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The India spinner looks back at a fantastic 12 months, during which she won the WPL, debuted for India, and became a big favourite of selfie-hunters

Daya Sagar and Vishal Dikshit25-Sep-20243:20

Shreyanka Patil: I don’t like to lose, my fighting spirit comes from there

Shreyanka Patil will be going to the T20 World Cup after all.Two weeks ago, not long after passing a fitness test after suffering a finger injury, Patil twisted her ankle during a practice match in Bengaluru. For two days, her dream of playing in her first T20 World Cup appeared slim.While the swelling went down gradually, no decision was going to be made without looking at the scan results. Even after the results arrived and indicated no major damage, Patil was informed that there would be a “wait and watch” period before a call was taken.On Tuesday (September 24), Patil was part of the Indian contingent that flew out to the UAE for the tournament, which India are looking to win for the first time.

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Patil has had a dream run in the last 12 months. Soon after becoming the first Indian to feature in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) late last year, she made her white-ball debut for India in December. In March, she was front and centre of a victorious Women’s Premier League (WPL) campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).She is just 12 T20Is old, but her reputation since the WPL ended has only grown. Her ability to bowl across different phases, particularly at the death, is a standout feature.”I was just focusing on my process,” Patil said earlier this month at a QUA brand shoot in Delhi. “I was not really thinking of what’s going to happen next. I thought I’ll just give my best whichever team I play for.”Patil, 22, broke through in WPL 2023, where RCB finished last, after two good seasons with Karnataka. This season, too, she was among the top spinners for RCB, along with Asha Sobhana, Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham, taking 13 wickets that included figures of 4 for 12 in the final.Related

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For Patil, one of the major takeaways from the WPL 2024 experience was the crowd that turned up in Bengaluru, which hosted the first leg of the season, where deafening cheers greeted captain Smriti Mandhana and her team.”This year, when we faced that crowd in Bangalore, it was just massive,” Patil said. “When we get so much from the audience, like people watching us, we want to do more, we wanted to give our best. I mean we keep doing that, but when you see people turning out and saying ‘wow, they play so well’, that’s again a plus point for all of us.”So playing with the likes of Smriti and Pez [Ellyse Perry], there are a lot of things to learn also and not just on the field but off the field. You get to learn a lot of stuff. It was amazing. That platform has really set the standards for the domestic players and for us.”Personally, for me, everyone would say, ‘she’s got the Purple Cap’, but for me it was like a rollercoaster ride because in the first half in Bangalore I couldn’t perform at my best. I was really disappointed because I like my Bangalore. So I went back and Malo [Malolan Rangarajan, RCB’s assistant coach] helped me with my bowling and then Smriti literally backed me up no matter what. So I’m very grateful to the whole management who supported me at that time and then the second half really turned out to be a good one for me.”Only two seasons old, the WPL has not only helped budding players financially but also thrown up fresh options for the Indian team management. Patil was among them, along with players like Saika Ishaque and Tanuja Kanwar; cricketing skills aside, these players also needed to pick up how to deal with the glitz and glamour of the WPL, and of being India players.Shreyanka Patil finished WPL 2024 as the Purple Cap winner•BCCI”So after the WPL, when I came back home, there were thousands of people in front of my house asking me for selfies,” Patil recalled. “They said, ‘you really did well, you were just amazing, we love your bowling, we love your smile,’ all kinds of comments. And I couldn’t stop smiling. So it was just so amazing the crowd there and I really enjoyed.”Patil also finished the WCPL as runners-up with Guyana Amazon Warriors last year. Her quick journey to the top, she said, could be down to her competitive attitude and ability to not get bogged down by pressure on the big stage.”I think it comes very naturally to me since I was a kid,” she said. “I don’t like to lose. I get up and say, ‘I’m going to try my heart out, I’m going to give it everything, no matter what’. I would love to have that fighting spirit with me always.”For me, pressure is a good thing. So when I say ‘pressure’, it’s not like I think negative or something. I feel cool under pressure because that’s what I practiced during my practice sessions as well. I put myself into those pressure situation like last two balls left, four runs to win. How am I going to bowl? So repeating those kinds of practice sessions helped me settle those nerves.”Patil will be among four spin-bowling options for India, along with Radha Yadav, Deepti Sharma and Asha, when their T20 World Cup campaign starts on October 4 against New Zealand in Dubai. Then they face Pakistan on October 6, also in Dubai. The other two teams in India’s group are Australia and Sri Lanka.Patil hasn’t played a competitive game since the Asia Cup opener, but is now relieved to have overcome the injury scares as she gets set to give her dreams of winning a World Cup a leg up.

N Jagadeesan and Ishan Kishan continue their form as the 19 games in the round produced 12 results

Shashank Kishore16-Dec-2022The first round of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy produced 12 outright results from 19 matches, including wins for Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh, finalists of the previous season. There were several thrills and spills, highs and lows, runs and records, all of which we have tried to encapsulate.

The shockers

Haryana were rolled over for 46 in a massive innings defeat to Himachal Pradesh in Lahli, renowned for being among the more seamer-friendly decks in the country. Puducherry’s joy of bowling out Chhattisgarh for a paltry 162 dissipated quickly as they slumped to 37 all out in a massive loss, with left-arm spinner Ajay Mandal claiming unreal figures of 7 for 7 on a surface that observers called a rank turner.Related

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Forty six and thirty seven… just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Nagaland were bundled out for 25 on the final day of their Elite League fixture against Uttarakhand. This is the second-lowest score in India’s domestic cricket in the last 45 years just below Hyderabad’s 21 all out in 2010-11 against Rajasthan. Staggeringly, Nagaland’s batting low had followed a massive high, as they made 389 in the first innings to open up a 107-run lead.

The veterans lead by example

He is 37 and showing no signs of slowing down. Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal opened his season with a century in each innings to help his team beat Railways by 194 runs. Fazal made 112 in their first-innings score of 213, with his opposite number, legspinner Karn Sharma, picking up a career-best 8 for 38. Railways could only manage 161 in reply, their hopes of staying alive in the contest all but put to bed when Fazal slammed 103 to help Vidarbha pile on a big lead.Priyank Panchal led Gujarat from the front to stage a remarkable recovery from 97 for 6 to post 271, but Tripura managed to pocket a slender lead and the resulting three points with the game ending in a draw. In Kolkata, Manoj Tiwary battled through to make an unbeaten 60 in the fourth innings as Bengal recovered from the depths of 97 for 7 on the opening morning to secure a comeback win against Uttar Pradesh. Bengal chased down 257 with six wickets in hand as Tiwary, leading in Abhimanyu Easwaran’s absence, began his swansong with a win.Ishan Kishan made a 132 in the first innings against Kerala•PTI Sanju Samson, in his first first-class outing in close to three years, made a sprightly half-century in a first-innings score of 475, as Kerala opened with a win over Jharkhand. Ishan Kishan, his contemporary, made 132 to keep Jharkhand in the fight in the first innings, before they crumbled.

Debutants make a splash

Arjun Tendulkar has followed in the footsteps of his father, Sachin Tendulkar, by making a century on Ranji Trophy debut. Arjun’s 120 from No. 7 helped Goa pile on the runs after Suyash Prabhudessai made 212 in their first-innings total of 547 for 9 declared. It was enough for Goa to out-bat Rajasthan for a first-innings lead.Jay Gohil, the Saurashtra batter, made a double-century to help Saurashtra take the first-innings honours against Assam. Gohil, 22, made 227 off just 246 balls, with 32 fours and two sixes. Gohil only got the opportunity because Cheteshwar Pujara is currently away on national duty.Sixteen-year-old Manipur fast bowler Pheiroijam Singh took a nine-for in his maiden first-class game, but it wasn’t enough for his side to win. Sikkim, who took a narrow lead, chased down their 160-run target without much fuss in the second dig to win their Plate League match. Pheiroijam, who took 9 for 69 in the first innings, ended with a 10-for in the match.In Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu’s B Sai Sudharsan made 179 on debut which comes as excellent news to a team that is in transition from an era where they had prolific openers like Abhinav Mukund and M Vijay.

Tamil Nadu’s version of Bazball

Okay, we know what Sai Sudharsan did, but let’s cut to the chase. Late on the final day in the third session, Tamil Nadu were set a target of 144 in 11 overs. It had all the makings of a draw, right? TN thought differently. They went for broke and nearly chased down the runs. They were 108 for 1 in seven overs, needing only 36 off four more when bad light stopped play and the game ended in a draw.N Jagadeesan, who is making a strong pitch to be part of the IPL again after years of being on the bench at Chennai Super Kings, made a 22-ball 59 not out in the second innings to go with his 97-ball 116 in the first. He is also coming off a record-breaking five back-to-back List A tons in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Honourable mentions

Sandeep Warrier and R Sai Kishore picked up five-wicket hauls for TN in a batter-dominated gameShivam Mavi picked up 6 for 55 for UP, but Bengal’s Ishan Porel had already stolen the pace-bowling thunder with his five-for on the opening day at Eden Gardens.Maharashtra, without the prolific Ruturaj Gaikwad, made a potentially tough chase of 180 seem like a cake walk. They beat Delhi by nine wickets thanks to half-centuries from Pavan Shah and Kaushal Tambe.

Can Iyer strike quickly and will Mumbai Indians get a chance to bat first?

Nagraj Gollapudi and Gaurav Sundararaman10-Nov-2020Dhawan-Stoinis vs Bumrah-Boult
No other team’s top order has suffered from the new-ball attack of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult more than the Delhi Capitals. Mumbai’s strike bowlers, who are among the top three wicket-takers this IPL, have bagged 11 top-order wickets of the Capitals in three matches. The next highest on their log are the Chennai Super Kings with eight wickets.Whether they bat first or chase, the Capitals’ openers Shikhar Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis will have to see off the initial burst from Bumrah and Boult. If they manage to keep the Capitals alive after the first handful of overs, they can encash that safety-first approach later with their power hitters.That will not be easy, however. Just five days ago, in Qualifier-1, both Dhawan and Stoinis were undone by Bumrah’s fierce pace and accuracy. Dhawan left with a sheepish smile after saving his toes from a 142kph yorker, one of the deliveries of this IPL, which rattled his off stump. That was the second time Bumrah had Dhawan this season.He then knocked back Stoinis’ off stump with a length ball. It was the fourth time he’d dismissed the Australian allrounder in the IPL. But both the Capitals’ openers will aim to take fresh guard in Dubai in the final.ESPNcricinfo LtdIyer needs to strike hard early
Shreyas Iyer has been the Capitals’ second-highest run-getter after Dhawan. However, he hasn’t made a telling statement with the bat like Suryakumar Yadav or Ishan Kishan have for Mumbai.While Iyer’s overall strike rate is 122, his strike rate in the first 10 balls dips to 95.5. Suryakumar’s corresponding first-10-balls number is 140. Kishan too starts off slowly, striking at 98 off his first 10 balls, but he’s managed to convert slow starts into high-impact scores. His overall strike rate is significantly higher than Iyer’s, at 144. Iyer’s positive tempo could inject energy the Capitals’ middle-order, which has been shaky during the tournament’s second half.ESPNcricinfo LtdCan Rahul Chahar bounce back?
In Qualifier-1, the legspinner was taken apart by Stoinis with his two wicketless overs going for 35. Chahar has just one wicket in 10 overs against the Capitals this IPL. He also spilled a catch that night, but was coaxed by his captain into leading the team off the field after victory. But Chahar should know that the Capitals batsmen are not the most fluent against legspin. In fact, Sharma could even allow Chahar one over in the Powerplay to challenge Stoinis, who has lost his wicket half a dozen times against legspin in the IPL.Getty ImagesWill Mumbai stick to batting first in the final?
Mumbai have opted to bat first in four of the five finals they have played. They have won the title each time. The one time they chased, and lost, was way back in 2010 against the Chennai Super Kings. Overall teams batting first have won eight of the 12 IPL finals so far.It will be interesting to see what the Capitals do if they win the toss, considering Mumbai have won twice chasing during the league phase and then finished with a strong victory having been put in to bat in Qualifier 1.Getty Images

All the stats from the Australian quick’s phenomenal career

Shubh Agarwal11-Jul-2025A monumental landmark awaits Mitchell Starc in Jamaica. Taking the field in the third Test against West Indies at Sabina Park, Starc will complete 100 matches in the format, becoming only the second Australian quick after Glenn McGrath to amass a century of Test caps. Only 15 other Australian players have earned 100 Test caps.Starc will be the 15th pacer overall, including Jacques Kallis and Ben Stokes, among players who have notched up a minimum of 100 Test wickets as a fast bowler and played 100 Tests or more.Starc gets to the 100-Test mark in the 14th year of his career, having made his debut in the first Test against New Zealand in December 2011. Since then, he has featured in 99 of the 141 Tests that Australia have played, picking 395 wickets at an average of 27.39 while having a strike rate of 48 balls per wicket.Related

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Five more wickets will take Starc to 400 scalps in 100 Tests, making him the eighth pacer to achieve the double. Whether he manages those remaining wickets in Jamaica or not, Starc is almost certain to become the second-quickest bowler overall to 400 Test wickets in terms of balls bowled. Only Dale Steyn is ahead of him, getting there in 16,334 balls. Starc, having bowled 18,971 deliveries, is likely to reach the mark at least 1000 balls ahead of the next best – Richard Hadlee (20322-20436 deliveries). He will also be ahead of McGrath, making him the quickest Australian to 400 Test wickets when balls bowled are considered.In fact, Starc has the best bowling strike rate for a pacer heading into his 100th Test. While McGrath and Wasim Akram had more wickets at this point in their career, Starc is the only with a bowling strike rate under 50 after the first 99 Tests.ESPNcricinfo LtdEver since ball-by-ball stats are available (since 2002), Starc has taken the second most number of wickets in the first over of the innings (20), the most famous being Rory Burns’ dismissal on the first ball of the 2021-22 Ashes. Only James Anderson (29) has more.Starc’s habit of striking early has fetched him 107 wickets of openers. He is among the only six fast bowlers to dismiss more than 100 openers.Starc has been a big contributor in wins, picking 246 of his 395 scalps in victories, the second highest by a pacer for Australia. Including spinners, Shane Warne (510) and Nathan Lyon pip Starc.Starc’s 246 wickets are also the most for a pacer in Test wins since his debut in December 2011, followed by two other quicks known for their longevity, Stuart Broad (242) and Anderson (233).ESPNcricinfo LtdThe Adelaide Oval has been Starc’s favorite venue where he also picked his career best of 6 for 48 against India in 2024. He has snaffled 55 wickets in only ten Tests there, averaging 17.14. He is the only Australian bowler to take over 50 wickets at a venue at an average less than 20.Overall, with his 235 wickets at home, Starc is also only behind McGrath (289) in terms of most wickets for a fast bowler in Australia. Only three fast bowlers have taken over 200 Test wickets in Australia, with Dennis Lillee being the third (231). Warne (319) and Lyon (268) are again ahead of Starc if spinners are included.ESPNcricinfo LtdStarc has also been the highest wicket-taker in the brief history of day-night Tests. He has 74 wickets in the 13 Tests he has played, which is 31 more than the next best, Nathan Lyon. Among the six bowlers with more than 20 wickets in day-night Tests, Starc’s strike rate of 34.8 is the best.Starc is also the only bowler with four five-wicket hauls in day-night Test matches, giving him a good opportunity of picking the remaining five wickets to complete the double of 400 wickets in his 100th Test.

Break up the Colorado Rockies.

The much-maligned squad entered their series against the Miami Marlins this week carrying a record of 9-50. Somehow, some way, the Rockies defied their sad-sack reputation and swept the Marlins to move to 12-50 on the year. Just days ago they became the fastest team to ever get to 50 losses in a season.

Colorado finished off the sweep—its first of any team since May 2024—with a 3–2 win Wednesday afternoon. Left fielder Jordan Beck, center fielder Brenton Doyle, and designated hitter Hunter Goodman each drove in runs. Fittingly, pitcher Kyle Freeland—a franchise lifer who helped fuel the team's long-ago 2010s success—took the win.

The Rockies won the first game of the series 6–4 and the second game 3–2. With the losses, Miami dropped to 23-37 on the year—last in the National League East Division.

Colorado remains on pace to go 31-131, which would be the worst season in modern MLB history by leaps and bounds. Last year's Chicago White Sox, for comparison's sake, went 41-121.

However, as the saying goes, a journey of 1,000 miles—or in the Rockies' case, 25.5 games between them and the Los Angeles Dodgers—begins with a single step.

استقر أحمد عبد الرؤوف المدير الفني لفريق الزمالك، على تشكيل الفريق الذي سيخوض به مواجهة كايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي، في دور المجموعات من بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية. 

ويلتقي الزمالك مع نظيره كايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي، في الثالثة عصر اليوم السبت، في جنوب إفريقيا، في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات من بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية. 

ويقع الزمالك في المجموعة في الكونفدرالية رفقة أندية كايزر تشيفز والمصري وزيسكو يونايتد الزامبي. 

طالع.. الزمالك يواجه كايزر تشيفز في مهمة صعبة خارج الديار بـ الكونفدرالية

وكان الزمالك قد حقق الفوز في الجولة الماضية من دور المجموعات من بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية على فريق زيسكو الزامبي بهدف دون رد أحرزه سيف الدين الجزيري. 

ويقود التونسي سيف الدين الجزيري هجوم فريق الزمالك المتوقع أمام كايزر تشيفز، بعد تألقه في اللقاء الماضي وتسجيله هدف.  تشكيل الزمالك المتوقع أمام كايزر تشيفز في الكونفدرالية

حراسة المرمى: محمد عواد.

الدفاع: أحمد فتوح وحسام عبد المجيد والونش وعمر جابر.

الوسط: محمد شحاتة، وسيف جعفر أو محمد إسماعيل، وناصر ماهر.

الهجوم: محمود بنتايج أو أحمد شريف، والجزيري وخوان بيزير

Martin O’Neill’s future as Celtic’s interim manager remains unknown for the time being, but a new update has now emerged regarding the situation.

The 4-2-3-1-playing O’Neill has enjoyed a successful return to Parkhead, winning three of his four matches in temporary charge of the Hoops.

The 73-year-old remains as popular as ever among the Celtic supporters, while Ian Wright has recently heaped praise on the job he is doing at the Scottish Premiership champions, calling him “amazing”, and Paul Scholes has lauded the “unbelievable energy” that he has.

It has recently been claimed that O’Neill’s time in charge of the Hoops could come to an end during the current international break, however, with the Scottish giants seeing Wilfried Nancy and Kjetil Knutsen as the front-runners to come in.

There are some Celtic fans who would like the idea of him staying on, though, given his history with the club and the results he has masterminded since returning, and now a new update has emerged over his future.

Dermot Desmond set for Martin O'Neill talks this week

According to a new claim from Sky Sports, Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond is set to hold “discussions” with O’Neill this week, although it isn’t specified whether it is to do with staying on until the end of the season or bringing someone else in.

That said, the report states that the Hoops are “pleased with the way O’Neill has galvanised the squad and lifted the mood at Celtic Park”, which can only be a good thing for him.

As is always the case with a manager, opinion is sure to be split over O’Neill’s future, with some feeling that he is the right man for the job until next summer, and others perhaps thinking a younger and more long-term option is required right now.

The Northern Irishman has even admitted himself that the demands are tough on a 73-year-old, perhaps showing that he may not have it in him to take the Hoops job on a permanent basis.

“Do you know, that is a genuinely good point, so I’m going to be serious here. I really don’t know. It’s a young man’s game, and I’m almost talking myself out of this here, but it’s been tough, you know. All the things that I kind of thought I knew about it have come to sort of fruition.”

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It still feels more likely that O’Neill will be moved on, with a younger alternative coming in soon, but he has a good relationship with Desmond, which can’t be a bad thing, and there would be clear positives to him staying on if he is keen to.

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ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Aug-2025

Tom Moores smashed a career-best 148 from 93 balls as Notts Outlaws launched their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign with a comfortable victory over Essex.It is the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter’s highest score in senior cricket, eclipsing his first-class best of 106. He hit five sixes and 18 fours, sharing a 137-run sixth-wicket partnership with Daniel Sams (45 off 42) as the Outlaws recovered to 283 for 9, having been 41 for four inside the first hour thanks to Essex seamer Jamie Porter taking a List A career-best 4 for 29.Robin Das (46) and skipper Tom Westley (43) gave the Essex a solid start as they chased a revised target of 286 after squally showers had limited the home side to 46 overs in their innings, but from 101 for one they collapsed to 156 for 6, former Lincolnshire left-arm spinner Joe Pocklington taking 3 for 53 on his Outlaws debut, and despite an excellent unbeaten 46 from 41 balls (two sixes) from wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes, still fell for 234, seamer Rob Lord finishing with 3 for 30.After Westley won the toss and asked the home side to bat first in typical outground conditions at the John Fretwell Sports Complex, just outside Mansfield, Porter bowled his 10-over allocation in one spell to have Notts struggling.Having picked up a gift wicket when Outlaws skipper Haseeb Hameed chipped to mid-off, he found movement with the new ball to bowl Ben Slater and the 18-year-old debutant Sam Seecharan before Jack Haynes was caught behind off a thin edge.The hosts stumbled further to 74 for 5 as Lyndon James cut straight to cover, but with Porter bowled out, an Essex attack lacking Simon Harmer (on paternity leave) looked much less menacing.Moores was dropped at deep backward square on 21 off Noah Thain but responded by launching the same bowler over the same boundary for the first of his sixes in an innings that showcased his strengths square of the wicket. His first fifty came off 35 balls, his hundred from 69. His previous List A best had been 76 against Leicestershire in 2018, although this was only his 30th match in the format.Sams – available for Notts until he begins a Caribbean Premier League stint later this month – cleared the rope three times before top-edging to midwicket. Essex’s 19-year-old seamer Charlie Bennett, on his List A debut, recovered from a wobbly start to pick up the wickets of both Sams and Moores, who was eventually held at long-on.After losing Matt Critchley early, Essex looked well placed at 101 for 1 in the 16th over but after Das, who made a match-winning century for his county at Trent Bridge last summer, had miscued Lord to mid-on, Essex were never able to regain full momentum.Westley was well taken at short midwicket as Lord struck again, before 24-year-old Pocklington – handed a contract only this week after call-ups to The Hundred and Matt Montgomery’s move to Derbyshire left Notts with effectively no spinners – marked a memorable debut by bowling Luc Benkenstein, snaring Charlie Allison with a return catch and having Nick Browne caught behind off a botched reverse sweep.Lyndon James had Noah Thain and Bennett both caught at midwicket and Shane Snater caught behind as Essex – who have won just seven of 25 One-Day Cup fixtures since they reached the semi-finals in 2021 – were bowled out for 234.

West Indies coach Daren Sammy said that the match officials have admitted there were errors made during the first Test in Barbados, but insisted he holds no grudges against Adrian Holdstock, who will move from being the TV umpire to on-field in Grenada.Sammy was fined 15% of his match fee and handed a demerit point after he questioned the work of Holdstock, particularly decisions against Roston Chase and Shai Hope, adding he had held concerns from the recent England tour. Chase was also highly critical after the match but has escaped any ICC sanction.”I said I wouldn’t want my players to do that press conference because of the questions I think that would have been posted at them,” Sammy said. “I strongly believed in what I said.Related

• Sammy fined for criticising third umpire Holdstock

• Chase calls out 'so many questionable calls' in Barbados Test

“We’ve had further chats [with the officials]. They’ve clarified some stuff. There has been some admission of error as well. This was Barbados and we’re now in Grenada, so we’ve left that behind.”Asked whether he regretted his comments about Holdstock, Sammy said, “I don’t hold grudges. I said what I said, based on what I saw. I’ve been punished for it. I wish Adrian all the best, to be honest. I mean, we’re all human. I have nothing against the umpires. I really wish he has an awesome game.”Australia have not been drawn into any debate around the umpiring, although they have admitted they came out on the right side of it in Barbados. But Alex Carey had fears his diving catch to remove Hope would be given not out when he saw the replays on the big screen.Carey dived full-length to his left to take an inside edge off the bowling of Beau Webster from Hope, who was well-set on 48 in his first Test for three-and-a-half years. Carey was convinced he had taken the catch cleanly.West Indies were unhappy about Roston Chase’s lbw in Barbados•Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

It was eventually confirmed as out by Holdstock. Earlier in the game, he had ruled a low catch by Hope from Travis Head in Australia’s first innings as not out.”I thought it was out straightaway, yes,” Carey said. “I wasn’t confident it was going to stay out when I saw the replay, to be honest. It’s been a really difficult shift in the third umpiring in what’s out and what’s not out. Your opinion is different to my opinion.”I thought that was a pretty difficult game, to have five, six, seven 50-50 examples for the third umpire. He’s not going to please everyone up there, but I thought he did a really good job. We obviously know the other side and the other camp was a little bit disappointed with some of them. I understand that.”But I did think it was out. I never thought I fumbled the ball or had any reason to question the decision. It was a pleasing one to take. A good batter as well, who was scoring some runs.”Holdstock will stand with Richard Kettleborough in Grenada and then with Nitin Menon in Jamaica. Kettleborough will be standing in his 93rd Test, going past David Shepherd’s count of 92 as the most by an English umpire.

Following a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Genk in the Europa League, Fabrizio Romano has shared what he’s now heard from Glasgow Rangers on the future of Ibrox boss Russell Martin.

Martin calls for "perspective" after Rangers defeat

Last weekend’s victory over Hibernian handed Martin hope, but just that. His side were returned to the reality of their situation in brutal fashion as former Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu raced in behind before firing home Genk’s winning goal at Ibrox in midweek. Down to 10 men and beaten, it was yet another evening to forget for the Gers.

Martin was once again forced to come out in defence of his side and his tenure at the club, calling for “perspective” after Mohamed Diomande’s red card left Genk with a man advantage.

Truth be told, after just four wins in 14 games, it may be too late for anyone to hand the former Southampton boss the benefit of the doubt. There’s been more than one example of such a performance taking place when Rangers have kept all 11 players on the pitch.

Just where the Gers go from here is the big question. Reports before the Hibs victory last week mentioned the likes of Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti as candidates to replace Martin, only for other headlines to suggest that he still has the full backing of the 49ers.

"Whether you like it or not" – Martin demands "perspective" after Rangers defeat

It was another night to forget.

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 26, 2025

Now, after yet another defeat, Romano has provided an update about what he’s hearing from Ibrox on Martin’s future.

Romano provides Russell Martin sack update

According to Romano, Martin’s position at Rangers is now being assessed and those above the manager are contemplating whether to bring his Ibrox spell to an end. The reporter told GiveMeSport:

With that said, another defeat at Livingston this weekend may well make Martin’s position simply untenable and force the 49ers into another managerial search so soon after hiring the 39-year-old.

Having his say on the matter, Rangers legend Ally McCoist told TNT Sport: “I just felt, coming into the stadium tonight, it kind of blew me away. It was nothing like a normal atmosphere of any game, never mind a European game, here at Ibrox.

“There was an apathy, there was no life about the place actually on or off the pitch, which is really, really concerning. Listen, the manager’s in trouble, the manager’s in big trouble because something has to change, and something has to change dramatically.”

The clock is certainly ticking on Martin’s tenure. Some are even suggesting that time is up, but the ball remains in the 49ers’ court as they continue to deliberate their options.