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Technical consultant during the World Cup says the team needs to find a way to score 300-plus consistently in ODIs

Mohammad Isam14-Nov-20233:00

Shanto: ‘Know how to score 260, need to make a habit of getting 300-350’

Bangladesh’s batters were easily satisfied with their first milestone – a half-century – during the 2023 ODI World Cup and that contributed significantly to their eighth-place finish in the league stage, according to S Sriram, their technical consultant during the tournament.With no hundreds from any of their batters apart from Mahmudullah, Bangladesh won only two of their nine matches – against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka – and just about secured qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Sriram said the team needed to find a way to score 330-plus to remain competitive in ODI cricket.”Our inability to get meaningful hundreds is what hurt the team the most,” Sriram told ESPNcricinfo. “The top-four batters not getting even one hundred is the most disappointing part of the team. The teams that qualified, they have guys who are scoring double-hundreds. I think you win 50-over games in India when someone gets 130-140, and then if you have enough power around that guy, we can put up scores of 330-340. That’s where the game is in India, especially where the wickets are so good. It is slightly different than what we see in Bangladesh. I think that’s where we missed out a little bit.”Related

• Shanto to lead Bangladesh in home Tests against New Zealand

• Confused, chaotic, controversial: picking through Bangladesh's World Cup

• Bangladesh could have done without batting shuffle – Shanto

The ODI World Cup was Sriram’s second stint with the national team, and as a former India cricketer with knowledge of the conditions as player and coach, the expectation from the board was for him to provide information that would enhance Bangladesh’s performance. While Sriram stressed on the importance of a big top-order hundred, Bangladesh and Netherlands were the only teams without a hundred from their top-three batters during the World Cup.The new opener Tanzid Hasan , Sriram said, showed a lack of hunger even when he had the bowling under control, like during his 51 against India in Pune.

“Shanto is someone who wants to get better every day as a batter, person and team man. He wants his team to win. These two are his greatest qualities”Sriram on Najmul Hossain Shanto

“[Tanzid] had everything going for him in that fifty against India. The bowlers were under his control. The wicket was so good. Kuldeep Yadav was only one over away from being taken off the bowling attack. Somebody else would have come [to bowl]. Bangladesh were 97 (93) for no loss, so if he had converted that fifty into a hundred, you wouldn’t even ask me this question. That’s where he let himself down big time. That’s where the mentality has to change. They are satisfied with an international fifty.”Sriram said Tanzid could learn from Najmul Hossain Shanto, who had a stellar 12 months leading into the World Cup across formats. He converted four of his 13 50-plus scores into centuries and cemented his place as the No. 3. Sriram also said New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra was the World Cup’s best example of a young batter fulfilling his potential.”I think Shanto has raised the bar for younger players, by converting his fifties to hundreds in the last six to eight months. If Tanzid doesn’t get satisfied whenever he gets a fifty, and puts the foot on the pedal, he can get hundreds. I think he has huge potential.”My genuine concern is with these players getting satisfied with fifties. You have to push their boundaries and get big scores. That’s where world cricket is going nowadays. All the youngsters coming through are being able to convert fifties to hundreds. Rachin Ravindra is a great example. Take a cue and lead from these players, and be hungry for bigger scores.”Mahmudullah’s 111 against South Africa was Bangladesh’s only hundred in the World Cup•ICC/Getty ImagesThe most visible of Bangladesh’s problems during the World Cup, however, was their constant shuffling of the batting order. The prime focus was to utilise Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s good form, often at the cost of stability in the line-up. Mehidy batted at five different positions – from No. 3 to No. 8 – in nine World Cup innings.”It has been discussed a lot, and a lot of people have spoken about it,” Sriram said. “I don’t know the conversations that happened before the World Cup, whether they wanted stability or the team wanted to play the match-up game. My understanding was, how can we make best use of Miraz as an allrounder. He sometimes doesn’t have the power to hit sixes from No. 8. But he has a good temperament, he can build partnerships, he is busy, he can rotate strike, he can soak in the pressure. If we can make use of that, wouldn’t that give us more firepower at the back end?”We know how [Towhid] Hridoy can bat in T20s and the way Mahmudullah got the experience. It was mainly the conversation to lengthen the batting and give us a little more firepower at the back end. Miraz is a touch player. He has qualities as a batter. I think the main thing was, can we maximise his potential? That was the thinking, as far as I am concerned.”Among those who got displaced was Shanto, Bangladesh’s most in-form batter coming into the World Cup. He ended the tournament with just two half-centuries in nine innings and reached double-figures just three times.”Shanto is someone who wants to get better every day as a batter, person and team-man,” Sriram said. “He wants his team to win. I think he was unlucky couple of times. Getting run out for 45 in the last game would have hurt him. He could have got a hundred against Sri Lanka. So little things like that would hurt him a lot more. Getting out early is part of the game. He got out caught down the leg side twice. There were a few unlucky dismissals in between. His biggest learning would be to get a big score whenever he gets a start.Litton Das averaged only 31 at the World Cup•Associated Press”There is not even a question [that he won’t bounce back]. You have seen his form in the last two games. His 90 against Sri Lanka was an amazing innings. Even the 45 against Australia showed the ability to carry on the run rate, which was excellent. His run out was unnecessary and unfortunate.”Another batter who didn’t live up to his potential was Litton Das. Often described as the most elegant batter in the team, Litton got out to soft dismissals often in the tournament, and the BCB is reportedly worried about his lack of focus.”He [Litton] is frustrated with himself more than anyone else,” Sriram said. “He knows his potential. He plays world-class shots but to not be able to do it for longer period of time, frustrates him a little bit. He is also frustrated by the ways he gets out.”Our last conversation was that he said, ‘Coach, I know what you are thinking. Don’t even talk about it. I will figure this out and come back strongly’. Some players go through this. They take longer to unlock their potential. I think it is good that he is thinking that he has the potential but he is letting himself and the team down.”Going forward, Sriram said Bangladesh needed to work out a way of scoring 300-plus consistently in ODIs. “I don’t think they have much other choice,” he said. “That’s the minimum score you need to start winning games. You have to find ways to get 300-350 runs. Once you know you can get 85-100 runs in the last ten overs on a consistent basis, it will make batting in the first 40 overs a little bit easier.”There are a lot of ways to do it. One way is to keep wickets in hand and bat deep. Another way is to keep going hard right through. Bangladesh should figure out what works for them, and give people the right roles. I think getting hundreds from the top four is non-negotiable.”

The Rajasthan Royals opener has put a premium on boundaries in his three centuries this IPL, but there’s more to his box-office knocks

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Apr-20223:43

Did Delhi Capitals get their plans all wrong against Buttler?

It is scary to think what Jos Buttler can do this IPL. Only because of what he has already done this season (which is just on the verge of reaching the halfway stage). Most runs, most hundreds, highest individual score, most fours, most sixes… Many feats, one name: Jos Buttler.At the moment, Buttler is scoring centuries wilfully and making batting look ridiculously easy. He already has three centuries in seven matches this season. The record for most centuries in IPL history is held by Chris Gayle, who had six in 141 innings. The next best haul belongs to Virat Kohli, who has five in 206 innings. Buttler, who is joint-third on the list, has four centuries in just 71 IPL innings. David Warner and Shane Watson, who also have four tons each, got there in 155 and 141 innings, respectively. Don’t bother betting on Buttler leaving Gayle in the wake as you won’t win much.Related

• No-ball incident: Pant fined 100% of match fee; Amre handed one-match ban

• No-ball fracas: Frustrated Pant says 'third umpire should have interfered'

• Another Buttler century, Prasidh three-for clinch run-fest against Capitals

Interestingly, though, Buttler is using the same modus operandi that Gayle deployed to leave the opposition think tanks numb and their bowlers dumbfounded. Of his 491 runs this IPL, Buttler has got 356 just in boundaries. And that is the ethos of Buttler’s T20 batting: hack runs relentlessly in fours and sixes without bothering about breaking a sweat running twos and threes. Preserve, and not waste energy has been Buttler’s success mantra, which has helped the Rajasthan Royals opener smack some of the biggest boundaries even in the death overs.His match-winning 65-ball 116 against Delhi Capitals on Friday was no different. Having put Royals to bat, Capitals captain Rishabh Pant said his bowlers would get good purchase bowling first on the green-tinged Wankhede pitch. He felt if Capitals could restrict Royals to 150-160, that would put his side in the driver’s seat.ESPNcricinfo LtdAfter five overs, Royals were 29 for 0, so timely accelaration was going to be key to Royals’ chances of putting up a formidable total. And Buttler seemed the perfect fit for the job. After all, a slow start has become his default approach to setting up his base. Or so has been a consistent feature across all the three centuries he has hit this season. Against Mumbai Indians, his hundred saw him crawl to 12 off the first 15 deliveries. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he made 103, scoring his first 17 runs in 15 balls. On Friday, while he got two boundaries in the first over of Royals’ innings, neither was in control. After 14 balls, Buttler was on just 11.In all three centuries this season, Buttler’s dot-ball percentage was one of the highest. In fact, against Mumbai he had 28 dots in 68 balls. That is 41.20% – the highest in a century in the IPL. Against Knight Riders, it was 34.40% (24/65) and against Capitals it was 36.90% (21/61). In comparison, the dot-ball percentage in Kohli’s five centuries ranged between 17% and 30%. Gayle, though, had similar numbers to that of Buttler with an average of 34%. The median dot-ball percentage for Buttler stands at 35.70% while Gayle’s was 34.20% and Kohli’s 20.70%.Against Mumbai, Buttler had ransacked 26 runs in a single over off Basil Thampi in the powerplay which was one of the turning points in the game. On Friday, in the final over of the powerplay, bowled by Khaleel Ahmed, Buttler stepped deep into the crease and unleashed a powerful hoick over deep midwicket for a six. Next one the ball flew over mid-off and was racing to the boundary except it ended being a double after David Warner plunged forward to stop the ball crossing the rope. Next ball, though, Buttler once again picked another length ball and sent it over deep midwicket. With a grimace, Pant, shaking his head, looked at Khaleel.Pant wouldn’t let go of that cringed look on his face during Buttler’s stay, which went as deep as the 19th over. No Capitals bowler was able to put an iota of doubt into Buttler’s mind, not even Kuldeep Yadav, who was the second-highest wicket-taker before the match. Kuldeep also had a favourable match-up against Buttler: in all T20s he had given away just 36 runs off 25 deliveries while getting the Royals batter twice. On Friday, Buttler hit the left-arm wristspinner for 31 runs off 12 balls, including two fours and three sixes, when coming into this game, Kuldeep had been hit for just four fours across six T20 innings by Buttler.And it wasn’t Kuldeep alone who bore the brunt of Buttler’s blitzkrieg. As late as the 19th over, Mustafizur Rahman attempted a yorker which turned into a low full toss, and Buttler swept it by dissecting the deep-square leg and the long leg region. Next ball, with the delivery angled wide outside off stump, Buttler moved deep into the crease, used a top-handle grip and wedged the ball over long-off while treating it like a golf club.The mechanics of Buttler’s batting is pretty simple: once he has got his eye in, he uses the crease smartly, uses the angles wisely and puts to use those powerful, rubbery wrists to send the ball wherever he wants. In the power-hitting hall of fame, Buttler occupies a singular place: the throne.As far as IPL 2022 is concerned, it is just about mid-season and Buttler is nine short of 500 runs. Can he score 1000 runs this season – a feat never achieved in any edition before? Can he overtake Gayle on the list of most IPL hundreds, soon?It is scary to think what Buttler can do.

Set pieces in the Premier League are back in fashion, with teams looking to exploit corners, free kicks and long throw ins once again after a period of tiki-taka football inspired by Pep Guardiola.

Now, plenty of the 20 top-flight clubs have set-piece coaches, with title contenders Arsenal arguably the best in the world at dead-ball situations, led by Nicolas Jover.

If used correctly, teams can cause havoc from corners, throw-ins and free kicks, leaving no stone unturned. Here you can find a live ranking of every Premier League club in the 2025/2026 season, with every goal scored from set-pieces updated weekly.

20

Man City

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 0

Surprisingly, Man City are rock bottom of the set-piece goal table and are yet to register from a corner, free-kick or throw in.

Pep Guardiola’s side were awarded their first penalty of the season against Liverpool, however, Erling Haaland failed to convert. That hasn’t stopped the striker leading the way in the goalscoring charts, though.

19

Wolves

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 2

Rock bottom of the league table, Wolves don’t fare much better in the set-piece table, registering two goals from dead-ball situations.

Vitor Pereira lost his job after 10 games without a win, with those at Molineux facing a huge task to remain in the Premier League in 2026.

18

Liverpool

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 2

Defending champions Liverpool haven’t been at their best so far this season, and are also struggling at set-pieces, netting just twice from dead-ball situations.

Excluding penalties, the Reds only scored five times from corners, free-kicks and throw-ins last season, showing a side of the game Arne Slot’s side could do with improving.

17

Fulham

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 2

Now an established Premier League team, Fulham, under Marco Silva, have the likes of Rodrigo Muniz and Raul Jimenez in attack looking to get on the end of any set piece.

The Cottagers have also benefited more from own goals than any other side in the top flight so far with three.

16

Aston Villa

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 2

Aston Villa netted 14 times from set pieces in 2024/25, however, Unai Emery’s side have only registered two goals from dead-ball scenarios so far this season.

On the up after a poor start, Villa will be looking to increase their set-piece tally while also balancing Europa League football at Villa Park.

15

Nottingham Forest

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 3

Nottingham Forest, who netted 12 times from corners, free-kicks and throw-ins in 2024/25 under Nuno Espirito Santo, are on three set-piece goals.

After sacking Nuno and his replacement Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche is the man in charge at the City Ground, so Forest’s set-piece record could quickly improve.

14

Burnley

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 3

Burnley have so far scored six Premier League goals, three of which have come from dead-ball situations.

The Clarets under Scott Parker, could rely heavily on set pieces if they are to avoid the drop back to the Championship.

13

West Ham

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 4

Struggling at the bottom of both tables are West Ham. The Hammers were among first to make a managerial change, with Nuno replacing Graham Potter at the London Stadium.

He’s improved on the Irons’ poor record from set pieces with four goals, which has helped them record some crucial wins.

12

Everton

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 4

Everton, under David Moyes, appear to be settling in to their new Hill Dickinson Stadium and will be looking to avoid another relegation battle.

Iliman Ndiaye scored the first penalty at Everton’s new stadium in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, and the Toffees have scored three more from corners, free-kicks or throw-ins.

11

Newcastle

Set-Piece Goals Scored – 4

With Champions League football back on offer at St James’ Park, Newcastle have struggled by their recent standards in the Premier League.

The Magpies have managed to score three goals from corners, free-kicks and throw-ins, with the other among from the spot, so they are on track to surpass their 24/25 tally of nine excluding penalties.

Heat’s finals hopes in danger while Thunder win back-to-back games after beginning with three losses

AAP21-Nov-2025Sydney Thunder’s huge total of 200 for 6 has secured their second consecutive win in the WBBL and put the winless Brisbane Heat’s finals hopes in grave danger.Thunder opener Tahlia Wilson secured her second consecutive player-of-the-match award to inspire a 41-run. Wilson’s 79 off just 51 deliveries was the foundation for the 200-run total after being asked to bat by the hosts at Allan Border Field on Friday.The Heat were never in the hunt, despite a swashbuckling innings by South Africa international Nadine de Klerk (43 off 27 deliveries), and were bowled out for 159 in 19.1 overs.Wilson’s knock was just four runs short of her best-ever total of 83 and followed on from her unbeaten 55 against Perth Scorchers two days earlier.The 26-year-old drove the ball straight down the ground and through the off-side with precision and played an array of flicks through the leg-side, striking eight boundaries and clearing the rope twice.Wilson said opening the innings suited the way she wanted to play after taking her game to a new level.”I think being back at the top of the order has been a good thing for me,” Wilson told AAP. “I can go out there early, time the ball and get full value. I have expanded my game this year and I’m glad it is paying off.”In pre-season, I worked on trying to hit down the ground a lot more. A lot of girls know I do like to hit it square, but adding that gives me that option to go straight down the ground, particularly in the power play.”The Heat were without key batters Grace Harris (calf) and India’s World Cup star Jemimah Rodrigues, who had to return to India for a personal commitment.After 10 overs, the Thunder were 99 for 1, with the only joy for the Heat coming when their captain Jess Jonassen trapped her former Heat teammate Georgia Voll (21) in front attempting a reverse sweep.Thunder captain Phoebe Litchfield played an assortment of ramps and lofted off drives in her entertaining 31 off 19 balls, which included six boundaries.It was an attempted ramp that brought Litchfield’s downfall with Nicola Hancock rattling the stumps.Former Heat master blaster Laura Harris had no joy against her old team, holing out for her second golden duck in a row.The Heat’s WBBL campaign is on the rocks with no wins in four matches. Last year’s finalists will need to win five of their remaining six games to have a chance of figuring in this year’s finals series. The Thunder have found form with back-to-back wins after starting the season with three losses.

Taijul Islam equalled Shakib Al Hasan’s record for the most Test wickets for Bangladesh on a day when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake caused severe tremors in parts of Bangladesh. Play was stopped for three minutes as the players gathered around the pitch, seeing their team-mates empty the dressing rooms.When play resumed shortly afterwards, Taijul reached 246 wickets during his four-wicket haul in Ireland’s first innings, in which they were bowled out for 265 runs. The hosts did not enforce the follow-on and reached 156 for 1 at stumps, leading Ireland by a mammoth 367 runs. Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque were unbeaten on 69 and 19, respectively.Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Shadman added 119 runs for the opening wicket in Bangladesh’s second innings. This was only the second time that the Bangladesh openers had added two century stands in a Test series, the last coming in England in 2010.Related

• Mushfiqur: 'I want to give back for as long as I'm playing for Bangladesh'

• Earthquake stops Bangladesh vs Ireland Test for three minutes on third morning

Legspinner Gavin Hoey broke the partnership when he trapped Mahmudul lbw for 60. He struck six boundaries in his 91-ball knock, although Mahmudul did survive a couple of chances.When the third day began, Ireland were trying to recover from their overnight precarious position of 98 for 5, with Bangladesh having amassed 476 in the first innings. Lorcan Tucker top-scored for the visitors with an unbeaten 75, as he put on two sizable partnerships – 81 runs for the sixth wicket with debutant Stephen Doheny and 74 for the eighth wicket with Jordan Neill.Both batters looked comfortable in the first hour-and-a-half of the morning session, racking up consistent boundaries. Taijul broke the partnership with a beauty when he removed Doheny for 46 with a classic left-arm spinner’s delivery that beat the right-hander on the front foot. Just one ball later, Taijul cleaned up Andy McBrine with a delivery that spun into the left-hander’s offstump, from over the wicket.Despite the two blows, Tucker and Neill dug in. Neill, playing his second Test, struck nine fours in his 49. He, however, fell trying too many things against Ebadat Hossain, getting caught in the covers. The Irish tail caved quickly when Khaled Ahmed had Hoey caught behind for four, before Taijul had Matthew Humphreys caught at point, trying a reverse sweep.

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De virada, o Palmeiras venceu o Independiente del Valle por 3 a 2, pela terceira rodada da Libertadores. Kendry Páez e Hoyos abriram o placar para a equipe equatoriana, Endrick e Lázaro conduziram o empate do Verdão, e Luís Guilherme, nos acréscimos, decretou a virada da equipe de Abel Ferreira.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoTorcedores do Palmeiras detonam opção de Abel por medalhão: ‘Precisa ir para o banco’Fora de Campo24/04/2024PalmeirasAdministradora do estádio do Palmeiras se posiciona contra torcedor que cuspiu em TitePalmeiras24/04/2024PalmeirasKendry Páez ou Endrick? Palmeiras x Del Valle reserva duelo de joias pela LibertadoresPalmeiras24/04/2024

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Com o resultado, o Palmeiras chega ao sete pontos e lidera do Grupo F da Libertadores. A próxima partida do Verdão será o clássico Choque-Rei contra o São Paulo, na segunda-feira (29), pelo Brasileirão.

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INDEPENDIENTE DEL VALLE 2 X 3 PALMEIRAS
3ª RODADA – FASE DE GRUPOS DA LIBERTADORES
🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 24 de abril de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Estádio Banco Guayaquil, em Quito(EQU)

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GOLS: Kendry Páez e Hoyos / Endrick, Lázaro e Luís Guilherme

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INDEPENDIENTE DEL VALLE (Técnico:Jorge Célico)
Moisés Ramírez; Landázuri, Carabajal, Richard Schunke e Roman Bucaran; Julio Ortiz, Kendry Páez e Cristian Zabala; Ibarra, Sornoza e Michael Hoyos.

PALMEIRAS (Técnico: Abel Ferreira)
Weverton, Marcos Rocha, Gustavo Gómez, Luan e Piquerez; Aníbal Moreno, Richard Ríos e Raphael Veiga; Mayke, Endrick e Rony.

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Leeds United’s stance on recalling Joe Gelhardt from Hull City in January has now been revealed.

Gelhardt starring at Hull on loan from Leeds

The Whites have been struggling in front of goal in the Premier League this season, with only bottom of the table Wolves scoring fewer than Daniel Farke’s side.

The 49ers Enterprises arguably failed to bolster the final third as well as they should’ve, with free transfers Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin joined by Noah Okafor as Leeds’ only attacking additions.

They did decide to loan out Gelhardt to Hull once again, and the 23-year-old has been in fine form for the Tigers in the second tier.

In 15 Championship games, Gelhardt has already scored seven goals and provided two assists, coming in for praise from manager Sergej Jakirovic.

“When I watched him in last season’s games, I begged Mr Chairman (Acun Ilicali) to bring him back here.

“He likes playing here and he wanted to come back here. He has a completely different profile to the players we have. He has the quality to play in a number of positions and is able to pass, shoot and has speed, which is special.

“He’s 23 years old and maybe he can reach the Premier League. But, right now, he’s made the difference.”

As a result of Gelhardt’s form, there has been speculation over a potential recall in the New Year to help Leeds in their Premier League survival push.

The forward played his part in the 2021/22 season as a teenager to help the Whites remain in the top flight, scoring a memorable winner against Norwich City and providing a late equaliser for Pascal Struijk against Brighton in the penultimate league fixture.

Hull want Harry Gray

However, according to TEAMtalk, ‘Leeds have no plans to bring Gelhardt back to Elland Road’ in the New Year.

The Whites are happy for the forward to remain with Hull until the end of the season and Gelhardt’s form could help the 49ers sell him for £4m, which would result in a 300% profit following his move from Wigan in 2020.

As well as keeping hold of Gelhardt, Hull also have their eyes on a potential loan move for Harry Gray after the Leeds teenager penned his first professional contract in Yorkshire.

Gray, 17, is yet to feature under Farke in 25/26 after being handed his debut on the same day Leeds won promotion to the Premier League. He’s also being eyed by Charlton Athletic, Derby County and Swansea City.

Leeds are considering allowing Gray to leave for the second half of the season so he can get regular senior game time, but when it comes to Gelhardt, don’t expect to see him in a Leeds shirt in the New Year.

Academy star who's never played a senior minute for Leeds could replace Bijol

The Detroit Tigers were baseball's best feel-good story this past season, largely in part due to their All-Star left-handed ace and likely Cy Young award winner, Tarik Skubal.

Detroit relied on Skubal throughout their improbable run to the postseason and during their playoff run, which was halted by the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS. When Skubal wasn't pitching, the Tigers piecemealed nine innings together with a number of bullpen pitchers and fringe starters.

Skubal, 27, is one of baseball's best pitchers and the Tigers' franchise player. While he's under team control for two more seasons, Detroit already has sights on an extension for their lefty ace. According to a report from Evan Petzold of the , the Tigers have already tried to extend Skubal's contract in a non-competitive fashion.

He's expected to earn a long-term, lucrative contract, whether it's from the Tigers or another team once he's able to hit the open market as a free agent after the 2026 season.

Detroit has work to do this offseason to improve their roster and sustain a deeper playoff run in the near future. The Tigers need a right-handed bat and another strong starter this offseason. MLB national writer Mark Feinsand mentioned he expects Detroit to be pretty aggressive this offseason and target a number of top free agents including Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso and available starting pitchers.

But locking down Skubal for the future should still be priority one.

India Under-19s were on top after day one of their unofficial Test match against England Under-19s at Beckenham, reaching 450 for 7 at stumps.The day was dominated by two huge partnerships: Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra put on 173 for the second wicket, with Mhatre cashing in after being dropped twice to make 102 and Malhotra hitting 67.Abhigyan Kundu then hit 90 and Rahul Kumar 85 in an even bigger stand of 179 for the fifth.Alex Green, Archie Vaughan and Jack Home all took two wickets apiece, but England were left to rue four dropped catches.India won the toss and chose to bat, but there was a major disappointment for the crowd when the 14-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi was out for just 14. He’d effortlessly glided the first delivery of the morning for four, lifting James Minto over the slip cordon, but then flashed at Green and was caught by Ralphie Albert at deep third.Malhotra eased to 50 soon afterwards when he took two from Vaughan and Mhatre reached his hundred in style by striding down the wicket to the same bowler and hitting him for four over long off.Vaughan then had Mhatre brilliantly caught on the boundary by Singh, who nearly collided with Albert and held on one-handed as he hit the ground.Malhotra went seven balls later, when Green conjured a late away swinger that was caught behind. Vaughan then got Maulyarajsinh Chavda for 11, edging to Flintoff at first slip.If three quick wickets seemed to have put England back in the game, Kundu and Kumar reasserted India’s dominance. Kumar raced to 50 off just 43 balls and it was 289 for four at tea.Kundu brought up his half-century when he drove Albert for four but Home got both set batters out in the 67th over. Kundu cut him to Vaughan at point when he was 10 shy of three figures and Kumar then edged him to the wicket-keeper Tom Rew.This drastically slowed the run rate and Albert then had Mohamed Enaan lbw for 23. Home should have had a third wicket when Henil Patel, edged him to second slip, but Flintoff couldn’t hold a slip-high catch. In the next over Green was thwarted when Denly put down RS Ambrish at first and eight overs were left unbowled when the 6.30 pm cut off was reached, adding to the authentic Test-match feel.Mhatre was luckier. He was dropped by Rocky Flintoff when he was on six, after he got a thick edge to Minto and he reached 50 with an edged four through the vacant third slip area, again off Minto.He was dropped again, this time when he was on 66, by Jaydn Denly, who was at first slip when Mhatre edged Denly’s Kent team mate Ekansh Singh.

Foxes canter to target after below-par batting efforts from visitors Worcestershire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Jun-2025Leicestershire Foxes bounced back from defeats to Yorkshire and Derbyshire on the road with a comfortable home victory over Worcestershire Rapids to keep themselves among the North Group contenders at the halfway point of the Vitality Blast campaign.Chasing a modest target of 151, the home side were victorious by six wickets with 17 balls to spare. Sol Budinger made 30 with three of his team-mates contributing 26, captain Louis Kimber’s coming off just 12 balls and including the winning runs.Allrounder Ben Mike, making a belated start to his Blast campaign after suffering an injury in April, was impressive in taking 3 for 14, with left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis picking up 2 for 25 after Gareth Roderick had top-scored with a career-best 49 off 29 balls in a below-par effort by Worcestershire, who have two wins and four defeats so far.Rapids’ disappointing show with the bat followed a curious opening powerplay that included a wicket-maiden from Mike but nonetheless rewarded the visitors – missing captain Brett D’Oliveira with a foot injury – with a score of 54 for 2 after opting to bat first on a green-tinged pitch.Jake Libby was caught at midwicket off Mike after Ed Pollock, having struck Matt Salisbury for two towering leg-side sixes, had ran himself out, stranded by such a distance as Libby wisely chose not to chance a single to backward point that there was time for the ball to reach the bowler via the wicketkeeper and still beat his dive, but Roderick found some momentum.Having supplemented an early scooped six off Logan van Beek with seven fours, he was one short of a first fifty of the season when leg before in the 10th to Trevaskis, ending a 53-run stand with Adam Hose.Roderick thus looked to have given the Rapids innings a decent platform, yet they spiralled from 87 for 2 to 118 for 7.Hose miscued Trevaskis to extra cover, Mike dropped Matthew Waite at deep backward square on 1 but then dismissed Ethan Brookes and Ben Dwarshuis with consecutive balls, the former brilliantly caught by Rishi Patel on the fine leg boundary, the latter straightforwardly at mid-off, before Tom Hinley was bowled by Rehan Ahmed. Tom Taylor’s unbeaten 20 dragged the total to 150.Australian left-arm quick Dwarshuis was lifted effortlessly over the leg-side boundary by Patel and powerfully over long-on by Budinger but had the latter caught behind off a slower ball as Leicestershire emerged from the opening six at 50 for 1, substitute wicketkeeper Henry Cullen wearing the gloves after Roderick suffered an injury batting.Patel, Shan Masood and Rehan found fielders, at long-off, mid-on and deep extra cover, respectively, after matching Budinger in making starts but failing to go on, yet the Foxes were always comfortably ahead of the game, with just 26 needed from 29 balls after Rehan’s demise.Kimber and Ben Cox required only 12 of them to get the job done, the captain hitting the winning boundary.