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Khaleej Times
a minute ago
- Khaleej Times
Gill and Rahul steady India after early wobble to frustrate England
A superb 174-run partnership between India captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul frustrated a previously dominant England on day four of the fourth Test, narrowing the hosts' lead to 137 runs. Chris Woakes took two wickets in two balls in the first over of India's second innings to leave them reeling on 0-2 before lunch, after captain Ben Stokes' first century in two years fired England to 669, their fifth highest test total. Gill and Rahul survived to return for the afternoon session and steadied the ship as India ended the day on 174-2, despite England continuing to create chances. The top scorers in this series settled in as the day wore on and piled on the runs, without being overly troubled. Gill will resume on Sunday unbeaten on 78, with Rahul 13 from his century. Stokes, who took five wickets in India's first innings, elected not to bowl after retiring hurt with cramp when batting on Friday. India's battling recovery takes the fourth Test to a tantalising final day, with England holding a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. "It was very frustrating," England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick said. "We expected to get more wickets after the first over of the innings. "The ball was nipping around but they batted really well. They were positive, but we still felt we could pick one or two up. "He (Stokes) is a bit stiff and sore. He has had a big workload in the last few weeks. Hoping with another night's rest he will be back and can bowl tomorrow." Resuming on 544-7, with Stokes on 77, the skipper looked nervous as he edged towards a long-awaited ton. He pointed to the skies -- in tribute to his father -- when he reached three figures early on Saturday. Stokes became only the fourth England player in Test history to take five wickets and make a century in the same match and was the first captain to do so. After Liam Dawson had been dismissed, Stokes started playing more freely once he had scored his century. He belted a huge six and another four to cross 7,000 Test runs and take the hosts past 600. Stokes joined West Indian great Gary Sobers and South African Jacques Kallis as the only Test players to have scored 7000 runs and take 200 wickets. The boundaries continue to flow, with Brydon Carse getting in on the act before Stokes was out for 141. Carse attempted one six too many and was also caught on the boundary for 47 to bring England's colossal innings to an end. With 15 minutes to navigate before lunch, India crumbled under the pressure. Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught in the slips by Joe Root and Sai Sudharsan followed him back next ball. Gill, who has three centuries already this series, reached his eighth Test fifty in cruise control. Rahul became only the 13th visiting opener to score more than 500 runs in England in a series and the second Indian opening batsman after Sunil Gavaskar. "Both today and tomorrow, we just need to take it hour by hour," India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak told reporters. "They (Gill and Rahul) showed great determination. They batted brilliantly. Rahul has been outstanding in this series."


Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Asia Cup in UAE 'reminder of cricket's power to build bridges', says ACC President
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced on Saturday that the ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 9 to 28 September 2025. The tournament will bring together the continent's top teams in a celebration of Asian cricket, culminating in what promises to be an unforgettable sporting spectacle, according to a release from ACC. ACC President Mohsin Naqvi stated, "Hosting the ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE allows fans from across Asia to come together in a setting that mirrors our region's incredible diversity. When crowds gather to witness the tournament's unforgettable clashes, it will be a great reminder of cricket's power to build bridges." The ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 will feature 8 participating teams, up from the previous 6, providing a larger competitive platform to emerging cricketing nations. "The ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup is the marquee event of Asian cricket, and we are proud to present an expanded platform this year," Naqvi added, "This year marks yet another milestone in ACC's journey and a noteworthy development for cricket in Asia. With the inclusion of additional teams in the tournament, we are witnessing the game's boundaries expand, both geographically and competitively. This will be the Asia Cup at its finest." The tournament opener is placed between Afghanistan and Hong Kong on September 9. India will kick off their campaign against UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for the 14th. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19. After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. The final is scheduled on September 28.


Khaleej Times
5 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Liverpool beaten 4-2 by AC Milan in Hong Kong pre-season friendly
Former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored as Premier League champions Liverpool were beaten 4-2 by AC Milan on Saturday in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong. Liverpool, with record signing Florian Wirtz making his first start, controlled large parts of the match under a closed roof at Kai Tak Stadium, but a shaky defence was punished on the break for all four Milan goals. Rafael Leao opened the scoring for the Italian side on 10 minutes with Dominik Szoboszlai's superb strike equalising 16 minutes later to make it 1-1 at half-time. But Loftus-Cheek and two goals from substitute Noah Okafor, either side of Cody Gakpo's late header, gave AC Milan victory. Liverpool manager Arne Slot said there were positives to take from the game but admitted his side needed to improve before their first competitive match, the Community Shield against Crystal Palace on August 10. "I saw a few good things," he told reporters, referring especially to the first half when a largely first-choice Liverpool created a host of chances but only converted one. Slot made nine changes at the break and a largely makeshift defence was caught out time and again. "We wanted to give 20 players some playing time. So as a result of that, too many players didn't play in their own position. We were a bit too open. "We have to improve in certain areas, because we were counter-attacked too much today." Loftus-Cheek, who also had spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham, said it was special to score against Liverpool. "It's nice to play against a Premier League team again," said Loftus-Cheek, whose side had lost 1-0 to Arsenal in a friendly on Wednesday. 'Lot to improve on' "Liverpool are one of the best teams in the world. It was a good test for us tonight. It's just about feeling better physically, gelling as a team, and there's a lot for us to improve. So we'll take that and move on." Liverpool's Hong Kong fans vastly outnumbered those supporting AC Milan in the 49,704 sellout crowd. They paid a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota, who passed away this month in a car crash. Flowers were laid by Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish in front of fans, who responded by holding up a mosaic spelling out "DJ20" in honour of Jota's number 20 shirt, which has been retired by the club. Leao, too, remembered his fellow Portuguese player Jota as he offered a silent prayer and formed the number 20 with his fingers after scoring the opener. Wirtz played 45 minutes and looked comfortable directing operations, showing hints of why Bayer Leverkusen were paid a reported British transfer record $150 million for the German playmaker. Other new Liverpool signings, defenders Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong both came on as substitutes at half-time. Another defender, Joe Gomez, has flown home for treatment of a minor Achilles problem. Striker Hugo Ekitike, who was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported $92 million, was not ready to take part, having only flown in to join his new teammates two days earlier. Liverpool started without a recognised central striker as Darwin Nunez, who was injured, and Luis Diaz, linked with a move away from Anfield, were left out. Liverpool will now fly to Japan to face Yokohama F-Marinos on Wednesday.