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Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s match against Scotland was abandoned due to rain

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2025India clinched a comfortable eight-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the Super Six stage of the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. With the win, India along with Australia from Group 1 and South Africa from Group 2 are assured of semi-final spots. England and Nigeria, who are placed second and third respectively, in Group 2, will be fighting for the remaining spot after Sri Lanka‘s match against Scotland was abandoned due to the rain and both teams shared the points.For India, left-arm spinner Vaishanvi Sharma starred with 3 for 15 to restrict Bangladesh to just 64 for 8. India chased down the target in 7.1 overs.Bangladesh were asked to bat first after rain delayed the clash and they were put under pressure immediately as they lost the opener Mosammat Eva to the third ball of the innings. India kept a lid on Bangladesh throughout as they were left reeling at 23 for 5 by the end of tenth over. Bangladesh’s top score came from their captain Sumaiya Akter, who made a 29-ball 21 at No.7. Vaishnavi took two of her three wickets in the 17th over while G Trisha, Shabnam Shakil and VJ Joshitha accounted for a wicket each. With this performance, Vaishanvi is now the joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament with nine scalps.In the chase, Trisha smashed a quickfire 40, laced with eight boundaries, before getting dismissed in the seventh over. Captain Niki Prasad and Sanika Chalke took India home with 77 balls remaining.

Ian Westwood promoted as part of coaching restructure at Edgbaston

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2025Mark Robinson has left his role as Warwickshire’s first-team coach after the club conducted a restructure of coaching and support staff. He will be replaced in the role by former Warwickshire batter Ian Westwood.Robinson was appointed in early 2021 and went on to lead Warwickshire to the County Championship title in his first season. They finished eighth in 2022, avoiding relegation on the final day, and then seventh last year, winning just once in the Championship. They also lost at the quarter-final stage of the Blast four seasons running.Warwickshire’s chief executive, Stuart Cain, said there had been disappointment at the recent performance of the men’s teams but the club wanted to avoid “a kneejerk response” to last season. Following a high-performance review, a number of changes have been made to the coaching structure, in part to reflect the advent of a professional women’s team and the continued integration of Birmingham Phoenix.Related

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• Hasan Ali agrees Warwickshire return for 2025

• Vishwa Fernando signs for Warwickshire on short-term Championship deal

In addition to Westwood overseeing the first team, Tony Frost has been appointed head of cricket operations after the retirement of Keith Cook, while Simon Kerrigan will become 2nd XI coach as well as offering spin bowling support. Stuart Barnes remains as bowling coach, with the club seeking a new batting coach.Laura Macleod will continue as head of high performance for Bears Women, working alongside Ali Maiden, recently appointed head coach of both Bears Women and Birmingham Phoenix.With Warwickshire retaining 51% majority ownership of Phoenix following the ECB’s Hundred equity sale, those teams will also be integrated into the new structure from 2026. Warwickshire are also in the process of appointing a new performance director after the departure of Gavin Larsen before Christmas.”It’s no secret we’ve been disappointed in our men’s performance in recent years,” Cain said. “We also wanted to proactively address the biggest changes the game has seen in a decade with the long-overdue formation of a professional Bears Women’s team and the integration of Birmingham Phoenix into our elite set-up.”It was important not to make a kneejerk response to last season. We allowed time for a thorough analysis of our high performance structure and worked with the club’s cricket audit committee and board to create a new approach that recognises the need for improvement and also addresses the challenges created by moving from managing one professional team to four, playing four different formats of cricket.”Robbo has worked hard for the Bears since joining in 2021 and we shouldn’t underestimate his achievement in winning the County Championship in his first season. He is a quality coach and will be an asset to any club.”However, considering recent performances and feedback from the review, we felt it was time for change. Ian Westwood is a Bear through-and-through. He understands our history, culture, and DNA. He is competitive, structured and a quality leader having previously been club captain and 2nd XI coach. He understands how to win red-ball matches as well as the demands of white ball, having most recently coached at Sharjah Warriors in the ILT20.”The new head of cricket operations role means we have somebody focused on running the machine, making sure everything from hotels and kit through to wickets and the indoor centre are set up to support the players and ensure there are no distractions or frustrations. Frosty will take over from the retiring Keith Cook who has given such incredible service to the club for more than 50 years.”We’re confident this new structure gives us the skills, resources and focus needed for the men’s and women’s teams to put themselves in a position to win domestic tournaments, as well as develop local talent from the many diverse communities that surround Edgbaston.”Robinson, who previously coached England Women and Sussex, pointed to the 2021 Championship success as well as the recent elevation of Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley to full England duty as highlights during his time in charge.He said: “There are many things we’ve celebrated during my time as a Bear, and things we know could have gone better. Winning the Championship was a huge highlight, as was overseeing our T20 team from one that was struggling to qualify to one that topped the group three years running.”Losing the quarter-final last year hurt badly but I’m sure it won’t be long before the boys take that next step to silverware.”Seeing two Academy boys, Bethell and Mousley, go from regular Bears players to making their England debuts made everyone, myself included, very proud.”Lastly, thank you to the supporters who are the most important part of the club for your support. I know it will only be a matter of time before you get the success you deserve.”

Edgbaston hotel plan approved

Warwickshire also confirmed on Thursday that they have received planning permission from Birmingham City Council for a £42 million redevelopment at Edgbaston that will include a new on-site hotel. Work is expected to begin in September and be completed ahead of the 2027 men’s Ashes Test.The proposals will see the existing Raglan and Priory Stands on the northwest side of the ground redesigned to include a 146-bed Radisson Red hotel with rooftop terrace, pitch-view rooms with balconies, and other rooms that can be converted into hospitality boxes during games. The new stand, which will see a slight increase in capacity, will also feature a concourse with enhanced food and drink options, and improved facilities for disabled spectators.Craig Flindall, Edgbaston’s strategy director, said: “We’re grateful to Birmingham City Council for approving the plans and for sharing our vision to bring increased economic and social benefits to the region through international sport.”Cricket will always stay at the heart of our thinking. But it’s important we develop a stadium that operates all year round, supporting new jobs in this part of the city and creates wider community opportunities.”We are creating a mixed-use destination that will combine elite sport, conferencing and events and residential and hotel accommodation with community facilities that will improve education, employment and social cohesion in the area.”

Pollard’s 39-ball 70 gave MI New York some hope in their 224-run chase, but it was too little and far too late

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2025Texas Super Kings’ (TSK) South Africans came to the fore as they thumped MI New York (MINY) by 39 runs to qualify for the knockout stage of MLC 2025. Faf du Plessis led the charge with his second century of the season and Donovan Ferreira provided the firepower at the back end of the innings with a 20-ball 53 to take TSK to 223 for 4. Akeal Hosein then starred with the ball to restrict MINY to 184 for 9 as TSK stayed within two points of the top two teams, with Kieron Pollard’s 39-ball 70 going in vain.TSK did not get off to a good start as George Linde trapped Smit Patel in front with just three runs on the board. But in the third over, du Plessis hammered 16 runs off Ehsan Adil, including back-to-back sixes.Du Plessis racked up two sixes each off the next two overs, bowled by Linde and Boult, before Rushil Ugarkar closed out the powerplay with a relatively quiet seven-run sixth over, even as du Plessis brought up a 21-ball half-century.MINY ramped up the pressure, conceding just one boundary from the next four overs, a period that also saw Saiteja Mukkamalla hole out at deep midwicket off Linde.Akeal Hosein’s 3 for 15 at the top derailed the MI New York chase•Sportzpics for MLC

Du Plessis – who scored 11 runs off 12 balls after reaching his fifty – helped swing the momentum, with two more sixes off Linde’s final over. Marcus Stoinis then fell to Ugarkar as MINY looked to slow TSK down, but du Plessis and Ferreira had other ideas.Du Plessis pulled Pollard for a six over midwicket before Ferreira drove him for a couple of fours. Du Plessis then picked up a boundary off Boult to set up a thrilling last three overs that saw TSK rack up 56 runs.Ferreira tore into Adil for 20 runs off the 18th over before du Plessis reached his century with a swivel-pull off Boult, even as the penultimate over only cost eight runs. He began the final over with two sixes before Ugarkar equalled Shardul Thakur’s unwanted record of most consecutive wides in a T20, bowling five on the trot. The third legal delivery of the over also went for six as Ferreira brought up the joint-fastest fifty in MLC history.Kieron Pollard gives the ball a good, old-fashioned thump•Sportzpics for MLC

MINY had a tentative start to the chase and soon Nandre Burger picked up the big early wicket of Nicholas Pooran, who opened the innings. Hosein then bowled a wicket-maiden in the powerplay to put MINY under further pressure. He then dismissed de Kock and Tajinder Singh in consecutive overs to complete a masterful spell and leave MINY on 75 for 4 in the 11th over.The late assault from Pollard came a little too late, even as he thrashed Noor Ahmad for three consecutive sixes in the 14th over, followed by a boundary thanks to Mukkamalla letting the ball slip out of his hands and over the rope after he collected it at long-off and was trying to throw it back to the middle.The next three overs brought 37 runs, but a brilliant effort from Ferreira at long-off broke the 88-run stand.By the time Burger cleaned up Pollard in the penultimate over, the chase was already out of MINY’s hands.

Dhoni also hopes CSK are able to ‘plug some loopholes’ in the mini-auction

Edited PTI copy02-Aug-2025MS Dhoni has said the return of Ruturaj Gaikwad will bolster Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) batting in IPL 2026.Gaikwad was ruled out of IPL 2025 after playing five games with an elbow injury. Dhoni took over the CSK captaincy but could not turn the team’s fortunes around; they finished at the bottom with just four wins from 14 matches, struggling to put together consistent batting efforts.”We are slightly worried about our batting order,” Dhoni said at an event in Chennai. “But I think our batting order is quite sorted out now. Rutu (Gaikwad) will be coming back. He got injured. But he will be coming back. So, we are quite sorted now.”Related

• R Ashwin asks CSK for clarity ahead of IPL 2026

• What can CSK do to rise from rock bottom next season?

• Dhoni on his IPL future: I have four-five months to decide

Dhoni said the team will try to further strengthen the unit at the mini-auction later this year. “I won’t say we [CSK] slacked off [in IPL 2025],” he said. “But there were certain holes that we needed to plug in. A small auction is coming in December. Some loopholes are there, and we will try to plug those in.”Gaikwad’s last competitive outing remains CSK’s match against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur on April 8. He had a county deal with Yorkshire but withdrew citing personal reasons. He has been named in the West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy 2025-26, beginning later this month.MS Dhoni wants CSK to use the mini-auction to plug the holes•BCCI

Dhoni admitted CSK were below-par over the last two seasons, and said it was important for the team to identify the areas of concern.”Yes, the last couple of years have not been good for us,” Dhoni said. “We have not been up to the mark. But what is important is for you to see the learnings. Yes, you had a bad season. But what went wrong? And that was the question for us last year also.”We were like, ‘okay, there are some shortcomings’. But first we needed to exactly figure out what were the shortcomings and then look at solutions. I feel more often than not we have been able to figure out what exactly went wrong. In sports, you know you can have a very good time and at the same time there will be periods when you won’t be performing well. In CSK, more often than not, we are on the higher side.”So, we do talk about the processes. But at the same time we do want the result to come to our side. Last year it wasn’t there. But looking ahead, we will try to sort out most of the things, and we will hopefully be at our best.”Dhoni started his journey with CSK in 2008 and has led them to five IPL titles. He said his journey with franchise and the city has played an important part in his personal growth.”It’s a very long relationship that we have had and it started much before the start of IPL … 2005 was the time when I made my Test debut which happened to be in Chennai. So, it started from that point of time. And yes, CSK helped in a big way because all of a sudden I’m spending 45-50 days here.”So, I feel the relationship over the years has grown. It helped me improve as a person. It helped me improve as a cricketer. So, CSK just happened. I think it’s good for Chennai. So, today it’s good for me also. Nowadays when we go and say CSK, it’s not a brand only in India, but when we go to Australia, South Africa, or any of the cricket playing nations.”

After the seamers made early inroads, legspinner Rishad kept Hong Kong quiet

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-20251:36

Jaffer: Bangladesh need to show consistency in selection

Hong Kong mustered a total of 143 for 7 in 20 overs against Bangladesh, after being inserted by Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi. They started shakily, with early wickets and a sluggish start for Zeeshan Ali (30) and Nizakat Khan (42) keeping Bangladesh in control.But as the Zeeshan-Nizakat partnership grew, so did their range of strokes. Their 41-run stand for the third wicket ensured their batting didn’t collapse like it did in the game against Afghanistan. Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza blazed away to a 19-ball 28, but a flurry of late wickets denied Hong Kong a late flourish.As Bangladesh’s players walked off the field, they exchanged high-fives for their effort in the first innings. Tanzim Hasan Sakib (2 for 21) bowled in the early 140kph range in his first spell, and accounted for Babar Hayat (14) and Zeeshan. Hayat was cleaned up by a swinging ball that started on middle and ended up going past his outside edge, while Zeeshan fell to a sharp delivery that hit the splice of the bat and popped up to cover.Taskin Ahmed was expensive but got the early breakthrough by dismissing Anshy Rath. He then removed Aizaz Khan in the final over.Rishad Hossain, the legspinner, was introduced after the powerplay, but Hong Kong countered him with sweeps and reverse sweeps. He finally got among the wickets in 19th over, his last over of the evening, when he had Nizakat caught at long-on. Next ball, he trapped Kinchit Shah lbw.Hong Kong scored 54 runs off the last six overs to get to a respectable total.

Jadeja attributes his success with the bat to having a set position at No. 6

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-20252:08

Chopra: Jadeja’s game against fast bowling ‘has improved leaps and bounds’

Shubman Gill has hailed India’s “near-perfect game” after they kicked off their home season with an innings-and-140-run win against West Indies inside three days in Ahmedabad.”Three centurions in the game and I think we fielded really well in both the innings, so honestly don’t really have any complaints,” Gill told the host broadcaster after India’s win. “I’ve lost six tosses in a row, but as long as we keep winning the matches, it doesn’t matter for us. I’m very happy with the win.”India had bowled out West Indies for 162 on the opening day with Mohammed Siraj leading the way with 4 for 40. Then, KL Rahul (100), Dhruv Jurel (125) and Ravindra Jadeja (104*) scored centuries before India declared on 448 for 5, with a lead of 286. It took India less than two sessions on the third day to wrap up the game with Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar sharing seven wickets between them in West Indies’ second innings.Related

• Jadeja, Siraj wrap up India's innings win inside three days

• Gill replaces Rohit as India's ODI captain

“When you’ve got quality spinners like them, it’s difficult to be able to rotate,” Gill said. “But it’s good to have an option of too many rather than not having any. But that’s the challenge and that’s the fun of playing in India. There would always be someone who would be out there ready to get the job done.”Gill has enjoyed a productive start to his stint as Test captain. After India drew the five-match Test series in England 2-2, they started their home season with a bang.”It’s hard to pin down to one or two things that I learned, but I think over a period of two years, how we bonded as a team and how we got ourselves out from tough situations and difficult situations,” Gill said. “That was really pleasing for me to see. We are still a learning side and I think as long as we keep learning from our experiences that we have, I think we’re going to be on the positive side of the match.”Jadeja, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten century and his match haul of 4 for 69, has said that working on his fitness and skills during the off season at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru has paid off. Jadeja has been one of India’s premier spinners at home for a long time and has also stepped up with the bat. He was the fourth-highest run-getter in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy with 516 runs in ten innings at an average of 86 and has carried his form into the home season.”I’ve been batting at No. 9, No. 8 a few years ago, but now I’ve got my number… No. 6,” Jadeja said. “So I have time to prepare myself and I can pace my innings. I don’t need to hurry. I don’t need to rush [and play] unnecessary shots. I just, I can go out there and take my time and just pace my innings.”Jadeja was also excited about playing on a red-soil surface in Ahmedabad, which offers more bounce and grip for spinners and is equally good for the batters.”Playing on a red soil [pitch], it’s fun because as a spinner, you get more turn and bounce,” he said. “As a spinner, you always want that. I was enjoying and as I got to know that we are playing on a red soil wicket, I thought, okay, for batting as well and for bowling as well. If the wicket is flat, you can score runs. If the ball is turning, then you can enjoy bowling on the red soil [pitch].”India are currently third on the World Test Championship table and will next face West Indies in the second Test in Delhi, which gets underway on October 10.

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Aston Villa have completed the signing of Tyrone Mings, with the defender arriving on loan from Premier League side Bournemouth until the end of the season, as reported by the BBC.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Mings has made just seven appearances across all competitions for the Cherries this season, with three of them coming from the substitutes bench.

He has since fallen further down the pecking order following the arrival of Chris Mepham in a £12m deal from Brentford, so Eddie Howe has decided to loan Mings out in order to get some valuable game time under his belt.

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25-year-old Mings has played just 16 top-flight matches for the South Coast side since making his debut for the club back in 2015, in a game where he suffered a serious knee ligament injury. Since then, he has never really regained his place in the side.

Villains boss Dean Smith will be hoping that Mings can help shore up his defence, as only two Championship clubs have conceded more goals than Villa’s 46.

Who’s position is now under threat?

It is worth noting that Mings can also play at centre-back as well as left-back, and appears to have chosen to join Villa as he is keen to work under John Terry, who is Smith’s assistant coach at Villa Park and a legend in his position.

However, it should be Neil Taylor’s position in the starting eleven that comes under threat following the arrival of Mings. The former Swansea left-back has made 17 Championship appearances for the Villains so far this season and started against Ipswich last weekend, but has struggled to impress at various stages of the campaign.

Mings is a highly-rated player who was of interest to many Championship clubs this month, and one would assume that this loan deal is purely to get the Englishman some match sharpness, with the intention of getting him back to the Vitality Stadium in tip top condition.

He is a powerful player with great pace, strength and ability on the ball, and could quickly become a vastly superior option at left-back than the 41-cap Welshman.

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The arrival of Filip Benković and Jeremy Toljan has reinforced the Celtic backline – for now.

There appears little chance of either move being made permanent in the summer with the players set to return to their parent clubs in the English Premiership and the Bundesliga come June.

Dedryck Boyata could well follow both players out the door at the same time when his contract expires and Mikael Lustig is yet to be offered a new deal by Celtic.

Add to that the winding down of the Celtic careers of Emilio Izaguirre and Jonny Hayes, Brendan Rodgers could end up shopping for an entire back line this summer.

Kristofer Ajer, Jozo Simunovic and Jack Hendry haven’t been regular first team picks all season and have struggled to impress when they have been called upon.

So while Celtic will be relying on loan signings and soon-to-be-leaving established players to see out this season, the recruitment department must surely be working overtime to bring in new faces before the European qualifiers kick off in the summer.

After a fairly even first half, Tottenham ended up dismantling Borussia Dortmund in the second 45 minutes of their last-16 Champions League tie at Wembley last night.

Goals from Son Heung-min, Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente inspired the north London club to a 3-0 win in the first leg between the two sides, though Christian Pulisic is refusing to throw in the white towel ahead of round two at Signal Iduna Park.

The Breakdown

“Of course it is not going to be easy,” the Dortmund attacking midfielder was quoted as saying by the Evening Standard. “They are a great team and we are three goals behind. [But] this team are never going to give up. We are going to give it everything we have, we still have a chance.

“We felt better in the first half but they came out and played much harder in the second half. This team never give up. We will be 100 per cent ready to give it our best shot.”

With 90 minutes still to play in this fixture and an early goal for Dortmund capable of changing the whole complexion of things, anything can obviously happen. However, it is still hard to see how Tottenham could possibly mess things up.

They have grown to a point under Mauricio Pochettino where such a thing should not even be imaginable.

With the likes of Jadon Sancho and Pulisic himself, Dortmund certainly have enough in their arsenal to beat Tottenham on the night.

But winning the tie outright given the position they find themselves in looks close to impossible when looking at the team Tottenham have become with Pochettino at the helm.

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Danny Rose is a doubt for Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to Burnley in the Premier League this weekend.

Indeed, the left-back is struggling with illness, suggesting that he will find it tough to recover in time for the trip to Turf Moor.

Rose has shown some glimpses of his best form this season, but the 28-year-old missed a chunk of matches earlier this term with a groin strain.

The 5ft 8in ace has actually only featured in 15 Premier League games for Tottenham this season, whilst he has managed just 90 minutes of Champions League action.

The Spurs supporters have been on social media reacting to the news that Rose could well miss out once again this weekend.

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A number are not too concerned as Jan Vertonghen has been excellent at left wing-back in recent weeks, whilst others have taken the chance to have a little pop at Rose.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: