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As coletivas de Abel Ferreira sempre abrem espaço para assuntos além dos jogos e não foi diferente após o empate do Palmeiras em 1 a 1 com o Tombense, pela terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. Com a classificação garantida o treinador respondeu sobre um possível interesse do futebol europeu em contar com seus serviços. No entanto, ele negou algo do tipo e usou um elogio de Ronaldo Fenômeno para mostrar o quanto é um técnico que preza o projeto em que está.

> Veja tabela da Copa do Brasil-2023 clicando aqui

De acordo com a publicação francesaRMC Sport, Abel faz parte de uma lista de nomes que o Nice tem interesse em contar para comandar a equipe na próxima temporada. No que depender do conhecimento do comandante, não houve nada que tenha chegado a ele. Mesmo se chegasse, o português parece engajado em continuar tocando seu projeto atual que tanto gosta de trabalhar.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasVÍDEO: Veja o gol de Breno Lopes na classificação do Palmeiras na Copa do BrasilPalmeiras26/04/2023PalmeirasAbel lamenta câmera usada pelo VAR e atenta para gols perdidos pelo Palmeiras: ‘Era para ser 4 ou 5 a 1’Palmeiras26/04/2023PalmeirasRecuperado, Rony comemora retorno rápido ao Palmeiras e ‘vira chavinha’ para Dérbi: ‘Clássico é clássico’Palmeiras26/04/2023

-As pessoas têm que falar comigo, o que diz a imprensa… Eu tenho contrato com o clube, estou onde quero estar, onde querem que eu esteja e é isso que me preocupa, o aqui e o agora, que no caso é o Palmeiras, onde tenho meus jogadores – disse Abel antes de completar:

-Se vocês olharem para o meu passado recente, vocês veem que eu sou um treinador de projeto, do aqui e agora, mas sabemos que o futebol é dinâmico, hoje é uma coisa, amanhã é outra. Sou treinador de projeto, estou num grande clube, muito bem reconhecido e gosto daquilo que faço: valorizar o futebol, valorizar o nosso clube, valorizar nossos jogadores, e de forma indireta valorizar a comissão técnica também, mas todo o resto é reconhecimento.

>Palmeiras fatura valor milionário com classificação às oitavas da Copa do Brasil

Para sustentar sua tese de que preza pelos seus projetos, Abel Ferreira utilizou um elogio de Ronaldo Fenômeno, que disse que o português é “incrível”. Segundo o treinador do Palmeiras, isso é algo que lhe traz um enorme orgulho, pois admira muito o ex-atacante e atual dono do Cruzeiro.

-Ele (Abel Ferreira) é muito, muito bom. A maneira que coloca o Palmeiras para jogar, a verticalidade, a agressividade. Eu acho ele incrível – declarou Ronaldo ao “Boleiragem” do SporTV.

– Agradeço esse reconhecimento, que vem, por exemplo, de algo que eu li do Ronaldo Fenômeno, que eu aprendi a admirar, e são palavras que me enchem de orgulho, porque sei de quem vem, sei o caminho, o passado dele, o quanto ele sofreu para triunfar não somente no futebol brasileiro, mas também no futebol europeu. Vindo dele é um orgulho muito grande ouvir esses elogios, esse reconhecimento, mas é tudo fruto dos meus jogadores. Tudo o que eu consegui, que começou em 2011, com os juniores do Sporting, que fomos campeões, até o dia de hoje, tudo o que eu tenho eu devo a minha equipe técnica e aos meus jogadores – agradeceu Abel.

>Abel lamenta câmera usada pelo VAR e atenta para gols perdidos pelo Palmeiras

Segundo apuração do LANCE!, neste momento não houve contato oficial de qualquer clube francês para contar com Abel Ferreira. Sondagens e consultas são constantes, mas muitas vezes nem passam para o próximo estágio. Quem está perto desse tipo de movimentação, acredita que as abordagens devem aumentar mais perto do meio do ano, janela de verão do mercado europeu.

continua após a publicidade

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami is now “100%” pain-free and wants to play one or two Ranji Trophy games to try and be fit for the tour of Australia that will start at the end of November. Shami is on the road to recovery after sustaining an ankle injury that has kept him out of action since the ODI World Cup final last year, and was seen bowling full tilt at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday after the first Test between India and New Zealand.Shami said that was the first time he had bowled with a full run-up since his recovery.”It felt great yesterday because I had been bowling with half a run-up on and off since I can’t put too much stress on my body,” he said during an event organised by Eugenix Hair Sciences in Gurugram. “Yesterday, we decided that I would bowl properly, and I gave my 100%. It felt great, [and] the results are good. Hopefully, I’ll be back on track soon.”Related

• Rohit: Don't want Shami 'undercooked' in Australia

• Shami bowls at full tilt on the sidelines in Bengaluru

When asked if he was pain-free now, having undergone surgery in February, Shami said, “100%”. Shami has exactly a month to try and be fit for the first Test against Australia beginning on November 22.”The Australia series is still far away,” he said. “The only thing I want to focus on is how to keep myself fit, and how strong I can be before going there. I know what kind of an attack we want for that Test series, so it’s better I spend some more time on the ground before going. If I get fit and I get a gap of eight to ten days, then it’s better I play one or two domestic matches before going to Australia.”I don’t know when I can play next, but the day I feel comfortable about bowling 20-30 overs and I get the nod from the doctors, I’ll run to play a match. I want to spend as much time as I can on the ground before going for the Australia series.”I don’t want such a thing that I clear my fitness here and something happens to me there. That’s not what I want. I want to be strong while leaving from here so that there are no issues there.”Shami represents Bengal in domestic cricket and their next Ranji Trophy fixture might be too soon for him to play, beginning October 26 at home. Their two subsequent games after that are from November 6 against Karnataka in Bengaluru and from November 13 in Indore against Madhya Pradesh, which will mark the end of the first leg of the red-ball tournament. If Shami does regain match fitness next month, he could also aim to play the three-day warm-up game slotted between India and India A in Perth before the first Test starts in the same city.Shami had similarly spent months off the field immediately after the 2015 World Cup when an ankle injury troubled him and he had missed the IPL that year too, like in 2024. Having not played a single game in nearly a year, Shami said the one thing such injuries had taught him was patience.”Don’t get frustrated and focus as much as you can on fitness and game,” he said about spending months off the field. “It’s very difficult to come back on track after an injury so patience is the biggest thing. Injuries teach you patience and that makes your skill purer.”Fitness is the main thing [you have to focus on in recovery]. You shouldn’t doubt your skill and talent when you’re away because certain things are built in you. I agree you need something like rhythm but your skill will never leave you. It’s your fitness you have to fight for.”Shami had played a crucial role in India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia in 2018-19, when he bagged 16 wickets in four matches at 26.18, finishing behind only Jasprit Bumrah’s tally of 21 wickets among fast bowlers in that series. He played just the first Test, in Adelaide, when India toured next in 2020-21 before he returned home with an injury. India went on to win that series with several other players also injured, and fielded a nearly second-string side in Brisbane to take home the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Shami said India’s pace attack, which also features Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, instils fear in the opposition because of the pace and variety the three bowlers offer.”We have worked as a unit since 2014,” Shami said. “India never had three bowlers at a time who could bowl over 140kph. Maybe two at max. Now we even have some on the bench who can bowl 145kph. Every opponent waits for one easy kind of bowler, but that’s how you create fear that all our bowlers are 145kph and have different kind of skills. And we showed how to fight when we toured overseas. Earlier we used to be on the safe side or our pace attack wasn’t that aggressive. This generation knows how to pay it back.”To pick India’s pace attack for the five Tests, India could also choose from the pool of Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed who have all been picked for an India A side that will play two four-day games starting October 31 (Mackay) and November 7 (Melbourne) before the three-day game against India in Perth.Whether he is able to make it to Australia or not, Shami said if there is “bounce on some wickets, there’s nothing better for our pace attack. We just need some runs on the board which our bowlers can defend.”

James Rew completes eighth first-class hundred as Durham toil at Taunton

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2024Jack Leach claimed three wickets as Somerset built a strong position on the second day of their County Championship match against Durham at Taunton.Somerset began by extending their first-innings score from an overnight 395 for 6 to 492 all out, James Rew dismissed for 103, having set out on 89, and Kasey Aldridge making 44. Callum Parkinson finished with 4 for 136.By the close, Durham had replied with 272 for 6, left-arm spinner Leach taking 3 for 103. Alex Lees hit a solid 59, but it was an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 102 between Brydon Carse (59 not out) and Ben Raine (51 not out), which kept the visitors in the game after they had slumped to 170 for 6.At the age of 20, Rew already his eight first-class centuries to his name, the latest completed with a streaky edged boundary between wicketkeeper and slip off Carse early in the morning session. He had faced 112 balls and hit 12 fours and a six.James Rew celebrates his hundred•Harry Trump/Getty ImagesThe impressive innings ended off the very next ball when another drive at Carse saw Rew edge to Ashton Turner at slip. Somerset were 417 for 7 and Lewis Gregory soon signalled his intentions by smacking a delivery from Raine over midwicket for six.The skipper brought up 450 and a fifth batting bonus point with a three through the off side off Carse and Aldridge, unbeaten on 12 at the start of play, celebrated the landmark by clearing the ropes off Parkinson.The score after 110 overs was 465 for seven so Durham had to settle for two bowling points. Gregory and Aldridge completed a half-century stand before Aldridge was caught behind attempting to reverse sweep Parkinson.Overton hit his first ball for four and then launched big sixes off successive deliveries from George Drissell before falling to the offspinner attempting another maximum. Gregory had moved to 31 before being last man out in similar fashion, giving Parkinson his fourth wicket.Durham were left with eight overs to bat before lunch and found themselves facing Leach and young offspinner Archie Vaughan before the interval. It was the 18-year-old son of former England captain Michael Vaughan who struck the first blow on debut with the sixth ball of his first-class career, turning a delivery which pitched on leg stump to pin Ben McKinney lbw for 15.At lunch, Durham were 29 for 1. There seemed little prospect of the collapse to come when Lees and Scott Borthwick began the afternoon session with a half-century stand off 67 balls.But Leach was starting to threaten and Borthwick, having moved to 35, edged a back-foot shot to slip where Overton took a sharp low catch to make it 86 for 2. Still, Lees looked untroubled, largely content to milk singles in moving fifty off 101 balls.Jack Leach celebrates after bowling Ashton Turner•Harry Trump/Getty ImagesOllie Robinson made 26 in helping Lees add 42 for the third wicket before falling to an even better Overton catch, diving to his left to clutch the ball one-handed. Boosted by a second wicket, Leach struck again with the total 136 as Turner was bowled by a delivery that turned and clipped off stump.By tea Durham were 150 for 4 and their plight worsened considerably in the first over after the interval. It was bowled by left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy from the River End and saw Overton pouch a third slip catch as Lees pushed forward outside off stump.The last thing Durham needed was a run out, but it happened with the total on 170 as Carse called for a quick single to cover and Bas de Leede failed to beat Tom Abell’s throw to wicketkeeper Rew.With six wickets down, Carse and Ben Raine went on the counter-attack, Raine hitting two sixes in the same Goldsworthy over as the pair put together a half-century partnership off 71 balls.Raine hit Leach over mid-wicket for another six and Carse cleared the ropes at long-on off Vaughan in moving to an 86-ball half century to mark his return to the Durham team after suspension. Raine followed to the same milestone of 94 deliveries just after the century stand had been completed, much to Somerset’s frustration.

Ghosh struck a quick 86 as India declared their first innings on 603 for 6

Srinidhi Ramanujam29-Jun-2024

South Africa showed great fight to reach 236 for 4 on the second day of the one-off Test in Chennai after India declared their first innings at a record 603 for 6. At stumps, the visitors were still 367 runs behind. But on a pitch where Indians bowlers were able to extract sharp turn and bounce from the second session of the day, Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp, with their half-centuries and a 93-run stand for the third wicket, displayed commendable resilience and technique.After a 3-0 defeat in the ODI series and conceding 525 on the first day of the Test, South Africa did not let India dent their confidence on Saturday.Related

Stats – India become first team to breach 600 mark in women's Tests

After India declared their innings in the morning, Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch looked composed in the six overs before lunch, with the captain punishing a half-tracker from Sneh Rana and an overpitched delivery from Pooja Vastrakar for four. This was before Wolvaardt struck a confident drive through mid-off in the first over of the innings by Renuka Singh.However, Rana – who got the ball to spin more than any other spinner – got the first breakthrough in the eighth over when she bowled one rare short ball. But it kept low and Wolvaardt completely missed her pull to be trapped lbw. Bosch and Luus stayed on for the next 23 overs, stitching 63 runs. However, Bosch, who hit four fours and a six, fell a few overs before tea. Rana was at it once again. After the previous ball spun sharply, Rana bowled one full outside off. Anticipating the turn, Bosch leaned forward and nicked it to Deepti Sharma at slip.Richa Ghosh took just 54 balls to bring up her half-century•BCCI

At 96 for 2, South Africa found stability via Kapp and Luus who blended caution with aggression. Luus respected the good deliveries, scoring almost equally on the off and leg side. In all, she scored 65 off 164 balls that included six fours and one six over long-on against Rana.The duo put on 93 before Deepti broke the stand when she beat Luus’ inside edge and trapped her lbw. Luus reviewed the on-field decision but it was in vain. Delmi Tucker became Rana’s third victim when Richa Ghosh took a sharp catch to dismiss her for an eight-ball duck.Kapp, like Luus, played more off the back foot and scored predominantly on the off side, with seven of her eight fours coming in that area. She reached 50 off 87 balls and remained unbeaten on 69 off 125 at stumps. She fought cramps and a stiff back towards the end of the final session, but didn’t throw her wicket away.Once Tucker departed, Nadine de Klerk joined Kapp with the pair stitching an unbroken 38-run stand off 56 balls. De Klerk showed good intent in the final hour and hit five fours in her unbeaten 27 off 28 balls.Earlier, Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur started sedately but soon converted their starts into half-centuries. The pair stretched their stand to 143 runs. Harmanpreet made 69 off 115 balls before being dismissed in the 15th over of the day when fast bowler Tumi Sekhukhune trapped her in front to leave India at 593 for 5.Ghosh hit seven more boundaries on Saturday, 16 in all, her 90-ball innings, using her strong wrists to good use to play powerful cut shots. She fell for her career-best 86 when she missed a sweep off left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba and was lbw.

Manchester United are looking to enjoy a statement summer window under Ruben Amorim and could now elbow Manchester City aside for a potential bargain signing, per reports.

Man Utd begin summer window preparation

The Red Devils will be looking forward to the end of a frustrating Premier League season where they haven’t been able to reverse the current of an inconsistent run of results.

Erik ten Hag tried and failed before Amorim arrived at Old Trafford. However, the Portuguese boss has presided over a chaotic campaign that is destined to end in a bottom-half finish.

Nevertheless, winning the Europa League could provide a backdoor route to Champions League qualification as Manchester United and INEOS look to establish themselves among the elite.

Athletic Club await in the semi-final, which could pave the way for a showdown against either Tottenham Hotspur or Bodo Glimt should circumstances align in ideal fashion.

On the transfer front, Manchester United are eyeing an ambitious move for Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka and could land his services for a fee of £34 million.

Amorim wants him: Man Utd eye £42m bid to sign star ahead of Bayern Munich

Manchester United find themselves in a battle to sign a player Ruben Amorim really wants.

By
Brett Worthington

Apr 26, 2025

Casemiro may well depart Old Trafford, and there is plenty of speculation over new faces to firm up Amorim’s bid for success— the Red Devils’ interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha and Atalanta’s Ederson offer an inkling of where they may aim to target.

The engine room and their forward line are obvious areas to shore up, but finances will likely dictate the level of business that could occur to add strength to a side in need of a rebrand.

That said, Manchester United have now been offered the chance to sign a proven midfielder who could be available for nothing this summer.

Man Utd offered chance to sign Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa

According to reports in Italy via Sport Witness, Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Napoli midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa alongside rivals Manchester City via his entourage.

Intriguingly, his contract with the Serie A giants is set to expire this summer, though both parties have the option to extend it by two more years, so he could be available for free over the coming months.

Labelled “fantastic” alongside midfield partner Scott McTominay by Philip Billing, the Cameroon international has also attracted recent interest from Chelsea, while Monaco and Marseille have also made contact to gauge his availability.

Anguissa’s family want to move to England, and his agent has previously been in London and Manchester to discuss a change of scenery ahead of the summer window.

Deemed to be a similar player to Luka Modric, via Football Transfers, the 29-year-old is now potentially in line for a Premier League return after enjoying a spell at Fulham between 2018 and 2022.

After registering six goals and four assists in ten appearances across all competitions this term, it now remains to be seen whether he will end up at Old Trafford.

Things might have gone awry this season, but the plan at Tottenham Hotspur is clear.

Daniel Levy and Co want to improve the team but have decided to build for the future and focus on young and up-and-coming talents in recent transfer windows to do so.

For example, last winter, the club signed Lucas Bergvall from Swedish side Djurgårdens for around £8.5m and then in the summer, they picked up Archie Gray from Leeds United for £30m and Wilson Odobert from Burnley for around £25m.

They will continue using this approach this summer, as recent reports have linked the club with an incredibly exciting young player who has been compared to Lamine Yamal.

Spurs looking at signing "future Ballon d'Or winner"

We may still be a couple of months away from the transfer window officially opening, but that has not stopped Spurs from being linked with several young and exciting talents.

Perhaps one of the most consistent links has been to Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, who has been valued at around £55m but could potentially be available for less when the Saints are inevitably relegated at the end of the season.

Another young Englishman who has been touted for a £38m move to N17 has been Sunderland’s 17-year-old sensation Chris Rigg, who has thrived this season, scoring four goals and providing one assist in 37 appearances, most of which have come in midfield.

Yet, at least so far, the most exciting link of the lot is to a 21-year-old winger who has been seriously impressing in France this year: Rayan Cherki.

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Spurs are one of several teams incredibly interested in the Lyon ace.

In fact, alongside Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle United, the Lilywhites have already made contact and asked ‘to be kept informed about’ the star’s situation.

However, while the level of competition is far from ideal, the good news is that, according to the story, there is an agreement between the club and the player that he’ll be allowed to leave for less than £25m this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Overall, it could be a complicated transfer to get over the line for Spurs, but given Cherki’s immense ability and potential, it’s one well worth fighting for, especially as he’s won comparisons to Yamal.

How Cherki Compares to Yamal

Now, before we get to some of the other reasons why Spurs should look to sign Cherki this summer, it’s worth examining this comparison to Yamal and where it comes from.

In this case, it primarily stems from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one and, in this instance, has concluded that the Spaniard is the fourth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Frenchman.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, passes into the penalty area, through balls, successful take-on percentage, goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.75

0.77

Passes into the Penalty Area

3.55

3.03

Through Balls

1.08

1.09

Goal-Creating Actions

0.96

1.01

Successful Take-On %

48.8%

49.8%

Ball Recoveries

3.92

3.91

However, as brilliant as it is to be compared to a European Champion and one of the most exciting players in world football, it’s not the only reason the Lilywhites should be looking to sign the Lyon ace.

For example, he’s been having an incredible season of his own this year.

In just 35 appearances, totalling 2355 minutes, he’s scored eight goals and provided 18 assists.

That means the “future Ballon d’Or winner,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Alex Barker, is averaging a goal involvement every 1.34 games, or every 90.57 minutes.

Ultimately, if Spurs are going to continue building a team full of young up-and-coming prospects, as it looks like they are, then there are not many better additions they could make this summer than Cherki.

Spurs were rinsed by Pochettino signing who was a "poor man's Soldado"

The promising striker failed to live up to expectations in North London.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 2, 2025

Australia have now chased 200-plus targets most number of times in T20Is

Sampath Bandarupalli26-Jul-20256 Instances of Australia successfully chasing down a target of 200 and more in T20Is, the most by any team in the format. India and South Africa have five successful chases of 200-plus targets.West Indies have now lost six times while defending a 200-plus target, which is a T20I record. They went ahead of South Africa, who have failed to defend a target of 200-plus runs on five occasions.37 Number of balls Tim David needed to bring up his century in the third T20I against West Indies, the fastest in T20Is for Australia, bettering Josh Inglis’ 43-ball ton against Scotland last year.David’s fifty came in only 16 balls, which is also an Australian record. The previous fastest was off 17 balls, by Marcus Stoinis against Sri Lanka in 2022 and Travis Head against Scotland in 2024.ESPNcricinfo Ltd11 Number of sixes David struck during his unbeaten 37-ball 102. Only Aaron Finch hit more sixes in a T20I innings for Australia – 14 against England during his 156 in 2013 at Southampton. David had hit ten sixes in his first 26 balls; only three other batters in all T20s have hit ten or more in their first 26 balls.128* Partnership between David and Mitchell Owen for the fifth wicket during the chase. It is the highest stand for Australia for the fifth or a lower wicket in men’s T20Is. It is also the highest by any pair for the fifth or a lower wicket in a T20I chase.Related

• Australia to trial new combinations as T20 World Cup build-up begins

• 'He's playing beautifully' – Is Green Australia's new T20 middle-order fulcrum?

• David smashes fastest T20I century for Australia to make it 3-0

• More than a finisher: David soars to new heights

1 David also became the first Australian batter to score a hundred while batting at No. 5 or lower. All the previous 11 hundreds for Australia in men’s T20Is have come while batting in the top four.He is only the second batter to score a hundred in a successful chase while batting at No. 5 or lower, after Mark Chapman, who made 104* against Pakistan in 2023.ESPNcricinfo Ltd16.1 Overs that Australia needed to complete the 215-run chase against West Indies. It is the fourth-fastest 200-plus target chase in terms of overs taken in T20Is. All three quicker chases than Australia have come in 2025 only.146 Numbers of runs Australia scored in the middle overs (7-16) during the chase, the most they have scored in that phase in T20Is. It is also the sixth-most runs scored by any team in the middle overs in men’s T20Is. David alone scored 94 of those 146 runs, the third-most by any batter in a men’s T20I. (where ball-by-ball data is available)1 Australia registered their maiden T20I series win in West Indies by going 3-0 up in the five-match series. Australia previously played three T20I series in the Caribbean and won only two of the eight matches across those series.2 Number of players with centuries in all three formats in international cricket for West Indies. Shai Hope joined Chris Gayle in the elite list, following his maiden T20I ton on Friday against Australia.102* Hope’s score against Australia on Friday. He is the first wicketkeeper-captain to score a hundred in T20Is. Scott Edwards’ 99 against Oman in 2024 was the previous highest score by a keeper-captain.

Amrit Mathur’s book offers rare behind-the-scenes glimpses at the highs and lows of three decades of the game through his time as journalist, administrator and team manager

Debayan Sen01-Sep-2023If you’ve ever wondered what pre-match routines Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly typically went through, or how chaotic the initial years of the IPL were, or how cannily the best cricket administrators work out the arithmetic during BCCI elections, you will get a lot of insights in Amrit Mathur’s Pitchside: My Life in Indian Cricket. Mathur is the ultimate Indian cricket insider, having spent time in the system as administrator, journalist, manager on several historic tours, as a member of organising committees in World Cups, and advisor to IPL teams. He has also held several posts in the BCCI.By his own admission, he was fortunate to be handpicked – “I think of myself as a concussion sub, someone not supposed to play but unexpectedly pushed into the middle” – first by erstwhile BCCI president Madhavrao Scindia, and then several others, as a young bureaucrat with Indian Railways.The good thing about Pitchside is that Mathur stays true to the title and presents us with an objective view of what he saw and heard. There are great anecdotes from some historic India campaigns that fans will lap up – the tour of South Africa in 1992, the 2003 World Cup, the 2004 tour to Pakistan (including the political ambivalence right up until Sourav Ganguly’s team set off, with then board president Jagmohan Dalmiya standing up to an unnamed senior minister and refusing to pull the plug on the tour on the government’s behalf), and also from his time with Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in the IPL.In Mathur’s telling of his early days in the game, of his all-star St Stephen’s College team-mates (Arun Lal, Piyush Pandey, Rajinder Amarnath, Ramchandra Guha) and Delhi University colleagues (Kirti Azad, Sunil Valson, Randhir Singh), I found parallels in my own life. When I went to the same college two decades later, any inter-departmental cricket game pitted you against Ranji Trophy players from Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab. Hindu College, rivals from across the road, acquired the services of Gautam Gambhir during my final year there.This star cast also makes routine appearances in his stories. The writing style is informal, with the private thoughts of titans of the sport, gleaned in conversation, appearing as bullet points at the end of several sections. The descriptions of the 2002 tour of England, capped by the NatWest Trophy win, and a stirring fightback in the Test series, give a fine picture of how the meticulous John Wright and the erratic Ganguly forged a coach-captain combination that had its share of highs and lows.Westland BooksI did, however, have two minor quibbles with the book. First, Mathur had a ringside view of two of Indian cricket’s greatest match-fixing scandals. He steers clear of the whole subject, which feels a bit like shortchanging the reader. Given his deep roots within Indian cricket, he may not have felt comfortable revealing ugly secrets about players and officials he has admired. There is also the possibility that he may not have known enough to talk with any authority.He also provides detailed pen sketches of various characters in Indian cricket right at the end. Interestingly, second mentions of characters are first names for various players and functionaries – see Sachin, Sourav/Dada, Gavaskar, Lalit, Jaggu-da – but for others, he uses Mr Scindia and Mr Jaitley. This might be out of reverence for the deceased, but it confirms that in Indian cricket the politician has an unjustified pride of place that the best players cannot quite aspire to yet, even in the words of one of the most honest and upright servants of the sport.

Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga were the milestone men, as Sri Lanka scripted a remarkable comeback

ESPNcricinfo stats team20-Oct-20210 – Number of times a team has managed to score 150-plus in men’s T20Is after losing three wickets for less than ten runs, before Sri Lanka scored 171 for 7 against Ireland. The previous highest was Panama’s 148 for 6 against Mexico. Panama had lost their first three wickets by 8, the same score as Sri Lanka today.. The previous highest by a full-member nation from 8 for 3 was Australia’s 147 for 6 against England in the 2010 World T20 final.8 – Score at which Sri Lanka lost their third wicket, their lowest score for the first three wickets in a T20I innings. Their previous lowest was 11 runs against Australia in 2007 and against New Zealand in 2009. Only once had Ireland taken the first three wickets in a T20I innings at a lower total – 6 runs against Scotland in 2010.123 – Partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga, the highest for the fourth wicket (or lower) in men’s T20 World Cup matches. The previous highest was 119* by Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik against Sri Lanka in 2007.Nissanka and Hasaranga’s partnership was also only the third century stand for the fourth wicket (or lower) in men’s T20Is that began with fewer than ten runs on the board.3 – Number of higher partnerships for Sri Lanka in T20Is than the 123 between Nissanka and Hasaranga.1 – Number of higher individual scores by Sri Lanka batters in their first T20 World Cup innings than Hasaranga’s 71 in this match. Sanath Jayasuriya had hit 88 off 44 balls against Kenya in their first-ever World T20 fixture, which remains their highest.

TORONTO — More than an hour after his season ended in a heartbeat and winter took hold, Ernie Clement sprawled in his chair in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, still in full uniform, nursing a Labatt Blue. His sliding shorts featured a hole in the right knee. His eyeblack stickers barely clung to his cheeks. His eyes brimmed with tears. 

He struggled to reckon with his loss. Not of Game 7, in which the Blue Jays fell, 5–4, in a shocking, back-and-forth, 11th-inning defeat to the Dodgers. Not of the World Series, which they at one point led three games to two, and on Saturday were two outs away from clinching. What hurt most, he realized, was that he wouldn’t get to come to work tomorrow. 

“Even if we’d won,” he mused, “I’d still be sad that it was over.”

That was the message the Blue Jays repeated over and over in their quiet clubhouse as Saturday night bled into Sunday morning. 

“Everybody loves each other in here,” said center fielder Daulton Varsho. “We enjoy being around this group, and that’s probably going to be the most hurtful thing.”

That they were so close only makes it worse. 

“It took them seven games to beat us,” said Kevin Gausman, who started Games 2 and 6. “I think if we play tomorrow, we beat ’em, but we’re not playing tomorrow.”

They had so many chances for a different ending. They loaded the bases with two outs in the second. They had runners on first and second with one out in the fourth, and a runner at third with no outs in the fifth. They loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, and they had runners at the corners with one out in the 11th. But they could not come through with a hit to put the Dodgers away, and the Dodgers clawed back with solo homers in the eighth, off Trey Yesavage, who started Games 1 and 5; in the ninth, off closer Jeff Hoffman; and in the 11th, off Game 4 starter Shane Bieber. 

“I feel for everybody in here,” said Clement. “We grinded so hard. I’d go to war with Jeff Hoffman every day of the week. I want him on the mound. I want Biebs on the mound. Those are guys who I would take a bullet for. And 99 times out of 100 those guys get the job done. Obviously, this wasn’t our night here. But I feel for those guys so much.”