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India’s complaint over gestures made by Farhan and Rauf will be heard on Friday

Shashank Kishore25-Sep-2025Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, has been told to refrain from making comments that could be construed as political following an ICC hearing conducted by match referee Richie Richardson on Thursday in Dubai. It’s not yet clear if Suryakumar faces any other sanctions.An official hearing was necessary because the Pakistan team management had filed a complaint alleging that Suryakumar made political remarks following India’s Asia Cup group-stage win over Pakistan on September 14, which the PCB’s top brass had pointed out at a press conference in Lahore last week.Related

Suryakumar found guilty of breaching code of conduct; verdict on Rauf and Farhan awaited

The Pakcroft drama: everything, everywhere, all at once

BCCI lodges complaint with ICC against Farhan and Rauf

ESPNcricinfo understands Suryakumar’s use of the term “Operation Sindoor” – a term coined by the Indian government during the military skirmish between the two countries that followed the Pahalgam terror attacks in April – was one of the PCB’s points of objection.Suryakumar had used the term at the post-match press conference following that September 14 match, while dedicating the win to the victims of the terror attacks as well as India’s armed forces.That match also caused another controversy, with Pakistan lodging a “formal protest” against match referee Andy Pycroft because he had “requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss”. At the time, the PCB had demanded Pycroft to be taken off the roster for their matches, which the ICC rejected.That incident threatened to snowball into something bigger when Pakistan didn’t arrive on time for their match against UAE. They eventually relented after Pycroft apologised for the “miscommunication” over the handshake incident.Meanwhile, India’s complaint to the ICC over gestures made by Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf during their Super Fours clash will be heard on Friday since Pakistan were involved in a match on Thursday evening against Bangladesh.The gestures were made on the field during a tense game where the two sets of players exchanged words multiple times.At a press conference ahead of Pakistan’s match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, Farhan had been asked about his machine-gun celebration after reaching his half-century against India. “That celebration was just a moment at that time,” he had said. “I do not do a lot of celebrations after scoring fifty. But, it suddenly came to my mind that let’s do a celebration today. I did that. I don’t know how people will take it. I don’t care about that.”

To say that Arsenal are unrecognisable as a club today from the one Mikel Arteta took charge of over five years ago would be an understatement.

The Spaniard has helped to completely overhaul the club from top to bottom and has signed some incredible players in the process.

One of his very best additions to the squad has undoubtedly been Declan Rice, who was once again incredible in the Champions League this week.

And now, it looks like another of Arteta’s signings is transforming into a Rice-type player this season.

Rice's best European nights for Arsenal

Since joining the club for £105m in the summer of 2023, Rice has made 26 appearances for Arsenal in the Champions League, in which he has scored four goals, provided four assists and averaged 2.12 points per game.

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

It would be fair to say that across those 26 games, he has been pretty incredible for the North Londoners, but when it comes to picking out his best European nights in red and white, there are three that stick out, the first of which is the home game against Paris Saint-Germain in the league phase last season.

It was a game the Gunners comfortably won 2-0, and one in which the former West Ham United captain totally bossed the Parisians’ smaller and, at the time, out-of-form midfield.

The Englishman didn’t pick up a goal or assist in that game, but he did do that in his second-best Champions League display for the club, which came on Wednesday this week.

Arteta started his record signing in the left eight against Atlético Madrid, and as fans have now come to expect, he was cool, calm and composed on the ball and a physical monster off of it.

Moreover, he provided the assist for Gabriel Magalhães’ opener, and then it was his corner that eventually led to Viktor Gyokeres’ second goal, and the team’s fourth.

However, while the 26-year-old was great against Atleti, he was out of this world against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals last season.

The midfield machine put in an extraordinary shift at the Bernabéu, but it was the home leg where he was utterly sublime, stopping everything in the middle of the park and then scoring those two world-class free-kicks.

In short, while he cost a lot of money, Rice has been worth every penny for Arsenal, and now another of Arteta’s signings is starting to embody some of his best traits.

Arsenal's new Rice-type star

Due to Arteta’s brilliant signings and Hale End’s production of talent, there is no shortage of incredible players in Arsenal’s squad, but the player who is becoming something of a Rice-type star is Riccardo Calafiori.

Now, it’s worth noting that this doesn’t mean they are the same type of player, as that would be a silly thing to suggest.

However, there are some increasingly obvious similarities between the pair, with the first being their mentality.

Like the Englishman, since coming back from his string of injuries that kept him out for most of last season, the former Bologna star has played like a man possessed.

Not only is he someone who can and does bound forward with the ball at his feet, but he’s also more than happy to get into a physical duel with an opponent to try and keep the ball or win it. As The Telegraph’s Sam Dean aptly put it, he plays like a “wild horse on the loose.”

On top of that, he is also a sensational striker of the ball, and while he isn’t delivering set-pieces, it has been on show in the goals he has scored over the last year, and even those that have been disallowed, like that unreal volley against Fulham last weekend.

Moreover, like the former West Ham man, the Italian international seems to have limitless energy, and this season has been allowed the freedom to roam here, there and everywhere on the pitch.

This “positionless” approach in games, as one analyst puts it, makes him a nightmare for opponents to defend against and could help him snuff out counters before they have a chance to get out of their half at times.

Finally, the Rome-born titan is also one of the best in his position in the league, as according to FBref, he ranks in the top 2% of full-backs for expected goals, shots, goal-creating actions, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for tackles in the attacking third and more, all per 90.

Calafiori’s Scout Report
Statistics	Per 90	Percentile
xG: Expected Goals	0.28	Top 2%
npxG: Non-Penalty xG	0.28	Top 2%
Shots Total	2.35	Top 2%
SCA (Fouls Drawn)	0.29	Top 2%
Goal-Creating Actions	0.73	Top 2%
GCA (Defensive Action)	0.15	Top 2%
SCA (Shot)	0.44	Top 6%
GCA (Shot)	0.15	Top 6%
Touches (Att Pen)	3.96	Top 6%
Goals + Assists	0.44	Top 10%
SCA (Defensive Action)	0.15	Top 10%
GCA (Live-ball Pass)	0.44	Top 10%
Goals	0.15	Top 13%
Assists	0.29	Top 13%
Non-Penalty Goals	0.15	Top 13%
npxG/Shot	0.12	Top 13%
Tackles (Att 3rd)	0.44	Top 17%
All Stats via FBref

Ultimately, Calafiori has been unreal for Arsenal this season, and as he has got better, he has become more and more of a Rice-type player.

Gyokeres can help Arsenal's "unbelievable" star reach Mesut Ozil's level

Gyokeres could play a key role in helping the incredible Arsenal star reach the levels of Ozil this season.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 23, 2025

Glasgow Rangers have officially confirmed the appointment of Danny Rohl after youth team manager Steven Smith led the side out at Ibrox at the weekend.

Smith oversaw a 2-2 draw with Dundee United in front of the home support at Ibrox after being placed in interim charge, two weeks after the club decided to part ways with Russell Martin.

The former Light Blues boss, as shown in the graphic above, endured a dismal time in the dugout in Glasgow after joining in the summer as the first appointment of the new ownership.

Five wins and 24 goals conceded in 17 matches was nowhere near good enough and it was not a surprise to see the board opt to remove him from his post after the draw with Falkirk before the break.

Now, Rohl has been confirmed as the new head coach at Ibrox and will lead the team out against Brann in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Why Danny Rohl can bring success back to Ibrox for Rangers

Supporters, after what happened with Martin, may look at Rohl and be unimpressed by another manager coming up from English football and the Championship, which is understandable.

The 36-year-old head coach finished 20th and 12th in his two seasons in the second tier managing Sheffield Wednesday, who had “never-ending” problems behind the scenes, per chairman of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust Ian Bennett.

Even though progressing the Owls from 20th to 12th with ‘never-ending problems’ was an impressive achievement, it may not provide supporters with hope that he can turn Rangers into a winning machine.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

However, his time as an assistant manager at the very top level suggests that he knows exactly what it takes to coach an elite team to win trophies on a consistent basis, as he was Hansi Flick’s assistant for two seasons with Bayern Munich.

Rohl won seven trophies in those two seasons, including the treble in the 2019/20 campaign, winning the Champions League, the DFB Pokal, and the Bundesliga, per Transfermark, which is why he could bring success back to Ibrox.

Sheffield Wednesday

Manager

89

Germany national team

Assistant manager

25

Bayern Munich

Assistant manager

101

Southampton

Assistant manager

24

RB Leipzig

Assistant manager

83

RB Leipzig

Video analyst

15

RB Leipzig U17s

Assistant manager

29

As you can see in the table above, Rohl has worked at some top teams, including Leipzig, Bayern, and Germany, as well as impressing in difficult circumstances at Sheffield Wednesday, and can bring a winning mentality to Glasgow that Martin could not.

TalkSPORT noted that Rohl, as one of the coaches at Bayern, helped Robert Lewandowski to score 55 goals in 47 matches in the 2019/20 campaign, as the Poland international led the team to a treble, per Transfermarkt.

The legendary marksman also scored 48 goals in 40 matches in all competitions for Bayern under Flick and Rohl’s coaching in the 2020/21 campaign, per Transfermarkt.

Lewandowski scored 41 Bundesliga goals in that season with Rohl as one of his coaches, and he has never scored more in a single league season in his career, before or since.

This suggests that the Rangers manager has coaching ability to get the best out of a clinical number nine, albeit he was working alongside Hansi Flick as his assistant at the time. At the very least, he knows how to coach a team to create chances for a striker on a consistent basis.

With this in mind, Rohl could unearth his next version of Lewandowski at Ibrox by getting the best out of summer signing Bojan Miovski this season, and beyond.

What Rohl needs to do to get Miovski firing at Rangers

Rangers swooped to sign Miovski from Spanish side Girona in the summer transfer window to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, 12 months on from his move to Spain from Aberdeen.

Unfortunately, though, the Macedonia international has struggled for form at Ibrox since his move back to Scotland. Per Sofascore, he has scored one goal in five matches in the Scottish Premiership under Martin and Smith to date.

One of the issues that Miovski has had since his move to Rangers has been that the team have not created enough chances for him in front of goal.

The left-footed star has only had four ‘big chances’ to find the back of the net in five appearances, and only averaged 0.6 shots on target per game, per Sofascore, which shows that he is getting a lack of service into the box.

Celtic

32

11

Hibernian

24

14

Hearts

19

19

Dundee United

18

14

Falkirk

18

10

Kilmarnock

17

11

Motherwell

16

12

Aberdeen

15

5

Rangers

13

8

St Mirren

11

5

Livingston

11

10

Dundee

8

8

As you can see in the table above, Rangers rank ninth in the Premiership for ‘big chances’ created, illustrating exactly what Rohl needs to improve to get Miovski firing.

The German head coach’s Sheffield Wednesday side created 98 ‘big chances’ in 46 games in the Championship last season, per Sofascore, the fifth-most in the division despite spending less than £5m on new signings after finishing 20th the previous campaign, per Transfermarkt.

This shows that Rohl, who predominantly plays a 4-2-3-1 formation, can coach a team to excel in the final third as a creative unit, even with limited resources, which is further backed up by his work as an assistant in Lewandowski’s best league season of his career.

Miovski, who was hailed as a “complete” player by journalist Josh Bunting, has the potential to be the manager’s next lethal centre-forward, given his impressive form for Aberdeen in the past.

The Rangers forward, as shown in the graphic above, has proven that he can score goals on a regular basis in Scotland, but it is down to Rohl to put together a team that creates enough chances for him to thrive.

If his work with Lewandowski at Bayern Munich and with Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship is anything to go by, Rohl has the coaching ability to turn Miovski into a goalscoring machine at Ibrox.

Rohl won't like him: Rangers must drop Ibrox star with "big potential"

It’s unlikely Smith will persist with this Rangers underperformer.

ByBen Gray Oct 20, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo voltou às suas raízes e fez valer o apelido de Clube da Fé. Mesmo após anos de fracassos e frustrações, a torcida que jamais abandona conduziu o Tricolor ao título inédito da Copa do Brasil, mostrando que a moeda pode voltar a cair de pé no Morumbi.

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Nem mesmo o são-paulino mais audacioso seria capaz de elaborar um roteiro tão emocionante e irrepreensível na Copa do Brasil. O Tricolor flertou com a eliminação nas oitavas de final para derrubar seus dois maiores rivais e ser campeão sobre o time com maior investimento do país.

O INÍCIO DE UMA IMPROVÁVEL JORNADA

Se a caminhada ao histórico título terminou no Morumbi, nada mais justo que o começo desta inesquecível história tivesse seu ponto de partida no Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, com Rogério Ceni. Uma das maiores figuras são-paulinas, Ceni viu sua imagem como treinador do Tricolor ficar desgastada após decepções no começo do ano, e o ídolo abriu espaço paraDorivalJr.

E foi com o dedo deDorivalque o São Paulo foi crescendo na competição. Com uma percepção tática única, o treinador foi o principal responsável pela classificação sobre o Ituano e a vantagem construída diante do Sport. Mas todo campeão precisa de sorte, e ela sorriu para o goleiro Rafael, que virou herói nas cobranças de pênalti contra o time pernambucano.

!PALMEIRAS E CORINTHIANS, PODEM ESPERAR!

O caminho ao título inédito ainda reservava grandes emoções, mas o Tricolor foi resiliente, do começo ao fim no confronto contra o Palmeiras, e calou o Allianz Parque com gols de Caio Paulista e David, heróis improváveis que comprovaram a união e força do elenco são-paulino.

Na semifinal, o Corinthians e o “fantasma” de Itaquera assombraram o São Paulo, mas quando as pernas não dão conta, o cérebro responde ao coração. Lucas atendeu ao chamado do Tricolor após 11 anos, e o cartão de boas-vindas do jogador criado em Cotia foi tão triunfal quanto o show da torcida nas arquibancadas do Morumbi.

DORIVALE O REENCONTRO

Na grande final, o destino pregou mais uma peça ao São Paulo, colocandoDorivalJr frente a frente com oFlamengo, onde fez história para depois ser escanteado pela diretoria rubro-negra.

Sem remorsos,Dorivaldeu uma aula tática a Sampaoli e calou o Maracanã com gol de Calleri, protagonista que representa tão bem este São Paulo. No Morumbi, a festa de gerações são-paulinas que sonhavam em ver o clube erguer o único título que faltava. A torcida que canta com orgulho ser hexa brasileiro e nunca ser rebaixado pode finalmente tirar o grito entalado na garganta da Copa do Brasil.

Manchester City fell by the wayside last season. An upswing in form toward the end of the campaign saw Pep Guardiola’s side salvage Champions League football.

It was a great shock for the four-in-a-row Premier League champions, and some even clamoured for Guardiola to step down. But the legendary manager has picked his outfit back up, refashioning them into title challengers once again.

Kevin De Bruyne left at the end of his contract, but the likes of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders have joined winter recruits such as Omar Marmoush in defining a new age at the Etihad.

Man City’s tactical brand has changed, and no mistake. While an averseness to dribbling was never an accurate description of Pep’s vision, there’s no doubt a fresh emphasis has been placed on his side’s dribbling.

Pep's dribbling renaissance at Man City

Often has Guardiola been criticised for numbing the pulse of his ball carriers, Jack Grealish being a case in point. While it’s true that the sum of the Spaniard’s system is greater than its individual parts, it is a machine of many different dimensions, and fleet-footed brilliance has always been a part of that.

In the past, wingers such as Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane played instrumental roles in establishing City’s early meteoric success, the bedrock of a dynasty that rivals any across English football history.

Sane, in particular, was an incredible dribbler with searing speed, especially before an ACL injury suffered in 2019, which forced the German to reinvent himself somewhat.

Praised by Guardiola for his athleticism and “incredible quality”, Sane, now at Bayern Munich, is fondly remembered by the Sky Blues, with that particular brand of electric-paced dribbling hard to replicate.

Signing stars like Rayan Ait-Nouri and Cherki this summer underscores Pep’s desire for a faster brand of dribbling in his Citizen side once again.

Sane might be a one-of-a-kind type of attacker, but there are similar variations with skillsets perfect for Guardiola’s teachings. Pep knows his stuff, and he might have found not just a belated superstar replacement, but someone who might actually be even better than the former City winger.

Man City's ball-carrying superstar

There’s only one man in question here: Jeremy Doku. The Belgian winger has been in fine fettle indeed across the opening weeks of the campaign, with talent scout Jacek Kulig noting he has “taken his game to a whole new level”.

Man City signed the dynamic wideman from French club Rennes for about £55m in 2023, but his first two terms in the Premier League have been characterised by an ebb and flow in the final third, scoring three times each year.

However, creativity has always been one of the 23-year-old’s strongest suits, and he’s married that with a new level of completeness and gusto with has borne dividends across these early weeks.

Three assists from six Premier League matches is good going, but Doku’s skill and explosiveness on the ball have been things to behold; now, there’s a new confidence and clarity about his performances.

It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Doku ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90 (data courtesy of FBref), but he’s also in the top percentile for shot-creating actions, underlining his effectiveness when entering the danger area.

And this season, he leads the way in the Premier League, more accurate when progressing the ball than his attacking rivals.

Jeremy Doku

54.5%

4.3

Mohammed Kudus

48.0%

4.1

Estavao

47.8%

4.0

Noah Okafor

43.5%

3.9

Rico Henry

77.8%

3.7

Might City have one of the finest dribblers in Europe? Undoubtedly. In fact, pundit Adrian Clarke has even gone as far as to claim that Doku is “one of the best dribblers in Premier League history”.

Valued at around £58m by Football Transfers, Manchester City haven’t quite got bang for their buck from a financial standpoint yet, but Doku is only 23, remember, and is showing all the signs of incremental growth which has not yet reached full bloom.

He’s the real deal, and if he maintains this level, he might even eclipse Sane and the like as the best dribbler across the entire Guardiola era at Manchester City.

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Manchester City let this top talent slip through their fingers.

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Gearing up to do battle in the transfer market once again, Newcastle United have now reportedly joined a Premier League race to sign a Bundesliga talent.

Howe admits Newcastle "different" without Isak

It was another frustrating away draw for Newcastle on Sunday. This time, the Magpies were forced to settle for a point in a 0-0 draw against a stubborn Bournemouth side. It makes it just one win in five games for Eddie Howe’s side, who are still adjusting to life without star man Alexander Isak.

The good news for Newcastle is that there aren’t many sides in the Premier League without problems as of late. Only Liverpool, who sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League, have maintained a 100% record.

With new signing Yoane Wissa likely to be on his way back from injury after the international break too, Howe will be hoping to see his side find their feet sooner rather than later.

Newcastle’s “explosive” star once looked like Shearer, now he needs to go

Newcastle star’s struggles mirror team’s attacking woes in Bournemouth draw.

ByWill Miller Sep 22, 2025

In the meantime, PIF are still focusing on potential incomings away from the action. With 2026 presenting those at St James’ Park with a fresh opportunity to spend big, the Magpies have reportedly joined a Premier League race to sign another Bundesliga talent.

Newcastle join race to sign Brown

As reported by Caught Offside, Newcastle have now joined the race to sign Nathaniel Brown from Eintracht Frankfurt. Joining Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Manchester United in the battle to welcome the German left-back, those in Tyneside should be desperate to finally get one over on their rivals in the transfer market.

Signing another young left-back would certainly make sense following the interest that came Tino Livramento’s way in the summer. Losing the Englishman would be a major blow for Howe, but welcoming Brown would instantly provide the Newcastle boss with a replacement.

Described as a “pacy, flying” left-back by analyst Ben Mattinson back in May, Brown is one to watch in the Bundesliga. Newcastle already dipped into the pool of young German talent to welcome Nick Woltemade in the summer and could do so again to welcome a defensive talent.

Arne Slot delivered a bleak update on Giovanni Leoni's condition after Liverpool's summer signing suffered a horror injury on his debut. The former Parma defender was handed his maiden start in the Carabao Cup clash against Southampton on Tuesday but was stretchered off the pitch in the 81st minute after an awkward fall.

• Slot handed Leoni maiden start

  Leoni appeared for Liverpool for the first time since joining them from Parma in a deal worth €35 million (£30m/$41m) during the summer transfer window. Slot decided to rest the regular centre-back pair of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, as Leoni started alongside Joe Gomez. Unfortunately, his debut game against Southampton ended in agony as he was forced off the pitch on a stretcher following an awkward landing after a challenge on the touchline.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Slot's update on Leoni's condition

  The Liverpool boss provided a bleak update on the defender's condition after the game, telling reporters: "Of course, he is down because for him it didn’t feel good immediately, but this is something now we have to assess. Normally, these things don’t happen in five to 10 minutes and you have to wait for tomorrow to see how he comes in and then maybe do an MRI scan to know more about how serious it is.

  "Normally, the emotions of a player tell you a lot. I saw during the weekend a player in the Dutch Eredivisie who went out completely in tears – Ruben van Bommel, by the way, of PSV – and a day later it proved to be that it was right. Let’s hope for the best."

• Liverpool clinch win despite Ekitike's red card

  Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike were on target as the Reds clinched a narrow 2-1 win over Championship side Southampton to progress in the Carabao Cup. Ekitike came off the bench in the second half to score the late winner, but he picked up a second yellow card for celebrating the goal by removing his shirt. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Palace test next for Liverpool

  Liverpool will be back in action in the Premier League this Saturday as they take on in-form Crystal Palace, but Ekitike will be suspended for the trip to Selhurst Park, with fellow summer signing Isak in line to start in his place.

MatériaMais Notícias

O meia-atacante Guilherme Soares, de 16 anos, é o novo reforço para as categorias de base do Bahia. Ele chega ao Tricolor após se destacar no Campeonato Paulista Sub-17, neste ano, ao defender a camisa do Botafogo-SP, com contrato definitivo de três anos.

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Natural de Rio das Ostras, Região dos Lagos do Rio de Janeiro, Guilherme iniciou no futebol nas categorias de base do Macaé. Após chamar a atenção pela boa qualidade técnica, agilidade e a finalização precisa, o meia-atacante se transferiu para o Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto. Com números positivos, ele reforça o Bahia e espera crescer dentro das quatro linhas.

– Estou feliz com essa grande oportunidade de estar jogando num dos maiores clubes do Brasil. Vou me dedicar bastante, buscar sempre melhorar em campo e poder realizar um grande trabalho. Espero conquistar o meu espaço, títulos e grandes triunfos para o clube – projetou Guilherme, que fez questão de destacar o ponto principal que o fez optar pelo Esquadrão:

– Entre as propostas apresentadas, a que mais me chamou a atenção foi justamente a do clube. Junto aos meus representantes, da Pantera Sport, escolhemos o Bahia por conta do seu projeto e pelo novo momento vivido através da SAF – complementou o meia-atacante.

Guilherme vem se preparando para a disputa do Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-17, que terá início em julho. O Bahia está no Grupo B ao lado do Atlético-GO, Cruzeiro, Fortaleza, Goiás, Grêmio, Palmeiras, Santos, São Paulo e Athletico-PR, adversário da estreia. A partida será no dia 5, às 15h, no Estádio de Pituaçu, em Salvador.

Filling in as opener, Babar Azam had a good day with the bat but was left to ponder what could have been

Danyal Rasool06-Jan-2025Babar Azam found himself rooted to the crease in disgust. He couldn’t believe the shot he’d played after being set on a surface where there was limited threat from either the pitch or the bowlers. He must have thought he’d never make that mistake again, but two sessions later it happened.So, on a day where Babar scored two half-centuries, the bigger talking point surrounded his shot selection. Well set during Pakistan’s first innings in the opening session, Kwena Maphaka had bowled one well down leg side, and managed to coax Babar into tickling it through to the wicketkeeper. It has been a persistent issue with Babar – the strangle down leg. But then again, so is his manner of dismissal two sessions later when, in the dying throes of the day, he threw his hands at a wide delivery from Marco Jansen, and edged it straight to gully.Related

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Stats: Masood and Babar raise the follow-on bar for openers

Masood practices the art of not letting go

Babar admitted the dismissals meant it was disappointment rather than relief that dominated his emotions. “I’m very disappointed with both innings. I started well, but didn’t finish well,” he said. “If you settle, you must go much bigger. That is why I was a bit upset. There were just 15 minutes left.”It was all the more frustrating because South Africa posed no danger of dismissing either him or Shan Masood, who scored an unbeaten hundred. Having sent down nearly a hundred overs across the two innings, their discipline over the last two sessions had been poor; they bowled 10 no-balls in 49 overs of the second innings. There was almost no swing or movement of the seam, and Pakistan’s openers appeared set to finish the day unbeaten, looking to salvage something after the disaster of the first.”The conditions here are different from Centurion,” Babar said. “When you come to South Africa, you don’t expect that [the pitch will be so flat]. With the new ball, it was a bit challenging, but once you settled down and built a partnership, it became easier. But there are some rough patches; you saw a couple of overs from Maharaj to Shan which got some turn and bounce. So the spinner is a bit of a challenge for the batter. But against the fast bowler, if you’re settled, just play your normal game.”There was, however, some relief for Babar. After about two years without a Test fifty, he had scored three on the trot, a run stretching back to the second innings in Centurion. However, all three dismissals were down to poor shot selection rather than bowlers working him out.”I should have capitalised during our partnership, but unfortunately it didn’t happen,” he said. “In the second innings, my partnership with Shan has helped us come back into the game a little. Tomorrow, we have to try and build a partnership, and the longer those partnerships are the more pressure there’ll be on South Africa.”But there is a bigger picture, one that his continued struggle of late has put him in a better position to appreciate. He is the highest run-scorer for Pakistan this series, and now has something every batter values: competitive time at the crease under his belt.”Things change in life all the time,” he said. “I learned a lot during this time [of poor form] when what I wanted to do I wasn’t able to do, and when I couldn’t do the things that people expected of me. I just kept telling myself to stay calm, and believe that my ability and hard work would be vindicated, and to try and enjoy myself. But what was really important was to spend some time on the pitch, and thankfully [that has happened this series].”

The first Test against Australia in Perth will be India’s first competitive match on tour after the BCCI scrapped a three-day intra-squad game at the WACA.Bidding for a third straight Test series victory in Australia, India’s tour was set to start against India A in a warm-up behind closed doors from November 15-17.But ESPNcricinfo understands India’s hierarchy have changed plans and instead opted for the squad to train during those three days, which will include net sessions and centre wicket match simulation scenarios at the WACA.Australia will likely train at the WACA after India’s stint at the ground in what will be important preparation for some players who have had limited matches under their belt.”Going to be some good centre wickets with our boys bowling in Perth, in similar conditions to what you’re going to get at Optus Stadium. [It’s] probably going to be enough,” Steven Smith recently said about preparing for the Test series with centre wicket practice at the WACA.India had initially decided on an intra-squad game as their sole warm-up before the first Test starting on November 22 rather than a practice match against an Australian domestic side.This is a departure from their last two tours of Australia having begun the red-ball leg of their 2020-21 tour with a three-day game against Australia A, while they played a four-day game against a Cricket Australia XI ahead of the 2018-19 series.The intra-squad match at the WACA was set to be played behind closed doors at the request of India’s hierarchy. There had been hope initially that the game would be open to the public much like India’s two matches against a WA XI side before the 2022 T20 World Cup.Near capacity crowds of around 2500 fans at the WACA, which is currently under redevelopment, attended those matches with a AU$5 entry fee going towards the WA Cricket Foundation.India’s squad is set to depart for Australia shortly after the third and final Test against New Zealand in Mumbai finishes on November 5.Led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, India A were supposed to play India’s Test squad after their four-day matches against Australia A in Mackay and the MCG.India A’s 15-player squad had staggered arrivals into Brisbane on October 25 and 26, with the first contingent of players faced with a delay disembarking off their flight due to an unwell passenger.