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Chelmsford new boy talks about his busy winter, learning from the best and adding a “fourth string” to his bow

Andrew Miller02-Apr-2024What does it take to build a career in professional cricket’s modern, itinerant era? In this fragmenting landscape, the days of biding one’s time and awaiting that international call are receding, and in their place a new generation of go-getter cricketer is emerging, with a restless curiosity and an increasingly clear understanding of how to cash in on their athletic prime.Players such as Jordan Cox, for instance, a 23-year-old whose seemingly inevitable England debut remains, for now, just beyond his reach, but who isn’t about to let that circumstantial setback restrict his career progression.Midway through last summer, Cox secured a high-profile and not-uncontroversial move from Kent to Essex, a club he describes as being “best suited for what I want at this moment in time”, which hardly smacks of the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.Related

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And little wonder, given the winter he’s just had. With apologies to his new county, and with no sense whatsoever that he’ll be stinting on his efforts as Essex’s season begins, next week’s County Championship opener against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge will be Cox’s fifth professional debut of the past five months.His string of new beginnings began back in November, when Cox stepped out for Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10, where his six matches produced 265 runs, two half-centuries and a strike-rate of 232, including a ferocious 90 not out from 36 balls against the eventual finalists, Deccan Gladiators.By the time that final took place, however, Cox had already swapped continents for what became a four-match stint with Melbourne Renegades in Australia’s Big Bash League, which then gave way to a return to the UAE in January to play for Gulf Giants in the ILT20.And, having previously sampled the SA20 and the Lanka Premier League in the 2022-23 winter, Cox then capped this year’s travels by making his first appearances in the Pakistan Super League, with six matches for Islamabad United in February and March prior to his link-up with his newest new squad for Essex’s pre-season in Abu Dhabi.”I left on November 10, and I was back 10 days ago, so I’ve been aware a fair chunk,” Cox says during Essex’s pre-season media day in Chelmsford. “I love it. I went to private school, I was a boarder. So my parents were like, ‘have fun at school, see you at Easter holidays, see you at Christmas’. So I’d only go home like three times a year, so I’m pretty used to being away from home.”That sense of adventure is palpable as Cox lifts the curtain on the touring lifestyle to reveal a glimpse of what this new world is really like. The SA20, he says, is “carnage … the flights are full on … fly, rest day, game, everywhere.” The ILT20, by contrast, was just 40-minute bus rides between Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. “It was the first time I’ve ever unpacked in a franchise environment.”The Eagle has landed: Cox arrived in Chelmsford after a busy winter on the franchise circuit•Getty ImagesAs for the PSL, on one extended break between matches, Cox and his Islamabad team-mate Alex Hales took a leaf out of England’s book from their recent tour of India, and decamped to Abu Dhabi for “99 holes of golf”. “People think that’s crazy,” he says. “But for us, that’s actually paradise.”Hales is just one of a host of world-class contemporaries with whom Cox has been rubbing shoulders all winter long, be it team-mates at his various franchises, such as David Miller, Aaron Finch and Shimron Hetmyer or opponents such as Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis from whom he’s eager to soak up as much knowledge as possible.”It’s a lot better than sitting in the indoor school practising skills,” Cox says. “Watching Andre Russell hitting a cricket ball is fascinating. I was keeping in one of the practice T10 games, and he hit this monster six. And I was like, ‘cor, that’s a big hit’, and he was like, ‘I didn’t even catch that’.”It’s so interesting watching Faf too, he has a different technique, but he still scores runs. Even if you’re not playing, you learn to learn off the people that have done it for years. If you train hard, you realise that you don’t have to be like someone else, you be yourself and you’ll naturally score runs.”Quite apart from his ball-striking abilities, however, Cox is making quite the name for himself as an explosive boundary-riding fielder. This was perhaps best epitomised in the T20 Blast final at Edgbaston in 2021, when he stretched over the rope at midwicket to palm back a crucial relay catch off Somerset’s Lewis Gregory, as Kent surged to their first silverware for 12 years.Since then, he’s become quite the fixture in the outfield for his various franchises, becoming something of a cult figure during his PSL stint in particular.Cox was in fine touch for Oval Invincibles in 2023 until a broken finger ended his season•ECB via Getty Images”I think once you do those catches over the ropes, you learn different things like where you think your stride is going to be,” he says. “You work on it, so that when you see the ball come in, you look at the boundary rope and know roughly [where it is].”I’ve always been lucky in the fielding sense, I seem to read the play pretty well. When batters are trying to run two, you know roughly where the ball’s going to be, so I’m looking at them before the ball comes, and then I zone back in on the ball. It’s about not being lazy, and making sure that every single ball that comes to you, you’re going to make an impact.”Quite apart from his desire to be as involved in the action as possible, there’s a quiet pragmatism at play in Cox’s attempts to make himself more valuable to the teams that are bidding for his services, not least because, at Kent, his wicketkeeping opportunities were restricted by the presence of both Sam Billings and Ollie Robinson.”I think my batting gets in most [franchises] because I can bat one to six in T20 cricket,” he says. “The only problem with that is, if you don’t do as well, you’re the first one to get dropped because you’re not an allrounder, you’re just a batter. So there’s definitely downsides to it. But to have strings to your bow should definitely help you.”It’s quite handy for owners if you’re able to keep and field. They don’t go, ‘he’s a liability’, instead it’s ‘let’s get him in because he’s got those three strings’. I do work pretty hard at my fielding, probably harder than I do with my keeping. Because I know that, in T20 cricket, I can change the game. When you come to the ground I’ll be the last person out catching balls, trying different things, being stupid in a way. But no, that’s definitely not luck.”

“If I’m learning to bowl, that’s four strings to my bow. Why wouldn’t a team want me? It’s tough because I’ll have to show people I’m good enough to bowl but hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to hold an end in T20 cricket”

But why stop at three strings? Cox is already working on a fourth, “farting about” as he puts it with Azhar Mahmood, his bowling coach at Islamabad and with Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, to develop a range of cutters, spinners and carrom balls that could one way offer another cutting edge to his game.”Why can’t I be like Glenn Phillips?” Cox says, recalling how New Zealand’s unlikely allrounder went from keeping wicket in the early months of his international career to playing a pivotal role with the ball across formats. “Everyone thought three years ago, ‘what is this?’ Now he’s got a Test five-for!”I’m giving it the Liam Livingstone-style, off-spin to left-handers, leg-spin to righties, and I’m trying this new carrom ball which is tough … in Pakistan, [Azhar said to get] a tennis ball, I was flicking it against the wall, and in one of the games, you’d have seen me bowling 20 sets from one end.”But why not? If I’m learning to bowl now and practising these stupid little balls, that’s four strings to my bow,” he adds. “Why wouldn’t a team want me? It’s tough because I’ll have to show people I’m good enough to bowl but hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to hold an end in T20 cricket.”It was also in Pakistan two winters ago that Cox had his first taste of the international lifestyle, as an unused squad member during England’s T20I tour. Since then, he suffered an untimely finger injury that arguably denied him a home debut against New Zealand last summer, but his hunger to get the recognition he feels he deserves is undeniable.”I’ve thought about [Pakistan] plenty of times. I was picked for England when I was 20. I’m 23 now, I still haven’t played for England, what am I doing wrong? But actually if you think about it, my finger put me out for 14 weeks – though for a finger I’d rather just chop it off and carry on, you know? But I can’t see why I won’t get any more [chances].”But seriously, add those strings to your bow. It’s good for franchise cricket, it’s good for Test cricket. If they need an allrounder, and then potentially a back-up keeper. It’s like okay, well, I can do that.”

Shami, Ferguson, Dayal and Joseph shared six wickets in a successful defence of 156, and five came off the shorter lengths

Vishal Dikshit23-Apr-20222:09

Lynn: There are some deep scars there for KKR

Andre Russell’s day against Gujarat Titans began with short balls, nearly ended with a short ball, and eventually ended with a short ball. He almost pulled off a coup with 48 off 25 in Kolkata Knight Riders’ chase of 157 but he eventually fell to a ball that Titans used generously and smartly against the Knight Riders batters: the short ball.The Titans bowling attack has already been among the best in the IPL this season, among the top wicket-taking pace units, among the most miserly in the powerplay, and boasting the best economy rate in the death overs.Related

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On Saturday they showed they were also among the smartest of attacks.Russell’s only over, the last of the Titans innings, had already shown the perfect length to bowl on a pitch that had a bit of up and down bounce, and on which the ball was stopping a little and making it difficult for batters to get their timing right. Russell mostly bowled short or short-of-length balls, and bagged four wickets in the space of six deliveries by making the batters target the longer square boundary.Thanks for the idea, Titans might have said, for a few minutes’ later, their fast-bowling attack came out with a clear plan: to bowl short and quick, without caring a great deal about cutters and variations. They had the attack to pull off such a plan, with the experience of Mohammed Shami, the left-arm angle of Yash Dayal, the pace of Lockie Ferguson, and the bounce of Alzarri Joseph. And some of the Knight Riders batters, such as Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine, came into this match with question marks over their handling of the short ball.It took Shami just four balls to test the middle of the pitch, and it worked immediately, with Sam Billings top-edging a pull to give Titans a first-over breakthrough.At the other end, Narine started with a first-ball four, but as soon as Dayal went short, he began hopping, mistiming a pull and sending a leading edge in the air only to fall short of midwicket.When Narine got the strike back in the next over, Shami was steaming in. He began with a short ball – obviously – outside off and Narine couldn’t even get close to it. Then, hanging back while expecting another short one, he got into a tangle against a back-of-a-length delivery that he only managed to tuck into the hands of short fine leg. Shami had bowled eight balls and picked up two wickets.Out came Nitish Rana. Until this game, his record against fast bowlers off short or short-of-length balls wasn’t great, according to ESPNcricinfo’s data: 24 dismissals, a strike rate of under 125, and an average of just over 19. Shami must have known this, and he went around the wicket immediately to target the left-hander’s shoulder area; all Rana managed was a single off the first three balls he faced.For the next over, the fourth of the innings, on came Joseph, the tallest member of the attack. The second ball he bowled put Rana in an awkward position to pull, and nearly brought him a wicket, but the top-edge fell just wide of midwicket.If Rana and Shreyas Iyer survived that over and thought they could catch their breath, they were mistaken, as Hardik Pandya brought on Ferguson. The speedster began with a yorker, probably out of habit, but his next ball was short of a length and it produced a wicket: at 149kph it was too quick for Rana, who poked, squared up, and edged behind. Knight Riders were 16 for 3.Dayal switched ends after the powerplay, and his first ball of that over was short of a length again, and its line, stiflingly close to off stump despite the left-arm-over angle, forced Shreyas into an uncertain jab that he edged behind.Knight Riders were 34 for 4 in the seventh over and Rashid Khan hadn’t even come on to bowl yet. And it could have been game over in the 13th over when Dayal came back for his third and seemed to have bounced out Russell, getting him to fend awkwardly and having him caught at short fine leg, but the bowler had overstepped by a long way. Had it been a legal delivery, Knight Riders would have been 83 for 6.Andre Russell narrowly missed being dismissed by one short ball and was out to another•BCCIBrendon McCullum, the Knight Riders head coach, later admitted their batters needed to make technical adjustments to negotiate such skillful pace and bounce.”First and foremost, Gujarat Titans’ bowling line-up is very well balanced,” McCullum said at his post-match press conference. “They’ve got some raw pace, a bit of bounce, and some left-arm variety. The way they bowled today, I thought they attacked us the way we expected them to, which was more back of length and around the shoulder region. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to counter that.”In the end, bounce can be your friend or foe depending on whether you’re able to fight it. We’ve got to find a way to be able to find it and come out with a couple of technical things to try and use the pace rather than go against it. Granted, though, it was very good bowling, they operated really smartly. We still gave ourselves a chance though we weren’t quite able to execute. It’s a fine line as well, there’s a lot of those kind of balls which could have easily called one [bouncer] for the over in which case it would have changed how they were able to bowl at us. That’s the nature of the game as well and credit to Gujarat.”Later too, Dayal, Ferguson and Shami used the short ball liberally against Russell, not shying away even when he dispatched them for boundaries. Russell almost single-handedly brought the equation down to 18 from the last over, and when Joseph began it with a near-yorker that disappeared for Russell’s sixth six, he went back to the short ball. This time, Russell didn’t connect properly with his pull, having to drag the ball from well outside his eyeline, and Titans’ go-to weapon – finally and aptly – had dismissed Knight Riders’ most dangerous batter.In all, the Titans quick bowlers sent down 54 short or short-of-length balls, conceding just 65 runs and picking up five of the six wickets they bagged in total.Knight Riders already had the worst record against short and short-of-length balls off fast bowlers before this game, and Saturday’s defeat only made it worse. They have now lost the most wickets (20) to such balls, they have the worst scoring rate against them (7.23) and the worst average (15.55) as well.McCullum, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and mentor David Hussey will have some work to do with their batters before Knight Riders’ next game.

Shohei Ohtani recored his 1,000th career MLB hit on Wednesday. No. 1,000 came on a 1-1 count in the bottom of the 3rd inning when he hit a massive two-run home run to give his team a 2-1 lead. Ohtani did his usual celebrations as he rounded the bases for the 39th time this season, but when he got to the dugout something changed.

As you can see in the image featured above, Ohtani clearly snapped. Or sneezed. Or stepped on a LEGO. Or maybe he could see into the future and knew that he'd be pulled after four innings with the lead and the defense would give up the game-tying run on a very bad defensive play with two outs in the 8th.

In addition to that home run, Ohtani also struck out a season-high eight St. Louis Cardinals on the mound. He's now struck out 33 batters and given up just six earned runs in 23 innings this season. Not bad for the guy who has the third most home runs in baseball.

Manchester City have now identified a “top-level midfielder” as a priority target, joining a number of Europe’s top clubs in the race for his signature.

Man City set sights on Yaya Toure-esque midfielder

Despite his well-documented fallout with Pep Guardiola, Yaya Toure is undoubtedly a Man City legend, winning three Premier League titles, three EFL Cups and one FA Cup during his time at the Etihad Stadium.

The Ivorian, who is now working as Saudi Arabia’s assistant manager, posed a threat going forward throughout his time in England, scoring a whopping 20 goals during the 2013-14 Premier League season, while also amassing nine assists.

Since then, City’s style of play has changed, with Guardiola’s side reliant on Erling Haaland to provide the majority of their goals, and the Norwegian certainly hasn’t disappointed so far this season, averaging 1.05 goals per 90 in the Premier League, having found the back of the net 15 times.

However, Man City have now joined the race for an up-and-coming central midfielder with shades of Toure, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states they have identified Trabzonspor’s Christ Inao Oulai as a priority target.

Bayern Munich and Manchester United are also rivalling City for the 19-year-old’s signature, with all three clubs identifying him as one of their key teenage targets in Europe.

In his hometown of Yopougon in the Ivory Coast, the teenager is known as ‘Le Petit Yaya’, while City view him as a long-term partner for Rodri in midfield, and believe he could replace the Spaniard on a long-term basis.

Pep's a big fan: Man City leading race for "superstar" and ready to bid £65m+

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ByDominic Lund 6 days ago

It could be difficult to get a deal over the line, however, with Trabzonspor unwilling to sanction a departure in January, and looking to receive £35m.

Christ Inao Oulai already a "top-level midfielder"

Former Premier League midfielder Michael Essien is a keen admirer of the Trabzonspor star, saying: “He’s a top-level midfielder, and he’s only 19 years old. I hope to see him one day wearing the Chelsea jersey.”

The two-time Ivory Coast international has emerged as a key player for the Turkish side this season, displaying his attacking prowess by chipping in with one goal and two assists in eight Super Lig matches.

Bernardo Silva’s future at Man City is up in the air, given that his contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and it has been suggested that Guardiola is willing to let the Portugal international move on.

As such, it could be a savvy move to bring in a central midfielder with attacking qualities in January or the summer, and Inao Oulai is exhibiting very promising signs in the Super Lig.

Everton are keen to bring in some fresh blood during the January window and could now be lining up a multi-layered deal to acquire a former star at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton left frustrated after heavy defeat against Newcastle United

Despite holding home advantage, Everton were beaten convincingly by Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Saturday and will feel a sense of frustration at their poor defensive display, a rarity under the stewardship of David Moyes.

After a joyous victory away at Manchester United on Monday, despite having ten men for much of the affair, the Toffees failed to show the same resilience against Eddie Howe’s men and paid the price under the lights at their new stadium.

Speaking post-match, the Scot had no excuses for his side being unable to trouble the Geordies and made it clear that their European experience was a factor that helped shape a difficult night for the hosts.

He said: “We were beaten by a far better team. We go again, you move on but Newcastle were much better than us. You can see the experience they are gaining from playing in European games. They were just much more powerful than us all night.”

Even with a decent start to the Premier League campaign under their belt, Everton are building for January and could target FC Midtjylland forward Franculino Dju to try and arrest Thierno Barry’s goal drought since arriving on Merseyside.

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Celtic’s Daizen Maeda is also a wanted man and may be attainable, though they could also be willing to strengthen further back on the left-hand side if recent developments were to come to fruition.

Everton could look to re-sign Antonee Robinson

According to Alan Nixon on Patreon, Everton are keen to re-sign Fulham captain Antonee Robinson and believe £25m could be enough to secure his signature in January.

Armed with several formulas to potentially complete a deal, Vitaly Mykolenko has been mentioned as a potential swap option, with the Toffees unlikely to meet the Cottagers’ £40m valuation of the United States international.

Lauded by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley last season as being “one of the best left-backs in the world”, Robinson has made just four appearances for Fulham this term and has struggled with knee problems, which have seen him miss six Premier League matches in a row as he looks to get back to fitness.

Having come through the youth system at Everton before joining Wigan Athletic and then going on to move to West London, he is acutely aware of the club’s culture and would be a seamless fit, though it remains to be seen if the Blues can push a deal over the line.

MatériaMais Notícias

O goleiro Carlos Miguel não teve vida fácil para conquistar a titularidade recente no gol do Corinthians, já que precisou desbancar o ídolo Cássio para isso. Agora, com espaço no time, o arqueiro de 25 anos precisa continuar mostrando trabalho para seguir na equipe de António Oliveira. Tudo indica que ele estará em campo nesta terça-feira (7), contra o Nacional-PAR, pela Sul-Americana, no Defensores del Chaco, no Paraguai.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Corinthians no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Timão

+ Acredita que o Timão vai avançar no Grupo F da Sul-Americana? As apostas a longo prazo são boas opções. Odd em 3.40!

Carlos Miguel já fez três jogos como titular, uma sequência inédita, já que ainda não havia passado de duas partidas consecutivas (contra Cianorte e Ponte Preta). Ele começou a ganhar sequência contra o Fluminense, pelo Brasileirão, no último dia 28, na vitória por 3 a 0. Depois, esteve em campo contra o América-RN, quando o Timão venceu por 2 a 1, pela Copa do Brasil e, por fim, neste final de semana, no empate sem gols contra o Fortaleza, pelo Brasileirão.

Neste período, o goleiro sofreu apenas um gol e fez boas defesas, o que praticamente garante a continuidade na meta corintiana. Isso porque Cássio também demonstrou irregularidade e também chegou a comentar sobre seu desgaste e saúde mental.

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Desde sua chegada, em agosto de 2021, o goleiro fez 18 partidas, 13 delas como titular. Os números são positivos: 13 vitórias, quatro empates e apenas uma derrota. Além disso, foram apenas seis gols sofridos no total.

➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

Na Sul-Americana, o Alvinegro tem quatro pontos e está em terceiro lugar, com uma vitória, um empate e uma derrota até aqui.

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Carlos MiguelCorinthiansFutebol Nacional

Middlesex fell 42 short as Hampshire progress to face Yorkshire in the semi-finals

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 28-Aug-2025

Ali Orr’s second century of the tournament guided Hampshire into the Metro Bank One Day Cup semi-finals as they saw off Middlesex in their play-off at Radlett.The left-hander struck 108, batting through most of the innings to underpin Hampshire’s recovery from 95 for 5 as they set their opponents a target of 230 with paceman Henry Brookes taking four for 53.Liam Dawson then stifled Middlesex’s reply with his spell of 4 for 33, supported by fellow left-arm spinner Andrew Neal (1 for 30) as the Seaxes were bowled out for 187 in 45.3 overs.Sam Robson top-scored with 48 and Toby Roland-Jones’ late unbeaten cameo of 39 prolonged the contest, but it was not enough to deny Hampshire a semi-final date on Sunday, when they will face Yorkshire at Scarborough.Middlesex made three changes to the side that had clinched a tense win at Lancashire to secure their knockout place, including returns for Roland-Jones and Ryan Higgins who both sent down tidy opening spells.Despite that, Orr and Nick Gubbins built a steady partnership of 45 until Brookes struck with his second delivery, tempting the Hampshire captain into a mistimed pull that sailed straight to midwicket.Fletcha Middleton was next to depart, caught behind nudging at a Brookes outswinger and the seamer soon grabbed his – and Middlesex’s – third wicket when Ben Brown was pinned leg before.Orr batted fluently, timing his shots on both sides of the wicket and steering Brookes to the point boundary to pass 50 for the second time in as many innings, but Middlesex continued to make inroads.Dawson, drafted in for his first appearance of the tournament, fell lbw to Sebastian Morgan, while Zafar Gohar’s miserly stint of one for 29 brought him the wicket of Ben Mayes, caught miscuing a reverse sweep.However, James Fuller’s spirited 42 provided the perfect foil for Orr, with the pair adding 96 from 18 overs before Higgins had the all-rounder caught in the deep.Having advanced to three figures in style by hooking Brookes for six, Orr eventually holed out to long on off Higgins, his departure effectively ending Hampshire’s hopes of clambering above 250.Middlesex rejigged their batting order, promoting Nathan Fernandes to open in the wake of his match-winning 92 at Old Trafford and the left-hander continued in similar vein with two sweetly-struck straight drives to the rope off Kyle Abbott.Although Josh de Caires fell to Fuller’s diving catch around the corner, the batting side still looked reasonably comfortable at 66 for 1 before they were decisively pegged back by the Hampshire spinners.Fernandes’ innings of 42 came to an end when he was pinned leg before by Neal and Dawson then removed Ben Geddes in the same manner before having Higgins taken low at slip.Along with seamer Eddie Jack, the spin duo smothered their opponents’ scoring rate in the middle overs and it fell to Robson to dig in, take advantage of rare stray deliveries and attempt to take the game deep.Joe Cracknell launched a brief counter-attack, clubbing a six and two fours from one Fuller over to reach 22 from as many balls, but the bowler took his revenge by dismissing both Cracknell and Gohar in the space of three deliveries.Brown’s neat stumping to remove Robson brought Hampshire a third wicket with the score unchanged and that appeared to signal the end of Middlesex’s challenge, but Roland-Jones went on the offensive, battering Abbott for a trio of off-side boundaries.He added 45 for the ninth wicket with Morgan, but Hampshire were not be denied and Dawson sealed victory by bowling last man Brookes in the 46th over.

The PCB has overhauled its domestic structure yet again, featuring a slimmed down Quaid-e-Azam trophy (QeA) with just eight regional teams in it, and culling the much-trumpeted Champions Cup tournaments from the calendar after just one season. Separate tournaments – the President’s Trophy and Cup – remain for departmental sides, long a feature of the Pakistan domestic circuit.One of the biggest potential consequences of cutting down the QeA Trophy from a bloated 18 teams last season to just eight this coming one is that it might not ultimately feature a team from Karachi – the country’s biggest city and economic capital – in the country’s premier first-class event. Both Karachi Blues and Karachi Whites will play in the non-first class Hanif Mohammad Trophy – one rung below the QeA – based on their finishing positions in last year’s QeA Trophy.At that stage, however, none of the teams were aware that the tournament would be revamped in such a manner whereby, effectively, 12 teams would stand relegated. That tournament will start the domestic season from 15 August and the top-two sides will qualify to play in the QeA Trophy, which would be the route available to a Karachi side to make it through.Though the status has changed somewhat in recent decades, Karachi has long been a domestic powerhouse, both in terms of trophies won and as a provider of talent. It will not be a change that goes down well with the city’s cricket fraternity.The PCB said it had made the changes in the hopes of “increased competitiveness”. The tournament will now be played on a single-league basis, with 29 matches from September 22 to November 7. All the matches will be played at four venues across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, though the PCB did not say why it had restricted the event to the twin cities.In keeping with the spirt of paring back the calendar, the board has also quietly dropped the Champions Cup series of events. Introduced last season with much publicity and considerable cost, it was pitched as a premier event in each of the game’s three formats, featuring five teams and, in theory, the country’s best players. A 50-over version was held, as was a T20 event, but the first-class tournament never took place. The tournaments were supposed to bridge the gap between domestic cricket and international cricket, identified by the board as a problem. Those events are now gone, not even finding a mention in the press release.A 10-team National T20 Cup remains on the calendar, but it comes with a qualifying stage – “to further enhance competitiveness” according to the board – preceding it, with another 10 teams involved. The top two will go through to the Super 10 stage, which will be played in Faisalabad in from March 1 to 12, 2026.”We are pleased to unveil a domestic structure that places merit, opportunity and competitiveness at its core,” PCB’s chief operating officer Sumair Ahmed Syed said in a statement. “The 2025-26 season has been designed to provide a clear pathway for teams and players to progress based on performance, not reputation.”Introducing a qualifier for both the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the National T20 ensures that every match in our domestic calendar carries significant weight. This not only raises the standard of competition but also fosters a high-performance culture across all formats.”The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will now feature the most in-form and deserving teams, while the Hanif Mohammad Trophy gives 12 regions a meaningful chance to stake their claim. Similarly, the Super 10 format of the National T20 is a step towards creating more high-intensity, quality cricket.”Domestic cricket in Pakistan has undergone structural or format changes nearly every season since the QeA Trophy was first played in 1953-54.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been warned that he could lose his job if he fails to deliver the Premier League title as the Gunners have already opened up a sizeable gap at the top. After coming agonisingly close in the past three seasons, the Gunners have been told that anything less than lifting the trophy this year could mark the end of Arteta’s tenure in north London.

• Arsenal take command as rivals stumble

  Arteta's men have looked a cut above the rest so far, grinding out results with an air of confidence. Their latest triumph was a gritty 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday. The win saw them open a four-point cushion at the top. Liverpool’s shock 3-2 defeat to Brentford was their fourth loss on the bounce, while Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City fell 1-0 to Aston Villa. Former Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze provided the decisive strike for Arsenal, slamming home in the first half. The result extended Arsenal’s unbeaten league run and made it four wins in a row, with three of those accompanied by clean sheets. Now sitting pretty with 22 points from nine matches, they lead Bournemouth by four points, while early challengers City and Liverpool are down in fifth and seventh respectively.

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  Wayne Rooney sounds a stark warning

  While Arsenal’s form has drawn praise, United legend Wayne Rooney has urged caution and dropped a big warning for Arteta. Speaking in the latest episode of the former United striker said: "The squad is good enough now and I think they've had the experiences which have got them close, but I think they're ready for it. If they don't win it now, you'd probably see a change of manager."

  Gary Neville, another Old Trafford icon, went even further, proclaiming that Arsenal have one hand on the title already. Speaking on The , he said: "This has got to be them, hasn't it? This has got to be their year. This is the fourth season on the bounce that I've had them to win the league, but they're not necessarily miles better, they're repeating their levels of consistency, and that's all they're going to have to do this year to win the league. They're not going to have to go and get 100 points, they're not going to have to get even 90 or 95 points to win the league, mid-80s, high 80s will win them this title, and they can do that.

  "I mentioned before about the other teams [being] inconsistent and unreliable, that's not this Arsenal team. They're very reliable. You can trust them. The way in which they defend is fantastic. They're all around each other. They don't concede goals. They've got a threat up front in multiple areas. They've not got a sensational centre-forward, but they've got a battering ram up there as honest as a day's long, and that can work for them. They've got [Eberechi] Eze, they've got so they've got [Noni] Madueke, [Gabriel] Martinelli, [Leandro] Trossard, lots of players who can contribute goals. They've got [Declan] Rice who can obviously deliver in set-pieces. They've got four fantastic full-backs and three excellent centre-backs."

• Arsenal's defensive discipline reaches historic heights

  Arsenal’s rise has been built on a defensive foundation few teams in England can match. The Gunners have now played 100 consecutive matches across all competitions without conceding three goals in a single game, which places them alongside Manchester United. The last time Arsenal shipped three in a league match was almost two years ago during a thrilling 4-3 win over Luton Town in December 2023. 

  Neville urged the Gunners to keep their feet grounded and build on the early momentum. He added: "So there are a lot of very good things going for Arsenal. It's about making sure now they don't get carried away. It's about making sure they just keep doing the same things. They don't need to do anything spectacular here. Just keep doing your jobs. Keep doing what you do, and you will win this league. It's yours to win. This is your title, Arsenal. I've never really felt that sure before. It's so early in the season, it's madness for someone with the experience that I've got of winning titles to say that 'it's yours', but it really is.

  "They must feel it themselves. The Arsenal fans must feel it. They must know that this is the moment that Arsenal can get back on top. This is a moment for Mikel Arteta, for these players, for Arsenal to represent themselves as being the best in the country. The chance and the opportunity is there for them, they've got to go and take it."

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  A busy November for Arteta

  The next three fixtures could prove a defining stretch for Arteta’s men, who are now chasing success on multiple fronts. Arsenal face Brighton in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday. They’ll then turn their attention back to the league with a trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley, before switching to Champions League duties against Slavia Prague. However, the more demanding tests come after the international break as they are set to host Tottenham in the north London derby, followed by a Champions League date with Bayern Munich, and will then travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on November 30. 

Shubman Gill’s leadership will combine the “intensity” of Virat Kohli and the “more laid-back” leadership of Rohit Sharma in his first series as India’s Test captain against England, according to Jos Buttler.Buttler played under Gill’s captaincy in the IPL this year, with his Gujarat Titans (GT) side qualifying for the playoffs and both men scoring more than 500 runs each in the campaign. Speaking on , his new podcast with Stuart Broad, Buttler said that Gill will be “his own man” while combining the best traits of his two predecessors.”He’s a really impressive player and an impressive young man,” Buttler said. “He’s pretty calm and measured when he speaks, but [it’s] interesting, I feel like on the field he’s got a bit of fight about him; a bit of intensity, quite passionate. I think he’ll be a mix of Kohli and Rohit.Related

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“Kohli [was] that sort of real aggressive [character], really transformed the Indian team, in your face, up for the contest. Rohit [was] a bit on the other side, a bit more laid back, very cool, calm, collected customer, but with that sort of fight. I feel like, from my time knowing Shubman so far, he’ll be a bit in the middle. He’s obviously learned from those two guys… but he’ll be very much his own man.”Buttler has spent more time in India than any other England player of his era, and said it is hard for English fans to comprehend the “stardom” of India’s best players. He predicted that one of Gill’s biggest challenges will be to ensure that he does not let the captaincy affect his batting – as happened with Buttler towards the end of his England’s white-ball captaincy.”He talked about compartmentalising batting and captaining; so when he’s batting he just wants to be a batter, and then he will try and work on his captaincy and try and separate the two roles,” Butler said. “When you’re doing such a big job as being captain of the Indian cricket team, he’ll have to try and do that well and have some good people supporting him.”I don’t think we can quite understand the level of interest and the stardom that these guys have. You see it around the IPL, you’re aware of it, but actually living that yourself… I think they say the Indian Test captain is like the third or fourth-most influential person in India, behind the Prime Minister etc. – so you really are put up on that pedestal.”It’s going to be a huge job for him. He’s obviously captained two seasons of IPL cricket, which is a big, pressurised job and he’s sort of the prince. Kohli is the king, Shubman is the prince: that’s the narrative that they spin out there, and I feel that he’s the coming man… Stepping into that No. 4, it’s big shoes, isn’t it? Coming behind Virat, and Sachin Tendulkar before that as well. That’s obviously a huge role.”India’s tour of England will begin with the first Test in Leeds from June 20.