The fast bowler and his Canterbury team-mate Mitch Hay could make their Test debuts in the second Test against West Indies

Deivarayan Muthu06-Dec-20251:57

Latham: Can’t fault the effort when we were a couple of bowlers down

Uncapped fast bowler Michael Rae has been called up to New Zealand’s Test squad for the second match against West Indies in Wellington. Rae, 30, earned his maiden New Zealand call-up after Matt Henry (calf) and Nathan Smith (side) suffered injuries during the first Test in Christchurch.Both Henry and Smith are doubtful for the second Test, especially considering the quick turnaround between the first two games. The Wellington Test will begin on December 10, four days after the end of the Christchurch Test. Injuries to Henry and Smith reduced New Zealand’s attack to two frontline seamers and left them shouldering a heavy workload.Rae and Blair Tickner, who was the reserve fast bowler in Christchurch, could be in contention for the XI in Wellington.Rae started the second round of the Plunket Shield for Canterbury and took 3 for 65 in the first innings against Central Districts in Napier before he sat out of the second innings. Fraser Sheat replaced Rae in the second innings as the latter prepares for a potential Test debut.Related

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At 6 feet 6 inches, Rae could give New Zealand’s attack a point of difference and replicate shifts that his Canterbury team-mate Kyle Jamieson put in for New Zealand in Test cricket. Like Jamieson, Rae is also capable of bowling fuller lengths and swinging the new ball.Along with Jamieson, Henry Shipley and Zak Foulkes, Rae has been part of a tall, funky Canterbury attack.”It’s got to be one of the tallest bowling attacks in the world,” Paul Wiseman, current Black Caps talent manager and former spinner, told ESPNcricinfo last year. “Jamieson at 6’8” and then you also have Michael Rae, who is probably 6’6”, and then the others are about 6’5”. Henners [Matt Henry] is shorter, but he’s a genius. I don’t know if we can get all those guys on the park at the same time but it will be a real test for any batter, I think. They are an exciting group and it would be great to see all of them fit in at the same time.”Rae, with his retro headband, has been a regular in domestic cricket in recent years. He has played 69 first-class matches so far, taking 205 wickets at an average of 33.06, including three five-wicket hauls.He also has some first-class exposure outside of New Zealand, having played five games for Warwickshire in county cricket, claiming 14 wickets at an average of 30.28. Gavin Larsen, the current New Zealand selection manager, has tracked Rae’s progress closely both at New Zealand domestic cricket and Warwickshire. When he was with Otago, he had also worked with current New Zealand coach Rob Walter.Michael Rae, in action, with his retro headband on•Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s team management will also carefully monitor the progress of Jamieson, who returned to the Plunket Shield for the ongoing round, and tearaway Ben Sears, who is currently playing white-ball club cricket in Melbourne. Sears, who is also prone to injuries, will not be rushed back to red-ball cricket.”I’d say he’s doubtful [for red-ball cricket] given he is going through more of a white-ball stepping stone over in club cricket in Melbourne,” New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram said on Friday. “Just to get him some cricket on grass, good facilities, and a good training environment around him, which he’s got over there with a contact we had internally here. Speaking to Ben the other day, I know that he’s feeling really good about his bowling but the Test series will be a bridge too far for sure.”With Tom Blundell sidelined from the Wellington Test, with a hamstring injury, Mitch Hay is poised to make his debut and take over the gloves from captain Tom Latham, who kept wicket across both innings in Christchurch in addition to scoring 145 in New Zealand’s second innings.”It’s been a long shift. I don’t think I’ve done that many amount of overs behind the stumps before,” Latham said on Saturday. “Usually 50 [overs] is about my cap, but obviously not ideal losing Tommy either, but giving to the group as much as you can in a role that I’m used to keeping. So from a familiarity point of view it was fine, just the duration was a little bit more than I’m used to.”In Blundell’s absence, Daryl Mitchell stepped in as a substitute and put in a long fielding shift in the slips though he hadn’t fully recovered from a groin injury. Mitchell Santner, too, was not available for selection in Christchurch because of his own groin injury.

His astonishing assault in a low-scoring Ashes Test proved he never ceases to amaze

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-20253:17

Smith: Travis Head’s batting incredible to witness

“I’ll do it.”With three words, Travis Head set in motion a chain of events that had to be seen to be believed.There had long been a thought bubble floating around within Australia’s brains trust. What if Usman Khawaja opened in the first innings, when the pitch was fresh and at it’s most challenging in Australian conditions, and then swapped with Travis Head in the second when the surface was flatter and quick runs were needed?Related

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Khawaja’s back spasms in Perth made that thought bubble a reality. After Australia fudged the order to replace Khawaja in the first innings without success, Head volunteered to do it in the second. And he delivered with an astonishing assault on England to win Australia a Test match they appeared to have no right to win only four-and-a-half hours earlier.It was mind-blowing batting, even by the standards of the man who has produced a career catalogue of crazy match-winning innings on the biggest stage. He was already an Ashes star thanks to his performances in 2021-22. He has already singlehandedly ripped a World Test Championship, an ODI World Cup and a Border-Gavaskar Trophy out of India hands.Now he has the second-fastest century in Ashes history, off 69 balls, to rip another opening Ashes Test in Australia from England’s grasp.Ben Stokes looked like he had seen a ghost when he was asked to sum up his feelings shortly after the winning runs were struck.”I mean, at the moment, I’m still in a little bit of wow phase, after what Travis Head has just done to us,” Stokes said. “That was a pretty incredible, special knock from Travis.”Head didn’t think so. Steven Smith, who was sitting next to Head at the press conference, was asked whether it was the best knock he had ever seen.”No it’s not. Not even close,” Head mumbled under his breath.Smith laughed before politely disagreeing with his vice-captain. “It’s got to be right up there,” Smith said. “Wow. That was incredible to witness. Trav took it on and played one of the great Ashes knocks.”There was a buzz around the ground when Head’s name was announced as he walked out to bat alongside Jake Weatherald, with Australia needing to score the highest total of the match to chase down 205.ESPNcricinfo LtdEveryone knew what Head was going to attempt to do, including England. But Head never ceases to amaze.He was three off 14 balls to start. He was beaten by a cracker from Jofra Archer second ball. His only runs were a clip off the toes behind square and a squeeze past gully. But credit to Head, there were no other loose shots in the 14. No flashing with hard hands like England’s batters had done earlier in the day. No attempts to hit the bowlers off their lengths as Stokes had believed was required on the Perth pitch.He waited, and waited, and then unleashed fury. The first genuine half-volley he got was whipped through midwicket. The next was driven through cover. For the first venomous short ball he leaned back and ramped it over the slips for six. On 22 he finally flayed one on the rise through cover. Another full wide ball was sliced over wide deep third to bring up Australia’s 50 in 9.3 overs.Pitching up wasn’t working, so England went short. Head went large. Mark Wood went at the body, Head stepped inside the line and flicked him over fine leg. The next was short and wide, Head thrashed it through point. The field started to spread. He tucked a single to deep square to bring up a 36-ball 50.But then he lost Weatherald after a crucial 75-run stand. The door was ajar for England to walk back into a game that had seesawed violently over two days. It coincided with drinks and Head hit pause, scoring a single off his next eight deliveries.Stokes seized the moment and took the ball. Mano-a-mano.Ben Stokes couldn’t find any answers•Getty ImagesThe talisman to trump all talismans, with his new-found mane, his ripped physique after swearing off alcohol, who trains like a beast and plays with unparalleled intensity against Australia’s everyman, father of two, with his bogan haircut, unkempt moustache and unashamed beer belly.Head struck four boundaries in five balls. Game over. He then flat-batted a 139.9kph Archer short ball over the sightscreen for the most jawdropping shot of the match to completely demoralise England.All that was left was for Head to receive two standing ovations from 49,983 that had a ticket to the show of a lifetime. The first when he reached his century off 69 balls. The second when he finally mis-hit one to deep square leg for 123 off 83.”It was obvious to us as a group, when Travis came out the top of the order there with Jake, that they’d sent Travis out there to play the role in which he was so successful at doing,” Stokes said. “And it was so hard to be able to continue with plans which we tried to implement, because he had an answer for everything. We went through three, four, five different modes to try and get the wicket of Travis, because when he was going, we knew that he was going to be the big one. But he just had an answer to absolutely everything. It was some knock.”Head said there were “no surprises” with what England came up with. What did surprise him was his form. He revealed he had some doubts. Head had been a quiet concern for Australia heading into the series after an extremely lean run of form in white-ball cricket which forced him to play a Sheffield Shield game that he hadn’t initially planned for. He duly failed in both innings, with scores of 9 and 15.”Conditions down there were pretty tough,” Head said. “But I had four or five days leading to that game. I hit during the game a fair bit with Stubbo (South Australia batting coach Steve Stubbings) and then here I trained all four days, which is unheard of.”Just to find a bit of rhythm and getting into things and once you walk out into this atmosphere, I was more worried about, am I capable of doing it still?”We had such a big lay off a Test cricket, your mind takes you to, okay, facing probably one of the better attacks I’ve ever faced, high quality, high pace, high speed, am I still cut out for this on a wicket that can be pretty intimidating at times.”He was more than cut out for it. He was head and shoulders above every other batter in the game. There will be calls for him to open permanently. Head said he had floated the idea with Australia’s hierarchy if needed after David Warner retired but has understood why he had been left at No. 5 in home conditions, where he has authored so many match-winning knocks for his country.The fear has been what they might lose in the middle order. But given the fear he has struck in England and Stokes, they may well utter three more words.”Let’s do it.”

He suffered a low-grade shoulder muscle strain during the third T20I of the tour on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2025

Dewald Brevis has been ruled out of South Africa’s three-match ODI series against Pakistan starting on Tuesday with a low-grade shoulder muscle strain. He injured himself during the third T20I of the tour in Lahore on Saturday.South Africa haven’t named a replacement for Brevis yet. The 22-year-old batter will be undergoing rehabilitation while remaining with the side in Pakistan ahead of South Africa’s trip to India later this month, which features two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.Before getting injured, Brevis had played all the matches on the tour of Pakistan. His highest score across six knocks in Tests and T20Is, however, was 54, which he got in the second innings at Gaddafi stadium. Brevis hasn’t had a bright start to his ODI career either, having scored 110 runs in six matches, with a best of 49. He remains highly rated though. Temba Bavuma in his recent ESPNcricinfo column wrote “[Brevis] can kind of make a bad wicket a good one because that is the talent of the boy.”Related

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Brevis’ injury depletes South Africa’s ODI side further. While they chose to rest most of their all-format players – like Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada – for the limited-overs leg of the tour, injuries to quicks Kwena Maphaka and Anrich Nortje has weakened their squad. Matthew Breetzke captains the ODI side having only made his debut earlier this year and might rely heavily on Quinton de Kock, who will be playing 50-overs for the first time since reversing his retirement.While South Africa drew the Test series against Pakistan 1-1, the hosts won the three-match T20I series 2-1. The ODI leg of the tour takes place in Faisalabad, which last hosted men’s international cricket back in 2008. South Africa will then embark on their tour of India, which begins with the first Test on November 14.

Tasmanian in line to become Usman Khawaja’s seventh opening partner in last two years

Alex Malcolm17-Nov-2025Jake Weatherald and Usman Khawaja batted alongside each other in adjoining nets at Perth Stadium on Monday.There are similarities in their stances but that is about where the similarities end, both as players and as people. However, they have struck up a rapport already, at least publicly via the media, as two unique individuals willing to have some fun with each other.Weatherald went first, stating on the Grade Cricketer podcast that he wasn’t sure if Khawaja knew his name despite playing against him for 10 years. The clip went viral on Instagram. Khawaja struck back with a comment on the post, “Who this?”Related

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Weatherald, on his first day in an Australian dressing room, continued the fun.”He still calls me Jack, so we’ll get there eventually,” Weatherald told reporters on Monday. “Hopefully, if I get a game, he can find Jake there somewhere.”Jokes aside, Khawaja could be forgiven for not remembering names given Weatherald is potentially going to be his seventh Test opening partner in the last two years.That Weatherald still doesn’t know if he playing four days out from the first ball is an indicator of how unsettled Australia’s opening pair has been.In Weatherald’s favour is that he is the most experienced opener of the six since David Warner retired, at least in first-class cricket. Every one of his 145 first-class innings have come opening the batting. He has more first-class innings and more centuries, 13, than Khawaja does in the position, albeit nine of Khawaja’s 11 have come in Test cricket where he has turned into one of Australia’s best ever.Despite all that experience, though, a debut in an Ashes Test in Perth is a different beast. Even for a 31-year-old who has experienced some serious challenges in life, Weatherald went through what every new kid at school does on his first day.There was a moment before he spoke to reporters, where he leaned on the fence and stared up at the gargantuan Perth Stadium stands and imagined what it would look like on Friday when all 60,000 seats are occupied.”I’ve played a little bit of Big Bash cricket here, but at the same time, to represent your country in a place like this, it’s such a cool stadium,” Weatherald said. “To look out and see what it looked like, obviously with everyone full and obviously walking out to bat, I was sort of imagining what it’d be like to go out there.”He was wearing his brand-new Australia whites, with his initials, JW, embossed on them and number 66 on the back. The same number worn by his potential opponent this week, Joe Root. It could very well be a nod to Chuck Berry and “Route 66″, given Weatherald’s passion for rock-and-roll guitarists.There was, however, a number missing on his shirt. Eleven of Australia’s 13 squad members in Perth on Monday that had assembled for various media commitments also had their Test numbers embossed.Weatherald and Brendan Doggett did not. They may well do by the end of the week. But it was a subtle reminder that this school is different.He might have played BBL cricket at Perth Stadium before, with a match-winning half-century for Adelaide Strikers to win an elimination final against Perth Scorchers in his last outing at the venue. He also has a century at a full Adelaide Oval in a BBL final. But Test cricket is another level and Weatherald is aware that replicating what has made him the best Sheffield Shield opener of the past 12 months under Ashes pressure will be a huge challenge.”It’s certainly going to be a difficult thing,” Weatherald said. “That’s a part of being an international cricketer, I guess, the fact there’s lot more to it. But at the same time, I think that’s going to be the true test for myself, to go out there and just try and operate the same way. And if I walk out there and nick off first ball then I walk out the innings after and try to repeat the same thing again, in terms of my process.”Trusting his process is what has got Weatherald to the brink of a Test debut. He did not change a thing in his first net session with the team. While Khawaja, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and most others opted to face a majority of throw downs from the coaches on spicy surfaces, Weatherald stayed true to what he has been doing for Tasmania, facing the best bowlers he can in the nets to replicate match conditions as best he can.He took on a brutal spell from Pat Cummins, facing a lion’s share of his eight overs. Beau Webster found nip and awkward bounce at a slightly less venomous, but no less nickable pace. Nathan Lyon found spin and bounce as well. Weatherald took it all on. It looked incredibly hard work. But he endured with the same positive mindset he has shown for Tasmania in recent times.”He’s been a revelation for us at the top of the order,” Webster said of his Tasmanian team-mate.”We were sort of crying out a little bit for someone who can take the game away early in the innings, and he does that. We saw even a couple of knocks this year to go with his exceptional year last year, where he puts the pressure back on the bowlers. And he does it quickly. He bats how you want to as an opening of batter in Australia right now. He punishes the bad ball, and he’s really selective when the ball’s around the stumps. So he’s been excellent for us.”

After a 12-year period in which India won every Test series they played at home, they have now lost two out of three in the space of just over a year: 3-0 last year to New Zealand, and now 2-0 to South Africa. These results have coincided with the tenure of Gautam Gambhir, who took over as India head coach in July 2024.Asked whether he still believed he was the right man for the job, particularly in Test cricket, Gambhir said he wasn’t the man to take that call.”It is up to BCCI to decide,” he said during his press conference after India lost the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati by 408 runs. “I’ve said it during my first press conference when I took over as the head coach. Indian cricket is important, I’m not important. And I sit here and say exactly the same thing.”Related

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All the focus on the home defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, Gambhir suggested, was taking away from his achievements as head coach, including a 2-2 Test-series draw in England and white-ball victories in the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup this year.”I’m the same guy who got results in England as well, with a young team,” he said. “And I’m sure you guys will forget very soon because a lot of people keep talking about New Zealand. And I’m the same guy under whom [we] won Champions Trophy and Asia Cup as well.”Yes, this is a team which has less experience. They need to keep learning and they’re putting [in] everything possible to turn the tide.”Between the home defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, India have undergone a major transition, with R Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from Test cricket, and with Shubman Gill taking over the captaincy. India’s batting, in particular, has been manned by a number of young, inexperienced players.”Look, first of all, the series against New Zealand, we had a very different side,” Gambhir said. “And this is a very different side. The experience that that batting line-up had [compared] to what this team has is chalk and cheese. So comparing everything to New Zealand is probably a wrong narrative.”I don’t give excuses. I’ve never done that in the past. I will never do it in the future as well. But four or five batters in this top eight have literally played less than 15 Test matches [each], and they will grow. They’re learning on the job. They’re learning on the field.”Test cricket is never easy when you’re playing against a top-quality side. So you’ve got to give them time as well. So for me, I think that is something they’ll keep learning. That is important. Because I know that I hate using this word transition. This is exactly what transition is.”The defeat in Guwahati was India’s heaviest by a runs margin in Test cricket. Gambhir pointed to their collapse on day three, when they slipped from 95 for 1 to 122 for 7 in reply to South Africa’s 489, as the passage of play that decided the Test. Fast bowler Marco Jansen took four of the six wickets India lost in that phase.”From 95 for 1 to 120 for 7 is not acceptable,” Gambhir said. “And we keep talking about [India’s batting against] spin, but then one seamer got four wickets in that spell. And we’ve had these collapses in the past as well. Someone needs to put their hand up and say that I’m going to stop this collapse.4:35

Philander: ‘Harmer out-bowled the Indian spinners’

“For me, I think that 30-minute spell took us away from the game. Because at one stage on day three, we were pretty much in control of the game where we were 95 for 1. And then, from there, to lose five or six wickets for nothing on the board literally was always pushing us back.”One of the batters dismissed during that collapse was stand-in captain Rishabh Pant, who charged out to Jansen while on 7, and top-edged a slog to the keeper. Gambhir refused to criticise Pant or any other individual player, he seemed to refer to that shot when he answered a different question about how a coach could measure accountability after a defeat like this.”It comes from care. How much you care about the dressing room and the team,” Gambhir said. “Because accountability and the game situation can never be taught. You can talk about skills, you can work on skills, you can keep talking about the mental aspect of the game, but ultimately when you go in, if you keep putting the team ahead of your own self, not thinking, ‘this is how I play, and this is how I will get the results, I don’t have plan B,’ so sometimes you will get these kind of collapses as well.”So for me I think accountability is important. More than the accountability, it’s the care. How much you care about Indian cricket and how much you care about the team and people sitting in the dressing room is important as well.”As for the wider question of how India can lift themselves out of this near-unprecedented trough as a Test team in their own conditions, Gambhir said it would come from putting Test cricket first.”Start prioritising Test cricket, if we are really, really serious about Test cricket,” he said. “That is going to happen overall where everyone needs to be the stakeholder. So if we really care about Test cricket, if we want Test cricket to flourish in India, I think we’ve got to have a collective effort to make that happen. Because just blaming the players or just blaming the support staff or just blaming certain individuals will not help.”And as I just said, we can’t put things under the carpet. Come the white-ball formats, if you get runs in white-ball formats, suddenly you forget about what you have done in red-ball cricket. That should never happen.”You don’t need the most skillful and the most flamboyant players to succeed in Test cricket. You need the toughest characters with limited skills who will go on to succeed in Test cricket irrespective of how the conditions [are] and what the situation is.”One major area for concern for India is their spinners getting outbowled by their South African counterparts, Simon Harmer in particular. Asked whether India would need to dip into their pool of domestic cricketers to find new spinners, Gambhir said the ones currently in the team needed to be backed and allowed to gain more experience, with the long-serving Ashwin having retired late last year. He pointed specifically to Washington Sundar, who has taken 36 wickets in his first 17 Tests at an average of 32.97.”Look, that’s why we are giving as many opportunities as we can to someone like Washy. But if you expect Washy to deliver straightaway what Ashwin did after playing more than 100 Test matches, it’s unfair on that young kid. And that is what you guys need to think as well. That he is what — 10, 12, 15 Test matches old?”He is learning his trade. He is learning to bowl in different conditions. He is learning to bowl in different situations as well. And obviously, it’s tough when you lose so many experienced players at the same time.”And that is why it is called transition. That is why these guys need time. Whether it’s the batting unit or the bowling unit. I don’t think ever in Indian cricket something like this has happened where the transition is happening in the spin-bowling department and in the batting department as well. Normally when your batting is secure or your batting has experience then your team goes through a bowling transition. But with this Test team, obviously the transition is happening in both the skillsets.”So you guys and all of us need to give them time and I am sure they have got the skill, they have got the talent, they have got the ability. That’s why they are sitting in that dressing room and they have delivered.

Mohamed Salah's tenure at Liverpool looks to be coming towards a bitter and sad end. Following his stunning outburst after the club's 3-3 draw with Leeds, the Egyptian King has sparked a civil war among the fanbase. Is Salah right to claim the Reds have thrown him under the bus, or is Jamie Carragher the good guy for launching a scathing attack on the forward?

Salah's moment of madness

After being named on the bench for a third successive Premier League game, Salah stormed through the mixed zone in the aftermath of Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road, before stopping to give an explosive seven-minute interview that left reporters stunned as he claimed he had been "thrown under the bus" by head coach Arne Slot.

He said: I can’t believe it, I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench, and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame. I got a lot of promises in the summer, and so far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club."

The rant led to public criticism from Liverpool legend Carragher, who described Salah as a "disgrace" and accused him of trying to inflict "maximum damage" by throwing his toys out of the pram. The 47-year-old has since apologised, but the damage has already been done from both sides. Much of the Liverpool fanbase is split – there is a section of supporters who have taken Salah's side, pointing to the success he has helped deliver in his eight years at the club. But others have reminded the Egyptian winger that football is a team sport, and, more importantly, no one is bigger than the club. The all-important question, then, who is right?

AdvertisementNo player is bigger than the club

Salah's most recent outburst is not the only time he has opened his mouth to the media to try and force Liverpool's hand. The 33-year-old has made a habit of complaining when his demands are not met, famously acting up when pursuing a new contract last season, flexing his achievements and pointing to his numbers when arguing that he should not have to take a pay cut to remain at Anfield. But this time, it appears plenty of people think he has gone too far. One fan has had enough of the talisman's antics, labelling Salah as a "five-year-old kid" and admitting he would love to see the back of him for his petulance. His theory may have some substance as well, after Salah posted a picture of himself in the gym after being left at home for the trip to Inter with the famous 'You'll never walk alone' sign behind him.

Jordan Chamberlain, a Liverpool fan writer, describes the Premier League and Champions League winner as "selfish" and adds: "The Egypt forward deserved his monstrous two-year contract. He was the best player in the country. But fast forward to December and Liverpool's number 11 has thrown his toys out of the pram in an extremely damaging way. Salah has had a poor season. There are lots of reasons for this, but his statements put himself, Slot and the club in an untenable position. I have no idea what will happen next, but I just wish Salah had kept his mouth shut."

Another fan, replying to Salah's gym post, said: "Is he after some sort of sympathy? Acting like a petulant child." @MaccaLiv19 was also not happy, saying: "Apologise to the club and the manager. If not, it’s goodbye in Jan."

A few eagle-eyed spectators have also pointed out the fact that since being dropped, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last four games, and that, regardless, a player should never throw their team under the bus, particularly in a moment where they are struggling. Liverpool's form has dipped after winning the title, but not to a point where it is unsalvageable. 

With Thierry Henry coming to the defence of his friend and fellow pundit Carragher during Tuesday's Champions League coverage, it has only placed more dark clouds over Salah's head. One fan summed up his feelings on the back of the Arsenal icon's explanation of the situation, in which he claimed players must "protect their teams at all costs."

@JacobHorsfall__ could not believe that anyone would side with Salah over the pundit. He added: I really don’t understand how people are siding with Salah. Literally makes no sense to me. Think Carragher was pretty bang on. The RB suffering comment was about how the team sacrificed to platform Salah. The Egypt comment was to say that no team can be great with 1 star. Chelsea flop comment was to say that Liverpool did just as much for Salah as he’s done for them. No player should ever throw the club under the bus."

Salah has earned the right to make demands

On the other hand, Salah retains the support of plenty on Merseyside. In the eyes of many, their Egyptian King can do no wrong, and they believe his contributions have earned him the right to make demands. Perhaps Salah is well within his rights to be upset at suddenly being dropped by Slot. He has recorded six goal contributions in 13 Premier League games for the Reds this season, and bagged 29 goals in Liverpool's title-winning campaign last term before penning a new deal. 

Fans have not forgotten that, and among the 20,000+ replies to his latest gym post, the response was overwhelmingly in support of the forward. One account, @the_Lawrenz, reminded Salah of his lasting impact on the club, posting: "You changed Liverpool’s life." Another, @guineasfinest, added: "There’s more legacy in Salah’s left toe at Liverpool than in Carra’s entire career."

It seems Carragher succeeded in blowing Salah's interview out of proportion and ramping up the swirling rumours about his future. Part of his monologue on Monday night included a statement that saw the ex-defender suggest his Serie A career and time at Chelsea were both failures, and plenty have sympathised with the winger when it comes to his past endeavours. @TheImmortalKop said: "That Carragher segment really showed he doesn’t respect anything outside of the Premier League. Salah was great for Basel, Fiorentina and Roma and has sent his club to the World Cup twice. Belittling all that by calling him a failure before joining Liverpool is just ridiculous."

Even if we isolate Salah's achievements to his time solely in a Liverpool shirt, he has scored 250 goals in 420 appearances, won nine major pieces of silverware, and been the guy to dig the club out of a hole on more than one occasion, ultimately driving them to one of their most successful periods in the Premier League era.

AFPHave your say on Salah's future

With Salah missing the Inter clash and soon to be jetting off to AFCON until January, there is a real possibility the club legend may have played his last game in England. With recent events in mind, should the Reds cash in on him if a suitable offer arrives in the winter transfer window or should they stand by their main man? Vote in the poll below and make sure you leave a comment! 👇

Nottingham Forest could launch a 2026 move to sign an “instinctive finisher” likened to Carlos Tevez, but they may have to shell out a club-record fee to get a deal done.

Forest eyeing new striker amid Arnaud Kalimuendo uncertainty

Despite only moving to the City Ground during the summer, Arnaud Kalimuendo’s future is already in doubt, with it recently being revealed the striker wants to leave, and AC Milan have now made contact over a deal.

Paris FC, Stuttgart and AS Roma have also been named as potential suitors for the striker, who hasn’t made the best of starts to life in the Premier League, failing to find the back of the net in his opening seven matches.

Igor Jesus hasn’t exactly been prolific in front of goal either, scoring just once in 14 Premier League outings, while Chris Wood may be in the latter stages of his career at 34, and the New Zealander has been struggling on the injury front, not featuring since the 3-0 defeat against Chelsea in October.

Consequently, Sean Dyche may be eager to bring in a new striker next year, and a report from Tuttosport (via FC Inter News) has now revealed that Nottingham Forest have now joined the race for Bologna centre-forward Santiago Castro.

Aston Villa are also interested in signing Castro, courtesy of his performances in Italy this season, and both English clubs could launch a move next summer, with the Serie A side potentially set to hold out for a fee of around €40m – €50m (£35m – £44m).

Inter Milan have shown interest in the striker too, but Bologna are reluctant to sanction a departure, and will look to secure his future by offering him a bumper new contract in the coming weeks.

"Instinctive finisher" Castro likened to Tevez

Scout Ben Mattinson has spoken very highly of the 21-year-old in the past, comparing him to former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez, while also describing the youngster as an “instinctive finisher” and adding: “His movement, acceleration and athleticism enables him to lead the line and be a constant threat to a defence. Loves to run in behind but also drop deep or interchange. A complete #9 profile.”

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The Argentinian has regularly been amongst the goals this season too, scoring five in 17 matches in all competitions, and he recently headed home a late winner to ensure Bologna progressed past Parma in the Italian Cup.

With none of Dyche’s current strikers setting the world alight, particularly Kalimuendo, it would be ideal to bring in a new option in 2026, and Castro is at the right age to be a long-term success at the City Ground, but £44m would be a club-record transfer fee.

The players from both teams stuck to their own routines, but the buzz is expected to grow when they face each other

Shashank Kishore06-Sep-202513:47

Runorder: What is India’s best XI for the Asia Cup?

Shortly after 7pm, all eyes at the ICC Academy turned towards the nets area of the Pakistan team. They’d just arrived for their final training session ahead of Sunday’s tri-series final against Afghanistan in Sharjah.Would there be a cross-over with India, who were already in the middle of their own preparations? Would players exchange pleasantries or keep their distance? Those hoping for a moment worth filming were left disappointed as both teams stuck to their routines.India’s session spanned nearly three hours in which each of their specialist batters spent more than an hour in the middle, before the allrounders padded up and whacked the ball into all corners to bring down what turned out to be more range-hitting than a net session aimed at players finding touch.Related

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Pakistan batted at the nets area tucked away in a quiet corner, away from the prying eyes. They prepped on surfaces that offered turn, bite and uneven bounce, perhaps simulating what’s in store against Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar and Noor Ahmad come Sunday. Away from the nets, Shaheen Shah Afridi took a few catches and did a light warm-up, while Haris Rauf ran laps.The assortment of surfaces at the ICC Academy, as many as 40 of them – largely Asian but also some that replicate bouncy conditions like at the WACA, Gabba and some that offer swing and seam – were put to good use by as many as 60 players over the last few days, including those from Oman and Hong Kong.By the time training wrapped up on Saturday, the organisers breathed a sigh of relief. Pakistan had a game to play on Sunday, and India announced a rest day.The evening began with India doing a bronco drill with cones placed at 20, 40 and 60 metres distances. The squad split into three groups of five. Trainer Adrian Le Roux called the shots, Sitanshu Kotak kept score, while head coach Gautam Gambhir turned cheerleader. The exercise wasn’t about results as much as it was about simulating match-day conditions in the event that India field first in the heat.Once the lights took full effect, the players shifted into full-fledged centre-wicket nets. Friday had been about easing in, but Saturday had a sharper edge, perhaps even giving us a peek into combinations that are slowly beginning to emerge.Purely on evidence of the first two days, it seems as if Jitesh Sharma may have a slight edge over Sanju Samson as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper. He underwent extended batting stints on Saturday, with Gambhir watching closely from behind the nets. At one point, he appeared to advise Jitesh about some of his premeditated attempts at scoops and pick-up shots.The Indian team during their first training session ahead of Asia Cup 2025•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo LtdSamson, meanwhile, only took throwdowns to begin with and sat watching the other batters go through their paces. Just before the session wound down, though, he padded up and hit the ball far and long. Out came the pulls, flat-bats and some heaves that had him occasionally grimace at losing his shape.All told, there was little to suggest anything was off. His timing was crisp and the sound it made off the sweet spot had those patrolling the boundaries and beyond repeatedly running distances to fetch the ball hit into the outer periphery of the ICC Academy Ovals, some even into Pakistan’s training area.Long before Samson took guard, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Tilak Varma were the first to stride out, followed by Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh. For the next 90 minutes, they faced a mix of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya.Then came a battery of local net bowlers that included three wristspinners and two left-arm seamers, all instructed to go flat out. India’s two throwdown specialists jumped in periodically, cranking up the pace whenever the session needed a jolt. India completed a four-hour-long training session close to 9pm.Sunday is rest day, with the Indian team lined up to have two more sessions in the lead-up to their Asia Cup opening game against UAE on September 10.

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