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Rangers are now reportedly in ongoing talks to sign David Watson from Kilmarnock as early as the January transfer window, as they look to fend off competition from Scotland and the Championship.

The Gers are slowly but surely turning things around on the pitch, with new manager Danny Rohl aiming to make it four wins from four in the Scottish Premiership this weekend. And that progress must be matched off the pitch when the January transfer window arrives. It’s repeat or redemption for sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who has come under fire for his decisions in his first few months at Ibrox.

The former Everton man recently spoke about the club’s January plans, sharing that Rangers have given Rohl the chance to evaluate the players already at his disposal ahead of the winter window.

A number of names have already emerged as potential targets for the Gers ahead of 2026, too. According to recent reports, the Scottish giants have set their sights on signing Shea Charles from Southampton.

The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder starred previously starred on loan under Rohl and could now reunite with the manager at Rangers. But he’s not the only name on their list of targets. Reports have also name-dropped Watson in recent weeks and it now looks as though Rangers’ move is advancing.

Rangers now in talks to sign Watson

As reported by TeamTalk, Rangers are now in ongoing talks to sign Watson from Kilmarnock in the January transfer window. The 20-year-old is out of contract next summer, but the Gers could fend off competition from the Championship and Scotland by securing his signature for a cut-price this winter.

Rohl is also reportedly a big fan of the young midfielder and believes that his energy, tenacity and technical ability would improve his current Rangers side when 2026 arrives.

One of the SPFL's 'most influential players' now can't get a game at Rangers

Rangers have a star who was one of the most influential players in the league last season, now he can’t get a game.

ByDan Emery Nov 19, 2025

The praise that Watson has received during his time at Kilmarnock only backs up the verdict that he’s one of the best young talents that Scottish football has to offer. His teammate, Robbie Deas, told reporters: “Davey’s fantastic, honestly. He’s one of the hardest workers you’ll ever meet. He’s absolutely fantastic. You see that today, and he’s putting those tackles in later on.

“Davey’s got all the ability to go to the top, and I’ve no doubt he does, but I’m glad he’s here and he’s playing for us week in, week out, because I would hate to play against him.”

Much of Rangers’ focus was on Championship talent in the summer, but in Watson they would have someone who knows exactly what it takes to thrive in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers can avoid Gilmour repeat by playing teen who's a "heck of a player"

Home skipper remains unbeaten on 171 after day one run-fest at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Sep-2025Middlesex 394 for 5 (du Plooy 171*, Cracknell 64*, Geddes 60) vs GloucestershireMiddlesex skipper Leus du Plooy’s 24th first-class hundred gave the hosts the upper hand on the first day of the their final County Championship Division Two clash of the season with Gloucestershire at Lord’s.The South African-born left-hander passed the landmark of the third time this season, remaining unbeaten with 171 in an innings sprinkled with 15 fours as Middlesex piled up 394 for 5.Du Plooy shared stands of 127 with Luke Hollman (55), 121 with Ben Geddes (60), and an unbroken 112 with wicketkeeper Joe Cracknell, who had 63 by the close.Ajeet Singh Dale kept the visitors in the contest with 4 for 88, including wickets with successive balls in the afternoon session, while Graeme Van Buuren bowled a frugal spell of spin to return 1 for 35 from 18 overs.Despite the 10:30am start, du Plooy chose to bat on winning the final toss of the campaign and the hosts made a quick start thanks to some wayward offerings from Gloucestershire’s new-ball attack.It was a similarly innocuous delivery from Singh Dale which brought the breakthrough, a leg-stump half-volley which Sam Robson sent straight to square leg. If that was fortuitous, Singh Dale produced a useful fourth stump ball in his next over that Josh De Caires nicked through to wicketkeeper James Bracey.It would be the last success for some time as the bowlers erred in line and length again and du Plooy and Hollman feasted accordingly. Three Hollman fours in one Matt Taylor over raised the 50, while du Plooy was quickly into stride, driving confidently in the mid-off/extra-cover arc. A back foot drive through cover from the skipper was the shot of the morning and he moved to his half-century from 56 balls shortly before lunch.The hundred partnership came up in the first over following the resumption and while Singh-Dale was finding hints of both swing and seam from the Nursery End, the pair carried the score to 161 relatively untroubled. It took a piece of brilliance from Bracey – who claimed a Gloucestershire record 11 victims against Middlesex in the corresponding fixture last season – to break the stand, grabbing a ball that was dying off the inside edge of Hollman’s bat, giving Singh-Dale a third wicket.Higgins followed to his next ball, harshly adjudged lbw to one heading over the top, but Geddes joined his skipper in the middle as and the hosts quickly regained the upper hand.Geddes, impressive in his first season in Middlesex colours, employed the pull shot to great effect, sending one short one from Singh Dale into the Grandstand, before a square drive took du Plooy to a chanceless century.Van Buuren put the breaks on either side of tea and was rewarded with the breakthrough when Geddes was pinned in front. Du Plooy however, had set his heart on a daddy hundred and while the boundaries briefly dried up he glided his way past 150.Cracknell proved a valuable ally, clearing the ropes with a thunderous pull shot and unfurling some pleasing cover drives in becoming the fourth home batter to pass 50 in the late autumn sunshine.Before the start of play there was a poignant minute’s silence in memory of beloved umpire Harold ‘Dickie Bird,’ who passed away on Monday aged 92.

Pakistan allrounder Hussain Talat launched a passionate defence of his utility to his side with the bat, saying there were “only four or five” players who could play T20 cricket in the middle order. Speaking after guiding his side to victory against Sri Lanka in a game where defeat would have put them on the brink of elimination, he called T20I middle order batting “the hardest of skills”.”We keep saying that if we need a middle order player they need to know how to be both aggressive and have the ability to anchor,” Talat said at the press conference after the game. “But the chances of failure with that kind of cricket are high. Unfortunately, if you don’t perform a few games or series, the media and fans immediately go after you and you’re out of the team suddenly.”I think the middle order is the hardest place to play in T20 cricket because you’re required to play all kinds of cricket. And because it’s difficult, I think you should have more chances in that position. And players who can play in the middle order are very rare in Pakistan, perhaps four or five. And even they don’t want to play there.”Perhaps, given the difficult couple of days he – and the rest of the Pakistan middle order have had, that is understandable. On Sunday, Pakistan’s descent from superiority in their clash against India can be traced almost to the moment Talat walked out to the crease in the 11th over. Until then, Pakistan had sped along at nine an over, but when Saim Ayub was dismissed and Talat was surprisingly sent in to bat, all that changed.Talat, who hadn’t played any games in the UAE in the month Pakistan have been here until that day, looked rusty. He scratched around for 11 balls and scored just 10 as India snatched momentum away from Pakistan. Just 38 came in the seven overs that began when Talat walked out to the crease, the lowest for that period of the game all tournament. India would ultimately cruise to victory, with much of Pakistan’s ire directed at Talat and his fellow middle-order batters. It was, Talat said, why he stays away from social media, but admitted it still affected him.Related

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On Tuesday, it was a different story. With a match situation more conducive to his abilities, he found his side floundering rather than flourishing, and anchored the chase to ensure they did not let victory slip from their grasp.”We’d lost so no one was feeling good,: Talat said. “The people wanted us to win, and we did what we could against India, too. But there was no extra pressure before today’s game. There was plenty of criticism which we were trying to avoid and which isn’t good for the team. But it was crucial to win today.”In pursuit of 134, that victory looked almost assured when the opened darted to the perfect start, Pakistan helping themselves to 43 in the first five overs. But a two-wicket sixth over from Maheesh Theekshana triggered a collapse where Pakistan lost four wickets for 13 runs, and Sri Lanka were ascendant.”The pitch was a bit sticky, but improved in the second innings,” Talat said. “We lost a few wickets quickly and that put us under a lot of pressure. And then we were running out of batting pairs which required us to take the game deep.”Sri Lanka tightened the screws further when Dushmantha Chameera cleaned up Mohammad Haris as he slogged wildly, reducing Pakistan to 80 for 5, still 54 runs adrift. With the asking rate under control – at exactly six an over, Talat decided to do something not many in the Pakistan camp talk about much these days – batting circumspectly.”In the group, when we talk about batting, it’s always about playing aggressive. But when I went in, a couple of wickets fell. My gut feeling was the only way to win after that was to take the game deep. When Nawaz hit Hasaranga for two fours, he said he’d go for his shots and for me to anchor. And that worked nicely for both of us.”Pakistan saw off the dangerous Theekshana aware that Wanindu Hasaranga, too, would eventually have to bowl out. But when the allrounder came in for his final two over, he went searching desperately, and that opened up scoring options. Nawaz hit him for two fours in his third when he dropped the ball short, and with the target rushing up to meet them, Talat helped himself to two more in Hasaranga’s last to drive the final nail into Sri Lanka’s coffin. In the end, the runs came in a hurry, with Mohammad Nawaz walloping Chameera for three sixes in five balls as Pakistan cantered to the finish in the 18th over.A win can make all the difference, particularly for Talat who has spent far longer out of the side looking in than most in this group. His recent inclusion into the side has only come after more than four years out in the international wilderness, where he feels people haven’t quite appreciated how hard he’s needed to work to scrap his way back in.”We’re hopeful. We’ve been playing T20 cricket for four months or so now, since Bangladesh came to Pakistan in May. Players are being backed in this group; in the past, players used to play a couple of matches and then be omitted. Now they’re getting an extended run like we see elsewhere in international cricket.”We’re two games away from the trophy, and we believe we can win it.”

NZC turned around a projected deficit of $ 6.8 million.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2025Former wicketkeeper-batter Mark Greatbatch has been elected as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) president, the board said in a release on Wednesday. A press release from the board also announced a profit of NZ$ 2.2 million for this financial year, turning around a projected deficit of NZ$ 6.8 million.Greatbatch, who played 41 Tests and 84 ODIs for New Zealand from 1988 to 1996, has also served as head coach and selector for the national men’s team. He replaced Lesley Murdoch, who completed her three-year term.”I want to convey my enormous gratitude to Lesley for her professionalism as the NZC President over the past three years, and for her great support for the game as well as the organisation,” NZC chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon said.”I also want to welcome and congratulate Mark as our new President and wish him well in the role. We are fortunate in New Zealand cricket to have such strong figures wanting to contribute and give back to the game.”NZC had returned a surplus of NZ$ 8 million in 2024. Wednesday’s press release said NZC’s “reserves [were] at a record $37m, supported by strong broadcasting agreements, high-value playing programmes, and a solid commercial base.””NZC’s financial position is a strong one,” Puketapu-Lyndon said. “A small net surplus represents a significant outperformance against budget, reflecting prudent management and disciplined oversight – through what was a challenging operating environment.”Cricket here has never been a one-size-fits-all affair and NZC places great value in the ability of our Major and District Associations, and clubs to understand what works best in their regions and catchments.”We’re committed to working closely with them to ensure they’re well equipped to service the grassroots environment upon which our entire game is based.”

“I hope that it continues to inspire our country,” says South Africa’s victorious captain

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-20257:27

Bavuma: We’ve wiped all doubts with the way that we’ve played

The current world Test champion team is Temba Bavuma’s and he is owning it.For the first time in his career, possibly even in his life, Bavuma can be “recognised as more than just a black African cricketer,” as he put it in the post-match press conference. He can be seen – really seen, for the person, the leader and the cricketer that he is. All of it can be summed up in the word his batting coach used to describe him on the third evening, when Bavuma batted with a strained hamstring and deep sense of self-belief: tough.Bavuma comes from Langa, a township in Cape Town which is as far from St John’s Wood, economically and geographically, as it gets. He grew up playing street cricket on bits of road named after the famous places he and his team-mates had heard of but never actually thought they’d get to. “I never pictured myself playing here at Lord’s. I could only fantasise about it,” Bavuma said, as he recalled his childhood in the early 90s, a time when everything in South Africa was changing.Within a decade, he was being schooled at some of the country’s top institutions as part of the early waves of children of colour going to elite, formerly all-white schools, and by his late teens, he was in the domestic cricketing system. At 24, he made his Test debut in a team that was ranked No.1 and from that has carried a burden no other batter in the global game has ever had to bear. Bavuma has had to prove, over and over and over again, that black South Africans (because remember there was Richards and Sobers and Lloyd and Greenidge and Lara) can bat.Related

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His was an unusual position because there had been many black South African batters active in the Apartheid era including some from his own family, but their records were sidelined. Unification came in name only and it took six years before South Africa fielded its first black African cricketer – Mahkaya Ntini – and 22 before Bavuma was capped. Being the first carried the responsibility of being the representative. In Bavuma, South Africa saw the totality of their black African batting talent which magnified his every performance.When he succeeded, as he did with his first century in 2016, it was hailed as a turning point for black cricket. When he failed, it was the entire demographics’ failure. That is a hell of a big thing to carry around with you, often without sympathy from the outside world, who understand little of the nuances of South Africa’s racial realities. When Bavuma was put in charge of the white-ball sides in 2021, despite having only six ODI and eight T20I caps to his name, he was immediately called a quota captain and his poor form in South Africa’s horrendous 2022 T20 World Cup campaign, where they lost to Netherlands, didn’t help. But then things shifted.A new coach, Shukri Conrad, who understands the complexities of South African cricket because he has spent his whole career steeped in them was handed the Test reins. He chose Bavuma as his captain, putting him in control in the format he had performed best in. Bavuma’s opening act under Conrad was a career-best 172 against West Indies at his home ground, the Wanderers. That century was seven years in the making, Bavuma’s second in 57 Tests and the floodgates opened. He scored two more in the last summer and has led South Africa’s current WTC campaign.Because South Africa played (12) fewer Tests than almost anyone else in this cycle, Bavuma is barely spoken of when it comes to the cycle’s top performers but he should be. He was South Africa’s leading run-scorer before this Test (and has since been joined by David Bedingham) and averages 59.25 with two hundreds and five fifties. Those are numbers worth shouting about. They celebrate Bavuma the batter and the way he has led from the front but they don’t tell the story of what it took for him to do that.Temba Bavuma leads South Africa’s celebrations•ICC/Getty ImagesFor that, you had to have been at Lord’s, seen Bavuma pull up with a hamstring strain when he was on 6 and refuse to let it win. This was his third hamstring injury in two years: the first kept him out of the first Test of this cycle and he risked the second to play in the 2023 World Cup semi-final, where he was vilified for his actions. This time, even when the team management told him they did not think he should go back out after tea, he took control of his own destiny.”I didn’t want to think of another option. I didn’t want to consider myself not being there with Aiden (Markram). It was a key moment within the game,” Bavuma said. “I wasn’t at 100% fitness but I felt that I was good enough to still do the job. It was a tough decision. I can’t not think of the 2023 World Cup where it was a similar type of incident. But it was me backing my gut. I went against advice from management and I was willing to take whatever comes with it. It was very much an instinctive call, very much an egotistical call but I was happy to deal with whatever consequence that came with it.”As it turned out, the consequence was becoming the cricketing hero he has always wanted to be. Bavuma’s 66 in a stand of 147 set South Africa up for victory and himself for greatness. He can be spoken about as Bavuma, the cricketer, and the captain of the team that are now champions. He can be sung about, he can be appreciated and he can enjoy it.”It’s not easy being captain of South Africa but all the sacrifices, all the disappointment, feel worth it,” he said. “Giving up is always an option. It’s always there at the back of your mind, but something kind of holds you on. For me, it was that moment there to be recognised as more than just a black African cricketer, but to be seen as someone who’s done something that the country has wanted. That’s something that I’ll definitely walk around with my chest out. And I hope that it continues to inspire our country.”ESPNcricinfo LtdThat Bavuma can now put his name to such a massive achievement is what will come to define him, and it’s been a long time coming. Running parallel to Bavuma’s time at the helm of cricket has been Siya Kolisi’s as captain of the Springboks, South Africa’s national rugby team. Under Kolisi’s leadership, South Africa won two World Cups in the same time as South Africa’s cricket side failed in four.In another world, Bavuma and Kolisi would just be looked at as two people, at the top of their respective professions who happen to have been on opposite sides of the results coin. But because in the South African sporting world, which has a history of those professions being historically and legislatively white-dominated, that they are the first black African captains of their respective codes means comparisons are inevitable albeit unfair.While Kolisi is gregarious and front-facing, Bavuma is pensive and private. Expecting the pair to do the same thing for the country has always seemed a bridge too far but now Bavuma has stepped on it. He has a Kolisi equivalent and he can talk about his team and the Boks in the same breath.”The biggest thing I admire about them [Springboks] is with their success and how they’ve embraced what being South African actually means,” Bavuma said. “We’re unique in a lot of ways. Our present and future is shaped by our past. And the way that they’ve gone about it, to capture the hearts of everyone, has really made us love them. In cricket, that’s something that we’ve spoken about, to really do something special.”The Boks have built their brand on a campaign of doing it for South Africa and of providing hope and inspiration for a nation of dreamers, whose democracy was closely followed by hefty sporting success. In 1995, South Africa hosted and won the Rugby World Cup, with Nelson Mandela in attendance. Cricket nearly had its moment in 1999 and several near-misses in the 26 years since but now, cricket can have something similar. “For the country, it’s a chance for us to rejoice in something, to forget about our issues and really come together,” Bavuma said.In the end, that is what Bavuma has done for South African cricket for more than a decade. In that time, he pushed opinions about who can and can’t play, who can and can’t bat, who can and can’t captain, who can and can’t win apart. And over the last three-and-a-half days, he has pulled them all together for one emphatic statement.Not only can he, but he should and he will and he has. “And though it can be burdensome, it’s still somewhat of a privilege to carry those types of expectations as well as pressure,” he said. “They can’t take it (the success) away having someone who has finally gotten the team over line in a final.”They can’t and they won’t. This was Bavuma’s WTC and he can own it.

With Bangladesh missing Shakib, Taijul can be an example for the next gen to understand what it takes

Mohammad Isam28-Apr-2025Taijul Islam is that friend you can trust when no one else turns up. He will sit outside the doctor’s room for you; he will bowl your team to a great position when you are in trouble. Taijul has been that sort of friend for Bangladesh cricket. He has quietly taken 224 Test wickets, one among three to have ever done so for the country. Yet, he is far from being the sort of celebrity most cricketers enjoy in Bangladesh.When Zimbabwe were going comfortably on a first-day pitch that offered little to the bowlers, Taijul stepped up with another five-wicket haul. He partnered with offspinner Nayeem Hasan to tie up the visitors for the first 16 overs in the third session, before bagging the wickets. From 200 for 4, Zimbabwe collapsed to 227 for 9 at stumps. It put Bangladesh in the driving seat.Taijul showed them how to grit it out in tough situations. There was some help for the spinners in the latter part of the day, but Bangladesh took a bit of time to get themselves back in contention. Nick Welch retiring hurt shortly after tea was a lucky break. But thereafter, the slowdown of Zimbabwe was all down to Taijul and Nayeem.Related

• Taijul takes five as Zimbabwe collapse after bright start to second Test

Nayeem made circumstances easier for the Bangladesh bowlers when he removed captain Craig Ervine and Sean Williams in successive overs. Ervine struggled against offspin operating from both ends before being caught behind off Nayeem. Williams, the most accomplished of Zimbabwe’s batters on the day, struggled with cramps before sweeping hard to debutant backward square-leg where Tanzim Hasan Sakib took a sharp, leaping catch.Having taken Ben Curran’s wicket in his first over of the day, Taijul had to wait for his next. He removed Wessly Madhevere with a left-arm spinner’s stock delivery, that the batter edged to the wicketkeeper. Taijul then took two more with the new ball in the next over, both left-hand batters. Wellington Masakadza was trapped lbw before Richard Ngarava missed a straight one from over the wicket and was bowled.He ran out Vincent Masekesa shortly afterwards before clean bowling Welch, who had come back to bat after the fall of the eighth wicket.Nick Welch scored his second half-century in Test cricket before falling to Taijul Islam•AFP/Getty Images”[Welch retiring hurt] might have been the turning point,” Taijul said. “But you also have to remember we dried up their runs. We bowled maidens on the trot around that time. These things make a difference. Obviously, I am satisfied with my own performance particularly after Sylhet. When you have played 50 Tests and then bowl like I did in Sylhet, it is not great. The most important thing though was to help the team.”Nayeem and Mehidy Hasan Miraz tied down the left-handed pair of Ervine and Williams, which helped Taijul crack open the Zimbabwe lower order.”Bowling in partnerships is important. Sometimes you will see wickets falling on a flat wicket, sometimes it doesn’t on even good wickets,” Taijul said. “When you create pressure, there’s always chance of getting wickets. Of course, there’s a difference between the Sylhet wicket and this one but at the time they were playing very well. Our plan was to remain disciplined and check the runs. We have seen that even after a 100-150 runs partnership, two or three wickets fall [quickly].”

“I am satisfied with my own performance particularly after Sylhet. When you have played 50 Tests and then bowl like I did in Sylhet, it is not great”Taijul Islam makes an honest reflection

Taijul also credited Nayeem for getting Bangladesh two crucial wickets, especially after returning to the Test side following another considerable break. He last played against South Africa in October, and before that, just two Tests in 2023. This is Nayeem’s 12th Test match (all at home) in more than six years since his debut. “It is difficult for a player to come into the team after such gaps,” said Taijul. “Nayeem helped the team a lot today. He gave us two important breakthroughs.”Taijul is also steadily closing in on Shakib Al Hasan’s Bangladesh record of 246 Test wickets. He is also three behind Shakib’s 19 five-wicket hauls. Taijul, though, remains coy about reaching the mark, partly due to his nature of being understated throughout his career.”Every player dreams of becoming the best of the best. A player won’t get satisfaction until he reaches the top. I will try to reach that place, but Shakib has done so many things for Bangladesh. I am sure he will continue to do well, and we can all help Bangladesh cricket.”This is Taijul to a tee: a humble friend of Bangladesh cricket. A steady bowler, a reliable lower-order batter, and a dependable fielder. He doesn’t demand attention. He only wheels away from one end, giving the bowlers at the other end the support they need. With Bangladesh without Shakib now, Taijul can be a great example for the rest of the team to understand what it takes to make it at the highest level.

Sheffield United have completed a free deal for Patrick Bamford following his departure from Leeds United earlier this season, with the striker signing a short-term contract until January 2026.

The Blades are desperately attempting to turn their season around following a miserable start which saw Chris Wilder return to replace Ruben Selles just three months after he left the club.

Now as low as 22nd and far from the promotion hopes that they had in mind, those at Bramall Lane suddenly find themselves in an early, unexpected relegation scrap which they’ll be looking to turn on its head after the international break.

Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Queens Park Rangers at least stopped the rot and handed the Blades their first clean sheet in four games, but they must find a way to turn a draw into all three points in a crucial clash against rivals Sheffield Wednesday on 23 November.

Speaking to reporters after the QPR stalemate, Wilder admitted his frustration afrer what he felt was a performance worthy of three points.

Goals were once again the problem for Sheffield United, but the arrival of Bamford could help put an end to their unexpected woes in the Championship.

Sheffield United sign Bamford

As reported by The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Sheffield United opened talks to sign Bamford just this week, and things have moved quickly as the Blades announced an agreement on Thursday morning.

The former Leeds forward has been a free agent since leaving Elland Road in August, but now seemingly has the chance to make a return to the Championship on a prove-it deal lasting just a few months.

If Wilder is looking for goals then getting the best out of Bamford will give him exactly that. The 32-year-old has stolen headlines in the Premier League at his best and has as many as 69 Championship goals to his name throughout his career.

Previously dubbed “fantastic” by Leeds boss Daniel Farke, Bamford has the perfect opportunity to get the latter stages of his career back on track by joining Sheffield United. And he could even get the perfect chance to impress on his debut in the derby if he proves his fitness in time to face Sheffield Wednesday.

Wilder set to make ruthless January decision as three Sheffield Utd players get the axe

The widow of Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey batter who took his own life in 2024, believes that he would still be alive if he had received better support from the ECB after his dismissal as England batting coach.Speaking to the talkSPORT podcast Head Before Wicket, Amanda Thorpe said that had Graham not been suddenly cut off from the game following the 2021-22 Ashes, “it is really clear [to me] that he would still be alive”.”If he’d had just a little bit of the support framework there to lean on a bit to just transition a bit more, it would have made all the difference,” she said.Related

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• England to pay tribute to Graham Thorpe during Old Trafford Test

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Thorpe died in August 2024 after being struck by a train, an inquest was told, with his family confirming that he took his own life following a battle with depression and anxiety.Thorpe’s removal as England batting coach came in the wake of a 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia, on a tour severely affected by Covid restrictions. After the final Test in Hobart, police were called to the team hotel to investigate reports that Thorpe had lit a cigar indoors.Amanda Thorpe said her husband “was really teetering on the edge on that tour” and he was “absolutely gutted” by the incident. “He went round on the flight back and apologised personally to every person on that tour,” she said.The coroner’s report into Thorpe’s death concluded that there were “shortcomings” in the healthcare provided, but did not criticise the ECB’s decision to terminate his employment, noting it had “funded treatment, hospital stays and extended his health treatment insurance”.The ECB paid for ten online counselling sessions, but Amanda Thorpe described this as “woeful”.”As he went through these sessions, it was clear that he wasn’t coping. He was getting worse. We really did ask for help. I knew he needed more help than that. And, it wasn’t forthcoming.”An attempt by Thorpe to take his own life in 2022 was unsuccessful but left him severely unwell. “It was too late, basically, after the crisis [in 2022], he was very ill. He nearly lost his life. He had a stroke. We don’t know how that affected his brain after that.”The ECB might say, well, we didn’t know how ill he was. Although the doctors he was under did know, but then they sort of said, oh, but there’s confidentiality. There’s got to be some connection [between the ECB and their doctors].”Last summer, during the Oval Test between England and India, the second day of the match was dubbed a “Day for Thorpey” in order to celebrate his life, as well as raise funds and awareness for the mental health charity Mind.An ECB spokesperson described Thorpe as “a deeply admired and much-loved person”.”His loss has been felt deeply across the cricketing community and far beyond, and our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with his wife Amanda, his children, and all those who loved him.”Graham’s passing is a heart-breaking reminder of the challenges many face with mental health. His death was examined by a coroner; the inquest was held earlier this year with full support from the ECB.”We have met with Amanda to discuss her concerns and have been in regular contact with her and the wider family.”

Stats highlights of the final day of the Lord’s Test between England and India

Sampath Bandarupalli14-Jul-2025

Ben Stokes was Player of the Match for the fourth time in a Lord’s Test•Getty Images

22 runs – England’s margin of victory in the third Test against India is the narrowest in terms of runs at Lord’s. The previous lowest was Australia’s 43-run victory against England in 2023.It is also India’s fourth-smallest margin of defeat in men’s Tests.193 – The fourth-lowest target that India have failed to chase down in men’s Tests. India have lost while chasing sub-200 targets only on five occasions; four of those defeats have come since 2015. All the other Test teams put together have failed to chase down sub-200 targets only five times during this period.The target of 193 is also the second-lowest that England have successfully defended in men’s Tests in the last 25 years, behind the 181 they defended against Ireland in 2019, also at Lord’s.Related

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• Jadeja, and the curse of being so good

• Jadeja's defiance in vain as England pull off dramatic win

4 – Consecutive half-centuries for Ravindra Jadeja, across the second and third Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s. Before him, only two Indian batters had four consecutive 50-plus scores in England – Sourav Ganguly (2002) and Rishabh Pant (2022 and 2025).Jadeja’s unbeaten 61 on the final day at Lord’s is his first 50-plus score in the fourth innings of a Test match.942 – Jadeja’s Test runs in England while batting at No. 6 or lower. Among visiting batters, only Garry Sobers scored more from those positions – 1097.Jadeja has eight fifty-plus scores – seven fifties and a century – in England, again only behind Sobers (nine) and joint with MS Dhoni.301 – Number of balls India batted after losing their seventh wicket on the fifth day at Lord’s – the most for the last three wickets in the fourth innings of a Test. The previous highest was 294 balls by England against Pakistan in Dubai in 2015. .Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah batted 22 overs for the ninth wicket, the most by an India pair for the last two wickets in Tests in the last ten years.4 – Player-of-the-Match awards for Ben Stokes in Tests at Lord’s, the most for any player at the venue. Overall, he has 11 Player-of-the-Match awards in Tests, the third-highest for England behind Joe Root (13) and Ian Botham (12).15 – Bowled dismissals in the Lord’s Test, the most in more than 2000 matches since 1965. The previous Test with 15 or more bowleds was between West Indies and Australia in Georgetown in 1965.