India beat England in Oval thriller to level five-Test series
Siraj claimed five wickets as England, chasing 374, were all out for 367.
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The National
an hour ago
- The National
Florian Wirtz insists £100m price tag 'doesn't matter' as Liverpool ponder next Alexander Isak move
Liverpool's £100 million summer signing Florian Wirtz insists he pays no attention to his mammoth price tag as he looks to help the Premier League champions defend their crown this season. The German attacking midfielder moved to Merseyside from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal that could rise to a British transfer record-breaking £116m with add-ons. Wirtz scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists for Leverkusen last season having played a key role in the German's club's double winning campaign the campaign before. The 22-year-old is already Liverpool's most expensive signing eclipsing the previous best of £75m set by current club captain Virgil van Dijk when he joined from Southampton in January 2018. But even if he also ends up breaking English record, Wirtz is adamant that he will not be fazed by such pressures. "I don't think about it," he said I just want to play football and how much money the clubs pay between each other, it doesn't matter," he said after Liverpool's 3-2 friendly win over Athletic Bilbao on Monday which saw Coady Gakpo score two and Mohamed Salah the other. "Of course the big challenge is to win the title again and it is the most difficult thing so [I will] try and just create chances and also work against the ball. "I can also run a lot so [I will] bring this to the team and then with the ball I can make the team better and bring my team-mates into better situations. "I came because I thought I could fit in this team and I am enjoying to play with these players and getting every time a little bit better so I am happy with how it is going." Wirtz will be playing outside the Bundesliga for the first time having risen through the youth system at Leverkusen where he would end up making 197 appearances, scoring 57 and assisting a further 65. He scored his first goal in Liverpool colours in their friendly win over Yokohama F. Marinos last week and hit the bar with a header in Monday's win over Bilbao. And Wirtz is now looking to forward to the challenge of adapting to rigours of Premier League football. "I am a player who needs freedom on the pitch and the manager gives it to me because I have to respect the position and the players around me," he added. "I will try to find the right places to be and the right spaces to get the ball and to be dangerous and create chances - I have not played a match in the Premier League but I am looking forward and that is why I came. "There are some differences to Germany but I think there is also something I can learn and make me better so I am really looking forward to it. "It's more intense and more physical, every player is really strong, really fast. That is what everybody is telling me." Manager Arne Slot guided Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title last season and has been busy in the transfer market in a summer overshadowed by the death of Portuguese forward Diogo Jota in a car accident. Apart from Wirtz, the Dutchman has also brought in the likes of left-back Milos Kerkez (£40m from Bournemouth), right-back Jeremie Frimpong (£40m from Leverkusen) and striker Hugo Ekitike (£79m from Eintracht Frankfurt). While Luis Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all headed for the Anfield exit recouping around £115m. Uruguayan attacker Darwin Nunez has also been linked with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. But the Merseysiders could make their biggest swoop yet if they continue their pursuit of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, after having a bid of £110m turned down by the Magpies on Friday, who value the Sweden international at £150m. Isak missed Newcastle's pre-season tour of Asia with the club citing a thigh injury until it eventually emerged that the 25-year-old was considering a move away from Tyneside. After training in Spain with former club Real Sociedad, Isak headed back to Tyneside on Monday morning for talks with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe as the rest of the squad returned from their pre-season trip to Singapore and South Korea. "He's like any other player, we would expect him to come in and train as normal," said Howe before flying back to the UK. "You have to earn the right to train with us. We are Newcastle United. "The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad - you have to act in the right way. So that is also at play here. "We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal."
Khaleej Times
4 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Meet 12-year-old Dubai pace bowler who bowls with both arms
Dubai resident Ramprasad Dommaraju, a former club cricketer in Chennai, India, could not believe his eyes when his then six-year-old son, Mahidhaar, ran into bowl with a classical left-arm action while playing cricket in the backyard. 'I didn't know how to react as my son always bowled right-arm pace,' Ramprasad recalled. "He is a natural right-hander. He does everything with his right hand. So to see him suddenly bowl left-arm with the same action and speed was unbelievable. It was like watching Mitchell Starc with that high-arm action" Mahidhaar is now 12, taking a truckload of wickets in age-group tournaments not only in the UAE, but also in Oman and Sri Lanka. But what's even more remarkable is that he has made amazing progress as an ambidextrous bowler — sometimes changing from right-arm pace to left-arm pace in the same over, leaving batters in a helpless position. 'There is no one else like him in the UAE,' Ramprasad said. Lankan mystery To put things in perspective, Kamindu Mendis, the Sri Lankan batter who has made a terrific start to his Test career with a string of big scores, is the only player in international cricket who could bowl with both arms. Last month, Mendis bowled a match-winning spell (5-0-19-3) in a one-day international against Bangladesh when he got two wickets with his left-arm spin and one with right-arm off-break. The Sri Lankan also became the first bowler in IPL (Indian Premier League) history earlier this year when he bowled with both hands during a match between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. 'But Mendis is a spinner, there are few such spinners in cricket-playing countries across the world. But it's extremely rare to find a pace bowler who could bowl with both arms with the same speed,' Ramprasad said. Son of acclaimed Tamil actor, Nalinikanth, Ramprasad also checked with his friends in Indian cricket to see if they had come across young ambidextrous pace bowlers. 'One of my friends worked in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), and he told me that they have never found a bowler who could bowl pace with both arms. There are a few spinners, but no such pace bowler has been discovered until now in India,' he said. Curious case of Yasir Across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Yasir Jan made headlines for his ability to bowl quick with both left arm and right arm. Such was his talent that Lahore Qalandars, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, gave the youngster a 10-year development contract in 2016. But unable to cope with some serious injury setbacks, Yasir has since faded into oblivion. Muhammad Ijaz, a former Pakistani first-class cricketer, is now carefully monitoring the progress of Mahidhaar, giving a lot of importance to his fitness. 'I have taught him a few things in terms of technique, but we are also making sure he improves his fitness. He works very hard and he is very passionate about cricket,' said Ijaz, who is now coaching youngsters at Desert Cubs Cricket Academy in the UAE. A former teammate of Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim, Ijaz is truly amazed by the unique skills of Mahidhaar. 'In all my years of playing cricket and coaching youngsters, I have seen a few spinners who bowl with both arms. But I had never seen a pace bowler who could bowl both right arm and left arm until I met this kid,' he said. 'Mahi is unique. Spinners I can understand because they are slow bowlers, but to do this while bowling fast is unbelievable.' Mahidhaar, who never raises his voice above a whisper, is dreaming of playing for India as well as for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the IPL franchise for which his idol, Virat Kohli, plays. 'He has great potential, and I think in two or three years' time, we could see him play at a high level. But, of course, a lot of work needs to be done, and he needs to continue working hard on his game,' Ijaz said. Strong family support Apart from his strengths as an ambidextrous pace bowler who bowls a beautiful inswinger and his newfound ability to hit sixes with the bat, Mahidhaar's greatest advantage is his supportive family. Despite being without a job, Ramprasad has left no stone unturned in his attempts to give Mahidhaar the best opportunities as a rising cricketer. 'I don't have a job now, so it's been very difficult. My wife (Shalini Ramprasad) is a dentist, but you know how tough it is. We have faced a lot of challenges, but we have never made any compromises when it comes to our son's cricketing dreams,' Ramprasad said. Coach Ijaz also acknowledges that the unwavering support from the parents has played the biggest role in Mahidhaar's promising career. 'Yes, his biggest advantage is his parents, who are so supportive. They also bring him to the ground on weekdays. Normally, you see kids in the UAE training only at weekends, but his father always brings him to the ground. That's really commendable,' Ijaz said. Can Mahidhaar repay the faith by playing at the highest level of cricket? "His skills as an ambidextrous pace bowler might give him an advantage," said Ramprasad, who is planning to take his son to India for domestic trials in the future. Ijaz, on the other hand, keeps his fingers crossed. 'Well, he has a long way to go, but he is unique. He is a very talented kid,' Ijaz said. 'He came to our academy as a bowling all-rounder, but his father asked me if I could also improve his batting. I taught him a few things, and his batting has now improved a lot. He scored three back-to-back half-centuries in a tournament. He is a quick learner and, as a coach, you always feel a sense of optimism with such kids!'
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Walking wounded - Chris Woakes, Malcolm Marshall and others who became heroes after batting despite injuries
The image of Chris Woakes, the one-armed man who battled through the agony of a dislocated shoulder to try to win a game for England, was a compelling one. As he stepped out of the dressing to a roar of admiration at The Oval on Monday morning, with his left arm in a sling and stuffed under his sleeveless England jumper, it is possible he was making his last act as a Test cricketer. It is debatable whether his brand of swing and seam - so well suited to UK conditions, but less so abroad - would have been fancied for this winter's Ashes tour to Australia anyway. That was before all the recuperation he will now be bound for between now and the series starting. Woakes will turn 37 in March. By then, he might find England's Bazballers have moved on without him. If it was the last time he is to be spotted in whites by the broader cricket public, then he has definitely signed off as a hero. Such acts of heroism tend to live long in the memories of cricket fans. Here are some of the most unforgettable acts of players defying pain from the sport's past. Colin Cowdrey (England v West Indies, 1963) Like Woakes, the England captain came out to bat in the dying moments of a Test against one of the most feared bowling attacks in the sport of the time – and did not face a ball. England needed six to win with three balls left of a thrilling Lord's Test against West Indies, when a run out brought their captain back out to the wicket. He had had his left arm broken earlier in the innings. He smiled as he emerged from the pavilion, his left arm in plaster, and watched from the non-striker's end as David Allen blocked the final two deliveries from Wes Hall to bring about a draw. Rick McCosker (Australia v England, 1977) At the Centenary Test in Melbourne, Rick McCosker had his face smashed by a bouncer on the first morning. He spent a day and a half in hospital, having his jaw rewired. Then, with his helmetless face wrapped in bandages, he came out to bat in Australia's second innings and shared in a 50-partnership with Rod Marsh. Australia eventually won the game by 45 runs, and McCosker later reflected that he was just doing his job. Although his bandaged face did send his two young kids running away scared of him. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies v England, 1984) Fielding in the gulley in a Test at Headingley, fast bowler Malcolm Marshall sustained a double fracture to his left thumb. Not even that could stop him – and his irresistible West Indies side – from continuing to steamroller England. With his left wrist in plaster, he came out to bat with a smile on his face. He hit a one-handed four, and also took seven wickets. Salim Malik (Pakistan v West Indies, 1986) This is a paradox: Salim Malik is known to most as a player who was banned for life from cricket for match-fixing. And yet he was once selfless enough to go out to bat one handed, against the fastest attack in the world (one of which, coincidentally, was Marshall), with a broken arm, in order to help a young teammate to a milestone. He did so in the Faisalabad Test of 1986 for Pakistan against the West Indies, batting left-handed for long enough to see Wasim Akram make his maiden Test half-century. Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 2018) The Dubai International Stadium might only be a little over 16 years old, but it has already built up a hefty body of work. There have been a few acts of heroism already in that time, but none more memorable than Tamim Iqbal at the 2018 Asia Cup. Opening the batting for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka, he was struck a brutal blow on the hand. He was rushed to hospital in Dubai where the break to his left index finger was confirmed, and he was ruled out of the tournament. Except he returned two hours later to help his side eke out a few extra runs at the end of their innings, wearing a quickly modified glove with all four fingers – barring the thumb – popping out of the padding. Rishabh Pant (India v England, 2025) Fans do not have to consult the history books to recall another vivid act of heroism. This has been a summer chock-full of them. Rishabh Pant started it, when he hobbled out to bat at Old Trafford despite having broken his foot earlier in the innings, and made a half century. To be fair, a broken foot is a minor ailment for someone who has battled back from nearly losing their life in a car crash to return to the top of cricket. Where he led, Ben Stokes followed, first retiring hurt only to return in the same innings and make a hundred at Old Trafford, before Woakes applied the coup de grace on Monday.
