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Wayne Rooney rolled back the years to score a free kick for Manchester United in a legends game against Celtic at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Rooney's right-footed free kick flew into the top corner to prove that he is still capable of magic after Darren Fletcher had been fouled by Joe Ledley.
The game eventually finished 1-1, after Gary Hooper equalised for the visitors, and Celtic won 5-4 on penalties.
United's XI also featured Premier League title winners Ronny Johnsen, Mikael Silvestre, Michael Carrick, Antonio Valencia and Dimitar Berbatov.
Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Denis Irwin were among the substitutes that played a part from the bench. Bryan Robson managed the side.
Threlkeld judges the conditions as Thunder ride out the Storm
Thunder 216 for 9 (Threlkeld 69*, Clarke 41) beat Western Storm 69 for 2 by two runs (DLS)
Required to score at four an over as the rain clouds gathered away to the south west, Storm appeared to be in control of their own destiny. Openers Emma Corney and Sophia Smale departed early on, but the experienced pair of Sophie Luff and Fran Wilson restored calm and were in a position to dictate terms.
But the third wicket pair inexplicably failed to move their team ahead of the DLS requirement of 71 as the rain began to fall and, when umpires Mark Newell and Fiona Richards finally led the players off the field after 20 overs, Storm were 69 for 2 with Luff and Wilson unbeaten on 16 and 13 respectively.
Needing to resume their innings if they were to register a second win in three days and move off the foot of the table, Storm were ultimately frustrated by the weather, the umpires deciding they had no option but to abandon the game at 4.42pm.
When Storm last encountered Eve Jones, playing for Central Sparks on this ground two weeks earlier, they found themselves on the receiving end of a match-winning 130. No wonder Ellie Anderson celebrated when having the experienced opener caught at the wicket for 16 with the score on 26 after Thunder had won the toss. But the home side had to be patient thereafter as Clarke and Seren Smale staged a steadying partnership of 40 in 10 overs for the second wicket.
Wellington entered the fray with the scoreboard on 66 for 1 and immediately made her presence felt, having Smale comprehensively stumped by Katie Jones for 18 and then accepting a straightforward return catch to send back Fi Morris for six. When she was not taking wickets herself, the Australian was spreading panic among the opposition, her reputation inducing muddled thinking and contributing to a trio of run outs that saw the visitors lose their way.
Danielle Collins was run out by Fran Wilson's throw from the deep, while Clarke was nine runs short of a maiden half century when she was run out in the act of backing up her captain as Thunder slipped to 102 for 5. Threlkeld pushed a ball from Wellington into the leg side and set off on a single, only for stop-start confusion to set in, allowing Emma Corney time to throw in to Jones, who completed a slapstick dismissal. It was a disappointing end to a workmanlike innings that had seen Blackburn-born left-hander Clarke graft her way to 41 from 78 balls.
Panic reared it's head once more when Wellington returned to bowl the 37th over. Having gone along nicely in accruing 23 in a stand of 43 with Threlkeld, Grace Johnson clipped a ball from Wellington behind square and was called through for a risky single by her captain.
Corney's pick-up and throw was precise and Johnson was still out of her ground when Wellington whipped the bails off. Darcey Carter then played on to the returning Robbins as the visitors further subsided to 149 for 7.
Having been involved in two of the three run outs, Threlkeld no doubt felt it incumbent upon herself to make amends, the 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter taking charge of affairs to claim a spirited unbeaten half century and ensure the tail wagged. Tara Norris played her part, contributing 11 runs in a partnership of 34 for the eighth wicket, before being caught at the wicket by Jones, standing up to Robbins, who then had Hannah Jones held by Luff at mid-on later in the same over on her way to season's best figures.
Thereafter, Sophie Morris faced 13 balls without scoring, surviving long enough for Threlkeld to reach her 50, Thunder's skipper going to that landmark from 77 balls with a reverse sweep off Sophia Smale for her fourth boundary. Storm succumbed to pressure at the death, Anderson being removed from the attack after sending down two beamers and being replaced by Alex Griffiths in a final over that cost 17 runs as the last wicket pair raised an unbeaten alliance of 33.
Kate Cross stars with bat and ball in four-wicket England win
England 211 for 6 (Armitage 44, Cross 38*) beat Ireland 210 (Prendergast 76, Cross 6-30) by four wickets
Cross, leading a side featuring five ODI debutants in the absence of most of England's T20 World Cup squad, was largely responsible for limiting the home side to 210 all out, her haul of 6 for 30 including Ireland's top-scorer, Orla Prendergast, for 76.
She then helped repair the damage after Ireland had reduced the visitors to 156 for 6, hitting an unbeaten 38 that included the winning runs.
Ireland opted to bat first in the opening match of the series and were well placed at 151 for 3, with star allrounder Prendergast going well. But Cross returned to break a stand of 77 with Leah Paul, and then mopped up the tail for her second ODI five-wicket haul.
Cross had struck in her first over, pinning Una Raymond-Hoey lbw, before Lauren Filer removed Ireland captain Gaby Lewis via a catch at slip. Hannah Baker, the legspinner winning her first cap in any format, then struck in her opening spell as Amy Hunter departed for 37.
Prendergast, who scored her maiden ODI hundred last month in Ireland's series win over Sri Lanka, led the rebuilding effort but the innings folded quickly after her departure. Ryana MacDonald-Gay, another England debutant, bowled Rebecca Stokell, then Paul was run out by a combination of Freya Kemp and Bess Heath - two players who will be going to the World Cup in the UAE.
Ireland's total was their highest in women's ODIs against England, and they made a good start in its defence. Prendergast opened the bowling and removed Emma Lamb and Tammy Beaumont inside her first four overs to leave England 32 for 2.
Two debutants in Hollie Armitage (previously capped in T20Is) and Paige Scholfield steadied the ship with a stand of 62, before they were both dismissed in consecutive overs. Kemp showed her power with 26 off 19, but after she fell Mady Villiers was run out to leave England six down.
Heath was joined by Cross, with 55 needed and more than 20 overs in which to get them. The captain did the bulk of the scoring, finishing unbeaten with 38 from 36 balls, as England got home with 91 balls to spare.
Texas-Michigan live: Best moments and top plays
Week 2 of the college football season starts with a massive, high-profile matchup. The No. 3 Texas Longhorns travel to Ann Arbor to face the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines.
This is just the second meeting between these two college football blue bloods. The first came in the Rose Bowl following the 2004 season. This game, although early in the season, carries massive CFP implications. According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, Texas would have an 81% chance of reaching the playoff with a win and a 51% chance with a loss. Michigan needs the win more. Should the Wolverines lose, they would have just a 15% chance to return to the CFP.
It's Texas QB Quinn Ewers vs. Will Johnson and a loaded Michigan defense. Here are the best plays and takeaways from the game:
Yanks activate Schmidt from IL for start vs. Cubs
The New York Yankees reinstated right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Ian Hamilton from the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Schmidt is scheduled to take the mound Saturday afternoon against the host Chicago Cubs in his first start since May 26, while Hamilton returns to the bullpen and could see his first action since June 16.
Schmidt, 28, was 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 11 starts before being sidelined by a right lat strain. He made two starts with Double-A Somerset and one with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on a rehab assignment and posted a 3.18 ERA over 11 innings.
Hamilton, 29, was 0-1 with a 4.55 ERA in 27 relief appearances before dealing with his own lat injury. He pitched four hitless innings of relief across three rehab games with Somerset and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
To make room on the active roster, the Yankees designated right-handed relievers Phil Bickford (0-0, 8.64 ERA) and Nick Burdi (1-0, 1.86 ERA) for assignment.
England: Kildunne; Dow, Rowland, Heard, Breach; Aitchison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Aldcroft, Talling, Feaunati, M Packer, Matthews.
Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Carson, Bern, Campion, Cleall, L Packer, Harrison, Scarratt.
France: Jacquet; Banet, Konde, M Menager, Boulard; Tuy, Chambon; Brosseau, Sochat, Khalfaoui, M Feleu (capt), Fall, Escudero, Gros, R Menager.
Replacements: Bigot, Mwayembe, Bernadou, Ikahehegi, Okemba, T Feleu, Bourdon Sansus, Vernier.
Ranking the greatest moments of USWNT star Alex Morgan's career
United States women's national team forward Alex Morgan's incredible career will end abruptly on Sunday, when she plays her final match for San Diego Wave FC after announcing her retirement (and pregnancy) to the world on Thursday.
Morgan's career will go down among the most legendary in a long lineage of USWNT stars. She scored 123 international goals, which ranks fifth in U.S. history. She won two World Cups, earned Olympic gold and bronze medals, and won professional championships in multiple leagues in addition to a Champions League title in Europe.
Despite that, her legacy off the field as an ally to other players and advocate for equality is just as important.
Boiling down her career to only a few moments is a fool's errand. But here are 13 moments -- in honor of the number she wore for a generation -- on the field that defined her decade and a half playing at the highest level.
13. 2010 -- first international goal
Let's start at the beginning of her senior career: Morgan's first international goal came in only her third cap, just over six months after her USWNT debut in the famous "snow angels" game in Utah.
Her first goal, on Oct. 6, 2010, was a late equalizer against China to secure a 1-1 draw in a friendly. The timing of the goal, and the combination with Abby Wambach (who assisted it) foreshadowed what was to come. Morgan had already scored the winning goal in the 2008 U-20 World Cup final, which led people to tab her for success at the senior level. This was the first proof point for that.
12. 2013 -- NWSL title
Morgan was originally allocated to the Portland Thorns FC, placing the game's most popular player in what would quickly become one of the best women's soccer markets in the world. The Thorns' season was far from perfect, and Morgan endured a minor knee injury late in the campaign, but she returned in time to play in the final with a large knee brace on her left leg, and assisted Christine Sinclair's stoppage-time insurance goal to clinch the inaugural NWSL Championship.
Morgan's time on the field in Portland wasn't entirely glorious, but this moment was another professional title early in her career on the same field she won the first -- the WPS Championship with Western New York Flash in 2011 -- in Rochester, New York.
11. 2024 -- Gold Cup return
Yes, Morgan's 2024 will be defined by the heartbreak of being cut from the Olympics followed by an abrupt retirement, but the narrative looked a lot different only a few months before that. Morgan's last hurrah with the USWNT served as a microcosm of her relentless competitiveness. Over the past two years, she has responded to numerous challenges to her place on the national team.
Morgan had not scored a goal for the USWNT in nearly a year, including a 2023 World Cup that went horribly for almost every U.S. player, knocked out in the round of 16. The U.S. was in a time of transition while awaiting the arrival of new head coach Emma Hayes, and Morgan was dropped ahead of the Concacaf W Gold Cup, a sign that the end of a glittering international career was near.
But Mia Fishel tore her ACL the day before the opening match, and Morgan packed up her bag to drive a few hours and rejoin the team. She came off the bench in the opener against Dominican Republic and buried a late penalty for her first goal in 363 days, re-establishing herself as the team's No. 9 at that tournament.
10. May 1, 2011 -- First pro goal
Morgan was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 WPS Draft, the star college player who was brought in to play alongside legends Marta, Christine Sinclair and Caroline Seger.
Morgan scored her first professional goal on May 1, 2011, only three games into her career with the Flash (the video of this appears to be lost to the internet.)
Morgan helped the Flash win the 2011 WPS title, the last trophy ever lifted in the fledgling league. Among the video that still exists from that season is an audacious goal she scored in Boston.
9. 2017 -- Loan to Lyon
Lost in the shuffle of Morgan's domestic and international career is her status as a Champions League winner.
Morgan joined Lyon in January 2017 and spent half a season there, getting her first taste of European club soccer. Her stint with Lyon was brief, and she was subbed out of the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain early due to a hamstring injury, but she still added the European crown to her list of honors.
Equally important, Morgan made the move to Lyon to improve and mature her game in a less comfortable setting.
"My motivation is pretty simple," she said in a Players' Tribune story at the time. "I hope that this change will help push my game to another level. I hope that training with these incredible athletes each day, and learning a unique style of play, is exactly what I need, and that it will help me find that next gear."
She returned to the NWSL to have one of her best stretches of play to date, helping the Orlando Pride -- the franchise that effectively made acquiring Morgan from Portland a condition of its 2015 NWSL launch -- make the playoffs for the first time. The jaunt to Europe helped Morgan add nuance to her game, which was beneficial in the years that followed.
8. April 5, 2019 -- USWNT goal No. 100
Morgan's 100th international tally (watch here) came against Australia in an important friendly ahead of the 2019 World Cup. She became just the seventh U.S. woman to reach the 100-goal mark.
It's an arbitrary number to some degree, sure, but it is a good benchmark for the truly elite of the program. By this point, Morgan was already in that conversation. Statistically, this further affirmed that.
Alex Morgan explains her decision to retire and reveals she's pregnant and expecting her second child in an emotional video posted on social media.
7. 2020-21 -- Returning from maternity leave to win bronze
Morgan gave birth to her first child, daughter Charlie, in May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. By November, Morgan made her debut with Tottenham Hotspur in England on a brief stint aimed at getting her back to match fit.
The pandemic delayed the Olympics to summer 2021, giving Morgan a shot at another medal. She returned to the national team a few weeks after that debut with Tottenham, and she worked her way back into the lineup to help the USWNT win a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.
6. 2015 -- Fighting back from injury to win World Cup
The 2015 World Cup didn't exactly go to plan for Morgan due to a knee injury in the lead-up to the tournament, but she managed to be fit enough to start by the end of it, and she scored once, in a round of 16 victory over Colombia that was not as comfortable as it should have been.
This was not a breakout World Cup for Morgan, nor a title that she served as the protagonist for, but it was the first of two World Cup trophies with her playing a central role.
5. 2022 -- Winning the NWSL Golden Boot
A valid criticism of Morgan's game had been that she hadn't put together a truly memorable club season as a professional. That changed emphatically in 2022, and allows Morgan to retire without much "yeah, but" about her club career.
Morgan scored 15 goals in 17 games for the San Diego Wave to win the NWSL Golden Boot and lift the Wave to the playoffs, a first for an NWSL expansion team. Among her standout performances was a four-goal beating of NJ/NY Gotham FC early in the season. She became only the third player to score four goals in an NWSL game.
Her league form commanded a recall to the USWNT for World Cup and Olympic qualifying in 2022, and the 2023 World Cup, just after it looked like the team might be moving on from her.
4. 2010 -- World Cup playoff goal
The 2011 World Cup was the catalyst of the USWNT's current popularity, but the No. 1 ranked team in the world nearly didn't qualify for the event. After a shocking upset loss to Mexico in qualifying, the U.S. had to play a two-leg playoff against Italy for the last of 16 spots in the tournament.
Morgan had only debuted for the U.S. the month prior, but she was already clutch. She scored deep into second-half stoppage time to give the Americans a crucial 1-0 aggregate lead ahead of the home leg the following week. The U.S. beat Italy, 1-0 again outside of Chicago, and the Americans advanced.
Morgan's goal in Padua, Italy, was scored in relative obscurity, well before the days of ubiquitous streaming. It is, however, one of many crucial tallies in the USWNT's recent history. Without 2011, the team's growth doesn't follow. And without Morgan's goal in Italy, there might not have been a 2011 World Cup for the USWNT.
3. 2011 -- World Cup final performance
This was the start of the wider world truly paying attention to Morgan. She came off the bench in a scoreless World Cup final to net the first goal (watch here) of the match against Japan after breaking free of Saki Kumagai, who was emerging as one of the world's top defenders. Morgan jumped up from the ground to let out a scream after scoring.
A wild ending ensued, with the U.S. and Japan trading goals to finish 2-2 after 120 minutes before Japan prevailed in penalty kicks.
2. 2019 -- Silver Boot at the World Cup
Everyone remembers the tea-sipping celebration because it was a badass moment of taunting in a World Cup semifinal. Morgan's headed goal (watch here) served as the game-winner -- on her 30th birthday, and in Lyon, where she had played on loan.
The goal was Morgan's sixth of the tournament after another historic feat: she scored five goals in the USWNT's 13-0 victory over Thailand, tying the single-game record for a player at a World Cup.
Her efforts were largely overshadowed by Megan Rapinoe's heroics, as she won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for best player, but Morgan was integral to a second straight World Cup title for player and country.
Morgan won the silver boot, finishing tied with Rapinoe on goals (six) and assists (three) but having played more minutes.
1. 2012 -- Olympic semifinal game winner
"Ohhh, it's in! Alex Morgan has done it!"
Broadcaster Arlo White's call met the epic moment of what was arguably her greatest match. Morgan met the moment with the game-winning goal in the 123rd minute to cement her stardom at Old Trafford, Manchester.
The tally was the final blow of a 4-3 win with rival Canada in a bonkers match that would lead to a third straight Olympic gold medal for the Americans. The match and the goal are unforgettable lore in USWNT history.
That year, Morgan tallied 28 goals and 21 assists, joining Mia Hamm (1998) as the only player to tally 20 or more of each in a single calendar year. This year -- and this goal, in this game -- marked the official arrival of Morgan as a bona fide star.
More bad-light farce at The Oval as Chris Woakes is forced to bowl spin mid-over
The incident occurred two balls into the seventh over of Sri Lanka's innings, moments after they lost their first wicket when Dimuth Karunaratne was run out for 9 by Olly Stone's direct hit from the covers.
Kusal Mendis came in at No. 3 to face his first ball, but with an increase in cloud cover between deliveries, Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney decreed it was now too dark for quick bowling, albeit Woakes' average speed in this Test match has been in the region of 80mph.
The decision was met with a chorus of boos from a capacity Oval crowd, as well as bemusement in the commentary box. Michael Atherton declared on Sky Sports that "the game's gone mad" as Woakes served up a first-ball long-hop that Mendis pulled to deep midwicket for a single, then added "oh, that's filth" as Woakes' next delivery pitched three feet outside off stump.
Joe Root reacted with an amused raise of the eyebrows, while Ben Stokes - on the England balcony - gesticulated his disbelief before turning to walk into the dressing room.
A third-ball long-hop was then dragged for four by Pathum Nissanka, meaning that the interlude cost England six runs from four balls. The farce was then compounded moments later, when the cloud cover rolled away, and Gus Atkinson, England's fastest bowler on show, was permitted to continue after a subsequent light-meter reading.
According to Law 2.7.1, which pertains to bad light and other weather-related issues, "it is solely for the umpires together to decide whether either conditions of ground, weather or light or exceptional circumstances mean that it would be dangerous or unreasonable for play to take place".
However, the law subsequently adds: "Conditions shall not be regarded as either dangerous or unreasonable merely because they are not ideal."
The Woakes incident followed on from a frustrating opening day of the contest, which featured a near three-hour delay from 12.18pm to 3.10pm, in which barely a drop of rain fell but a dense layer of cloud cover prevented a resumption. Play was then suspended again at 5.54pm, and abandoned shortly before 6.30pm, with just 44.1 of the day's scheduled 90 overs possible.
Speaking at the close of the opening day, however, Ben Duckett defended the decision, and argued that England's batting - led by his 86 from 79 balls and a first home-ground century for Pope - had given the fans their money's worth.
"I think they saw quite a good day's cricket in the short amount of time there was," Duckett said. "That's living in England and playing cricket in England, they're the conditions. It's very easy to sit there as a supporter and want to see more cricket but if it does get really dark and more dangerous, we're the ones out there playing."
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
England boss Carsley won't sing national anthem
England interim manager Lee Carsley has said he will not sing the national anthem ahead of the UEFA Nations League game against Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
Carsley, who is taking charge of his first game since replacing Gareth Southgate on a temporary basis, was born in England but represented Ireland 40 times, becoming eligible through his grandmother.
The 50-year old's admission has prompted a backlash in certain quarters, but Carsley said it has never been an issue for him and facing the country he represented is not a factor.
"This [the anthem] is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland," Carsley, who also managed England at under-19 and under-21 level, said.
"The gap between your warm-up, your coming on to the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So it's something that I have never done.
"I was always really focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really found that in that period I was wary about my mind wandering off.
"I was really focused on the football and I have taken that in to coaching. We had the national anthem with the Under-21s also and I am in a zone at that point.
"I am thinking about how the opposition are going to set up and our first actions within the game. I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It's something I am really respectful of."
Meanwhile, Carsley also said England are not looking for a fresh start and that he is actually looking to build on the platform left to him by Southgate, who reached the final of Euro 2024.
"I definitely don't see this as a fresh start," Carsley said. "I spoke about it before in terms of taking over a team as a caretaker manager low on confidence, low down the league and struggling. This is the total opposite to that. This is a team coming off the back of a tournament.
"It's a difference of opinion whether it was successful or not. I think it was. First of all, qualifying for a major tournament is an achievement and then to get as far as they did and so close and falling short.
"Yeah, I don't see this as a fresh start. This is a chance to build on what they've done in the past."
Pant and Sarfaraz's thrilling double-act hands India B advantage
India B 321 and 150 for 6 (Pant 61, Sarfaraz 46, Akash 2-36, Khaleel 2-56) lead India A 231 (Rahul 37, Kotian 32, Saini 3-60, Mukesh 3-62) by 240 runs
Sarfaraz kickstarted the party by employing a method typical of him, and far different to his brother, Musheer Khan, who had just been strangled down leg for a duck to go with his epic 181 in the first innings. Musheer's dismissal was down to Dhruv Jurel's glove work as he dived to his left to grab a one-handed stunner.
Sarfaraz got his first life on zero when he drilled a half-volley that burst through substitute Tilak Varma's hands at extra cover. It would be the start of a mini contest between Khaleel, Avesh Khan and Sarfaraz, all India Under-19 batch-mates from 2016.
The fast-bowling duo were riling him up with words and friendly jibes even as Pant, also from the same batch, chuckled, perhaps knowing fully well this was probably a contest worth viewing from the other end. The friendly banter certainly seemed to get Sarfaraz's competitive juices flowing.
He would very quickly switch his focus back by hitting Akash for five fours in a row. Out came a booming drive, a rasping cut, a delicate steer, a neat tickle down leg and a wristy whip as he peppered every region of the ground from cover to point to deep third to fine leg and deep square.
By this time, it felt silly to assume Pant would buckle down and enjoy the Sarfaraz show. He didn't and, in the process, lived dangerously to begin with. A reverse scoop off Akash, reminiscent of the audacious reverse to James Anderson, flew between Jurel and KL Rahul at first slip, neither having any time to react.
Then a wild heave across the line, as if he was unleashed by a free hit in a T20, went a mile high. Jurel hared all the way back towards fine leg, while yelling and gesturing to Kuldeep Yadav to get out of the way, only for the ball to just elude him. Jurel had miscalculated; the ball would have been straight down Kuldeep's lap at fine leg.
Then Pant decided to take on Khaleel's short ball. This induced more hair-tearing frustration for the bowlers. Pant was so early into the hook shot that the ball ballooned off the gloves over the slip cordon. It left Khaleel incensed so much that you wondered what reprieving Sarfaraz off his own bowling, on 28, would elicit. There was, of course, disbelief and more frustration. Khaleel animatedly exchanged a friendly stare, followed by words and a smile.
This, however, wasn't the last of this thrill-a-minute ride. In the same over, Sarfaraz looked to whack the leather of a ball not full enough to be a half-volley or short enough to be good length. It flew off the bat, over point, for a flat six. There wasn't much else left to say now for Khaleel.
Sarfaraz was eyeing a half-century, perhaps more. In trying to keep at it, he slashed one to Jurel. Avesh, who had bantered with him earlier, leapt past Sarfaraz in celebration and gave him a send-off. Sarfaraz made 46 off 36; he had put on 72 off 55 with Pant; India B's lead had swelled to 184. The partnership was over, but the party wasn't.
Pant went bonkers, tonking Kuldeep for a sequence of 4, 0, 6, 0, 1 to bring up a 34-ball half-century. The purity of the big hits, the conviction in taking the attack to the bowlers and simply playing without any inhibitions, like he always does, lit up a leaden afternoon. A top edge to a tame sweep off Tanush Kotian got him for 61, but he walked off knowing he had done his job.
The stunning post-tea double-act from Pant and Sarfaraz made one forget all the discussion around India's imminent Test selection for the Bangladesh series.
In any case, six Test regulars: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj aren't playing the Duleep Trophy. Two others, Rahul and Pant, are expected to make the cut. As is Sarfaraz, most probably as a reserve batter.
Until this thrilling ride, the exhibition of outstanding seam and swing bowling from all of India's prospects who will be looked at later in the year, for India A and the Test tour to Australia, made for compelling viewing.
This included those who have already played Test cricket, such as Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Akash, and those who haven't - Yash Dayal and Khaleel - but are in the conversation because of their ability and the left-arm variety that India have missed.
Saini and Mukesh picked up three wickets each to help India B take a lead. Khaleel and Akash struck early, and then, Pant and Sarfaraz happened.
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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