Mohammad Shami bowling to batting coach Abhishek Nayar on the main strip of the M Chinnaswamy stadium. He has a heavily strapped left knee, but was moving fairly well and bowling at full tilt. #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/wZBIYpUBQu
Ashish Pant (@ashishpant43) October 20, 2024
I Dig Sports
Wales will be without several key players for the autumn, with Cardiff pair Josh Adams and Taulupe Faletau both expected to miss all three Tests.
Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins and Dragons hooker Elliot Dee also miss out through injury, while Dragons number eight Aaron Wainwright is in a race to be fit after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies is unavailable after announcing his international retirement.
Firstly, were looking for good men, men who want to be part of a team, who are prepared to go to the well and dig deep," said Gatland.
"A lot of players, particularly the younger ones, dont always know the limits of what they can do, and how hard and far they can push themselves at the highest level.
For a number of them they realise pretty quickly that the step up to international rugby is massive in terms of pace, physicality and intensity. Ive always said as a coach that you cant coach experience it has to be learned just by being out there and playing."
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Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has explained why he performs his signature "cold" celebration after each goal, saying it is about showing the "joy" of football.
Palmer has been in great form so far this season, scoring six goals in seven Premier League games.
In an interview with the Telegraph released on Sunday, Palmer revealed why he performs the move.
"I first did the 'cold' celebration last December in a game against Luton where we won 3-2. It's a nod to my former City academy teammate Morgan Rogers," he said.
"It symbolises joy, passion and hard determination for the game plus it's funny as it works well with my name. Everyone knows it's my celebration. Lots of people might have done it, but everybody knows it is my celebration."
Palmer was named England Men's Player of the Year, the Football Association announced earlier this month. He was also named Premier League Player of the Month for September
The forward is hoping they will not be the only individual awards during his career after he was included on the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist last month.
"It was a surprise to be recognised at that level so early in my career," he said. "It's a huge honour. Winning it would be brilliant, and I believe with hard work and consistency I could get there."
Chelsea face Liverpool on Sunday as they look to continue their positive start to the season under new boss Enzo Maresca.
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Shami bowls at full tilt on the sidelines in Bengaluru
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Cricket
Sunday, 20 October 2024 04:15
Mohammed Shami bowled for more than an hour on one of the main pitches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after the conclusion of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru on Sunday. He also took part in fielding drills as he works towards a comeback from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since November last year.
The 34-year-old fast bowler had heavy strapping on his left knee but bowled at full tilt to India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, with bowling coach Morne Morkel watching over the session. He did not look in any obvious discomfort, bowling almost continuously and only taking a break for the fielding drill close to the boundary.
Shami began his session around 2.30pm and after a few warm-up deliveries, he marked out his full run-up and used that for the rest of his practice. Once Nayar was done batting, Morkel placed cones on the pitch and stood behind the wickets as Shami continued to run in and bowl. He finished up at around 3.50pm.
Shami also had a bowl after the end of play on day two, on one of the practice pitches at the far end of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He bowled for close to 45 minutes that day, off both a short and long run-up.
India are waiting on Shami's fitness ahead of their five-Test tour of Australia beginning in November. His previous appearance was the 2023 ODI World Cup final in November last year, and he had played that tournament with an ankle injury, taking 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70.
Shami underwent surgery in London in February and has not recovered in time to play a part in this year's Indian domestic season or the Test series at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand. After the start of the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma had said that Shami had a "setback" with a swelling on his knee.
"He has not played any cricket for over a year," Rohit had said. "It is quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket and then suddenly to come out and be at his best. It is not ideal. We will want to give him enough time to recover and be 100% fit.
"We don't want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us."
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Reddick ends holdout, agrees to deal with Jets
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Breaking News
Sunday, 20 October 2024 06:15
Haason Reddick and the New York Jets have reached an agreement on an adjusted contract, the standout edge rusher's agent told ESPN's Adam Schefter, ending his prolonged holdout.
"We will continue to work towards a long-term extension with the Jets," agent Drew Rosenhaus, who negotiated the adjusted contract along with Jason Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha, told Schefter on Sunday.
Reddick will report to the Jets on Monday morning. The Jets agreed to waive more than $12 million in fines in exchange for Reddick honoring his contract for the remainder of the season and returning to the team.
Jets owner Woody Johnson was said to be "very involved in working this out" with Rosenhaus and never had any intention of trading Reddick, despite teams' inquires.
Reddick, 30, was acquired in a March trade with the Philadelphia Eagles and is seeking an extension that will pay him commensurate with the NFL's top edge rushers. The Jets didn't renegotiate his contract at the time of the trade because they claimed he told them he'd play under his existing contract.
Reddick has skipped all team events since the spring, forfeiting $4.8 million in game checks plus accruing another $5 million in NFL-mandated fines. Had he not reported to the Jets by Week 13, Reddick would not have received credit for the season and his contract would have tolled, meaning his 2025 rights will belong to the Jets.
ESPN's Rich Cimini contributed to this report.
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Why these Yankees finally broke through the ALCS curse
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Baseball
Sunday, 20 October 2024 05:03
CLEVELAND -- Here's the resume of one era for a certain big league baseball team.
It's a 14-year period. The team had a .566 winning percentage during that span, most in its league and second-most overall. It never finished below .500. It had the second-most wins at home and on the road. No team had more comeback wins. Only one team scored more runs, and only one had a better run differential. Nobody hit more home runs, and it wasn't particularly close.
Of course, that's all regular season stuff -- what about the playoffs? The answers aren't as glowing, but they are still impressive. Only three teams played more postseason games. Only five won more postseason games. Only two teams hit more homers.
These are all facts from the New York Yankees' pennant drought, the period from 2010 through 2023, which finally drew to a close on Saturday night. The drought -- a descriptor some woebegone franchises would dispute -- ended thanks to one mighty swing by Juan Soto that punctuated one of his signature meat grinder at-bats. The Yankees are back, returned to the pedestal where their fans have a historical justification for feeling they belong: On top of the American League.
"It's been a conversation every year," ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton said. "We're here now."
The level of success outlined above would be impressive for pretty much every franchise, even if no fan base is ever going to be completely satisfied without the payoff of pennants and World Series titles. But for denizens of the Bronx, flags are the only currency that may be redeemed for respect or validation. Such are the standards of a franchise and fan base that has now celebrated 41 pennants and is four wins from a 28th championship.
Saturday's win over Cleveland ended a streak of five losses in the ALCS during the drought, the last two of which came during the seven-year tenure of current manager Aaron Boone. The other three came under Joe Girardi, who is the only other skipper New York has had during the drought.
Meanwhile, the guy running the front office, Brian Cashman, has been around so long he might have been the guy who traded for Babe Ruth, though we'd need to check the historical record to see if that's the case.
"I'm proud of these guys," Cashman said amid the melee of the postgame trophy presentation. "And proud we have earned the right to go to the World Series."
Behind Boone, and Girardi before him, and the even-present Cashman, not to mention ownership by the same family dating back to 1973, the Yankees, even during one of their dark ages, have been remarkably stable. It's not like there was a major top-to-bottom housecleaning somewhere along the line.
What, then, is different about this bunch, the 2024 Bronx Bombers, that after so many recent October disappointments allowed them to finally break through on Saturday?
The Soto-Judge stack
Through the regular season, Aaron Judge enjoyed one of the best offensive performances in baseball history but, incredible as it is to say, he's done this before. He's also struggled all October to much hand-wringing and widespread theorizing. Yet, you could argue that even as he's slumped, Judge has remained a fearsome presence in the New York lineup, and he's been able to do that because he's got Soto hitting in front of him.
The most tangible way to illustrate this is to simply point out that Judge hit 353 times with at least runner on base this season, second-most in baseball behind Atlanta's Matt Olson. Judge drove in a career-high 144 runs this season -- a product of his level of play, yes, but also because he was always hitting with someone on base. Often it was Soto, who chewed the opposing pitcher the same way he did Cleveland's Hunter Gaddis on Saturday.
"I'm just telling myself, 'I'm all over every pitch, I'm all over every pitch'," Soto said of his pennant-winning blast. "So be ready. Be ready. He's gonna make the mistake. He did. And I did get it."
Soto took the spoils on Saturday but often, he's just taking a walk -- 129 of them during the season -- to set the table for Judge and those behind him. Judge had an astronomical 1.237 OPS this season when hitting with at least one runner on.
The Soto-Judge stack, by some measures the most productive one-two single-season duo since the days of Ruth and Lou Gehrig, is a wearying prospect for every pitching staff to navigate four or five times a game, even if one of them (Judge in this case) isn't hitting that well.
"He wears pitchers down," Stanton said of Soto. "It doesn't matter if he gets out. The stress of getting him out, then you gotta deal with Judge ... then you gotta deal with everyone behind them."
The runs created metric had Judge at 183, Soto at 147. The Yankees haven't had two hitters top 140 in the same season since Jeter and Williams back in 1999. That is the single biggest difference between the Yankee teams of the past 14 seasons and this one. In other recent years they've had one mega hitter -- but not two.
Stanton, for one, knew what the effect would be as soon as he heard that Soto was going to be his new teammate.
"I figured he was going to do something like he did tonight," Stanton said. "And in pure Juan Soto fashion."
The Stanton-Torres wrapwound
Stanton has had his ups and downs since coming to the Yankees but he's often been at his best in October -- and this October might be his best one yet. His four homers against Cleveland landed him that MVP award. He's got five overall in the 2024 playoffs, one shy of the Yankees' record. And only three Yankees have hit more playoff homers for the franchise -- Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter and, gulp, Mickey Mantle.
"There's the physical nature of what he does that's different than just about everyone in the world," Boone said Sunday before Stanton went out and homered yet again. "He's just incredibly disciplined -- his approach, his process, how he studies guys."
Stanton doesn't always hit cleanup, as Boone likes to get a lefty bat between Judge and Stanton most times. But this, too, ties into the Soto-Judge stack because when Stanton is hitting, and batting cleanup like he was on Saturday, those worn-down pitchers have got to feel the life being sucked out of them.
This also puts extra onus on getting out the batter who precedes all of this, Gleyber Torres. That hasn't happened consistently this October. In fact, Torres has reached base in his first at-bat eight times during this postseason, a Yankees record. All of a sudden, there's a runner on base, and here comes the smiling, nodding Soto striding to the dish.
"A lot of times for starting pitchers, maybe it takes them a hit or two to settle in," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. "And those are two guys you can't settle in against."
The Yankees didn't light up the scoreboard getting through the AL bracket, but no one did. Runs were just very tough to come by in general. New York averaged 4.78 runs per game to lead the six AL postseason entrants, a group that otherwise averaged just 2.93. Through that prism, the Yankees' offense was dominant -- even without Judge putting up big numbers.
The scary question for whoever comes next for the Yankees -- whether it's the New York Mets or the Los Angeles Dodgers: What happens if Judge starts hitting, too?
The Astros are out
We won't expand on this because there's not much to say beyond pointing it out. But the Yankees' last three ALCS losses -- 2017, 2019, 2022 -- all came at the hand of the Houston Astros, who were knocked out in the wild-card round this season by Detroit. New York might have beaten Houston this time around, anyway, and it's fair to wonder if the ship has sailed on the Astros dynasty. But the fact remains -- the biggest impediment to the World Series for the Yankees in recent years was not around this time to get in their way.
Patience
The tension is thicker in October. The moments are more intense, the crowds larger and lower, the consequences of every win or loss exaggerated. You might think that from a hitter's perspective, that might lead to a little over-aggression. Not these Yankees.
New York drew just one walk during their clincher in Cleveland but have walked in 13.9% of their plate appearances this October. That's more than any other playoff team this season and more than all but five of the 512 playoff teams in baseball history.
Plate discipline has been a hallmark of Cashman-constructed teams, and the Yankees also led the majors in drawing walks during the season. In October, they've taken it to another level.
"They're a very tough lineup to navigate because of that," Vogt said. "You have to come into the zone and you have to get them out in the zone, and they're all very good hitters."
An infusion of youth
The Yankees, at their most decadent, have featured too many high-dollar players on the wrong side of 30 with big names and shrinking athleticism. This has been the case for decades. But the Yankees' position group has been getting younger the last couple of years, from a playing time-weighted age of 30.3 in 2022, per baseball-reference.com, to 28.5 last season and 28.0 this season.
Necessity has been part of this due to injuries to older stars such as Anthony Rizzo and D.J. LeMahieu. But New York has gotten meaningful contributions from young players on the hitting and pitching side alike. Game 4 featured an all-rookie battery -- righty Luis Gil and catcher Austin Wells, both leading AL Rookie of the Year candidates.
The shortstop, Anthony Volpe, just completed his second season and was nominated for what would be his second straight Gold Glove. He's improved his consistency at the plate as well, though he has plenty of work to do in that regard. He has a .459 OBP during the postseason.
The Yankees are still a star-driven team but they have better balance in the clubhouse. Going back through the history of baseball's most successful franchise, that's usually been the case when they win big.
"We've had some great groups, some great camaraderie, some great clubhouses," Boone said. "This group is as close as I've ever seen, and they trust each other. They lean on each other. They love each other. They play for each other. Those are special things to have in a team sport."
This team has won big so far but the ultimate goal hasn't yet been achieved. And that goal -- in the Bronx -- is really one that matters, the one that will truly quench this drought.
"To get there doesn't mean much," Stanton said. "We need to win it."
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Rachin Ravindra headlines NZ's first Test win in India since 1988
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Cricket
Sunday, 20 October 2024 01:55
New Zealand 402 (Ravindra 134, Conway 91, Jadeja 3-72) and 110 for 2 (Young 48*, Ravindra 39*, Bumrah 2-29) beat India 46 (Pant 20, Henry 5-15, O'Rourke 4-22) and 462 (Sarfaraz 150, Pant 99, O'Rourke 3-92) by eight wickets
The exhilarating Bengaluru Test got the climax it deserved, with New Zealand made to work hard to complete their first Test win in India in 36 years. Under overcast skies, the ball seamed around appreciably, Jasprit Bumrah threatened to take a wicket every second delivery, and the crowd appealed almost every ball, but New Zealand absorbed it all to ease their way to the target of 107 once things settled down a touch.
Will Young was the calming influence after Bumrah got Tom Latham second ball of the day, but Devon Conway did his bit - jumping around, wearing blows on the body, but not playing loose shots. By the time Bumrah finally got Conway for 17 off 39 balls, he was at the fag end of his spell and New Zealand had scored 35 already. The fielders did their bit, having saved at least 11 runs by then.
But once again India's misreading of the pitch came back to hurt them. They didn't have a third seamer to exploit the conditions, and Young and Rachin Ravindra knocked off the remaining runs with relative ease.
While Bumrah bowled, though, you struggled to see where the next run would come from. He drew 22 false shots in eight overs, consistently drawing movement off the surface. Latham might have thought he had the accurate inswinger covered, but the ball pitched and nipped in even further to get him. Conway thought he had the angle covered from around the wicket, but this one swung after pitching, beginning to change its path halfway between pitching and reaching Conway, beating the outside edge and trapping him in front.
Bumrah was in his seventh over now, and Ravindra, the first-innings centurion, all but sealed the deal when he got two boundaries off the first three balls he faced. He steered the first one behind square, and then got the rare loose ball from Bumrah - a full one on the pads.
Young then paddled and punched Ravindra Jadeja for boundaries in his first over to get the package ready. Not trusting the Bengaluru weather to hold up after lunch, the two batters attacked the spinners to put a nice little bow on the top. Young's drop-kicked six off Kuldeep Yadav was even Mark Waugh-like.
India made a remarkable comeback from being bowled out for 46 in the first innings, but in the end, New Zealand hung in long enough to seal only their third Test win in India and their first since 1988.
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West Indies bat; Madushka debuts for Sri Lanka with Nissanka injured
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Cricket
Sunday, 20 October 2024 02:09
Toss West Indies chose to bat against Sri Lanka
West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first in the first ODI in Pallekele. It's the first of three games at the venue, with Sri Lanka already having won the T20I leg of the tour 2-1.
Shai Hope said this was an opportunity to put the disappointment of the T20 series defeat behind them, while Charith Asalanka said he would have batted first as well but that the morale of the side is good coming into the game.
In terms of team news, Sri Lanka have gone with three spinners - Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage, and just the sole seamer in Asitha Fernando - though Janith Liyanage also bowls medium pace. They will be without their star opener Pathum Nissanka, who is missing out due to a quadricep injury flaring up. Nishan Madushka makes his ODI debut at the top of the order.
West Indies too have brought in an added spin option in leg spinner Hayden Walsh., to supplement Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase, while Alick Athanaze can also roll his arm over. Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph and Romario Shepherd provide seam cover.
In terms of the pitch, Pallekele has been known to favour seam bowling traditionally, but here it's unusually dry with some visible tracks. Spin will likely play a prominent role, though with slow turn expected the batters might be well served working the outfielders over what is a fairly big ground.
Sri Lanka XI: Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Avishka Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (capt), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
West Indies XI: Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope (capt, wk), Keacy Carty, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph
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Rohit on Pant: We have to be 'extra careful, not just careful' with him
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Cricket
Sunday, 20 October 2024 02:33
Rohit Sharma said India wanted to be "extra careful" when it came to Rishabh Pant's knees - on which he has had major surgeries after a life-threatening car accident - and that was the reason for keeping him off the field after he picked up a knock on his right knee during New Zealand's first innings.
"He's had a massive operation on his leg, so we all know what he went through," Rohit said after India went down by eight wickets to New Zealand in Bengaluru on Sunday. "It's just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us. Even when he was batting, he was not comfortably running. He was trying to only put the ball in the stands."
Pant hurt the knee on the second day of the Test when he was attempting to stump Devon Conway in the 37th over of the New Zealand innings. He failed to collect the ball, which hit him. Pant winced in pain and went off the field straightaway. Dhruv Jurel took the gloves from Pant and kept for the rest of the first innings and the 27.4 overs of New Zealand's second innings.
On the fourth day, Pant came out to bat in India's second innings and scored 99 off 105 balls batting for more than three hours, though he was at times struggling to run.
It's only been six months since Pant's comeback after being away from competitive cricket for close to a year-and-a-half following the car crash in December 2022. He made a return to competitive cricket in IPL 2024, and then to international cricket at the T20 World Cup. The two-Test series against Bangladesh late last month was his first in the format in close to two years.
"He's had a lot of minor surgeries [and] one big surgery on his knee and he went through a lot of trauma, to be honest, in the last one-and-a-half years," Rohit said. "So it's just about being extra careful, not [just] careful with him.
"He wants to play in a certain way and then, as a captain, as a coach, we want to back that because like he has produced results for us having that mindset"
Rohit Sharma on Rishabh Pant's 99 in the second innings
"When you're keeping, you have to bend every ball with your knee going down and the wicket being what it was, we thought it is the right thing to do for him to stay inside and then get 100% ready for the next one."
While batting, though, Pant was his usual self, smashing nine fours and five sixes, one of which went 107 metres long and out of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"No one knows what goes in his mind, to be honest," Rohit said with a smile. "He decides what he wants to do. I don't think there's anything that you need to speak to him [about]. We spoke to him about 'please understand the situation' and stuff like that, but that's Rishabh - he wants to play in a certain way and then, as a captain, as a coach, we want to back that because like he has produced results for us having that mindset. So let him go and play freely."
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Rocchiccioli, Doran share honours on truncated opening day
Published in
Cricket
Sunday, 20 October 2024 02:40
Tasmania 158 for 5 (Doran 59*) vs Western Australia
Allrounder Aaron Hardie bowled a lively opening spell in his first Sheffield Shield appearance of the season before Western Australia's frontline attack restricted Tasmania on a rare rain-interrupted day's play at the WACA.
Only 53 overs were bowled on the opening day with Tasmania finishing at 158 for 5 in a rematch of last season's Shield final. No.5 Jake Doran held firm with an attractive 59 not out before play was called off after rain lashed the ground early in the final session.
In the wake of Cameron Green being ruled out of the summer, there has been considerable spotlight on Hardie who represents a like-for-like replacement. He impressed on Australia's recent white-ball tour of the UK, but missed WA's season opener against Queensland due to a quad injury.
There had been speculation that Hardie would play as a specialist batter, but he entered the attack in the ninth over after openers Jake Weatherald and Caleb Jewell comfortably saw off the new ball.
Hardie immediately produced sharp bounce and bowled a short of a length line to cause problems for Jewell, who on 11 survived a loud appeal for caught behind.
Hardie bowled two three-over bursts but struggled to find the same bite in his spell in the second session. He finished with 0 for 32 from six overs.
Allrounder Mitchell Marsh is available to bowl, having played as a specialist batter against Queensland, but has yet to enter the attack and spent most of his time fielding at first slip.
Perth is usually known for its oppressive conditions during cricket season, but amid overcast skies and rain in the air, WA skipper Sam Whiteman had no hesitation to bowl first on a green wicket.
The WA quicks relished the prospect but offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli, who recently earned Australia A selection, stole the show with the wickets of Weatherald and captain Jordan Silk before lunch.
After being well collared by Queensland, with Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja counterattacking him in good batting conditions, Rocchiccioli conjured sharp turn and trademark bounce to put WA on top.
He outfoxed Silk, normally very proficient against spin, with a looping delivery that had him dancing down the track but hitting straight to midwicket.
Quick Brody Couch, who had a mixed WA debut against Queensland, was fiery and clocked speeds reaching 143kph. He was rewarded for the breakthrough of Jewell, who edged a good length delivery to second slip.
WA had a stranglehold but rain cascaded on the ground shortly after lunch causing a brief interruption. The weather change seemed to change the state of the game on resumption with Rocchiccioli unable to have the same impact in very windy conditions and with a damp ball that was suddenly impotent.
Doran capitalised and hit several gorgeous strokes straight down the ground as he combined in a half-century partnership with Charlie Wakim. WA were left frustrated and seemingly going through motions until quick Cameron Gannon, who bowled too full with the new ball, had Wakim edging to second slip.
Much like Hardie, allrounder Beau Webster might be in Test calculations to replace Green but he made just 3 after nicking off to seamer Matt Kelly as play soon ended prematurely in a rarity at the WACA.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
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Shakib absence 'unfortunate', but Shanto wants Bangladesh to focus on cricket
Published in
Cricket
Sunday, 20 October 2024 02:50
While Shakib was selected in the squad, and expressed his desire to end his Test career in Dhaka, protests in the city against him meant he didn't travel to Bangladesh after government advice said his arrival would pose a security risk
"It is unfortunate. It should have happened," Shanto said. "But we can't spend too much time talking about it on the day before the Test match. [Shakib's arrival] is not in our control, so we are not spending too much time thinking about it. We have to focus on the two important Tests and that's what the players are doing. We had plans to send off one of the world's best players. All of us personally feel that it remains pending."
Shakib's future as a Bangladesh player was put in uncertainty following the upheaval of the Bangladesh government in August; Shakib was a member of the political party that was overthrown. Shanto said the players were focused on the cricket, which is why they hadn't spoken on the matter.
"Our focus is on winning the Test that starts tomorrow. We would have been happy if it was his farewell Test. We all know why he is unable to come."
Shanto said replacing Shakib was going to be tough. He said Mehidy Hasan Miraz has shown he can step up but it would take him some time.
"It is hard to match [Shakib], especially for the captain. He would usually allow us to play the extra batter or bowler. Now the No. 7 becomes a crucial spot. We don't have anyone exactly like Shakib bhai but Miraz can be a very good option. He is bowling and batting superbly. There are more responsibilities, which Miraz is prepared for. He has improved his batting. He is taking the team to good positions, if you look at the last few Tests. I would hope that Miraz can take that place in the next couple of years."
Uncapped left-arm spinner Hasan Murad replaced Shakib in the squad for the first Test. Shanto said Murad deserved the call-up, and expressed confidence in his spin attack.
"We have four quality spinners in the side. Hasan Murad has an outstanding first-class record. He bowls well in all types of wickets. It is a deserving selection. Nayeem couldn't break into the side despite playing well recently. Whether we pick three or four spinners tomorrow, they are all capable. Regardless of our combination, we will give our best."
Bangladesh go into the two-Test series against South Africa after winning their maiden series in Pakistan 2-0, before losing 2-0 in India earlier this month.
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