He has been ruled out of keeping wicket in the ongoing Test match, and will bat only if required

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Jul-2025

Rishabh Pant winces in pain after hurting his foot•Getty Images

Rishabh Pant is set to miss the remainder of the Test series against England with the right-foot injury he suffered on the opening day of the fourth Test now confirmed to be a fracture. The BCCI said that Pant will not keep wicket in the rest of the Test and will bat “as per team requirements”.* Dhruv Jurel will keep wicket for India for the rest of the Test.The fracture is understood to be of the metatarsal bone in the right foot. The initial diagnosis is that Pant would need six-to-eight weeks’ rest. Clips captured by fans outside the India team hotel in Manchester showed Pant’s right foot in a moonboot.The injury took place during the second session of play when Pant tried to reverse-sweep a delivery from Chris Woakes, which he ended up inside-edging onto his foot. He was in visible pain, and the affected spot swelled up immediately. Pant had to retire hurt – he was on 37 at the time – and went off the ground on a golf buggy. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Pant underwent scans soon after, which revealed the fracture.Related

The bravery and the outrageousness of Rishabh Pant

The England players, having missed the edge, went up in appeal for lbw, even as Pant reacted to the pain. He survived the lbw shout and the subsequent review, but the swelling and his inability to put any weight on the foot were visible.Pant, India’s wicketkeeper and vice-captain, was taken to the medical facility at the ground first, and captain Shubman Gill went to enquire about his well-being there. Pant was taken to a hospital after that.Liam Dawson, the England spinner, said at the end of the day’s play that he “can’t see him [Pant] playing much more part in this game”. B Sai Sudharsan, who was the non-striker at the time, said later, “Oh, he was in a lot of pain definitely.”This is the second injury he has sustained in as many Test matches, following a blow on his left index finger while keeping in England’s first innings at Lord’s. Jurel had substituted as India’s wicketkeeper for the rest of that Test as well.Pant’s innings of 37 off 48 balls was largely restrained but featured several characteristically outrageous shots, including a slog sweep for four off Jofra Archer, followed by an unsuccessful reverse sweep off the next ball.BCCI are yet to officially confirm Pant’s fracture and name a replacement for Pant for the fifth Test. During the two unofficial Tests between England Lions and India A, which preceded the England series, Ishan Kishan was the second wicketkeeper behind Jurel.*GMT 1100 Updated after the BCCI statement

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been handed a positive injury update on new signing Benjamin Sesko after the Slovenia international hobbled off during their thrilling 2-2 draw with Tottenham. Amorim had expressed concerns for his striker after the match, but initial investigations have offered hope Sesko won't be sidelined for an extended spell.

• Worrying end to match for Sesko

  It was an afternoon of high drama in north London after United secured a vital point against Spurs. The visitors took the lead courtesy of Bryan Mbeumo's header in the 32nd minute, but the hosts staged a late comeback with goals from substitute Mathys Tel in the 84th minute and Richarlison in the first minute of stoppage time, which put them in front and, seemingly, on course to earn the hosts all three points. But the match ended in chaos, as United defender Matthijs de Ligt headed home an equaliser from a corner in the 96th minute, salvaging a draw for his side.

  The closing stages saw Sesko pick up an injury. He entered the match in the 58th minute but was forced off late with a knee problem, casting a shadow over United’s hard-fought draw. His performance featured a couple of missed chances and came before he was taken off following a robust challenge from Micky van de Ven. The forward has scored two goals in 12 appearances and has struggled for form and confidence.

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• Amorim fears for Sesko

  The United boss was asked after the match if he thought the injury was serious, he said: "I have no idea. Because it's the knee, we never know. I'm concerned with the injury because it's in the knee. We need Ben to be a better team. We have to check everything, we have to check what has happened with him."

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  Encouraging Sesko update offered from home country

  But in the hours after the match there was an update coming from Sesko's native Slovenia, where local media reports say the initial tests show that the injury was not serious and shouldn’t rule him out for a lengthy spell. There was the additional detail from , which says the full extent of the injury will only be revealed after an MRI scan, which will take place in the coming days. 

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  Missed opportunity for Red Devils

  Speaking after the match, Amorim offered a mixed review of his team's performance also revealed his plan for the players who aren’t heading off on international duty. 

  Amorim said: "In the end, I think if you see the game you feel that the three points were there to take home, but then with everything that happened – Harry (Maguire) has to come out, Casemiro has to come out, (so does) Ben. We suffered two goals again in a short period of time, but managed to score again, so it's a point. When you cannot win, you don’t lose and once again we managed to do that. If you look to the game and if you feel the environment, we have so much to grow as a team, because today was our day to win this game.

  "I think it's more we need to look at ourselves. We were not pressing with the same intensity, because we felt comfortable. We need to understand that but to feel also that if we have a little bit more bravery, we can kill this game. Sometimes it's like that: you have a first half better than the second."

  He added: "It’s a little bit frustrating but also a little bit pride of the response of the players after the second goal of Tottenham. Then to look at the team. I understand that this is just the tip of the iceberg. So we are just in the beginning of becoming a very strong team. We have a lot to do and we are going to work with the guys that are not going to the national team, and we are going to evaluate everything, trying to see also games from the kids. So try to use this space on evolution of our club, not just the first team."

New Zealand allrounder primed for debut having worked his way from small town to big stage

Deivarayan Muthu26-Nov-2024He imagined himself as Tim Southee when he bowled in backyard cricket, and Kane Williamson or Ross Taylor when he batted. He then watched Matt Henry hurl bouncers at Steven Smith from the grass banks as a spectator at the Hagley Oval in 2016. Eight years on, he is set to step into the Hagley Oval as a Black Cap and share the stage with some of his heroes.He can get the new ball to hoop around. He can get the old one to reverse-swing and skid off the pitch. He is also a capable batter down the order. Meet 26-year-old allrounder Nathan Smith.Just two weeks after making his white-ball debut for the Black Caps, in Sri Lanka, Smith will likely feature in his first Test with World Test Championship (WTC) points at stake. He was handed his first NZC central contract in September, even before he had played an international game for New Zealand. Although that owed something to Devon Conway and Finn Allen opting out of contracts, it highlighted the all-format promise that Smith brings and the faith New Zealand’s team management have in his skills.Related

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The road to the New Zealand Test side, though, has been a long and twisty one for Smith. Hailing from small-town Oamaru, Smith had made his first-class debut in April 2016 as an 18-year-old and spent his formative years under Rob Walter, currently South Africa’s white-ball coach, at Otago before a reshuffle of personnel prompted him to move to Wellington ahead of the 2021-22 domestic season.Smith immediately impressed in his first Plunket Shield season for Wellington, coming away as the joint-highest wicket-taker. A serious back injury, which needed surgery, then left him on the sidelines next season, but he bounced back spectacularly in 2023-24, his chart-topping 33 wickets central to Wellington’s run to the title.A fitter, stronger Smith is now prepared to withstand the load of international cricket.”Yeah, I suppose the last couple of years, barring the last six months, the 18 months before that, they were challenging,” Smith said recently. “A couple of back stress fractures, it’s quite testing times, but I think through that you sort of learn a lot about yourself. It gives you a little bit of perspective as well and it’s a hell of a lot better playing than spending a lot of time sitting on the couch watching.”So, it’s nice to have a sort of a prolonged period of playing consistently and I think that’s probably why the results are so good, you know, just playing all the time.””It felt like it was only going to be a matter of time. Nathan’s had that taste in white-ball cricket and hopefully he gets an opportunity in Test cricket as well. Because it would be nice to think that Worcester were a very, very small part of his journey towards that.”Smith is certainly quicker than Colin de Grandhomme – he can touch 140kph – and though his batting isn’t as explosive as de Grandhomme’s yet, he is being talked up as a compelling package. In first-class cricket, Smith has scored 13 fifties and one hundred, while on his ODI debut, in Dambulla, he pulled off a sensational catch at the deep third boundary to dismiss Pathum Nissanka.”He was batting probably at No. 7 the majority of the games for us and anywhere between No. 7 and No. 9, he did score some really useful runs,” Richardson said. “He knows his game well but [is] probably not as powerful as de Grandhomme. For me, all three skillsets – he ticks those boxes with the field as well. Awesome in the field, ultra-athletic, has the impact and has a real wow factor about him.”Smith had a low-key ODI debut in Sri Lanka and facing Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ Bazballers will present a bigger challenge for him, but Richardson has backed him to cope well.”I think I’ve only known Nathan for a small period of time, but he was a very impressive character and very calm,” Richardson said. “Knowing Nathan, I’d like to think he’ll probably try and shift that mindset around to say that it’s going to create opportunities for him and that he’ll back his skills and know that if he does it really well, he’ll have a chance at any given time that can go one way or the other. It will be quite intimidating because England will look to score at a [high] rate and he knows that.”So, I’m sure he’ll have some things in place, but just watching how he goes about it, you know, he’s a very ambitious cricketer. It’s something that he put on his radar and speaking to us very early on, he wanted to play international cricket. I don’t think he will back down from that.”From small-town Oamaru, Smith is certainly ready for the big stage.

West Indies seamer Matthew Forde has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Pakistan that starts in Tarouba from Friday. Forde suffered a shoulder dislocation earlier on Wednesday while attempting a catch during a training session.Johann Layne, the West Indies academy seam-bowling allrounder, has replaced Forde in the squad. Layne is among the seamers that impressed Ian Bishop, who called him “rangy, tall and intelligent”.Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph, Romario Shepherd and Jediah Blades are the quicks in their ODI squad with Gudakesh Motie as their frontline wristspinner. Alzarri Joseph has been rested. West Indies would also miss Forde’s talent with the bat lower down the order; he holds the ODI record for fastest fifty (16 balls), achieved in May against Ireland.Related

• Alzarri Joseph rested, Shepherd back in WI squad for Pakistan ODIs

• Pakistan and West Indies look to break out of their ODI funk

West Indies lost the T20I series against Pakistan 2-1 in Lauderhill, but are looking to claim a fourth-straight ODI series with the tour moving to Trinidad & Tobago. It is only their fifth ODI series since the start of 2023, but come into the contest having beaten England twice (2-1, on both occasions) and Bangladesh once (3-0).The 50-over game has been a difficult format for West Indies in recent history, missing out on the last two ICC tournaments for ODIs. Their qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup is also far from guaranteed as they are ranked tenth in the rankings. West Indies realistically need to finish within the top nine – one place higher than they are – to secure automatic passage at the cut-off date. A series win against Pakistan, ranked six places above them, would help them significantly.

Deion Sanders is now well-known for being the head football coach of the Colorado Buffaloes but back in the day he was one of the coolest two-sport athletes in the world, playing in the NFL and MLB at the same time. Bo Jackson, another legendary two-sport star, was doing the same thing back then, also playing in the NFL and MLB.

Sanders and Jackson squared of in an electric game 35 years ago today at Yankee Stadium. Sanders played center field for New York, while Jackson played center field for the Kansas City Royals.

Jackson batted cleanup for Kansas City and belted three home runs in his three at-bats. Sanders, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 in the leadoff spot for the Yankees and hit an inside-the-park home run that had the crowd going nuts.

Check out these highlights from that clash:

Incredible.

Imagine if that game was played today. The sports debate shows and social media would have been going wild for days.

Crystal Palace are now eyeing Lyon starlet Tyler Morton as a possible replacement for Adam Wharton, amid a new update on the midfielder’s future at Selhurst Park.

Wharton’s future at Selhurst Park remains up in the air, with a number of Premier League clubs emerging as potential suitors for the midfielder, including Chelsea, and it has now been revealed the Blues are “actively in talks” over a deal.

The 21-year-old was recently called up to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel, having remained a key player for Oliver Glasner’s side this season, with perhaps his most impressive performance coming in the 2-1 win against Liverpool, creating two big chances and making four key passes.

Unfortunately, the Eagles have become accustomed to losing some of their best players in recent years, with Michael Olise moving to Bayern Munich and Eberechi Eze joining Arsenal, and the former Blackburn Rovers man will also continue to attract attention from top clubs if he continues his current performance levels.

Consequently, Glasner & co may have to start thinking about bringing in a replacement, and a report has now given an update on their chances of signing a former Liverpool player…

Crystal Palace eyeing Tyler Morton

According to a report from Jeunes Footeux (via Sport Witness), Crystal Palace are now eyeing a move for Lyon midfielder Morton, a matter of months after he left Arne Slot’s side to sign for the Ligue 1 club.

The French side are currently experiencing financial difficulties, which means they may be tempted to cash-in, should Palace be willing to come to the negotiating table with a ‘substantial offer’.

The Eagles are currently monitoring the 23-year-old closely, as they are preparing for Wharton’s departure in 2026, amid interest from a number of unnamed clubs.

The Wallasey-born midfielder, who is represented by the same agent as Borna Sosa, found it difficult to establish himself as a first-team regular at Liverpool, but he has been a key player for Lyon this season, most recently picking up an assist in a 3-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.

Scout Ben Mattinson has also provided a positive review of the Englishman’s key attributes, saying: “Morton is a complete midfielder with an all-round ability to dictate tempo with his passing, carry forward and win the ball. Particularly his long passing stands out.”

Game time may have been hard to come by at his former club, but the Liverpool academy graduate did manage to impress when given the opportunity, having been singled out for praise for his performance against West Ham United last season.

Morton is at the right age to be a solid long-term replacement for Wharton, but Crystal Palace’s main priority should be to keep hold of their current central midfielder.

Crystal Palace identify Ezri Konsa as Marc Guehi replacement

Weibgen rescued Queensland from 38 for 4 after Joel Curtis’ century had powered Western Australia to 321 for 9

AAP21-Sep-2025Hugh Weibgen was the hero as Queensland recovered from a top-order collapse to post a thrilling two-wicket victory over Western Australia at Allan Border Field.Joel Curtis struck 116 off 108 balls and Sam Whiteman a run-a-ball 83 as WA posted a formidable 321 for 9 on Sunday.In reply, Queensland slumped to 38 for 4 before Weibgen (115* off 94 balls) produced a masterful knock to lift his team to victory with just five balls to spare. Jack Wildermuth (74 off 49) and Michael Neser (41 off 23) also produced important knocks in the remarkable chase.Weibgen, 20 and playing just his second List A match, cracked nine fours and five sixes in an unforgettable innings. Wildermuth provided plenty of fireworks with five fours and six sixes, while Neser (three fours, three sixes) produced a handy late cameo to ensure the required run rate stayed within control.Fittingly, Weibgen hit the winning runs when he crunched a Matthew Kelly full toss for four.WA looked to be in an unbeatable position after removing Queensland’s top order.Dangerman Marnus Labuschagne, who posted 130 in Queensland’s’ win over Victoria earlier this week, was out for 2 off 19 balls. Jack Clayton (5), Matthew Renshaw (5) and Jimmy Peirson (18) were also part of the top-order collapse.Weibgen walked to the crease with the scoreboard reading 38 for 4 in the 13th over.He was dropped on 109 by Sam Fanning with Queensland still needing 11 more runs for victory, and the miss proved costly.Earlier, third-gamer Curtis struck 12 fours and four sixes during his sparkling knock, combining with Fanning for a 124-run third-wicket partnership for WA. Curtis brought up his maiden One-Day Cup century by hooking Neser (1 for 62) for six.It would take something special to remove Curtis, and Mitchell Swepson obliged with a spectacular one-handed catch at mid-off while running with the flight of the ball. Cameron Bancroft’s quest for early-season runs went unfulfilled, as he was out for 12 when he edged Tom Straker behind.Legspinner Swepson snared 4 for 52 and Straker chipped in with 3 for 65, but it was Weibgen’s heroics with the bat that set tongues wagging.

Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya couldn’t believe Sri Lanka had bottled yet another last over against India in their Asia Cup Super Fours game in Dubai.Their loss instantly brought back memories from July 2024, when they squandered what should have been a straightforward chase against India. On that scarcely believable night in Pallekele, Sri Lanka needed just nine runs from two overs with six wickets in hand. Yet, they stumbled against the bowling of Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav as the game went into a Super Over, where they managed just one run, which Suryakumar took one delivery to score.On Friday, Sri Lanka needed 12 runs to win in the last over with six wickets remaining and centurion Pathum Nissanka on strike. But he fell immediately and when Dasun Shanaka hit the last ball towards wide long-on with Sri Lanka needing three to win, there was a chance of closing out the game in regulation time. Except, Shanaka sprawled a full-length dive to complete the second run to level the scores, anticipating the throw to be fired at his end, completely unaware that Kuldeep Yadav had misfielded and that there could have been a chance for a third. It meant the game was to be decided in the Super Over, where Sri Lanka stumbled again.Related

• Why was Shanaka not given run out in the Super Over drama?

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“I would’ve preferred to finish games in normal time,” Jayasuriya said at the post-match press conference. “No captain or coach wants to go to a Super Over. Unfortunately, Dasun missed completing the third run. But no, there’s no mental block against India. Our batting line-up is strong, and we’ve given them confidence. Chasing 200 (203) is never easy, but we almost did it, which shows the quality we have.”There is no doubting Sri Lanka’s class or quality, and few embody it better than Nissanka. Having first broken through as a Test batter in 2021, he has since blossomed into a formidable white-ball player. Just last week, after the group stage, Nissanka spoke glowingly of Jayasuriya’s influence, and the freedom the coach has given him to develop a niche, along with a leeway for mistakes. On Friday, he repaid that faith in style, turning what looked a daunting chase of 203 into a stroll at one stage with a sublime 107 off 58 balls.What made the innings even more remarkable was the character behind it. Jayasuriya revealed afterwards that Nissanka had been carrying groin and hamstring niggles since the group stage. Yet, his determination to deliver for the team drove him through the pain. On a muggy night when as many as three Indian fielders cramped up, Nissanka put his body on the line.It took an ill-judged flick straight into the hands of Varun Chakravarthy at short fine leg with 12 needed off the final over to finally stop him. Jayasuriya was all praise for Nissanka and Kusal Perera, who scored 58 off 32 balls during their second-wicket stand of 127 in just 70 deliveries.2:01

‘SL will surprise some teams in T20 World Cup’

“When you’re chasing 202 (203), you have to keep finding boundaries,” Jayasuriya said. “Their partnership was the key. The momentum shifted when we started losing wickets. That’s natural in a chase because someone has to take risks. Sadly, Pathum got out at the wrong time, and later on, the ball began to turn more. Still, it was a very good game of cricket.”Kusal is one of the best players of spin in our team. He played that role well again, though I’d have liked him to bat longer. Both took calculated risks, and when they wanted boundaries, they executed them. Pathum also had a bit of a hamstring issue recently but still gave 100% for the team, which shows his commitment.”Sri Lanka will return home without a win in the Super Fours from their three games; such a result didn’t seem likely when they went through the group stages unbeaten, following wins against Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong in what was dubbed as the group of death. Reflecting on their campaign and looking ahead to the next six months leading into the T20 World Cup in February, Jayasuriya stressed on the need for the batters to adapt faster to challenging conditions.”In T20 cricket, assessing conditions quickly is everything,” Jayasuriya said. “In Abu Dhabi, for example, the first-round pitches had pace and bounce, but in the second round, things changed, and we were too slow to adapt. That cost us. The disappointment was the Bangladesh match in the Super Four – 168 on that pitch was a good score, but we didn’t bowl well enough to defend it. Against Pakistan, we didn’t assess the conditions [in Abu Dhabi] quickly enough, and were late to adapt.”Today, India played very well to get over 200. Our boys showed they’re capable of chasing that, but again we just fell short. Apart from that Bangladesh game, I’m fairly satisfied, though disappointed not to reach the final. We have the batting and bowling quality. The key is to execute plans according to conditions and opposition. If we do that consistently, this team can go very far.”