ScorecardKhurram Manzoor was the star for Pakistan A with 113•Chris Whiteoak
Pakistan A kept the series against England Lions alive, securing a 17-run victory in Dubai with a late surge in the field after England had appeared on track. Khurram Manzoor’s 113 anchored Pakistan A’s total of 288 for 5, but with James Vince responding with a century of his own England were well placed on 194 for 2 in the 36th over only to subside and lose their last five wickets for 13.Vince and Sam Billings (51) had added for the third wicket when Billings was bowled by Fakhar Zaman. England were still on course as Vince reached his century off 117 deliveries, but when he was run out trying for a second to long leg the innings went into free-fall.Mohammad Nawaz, who had claimed Daniel Bell-Drummond, a replacement for the ill Dawid Malan, at the start of the chase, then removed Joe Clarke and Ross Whiteley – a player capable of quickly hunting down a target – and the requirement became too much for the lower order. Liam Dawson ran out of partners and was the last man out for 41.Earlier, Manzoor had helped give Pakistan A the solid foundation they had been lacking the previous two matches. A second-wicket stand of 100 with Fakhar (51) was the basis for their total although again England’s spinners – Dawson and Tom Westley – did a good job to ensure the scoreboard did not race away.Manzoor, who has played 16 Tests and seven ODIs, reached his hundred off 121 balls; unlike Vince’s century, which included just six boundaries, Manzoor struck 11 fours and three sixes by the time he fell to Tom Curran. Fawad Alam and Zohaib Khan finished the innings with a stand of 37 off 27 deliveries.
In a high-scoring encounter at the University Oval in Dunedin between Otago and Central Districts, Otago finished on the losing side despite a century by opener Chris Gaffaney, who scored 101 off just 55 balls. This is incidentally the maiden century in New Zealand’s inaugural Twenty20 competition.Gaffaney shared a 94-run stand for the third wicket with Nathan McCullum, who scored 52 with three sixes. Ross Taylor, the offbreak bowler conceded 46 runs off his three overs.Chasing Otago’s challenging target of 220, Central Districts lost Mathew Sinclair with the score on 12. Jamie How, enjoying a good season with the bat, and Ross Taylor shared a productive partnership of 93. The latter unleashed a brutal assault, scoring 66 off just 22 balls, with nine fours and five sixes. How made sure he hung around till the end, finishing on an unbeaten 74, as his team chased the target comfortably with one over to spare, losing only four wickets in the process.This was Central Districts’ first win in the competition.
Michael Clarke has been named Australia’s Player of the Year at the annual Allan Border Medal count in Melbourne. Damien Martyn won the Test Player of the Year honour, and Andrew Symonds is ODI Player of the Year.Clarke, 23, polled 54 of the votes, ahead of fellow batsman Damien Martyn (51) and wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist (41) in third. The votes were cast byteammates, media and umpires in Australia’s Test and one-day matches over the past year. Among his outstanding performances were Test centuries in his first matches both away and at home, 6 for 9 in India and two one-day centuries as an opener.Votes were cast from Australia’s tours of Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Europe and India last year, last year’s home winter series against Sri Lanka and the home summer against New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies. Damien Martyn was rewarded with the Test Player of the Year award for striking two centuries and a 97 against India, and two unbeaten centuries against Pakistan.Symonds pipped Clarke and the fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz to the honour of being named ODI Player of the Year. All three players got 15 votes, but Symonds took the honours as he was ajudged his side’s best player across four matches, while Clarke was best in three and Kasprowicz’s votes came from just two games.Strong performances from Symonds, 29, in Australia’s 3-2 victory against Sri Lanka in March helped him to win the title. He took 2 for 34 and struck 40 runs in the fifth match at Colombo.Clarke, however, may consider himself unlucky not to have taken the award. He struck two centuries and a 97, as well as taking 5 for 35 against Sri Lanka, while the eventual winner Symonds rounded off his season with a disappointing run of five ducks in six innings in the VB series against Pakistan and West Indies.Winners Australian One-Day Player of the Year – Andrew Symonds Australian State Player of the Year – Andy Bichel Australian Young Player of the Year – Mark Cosgrove Australian Woman Player of the Year – Karen Rolton Australian Test Player of the Year – Damien Martyn Australian Cricketer of the Year – Michael Clarke
In yet another spin of the merry-go-round, the Pune district and sessions court has reimposed the BCCI’s suspension of Abhijit Kale from first-class cricket, after the Indian board filed an appeal against a Pune civil-court order.The civil court had ruled, a couple of days earlier, that the ban on Kale could not go into effect without an inquiry. At the time, Milind Hartalkar, the BCCI’s counsel in Pune, had told NDTV: “We are studying the judgments and if necessary we shall move a higher court by filing the appeal in the proper court.”The BCCI had suspended Kale after receiving written complaints from two national selectors – Kiran More and Pranob Roy – alleging that Kale had offered them Rs 10 lakhs each for a place in the Indian team.
It had to be the shortest game of the tournament.Canada were all out for 41 when dismissed in the 29th over in their match with South Africa at North Harbour Stadium today.Left-arm fast bowler Ryan McLaren had a field day taking the first four wickets to fall at a cost of nine runs from his 10 overs. Rory Kleinveldt took two for 10 from seven overs while Ian Postman took two for four in his 1.4 overs.It took South Africa’s openers Stephen Cook (16) and Chad Baxter (20) only 8.2 overs to knock the total off to take a 10-wicket win.
New Zealand Test No 3 batsman Mathew Sinclair had been too quiet for too long and the Yorkshire Academy was on the receiving end in a premier league match with Cleethorpes on Monday.Ten days ago he had the first failure of his League summer after scoring a double century and three centuries. Playing Castleford he was dismissed for 14.Then against Harrogate on Saturday he was out for five. He didn’t play in Sunday’s national club championship loss as professionals are not eligible but on Monday he was back with a vengeance.Batting first at Chichester Road against the Academy side, Sinclair shared a first wicket stand of 101 with Mike Smith. Of the 101, Smith scored 18.Sinclair was in complete control as Cleethorpes, known as ‘the Meggies’ totalled 223/8 with Sinclair hitting 202 off only 170 balls. Included in his innings were 26 fours and four sixes. He did give a chance on 17 but it wasn’t accepted and the Academy paid the price.The innings took its toll on the Academy confidence and they struggled to 86/6 before a lower-order recovery was staged which allowed the Academy side to play out for the draw finishing on 202/9. Sinclair capped his day by also picking up a wicket.What now has Cleethorpe supporters wondering is whether Sinclair might be able to complete a full scale assault on David Byas’ league record which stands at 1394 runs. Sinclair has already scored 715 from six innings for the side.Cleethorpes now head to Doncaster next weekend in a mid-table position which is a fair reflection of the season to date. If they can add a couple of more wins to their tally in the next set of matches then the lost ground of mid-May will soon be retrieved.
ScorecardHampshire opener Jimmy Adams was struck on the head playing forward to a rising delivery•Getty Images
The Royal London Cup match between Glamorgan and Hampshire at Cardiff was abandoned after the umpires deemed the pitch unplayable. Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams, the Hampshire openers, were both struck by rising deliveries and the game was called off after 6.4 overs of the second innings.The standing umpires, Paul Baldwin and Neil Mallender, consulted with the captains after Adams was struck on the side of the head when playing forward to a length delivery from Glamorgan seamer Michael Hogan. Hampshire were 26 for 0 chasing 183 to win, with Carberry having received treatment after also been hit on the helmet in Hogan’s second over.The match was being televised by Sky, due to the third Ashes Test finishing early, and cricket liaison officer Tony Pigott explained the decision. “The situation is the two umpires have decided that the pitch is unplayable, it’s unfit and have called the game off,” Pigott said. “It’s very dry and it’s turned in the first innings, it’s unpredictable bounce.”Hugh Morris, Glamorgan’s chief executive and director of cricket, called it “a dark day for the club” and promised an inquiry into what had happened.While a no result would normally see both sides awarded a point, the ECB was expected to carry out an investigation that could result in sanctions. Glamorgan started the Royal London Cup group stage with a two-point deduction after being punished for producing a poor pitch in last season’s competition – the pitch used on this occasion was the same one.”We are desperately disappointed,” Morris said, “the umpires determined it to be a dangerous pitch and they were right in making that determination. We are extremely sorry to everyone watching the game and there will be a full refund and full inquiry.”This was a fresh pitch on Friday against Essex and we scored almost 300 and the pitch was rated above average. It’s not unusual for us to use a pitch twice and it gave no indication it would play the way it did.”We were always going to use this pitch regardless of Sky being here. We are going to discuss what has gone wrong internally and we will do that immediately.”This is something that we are desperately disappointed at. We were in a good position in this competition and playing some good cricket. We will find out what went wrong as quick as we can.”Jacques Rudolph, Glamorgan’s captain, had been unwilling to take off Hogan in favour of a slow bowler and said the umpires had made the “right decision”. Hampshire captain James Vince consulted with Adams and Carberry before agreeing to the abandonment.”The whole situation isn’t ideal, it’s a real shame for both teams and the crowd,” Adams said. “One had slightly gone up at Carbs a bit earlier and a few maybe in the Glamorgan innings too but nothing too bad. You play in wickets all the time that offer a bit of variable bounce but that one was pretty extreme and I think that was why there was a general meeting.”Cardiff was the venue for the opening Test of the Investec Ashes, when variable bounce was a feature of the surface as England won inside four days.Instances of matches being abandoned due to the pitch are rare. In late 2014, a one-day cup fixture at Benoni was called off, while South Africa’s provincial T20 tournament saw an abandonment in Bloemfontein earlier in the year. An ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Delhi was stopped in 2009 and, famously, the Kingston Test in 1998 came to a premature end with England 17 for 3 after 10.1 overs, an uneven Sabina Park surface causing several batsman to be struck.Glamorgan had managed to get through their 50 overs, despite being 102 for 7 at one stage. Colin Ingram made a half-century but was the only member of the top six to reach double-figures, while Hampshire’s trio of spinners, Liam Dawson, Mason Crane and Will Smith, collectively took 6 for 76 from 25 overs as Glamorgan struggled to 182 for 9.
Chelsea have been a club who have been the home to numerous legends over the years, but none have quite managed to reach the levels achieved by Frank Lampard.
The midfielder joined for a reported fee of just £11m back in 2001, but very few people would have predicted his rise to stardom during his time at Stamford Bridge.
He racked up a total of 648 appearances for the Blues, managing to find the back of the net on 211 occasions – subsequently making him their club-record goalscorer in their history.
Such a feat is staggering for a midfielder, with his long-standing impact in the first team helping the club win three Premier League titles during his 13 years in West London.
However, in the present day, boss Enzo Maresca is currently on the hunt for a player who could potentially reach similar levels during their spell in the first-team.
Chelsea on the hunt for huge PL talent this January
Over the last couple of days, Chelsea have made it clear they intend to add another central midfielder to their ranks, leading them to the hunt for Elliot Anderson.
The Nottingham Forest star has caught the attention of numerous top-flight clubs, subsequently leading to Sean Dyche’s men placing a £100m asking price on his head.
The Blues aren’t currently alone in the pursuit of the England international, with Manchester United and Manchester City both closely monitoring the 23-year-old’s progress.
However, he’s not the only young English talent in the sights of Maresca and the board, with Kobbie Mainoo another player who they’re considering a move for this winter.
According to the Telegraph, the Blues are now firmly in the race to land the 20-year-old star who’s yet to make a league start at Old Trafford in the 2025/26 campaign.
The report also states that the club view him as an immediate and long-term option, but the Red Devils are currently unlikely to sanction a permanent exit despite his lack of action.
Why Mainoo could provide competition for Caicedo at Chelsea
After his £115m move to join Chelsea back in the summer of 2023, Moises Caicedo was always going to have huge pressure to succeed at Stamford Bridge.
Two and a half years on from such a transfer, the Ecuadorian international has made himself a crucial player for the Blues, often being the go to man in the midfield department.
The 24-year-old has already racked up 118 appearances across all competitions, subsequently helping Maresca win the UEFA Conference League last season.
However, despite his midfield role, he’s often caught the eye in attacking areas, as seen by his long-range strike in the victory over Liverpool early this season.
Caicedo has certainly developed into a world-class all-round option at the heart of the side, with the former Brighton man only going to get better with experience.
However, he could be joined by Mainoo in the years ahead, with the Englishman potentially being the perfect player to operate alongside him in a box-to-box role.
Such a move would be an expensive one, but they would be getting a top-level talent, with former professional Danny Murphy already singing his praises despite his tender age.
After his breakthrough in the 2023/24 campaign, the former Liverpool player claimed that the United star looked like a “better footballer than Caicedo” after a meeting between the two sides.
The pair’s respective stats from last season do make for some interesting reading, with Mainoo actually managing to better the Blues star in numerous key areas.
How Mainoo & Caicedo compared in 2024/25
Statistics (per 90)
Mainoo
Caicedo
Games played
25
38
Minutes played
1651
3351
Progressive carries
1.2
1.1
Key passes
1.1
0.8
Tackles won
64%
62%
Take-on success
46%
45%
Carries into opposition box
0.6
0.1
Aerials won
1.1
0.9
Stats via FBref
The United star managed to register more key passes per 90 in the Premier League, whilst also achieving a higher take-on success rate in the process.
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Such numbers highlight the 20-year-old’s incredible ability in possession, perfectly backing up the claim that he could be the ideal box-to-box option next to Caicedo.
His dominance in possession was highlighted in his better tallies of carries into the opposition 18-yard box, whilst also registering more progressive carries per 90.
However, without the ball, Mainoo also showcased his ball-winning ability, subsequently winning more of the tackles he entered than the Ecuadorian international.
A move for the Englishman would be yet another incredible piece of business by the Blues hierarchy, potentially handing Caicedo the perfect long-term partner he craves.
The prospect of the pair featuring alongside one another is certainly a frightening one, with such a duo handing the club the best chance of returning to Premier League glory.
Maresca's "pointless signing" is fast becoming another Nkunku for Chelsea
The dynamic star is in danger of following in Nkunku’s footsteps at Chelsea.
Yuvraj Singh has been cleared of serious injury after twisting his left knee during a practice session on the second morning of the Perth Test.Yuvraj, who was left out for the Perth Test after a string of poor scores, sustained the tweak when the team took part in a friendly soccer game.He collapsed holding his left knee and there were immediate fears his tour could be over. It was the same knee which he had injured during the Champions Trophy in October 2006, an injury which ruled him out for close to three months.He was taken to a local hospital for scans and was cleared of any major damage, according to MV Sridhar, India’s assistant manager, and has been advised one week’s rest.
Scorecard Ian Butler and Devon Smith turned in stellar performances with the ball and bat to secure Windward Islands’ spot in the KFC Cup final against Trinidad. Butler took 4 for 30 to restrict Barbados to 155 and Smith carried his bat through the chase to lead Windward to victory by three wickets at the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent.Butler backed up Rawl Lewis’s decision to bowl first by taking four of the top five Barbados wickets in quick time. They were struggling at 92 for 5 at one stage, a position from which they never sufficiently recovered. Floyd Reifer top-scored for Barbados with 42 but their hopes of a fightback were snuffed out by Rawl Lewis, who took 3 for 29.Chasing a modest target of 156, Windward lost Lyndon James for 13. After a partnership of 42 for the second wicket, Smith lost Andre Fletcher and Miles Bascombe in quick succession and Windwards were struggling at 62 for 3. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals but Smith, who struck 75, provided a steadying hand right through. The required run-rate was never a problem and Smith held up one end as wickets fell at the other to take Windward home with 35 balls to spare.