The home loss to Orlando marked Inter Miami’s fifth defeat in their last seven matches across all competitions

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Miami currently sit sixth in the Eastern Conference with 22 pointsUnder Mascherano, Inter Miami has 11 wins, 4 draws, and 5 lossesThe team has conceded 20 goals over that seven-game stretchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano acknowledged that his team is experiencing a deep downturn in form, one that worsened Sunday’s heavy 3-0 drubbing by in-state rivals Orlando City.

“The team has lost a great deal of confidence. We've dropped in both individual and collective performance,” Mascherano said after the match. “And it’s clear that we’ve tried – through different systems and different players – but right now, it’s very difficult for us.”

Mascherano, however, refrained from blaming officiating, focusing instead on his team’s repeated breakdowns.

"The reality is that, beyond whether the play was controversial due to the back pass, we again made the same mistakes that cost us the match," he said.

The Argentine coach admitted that the responsibility lies with the technical staff.

"Clearly the one responsible is me, I’ve said that before," he said. "We can’t afford the kinds of mistakes we’re making. That’s been clearly identified, but there’s no use in me coming here and repeating it – because it keeps happening. In many of these aspects, we’re failing as a coaching staff, and we have to find a way to stop making these mistakes so that the team can start getting results."

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The loss to Orlando marked Inter Miami’s fifth defeat in their last seven matches across all competitions, including the MLS and CONCACAF Champions Cup. Defensively, the team has been vulnerable, conceding a staggering 20 goals during that stretch.

A 3–3 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes and a 4–1 win over the New York Red Bulls were the only bright spots in an otherwise bleak run that also includes a 5-1 aggregate loss to Vancouver Whitecaps, a 4-3 defeat to FC Dallas, and a 4–1 loss against Minnesota United.

Despite showing early promise against Orlando, Mascherano lamented yet another critical mistake that turned the game.

“I think we were playing a very good first half, controlling the game, creating chances, having the clearest opportunities," he said. "But once again, a lapse – on a relatively easy ball – cost us. We’re in one of those moments where every mistake turns into a goal.”

AFPWHAT LIONEL MESSI SAID

Lionel Messi, who spoke to Apple TV after the game, also expressed frustration with the officiating, particularly regarding the controversial buildup to Orlando’s opening goal, which stemmed from what appeared to be a back pass.

"The truth is there are times when there are key errors, like in the last match (against San Jose Earthquakes), you know?" he said. "These aren’t excuses, but there’s always something with the referees in a crucial play. I think the MLS should take a closer look at the referee issue."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI AND ORLANDO CITY?

Miami currently are sixth in the Eastern Conference with 22 points from 13 matches. Their next challenge is a road trip to face Philadelphia Union, who top the East with 29 points in 14 games.

Orlando City, on the other hand, is now fifth in the standings with 24 points. The team, managed by Óscar Pareja, is riding an impressive 12-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. They will host Nashville SC on Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup and then face the Portland Timbers at home in MLS play on Saturday.

Do SRH need to reconfigure their combination to try and score their first win against CSK at Chepauk?

S Sudarshanan20-Apr-20233:23

Moody: Pace can restrict Shivam Dube

Big picture: Can SRH score first win against CSK at home?Sunrisers Hyderabad have not yet beaten Chennai Super Kings at home. They’ve played only three matches against CSK in Chennai, but visiting teams have always struggled for success at Chepauk, where Super Kings have won 19 of their last 23 games.CSK have played only two home games so far but early signs are that Chepauk is staying true to reputation and assisting spin. Spinners have taken 16 wickets there this season with an economy of 8.13, while the fast bowlers have 11 wickets and an economy of 10.66.Rajasthan Royals did return victorious from Chennai for the first time since 2008, but they fielded three world-class spinners in R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa. And yet they won by only three runs off the final ball.Sunrisers don’t have the same depth in their spin attack. They’ve been playing Washington Sundar, who’s bowled 11 overs in five games without a wicket, and Mayank Markande, while keeping Adil Rashid and Akeal Hosein on the bench because of team balance. Will captain Aiden Markram look to bring in an international spinner because of the conditions at Chepauk?Spin will also test Harry Brook, who has been opening for Sunrisers in recent games and scored a hundred too. But MS Dhoni would have definitely noted Brook was successful against pace and circumspect against spin during his century against Kolkata Knight Riders.Sunrisers haven’t been the fastest starters with the bat this season either: their powerplay run-rate of 7.13 is the lowest among all teams, while Super Kings’ 9.86 is the highest. They might have to approach this contest differently and attack CSK’s quicks early on, so that they don’t leave themselves too much to do against the spinners in Chennai.Recent resultsChennai Super Kings WLWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Sunrisers Hyderabad LWWLLWill Sunrisers look to strengthen their spin attack by playing Adil Rashid in Chennai?•BCCI

Team news: Stokes still doubtful but Santner’s fitBen Stokes is likely to miss a fourth successive game as he recovers from a heel injury, though he did bat and bowl in the nets for a short while on Wednesday. Mitchell Santner has recovered from illness and is available for selection.Impact Player strategyChennai Super Kings
Super Kings have been using Ambati Rayudu only during their batting innings, swapping him in or out for a bowler depending on whether they bowl first or second.Probable XII: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Shivam Dube, , 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 9 Tushar Deshpande, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Matheesha Pathirana/Mitchell Santner, Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers’ use of the Impact Player doesn’t have a consistent pattern, though it’s usually been a batter for a bowler or vice versa. Against Knight Riders, they subbed out Harry Brook after he scored a hundred and brought in Washington Sundar, and in their next game against Mumbai they subbed out T Natarajan after they finished bowling and brought in Abdul Samad for the chase.Probable XII: 1 Harry Brook, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram (capt), 5 Abhishek Sharma, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), , 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Marco Jansen/Akeal Hosein/Adil Rashid, 11 Mayank Markande, Stats that matter CSK are the only IPL opponents against whom Mayank Agarwal has not scored a half-century in more than 10 innings. In the last two IPL seasons, only Nitish Rana and Sanju Samson have more runs than Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 235 against Sunrisers. Tushar Deshpande has picked up five wickets in the last five overs this season, the second most by a fast bowler. However, his economy of 12.81 in this phase is the highest among bowlers to have bowled at least 30 balls. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has dismissed Ajinkya Rahane six times in 103 deliveries in the IPL, and only conceded 90 runsPitch and conditionsThe two games in Chennai so far have had good batting tracks with enough in them for spinners. The fast bowlers been expensive and the trend could continue. The weather is expected to be warm and humid.The Big Question

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s winless streak in the tournament continued as Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen kept their cool to guide Delhi Capitals home in a close encounter at the DY Patil Sports Academy.On a two-paced pitch, Royal Challengers got off the blocks slowly but ended up posting a competitive 150 thanks to Ellyse Perry’s half-century. In return, after losing the dangerous Shafali Verma early, Capitals got a good start thanks to Alice Capsey, but a few quick wickets pushed them to play watchfully.The chase looked tense at a point after Jemimah Rodrigues’ wicket, with Capitals needing 42 runs off 33 balls. But Jonassen and Kapp not only patiently ran singles, but also turned the pressure back on the Royal Challengers’ bowlers with their big hits from time to time.It came down to Capitals needing nine off the last over. Renuka Singh conceded just two runs in the first two balls. With seven needed off four, Jonassen clattered the ball over a leaping Perry at deep midwicket. She then smashed a full delivery emphatically down the ground to silence the “RCB, RCB” chants at the stadium.However, it’s not all over for Royal Challengers yet. They are still mathematically in, but will need a number of results to go their way if they want to secure a top-three finish.

Shikha Pandey – far from finished

Before she was recalled to the India squad after a gap of 15 months for the T20 World Cup in February, Shikha Pandey wrote up an affirmation poster on her bedroom wall which read “our greatest growth comes from our darkest times. You go.” At 33, she’s growing and growing, not only showing she’s still got it, but also that she’s here to stay.She had a decent outing at the T20 World Cup, with economical spells and a total of three wickets in three games. Now, she’s got those wickets coming too.So far at the WPL, she has taken eight wickets in five matches. In a tournament that has seen a number of high scoring games, her economy of 6.84 is the third-best among fast bowlers who have bowled more than 10 overs.On the day, she took out Royal Challengers’ captain Smriti Mandhana in her very first delivery, luring her into a pull to deep square leg with the short ball. She mixed her lengths on the day and made use of the slight movement on offer. On the last ball of her next over, she angled one into Sophie Devine and rattled her leg stump to leave Royal Challengers at 41 for 2 in nine overs.Perry and Richa Ghosh came together for the fifth wicket and began to rebuild. The duo then started accelerating after gaining a grasp of the pace of the pitch, scoring 67 runs in four overs between the 15th and 18th.It was Pandey’s turn to bowl again, and she broke through immediately. She had Ghosh, who was looking to scoop, edge one to the keeper, with a slow-ish full delivery. She finished with figures of 3 for 25 at an economy of 5.75.In between all the wicket-taking, she also took a brilliant diving catch at short fine leg to send Heather Knight back.Pandey’s bowling display and her energy on the field clearly showed that she’s far from finished. Her performance probably went unnoticed given how the chase unfolded, but captain Meg Lanning did not forget to credit her during the post-match chat with the host broadcaster.”I think Shikha Pandey has gone under the radar a little bit,” Lanning said after the match. “She’s been bowling extremely well.””We executed really well. Obviously, throughout this tournament we’ve shown that if you can hit that good length nice fast and straight is the way to do it. I think for most part we did that really well.”

Capsey turns it on

Before Jonassen and Kapp played those calm knocks, it was Capsey who laid the platform for the chase.Teenager Capsey made up for Shafali’s early dismissal. She played a counter-attacking knock, hitting eight boundaries in her 24-ball stay, making the required run rate go down. Lanning faced just two balls during their 26-ball partnership.After smashing Renuka Singh for three boundaries, she took Preeti Bose on for four boundaries in a row in the fifth over before holing out.”I’ve been able to watch Meg abs Shafali do their thing almost every game,” Capsey told the commentators during a chat from the dugout. “So I have taken a few tips from them. It’s about playing through the line a little bit more and trusting it a little bit more which as a batter is a pretty nice adjustment to go that way than the other.”Capitals have been using Capsey largely as a floater in the line-up. She came in at No. 5 in the match against UP Warriorz and played at No. 3 in the last two games. While she has played at No. 3 in the England side barring one game, she’s batted in the middle order regularly in the women’s Hundred.”It’s a different role, but it’s a role I’m quite used to in England,” she said at the press conference. “England use me where, if there’s a wicket in the powerplay, I go in and try to create a bit of counterattack and if there’s a good partnership up top I slot into the role of [Nos.] 5 or 6 which I’ve done a couple of times. I really enjoy both roles. They’re very different roles and I do enjoy both roles. For me it is not too much difference I just go out to bat put pressure on bowlers.”I felt a bit short of runs this tournament so far, so it was nice to contribute to the team’s win. Nice to hit a few boundaries, and [to] get us ahead of the game in the powerplay was brilliant.”

Chloe Kelly aimed a dig at her critics after helping Arsenal win the Champions League final against Barcelona on Saturday.

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• Kelly wins Champions League with Arsenal
• Aims dig at critics
• Left Man City under a cloud in January

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Kelly played 68 minutes of the showdown in Lisbon, as Stina Blackstenius scored a 74th-minute winner to seal glory for the Gunners. After ending a difficult season with a medal, she then took a pop at her doubters in Instagram.

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• WHAT KELLY SAID

  Posing with the medal, with Arsenal fans behind her, Kelly wrote: "Once written off…"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kelly started the season at Manchester City but suspended her five-year association with the club in acrimonious circumstances in January. The Lioness made just one WSL start in the first half of the season and claimed in a social media post that she wanted "to be happy again", before being allowed to leave for Arsenal on a loan deal.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR KELLY?

  Kelly is out of contract at City this summer and will not return to the club. It is not yet clear whether Arsenal will sign her on a free transfer.

Barcelona are reluctant to match Manchester United's asking price for Marcus Rashford but are eager to sign the attacker this summer.

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Barcelona want to avoid €40m Rashford feeUnited keen to sell England internationalJoined Villa on loanFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Rashford's hopes of securing a move to Barcelona this summer have taken a hit as the La Liga champions are not willing to meet United's €40 million (£34m/$44m) asking price, according to . Their report claims the Catalan giants could offer between €5m to €10m for a one-year loan, but they do not want to part with a significant amount of cash for Rashford as they would rather invest in a player like Liverpool's Luis Diaz. Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli is another option.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Rashford effectively has no future at United under Ruben Amorim, having left the club to join Aston Villa on loan in January. However, his contract at Old Trafford still has another three years to run and the Red Devils want to extract a transfer fee that befits a player who has scored 17 goals in 62 appearances for England.

DID YOU KNOW?

If Rashford were to join Barcelona, he would find himself competing with Raphinha for a spot in Hansi Flick's team. The Brazilian is one of the main candidates for the 2025 Ballon d'Or after leading the Blaugrana to a domestic treble.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD AND BARCELONA?

Rashford will hope his future is resolved quickly, but Barcelona's financial state may rule them out of the running, especially if they decide to prioritise a permanent arrival like Diaz.

Phoebe Franklin’s half-century in vain as Nadine de Klerk and Nat Sciver-Brunt claim five wickets between them

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2023Georgie Boyce hit a brilliant unbeaten 63 to steer The Blaze to a five-wicket victory over the South East Stars in the opening round of the Charlotte Edwards Cup at Beckenham.Boyce played a pivotal innings as the visitors recovered from a mid-innings wobble to win with four balls to spare, cashing in on a number of dropped chances to close on 161 for 5 in reply to the Stars’ 160 for 8.Phoebe Franklin was the Stars’ top scorer, hitting 53 from 32 balls and when she removed Tammy Beaumont for 48 it sparked a mini-collapse that had made the hosts look favourites until Boyce intervened.Nadine de Klerk had The Blaze’s best bowling figures with 3 for 21 while Nat Sciver-Brunt took 2 for 46.The Blaze won the toss and chose to bowl at a blustery, overcast New County Ground, a decision that looked questionable when Bryony Smith smacked 14 off Grace Ballinger’s first over, but her quickfire innings came to an end when Kirstie Gordon had her caught on the long on boundary by Marie Kelly for 18.Ballinger then trapped Tash Farrant for a three-ball duck and Paige Scholfield was out for four, driving Scivrer-Brunt’s second ball to Sarah Glenn at cover.Sophia Dunkley led an aggressive but short-lived counterattack until Sarah Glenn bowled her for 20 and it was left to Franklin and Kira Chathli to rebuild the innings with a partnership of 68.Chathli should have been out for 22 but Glenn dropped a dolly off her own bowling, though she fell soon after when she tried to scoop de Klerk and was bowled for 24.Franklin brought up her 50 when she pulled Gordon through midwicket for a single but she was finally out in the 19th over when she dragged a Sciver-Brunt delivery onto her stumps.Alice Davidson-Richards took the Stars past 150 with an elegant pull off Sciver-Brunt for four, but she was bowled by de Klerk in the final over, also for 24.De Klerk’s next delivery pinged back Kalea Moore’s leg stump and although Freya Davies blocked out the hat-trick ball, she couldn’t scramble any additional runs.It looked a challenging total but Beaumont made an electrifying start to the chase, which included a huge six over cow corner. Her opening stand of 30 with Kelly was broken when the latter was snared by Davidson-Richards off Scholfield for five.Beaumont was on 42 when she misjudged a Franklin delivery and although Davies couldn’t take a difficult chance, a cluster of wickets tilted the momentum back in the Stars’ favour.The Blaze were on 6 for 1 in the ninth over when Scholfield had Sciver-Brunt caught for 19 near the midwicket boundary by Farrant and in the tenth Ryana MacDonald-Gay claimed the key wicket of Beaumont, who fell to a brilliant diving catch by Smith.In the 11th Davidson-Richards had Kathryn Bryce caught behind and Glenn then holed to Franklin and was caught on the boundary by Davidson-Richards for four.At 91 for 5 the Blaze were in deep trouble, but Boyce then took centre stage, reaching her 50 with a drive off Davies that was nearly caught at deep cover but went for two.De Klerk played the anchor role at the other end and herself survived a tough chance for caught behind off Davidson-Richards.The Blaze needed just two from the final over and de Klerk hit the winning runs when she carved Davidson-Richards through the covers.

Pujara, Suryakumar fifties help West extend lead to 241 runs, while Jayant and Arora star with the ball for North

Shashank Kishore06-Jul-2023

On a day where as many as 15 wickets fell in Alur, West Zone drove themselves into a commanding position by stumps on day two of the Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone.Having been bowled out for 220 – they added just four to their overnight 214 for 8 – West stormed back courtesy Arzan Nagwaswalla. The Gujarat fast bowler picked up 5 for 74, his sixth first-class five-for, to skittle Central for just 128.Rinku Singh, whose omission from India’s T20I squad for West Indies became a raging debate among fans on Wednesday night, top-scored with 48, while Dhruv Jurel, his Uttar Pradesh state mate, scored 46. Both players were among Nagwaswalla’s victims as West pocketed a 92-run lead.West then consolidated their position courtesy a 95-run stand between Cheteshwar Pujara and Suryakumar Yadav, before Central had some respite in the last half hour. Saurabh Kumar, who had earlier in the innings accounted for Priyank Panchal, dismissed Suryakumar after he’d made a robust 58 as he chipped one straight to short extra cover.As he did in the first innings, Pujara battled hard and lent solidity to the innings. He will hope to build on his unbeaten 50 on day three along with Sarfaraz Khan, who will be keen to make amends for his first-innings duck.Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz’s Mumbai team-mate, however, couldn’t impress as he fell for a 26-ball 25 to go along with his 26 in the first innings. Shaw was cleaned up by Yash Thakur*, shouldering arms to one that decked back in sharply.Jayant Yadav picked up three wickets to keep South Zone to 195•PTI

On a see-saw day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where rain and bad light had the players indoors for much of the afternoon, North Zone kept themselves in the game after their bowling unit combined to skittle South Zone for 195.Vaibhav Arora and Jayant Yadav picked up three wickets apiece as South Zone collapsed on either side of a 110-run stand between top-scorer Mayank Agarwal and Tilak Varma, who on Wednesday celebrated his maiden call-up to India’s T20I squad.Agarwal struck a 115-ball 76 and was the first wicket to fall. Washington Sundar, who managed just 12, fell soon. Varma’s wicket in the next over turned the tide. R Sai Kishore hit 21 to narrow the deficit, before Arora picked up two of the last three wickets to help North Zone secure a three-run lead.South Zone struck twice before Ankit Kalsi and first-innings top scorer Prabhsimran Singh ensured no further damage as North ended on 51 for 2, effectively 54 ahead with two full days remaining.0900GMT The report had erronously stated Shaw getting out to Yash Thakur twice in the match. This has been corrected.

However, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the second Test in Vizag, are both recovering well and expected to be available

Sidharth Monga and Nagraj Gollapudi07-Feb-20241:00

Manjrekar: I would look at another wicketkeeper until Pant returns

Virat Kohli’s absence in the England series is set to be extended, with the senior India batter expected to miss the third and fourth Tests in Rajkot and Ranchi, respectively. ESPNcricinfo has learned that doubts also persist on Kohli’s availability for the fifth Test in Dharmasala, which starts from March 7, a factor that the selectors will consider when they meet this week to pick the India squad for the final three Tests.It was on January 22, three days from the start of the England series, that the BCCI announced that Kohli had pulled out of the first two Tests for “personal reasons”. Kohli had landed in Hyderabad the same morning to join the Indian squad, but flew out the same day. The BCCI has not made any further comment on Kohli’s absence since that statement, which said: “Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasised that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention.”

Rahul, Jadeja in running for Rajkot

Among the players who missed the second Test, Mohammed Siraj is set to make a comeback after he was rested as a precaution. The fitness of KL Rahul, who sat out with a quad strain, and Ravindra Jadeja, who sustained a hamstring injury during the first Test, is being monitored at the NCA in Bangalore.Related

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• Jasprit Bumrah becomes first Indian fast bowler to be ranked No. 1 in Tests

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• Dravid: We were under pressure but individual performances kept us in the game

ESPNcricinfo has learned that the final report from the NCA physio is still awaited, but the outlook for both players is positive. With the third Test not starting for another week, India are optimistic about the chances of at least one (if not both) of Rahul and Jadeja being available for the game, pending fitness clearance.Rahul and Jadeja were India’s best batters in the first Test, though both missed out on centuries. Rahul filled in the No. 4 slot left vacant by Kohli and his return now would boost the middle order which was light on experience in Vizag.

Siraj back for third Test

The one confirmed returnee for the Rajkot Test is Siraj. The fast bowler, who had bowled 11 overs in the first Test defeat at his home ground in Hyderabad, was rested for the second Test for workload reasons.The return of Siraj will be a boost for the bowling line-up, which relied on Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance to win the second Test. The only bowler in the world to have reached the top of ICC rankings in all formats, Bumrah made a comeback from a stress fracture of the back starting with the World Cup last year. Managing his workload will be a consideration for the team management, but he is likely to play in the Rajkot Test next Thursday.After losing the first Test – only their fourth defeat at home since the start of 2013 – India made a comeback in Vizag to level the five-Test series 1-1. The next two Tests will be played back-to-back before the final Test in Dharamsala starting March 7.

Usman Khawaja has been cleared to play the second Test against West Indies in Brisbane having passed all his concussion protocols following the blow to the head shortly before the end of the game in Adelaide.Khawaja was struck on the side of helmet by a short ball from Shamar Joseph and retired hurt with one run needed for victory. He passed the initial concussion assessment in the dressing room and has continued to not show any symptoms over the weekend, getting the all-clear from a final test on Monday.He will to return to training on Tuesday during Australia’s main session ahead of the Gabba Test.Related

• Head 'almost out' of Covid, set to start day-night Test at the Gabba

• Hazlewood takes career-best haul but Khawaja hurt in Australia's victory

• Renshaw could remain available to Brisbane Heat in Test lead-up

• Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood could play both West Indies and New Zealand T20Is

“Khawaja was assessed again today and has no symptoms of delayed concussion,” a CA spokesperson said.Khawaja’s progress means Australia are set to remain unchanged for the second Test as they look to wrap up the series 2-0. Matt Renshaw is the spare batter in the squad and has been made available for Brisbane Heat’s Challenger final against Adelaide Strikers on Monday. He may also be allowed to feature in the final against Sydney Sixers on Wednesday, the eve of the Test, if Heat make it through.The three frontline quicks are set to play their fifth Test of the season together with the opening match in Adelaide having taken little more than two days, following all three Tests against Pakistan ending in four.Alongside Nathan Lyon, it will be the first time since 2013-14 against England that Australia will have gone through a home Test summer of at least five matches with an unchanged attack when Lyon was also part of the group alongside Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle.”At the start of the summer I didn’t think it was going to be the case,” captain Pat Cummins said. “But it’s shaping up that way which is a huge nod to the fitness of the guys and the medical team and a couple of helpful wickets.”With Josh Hazlewood having passed 250 Test wickets in Adelaide, all four of the frontline bowlers now have that tally – the first attack in history to achieve the feat.Lance Morris could be called up if Australia need to boost their pace depth•Getty Images

With two Tests to come against New Zealand from late February there’s a chance they could play seven consecutive matches together as an attack. The three quicks are being rested from the ODI series against West Indies early next month but some could feature in the T20Is which follow.Scott Boland has been with the Test squad throughout the season (although was released to play games for Melbourne Stars) while uncapped quick Lance Morris would also be close to a call-up if a replacement was needed. He was part of the squad early in the Pakistan series before being left to play for Perth Scorchers where he took 13 wickets at 19.00 in nine matches.”It’s awesome travelling with the Aussie guys but nothing replicates playing cricket,” Morris said ahead of the Knockout final where Scorchers’ campaign ended against Adelaide Strikers.”[I’ve been] putting a few things into practice – having the bravery to take it out in the middle was tough, but I made a conscious effort to try a few different things and expand my game this year. It’s something you can only get with experience.”When the pressure is on and you’re in front of a big crowd, you need to fall back on to your strengths and it only comes through playing a lot of cricket.”Morris is in line for his ODI debut against West Indies in the three-match series while both he and Boland likely to be included in the Test squad to tour New Zealand.

He is believed to have batted without any discomfort but did not keep wickets

Shashank Kishore21-Feb-20246:27

Rishabh Pant on his accident: ‘I felt my time in this world was up’

Rishabh Pant has begun going through a series of match-simulation exercises as he continues his recovery from a life-threatening car accident in December 2022 and targets a return to competitive cricket during IPL 2024.On Tuesday, Pant and Hardik Pandya, who is recovering from an ankle injury, played a 20-over practice game at the KSCA facility in Alur, Karnataka, under the supervision of National Cricket Academy physios and trainers. They are expected to have another round of conditioning and match-simulation drills on Thursday and it’s likely this exercise will continue until early March.ESPNcricinfo understands Pant experienced no discomfort while batting for the entire 20 overs and the team monitoring him is believed to be satisfied with his endurance levels. Pant, however, didn’t keep wicket and has reportedly been advised to resume that aspect of his training in March. If he’s ready in time for the IPL, he is like to play as a specialist batter for Delhi Capitals.On Tuesday, Pant had a posted a video on Instagram in which he’s seen doing some wicketkeeping and mobility drills, which have become part of his lower-body conditioning over the past six weeks. The NCA staff is mindful of not overloading Pant and want to ease him back into the rigours of training in a high-intensity environment.Related

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Pant on his life-threatening car crash: 'I felt my time in this world was over'

Rishabh Pant suffers multiple injuries in serious car crash

Ricky Ponting, Delhi’s head coach, had spoken earlier this month about “managing Pant” through IPL 2024, if he wasn’t ready to play every single game.”We’ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he can be out there and play,” Ponting had said. “Even if it’s not all the games, if we can manage him through 10 of the 14 games or whatever that might be, then whatever games you can get out of him will be a bonus.”Rishabh is very confident that he’s going to be right to play. In what capacity we’re not quite sure yet. But I’ll guarantee if I asked him now he’ll say, ‘I’m playing every game, I’m keeping every game and I’m batting at No.4.’ That’s just what he’s like, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”Pant hasn’t played competitive cricket since the accident in December 2022, when he was driving from Delhi to his hometown of Roorkee to meet his family. After being treated initially in Dehradun, Pant was airlifted to Mumbai, where he had knee surgery under the care of BCCI’s specialist consultant.Since last April, Pant has mostly been at the NCA in Bengaluru for his rehab under the guidance of physio S Rajnikanth, who has worked with several India age-group teams and also been part of the DC support staff.Rajnikanth had previously helped Hardik, Jasprit Bumrah and M Vijay recover from serious injuries. Thulasi Ram Yuvaraj, another NCA physio, has also been working with Pant on mobility and speed drills.In an interview aired earlier this month on , Pant had spoken about how he insulated himself from the outside world to focus on his recovery. “I am focusing on recovery cut off from the world,” he said. “It helps me in recovering fast, especially when the injury is so serious. For recovery, you have to do the same thing every day. It’s boring, it’s irritating, it’s frustrating, but you have to do it.”Hardik is believed to be recovering well from the ankle injury he picked up midway through the 2023 ODI World Cup. He had begun training in Baroda last month and checked into the NCA for regular fitness monitoring. He is reportedly on track to lead Mumbai Indians at IPL 2024.Last week, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had said Hardik would be Rohit Sharma’s vice-captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup beginning on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies.