Usman Khawaja has been drafted into the Australian squad for the second and third ODIs against India as cover for David Warner, who goes on paternity leave. Warner and his wife Candice are expecting their second child very soon.Warner had said the baby was due towards the end of January during a media interaction after the Sydney Test against West Indies. “I’m just looking forward to playing the first couple of one-dayers first and obviously I’ll be by the phone to wait for that phone call.”Now that it’s arrived Australia have swapped one in-form left-handed opener for another. Khawaja has been stunning over the last few months in competitive cricket. Four of his last seven innings in Test and Big Bash League cricket have been hundreds. He hit them back-to-back against New Zealand in Brisbane and Perth, but missed out on the Day-Night Test in Adelaide with a hamstring injury. A century in the BBL on his return proved there was no lingering discomfort and then plundered 144 and 56 in the Melbourne Test against West Indies a few days later.”Usman has been in fantastic form this season and was unlucky to miss out on a place in our squad for the ODI Series in the first place,” national selector Rod Marsh said. “This call-up is a reward for that form and it is great to have someone of his quality to step into the squad in David’s absence. We wish both David and Candice well and look forward to welcoming David back into the squad when circumstances allow.”Khawaja will join the Australian side in Brisbane, where the second ODI takes place on January 15. He will not be available for Sydney Thunder duty during this time.
Sussex have strongly denied media reports linking Mushtaq Ahmed with a move to Warwickshire at the end of the summer.A terse statement from Sussex made clear that no formal approach had been made by Warwickshire and that “if an approach has been made directly to the player the club is unaware of this and the approach would therefore it would be deemed an illegal under the current ECB regulations”.With the number of overseas players allowed reduced to one per county from 2008, Sussex have to chose between, Mushtaq and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. The county stated that they were in discussion with Mushtaq regarding his future.
Left-armer Nayan Doshi has joined Warwickshire on a short-term contract until the end of the summer. He walked out on Surrey last month.
The explosive Leah Poulton is set to make her senior debut for Australia after the squad was announced for the upcoming Rose Bowl series against New Zealand at Brisbane. Poulton, a top-order batsman, is a former captain of Australia under-19s and has been named in place of her New South Wales team-mate Alex Blackwell, who is carrying a knee injury. It is the only change in the 13-player squad to the side which whitewashed India in the Test and one-day series in February.A strong year with the bat earned Poulton the senior call-up; she struck 325 runs in the domestic league, at an average of 32.50. “She is a talented player with a free-flowing game,” explained the chairman of selectors, Margaret Jennings, “and we are keen to see how she performs against New Zealand, whom we expect to provide some very tough competition.” Australia are the current holders of the trophy.The series comprises five one-dayers and the first women’s Twenty20 in Australia, which kicks off the tour on October 18. All ties will take place at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.Squad Karen Rolton (capt), Lisa Sthalekar, Sarah Andrews, Kate Blackwell, Melissa Bulow, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Michelle Goszko, Julie Hayes, Shelley Nitschke, Kirsten Pike, Leah Poulton, Jodie Purves, Clea Smith.
Points TableDurham failed to post a challenging total for Somerset, on another excellent pitch at Taunton, as Somerset cruised to victory by five wickets to retain hopes of promotion. Opening the bowling for Somerset, the left-armer Robert Woodman, who made his debut, bowled a superb length and consistently troubled Durham’s batsmen, particular the left-handers, with late swing. Dale Benkenstein hit an unbeaten 60, and Mike Hussey 43, but Somerset set about the target of 223 with aggression. Man-of-the-match Matt Wood hit an attractive 76 from 80 balls, and despite Gareth Breese picking up two wickets, Somerset walked home with two-and-a-half overs to spare.Leicestershire nearly slipped up against Sussex, but a defiant 92 from Dinesh Mongia saw the home side through by five wickets, with seven balls to spare. Sussex crashed to 44 for 4, but rebuilt through Mike Yardy, 58, and Carl Hopkinson who made 39. Veteran Ottis Gibson took 4-39. Leicestershire in reply then lost 101 for 4, and when Snape was out (102 for 5), Sussex’s score of 186 suddenly looked more than reasonable. Mongia stood firm, however, striking eight fours and a six as Leicestershire moved into second place of Division Two. Despite the loss, Sussex remain top.
Reacting to the news that Muttiah Muralitharan was threatening to sue him, Bishan Singh Bedi was unperturbed. “I’m entitled to my opinion,” he said. “In my opinion, he doesn’t conform to the laws of the game and the ICC is squarely to blame for allowing him to get away with it,” said Bedi, in an interview with The Hindustan Times.An Associated Press report had quoted Murali’s manager, Kushil Gunasekera, as saying that a few of Bedi’s articles had been sent to his lawyers. When asked about it, Bedi said, “I have no lawyers. Let them send a letter, they will have to send a million letters to various people. They have to realise that I have nothing personal against Muralitharan.””I have never met him, never said hello, never shaken hands with him,” said Bedi. “How can I have something against him personally? I am talking about the spirit of the game being violated.”Bedi added that the fault lay with the International Cricket Council for allowing Murali to carry on with such an action. And he reiterated that Murali wasn’t the only one with a dubious action, and that the ICC was letting them off too easily.”The problem is not with the bowlers, it lies in the ICC’s inefficiency to control them,” he said. “What is the ICC up to anyway?”
MELBOURNE, March 8 AAP – Victoria is seven wickets from an outright win over Western Australia in their Pura Cup cricket match at the MCG, but it would be an empty win.Brad Hodge, who posted his highest first-class score today of 183, reflected the mood of his team-mates when he said: “It just feels awful not to be in the final.”New South Wales’ win over Queensland today at the SCG meant the Blues secured second spot on the Cup ladder ahead of Victoria.The Victorians arranged for the MCG scoreboard not to post updates from the SCG, so they could concentrate on their match, but the news at the breaks today was grim.”That was pretty disheartening, really – we tried not to listen to what was going on, but obviously everyone takes a bit of notice,” Hodge said.While pleased to end a disappointing summer well, Hodge was also dirty on himself to miss a double century.He top-scored in Victoria’s 486, which gave the home side first-inning points in reply to WA’s 275.WA was 3-88 at stumps with one day left, still needing 123 to make the home side bat again.”We owe it to ourselves to try to win,” Hodge said, adding WA had beaten Victoria three times this summer.The one bright spot for Hodge today was being able to shut up captain Darren Berry, who had chided him for having a top score of only 140.”It’s been a goal of mine for a fair while and Darren Berry also brings it up that he has a higher score than what I have – he hasn’t any more,” said Hodge, who counted down to 166 and then waved to Berry once that monkey was off his back.”I was just really determined to do well because I’ve been under a fair bit of pressure (lately).”Victoria batted until tea, with Berry making 49, Jon Moss chipping in with 47 and Cameron White adding 27.Coach David Hookes had no qualms about making WA wait for its second innings.”I don’t think (WA captain) Justin Langer would have given us Jack shit if we were in Perth in the same situation on a 40-degree day, and neither should he,” Hookes said.”Our priority, regardless of what was happening north of the Murray, was to win the game….I think Chuck (Berry) did the right thing.”Victoria’s form tapered after Christmas, while NSW surged, and Hookes conceded several of his pacemen “ran out of juice” in terms of fitness.He said it would be a “fair assessment” to rate Queensland and New South Wales the best two sides in the Cup.Hookes also wants a change to the MCG wickets next season, saying it is too difficult to gain results.”You could argue that’s the best pitch of the year…but I don’t think that necessarily suits the way we play,” Hookes said of the slow, even deck for this match.”You don’t want to be fighting, fighting, fighting for a late fourth day result, five times out of five.”
After seeing his side end the day on 291 for 6 at Taunton Somerset Coach Kevin Shine told me: “It was a good end to the day for us. ‘Dutchy’ and ‘Noddy’ played very well for us.”When asked about the innings of ‘keeper Rob Turner, who returned to form to end the day on 71 not out he said: “Rob is getting back to where he was two years ago. He’s decided to keep it as simple as possible,and as the old saying goes -‘if it isn’t broke why fix it’. Today he kept it simple and it worked.”
It may only be Wednesday but this has been another classic week in the life of a Manchester United fan.
Before their remarkable 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday, Ruben Amorim had taken aim at two of the club’s academy players in the form of Harry Amass and Chido Obi.
Why he did that is anyone’s guess, but it’s certainly not the way you get players and indeed supporters onside. There’s never a dull moment at Old Trafford right now, eh?
That 4-4 draw was all rather silly. From a positive point of view, United’s forward line looked as good as it has done in years. The defence, however, is a different story. It’s a mess.
Perhaps signing a midfielder or two in January could help smooth things over.
Man United targeting a host of Premier League midfielders
Reports in recent months have suggested that two of INEOS’ key targets for 2026 are Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson.
However, it’s likely United will have to pay a premium for their services and alternatives are being sought.
One of those alternatives is said to be Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams, according to reports. Adams was named in the starting lineup by Andoni Iraola on Monday evening but his audition lasted just a matter of minutes when he hobbled off with an injury.
His replacement on the night was 22-year-old Alex Scott, the latest target said to be in Man United’s crosshairs.
That’s via Samuel Luckhurst of The Sun who reported at the beginning of the week that Old Trafford chiefs are now weighing up a move for Scott.
The report notes that United are ‘monitoring’ the player and could look to bring him in if Kobbie Mainoo leaves the club. The hope is that the Red Devils would only lose Mainoo on a loan deal for now.
Why Scott could be another Mainoo for Man Utd
Of course, all of the talk in recent months has been about Anderson and Wharton. If Amorim and Co could bring one of England’s top midfielders to the club then Old Trafford would be euphoric.
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Scott doesn’t represent a bad alternative, though. Recently handed his first England call-up by Thomas Tuchel for the November international break, it speaks volumes about his progression and potential. He really does stand a chance of being at the World Cup next summer.
Why? Well, the young midfielder has been making waves ever since he was at Bristol City in the Championship. In the 2022/23 campaign, he was awarded the second tier’s Young Player of the Year Award.
A move to Bournemouth followed and he’s quickly established himself as one of the most promising young players in the Premier League too. As Como scout Ben Mattinson put it, he has made the step between divisions “seamlessly.”
While he has only scored three goals and registered four assists during his time at the Vitality Stadium, this is a player who oozes class and brings a lot of poise to the middle of the park.
Hailed as the “Guernsey Grealish” by some, one United media personality stated during the game with Bournemouth on Monday that he “looked like prime [Roy] Keane”.
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As he battled his way through proceedings at Old Trafford, he was particularly strong in the duel and was always on the front foot, trying to play forward. That’s something United could certainly benefit from, particularly if he’s going to replace the forward-thinking Mainoo.
Scott vs Man Utd
Minutes played
85
Touches
39
Accurate passes
19/26 (73%)
Shots
2
Successful dribbles
1/1
Defensive contributions
5
Ground duels won
3/4
Aerial duels won
2/3
Stats via Sofascore.
A midfielder with a wide skillset, Scott ranks highly for some important metrics, notably when it comes to progressing the ball.
According to FBRef data, he sits inside the top 14% of midfielders in the Premier League for progressive carries per 90 minutes with 2.01, while he also ranks among the best 9% for successful take-ons with 1.01. He’s particularly adept at drawing a foul too, ranking inside the best 11% of positionally similar players in the top-flight for that metric.
Scott is also more than happy to do the dirty work, making 1.34 interceptions per 90, a stat that places him within the best 14% of midfielders.
So, he’s cut from a similar cloth as Mainoo. They both possess dynamic skillsets and while they don’t score a lot of goals, their impact on progressing and breaking up play makes them valuable players.
As bad as Shaw: Man Utd star had his worst game for the club vs Bournemouth
Manchester United drew again at Old Trafford in a frantic 4-4 draw with Bournemouth.
Monty Panesar, England’s forgotten spin bowler, is preparing to speak out about the mental illness that led to his high-profile departures from Sussex and Essex, and says he has not given up hope of an England recall one day.At the age of 33, and with 167 wickets in 50 Tests already to his name, Panesar ought to be in the prime of his international career, not least given the otherwise barren state of English spin bowling, as evidenced by the shortcomings of Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Samit Patel in the recent series against Pakistan.Instead, he is without a county going into the 2016 season, having been released by Essex at the end of last summer. He played just three first-class matches in a miserable 2016 season, including one, against Kent in April in which he did not bowl in either innings.His increasingly erratic behaviour included time-keeping issues, for which he was disciplined by the club, and criticism for his attitude in the field, for which he was at one stage given a dressing-down in front of his team-mates.Panesar’s failure to settle at Essex followed on from his departure from Sussex in 2013 where, in the wake of a bitter and painful divorce from his wife, he hit the headlines on one particularly lurid night out in Brighton by urinating on a bouncer at a nightclub.However, in a bid to battle his way back into the sport, Panesar has been working with a team of four professionals – a performance coach, a hypnotherapist, a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist – and hopes that his recognition of his issues is the first step towards resolving them.”For a long time I was in denial that I had a problem,” Panesar told The Times. “It was in my first session with the hypnotherapist that I began to realise that something was wrong and that I needed help.”The best way to describe it is that I have suffered from feelings of paranoia, and that these feelings were linked to my performances on the field. The worse things went, the lower my confidence went, the more paranoid I became. Things spiralled downhill so that I began to think my team-mates were all against me.”Panesar recounted one occasion in which he stormed out of a gym session after being out-performed by James Foster, the club captain, and some of his younger team-mates.”I remember thinking that they were all out to get me and then when I calmed down I was, like, ‘These guys are my team-mates, why am I thinking like that?'”Panesar’s obsessional nature impacted on his lifestyle on tour as well, where he would often retreat from his team-mates outside of matches.”I’d be in my room a lot, always thinking about cricket and bowling. I found I got on with most players, but I didn’t have any particularly close friends,” he said.”Those that I spent most time with were often tied up with my job: the wicketkeepers I’d work with, my bowling partners.”Panesar’s absence from the sport is particularly poignant given what an integral member of the team he ought to be right now. On the 2012 tour of the UAE, he claimed 14 wickets in two Tests against Pakistan, including five-wicket hauls in consecutive second innings, providing precisely the sort of impact that England’s spinners lacked on their most recent tour last month.”One part of me thought, I should be the one out there bowling 30 or 40 overs a day going for two an over,” he said. “But then another part of me was saying, ‘Come on, Monty, you’ve not helped yourself.'”
Ramnaresh Sarwan is on the verge of recovering from a shoulder injury sustained during the tour to England. Sarwan damaged his right shoulder while attempting to stop a boundary during the 2nd Test at Headingley, after which he returned home.”It’s coming along pretty well. It’s about 90 per cent now,” Sarwan told . “I’ve been doing some weights and a bit of throwing. I’ve been impressed with the way things have been going so far.”Sarwan’s rehabilitation process includes running, cycling, icing and heating. While he has slight pain when he does push-ups, he has been told it would go within a week, paving his way for a return to domestic cricket.”It’s frustrating to get injured on such a frequent basis, but it’s very important that you try and stay mentally strong. You are playing sport and these things do happen. It helps you to become stronger.”Sarwan suffered a small hairline fracture in his right foot during a Test match in Pakistan last year and had to miss the five-match ODI series. He also missed this year’s Carib Beer series after he had injured his hand while batting for Guyana.The Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa will see Sarwan’s return to international cricket. “It would be great if the West Indies Cricket Board – and even if Digicel can take part a bit – to actually have a camp where we can have a couple of games before we go off, probably four or five games.”If we have a ten-day camp or a 15-day camp, it would be good to have a few games to give the guys a feel of what Twenty20 is about.”