if we had a set batter that was able to bat through, I probably had to be a little bit more attritional than I would have liked. I started to find my feet and my rhythm in that middle period, which was really nice. The hardest thing sometimes coming back from injury is that the rhythm of batting in the middle can take a little bit of time to get back. Delighted that I was able to spend a little bit of time out there, get through that pressure.”Since they played Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur in 2019, England had not played an ODI in the subcontinent up until this World Cup. It was down to Knight’s experience and muscle memory: it was her 28th ODI in this part of the world. She used the sweep to telling effect to score 14 off five balls using the traditional sweep, and a four with the one reverse sweep when England were in sight of their target. A couple of fours she hit against legspinner Shorna Akter stood out – when she rolled her wrists to get the ball behind square and then when she used her reach to nail the shot in front of square. When the sweep was out of question, she charged down the track to launch the bowler in the ‘V’.”It was really hard to pierce the off-side ring,” Knight said. “[It] felt like I had to take a few risks and get the feet going. The sweep shot is obviously one that’s really strong for me and when the bowling is a little bit slower, not a huge amount of pace on the ball, it can be one that I go to. Picking what works for which bowler [matters], so some of the left-armers it felt a lot easier to go down the ground. Being really clear on what I was going to sweep, what I was going to hit down the ground and when I had to soak up pressure and trust my defence as well [was important].”England had an inkling of what to expect after flexing their spin mettle in the afternoon. Their spinners, led by Sophie Ecclestone, had picked up nine of the ten Bangladesh wickets and Knight knew it was “going to be hard work”. Yet, it came down to a good Knight knock for England to have a good night in Guwahati.

West Ham chiefs have now been told exactly what they need to complete a deal for AC Milan striker Santiago Gimenez in January, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s side in the market for another centre-forward as Niclas Füllkrug packs his bags.

The Hammers are stepping up their pursuit of a number nine ahead of the winter transfer window, with Fullkrug set to depart as the injury-ridden German international seeks a new chapter (Fabrizio Romano).

Fullkrug, according to multiple reliable media sources, is exploring options to leave, with talks already happening, after having struggled with injuries and a lack of overall form since his move from Borussia Dortmund last year. His impending departure has intensified the need for attacking reinforcements, with Nuno apparently keen to bolster his forward options following a difficult start to the campaign.

The East London club have “already” begun scouring the market for potential targets (Fabrizio Romano), and West Ham are reportedly keeping an eye on Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee as a potential reinforcement, among others.

West Ham’s results in the Premier League so far

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

West Ham have been linked with Palmeiras striker Vitor Roque and explored a loan move for Real Madrid’s Endrick, before Lyon swooped in to take command in the race for his signature as the Ligue 1 giants press ahead with a deal.

Additionally, Gimenez has emerged as a target for West Ham too.

The Mexico international, who scored for fun in the Eredivisie and even once commanded an £88 million price tag, hasn’t managed to carry on that form at the San Siro since making his eventual £28 million move to Milan earlier this year.

Gimenez has managed just seven goals in 30 total appearances for the Rossoneri, and Milan chiefs may now green-light a mid-season departure for the 24-year-old, who had previously starred under Arne Slot at Feyenoord.

The North American racked up 26 goals in 41 appearances in Slot’s final season at Feyenoord, and finished the previous campaign as their top scorer whilst firing them to the title that year.

Interestingly, Milan are believed to be interested in Fullkrug as a replacement for Gimenez, with the prospect of a swap deal even touted in the press very recently.

West Ham told Santiago Gimenez deal conditions as Fullkrug swap deal mooted

While the possibility of a swap deal or even part-exchange is apparently there, a report by Calciomercato has detailed exactly what David Sullivan needs to do to make a deal happen.

According to their information, West Ham’s hopes of securing Gimenez in January hinge on meeting strict conditions set by the Italian giants.

Milan will only consider selling for a permanent transfer fee of at least £22 million, and crucially, the deal must come from a club that Gimenez himself approves. The Italian outlet emphasizes that without these two conditions being met, any discussions remain purely hypothetical.

The situation presents both an opportunity and a challenge for Nuno’s side. However, that being said, there is reason to believe that Gimenez would be a major upgrade on Fullkrug.

The eight-year age difference between the two strikers means that West Ham would certainly benefit from a swap for the long-term, and unlike Fullkrug, Gimenez enjoyed 20-plus goal seasons in the build up to his Milan move.

Gimenez’s “sensational” form at Feyenoord attracted interest from elite Premier League sides, including Arsenal, and West Ham could now have a chance to help him rediscover his goalscoring touch in England.

Milan’s willingness to sell means a deal is there to be done, so Gimenez could genuinely be one of Nuno’s better options.

Florentino Perez has moved to reshape Real Madrid’s financial future, preparing to sell a 10% stake through a newly created commercial company after already securing €360 million from Bernabeu-related profits. The president outlined the plan to club members, insisting it will “protect us as an institution” and allow Madrid to raise funds without becoming a public limited sports company.

• Perez prepares second ‘lever’ to raise €500m-€1bn

  According to , Madrid president Perez has initiated one of the massive corporate changes in club’s modern history, laying out plans to sell approximately 10% of a newly formed commercial entity in order to generate fresh investment. The move follows the club’s earlier deal in which they sold 20% of future Santiago Bernabeu profits to Sixth Street and Legends for €360 million (£317m/$417m), a financial manoeuvre widely framed as Madrid’s first “lever”.

  Perez detailed the new proposal to Real Madrid’s members, stressing the need to modernise the club’s organisational structure while maintaining the traditional member-owned model. As he told members directly: "Our club must have an organisational structure that protects us as an institution and also protects all of us as owners of Real Madrid. To this end, I confirm that we will bring to this Assembly a proposal for the club's corporate reorganisation that secures our future, protects us from the threats we face, and, above all, guarantees that the members are true owners of our club and its financial assets.”

  Those words underline the president’s attempt to balance the necessity of new investment with the fiercely guarded identity of the club as a non-SAD (Sociedad Anonima Deportiva, a special type of public limited company related to sports) sporting entity. Perez has long admired versions of Germany’s 50+1 structure, but Spanish law presents stiff barriers to adopting that model. With no legal path to transform Real Madrid into a Bayern Munich-style hybrid, the club is instead exploring a framework of subsidiaries that would enable investment without relinquishing sporting control.

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• Perez leans on advisors

  Los Blancos' financial advisors, including Anas Laghrari, Key Capital Partners and Clifford Chance, have reportedly pushed towards a strategy that mirrors what Madrid previously set up with Real Madrid Estadio SL in 2021, the company that currently manages several stadium-related operations. Perez is now expected to replicate this model through the creation of an instrumental commercial entity that investors can buy into, without any influence over the club’s governing bodies.

  This approach protects Real Madrid from ever becoming a public limited sports company, a transformation that would dilute the members’ historic power. Instead of a direct sale of the club, shareholders would be purchasing equity in a business that manages commercial activities such as sponsorships, stadium operations, events and marketing rights. The sporting side, first team, academy, coaching structure, sporting decisions, would remain 100% owned by the members.

  Perez’s insistence on the club’s member-driven identity was underlined again in his internal assembly message. With expenses on the revamped Bernabeu now reaching €1.347 billion, up from the original €575m plan, the club requires a new injection of liquidity simply to stabilise its financial trajectory, as per the report.

• Rising stadium debt pushes Madrid toward controlled investment

  Madrid’s financial situation has become more demanding with each construction revision. As of June 30, 2025, the outstanding loan debt for the stadium stood at €1.132bn. Inflation, the war in Ukraine, the retractable pitch (€225m) and improved acoustic systems for concerts have all contributed to the ballooning cost, which now totals €1.347bn. Despite the immense commercial potential of the modernised Bernabeu, the short-term strain is massive.

  This new model also mirrors, in a more controlled way, the “levers” used by Barcelona to avoid bankruptcy. Barca created entities such as Barca Studios, Barca Licensing Merchandising, and the Barca Innovation Hub. Perez will follow a similar path but with stronger safeguards, any shares created in the new company will be distributed automatically and free of charge to existing club members, functioning more as membership rights than tradeable financial instruments.

  Crucially, the commercial company created under this model is expected to stay fully majority-owned by Real Madrid, ensuring that members remain the ultimate decision-makers.

  Reports earlier also indicate that the club is also studying a partial demerger between its sporting and commercial operations, an approach that could serve as a precursor to a more structured hybrid governance model. Investors would hold minority stakes in the commercial arm, but the sporting entity would remain untouched, safeguarding the philosophy Perez has championed for over two decades.

  This structure is intended not only to raise capital but also to protect Real Madrid from political, legal, or market-driven vulnerabilities in the future.

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  Legal checks & long-term investment roadmap

  The immediate next step is the extraordinary assembly, where socios will vote on Perez’s restructuring proposal. Advisors are currently preparing the legal and tax framework to ensure compliance with Spanish sports law, which requires that all commercial income be reinvested for sporting use and prohibits the distribution of profits.

  If approved, Bernebeu will establish the new subsidiary, define which commercial assets it controls, and begin negotiations with investors already expressing willingness to inject capital. The club is expected to prioritise strategic partners with long-term interest in global sports ventures, rather than short-term financial firms.

  In the wider picture, this move represents Madrid’s attempt to future-proof its financial model as football’s economic landscape becomes increasingly dominated by state-backed clubs and global investment groups.

West Indies allrounder has worked on his fitness and skills to adapt to different conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-20252:59

Justin Greaves: ‘This is where I always wanted to be’

Allrounder Justin Greaves has called the progression from first-class cricket in the West Indies to Test cricket a “massive step up”.Greaves, 31, is coming off of a match-saving 202 not out against New Zealand in the first Test in Christchurch. Chasing 531, he began his innings with West Indies 72 for 4 on the fourth day. Greaves batted for nearly nine and a hours and faced 388 balls to help them survive 163.3 overs and salvage a draw. He said that learnings from conversations with Jason Holder had helped improve his game.”It [Test cricket] is a massive step up from first-class cricket in the Caribbean,” Greaves said. “It’s a lot more demanding both physically and mentally. This is where I always wanted to be – so I had to change the way I train, both strength-and-conditioning and skill-wise. Enjoying it, learning as I go along.Related

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“If I can pick up some tips from the other successful allrounders around the world when we play against them, I pretty much do that. I lean on Jason Holder, who’s been around with the T20 squad when I’m here. I’ve dropped him a few messages in terms of finding out what he’s done to have the career he’s had in Test cricket so far.”Greaves was part of the West Indies Test teams that toured Australia in 2023-24 and Pakistan earlier this year. He has played 12 Tests so far. Travelling to and playing in different countries has required him to get stronger, eat better, and learn to be patient.”Everything had to change because it’s not easy being on the road [in] different conditions,” Greaves said. “When you’re at home, it’s pretty easy because you know pretty much all the conditions in the Caribbean, and then, coming overseas, playing cricket in Australia and then to Pakistan, and here now, in New Zealand, everything is different.”Adapting to that in the gym, getting stronger, eating better in terms of food, putting on a bit more muscle as well, and being a bit stronger; skill-wise, adding a bit more to my game; [while] batting – being a bit more patient because at this level, everything is not given to you. Bowling-wise, being the allrounder in the team, you can be bowling, and within an hour or two, you could be batting again. So, you’re putting your mind to it, and adapting to change.”Greaves will hope to build on this performance in the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington, which starts on Wednesday, with the three-match series locked at 0-0.

“This is not an election, and this doesn’t suit cricket in any way”

Mohammad Isam01-Oct-2025Tamim Iqbal is one of 16 candidates to withdraw from participating in the BCB elections. The board’s election commission announced on Wednesday that following the withdrawals, there will be 27 candidates who will contest for the 17 remaining director posts.The BCB elections is for the board of directors, 23 of whom are chosen by vote while two will be government representatives. These 25 directors elect a board president. With Tamim out of the race, the path for Aminul Islam, the incumbent BCB president, is clear to continue in the role after October 6.Already, six directors have automatically become board directors due to no contest in their sub-categories. These include Barishal (Shakhawat Hossain), Sylhet (Rahat Shams), Chattogram (Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury and Asif Akbar) and Khulna (Abdur Razzak and Julfikar Ali Khan).Three contestants each remain in the Dhaka, Rangpur and Rajshahi regions, to determine who becomes board directors. There will also be a contest for the third category, which includes educational institutes and former cricketers, among others. One director between former captain Khaled Mashud and Debabrata Paul, representing Jahangirnagar University, will be elected. Mashud is one of ten former cricketers who were selected by the BCB to vote in this category.Tamim is the representative of Old DOHS which is among the 76 clubs who participate in the Category 2 elections. After submitting his withdrawal papers on Wednesday, Tamim repeated his accusations from the September 21 press conference, with allegations of interference in the way the election is being conducted.”At least 14 or 15 of us have withdrawn our nominations today,” Tamim said on Wednesday. “The reason for this withdrawal is very clear. From the very beginning, I have been saying one thing, and you are all clear about it now–about which direction this election is going or how it is being conducted. Whatever seems right at any moment, whatever they want to do, is being done. This is not really an election. This is not an election, and this doesn’t suit cricket in any way.”A lot has been said at different times, but at the end of the day, I feel that we cannot be a part of this. I always say one thing: cricket, Bangladesh cricket does not deserve this, and the cricket fans of Bangladesh do not deserve this either.”Tamim was left frustrated after the deadlines for the submission of nomination papers were extended a number of times, with BCB president Aminul Islam himself signing one of the extension letters, although it is the norm for the BCB’s chief executive officer to send such letters to the board’s election commission.”(Match) fixing is often talked about quite loudly, but it is the election fixing that needs to be stopped first. I think it is crystal clear to everyone who was involved, at what time, what kind of involvement they had, what kind of interference occurred, and how the rules were changed at will for convenience. I will end my speech by saying that this election has become a black mark for the Bangladesh Cricket Board.”

There has been uproar over India getting to play Harshit Rana as a concussion sub for Shivam Dube

Sidharth Monga01-Feb-20253:48

Was Rana a like-for-like concussion sub for Dube?

Harshit Rana for Shivam Dube as a bowler has created a predictable furore but it should not end up diluting the need for a playing condition that has objectively been proven to be a necessary duty of care.Firstly let’s not assume that the match referee, who is the sole arbitrator on these substitutions, is partisan, incompetent or negligent. If we assume any of that, we cannot hope to understand or appreciate the process of officiating, which should be the first requirement to reasonably criticise a decision.We need to put ourselves in the shoes of Javagal Srinath and examine the rule and all the facts. The rule says: “The ICC Match Referee should ordinarily approve a Concussion Replacement Request if the replacement is a like-for-like player whose inclusion will not excessively advantage his/her team for the remainder of the match. In assessing whether the nominated Concussion Replacement should be considered a like-for-like player, the ICC Match Referee should consider the likely role the concussed player would have played during the remainder of the match, and the normal role that would be performed by the nominated Concussion Replacement.”The wording of the rule practically admits it is impossible to cover every eventuality with like-for-like replacements when you have only four or five extras in the squad. It stays silent on style and quality too: Yuzvendra Chahal has replaced Ravindra Jadeja in the past, and Matt Parkinson has taken Jack Leach’s place. Also the rule only focuses on the concussed player’s likely role in the “remainder of the match” so Rana’s batting ability is immaterial. The replacement shouldn’t, in the match referee’s assessment, offer excessive advantage to the side. Needless to say such an assessment can’t be made post facto; the three wickets Rana took should be immaterial here.2:11

Morkel: ‘Harshit was having dinner, had to get himself ready’

Now it is tempting to just look at Dube in the IPL, where the presence of the Impact Player rule eliminates any need to utilise the lesser discipline of bits-and-pieces players, and say Dube hardly bowls at all. In the most recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), Dube bowled 19 overs in five matches. Twice he came on as the first change. In his most recent four T20Is, he bowled a total of eight overs. In the World Cup before that, he was called on to bowl just one over.You can argue either way based on that. What queers the pitch here for Srinath is that this was Dube’s first match in the series so he doesn’t quite have anything from this series to go by when assessing Dube’s likely role. In the XI, he replaced Washington Sundar, who bowled two overs in two matches.It is quite likely that Srinath merely went by what role Dube has been playing in the sides he has represented in the last six months. It is reasonable to argue that even despite this given record, India drew an excessive advantage, but it is also important to acknowledge that Srinath couldn’t have completely ignored Dube’s recent record and that he had nothing to go by in the current series to assess his likely role in the rest of the series.If it were Abhishek Sharma asking for someone like Ravi Bishnoi as a concussion substitute based on the fact that he bowled 21 overs in seven Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches, the match referee would have likely looked at his usage in this series and said Bishnoi is an excessive advantage.Then again, it is also reasonable to complain that India had in their squad a batting allrounder, Ramandeep Singh, who is much closer to the role that Dube plays. He bowled 3.2 overs in his last T20I, following it up with 10 overs in six matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.0:53

Buttler: Rana for Dube wasn’t a like-for-like replacement

The match referee could have rejected Rana as a substitute, which would have forced India to come up with Ramandeep, but would it really? This is where the essence of the concussion rule comes in. It has been brought in to encourage teams to protect players who have been hit in the head, but if it results in a disadvantage, will these ultra-competitive teams in an ultra-competitive environment with the series on the line agree to substitute the player out? The playing condition is so liberal around this that it includes not just a concussion but a suspected concussion as a qualification for a substitution.This is a peculiarity in the rules that we will have to live with if we are to actively encourage teams to look after the player who has been hit in the head. If it results in a competitive disadvantage, teams will continue to risk the well-being of players hit in the head, which science tells us can be fatal even though it might not look as threatening in the moment.Of course, teams will look to use it cynically from time to time, which requires strict vigilance from the authorities. My considered opinion is that Rana provided India an excessive advantage. Dube was replaced by a taller, hit-the-deck bowler in a match where England’s bowlers with similar style drew assistance from the pitch doing just that. Also because players do tend to use SMAT as a laboratory in preparation for the IPL, the numbers there shouldn’t be seen as an absolute when assessing someone’s role in a higher competition.

If it results in a disadvantage, will these ultra-competitive teams in an ultra-competitive environment with the series on the line agree to substitute the player out?

Then again, the match referee obviously disagreed with that view. He had enough grounds to not believe he was allowing India an excessive advantage. Or, he possibly felt he didn’t have enough justification to disallow the request. On another day, the same match referee might disallow Rajasthan Royals’ request to substitute R Ashwin with Dhruv Jurel despite Ashwin’s role as an opening batter in the TNPL.If we are to encourage teams to protect a player who has been hit in the head, we will have to live with the case-to-case discretion and the occasional disagreement with the assessment of the match referee. If we don’t trust that an experienced match referee has acted in good faith and reasonable mindfulness, we will trust very little in life.That doesn’t mean the rule shouldn’t evolve. It needs to remain vigilant to any loopholes. As of now, the match referee can limit the nature of involvement of a player. If an allrounder replaces a specialist bowler with four overs left in their batting innings, the match referee can stipulate that he will be allowed to only bowl and not bat. The ICC will surely review it now and question if the match referees can go a step further and limit the number of overs a bowler can bowl. Or when they can bowl it. Or a specific point of entry before which a batting replacement can’t bat.This rule is a work in progress. The reaction to this instance will test the ICC’s commitment to player safety.

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