Mithun Manhas has switched from Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir for the forthcoming domestic season. It will be a homecoming for Manhas, who was born in Jammu, but left his home state in his teens in search of better cricketing opportunities in Delhi.”It’s a sort of mixed bag emotions,” Manhas told ESPNcricinfo. “While it was difficult to move on from Delhi where my cricket career has shaped up, I am delighted to be joining Jammu and Kashmir. Not only is it my home team but also because the team has been doing quite well in the domestic circuit over the last couple of years. I hope I can help them take their games to the next level.”Ever since making his first-class debut for Delhi in 1997-98 along with the likes of Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra and Aakash Chopra, Manhas has been a run machine in domestic cricket. While the other three went on to earn India caps, Manhas did not, partly due to the presence of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly in India’s middle order.Manhas has made 9071 first-class runs in 147 matches, at an average of 45.81. He insisted he had “no regrets” and stressed that he was not leaving Delhi on a bitter note. “I spoke with Chetan Chauhan [the former India opener, who is now a DDCA vice-president] and he told me I could help groom Delhi youngsters,” Manhas said. “But I thought there are plenty of youngsters who are ready to shoulder more responsibility, so I should not stick around.”Moreover, experienced players like Rajat [Bhatia] and Gautam [Gambhir] will ensure the youngsters will be taken care of even in Viru’s [Sehwag, who has moved to Haryana] and my absence.”Manhas has plenty to look forward to in the forthcoming domestic season, which starts on October 1: he is 89 runs short of joining Wasim Jaffer (9759 runs), Amol Muzumdar (9202) and Hrishikesh Kanitkar (8059) in the elite club of batsmen with 8000 Ranji Trophy runs.Manhas said he wasn’t too focused on personal milestones. “I am sure I have at least a couple of seasons left in me, so records isn’t a concern,” he said. “The primary focus will be to help Jammu & Kashmir take yet another step towards becoming a consistently top team in domestic circuit.”
Arsenal have been dealt a fresh injury update with Mikel Arteta now set to be without a key player until 2026.
Arsenal's state of play with injuries
According to a recent report by The Telegraph, 17 of Arsenal’s 25-man squad have missed at least one game through injury or suspension — so it is safe to say their bad luck has carried on from last season.
Arsenal’s title ambitions face mounting scrutiny as a result, with Arteta confronting a defensive injury crisis that threatens to derail their Premier League title charge during the congested festive schedule.
Ben White’s hamstring injury sustained against Wolves represents the latest devastating blow, with scans revealing the England international will miss at least a month.
The 28-year-old pulled up while tracking back during Saturday’s dramatic 2-1 victory, clutching his left hamstring in visible discomfort.
His absence proves particularly cruel given he had only recently re-established himself following extended periods managing knee problems throughout last season.
Berta to consider January move for 'big-name' Premier League star amid Arsenal worry
It would be a surprising move.
ByEmilio Galantini
Gabriel Magalhaes has been absent since November’s international break after representing Brazil, with his return not expected until late December or even in the new year.
Cristhian Mosquera faces a similar timeline, with his ankle injury far worse than initially anticipated. The versatile Spaniard could miss another six weeks, as per the BBC, so his return isn’t expected until late January to early Feb.
The simultaneous absences create significant tactical headaches for Arteta.
Both White and Mosquera provide crucial versatility, capable of operating at right-back or right-centre-back, yet Arsenal now possess no obvious alternatives to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.
The situation forces reliance on academy prospects Marli Salmon and Josh Nichols, both recently involved in first-team training despite their inexperience.
15-year-old wonderkid Max Dowman adds to Arteta’s concerns after suffering ankle ligament damage during an Under-21 friendly against Man United, ruling him out for approximately two months.
Meanwhile, Kai Havertz continues his lengthy rehabilitation from August’s knee injury, and he was once battling to be in contention to face Tottenham in the North London derby back in November.
Kai Havertz out till early to mid-January after Arsenal injury setback
However, after suffering a setback, the prognosis is now much longer.
As per The Mail’s Isaan Khan this afternoon, Havertz is ‘set to be sidelined’ until early to mid-January, meaning he won’t be available again for the festive period and faces a wait until after the new year.
The 26-year-old has been a sore miss for Arteta, and will carry on to be after this update.
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The German international’s absence since August removes a crucial dimension from Arsenal’s forward line.
Havertz offers unique qualities as a false nine capable of dropping deep to link play, while possessing the technical intelligence to operate between defensive lines too.
Viktor Gyokeres has struggled to replicate Havertz’s complete game despite his goalscoring pedigree, managing just six goals across all competitions while appearing isolated during Arsenal’s recent labored performances.
The Swedish striker’s limited involvement against Wolves, completing merely three passes, highlighted Arsenal’s difficulties creating chances without Havertz’s movement and link-up play.
With Arsenal navigating nine December/January fixtures across multiple competitions, including crucial clashes against Everton, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Aston Villa and Liverpool, Havertz’s continued absence forces Arteta into compromised team selections — precisely when squad depth matters most.
Arsenal to hand fans 'huge Christmas gift' with new deal 'close' after Berta talks
Lancashire’s Katie Cross has won the Eversheds Most Promising Young Cricketer award. The accolade is decided by England selectors and coaches – and Cricinfo understands their decision was unanimous.Cross, a 15-year-old pace bowler, was the first female on the Lancashire Academy and becomes the sixth recipient of the award which was introduced in 2002 to sit alongside the male winners. She joins Sarah Taylor, Jenny Gunn, Katherine Brunt, Kathryn Doherty and Sophie Le Marchand on the list of recipients.She has already played for England Under-21s, at the European Championships in Netherlands this summer, and she has been tipped for the senior side by no less than the ECB’s executive director for women’s cricket, Gill McConway.”Katie is a very exciting young prospect,” McConway said. “She will train with the England senior side this winter and her progression into that side will not be too far away if she continues to produce eye-catching performances.”Cross, who plays for Heywood CC, broke into the England Development side this summer and put in some highly impressive performances in the County Championships and for the Sapphires in the Super 4s. She first played aged eight, and went on to represent Lancashire under-13, under-15 and under-17, finally making her debut for the senior side – still aged 13.She will collect the award on November 2 at the Royal Overseas League in London.
ScorecardShahid Nazir staked his claim for a spot in Pakistan’s attack for the second Test at Old Trafford with an impressive burst against Northamptonshire. His three wickets helped skittle the home side for 140 in their second innings, leaving Pakistan to chase 160 after they had declared their first innings 19 runs behind.Nazir removed Bilal Shafayat, Rikki Wessels and Usman Afzaal as Northamptonshire slumped to 43 for 5 second time around. However, that wasn’t the only damage he inflicted as a bouncer struck Sourav Ganguly in the face and forced him to retire hurt on 5.Iftikhar Anjum chipped in with a couple, including the first-innings century-maker Stephen Peters second ball, while Arshad Khan and Imran Farhat played their part with the ball with two wickets each. Ben Phillips at least ensured the Pakistanis had some sort of target to chase with a defiant 39 before being stumped off Arshad.Earlier in the day the Pakistan batsmen certainly didn’t have it all their own way. Younis Khan only added eight to his overnight 50 before being caught and bowled by David Wigley, who then added Faisal Iqbal to his haul. Wigley’s fine performance continued as the scalps of Jannisar Khan and Shahid Nazir handed him the first five-wicket haul of his career.Ganguly snared Kamran Akmal, who had again appeared in fine form before edging to third slip, but some late hitting from Iftikhar and Arshad pushed the total close to Northamptonshire’s.Salman Butt and Faisal Iqbal, the under-pressure openers, managed to negotiate the final seven overs of the day and knock off 24 from the target. The rest of the run chase shouldn’t provide too many problems on the final day.
Inzamam-ul-Haq will lead the Asian XI against the African XI in the forthcoming Afro-Asia Cup. He has Rahul Dravid as his deputy, and a strong squad of 15 for the three one-day matches, which will be played in South Africa from August 17 to 21. “It’s a great honour for me and for my country” a delighted Inzamam told AFP.Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Anil Kumble are the other Indians in the team. Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas represent Sri Lanka while Mohammad Ashraful is the lone Bangladeshi in the team. Pakistan are well accounted for, with Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Akhtar making the cut.The team was selected by a panel appointed by the Asian Cricket Council and comprised Majid Khan (Pakistan), Ravi Shastri (India), Graeme Labrooy (Sri Lanka) and Mohammed Shafiqul Haque (Bangladesh). The African Cricket Association is yet to pick its team for the series.Asian squad Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakarra, Sanath Jayasuriya, Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Naved-ul-Hasan, Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Ashraful, Anil Kumble, Shoaib Akhtar. Reserves Marvan Atapattu, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Khaled Mashud.
England 319 and 284 for 6 beat New Zealand 384 and 218 by four wickets ScorecardDay 1 Bulletin – Fleming’s century lifts New Zealand Roving Reporter – The boys behind the blimp Verdict – A polylingual prince charming Day 2 Bulletin – New Zealand fall for 384 Roving Reporter – Sports replica v Sports casual Verdict – New Zealand’s lucky streakDay 3 Bulletin – New Zealand keep their noses in front Verdict – Trojan horseplay Day 4 Bulletin – Thorpe leads England to victory Verdict – A powerful cat among pigeons Paper Round – Thorpe takes the plaudits Paper Round – Cairns calls time on his Test career New Zealand Verdict – The perils of underachievement
No fewer than six Otago Volts players have been included in the Otago A side for the first of two matches against Canterbury in February, the games concluding this summer’s Provincial A competition.Mohammad Wasim, Andrew Hore, Jordan Sheed, Marcel McKenzie, James McMillan and David Sewell have been named for the game in Christchurch starting on Sunday, with the majority needing game time. After a fine start to the State Shield, Wasim and McKenzie lost form, mirroring the Volts fortunes, while McMillan has bowled few overs so far this summer.Sheed and Sewell have been regular members of the A side and Hore’s inclusion gives him the opportunity to fight his way back into the Volts team for the remainder of the State Championship campaign.Eric Standfield, a New Zealand Under-19 player this season, has also been included while Chris Gaffaney, the regular captain this year, is not available due to his involvement with the South Island selection in Sunday’s State of Origin match in Auckland.Otago lies just three points adrift of the competition lead in third place with the two games against Canterbury to play while the red and blacks are a more distant fourth.The Otago A team for the match against Canterbury A in Christchurch on Sunday and Monday, February 2 and 3 is: Mohammad Wasim, Andrew Hore, Darin Smith, Jordan Sheed, Marcel McKenzie, Anthony Wilkinson, Tim Weston, Jarrad Waldron, Nathan McCullum, Eric Standfield, James McMillan and David Sewell. Coach: Mike Hesson. Manager: George Morris.
Another solid batting performance by Pierre de Bruyn and a five-wicket haul from Andre Nel enabled Easterns to claim a comfortable 59-run victory over North West in their Standard Bank Cup match in Potchefstroom on Friday evening.Easterns won the toss and elected to bat first, putting on an impressivetotal of 210 for nine wickets in their 45 overs.North West were bowled out for 151 in 43.3 overs of yet anotherrain-delayed match.Easterns got off to an inauspicious start with the loss of openers DerekBrand and Mike Rindel for no runs.Rindel was the first wicket to fall with the score on a paltry 1-1 andwith his wicket coming off only the fourth ball of the match.Derek Brand’s wicket fell five balls later, and with Easterns’ total notmuch healthier at 2-1.When Derek Crookes left the crease with the score at 7-3, it seemed asthough Potchefstroom’s faithful were destined for an early evening.But Deon Jordaan provided the first bit of stability to the Easternsinnings with his 49 runs, lifting the visitors to 103 for four.However, it was young Pierre de Bruyn who again stood out for his team. Sensing the urgency, De Bruyn fired 68 runs off 92 balls, including six fours and one six, to provide the backbone of Easterns’ innings. De Bruyn also weighed in with a useful bowling performance that saw him claim two wickets for 30 runs.Lower down the Easterns batting order, De Bruyn’s teammates seemed tofeed of his form.Kenny Benjamin was looking good on 21 runs off only 23 balls before hewas dismissed, and Graeme Pollock also added a quickfire 34 off 28 ballsbefore being sent back to the changeroom.The start to the North West innings was equally dismal. The home teamwere reeling at 30 for five as Andre Nel sunk his teeth into some poorbatting by the hosts.The Easterns paceman, who bowled a superb line and length, finished thematch with figures of 5-27 in his 8.3 overs.
According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur have ‘turned their attention’ to a new target as they eye a move for Oxford United defender Luke McNally.
The Lowdown: Spurs eye lower league talent…
The Lilywhites’ on-going search for new defensive additions isn’t exclusive to just the top tiers of European football.
Some of the lower league’s brightest have been linked to Spurs in recent months, including the likes of Djed Spence, who Fabio Paratici lodged multiple January bids for.
Peterborough United defender Benjamin Mensah has also been the subject of interest, as previously revealed by the club’s own director Barry Fry.
Now, however, it seems Tottenham now have their eyes on yet another talent from below the Premier League.
The Latest: Lilywhites turn attention…
According to FI, Spurs have turned their attention to McNally with a recruitment source explaining that one bid of £2 million has already been put on the table.
Tottenham club officials are also apparently being sent to run the rule over Oxford’s towering defender until the end of this season with regular scouting trips planned.
The Verdict: Get it done?
The 22-year-old has been impressing for Oxford in England’s third tier with teammate Sam Long branding McNally an ‘absolute machine’.
Oxford’s centre-back possesses a physicality which could be perfect for the intensity of Premier League football with the player standing at a colossal 6 foot 3.
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The fact he is attracting ‘extensive interest’ from rival clubs is also an indicator of his real potential, leaving little wonder he’s caught Tottenham’s eye also.
As McNally joins the list of talent on Tottenham’s agenda, it’s clear there is reason to believe he could be a promising addition.
In other news: Paratici sets sights on ‘phenomenal’ £100m man who Spurs have been offered before, find out more here.
As selectors and medical staff fret over his workload, Josh Hazlewood thinks he is getting better with each successive spell this summer. Even so, he realises that a quick demolition job on West Indies in Hobart is likely to be his best chance of turning out in both the showpiece Melbourne and Sydney Test over the Christmas/New Year holidays.Much extra responsibility fell upon Hazlewood’s broad shoulders when Mitchell Johnson retired after the Perth Test and then Mitchell Starc suffered a foot fracture early in the Adelaide day/night match that followed it. His response was a commanding nine-wicket performance that suggested he thrived on being thrown the ball more expectantly by his captain Steven Smith.However the selection chairman Rod Marsh has stated that it is unlikely Hazlewood will be risked in all six Tests this summer, meaning it will be largely up to the bowler himself to earn the right to play by taking wickets in a swift enough manner to give him the required rest between matches – as was the case two summers ago when Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle were retained throughout the 5-0 Ashes sweep due to matches ending quickly.”I definitely wouldn’t want to be rested for either of those last two games and especially not this one, the first against the West Indies,” Hazlewood said. “I hope I can play all of them, depending on how much workload we have. If we can take these 20 wickets as quickly as possible I don’t see why I can’t play all three Tests.”The quicker you get the 20 wickets obviously the easier it is on the body. We had a tough initiation in Brisbane and in Perth on those wickets but we will be patient, it’s something I think we need to work on against the West Indies, build pressure that way and then the wickets will come hopefully.”Marsh has previously been part of a selection panel that angered fast bowlers by withdrawing them from the Test team for preventative reasons. In 2012 both Harris and Starc were left nonplussed to be asked to cool their heels after strong performances in the previous match, the former missing a Trinidad Test after excelling in Barbados and Starc scratched from Boxing Day despite bowling Australia to victory over Sri Lanka in Hobart.”I guess with my history of injuries people are entitled to their opinion but I feel as good as I have through my career,” Hazlewood said. “I think I showed last summer I bowled quite a few overs in the Tests I played and got through the majority of the winter tours as well. I’m feeling better the further I get in my career.”You have got to be honest with the selectors and coach and Smithy. They value the fast bowlers’ opinions on how you feel, as long as you are honest it’s good communication to and fro. They take a lot from how the bowler feels and how the physio sees things.”There is another decent break after this game and then the hardest ones are probably the last two back to back. But I am feeling pretty good at the moment, and hopefully it stays that way.”Australia are in very much a transitional phase due to the aforementioned retirement of Johnson and Harris, plus those of Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and Chris Rogers. But in Hazlewood they appear to have a bowler who can thrive on the extra responsibility on home turf, while also knowing from the experiences of the Caribbean earlier this year how to bowl to a brittle West Indian line-up, who had their own preparation affected by rain on their afternoon training session at Bellerive Oval.”We are obviously going to miss both Mitches, they both bring different things to the bowling attack but I guess it is good that I am the one who Smithy turns to,” Hazlewood said. “Especially in that second innings in Adelaide, that added pressure I enjoy, hopefully it brings the best out of me, if I continue to bowl like that that would be good.”I thought we bowled quite well in the West Indies as a group, Nathan Lyon included. If we can do something like that in these three Tests and build pressure on them, keeping building those dots up, the wickets will come.”