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Team-mates and former India captains were among those who reacted to the news of Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement on social media

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-20252:16

Kumble: Straight from the heart, that’s Rohit Sharma

Not just a leader, but a brother and mentor.
Learned so much just by watching you, bhai! Your legacy in whites will stay with us forever @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/V3XjM74AhW

— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) May 7, 2025

They used to rule Galle Tests. This one, against Bangladesh, is going against them

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Jun-2025If you watched Sri Lanka play Tests in Galle through the 2010s, you can probably close your eyes and still see him. Rangana Herath, waddling to the crease pre-ball; Rangana Herath pivoting in his follow-through post-ball; Rangana Herath settling into one of his gentle celebrations post post-ball, the ball itself having taken sharp turn and collected an outside edge, or skimmed straight and clattered into the stumps.This Galle surface is better for batting than most Herath had bowled on. Which is partly why, six years after his retirement, the spinners trying to emulate his epic acts of second-innings match-winning here are struggling. Four days into this Test, Sri Lanka’s four spinners (two single-arm, two dual-arm) have bowled 140.2 overs between them and taken five wickets at a collective average of 97. Seamer Asitha Fernando, meanwhile, has a match haul of 4 for 117 so far. Seam-bowling allrounder Milan Rathnayake has 4 for 52. As Sri Lanka hunted desperately for wickets late on day four, Asitha seemed by a distance the greatest threat.There are two immediate problems here. Although this is a Galle deck that favours the batters most, it’s still a surface that favours spinners more than it does quicks. Seven of Sri Lanka’s first-innings wickets, for example, fell to Bangladesh spin. Even in previous high-scoring Tests at this venue, (as one example this) spinners have routinely been the greater threat.Related

• Nayeem, Shadman improve Bangladesh's second-innings act

• Tait: 'Our pacers missed a trick with new ball'

• Nissanka 2.0 launches in Galle with 187 new features

• Shanto, Shadman stretch Bangladesh's lead after Nayeem's five-for

The second problem is that it should not take six years for an obvious successor to Herath to appear. We are talking about spin. For the majority of first-class seasons since 2010, only spinners appeared in the top five wicket-takers in any year. The emergence of the new National Super League has led to a healthier domestic ecosystem, which has shaped careers such as those of Milan, and Kamindu Mendis. But if Sri Lanka should have a smooth production line in any discipline, it should be in this one. Not only has Lankan spin bowling given Tests the most prolific right-arm (Muthiah Muralidaran) and left-arm (Herath) bowlers in history, Lankan spinners have also sparked little revolutions. Without Ajantha Mendis, would there ever have been a Mujeeb Ur Rahman, or Varun Chakravarthy?Beyond which – and only Sri Lanka fans can read this next section, the rest can skip ahead to the next paragraph – Sri Lanka do not have a track record of producing many other types of match-winning bowlers. Many of us are not especially tall. The tall ones tend to be skinny – through no fault of their own, this country only now coming out of our latest malnutrition crisis. And if you bowl at serious pace in Sri Lanka, there seems to be a rule that you have to be injured for many more Tests than you are available for. Lahiru Kumara is unavailable for this one, for instance. This country really, truly needs its wicket-taking Test-match spinners, whose strength is skill, rather than, you know, strength. Perhaps these should have been part of the demands in those 2022 protests.And if you look at Sri Lankan spin even in the last 15 years, Herath may perhaps be the outlier. Dilruwan Perera was effective at times alongside Herath, but averaged almost 36 by the end. Sri Lanka tried to blood other Test-match spinners – Tharindu Kaushal, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, Ramesh Mendis, even Wanindu Hasaranga. For various reasons, these bowlers did not work out. Usually it had to do with them not finding wickets consistently enough, even on tracks that suited them. Malinda Pushpakumara has 980 first-class wickets, but did not impress in Tests.Schoolkids watch the cricket from the grass banks•AFP/Getty ImagesPrabath Jayasuriya is the latest potential spin-bowling matchwinner for Sri Lanka in Tests. Although he had had an excellent 2022, he has not been quite so hot since. He was the second-equal-fastest bowler – in terms of matches played – to get to 100 Test wickets. But against Australia earlier this year, he bowled 104 overs and averaged 40.44, having conceded runs at 3.50 an over. In this match, he was 0 for 154 in the first innings, and is currently 1 for 48 in the second.Right now, this track has dust exploding at almost every impact and on day five has every chance of turning into a spin fest. But where Sri Lanka used to have match-winning spinners who moved first and moved emphatically on surfaces offering them even a little bit of turn, their latest generations of spinners have tended to need rank dustbowls on which to impose themselves.The World Test Championship, for all its flaws, has put a premium on result Tests. Getting a draw out of a home Test match feels like more of a failure than it ever has before. For Sri Lanka to avoid that fate, or an even more humiliating defeat, they have to take wickets early on day five. On this pitch, it is the spinners who should be leading that charge.Sri Lanka have made gains in the batting and seam-bowling departments in the last two WTC cycles, but the same cannot be said of their spin. For years, since Herath, Lankan Test spin has just been lukewarm. If they are to make progress in the next cycle, they need it to be hot.

Her 159-run partnership with Sune Luus against NZ is the highest for SA for any wicket in Women’s World Cups

Namooh Shah06-Oct-2025

Tazmin Brits got to seven ODI hundreds in 41 innings•ICC/Getty Images

232 – The target chased down by South Africa on Monday is the highest by any team against New Zealand in the women’s World Cup, going past their own record – 229 in Hamilton in 2022.101 – The runs scored by Tazmin Brits, which makes her the third South Africa batter to score a hundred in the women’s World Cup. Linda Olivier in 2000 and Marizanne Kapp in 2013 are the other two.5 – Hundreds by Brits in 2025, the most by any player in a calendar year in women’s ODIs. She went past Smriti Mandhana, who scored four hundreds in 2024 and also has four so far in 2025.Brits has also scored four hundreds in her last five ODI innings.1 – Brits took 41 innings to score seven ODI hundreds. That is the fewest by a batter in women’s ODIs, bettering the record of Meg Lanning, who took 44 innings to get there.Brits took 87 balls to complete her seventh ODI hundred, which is the fastest by her, and the fourth-fastest by a South Africa batter in women’s ODIs.2 – Brits now has 749 runs in ODIs in 2025, the second-most for a South Africa batter in a calendar year. She is only behind Laura Wolvaardt, who scored 882 runs in 2022.159 – The partnership between Brits and Sune Luus for the second wicket, is the highest for South Africa for any wicket in women’s World Cups. They went past a long-standing record of 128* between Dane van Niekerk and Kapp in 2013.It is also South Africa’s third-highest partnership for the second wicket in women’s ODIs (where ball-by-ball data is available).1 – Lea Tahuhu dismissed Brits to take her 30th wicket in ODI World Cups and with that became the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand in the tournament. Tahuhu went past Catherine Campbell, who has 29 wickets.350 – Suzie Bates became the first woman to play 350 international matches across formats. Harmanpreet Kaur is next on the list with 342 international caps.

Arsenal are now reportedly tracking one of Europe’s leading young talents in an attempt to hijack Chelsea’s move and deal their Premier League rivals a frustrating blow.

Whilst Arsenal will have been disappointed to see their clean sheet streak go against Sunderland as well as their recent winning run in a last-gasp 2-2 draw, they have plenty of reason to be positive.

Arsenal leading race to sign "explosive" gem ahead of interest from Barcelona

He’s a man in demand.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 10, 2025

Heading into the November international break, the Gunners sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League and on course to end their wait for glory under Mikel Arteta.

They’re doing it their way, too. Arteta is no longer simply a disciple to Pep Guardiola. His Arsenal side are far more pragmatic and could have one of the best defensive records that English football has ever seen come May. Meanwhile, in what is a reflection of Premier League football in 2025, Arsenal are benefitting from their position as set piece kings.

When you’re on top, however, it’s all about staying there and it’s no surprise that Andrea Berta is already eyeing potential incomings as a result. The champions-elect are reportedly interested in signing Malick Fofana from Lyon in an attempt to strengthen their left-hand side.

Both Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have competed for the role this season but with the former becoming inconsistent and the latter now 30 years old, there’s certainly room for another option to arrive.

Reports have even claimed that Arsenal are leading the race to sign Fofana ahead of 2026 in what would be another intelligent move from new sporting director Berta.

After Fofana, he may still welcome other options too. The Gunners have also been linked with a move to sign an impressive attacking midfielder ahead of Chelsea.

Arsenal eyeing Nico Paz hijack

According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are now tracking Nico Paz in what could see them hijack Chelsea’s move in unexpected fashion. The Como attacker is one of the best young players in European football and has attracted interest from the Premier League as well as Inter Milan as a result.

So long as Real Madrid don’t trigger their bargain buy-back options worth less than £10m in the next two years then the race to sign the 21-year-old will swing wide open. And that’s when Arsenal could swoop in.

If the Gunners are looking to find out more about the Argentine, meanwhile, then all they have to do is ask Cesc Fabregas. The former Arsenal midfielder is currently the manager of Como and has benefitted more than most from Paz’s brilliance.

With four goals and four assists in 12 games this season, the former Real Madrid star is undoubtedly the standout player under Fabregas, who could now make up for his transfer antics as a player by answering Arsenal’s potential call about his midfield sensation.

Arsenal "monster" is becoming the new Xhaka and he's not even a midfielder

The match referee at the centre of the handshake row has been entrusted with the Super Fours game on Sunday

Shashank Kishore20-Sep-2025Andy Pycroft, who was at the centre of the handshake row when India and Pakistan met on September 14 at the Asia Cup, will be the match referee for the Super Fours fixture between the two teams in Dubai on Sunday as well.The PCB had sought Pycroft’s “immediate removal” after he had requested the captains Salman Agha and Suryakumar Yadav not to shake hands during the toss of the September 14 game. Pycroft stayed, and the row spilled over into Pakistan’s next game, against UAE. After they cancelled a pre-match press conference, Pakistan didn’t arrive on schedule for the match, which had to be pushed back by an hour, as they conducted backroom talks with the ICC.It wasn’t until a late meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team management just prior to toss – which snowballed into another controversy – that Pakistan agreed to take the field.Related

• India, Pakistan will look to put off-field issues aside in Super Fours clash

• Six wickets, no runs: The myth and math of Saim Ayub

• Pakistan cancel pre-match press conference before India game

• Suryakumar's mantra before Pakistan game: 'Close your room, switch off your phone and sleep'

• Pycroft givenbarely any notice ahead of handshake-gate

It is in this backdrop that India and Pakistan square off again at the Dubai International Stadium, and Suryakumar made it clear that his team’s focus was on the game and nothing else.”I feel our preparations have been really good leading into the tournament. And we had three good games also,” Suryakumar said on Saturday. “So we are actually focusing on what we can do best. We want to follow all the good habits, which we’ve been doing in the last two-three games. And we’ll take it one game at a time.”But yeah, it doesn’t give us an edge because we played them once and we had a good game. Of course, it will be a good game. We’ll have to start well from scratch. And whoever plays well will win the game.”Having wrapped up their group fixture against Oman on Friday night and having travelled back to Dubai in the wee hours, India will have an optional training session on Saturday. Pakistan, meanwhile, are slated to have a full training session at the ICC Academy in the lead up to Sunday’s match.

Dietmar Hamann says Germany's 6–0 rout of Slovakia on Monday – which secured their place at next year’s World Cup – should not mask the team’s shortcomings. The former Germany, Bayern Munich and Liverpool midfielder argued that Julian Nagelsmann’s side still fall short of their strongest European rivals and therefore should not be considered among the favourites for next year's tournament.

• Germany seal World Cup qualification after Slovakia humiliation

  Germany ended their World Cup qualifying campaign in absolutely devastating fashion as they hammered Slovakia 6-0 at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Monday, thus securing a direct spot to next year's World Cup in North America. It was a performance that "relieved" the team, in striker Nick Woltemade's words, especially after the Germans slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat at Slovakia's hands in the opening game of the qualifying campaign back in September.

  After the game, Germany centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck fired a warning to their biggest rivals. “If we play like we did today, we are a very good team. And if the players who can help us but are currently injured come back, I believe we can have a very strong World Cup," he told . "The first step has been taken – and at the World Cup, the next steps will follow. 

  “If we play the World Cup like we did at the Euros last year – with a bit more luck and slightly better performances – we can really make an impact. If we play like we did today, it doesn’t matter whether we're facing the 46th-ranked team or the top-ranked team. We can beat any opponent. We are still Germany. We want to achieve something. I want to go to the World Cup to win it.”

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Hamann undermines Germany's chances at 2026 World Cup

  Speaking to , Hamann claimed that the 6-0 win over Slovakia was "a conciliatory end to a very average World Cup qualifying campaign." Furthermore, he spoke about the criticism Nagelsmann has been subjected to in recent months.

  "Criticism is always levelled at a national coach when things aren't going well," he claimed. "And if you look at the performances in the first five qualifying matches, there wasn't a single good one. At most, maybe a good half hour. Therefore, this convincing victory certainly gives Julian Nagelsmann a boost. And it brings some calm, which is also important, of course."

  However, the former Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich defensive midfielder firmly believes that Germany are not at the same level as some of their European counterparts.

  "The important thing now was to come out of the group stage as winners and thus qualify directly. You could see that it's getting increasingly difficult against the supposedly weaker teams," he added. 

  "Nevertheless, they managed it, albeit with some trepidation. But you could see that there are two or three teams in Europe that are better than us. For example, the English, the French, or the Spanish. So we will be in the wider circle at the World Cup, but as things stand today, certainly not among the top favourites. And I don't think that will change much by next summer. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything for the tournament. We showed that at the 2002 World Cup when we reached the final."

• Mixed opinions about how good Germany actually are

  While Hamann was straightforward and honest in his assessment of Die Mannschaft, Lothar Matthaus, Germany's most-capped player of all-time, believes that Nagelsmann & Co. are "on par" with the likes of Spain, England, France and Portugal, despite a sub-par qualifying campaign.

  "With all due respect to these opponents, Germany wants to compete against the best, and those are the other group winners such as England, Portugal or France," he wrote in his column this week.

  "If we can replicate what we showed in Leipzig, we're on par with these teams. We saw that in the summer. In the Nations League defeats against Portugal and France, Germany wasn't any worse than their opponents. If the German team shows the same attitude and passion and plays together like they did against Slovakia, they have nothing to fear.

  "You shouldn't underestimate yourself. Germany isn't small. I've always said that our team belongs among the favourites for the World Cup, even if they've had a poor run of form. Our World Cup qualifying campaigns were also sometimes bumpy in the past.  

  "The German team might even be under less pressure at the World Cup. The team will be even more focused next year, especially because the whole world will be watching."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Germany await the return of superstars

  Germany were without the services of some of their most experienced and/or talented individuals. Kai Havertz, who has already bagged 20 goals for the national team, missed the entire qualifying campaign due to injury. So did the uber-talented Jamal Musiala, as well as veterans Antonio Rudiger and Marc-Andre ter Stegen. 

  Considering that Germany have been undergoing a transition following the retirements of Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller, the presence of the aforementioned names could further boost their prospects at the World Cup next summer.

The home side’s pace bowlers quickly assessed conditions and made life tough, especially for Travis Head

S Sudarshanan17-Apr-20255:01

Bangar: ‘SRH need one or two batters who don’t attack all the time’

Deepak Chahar stood with his arms akimbo at the end of his follow-through. The exasperation was writ large on his face. Abhishek Sharma mistimed a slap off a length ball just wide of cover-point rushing to his left. It was the third half-chance Chahar had created in three overs. That was apart from the dropped catch off the first ball of the match.There are expectations of players in this sport. One of those is that the swing bowlers must bowl fuller lengths with the brand-new ball. That is perhaps why Mumbai Indians (MI) like to open the bowling with Chahar and Trent Boult in IPL 2025. It is for them to extract whatever little swing is available with the new ball. So, logic dictated that they would try and counter the threat of Travis Head and Abhishek by moving the new ball both ways. But MI had different ideas.In the first three overs of their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Mumbai, Chahar and Boult didn’t go in search of swing and bowled just three full deliveries. Chahar started the game with a length ball angled across Abhishek from over the wicket. Abhishek, as is his wont, dashed down the track and got a thick outside edge that burst through Will Jacks’ hand at first slip. Head then looked to whip a length ball through the leg side and almost popped a catch to midwicket. Abhishek, too, nearly did the same in Chahar’s next over.Related

• Maxed out? Glenn Maxwell needs to 'wake up' before it's too late

• MI's bowling tricks on slow pitch get them second straight win

• Jacks emerges as offspin's improbable saviour at the Wankhede

As per ESPNcricinfo logs, 14 of MI’s first 18 legal balls were either on a good length, short of good length or short. Result? SRH with 22 for 0 with one dropped chance and two near-chances. The pitch, described “tacky” by Michael Clarke, wasn’t conducive to stroke-play from get-go. Hitting shots down the ground was difficult. Travishek found success in each of the two fixtures against MI last year, and they specifically chose it to nullify the threat of SRH’s hard-hitting line-up that had arrived at the Wankhede on the back of a 246-run chase. What’s more, they also decided to resort to slower deliveries in the first six overs itself.Jasprit Bumrah, brought on in the fourth over, began with an offcutter outside off that Abhishek swung and missed at. That was one of the plenty of misses Travishek had inside the powerplay. While Bumrah did mix his lengths by slipping in a yorker in his first over itself, he predominantly bowled fast offspin, using the cutters generously to deny Travishek what they desired.Jasprit Bumrah was exceptional with just one boundary off his four overs•AFP/Getty ImagesWhen pace was on offer, Abhishek was at ease. He hit three fours in Chahar’s third over – all by sashaying down the track and hitting over covers – which ended with that half-chance off a 120.6kph length ball that frustrated the MI bowler. It seemed Abhishek had carried his luck from the previous outing to the Wankhede.They made room to go over off, got inside the line to play the pull, used their feet to try and put the bowlers off their lengths. None of it worked. At the end of the powerplay, SRH were 46 for 0. It was SRH’s lowest score in a wicketless powerplay since 2022, when they scored 42 for 0 against Gujarat Titans. Travishek had 15 not-in-control shots in that phase. Even though MI had not managed an early breakthrough, they successfully tied down arguably one of the most dangerous opening pairs in the last couple of seasons.”When Deepak bowled, a couple of balls stuck [on the pitch] and we realised change of pace will be useful,” captain Hardik Pandya said after MI’s four-wicket win. “As soon as we figured that out we were backing that and with the same intent, we mixed it up. Slower balls, even if it’s gripping, if you keep doing it again and again, batters can line you up. We smartly executed yorkers in the middle phase and they were not able to get the rhythm.”Travis Head was kept unusually quiet in what became a decisive part of the game•AFP/Getty ImagesThat pressure MI built in the powerplay came to their aid in the middle overs. Jacks reaped rewards of the squeeze to run away with two wickets, including that of Head, and emerged saviour to a shrinking breed. While SRH’s reliance on Travishek is an open secret, MI did not let that come their way despite a 59-run opening partnership. Nor did they let the skewed dimensions – the square boundaries were 60m and 67m – affect them. Bumrah played a vital part in ensuring SRH were always kept on a leash. He bowled two overs inside the powerplay and one at the death, where he slipped in a low full toss to bowl Heinrich Klaasen, and conceded just the one boundary in his spell.”The feedback from the batsmen was that the wicket was dead. So, the value for shots wasn’t quite there,” SRH head coach Daniel Vettori said. “Every time the slower one came, it was difficult to get your power on it. Therefore, there were a lot of singles. The way Boult bowled to that small boundary, he defended it with superb yorkers.”We got away with a lot in the powerplay, we were a little bit lucky. We understood how difficult it was. To come away from the powerplay with 46 for none was something we were happy with. Mumbai read the conditions exceptionally well. After the first few overs, they relied on the slower balls. Slower balls are effective, but it is mainly effective because of their execution.”In an interview with the host broadcaster during the match, MI batting coach Kieron Pollard termed Travishek a “one-dimensional, hard-hands sort of batsmen” for whom off-pace deliveries could work. MI’s focused planning and execution delivered them the desired result. Even if it had a few frustrating moments on the way.

After deciding to send infielder DJ LeMahieu to the bench earlier this week, the New York Yankees announced on Wednesday that they have designated him for assignment. The shocking move puts an end to his seven-season tenure in the Bronx.

LeMahieu responded "O.K." to the news, according to manager Aaron Boone—who also noted that the 36-year-old did not ask for his release. A three-time All-Star, he had been slashing .266/.338/.336 with two home runs and 12 RBIs this season. A logjam in the infield, however, seemingly forced New York's hand.

Given that LeMahieu has been a staple in this era of Yankee baseball, the MLB was understandably stunned by the news. Here's a look at some of the reactions that came in across social media:

LeMahieu signed a six-year extension with New York in 2021 and is still owed $22 million through next season.