First and foremost, Newcastle United have no pressing concerns relating to finances and the ever-ominous profit and sustainability rules in the Premier League.

Furthermore, technical director Ross Wilson is now settled into his chair in the St. James’ Park offices, and have formed a good early relationship with Eddie Howe as they look to tackle key areas of the squad.

Now is the time for action. It’s been a wobbly start to the season after a summer of upheaval, but United are beginning to show green shoots in their bid to cement themselves as Champions League contenders and a multi-trophy-winning outfit.

Defensive positions are being examined, but with Joelinton’s form lacking in stages this season, Howe wants a new midfielder.

The question on everyone’s lips: Will it be Elliot Anderson?

Newcastle chasing elite midfielder

Howe spoke at the start of October about his desire to bring Anderson back home. The 23-year-old was sold to Nottingham Forest in 2024 and he has since become a top-class midfielder. It was not a happy sale for the Magpies, whose hand was forced by PSR.

Now, United want him back. The problem? Manchester City and Manchester United are also keen, and the Tricky Trees have priced their gem in excess of £100m.

This is a superstar in the making. Already, he is ranking favourably against the likes of Sandro Tonali in the Newcastle midfield; the Italian is widely regarded as one of the best in the Premier League.

If Newcastle are fruitless in their bid to sign Anderson, they could do worse than fall back on Scott McTominay, who was named the Serie A MVP last season after leading Napoli to the Scudetto.

As per Chronicle Live, McTominay is reportedly unsettled in Naples and is considering a return to the Premier League. Newcastle would be right there, offering the Scotland star a chance to take his career to the next level.

Valued at £70m, McTominay, 28, will not be short of suitors in 2026, but sources close to the player suggest that he would be open to moving to Tyneside and working under Howe’s stewardship.

What McTominay would offer Newcastle

It’s a testament to McTominay’s meteoric rise in Italy that had Newcastle signed him from Manchester United, it would have been a move met with indifference.

But now, he is revered as a hero for both club and country, 18th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings and regarded as a “true superstar of European and world football”, as said by content creator Adam Joseph.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, his former boss at Old Trafford, also hailed him as a “physical monster” once, and this is why McTominay could be such an interesting Anderson alternative.

He is capable of show-stopping moments, but the Tartan Army hero also has the athleticism and defensive attributes to dovetail right into Howe’s engine room.

His high duel success bespeaks his tenacity, and his eye for goal makes him an intriguing option to place just ahead of Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, both elegant and combative players with excellent passing ranges, sure to pick out the Napoli star’s surges into the danger area.

Matches (starts)

37 (33)

34 (33)

Goals

2

12

Assists

6

4

Touches*

54.2

43.1

Accurate passes*

28.7 (82%)

22.7 (85%)

Chances created*

1.0

0.8

Dribbles*

1.0

1.1

Ball recoveries*

5.6

4.2

Tackles + interceptions*

2.5

2.0

Duels (won)*

6.5

6.1

Anderson has since raised his level, but McTominay has hardly regressed himself, instrumental in a title-defending Napoli team that trail first-placed AC Milan this season by only a single point.

There is a winning mentality about McTominay that Newcastle need to take their project to the next level, and while the 23-year-old Anderson would be a fantastic addition, this would provide Howe with the instant effect he and his team need.

Newcastle need a new midfielder, and that won’t change. Either of these stars would mark stunning acquisitions.

He wants to leave: PIF must sell Newcastle's "poor man's Haaland"

Newcastle United must cash in on this player who reportedly wants to move on from the club in January.

1 ByDan Emery Dec 1, 2025

Tottenham recruitment chiefs have reportedly set their sights on an “elite” talent who Man City boss Pep Guardiola called “unbelievable”, with the looming January transfer window set to be an intriguing one for Spurs and Thomas Frank.

The Lewis family, after parting company with ex-chairman Daniel Levy, have made their intentions to back the club pretty known.

After injecting £100 million worth of new capital into Spurs via ENIC, they sought to re-appoint transfer guru Fabio Paratici as a co-sporting director, where he’ll work alongside Johan Lange overseeing their drive for new signings.

Amid their striker conundrum, with Randal Kolo Muani now sidelined with a jaw problem, Dominic Solanke still recovering and Richarlison largely out of form, Tottenham are exploring the possibility of a new striker arriving mid-season.

Frank has even reportedly held direct talks with Ivan Toney about a potential loan move to N17 with the 2026 World Cup looming and his England place in doubt, while Juventus star Dušan Vlahović is believed to be another Spurs target as his contract ticks down towards expiry.

According to other reports, the Lilywhites also have plans to bring in another winger and centre-back at the turn of the year, even if Radu Dragusin and Dejan Kulusevski are poised to return from their long-term injuries fairly soon.

However, according to a new report from TEAMtalk and journalist Dean Jones, Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is also attracting their attention.

Tottenham chiefs really want Spurs to sign Bournemouth sensation Alex Scott

The 22-year-old has started nearly all of high-flying Bournemouth’s 11 Premier League games this season and was a surprise inclusion for Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad to face Serbia and Albania. More interestingly, Tottenham hold an historic interest in Scott, which dates all the way back to 2022 during his Bristol City days.

Once likened to Jack Grealish, the Guernsey-native was dubbed an “elite” level talent on the rise back when he was 18 and making a name for himself at Bristol, with Guardiola confessed to be among his many admirers.

With Scott now making a name for himself in Europe’s most competitive division, Spurs’ admiration for the player hasn’t gone away.

As per Jones, some members of Tottenham’s transfer team are “very hot” on Scott right now, and a move for him in the near future could be on the cards.

According to Opta, no Bournemouth midfielder has made more dribbles than Scott or won more ground duels than the new England international — demonstrating his ability to excel both defensively and in the forward areas.

Scott also started in England’s victorious U21 European Championship final against Germany in June, with Spurs chiefs potentially taking interest in one of the country’s next rising stars who’s perhaps less talked about.

According to another report, though, he won’t be let go on the cheap.

Bournemouth could demand as much as £65 million for Scott, or more, with the Cherries aiming to make a near-triple profit on a player they signed for just £25 million.

The July 4 holiday is behind us, and while many people return to work to begin this week, there are several MLB teams that have an off day on Monday.

That leaves us with just seven games to bet today, but as always as SI Betting, we're going to share a moneyline bet for every single matchup.

There are a few series that are wrapping up on Monday, and a few starting, including the Arizona Diamondbacks taking on the Atlanta Braves in the late game on the slate.

New York Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction and Pick

Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller struggled in his last two outings, giving up 10 runs (eight earned) to push his ERA to 3.48 on the season. However, I still think he gives the Pirates the advantage in this one.

Pittsburgh is 11-6 straight up when Keller is on the mound, and he's allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his last 10 starts. Meanwhile, New York Mets starter Christian Scott comes into this game with a 4.32 ERA, and New York is just 1-5 in his six starts.

Pittsburgh is in a prime spot to win the series finale tonight.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals Prediction and Pick

This is a great spot for the Washington Nationals, as youngster Mitchell Parker (a lefty) should have a chance to shut down a St. Louis Cardinals lineup that is 29th in the league in OPS.

Miles Mikolas (5.19 ERA) gets the ball for St. Louis, and the Cards are just 8-10 in his 18 starts. I love the Nationals to pick up a win at home in this one.

Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers Prediction and Pick

Neither Gavin Williams or Keider Montero has pitched well — or pitched much — in the 2024 season, so I'm going to roll with the team that has been better in 2024.

The Guardians still lead the AL Central division with a 56-32 record and plus-97 run differential while the Tigers are just minus-19 in their run differential this season. I expect them to grab a win on Monday.

Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds Prediction and Pick

Cincinnati is a must bet in this spot at home.

The Colorado Rockies are just 5-12 in Ryan Feltner's outings this season — he's posted a 1-7 record of his own — and Cincy has Andrew Abbott (8-6, 3.28 ERA) on the mound.

Back the Reds to snap their three-game skid tonight.

Minnesota Twins vs. Chicago White Sox Prediction and Pick

My favorite trends in Major League Baseball is back in action tonight.

Chicago White Sox starter Chris Flexen is on the mound against the Minnesota Twins, and the White Sox are just 2-16 when he pitches in 2024. So, we're betting the Twins — even though they've yet to announce a starter — on Monday.

Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels Prediction and Pick

Davis Daniel is making just his third start of the season for the Los Angeles Angels, but I think he's in a prime spot to lead the Angels to an upset win.

The Texas Rangers have struggled on the road (18-27 straight up) this season, and starter Jon Gray has allowed nine, zero, eight and three runs over his last four starts. Gray's ERA has ballooned to 3.92 after he entered his June 17 start with a 2.17 mark.

I'll roll with the Angels at home in this one.

Atlanta Braves vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction and Pick

Chris Sale is on the mound for the Atlanta Braves, and that's been a great sign all season long, as he's posted a 2.71 and has led the Braves to an 11-5 record in his starts.

Yilber Diaz will make his Major League debut for the D-Backs in a tough spot against a Braves offense that is one of the best in baseball.

During one of the most pivotal moments of Game 3 of the World Series, the Dodgers turned to one of their most iconic and experienced players.

Clayton Kershaw, who has made 451 starts for L.A. in his esteemed career, entered Monday's game during the 12th inning in relief of Emmet Sheehan. Kershaw inherited an extremely delicate situation; two outs and the bases loaded in extra innings of the World Series.

It was a tense moment for everyone in the ballpark, and everyone watching at home. The 37-year-old, who is pitching in his last postseason before retirement, was called upon for one final, crucial out.

And he delivered. Kershaw induced a ground out to second base in order to escape the bases-loaded jam, keeping the score knotted at 5–5. His wife, Ellen, who was watching from the stands at Dodger Stadium, went through an emotional roller coaster, which ended in jubilation after the ground out.

That's what October baseball is all about. Ellen was holding on for dear life throughout the eight-pitch at-bat, and Clayton delivered in the biggest spot with an absolutely vital third out.

It was a short outing for Kershaw, but he did exactly what was asked of him out of the bullpen, easing the nerves of Dodgers fans and his wife alike.

Former Red Sox outfielder and 2018 World Series champion Jackie Bradley Jr. has not played in the major leagues since the 2023 season. But instead of retiring, Bradley is taking a different path in an effort to extend his playing career.

Bradley was drafted with the No. 1 pick by the Indianapolis Clowns in the inaugural Banana Ball League draft on Thursday night. The exhibition baseball league, made famous by the Savannah Bananas, will play a 60-game schedule in 2026 featuring six teams: the Bananas, Clowns, Party Animals, Firefighters, Loco Beach Coconuts and the Texas Tailgaters.

The opportunity for Bradley to join the Banana Ball league, specifically with the Clowns, was a meaningful one. The Clowns' addition to Banana Ball next season is a revival of the club from their days in the Negro Leagues. The Clowns were disbanded in 1989, but have now been brought back to play in 2026.

"I feel like this was another opportunity to not only the league, but to be able to help the people behind me to…hopefully, catapult other African-American ballplayers to want to play the game," Bradley told ESPN.

The 2016 American League All-Star is not ruling out a return to the major leagues, but is also happy with where things stand in regard to his professional career.

"If there's an opportunity to go back, I would obviously weigh that," Bradley added. "If that's for my family, then I'm not going to rule out any opportunities. But it's not something I'm striving for. I'm very content with how my career has unfolded. I've been truly blessed. I'm just enjoying the moment."

“The tour will soon become more of a cricket challenge than a health-related challenge”

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Jun-2020How significant is this tour?
I am pretty confident the players and management understand the historic aspect of this tour. They understand it’s a great opportunity for them to play some good cricket in an environment [playing in England] that several of them are not very familiar with. It is also giving players the opportunity to grow their game. I tend to look at these things from a cricket-first perspective, and when all is said and done, this tour will be about good cricket and about defending the Wisden Trophy, which we won in 2019.The world of cricket will be happy to see cricket restarting, but not at all costs. Covid-19 risk had to be addressed and we are confident that the key elements and protocols have been put in place. This is about two cricket boards doing the best they can to get international cricket happening. Is this of financial value to England? Everybody says it is, and I’m sure it must be. For Cricket West Indies it is of cricket value and reputational value.Are West Indies taking a bigger risk by travelling to England?
I don’t think we are taking a bigger risk. The way international cricket commerce is currently structured, we have much less to gain [financially] than England has, but the players [from both teams] will face the same risks. The English players and management are not going to be in a better position than we are under the protocols that have been set up. That is one thing which I made very, very clear as well – that those protocols must apply to all. We have been assured of that by highly qualified medical officials.It is also an opportunity for our major sponsor Sandals to get their brand exposed to the English market. But that’s not why we are going to England. We are going because we are convinced it is going to be safe to do so and because we are committed to make the future tours arrangements work, if possible.Look, just waking up every day is a risk. But the medical people on both sides of the Atlantic – in the UK and the Caribbean – have been engaged in several conferences on risks specific to Covid-19. We were assured that the risk would be minimal, and I believed it could be done. If not we wouldn’t be doing it. It does merit concern, but all of the concerns have been addressed.

“These are young, healthy cricketers. The normal risk with Covid-19 for that category is already relatively low. If you start from that point and then take the risk downwards, you will understand why we got the final approval.”

As the CWI president, what was the one thing you needed assurance of?
We had to have secure and safe travel unencumbered by other non-cricket participants, so the travel arrangements are by private charters. I thought the highest risk was going to be in the travel segments. Once they get into the protected bubble that’s been created, I’ve been assured the squad would be very, very safe.The key thing for me was our medical people saying, “Yes, it’s a go.” Once the medical people said that the risk was no greater than the normal risk living here in the Caribbean and that the environment that was being put together for our squad in the UK was safe… They assured me they had looked at it from all angles.These are young, healthy, enthusiastic cricketers. The normal risk with Covid-19 for that category of individuals is already relatively low. If you start from that point and then take the risk downwards everywhere you can, you will understand why we got to the final point of agreement and approval.The other thing, which was actually one of the first things that the CEO [Johnny Grave] and myself discussed was, in no way any player be arm-twisted into participating and in no way any player be punished for deciding not to go. I was manager of West Indies 18 years ago when there was a civil war in Sri Lanka. And there was a similar situation of assessing risk, but we went on the tour.West Indies cricket is about playing exciting cricket and entertaining fans all over the world. Obviously, safety and security are two pertinent and relevant ongoing issues that always need to be dealt with scientifically, pragmatically and thoroughly, and we think we have done so in this case.And hence it was easy for you to convince the CWI board?
The board discussed it thoroughly and agreed that we should go ahead. This was not a Ricky Skerritt decision. This was a Cricket West Indies decision based on the best possible advice and inputs that we could muster.Have you addressed the squad?
I addressed the 36 players and management who participated in a group call last week on Monday [before the final squad of 25 including reserves was picked]. I basically confirmed to them that the CWI board had only approved the tour once we had received the recommendations from the key medical people. I assured them that if we had felt in any way at all that there was a higher risk than reasonable, we would not have agreed. We saw this tour as a commitment because of the ICC Future Tours Programme and the World Test Championships that is ongoing.I encouraged all of the players to use this as an opportunity to grow their own game and to do what they do best: play positive and exciting cricket. Although the world of cricket is changing dramatically and they are facing an uncertain future because of Covid-19, I congratulated them for being part of history.This is an unprecedented tour in that it would be played in a bio-secure environment. Due to the many unknowns, the mental aspect for players becomes very important. What are the measures being taken to keep the players positive in this bubble that they will be in for seven weeks?
We have put together a management team made up mostly of the best West Indian professionals available to us. It includes a medical doctor accompanying the team, Dr Praimanand Singh, who is from Jamaica and has been on the frontline dealing with Covid-19. He also has a significant sports medicine background, having worked with cricketers for at least the last 20 years. We also have a mental coach in Donald La Guerre along with two physios and two massage therapists.So the management team has been beefed up to be the largest that it has ever been with a West Indies team. And it is not about size, it is about making sure that the players can get the kind of personal, physical, medical and emotional attention they may need. Also, the ECB has assured us that there will be a significant line-up of key medical people available if need be. We are confident that once the players get into the bio-secure environment and develop a sustainable preparation routine, the focus will be more and more on cricket.Do you reckon this tour is a good opportunity for West Indies to do something special?
Exactly. West Indies are defending champions of the Wisden Trophy. Players who are now travelling to England, for no doing of theirs and for no fault of theirs, will find themselves in the middle of history. To me, the psychological concerns about Covid-19 will lessen as the players get settled in. Their bigger pressures would be related to playing their best cricket and getting to a point, within just three weeks to be precise, to be ready to put out their best efforts, having not played any competitive cricket for three months. That is not easy for any cricketer, much less a young cricketer without vast experience. So it will soon become more of a cricket challenge than a health-related challenge, in my opinion. But I know our squad will rise to it.

It doesn’t look good, but it is possible. Here’s how.

Gaurav Sundararaman22-Oct-2020 How CSK can make the playoffs
Chennai Super Kings have qualified for the playoffs in every single season they have taken part. However, 2020 has other plans. They are in last position with a poor net run rate (NRR). Not all is lost though. They still can qualify if certain results go their way. We look at a couple of scenarios in which Super Kings can make the final four. Without NRR coming into play

For starters the Super Kings need to start winning. They need to win all the four games they have remaining. They also need to hope that the top three teams currently (Mumbai, Royal Challengers and Delhi Capitals) continue with their winning ways. The results of the matches between the top three teams do not really matter to the Super Kings.They can still get to the fourth spot if the top three teams keep winning, and the Knight Riders win just one of their next four games and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI and Rajasthan Royals don’t win more than two games.In such a scenario, Super Kings would finish with 14 points alongside Capitals, Mumbai and Royal Challengers. Net Run Rate would not come into play. With NRR coming into play
There is another scenario where Super Kings could be tied with multiple teams on 14 and go through on net run rate. In such a scenario Super Kings need to ensure they win a couple of matches by big margins to move to a positive net run rate since teams like Sunrisers are well placed with a positive run rate.
If Super Kings lose to Mumbai, they wouldn’t still be out of the competition. They can qualify with 12 points similar to Sunrisers last season. But, this scenario is very far-fetched. Knight Riders need to win just one match while Kings XI, Royals and Sunrisers should win at the most two matches. Since Super Kings’ net run rate is in the negative (-0.463) they will have to beat the other teams pretty heavily to go through in this scenario as their competing teams such as Sunrisers have a positive net run rate at 0.092. Mumbai’s chances
Mumbai are sitting pretty with 12 points. If they beat Super Kings, they would go to 14 points and top the table. If they lose, they still have four more matches to try and reach the top two positions.

The strengthened relationship between the ground and Cricket Australia has proved vital

Daniel Brettig28-Oct-2020A little less than two months ago the SCG Trust chairman, Tony Shepherd, discovered he had been thwarted in a quest to bring the AFL Grand Final to Sydney.Football’s decision to award the competition decider to Brisbane and the Gabba on September 1, left Shepherd looking towards Melbourne’s other iconic day of the year, the Boxing Day Test, as a chance to step in amid an Australian sporting calendar challenged by Covid-19.His first contact was Cricket Australia’s chairman Earl Eddings, who gave the approach short shrift. Eddings, a staunch Victorian, was still hoping that Melbourne’s coronavirus numbers would ease in enough time to allow the MCG to host a Test match, albeit with reduced capacity, a hope that has proven well founded. Equally, Brisbane seemed a more likely proposition to host India’s arrival for the start of their tour, with white-ball matches likely to be shared between the Gabba and the Gold Coast.In years gone by, this early September exchange between the Trust and cricket might have been a rare conversation amid a generally frosty link between the SCG’s custodians and their oldest tenants. But as a result of significant relationship building between Shepherd, Eddings and the Cricket New South Wales chairman John Knox over the past two years, the dialogue was jovial, and soon to evolve into much more mutually beneficial territory.ALSO READ: Brisbane’s loss is new host Sydney’s gain“I really started going on this a while ago when I put the proposal forward that if the MCG can’t host the Boxing Day Test then we would be happy to host it in their stead,” Shepherd told ESPNcricinfo. “That wasn’t an opportunity to knock out the MCG, we were just saying ‘look it’s a great tradition and they’re a sister club of ours we like a lot, but if it’s not possible to have it there then we could squeeze it into our schedule and host it at the SCG’.”I spoke to Earl at that time and he said ‘no, we’re confident it will be at the MCG, it may have reduced numbers’. Then we heard they were looking at how they’re going to handle the T20s and the one dayers with the Indian touring team, and I let Earl know we were very happy to help.”If you look at it logically, Sydney is a great location, we’ve got one of the lowest infection rates in the world, we’ve freed up attendance at arenas quicker and better than anybody else, we’ve got the best tracking and tracing system probably in the world, and it’s a lovely environment. The Indian diaspora in Sydney is bigger than any other city in Australia – whenever the Indians are playing a Test at the SCG, the whole ground’s on fire, they’re just wonderful spectators. I said ‘this is the logical place to be’.”Initially, Eddings kept his counsel, but by the weekend of October 17-18 it had become increasingly clear that previously fruitful conversations with Queensland state government – which saw Allan Border Field host the women’s series between Australia and New Zealand – had stumbled as the state’s election crept ever closer. On the Sunday, it was not Shepherd reaching out in search of extra content for the SCG, but Eddings seeking a port of entry for the Indian touring party, and with it the six white-ball matches to be played before the Tests.”Earl then rang me a couple of weeks ago and said ‘look, it could be on, would you guys be happy to host it’ and I said ‘absolutely mate, I don’t have to check with anybody, we’d be delighted to host it, it’d be a terrific opportunity for us, and we’ll do anything we can to help out, but you’ll obviously have to deal with the NSW government’, which he did,” Shepherd said. “I’ve got very close to Earl over the last few years, and I’d say our relationship with CA has never been as strong before as it is now.”Meg Lanning looks on as Australia wait to take the field•Getty ImagesThis hasn’t all simply been a matter of glad handing and amiable conversation in corporate boxes. The Trust’s standing in the eyes of cricket administration has risen in accordance with its performance. The dual triumphs of getting results on a pair of rain blighted nights for the BBL final and then the pivotal women’s T20 World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa (without which Meg Lanning’s team would’ve missed the March 8 MCG final), generated a level of respect that had been in need of reinforcement.”We’ve shown in those finals just exactly how good we can be,” Shepherd said. “What could have been a disaster turned out to be a terrific couple of finals, albeit with some reduced time. It shows we can deliver. We’ve been doing it for 150 years so we should be getting good at it.”We’ve struggled in the last year as you can imagine, we lose money with games played with reduced numbers, it actually costs us money. So this has been very hard for us financially in the last nine months, so we’re looking to cricket to help us get back financially on our feet. Not just from an emotional point of view but a financial point of view it’s important for us, and the role of this new merged sporting entity, is to grow events in NSW.”That shared entity to run all NSW stadiums, which has been nicknamed the “Super Trust”, took a significant hit when the Gabba claimed the AFL decider. “We were disappointed the Grand Final went to Brisbane, we understand why it went there but we think we could’ve done a really good job here in Sydney and everyone would’ve been safe, but that’s the AFL’s decision,” he said. “But that fired us up…we were going ‘now listen, we’ve got to make sure this doesn’t happen again’.”In some ways, the idea for an extra portion of India’s tour in New South Wales had sat in Shepherd’s mind well before Covid-19 hit, thanks to a chance meeting outside the SCG gates in February. “I was walking past the SCG just before the pandemic, eight or nine months ago and there was an Indian guy just standing at the gate, looking in at the ground. I said ‘you right mate’ and he said ‘oh look, I booked for the tour but I missed the start point and I’m going back to India tomorrow and I just wanted to see the SCG before I went home’.”I said ‘oh alright, come with me’ and I took him inside and walked around and we had a look and took him out onto the field and all that. He was knocked flat. It is just so special to them, they probably recognise the SCG and Lord’s as equivalent grounds around the world.”Boxing Day, then, will remain at the MCG. By then, however, Sydney will have already played an indelible part in getting international cricket played down under in the time of coronavirus.

Five takeaways from the inaugural edition of the five-team domestic tournament

Mohammad Isam19-Dec-2020Powerplay surprises
Arguably the biggest batting surprise in the tournament was Saif Hassan who had a powerplay strike rate of 134.14, which didn’t drop much in the middle overs either. The surprise element to Saif’s performance is down to his reputation as a Test opener, though he has scored heavily in most prior domestic limited-overs tournaments, too. Barishal coach Shohel Islam admitted at the end of the tournament that they were late in picking Saif, who ended up playing only five matches, averaging 30.40, with one half-century.There was a bit of surprise with powerplay bowling, too. New-ball bowling honours went to Robiul Islam Robi and Nahidul Islam, two unheralded offspinners playing their first domestic tournament since the pandemic. Nahidul bowled the most powerplay overs, giving away runs at 6.32 per over, and taking 10 wickets. Robi took six powerplay wickets, and also bagged a five-for, at 13.33 average, with half of his 66 deliveries being dot balls. Both Nahidul and Robi have built careers in domestic cricket as handy allrounders, but their performance in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup should help them get noticed for bigger opportunities.Cream rises to the top
Liton Das and Mustafizur Rahman topped the batting and bowling charts respectively, taking Gazi Group Chattogram into the final. Liton scored 393 runs at 49.12 average, including three half-centuries. Mustafizur took 22 wickets at 11.04 average and a solid 6.25 economy rate. Seniors like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, too, had good outings in this tournament. Mashrafe Mortaza joined in late but still was among the wickets. Shakib Al Hasan, however, missed out on a big performance in his first tournament since coming out of the one-year ban.Muktar Ali impressed with his all-round skills and agile fielding•BCBFizz, Rabbi at the death
Mustafizur took 16 out of his 22 wickets in the last five overs, but a close second was Kamrul Islam Rabbi, who put his half-slingy action to good use for Fortune Barishal. Rabbi, who played the last of his seven Tests more than two years ago, took 11 wickets at the death, including a hat-trick in an important win over Minister Rajshahi. He, too, mostly kept the run rate down during the death overs. If the tournament set out to find T20 talents, Rabbi’s performance in the death overs has helped the BCB achieve a part of that goal.Allrounder teaser
Muktar Ali has given glimpses of last-ball sixes and his wicket-taking ability previously too in domestic competitions. After years of service to the Rajshahi Division side and various Dhaka league teams, he earned a T20I cap four years ago, but that was the end of the journey in national colours. Bangladesh found Mohammad Saifuddin, who now opens the bowling and bats at No 7 or 8 in the white-ball formats, so the search for the pace bowling allrounder seemed over.In this season, however, Muktar showcased some interesting facets to his skill-set. First, he showed can hit sixes, even under pressure. In addition, he is a good ground fielder and a safe catcher. But best of all, he can bowl at the back-end of a T20 innings, often changing his pace almost every ball. He has developed a good slower ball, and has the presence of mind of a cricketer who knows he has to contribute around the edges of more important players.A replenished pace battery
After a lull of a few years, there is an element of rejuvenation in Bangladesh’s pace bowling – there is now a promising group that has shown formidable fitness levels to go through two domestic tournaments. Left-arm quick Shoriful Islam, who had an impact in Bangladesh’s Under-19 World Cup win earlier in the year, used his steady action to rattle batsmen with pace and bounce. He finished with 16 wickets at an average of 19.00.Hasan Mahmud and Shohidul Islam eventually helped Khulna lift the trophy with crucial spells in the latter part of the competition. Sumon Khan, who took a five-wicket haul in the final of the BCB President’s Cup, had his moments in this tournament too. The likes of Mustafizur, Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed bowled well with both the new and the old ball, though Rubel and Taskin would have hoped to be more consistent.

L Balaji and Varun Chakravarthy talk about bouncing back from Covid-19

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore 22-May-2021

Lakshmipathi Balaji – ‘Was I scared? I was worried’

As I was isolating on my own having tested positive for Covid-19, a thought crossed my mind: recovering from Covid-19, both physically and mentally, is like experiencing an episode of Man vs Wild.On May 2, I was feeling a bit of uneasiness. I had body ache and a mild nose block. I was tested the same day around mid-afternoon. By May 3 morning, I had tested positive. I was shocked. I had done nothing to breach the norms to endanger my and rest of the bubble’s safety.We had reached Delhi around April 26 from Mumbai. We were tested the next day followed by a match on April 28. The next day we had another test. On May 1, we played another match against Mumbai Indians. So I was confident that my immune system was strong enough and resistant to the coronavirus.Along with me, after the May 2 testing, two others including Kasi Viswanathan (Super Kings’ CEO) and a helping staff member had also tested positive. To ensure it was a false positive, we were tested again the same day. I tested positive for the second time. Promptly, I was moved to another floor at the team hotel, separate from the rest of the Super Kings squad.Was I scared? Initially I could not express my feelings. I knew people were dying outside. It took me another 24 hours to sink in the seriousness of issue once family and friends started to message. I started to get worried. From the second day in isolation I realised I had to monitor myself, recording all the health data. I was obviously anxious.I was also more worried about the others in my team who I was milling around with before I tested positive. Rajeev Kumar (CSK fielding coach), Robin [Uthappa] [Cheteshwar] Pujara, Deepak [Chahar] along with Kasi Sir were all around me. So my conscience was battling with the difficult question of what if any of these people tested positive, too? I was praying for their health.Then I came to know that Michael Hussey (Super Kings’ assistant coach), too, had tested positive. Till day we don’t know how or where we contracted the coronavirus. We had a very strict protocol within the bubble from first week of March when CSK’s preparatory camp started. After the experience in 2020 IPL when members of the CSK contingent tested positive, the franchise took maximum precautions even when we travelled from Chennai and Mumbai where we were based for the first leg of our IPL.Even in Delhi we followed the strict protocol. I don’t know where we might have caught the infection: was it at the ground? Was it at the training ground at the Roshanara Club? But that was secluded. And why should only two of us get it?With the situation very bad in Delhi which was in the firm grip of the pandemic, the CSK management was pro-active and flew both Hussey and myself in an air ambulance on May 6 to Chennai where we had round-the-clock medical care. It was a crucial and timely step. We were transported into the air ambulance wrapped separate oxygen pods. The pod itself takes a good few hours to build. The pod is like a transparent tunnel where you are enclosed. That is the safest way and the only way to fly a Covid-19 patient.Once in Chennai the anxiety that had gripped us in Delhi had been replaced by confidence. Mentally we became positive. I started to constantly exchanging messages with Hussey and we realised that many were dire situation outside. We were fortunate to be under better care. Eventually after spending about close to 12 days I returned home in Chennai on May 14.It is a journey of survival is how I look at it. Lakhs of people have been affected, and most of them recovered, but many were not lucky to survive due to different reasons. It has been an intense situation. In my career I have encountered several challenges, but it is different battle we are going through dealing with the pandemic.I realise now how lucky I was and that was because of the timely help of my franchise. It was huge effort to move get exemptions, clearances to shift us from Delhi to Chennai. But there are people out there who are waiting for hours and days on end to get help. We have to put in all our efforts to reach out and help out. Lives are at stake.Varun Chakravarthy has been struck down by post-covid symptoms•BCCIVarun Chakravarthy – ‘Still have weakness and dizziness’