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Railways 355 and 362 for 8 (Yadav 97, Bangar 77, Goud 96*) lead Punjab 309 by 408 runs
ScorecardWith an indomitable display of attritional batting, Railways all but wrapped up their second Ranji Trophy title as Punjab were ground out of the contest on a corpse-like pitch. Sanjay Bangar’s austere innings set the tone, before Yere Goud and the tail blocked their way to an impregnable position.Goud entered at a time when Punjab were threatening yet another of their umpteen fightbacks. Raja Ali, who top-scored in the first innings, had nicked one to the wicketkeeper and Railways were 251 runs ahead with two off-colour batsmen and the tail to follow. Teams have consistently chased 300-plus totals this season and on a pitch devoid of all life Punjab were still clinging on. Goud’s six matches this season had produced just 145 runs (avg 24.16) and he was soon joined by Tejinder Pal Singh, who had averaged 28.In the next four hours, though, Goud’s slumber-inducing doggedness brought the Railways dressing-room back to life. Every assured leave was followed by raucous cheers and with a series of prods, pushes and composed pad-play, he nibbled away at time, and inched Railways towards the title. Goud’s former team-mate at Karnataka, Rahul Dravid, might have applauded every step and after tea he even unfurled some expansive cover-drives, exaggerated follow-through and all. Right at the end of the day, a pendulum-smooth swing over long-off took him from 90 to 96, and Punjab were experiencing death by torture – slow, hopeless and inevitable.What Goud can do, Bangar can do better. In Bangar’s world the cricket field is a battleground, opponents will be blunted, trench warfare will rule. Why glide when you can struggle? And he turns into a blur if someone like Jai Prakash Yadav is bubbling at the other end. He was reprieved twice – both times by Sandeep Sawal at first slip – but with an emotionless method he consolidated a dominant position.Unlike the other two, though, Yadav prefers a rapid extermination. He continued his violent methods, including effortless swipes for six, and sped past the 70s and 80s. His aggressive intentions probably deprived him of his first hundred of the season, getting a top edge while trying to cut fiercely, as he was dismissed for 97 off VRV Singh. But it was an innings that turned the game within the space of a few overs, with an explosive effort that put an end to all thoughts of fightbacks.Bangar and Goud then put an end to the contest.How they were outJP Yadav c Dharmani b VRV Singh 97 (179 for 3) Attempted to cut at one that was short and wide but nicked it straight to the wicketkeeper.Bangar b Rajesh Sharma 77 (205 for 4) Pushed at one that turned sharply and played on.Ali c Dharmani b Gagandeep 14 (205 for 5) Wafted outside off.Tejinder Pal Singh lbw Rajesh Sharma 12 (236 for 6) Beaten by a good-length ball that spun sharply and struck in front.Wankhede c Dharmani b Sodhi 24 (302 for 7) Edged trying to drive through the covers.Parida lbw b Kakkar 6 (333 for 8) Missed a faster ball and was rapped on the pads.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Cricinfo.

Zimbabwe have named their A team for the three-day match against West Indies next week at Takashinga, Henry Olonga’s former club.Dion Ebrahim will lead the side in which seven players have international experience. This is the only warm-up match for West Indies ahead of two Tests, the first of which begins on November 4 at Harare.Zimbabwe A
Dion Ebrahim (capt), Travis Friend, Craig Evans, Stuart Matsikenyeri,Barney Rogers, Elton Chigumbura, Gavin Ewing, Alester Maregwede (wkt), Jordane Nicolle, Blessing Mahwire, Vusimuzi Sibanda, 12th man: Conan Brewer.

The convincing victory at the Green Park Oval in Kanpur is really whatis expected of the Indian side considering its potential. It was a muchbetter performance coming on the heels of their hara-kiri at Chennai,even though they managed to win there. The consistency of the visitorsin throwing away good starts through some ordinary batting in the middleovers helped India to keep the game well under control. I hasten to addthat this is no attempt to discredit the bowlers, but the English middleorder has made it a habit to allow the opposing side to get back intothe game.Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick got off to a flyer, with Knightfinally coming good on a low and slow track at the Green Park. The pitchat this venue has been the same for too long, and no attempt has beenmade to improve the surface. The Green Park is one of the oldest andmost-used centres in the country, and it is a shame that the authoritiesdo not pay attention to the most important aspect of a cricket ground.Inasmuch as the officials grumble if a match is not allocated to aparticular venue, they do not seem to be concerned about the playingconditions that they provide. It is not that the associations lack fundsor resources, but the indifferent attitudes still prevail with gayabandon.Coming back to the game, the weather gods decreed a truncated match and,in such a situation, it is imperative to alter the game plan. Knight,who was due for some runs, hit his way back into form and in doing thatshowed why he has such a good record. Knight’s career took a dip afterthe 1999 World Cup, and that was due to some indifferent treatment fromthe English team management. His was severe against Ajit Agarkar inparticular, hitting him on the up, and he also used the different modesof sweep against the spinners productively. Javagal Srinath was onceagain on target; in the last six months, he has shown a lot ofadaptability in his bowling. He has been criticised for lackingvariation over the years, but of late he has been varying his pace wellenough to outwit the batsmen.

© CricInfo

© AFP

Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, who have similar mannerisms andend up confusing the onlookers, reduced Nasser Hussain to a merespectator with a scintillating partnership. Sehwag outscored Tendulkar -a rare occurrence – and their second consecutive century stand came upin the blink of an eye. The Delhi batsman matched Tendulkar shot forshot, and Tendulkar just played second fiddle without any complaints.Sehwag’s timing was outstanding, but the remarkable aspect was the wayhe brought common sense to his batting. There were several occasionswhere he had to change his shots at the last moment, bearing in mindthat the ball kept low. His innings came to an end when a century wasthere for the taking. and he has to realise that opportunities forscoring hundreds at the highest level do not come every second day.Tendulkar was visibly stunned by Mark Mascarenhas premature death, butsuch is the character of the man that he played brilliantly anyway. Heremained unbeaten, and one could not have expected him to repeat themistake of throwing his wicket away as he did at Chennai. The masterblaster also tried to egg on his skipper to keep him company, but SouravGanguly perished in an ungainly manner just when he appeared to behitting the ball like his old self. These are opportunities that abatsman struggling to regain form should latch on to, but the Indianskipper played one shot too many and paid the penalty. The heave was afair indication that Ganguly is still to get his thinking processes backon track, and he has little time to waste with just two one-dayers leftin the series.

Despite missing four first team players, including Allan Donald, Warwickshire enjoyed a good start in their vital promotion contest at Chelmsford as openers Michael Powell and Mark Wagh batted through the opening session.The visitors had been invited to bat by Essex but the home side’s pace bowlers, including fit again left armer Mark Ilott who had been sidelined from the last five matches with a troublesome hamstring, failed to find a consistent line or length leaving their opponents to seize the initiative. The only alarm for the batsmen came when Wagh, with his score on 18, was dropped by Stuart Law at second slip off the bowling of Ricky Anderson.The openers reached a century partnership in the 34th over and in the same over, Powell moved to his half century having faced 122 deliveries that included 6 boundaries.Lunch score: 112-0 from 35 overs (Powell 51, Wagh 46)

Well, Alexander Isak’s debut campaign in a Liverpool shirt may have been cut brutally short after he broke his leg when scoring against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.

The extent of the Swedish striker’s injury is yet to be confirmed, but reliable sources such as The Athletic believe that he will be sidelined for at least several months. This ongoing anxious wait will not end in good news, unfortunately.

Isak has not been at the races this season, having struggled since joining from Newcastle in a record-breaking £125m move. However, Isak’s finish was crisp and classy at the weekend, and now there is a concerning hole that FSG and Slot need to fill in promptly.

How Liverpool plan to replace Isak

The slim sliver of solace that can be taken from this latest conundrum is that Isak has not ruptured his ACL. A long-term knee injury would have kept him out well into the 2026/27 campaign, and his athleticism would have taken a hit.

Another source of consolation can be found in the prolific Hugo Ekitike’s continuing purple patch. The Frenchman, recruited during the summer for £69m, bagged his fifth goal in three Premier League matches against Spurs.

But with Mohamed Salah’s future on Merseyside also uncertain, and with the Egyptian currently out at the African Cup of Nations, it’s looking increasingly likely that sporting director Richard Hughes is going to accelerate plans to sign a forward this summer.

The No. 1 target? Antoine Semenyo, of course, who is slated for a departure from Bournemouth this winter, with a long line of suitors ready to pounce.

According to transfer insider Ben Jacobs, Liverpool held “talks” with the 25-year-old’s representatives last month, but they have fallen behind Manchester City and Manchester United in the race. Tottenham are keen, but outsiders.

Semenyo has a £65m release clause active for the first half of the January transfer window, and Isak’s injury is bound to alter FSG’s stance with The Guardian reporting that personal terms have already been ‘agreed’.

Why Semenyo is the perfect Isak replacement

Semenyo has been incredible this season. There’s no two ways about it. A couple of strikes in recent weeks have taken the Ghanaian winger’s tally up to eight goals and three assists from 16 Premier League appearances.

A versatile winger who has spent more time on the left flank this term, Semenyo would be a stunning (and belated) Luis Diaz upgrade for Liverpool, settling the equilibrium and working with the in-form Ekitike over the business months of the campaign.

He might not be a focal frontman in the same vein as Isak, but the Cherries talisman is still a superstar forward, and he’s only sharpened his tools since the summer.

Semenyo’s Last Two Prem Seasons

Stats (* per game)

24/25

25/26

Matches (starts)

37 (36)

16 (16)

Goals

11

8

Assists

5

3

Shots (on target)*

3.4 (1.1)

2.4 (1.3)

Big chances missed

12

5

Accurate passes*

21.1 (78%)

19.9 (77%)

Big chances created

11

4

Key passes*

1.2

1.4

Dribbles*

1.9

1.6

Ball recoveries*

4.3

5.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

1.9

Duels won*

6.1

6.4

Data via Sofascore

Liverpool cannot afford to let one of their Premier League rivals grow with Semenyo in the mix. Not when they need such a profile so badly. He would be the perfect Isak replacement, and that says something about where Liverpool’s recruitment went a bit wrong this summer, with Semenyo not a central striker but a dynamic and protean threat.

His brace at the start of the season nearly foiled Liverpool at Anfield, and it was then that Slot and co learned of the scale of Semenyo’s ability. Perhaps it was then that he was earmarked.

Isak has been at odds in Liverpool’s system this season, so far removed from the lofty heights of last year. Semenyo, conversely, has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League.

Subscribe for in-depth Liverpool transfer and injury coverage Get the newsletter to follow thorough coverage of Isak’s injury, Ekitike’s form and Semenyo transfer talk — clear analysis of how Liverpool might respond and who could fill the striker gap, plus related club transfer insight. Subscribe Subscribe for in-depth Liverpool transfer and injury coverage Get the newsletter to follow thorough coverage of Isak’s injury, Ekitike’s form and Semenyo transfer talk — clear analysis of how Liverpool might respond and who could fill the striker gap, plus related club transfer insight.

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Said to be looking “unstoppable” by talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent, the prolific winger is powerful and multi-faceted. He is the real deal, and Liverpool must get a deal wrapped up swiftly.

This situation is anything but ideal. However, Liverpool could ease the setback considerably by adding Semenyo to the ranks, perhaps creating a more balanced frontline in the process.

The decision against directly replacing Diaz this summer was an ill-advised one, and Semenyo could be not just a replacement but an upgrade to fire Liverpool back into the ascendancy.

Related He's as good as Van Dijk: Liverpool make £66m Guehi upgrade a key target

Liverpool have now made this £66m star a top target heading into 2026, who could be an upgrade on going after Marc Guehi.

Posts ByKelan Sarson

The gentle exodus of players from Zimbabwe continues with news that Gary Brent and Terry Duffin are believed to have quit international cricket.Brent, 32, played 70 one-day internationals and four Tests for Zimbabwe but was increasingly at odds with the board, and was one of the rebels who went on strike following the sacking of Heath Streak as captain in 2004. Although he did make a comeback, he is said to have grown frustrated with the attitude of the national selectors and last month gave notice on his contract.Duffin, 26, was Zimbabwe’s captain until 2006 and played 23 ODIs and two Tests. His last major match was during the 2007 World Cup and since then he has struggled with injury, although he represented Zimbabwe Provinces in South Africa as well as Southerns in the domestic Twenty20 tournament in March.It is thought that he applied for the board’s permission to play club cricket in England but this was refused, even though he is not in the main national squad. Duffin travelled to England anyway where he is playing for Winsley in Wiltshire, and it is reported that he will go to New Zealand rather than return to Zimbabwe at the end of the season.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	VVS Laxman produced another elegant innings against the Australians to push India into a commanding lead © Getty Images

If Australia are to go where no Test team has gone before and win 17 games in a row, they’ll have to pull off the second-highest run chase in the history of the game. Set 413 to win the series in Perth, they finished the third day on a precarious 2 for 65, with Irfan Pathan’s splendid swing bowling once again accounting for both openers. No team has ever chased more than 369 to win a game on Australian soil, and even Don Bradman’s Invincibles didn’t have to score more than 404 at Headingley in 1948.When Australia made good use of occasionally overcast morning conditions to reduce India to 5 for 125, the game was very much in the balance. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar had been packed off by Brett Lee, and Mitchell Johnson had just induced a waft from Sourav Ganguly. With the lead 243, India once again faced the prospect of an overseas fairytale becoming a nightmare.That it didn’t was due to a classy 79 from VVS Laxman and sterling contributions from the lower order. Pathan preceded his bowling heroics with an accomplished 46 as nightwatchman, and MS Dhoni showed remarkable restraint in compiling a doughty 38. The biggest irritation for Australia though was RP Singh, who smacked Andrew Symonds for six during the course of an entertaining 51-run partnership that stretched the lead beyond 400.Australia’s cause was also severely hampered by an appalling over-rate. Having bowled a dismal 22 overs in the morning, Ricky Ponting had no option but to turn to spin in the afternoon. Symonds and Michael Clarke bowled 21 overs between them in the middle session, with Lee being reintroduced just 20 minutes before tea.The respite from Lee and the relentlessly accurate Stuart Clark gave India freedom to exhale and build. Pathan had fallen to Clark soon after lunch, edging to slip, and he was magnificent right though, giving nothing away and constantly beating Dhoni’s swishes outside off stump. But once he went off, and the Clarke-Symonds combo took over, India cut loose. Laxman played a superb off-drive off Clarke, and after dawdling 41 balls for five, Dhoni’s patience finally snapped.He thumped Clarke over long-on for six, and then hit Symonds to the other side of the sightscreen. One ball whizzed past Clarke’s outstretched fingertips, and when Symonds speared one in, he jumped out to deposit it into the crowd at long-off.At the other end, Laxman was all elegance, clipping the ball through the leg side and driving beautifully. He reached his fifty from 97 balls, and Australia’s frustration mounted by the minute before Symonds offered some relief. Dhoni, who combined patience and impetuosity, miscued a paddle sweep behind to Gilchrist, and Anil Kumble lasted just four balls. But RP and Laxman carried on merrily for 17 overs, and by the time Clark and Lee returned to mop up, the target was an intimidating one.The morning session had been much more even, with quick scoring offset by the loss of four wickets. Lee’s pace and swing whipped out Dravid and Tendulkar, the cornerstones of the first innings, and it was left to Pathan to lead the side towards a competitive total.

	Frustration grew for the Australians as India’s lower order hung around and set them over 400 to extended their winning streak © Getty Images

Struck a painful blow on the shoulder by Lee early on, he left the bulk of the early scoring to Virender Sehwag, again in stand-and-deliver mood. Two flays through the off side off Clark left no one in any doubt about his intentions, but Lee should have had him soon after. Michael Hussey couldn’t hold on to a low chance at gully though, fumbling even at the second attempt.It wasn’t a costly miss though. Sehwag hadn’t added to his 43 when Clark summoned up a superb delivery that cut back to crash into the stumps via the pad. Sehwag had fallen to similar deliveries many times over the past two seasons, and Clark had clearly done his homework.Dravid struck one peachy off-drive, but then fenced at a Lee delivery that swung away at pace. The appeal from behind the stumps was spontaneous, and as Dravid trudged off disconsolate, the stadium rose to welcome Tendulkar back to the arena where he played his greatest Test innings (that 114 in 1992).Lee almost had him first ball, squared up by a superb delivery, but the edge streaked to the boundary. And though he did play the shot of the morning, a stunning drive straight past Lee, it was the bowler who had the last word, with pace and movement off the pitch trapping Tendulkar right in front.With Ganguly departing for a blob, flirting with a Johnson delivery that shaped away, it required something special to tilt the balance back India’s way. They got it too, from Pathan and Laxman. Pathan struck a couple of gorgeous shots down the ground and also drove through the covers beautifully when the bowlers overpitched. There were moments of good fortune too, an edge that flew through the slip cordon, and a vociferous leg-before appeal from Johnson that might have gone on to clip leg stump.At the other end, Laxman’s ability to work the ball away with those wonderfully supple wrists evoked a few oohs and aahs, but by the time tea had been taken, they were replaced by desperate chants of “Boring, boring”. A crowd that hadn’t seen Australia lose here since the days when the Caribbean still produced great fast bowlers was slowly soaking in the reality that yet another golden run might have come to a shuddering halt at Indian hands.

Bond: ‘I’ve sat out enough games through injury so I never like to be rested’ © Getty Images

Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, has said that Shane Bond will play in the Super Eights match against Ireland in Guyana on Monday. Fleming believes that resting Bond while he is in excellent bowling form could have counter-productive effects.”He’ll [Bond] definitely play,” Fleming told NZPA. “It’s important we get two points against Ireland, we’ll pick our strongest side.” Bond was rested for the final group-stage match against Canada but played both the first two Super Eights matches against West Indies and Bangladesh. He has taken eight wickets in four matches in the World Cup at an economy-rate of 2.29.”I hope to play every game, I prepare myself to play every game,” said Bond. “I’ve sat out enough games through injury so I never like to be rested.”New Zealand’s strongest side against Ireland is unlikely to include Ross Taylor who was unable to run at full pace during a training session on Saturday. Taylor strained his hamstring during his half-century against Kenya in the group stages.Taylor had said that his chances of playing Ireland were 70-30 but Fleming was less optimistic.”Ross has been a little bit ginger in terms of his movement,” said Fleming. “If he’s not quite right we’ll probably be conservative but we’re pushing as hard as we can to get him right as quickly as possible. We want him back into cricket, back into the fold. He’s been out of cricket for a while if he misses this one.”New Zealand have three crunch games coming up against Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia and Fleming asserted that rotating the players and tinkering with the starting XI would be kept to a minimum.”It’s important there’s continuity of selection. I’ve been involved in World Cups where we’ve chopped and changed probably a little too much,” said Fleming. “I made a point at the start [of the tournament] with [coach] John [Bracewell] that my view was always going to be conservative. If you’ve got 11 or 12 guys doing well you keep that going as long as possible.”Fast bowler Michael Mason was ruled out of the Ireland match after sustaining a calf-strain against Bangladesh. Either Chris Martin or Mark Gillespie would take his spot in the starting XI on Monday.

ScorecardPlate Group Points TableA half-century from Nikhil Doru and his 76-run partnership with Ajay Jadeja lifted Rajasthan to a 156-run lead before Pankaj Singh rocked the Orissa top order to push them to 91 for 5 to propel Rajasthan to a commanding position by the end of the second day in Ranji Plate semi-final at Jaipur. Deepak Mangaraj removed both Doru and Jadeja enroute to his second five-wicket haul but by then the duo had powered their side to a position of strength.Lalit Modi, the President of Rajasthan Cricket Association, had pumped in lots of money to improve the infrastructure in Rajasthan cricket, also drafting in Ajay Jadeja to captain the side and it has paid dividends. Jadeja, who led the batting averages for Rajasthan this season with a run tally of 493 -that includes four fifties and a hundred- once again, came up with a vital contribution yesterday. Doru chose the right moment to chip in with his second fifty of this season and the duo stretched the first-innings lead.Pankaj Singh continued with his good first innings performance (4 for 26) with a three-wicket haul in the second to push Orissa on the back foot. Only S Sehgal put up a semblance of fight, facing 100 balls for his 34. Orissa, who led their group in the league stage with 18 points, are now looking down and almost out and barring a minor miracle Jadeja-led Rajasthan will head towards the final.

India have agreed to play an additional one-day international when they tour Pakistan early next year. They were scheduled to play five according to the original itinerary, but an extra match has been added as a response to Pakistan’s gesture of playing six one-dayers on their current tour.Both the boards had reached a settlement when the Test originally scheduled for Ahmedabad was shifted to Kolkata due to security reasons expressed by the Pakistan board, and Ahmedabad was instead granted a one-day international. “We’ve agreed to play the additional match under a reciprocal agreement according to which when India tours Pakistan early next year they’ll also play six one-day internationals along with three Tests,” a PCB official was quoted as saying in , a Pakistan daily.According to the ICC rules, teams generally charge a fee of over US$25,000 for playing an out-of-schedule one-dayer. However, the PCB has agreed to waive those charges. “We are not taking any fees for playing the sixth one-day international next month,” the PCB official said.