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Mali women’s miserable run in the Kwibuka Women’s Twenty20 Tournament 2019 continued for a third straight day, as they sank to a record 304-run defeat against Uganda women on Thursday.Mali had already set a world record for the lowest ever total on Tuesday, having been bowled out for 6 against Rwanda.Their 10 all out came after Uganda had racked up a massive 314 for 2 after choosing to bat first – the highest total in all T20Is – men or women.Opener Prosscovia Alako and captain Rita Musamali both hit centuries for Uganda, the first time two centuries had been hit in the same innings of a women’s T20I. Alako made 116 off 71, and was run out off the penultimate delivery of the innings. Musamali stayed not out on 103 off 61, having shared a 227-run stand with Alako for the second wicket off 14.1 overs.Oumou Sow bowled three overs, conceding 82 runs. Mali’s only wicket taker was Aicha Kone, who bowled Immaculate Nakisuuyi in the 6th over, by when Uganda had already reached 82. Tenin Konate gave away only 32 runs in her four overs, the only bowler with an economy rate under 10. Mali bowled 61 extras, with 30 no-balls and 28 wides.No Mali batsman made more than 4, with six falling for ducks. Their innings was wrapped up in 11.1 overs, with Mildred Anyigo’s 3 for 1 being the best figures. With a double round-robin league format, Mali will have to play each of Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda over the next three days.List of records broken in the match:

• Highest total in women’s T20Is, beating England women’s 250 for 3 against South Africa women exactly a year ago.
• The 227-run stand between Musamali and Alako is the highest for any wicket in women’s T20Is. The previous best was 182 put on by Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine against South Africa women , exactly a year ago. [South Africa women played two T20Is on the same day in Taunton on June 20, 2018]
• The margin of victory (304 runs) is the highest ever by a distance. The previous best in women’s T20Is was when UAE women beat China women by 189 runs in January.
• Mali have the three lowest totals in women’s T20Is, having incredibly achieved those on three consecutive days.
• The 61 extras Mali gave up are the third most in women’s T20Is.
• The 82 runs Oumou Sow conceded are the most ever for Women’s T20Is. The most ever conceded in men’s cricket is 81 (in four overs) by Sarmad Anwar in a domestic match in Pakistan.

Newcastle United have been quite wise with their newfound wealth ever since PIF took over the club at the end of 2021.

The Magpies have made smart acquisitions, signing young and hungry players who have potential to the be world-class under the right guidance, which has been the club’s recruitment policy under the new owners. The likes of Anthony Gordon, Sven Botman, Tino Livramento and Alexander Isak – the latter of whom is currently the club's record capture at £63m – are examples of this policy in action.

However, the Geordie club may be set to make an exception by moving for a World Cup winner.

Newcastle United transfer news – Paulo Dybala

According to a report from Corriere della Sella, via Sport Witness, Newcastle have contacted the representatives of Paulo Dybala in an attempt to complete a deal for the Argentine this winter. The AS Roma playmaker currently has a release clause of £11m which is set to expire next Monday, with the Magpies keen to entice Dybala to move to St. James’ Park.

Dybala has been in the Italian capital ever since 2022 when he followed Jose Mourinho to the Giallorossi on a free transfer, having left Juventus for nothing a few weeks prior.

It's been quite a successful eighteen-month period for the attacker as well. Dybala managed to reach a Europa League final under Mourinho, scoring in the defeat to Sevilla back in May, while also lifting the World Cup with Argentina in December 2022, earning the greatest medal that football has to offer.

Nevertheless, having had offers from England before, particularly from Manchester United, Newcastle and PIF could be set to hand Dybala one last chance of playing in the Premier League.

Paulo Dybala's stats this season

Should Newcastle United acquire the services of Dybala, the club's wage structure will look a little different as the forward may want to become the highest-paid player on Tyneside. However, right now, Bruno Guimaraes is on money more than Dybala, but the latter could be the sixth player with the Toon to earn more than £100k-per-week.

Player

Age

Weekly Wage

Bruno Guimaraes

25

£160k

Paulo Dybala

30

£137k

Alexander Isak

23

£120k

Sandro Tonali

22

£120k

Kieran Trippier

32

£120k

Matt Targett

27

£100k

Sportrac and Salary Sport

Dybala has had a sensational career and would undoubtedly be Newcastle United's most decorated signing since the club managed to entice Dutch great Patrick Kluivert to wear the black and white shirt back in 2004 as both were Ballon d'Or nominees in the past, with Dybala's coming in 2017.

Like the arrival of Kluivert, signing Dybala would prove to the Premier League and Europe that Newcastle can recruit some of the greatest talents on the planet.

The Argentine international has always been prolific throughout his career and has scored 169 goals and recorded 78 assists in 461 appearances in all competitions at club level, with the majority of these goal contributions coming at Juventus.

Club

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Juventus

293

115

48

Palermo

93

21

16

Roma

56

24

14

Instituto

19

9

0

Total

461

169

78

Stats via Transfermarkt

Roma head coach Mourinho is a massive admirer of the world champion, claiming that he has the "quality to play for the biggest clubs in the world". Meanwhile, football scout Jacek Kulig has admitted that he is a big fan of Dybala's wand of a left foot, stating that it is "made of gold".

Furthermore, Chelsea defender Thiago Silva labelled the Roma star as "world class", proving how highly thought-of Dybala is in the football world.

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With his six league titles, six cups and two international trophies, Dybala would be Newcastle's most decorated player to date under the Saudi ownership, making him an even more statement signing than the capture of the relatively youthful Isak.

While the £11m fee is not much for the club, this would be the team's biggest deal yet under Eddie Howe and would prove that PIF mean business going forward.

Crystal Palace have until Thursday night to add to their first-team squad as Steve Parish looks to bolster Roy Hodgson's side before the January transfer window slams shut.

Crystal Palace transfer news

A new right-back appears to be on the cards as Genk defender Daniel Munoz is reportedly on the verge of an £8.5m switch to Selhurst Park this week. The Eagles have also made an enquiry over a possible deal to sign Birmingham central midfielder Jordan James, who is valued at £10m by his current club.

They look set to battle it out with fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have also enquired about the Wales international, whilst Atalanta have already seen an offer of £3m turned down by the Championship outfit this month.

A central midfielder is on the agenda for Palace as they are also reportedly keen to strike an agreement with Blackburn Rovers for young ace Adam Wharton.

Adam Wharton transfer update

According to Football Insider, the Eagles are currently in pole position to secure his services before the transfer window slams shut on Thursday. The report claims that the club have not been put off by their opening offer of £18.5m being turned down by the Championship side earlier this month.

Parish is now plotting a new bid for the England U20 international and is 'very keen' to wrap up a deal before this week's deadline passes, rather than waiting until the end of the season to bring him to London.

Blackburn do not want to lose their star midfielder, though, and are holding out for a fee of £25m, which is £6.5m more than the club's first bid. Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves, and Newcastle United are also said to be keen on the 19-year-old dynamo, and that may be why Parish is eager to do a deal as quickly as possible to avoid losing out to their Premier League rivals.

Palace want Wharton in ahead of the second half of the season due to Cheick Doucoure's Achilles injury that ruled him out of action for around six months in November of 2023.

Tackles per game

1.2

1.6

Interceptions per game

2.3

2.3

Duel success rate

50%

54%

Assists

Three

Three

Key passes per game

1.3

0.8

As you can see in the table above, the Blackburn star's current performances in the Championship are similar to the displays that the Eagles ace produced in the top-flight last term. Like Doucoure, Wharton is a midfielder who can put his foot in to cut out opposition attacks on a regular basis, whilst he also has the quality to make things happen for his teammates in the final third with assists and key passes.

The teenage dynamo, who currently ranks within the top 10% of Championship midfielders for tackles (2.76) per 90 this season, was once hailed as "complete" by talent scout Jacek Kulig and his statistics back that up, as he can produce quality at both ends of the pitch.

Wharton could, therefore, be excellent cover for Doucoure in the short-term if he can make the step up to Premier League football, whilst also being a long-term asset with the potential to grow and develop at the age of just 19.

Manchester City have made contact to enquire about a deal to bring an exciting teenager to the Premier League, according to a reliable reporter.

Man City form this season

The Sky Blues have made a generally solid start to the new campaign having won 10, drawn four and lost three of their opening 17 games, meaning that they currently find themselves fourth in the top-flight table.

While Pep Guardiola will be assessing his options as to who he could sign to strengthen his squad in the here and now, he’ll also no doubt be keeping an eye on any available up-and-coming prospects as he looks to start building a squad for the long-term future of the club.

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River Plate’s attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverri has been highlighted as a potential target, with the 17-year-old having worked his way up through his club’s various youth ranks to eventually get promoted to their senior first-team (Transfermarkt – Echeverri statistics).

Argentina’s youth international has a deal that is set to expire in December 2024 (River Plate contracts), and having seemingly impressed during his performances since the start of his career, he’s caught the eye of those at the Etihad Stadium.

Man City interested in Echeverri

Taking to X, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Man City are keen on Echeverri and have already made contact to River Plate ahead of a possible move.

He wrote: “Understand both Chelsea and Man City have made contact to be informed on Claudio Echeverri situation. Barcelona remain keen but structure of the deal makes it complicated with Financial Fair Play. Release clause: €25m (£21m), up to €30m (£25m) in the final days of the market.”

Echeverri is a "top talent" for the future

While Man City may not throw Echeverri straight into the fold considering that he’s still at such a young age, Guardiola could be aware of the bags of potential that he has to offer, therefore, the teenager could be an excellent recruit for the club in years to come.

The Resistencia native has posted 18 contributions (13 goals and five assists), from 22 appearances across all competitions for Argentina’s U17s following his arrival on the professional scene, showing how prolific he can be in the final third, and he’s already been recognised for his individual efforts on the international stage.

Sponsored by Adidas, Pep’s target was named the U17s South American Championship top goalscorer, and he further knows what it takes to compete and be successful at a high level having been crowned the Argentinian Champion with River Plate, possessing an excellent winning mentality that would be required of him by his admirers.

As described by football scout Jacek Kulig, Echeverri is a “top talent”, and considering that he’s already showcasing what he’s capable of at his childhood club, he’s surely destined to move onto bigger and better things in the near future.

The wicketkeeper-batsman was awarded a category A contract, the second-most lucrative, while Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were moved down from category A+ to A

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Mar-2019Rishabh Pant’s exploits in international cricket since his Test debut in England last year have given him a lucrative entrance into BCCI’s annual retainers’ list. Pant, who was not part of the 26-man list in 2017-18, has been placed in Category A for the 2018-19 season, which carries a retainer worth INR 5 crore.The contracts, which run from October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019, were approved by the Committee of Administrators, the supervisory authority of BCCI, on Thursday in Delhi.The list of contracts

Grade A+ (INR 7cr): Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

Grade A (INR 5cr): R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant

Grade B (INR 3cr): KL Rahul, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya

Grade C (INR 1cr): Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Hanuma Vihari, Khaleel Ahmed, Wriddhiman Saha

IN: Rishabh Pant, Ambati Rayudu, Hanuma Vihari, Khaleel Ahmed

OUT: Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel, Jayant Yadav, Axar Patel, Karun Nair, M Vijay

Grade A is the second-most lucrative retainer, one rung below the A+ grade, which was introduced last year for players that feature in all three formats. The A+ category, worth INR 7 crore, had five players in the previous contract period, but that count has been brought down to three with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan being dropped to the A category. The three players to retain their spots in the A+ category are captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.The A bracket has 11 players compared to seven last year. Three players have also been promoted from B to A: fast bowling pair of Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, along with wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.MS Dhoni, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have all retained their spots in the A category. Wriddhiman Saha, who missed out most of 2018 due to injuries and only started playing few weeks back, has been moved from A to C. There were some new entrants too in the C grade – Ambati Rayudu, Hanuma Vihari and Khaleel Ahmed – as Axar Patel, Karun Nair, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel and Jayant Yadav were dropped.Opener M Vijay, who was in the A category last year, has been dropped from the list completely. The overall count of players contracted has also come down from 26 to 25 this year.Like last year, the final list was prepared by the five-man national selection panel led by MSK Prasad. The selectors have opted to reward players that have taken significant strides in the last year and have been the key performers consistently.One of those players has been Pant. The 21-year-old has been one of the most improved players on the Indian circuit across formats and is currently auditioning for India’s World Cup squad. Picked in place of Saha, who was injured through 2018, Pant cracked a century in his third Test on a debut tour of England. More recently, Pant made 159 against Australia during the New Year’s Test in Sydney, having taken 11 catches in the series opener in Adelaide, the most by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests.ESPNcricinfo understands Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar were not retained in the A+ category because they did not consistently feature in all three formats last season. Dhawan struggled for form in the Test format on the tours of South Africa and England and was eventually dropped for the Australia tour, with the selectors picking Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal. Bhuvneshwar was injured at the start of the season, and although he was included in the Test squad for Australia, he did not play in the four-match series that India won 2-1.Two key players, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, who were briefly suspended by the CoA for their alleged misconduct on a TV chat show, will continue to be part of Category B (INR 3 crore). On Thursday, the CoA had asked Justice DK Jain, newly-appointed BCCI ombudsman, to probe Pandya and Rahul’s alleged misconduct. As per the BCCI constitution, the ombudsman is the final authority to adjudicate on such issues.Pandya is not part of the ongoing ODI series against Australia due to a back injury, but his stocks have gradually increased over the last 18 months with the management backing him to play in all three formats as the primary allrounder.Among the players that missed the cut were Shaw, Agarwal and Vijay Shankar. Shaw made his India debut with an effervescent Test century against West Indies last year and was part of the Test squad for the Australia tour, but was forced to return home due to a freak injury while fielding during the warm-up match. Agarwal, too, has made a strong start to his international career, while Vijay, who helped India clinch a thrilling last-over victory with the ball in the Nagpur ODI against Australia earlier this week, has given healthy headaches to the selection panel, which has put him in the pool of 18-odd players shortlisted for the World Cup.Women’s retainers: Poonam Yadav gets Category A contractLegspinner Poonam Yadav has been rewarded with a Category A contract, worth a retainer of INR 50 lakh, following her standout performances in 2018. Poonam was the highest wicket-taker in T20Is in 2018, and the joint-highest wicket-taker in ODIs. She joins Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Smriti Mandhana in the category, while the experienced Jhulan Goswami has been moved from A down to B (INR 30 lakh) for the 2018-19 season.The list of contracts

Grade A (INR 50 lakh): Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana

Grade B (INR 30 lakh): Ekta Bisht, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rogdrigues

Grade C (INR 10 lakh): Radha Yadav, D Hemalatha, Anuja Patil, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mansi Joshi, Punam Raut, Mona Meshram, Arundhati Reddy, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Taniya Bhatia, Pooja Vastrakar

The other notable movement up in BCCI’s annual player retainership for women is that of Jemimah Rodrigues, who broke into the national team in 2018. She has moved up from C (INR 10 lakh) into B. She joins Ekta Bisht, Shikha Pandey and Deepti Sharma, who have retained their places in the category.Middle-order batsman Veda Krishnamurthy, who finished 2018 with ten consecutive single-digit scores across formats, has been pushed down to C, along with left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

David Warner was in the right, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has confirmed, when he switched from batting left-handed to right and whacked Chris Gayle for 14 runs in three balls in a Bangladesh Premier League match.Struggling to get Gayle away in the 19th over of Sylhet Sixers’ innings against Rangpur Riders on Wednesday, Warner gave up trying to do the job the way most people expect him to, and changed his stance. He appeared to signal his intentions to Gayle, and Gayle responded by altering his field, which was enough for the MCC to accept the rather uncommon occurrence.”MCC has reviewed the footage of David Warner switching to batting right-handed in the Bangladesh Premier League match yesterday and feels that his actions were within the Laws of Cricket,” the MCC, the custodians of the Laws of the game, told ESPNcricinfo.”The Laws do not state that a batsman can bat only in one way and, from the footage seen, it seems clear that Warner made it obvious that he was changing to batting right-handed. The bowler, Chris Gayle, altered the field accordingly and everyone seemed to know what was happening.”Tom Moody, the Rangpur coach who has also worked with his country-mate Warner at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, wasn’t surprised to see the batsman make the swap as such, but said he hadn’t expected to see it happen in a competitive match.”I’m not surprised to see him do it because I have seen him bat right-handed on a number of occasions having worked with him for a number of years,” Moody said. “Seeing him do it last night was a surprise, though, in a match situation, in that given situation, but I’ll never ever write off what Warner can’t do.”I’d suggest to others that if they want to bat the other side, they’ll have to do a hell of a lot of practice to get it right, because it’s not easy.”Speaking to in 2016, sports scientist David Mann had in fact discussed Warner’s ability to bat both right-handed and left-handed.Warner’s ambidexterity, as described in an interview with •ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Warner, batting at No. 3, scored an unbeaten 36-ball 61 and Liton Das, the opener, hit 70 off 43 balls to help Sylhet score 187 for 5 and subsequently beat Rangpur by 27 runs.

Bayer Leverkusen completed one of the biggest fairytales in football history winning their first-ever Bundesliga title, and Xabi Alosno explains how.

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• Bayer Leverkusen win Bundesliga title
• Alonso talks about how he handled pressure
• Leverkusen in the hunt for a treble this season

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  When the season started, not even Bayer Leverkusen fans would have thought that they would be celebrating winning the Bundesliga, that too with five games to go until the end of the season. However, that is now a reality for Die Werkself, and Alonso has explained how he handled the pressures of having to lead a club that was chasing down their first league title while being hounded down by the most successful club in Germany, Bayern Munich. He also talked about getting rid of the 'Neverkusen Curse' that has seen the club drop titles despite being in commanding positions.

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• WHAT ALONSO SAID

  Speaking to ESPN after the title win, Alonso said: "Well, it feels great because I have this feeling that this is not just for us, this is for so many people that have been chasing this dream for so many years. I have in mind the old coaches, Christoph Daum, Klaus Augenthaler, and Roger Schmidt. They were here and they are a part of it as well and for me, it's so great to bring success and to be part of this success with this team.

  "It is always special when it's the time of everything and when it's the first time of a Bundesliga title, that is the most difficult title probably. And I'm so happy to enjoy it with the players, with the fans, with the club and so many people that deserved to really, really enjoy that moment.

  "The mentality of losing key matches? Because I was not here for so long, that was not in my veins so deep, so probably I was lighter. The weight of history wasn't that heavy inside me. So I was hearing that, but I said, okay, let's see what happens. And I had a feeling that this year we started from scratch, taking many right decisions, and building a great team, the club, Simon, Fernando, and Mister Menning, were really supportive. We had from the beginning of the season that it could be a good season, that we had a good team to play a good season.

  "For sure the expectations, we have overcome the expectations and to play and to win Bundesliga, five games to go with our numbers, with the way we have played, with the way we have totally deserved most of the results, it's unbelievable. It's difficult to put in words, but all the credit to so many people and I'm really happy to be part of it."

• (C)Getty images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Leverkusen hired Alonso partway through the start of the 2022-23 season after having parted ways with Gerardo Seoane, who left them fighting relegation eight games into the season. Alonso eventually turned around the club's fortune as he led them to the Europa League spots. After a bit of recruitment and signings, Leverkusen turned up to the title fight and amidst Bayern Munich's inconsistent form they ran away with the league title with their 5-0 win over Werder Bremen.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR LEVERKUSEN?

  Die Werkself may have won the league title but they still have their work cut out for them as they look to win the Europa League and the DFB Pokal to complete a treble. They will be in action up next against West Ham on Thursday, April 18 in the Europa League.

Leah Williamson roared that she feels "10 times stronger" in the Lionesses shirt after her first international outing in a year against Ireland.

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Williamson was handed a start against IrelandPut in an impressive shift at the backBelieves return to international action was completion of cycleWHAT HAPPENED?

In an entertaining match against Ireland in Dublin on Tuesday night, England secured their first victory in the qualifiers for the 2025 Women's Euro with a resounding 2-0 win with Williamson donning the armband. Goals from Lauren James and Alex Greenwood propelled the Lionesses to success, marking a significant rebound from their disappointing draw against Sweden earlier in the week.

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Despite the collective achievement, all eyes were on Arsenal star Williamson, whose journey back to the international stage has been nothing short of inspiring. Overcoming a devastating ACL injury sustained last April, which sidelined her for nine months and forced her to miss England's campaign in the World Cup finals in Australia, Williamson showcased incredible resilience and determination in her comeback on the international circuit.

WHAT WILLIAMSON SAID

Speaking to after the match, Williamson said: "It's been a long time coming. Honestly, I just really, really love playing for England. When I put this badge on, I feel 10 times taller, 10 times stronger. I don't know. The girls are such a great group of girls and I loved every second of that.

"I had my eyes set on this. These days, with an ACL, you come back hopefully in a healthy way but I wanted to be good enough to play for England again. The standards are so high and the players that have been here have made them higher. This was the thought so I feel like today is sort of a completion of that journey. Everyone tells me it'll take a while for my body to feel like it used to but yeah, see out the season and then hopefully just keep getting stronger."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Williamson suffered a hamstring issue that sidelined her during the February international window. However, she forced her way into the matchday squad against Sweden on Friday but remained limited to the substitutes' bench.

Mashrafe Mortaza and Mushfiqur Rahim, who had injuries during the Asia Cup, are expected to recover in the next two weeks to add experience to Bangladesh’s squad for the ODIs against Zimbabwe from October 21.With the selectors likely to name a preliminary squad by next week, the injuries to Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have already left a gaping hole in the batting line-up. Bangladesh are scheduled to start a training camp in Dhaka from October 15.According to BCB’s chief physician Debashish Chowdhury, Mashrafe will need two more weeks to recover fully from his finger injury, which he sustained during the Asia Cup match against Pakistan on September 26.”The injury on his little finger is quite serious,” Chowdhury said. “It takes about three weeks to recover. We are hoping that Mashrafe can come back from that injury within two weeks. He was struck by a ball directly. We will have a further scan tomorrow to ascertain how much of a blood clot there is. Once we know about it, we will go for our next course of action.”Mashrafe is not too bothered about the injury though. He said he has already played two matches with it, and his bowling isn’t affected by the injury. The finger comes to use for his batting, of course.”Chowdhury said Mushfiqur, who injured his rib during the pre-Asia Cup training camp in Dhaka, has been rested for a week. “[Mushfiqur] has a cracked rib which usually takes four to six weeks to heal. Ribs usually take time as it is constantly moving. There’s no rest. We have asked Mushfiqur to rest for a week after which we will determine the next course of action.”If their recoveries don’t go to plan, Bangladesh might find it difficult to replace Mushfiqur in the middle order and Mashrafe as captain.The opening partnership was an issue for Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. Mehidy Hasan, who had a 120-run opening stand with Liton Das in the final, was last-gasp measure after Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar failed throughout the tournament.Even if the team management is looking to continue with Mehidy as opener in the Zimbabwe series, they would still want back-up. Despite scoring only 20 runs in three Asia Cup matches, Shanto remains the long-term option. Soumya could, for the fourth time this year, sneak into the squad despite a number of failures, as he has always been preferred either by the team management or by the BCB officials.Imrul Kayes could also be in contention for his experience, though he made only one fifty in three Asia Cup matches. Mominul Haque, Mosaddek Hossain and Ariful Haque will be competing for middle-order slots. Mominul and Mosaddek struggled in the Asia Cup while Ariful, who didn’t get a game, recently struck a maiden double-hundred in the first-class competition’s opening round.Mohammad Mithun made two vital fifties in the Asia Cup and would be crucial in the middle order, along with Mahmudullah. However, Tushar Imran, who scored twin hundreds in the opening first-class match of the season, might have to wait till early November as he may be considered for the Test series against Zimbabwe.Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain are likely to partner Mashrafe – if he is fit – in the pace attack, while Abu Hider is likely to continue as their understudy. Bangladesh could pick an extra pace bowler as cover for Mashrafe.Left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam could be leading the race to replace Shakib the bowler, though in the recent past the more experienced Abdur Razzak has had more success in domestic cricket. Offspinner Sohag Gazi also made a strong case for selection with a number of notable performances in the last 12 months.Chowdhury said Shakib’s recovery would be determined after a surgeon in Australia assesses him next week. “We have removed fluid twice within the last two-four days from Shakib’s infected finger. He is improving. His infection will come under control in a week through medication. He is likely to go to Australia on Friday, to determine whether he needs surgery,” he said.An update on Tamim’s injury might take about three weeks.

He’s battled more injuries than most, and the allrounder who was touted as a future Australia captain by Justin Langer has the opportunity to take a step towards that goal

Varun Shetty in Bengaluru01-Sep-2018As far as injury stoppages go, Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh has racked up quite the number during his international career. Since his ODI debut in 2011, Marsh has played in a combined 90 matches across formats for Australia, far fewer than might have been expected from someone who, even seven years on, is considered one of Australia’s most talented players. As of Saturday, on the eve of Australia A’s first unofficial Test against India A in Bengaluru, their captain has missed five months of professional cricket with an ankle injury.This lay-off might have been especially frustrating for Marsh who, in the few months leading up to it, had finally begun to find his feet as a Test batsman. During Australia’s 4-0 thrashing of England in the last Ashes series, Marsh had returned from shoulder issues to make two hundreds in winning causes, on either side of a grind at Melbourne, where he batted more than three hours in Steven Smith’s company for an unbeaten 29 to draw the Test. Not long after, Marsh made an impressive 96 while batting with the lower order to set up Australia’s only win in a controversial Test series against South Africa.”Yeah I’ve had my fair share of injures to come back from,” Marsh said with a smile. “In that scenario you just lean on your past experiences, get your rehab done and get back as soon as possible. It’s been a long lay-off, five months. Fortunately for Australia, we haven’t had that much cricket compared to what we usually have, so I haven’t missed a lot of cricket.”While that is true to the extent that Australia haven’t played any Tests since South Africa, the biggest miss for Marsh was a scheduled county stint with Surrey, where he was set for a full season as an overseas professional after opting out of IPL 2018.”[Surrey] was an awesome opportunity for me that I was really looking forward to. Playing cricket over in England through the whole summer would’ve been awesome. Bowling and batting with the Duke ball, having the experience outside the cricket to live in a place other than Perth – which is a pretty small place – I was really looking forward to that opportunity. But as they say, injuries happen.”Marsh didn’t take part in the quadrangular one-day series that concluded earlier this week, with India B beating Australia A in the final, and only flew in a couple of days after it had ended. So, while he’s “bowling full tilt” and suffered no setbacks during rehab, he won’t be rolling his arm over till the second Test, which begins on September 8.With an away series against Pakistan coming up in October, Marsh is among many in the Australia A side who are looking to impress the selectors, particularly with an extra spot opening up for the first match, thanks to Matt Renshaw missing out due to a mini hamstring strain.”Apart from Renners [Renshaw] who’ll be out with a hamstring injury and be back next game, we’ve sort of got our 12 and we’ll make up our minds tomorrow.”It’s a great vibe around this group, you get a sense everybody’s hungry to perform. There’s plenty of opportunities in Australian cricket at the moment. As a team, we’ve got a focus that we want to win this little mini-series and start something as a group.”Among the many opportunities that Marsh speaks of is the leadership situation, where both in limited-overs cricket and in Tests, Australia are in a state of flux following the bans of Smith and David Warner. And with the situation as it is, Western Australia coach Justin Langer’s call to include Marsh in the Perth Test during the Ashes might have had a level of prescience. Langer had described Marsh as a future captain when he said he was “needed” for the Perth Test – where he made 181 – and while Langer couldn’t possibly have meant this early, Marsh could genuinely have an outside chance of being a national team captain some time soon. As Western Australia’s captain during their JLT Cup triumph last year, he has the experience.”It’s not something I think about too deeply. If the opportunity arrives I’ll grab it with both hands but ultimately that’s out of my hands. At the moment I’m really looking forward to captain in these conditions, which I don’t experience much playing at the WACA every second week. It’s going to be a whole new experience for me and it’s something to look forward to.”First things first is to get back playing some cricket and just enjoy being back playing, being back at work. Obviously in the Australia A series there’s a lot of time to solely focus on yourself and [try to] score runs, but ultimately, we want to create a culture in this team that we want to come here to win. Just trying to do my best to make sure that happens. For me it’s about trying to spend time out in the middle with the bat, but we want to win for Australia.”