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He was also asked repeatedly about that T20 World Cup loss in 2016, and if he had exorcised his ghosts against India

Mohammad Isam03-Nov-20192:48

This win a great moment for Bangladesh cricket – Mushfiqur

Even as off-field issues troubled Bangladesh cricket in the days leading up to their tour of India, one thought would likely have always come up in conversations among the players: beating India. Whether it was seeing them line up to announce the players’ strike against the BCB on October 21 or when Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC a week later, they knew they would have to regroup quickly for a difficult tour, where every team struggles these days.The tour comprises T20Is and Tests, formats Bangladesh often struggle in, especially against India. This is their biggest bilateral tour in one of the Big Three countries in many years. And yet, so much was going wrong for the team. Apart from the strike and the ban, senior batsman Tamim Iqbal had pulled out of the tour, to stay back home with his pregnant wife.Even after the strike ended, the three-day preparatory camp was chaotic. Shakib’s absence even before the ban was announced was a mystery, and then, to add to the mess, the BCB pulled out nine players from ongoing first-class matches to join the camp. Then came the Shakib bombshell that really sunk the morale of the team as they had very little time to react before boarding the flight to Delhi last Wednesday.However, on Sunday evening, Bangladesh overcame the odds to topple India, sealing their first win against them in T20Is. Mushfiqur Rahim, who was at the forefront of the players’ strike, was the architect of the win, taking on left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed to tilt the scales Bangladesh’s way.”The last two-three weeks has been the toughest situation that I have faced in my 15-year cricketing career,” Mushfiqur said at the post-match press conference. “I said to the journalists before leaving Bangladesh that the only way to return to the right track would be with a couple of wins in India. It will bring back smiles and calmness to the team and the nation.”Mushfiqur also praised new coach Russell Domingo for keeping his cool, despite off-field troubles, and also explained the value the youngsters added to the side.”We came here as underdogs. I thank our head coach because of the situation we have faced in the last three weeks. To come back from that, especially giving the youngsters the freedom and giving them confidence; whether you give 20 runs in an over or get out first ball, you are still a member of this team,” he said. “We have been giving this message to the rest of the team. I want them to take eight or ten years to reach what I have reached in 15 years.”Mushfiqur Rahim celebrates Bangladesh’s maiden T20I win over India•BCCI

Mushfiqur then turned philosophical when asked repeatedly about the heart-breaking loss against India in the 2016 T20 World Cup in Bengaluru. Both Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur were dismissed in the final over of that match with their team two runs away from victory, but three years later, the same batsmen successfully finished the game and put them 1-0 up.”The biggest thing is people don’t remember winning from these situations for too long,” he said. “But if we lost this game, they would remember it for a long time. We were in a better position two overs before the end in that [Bengaluru] game. This was a tougher proposition on this wicket where scoring so much in the last two overs was going to be tough. I didn’t find it easy to find boundaries on this wicket.”Mushfiqur said Bangladesh had learnt their lessons from the Bengaluru loss and that they were better equipped to deal with pressure now.”We have had a lot of close games against India, so we promised ourselves that the next time we go into such a phase of the game, we don’t want to lose,” he said. “We have learned a lot from those last two games against India that went into the last over, so we discussed on how we can overcome those moments. I was telling Riyad that let’s win in singles and doubles rather than going for big hits.”Two years after that loss in the T20 World Cup came the Nidahas Trophy final, in which Bangladesh were denied the title thanks to Dinesh Karthik’s late-match heroics. And finally, last year, there was the Asia Cup final, where India beat Bangladesh off the final ball.The big question was whether Mushfiqur had finally exorcised his ghosts against India.”Not really,” he told at the post-match presentation before elaborating that it was simply the game situation that had spurred him on. “When you are playing in front of a huge crowd, and when the team needs it the most, then nothing more feels special (than helping the team cross the line). I feel really good. It’s a great honour to play India in India.”As for what Mushfiqur’s plans are with T20 cricket, given he is one of the few Bangladesh players to play all three formats, the wicketkeeper-batsman said: “I am trying my level best to improve as a cricketer. T20 cricket belongs inside me. I am trying to learn each and every day, and want to do more for Bangladesh.”

The Red Devils have agreed a deal sign the Royal Antwerp shot-stopper amid continued concerns over Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir's competency

"There is a glaring issue for Manchester United that cannot be ignored and that is they need to find a new goalkeeper. They have to, I am absolutely unequivocal on that," Red Devils legend Gary Neville told after seeing an awful error from Altay Bayindir gift Arsenal a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

"It is really unsettling when you don’t have a dominant No.1 who owns his six-yard box, who comes and punches everything and makes saves to save you points when your defenders make mistakes. They need to sort the goalkeeper out as they will continue to concede goals and points and it undermines what they are doing."

Despite that mistake, Bayindir also got the nod in goal for United's subsequent league games against Fulham and Burnley, with Andre Onana left on the bench. Head coach Ruben Amorim stuck with Onana as the club's first-choice goalkeeper initially after arriving at Old Trafford last November, but the calamitous Cameroonian is no longer a guaranteed starter, having been just as unreliable as he was under Erik ten Hag throughout 2023-24.

Through the opening weeks of the campaign, Amorim decided that Bayindir was the lesser of two evils, with 39-year-old Tom Heaton still seen as nothing more than a back-up option, but Neville is absolutely right: United cannot progress until they sign a new No.1. Fortunately, help is on the way.

The Old Trafford recruitment team has honed in on 23-year-old Royal Antwerp 'keeper Senne Lammens, who is set to complete an £18 million ($23m) move to Manchester before the summer window slams shut on Monday, and that will be a very small price to pay if he solves the club's long-standing crisis between the sticks.

Below, GOAL assesses whether the undeniably talented Lammens is truly up to that daunting task…

• Where it all began

  Lammens was born on July 7, 2002 in the Belgian city of Zottegem. He took his first steps into football at the age of five, joining local side KRC Bambrugge, and spent three years on their books before catching the eye of professional outfit Dender.

  From there, the youngster developed at a rapid rate, and in 2014, he was snapped up by Club Brugge, historically the second-biggest club in Belgium behind Anderlecht. Just four years later, a 16-year-old Lammens was named in Brugge's first team squad for a Champions League group-stage clash with Atletico Madrid, though that did not turn out to be his breakthrough moment.

  Brugge resisted the temptation to throw Lammens in at the deep end before he was ready. They had no desire to rush his development, particularly after signing ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in the summer of 2019. However, in December that year, Lammens made headlines across Europe.

  The teenage shot-stopper scored a fantastic 95th-minute header for Brugge's U19s in a UEFA Youth League encounter against Real Madrid after going up for a corner, earning his team a 2-2 draw to take them into the knockout phase. It was a dream moment for Lammens, who had also established himself as a regular in the Belgium U17s team by that stage.

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  The big break

  Lammens stepped up to Brugge's U23s squad – known as Club NXT – in 2020-21, which was their first season competing in Belgium's second tier. He largely impressed across his 13 appearances, but failed to keep a single clean sheet as Brugge finished rock bottom of the table.

  However, good fortune did smile upon Lammens in July 2021 as he was handed his first senior start when Brugge faced Genk in the Belgian Super Cup final, after Mignolet was ruled out of the contest through injury, and played his part in a thrilling 3-2 victory.

  Lammens made his Belgian Pro League bow eight days later as Brugge played out a 2-2 draw with Eupen in their 2021-22 campaign opener, but Mignolet then returned to full fitness. The youngster would only feature in two more games for the club that season, a 3-0 victory over KMSK Deinze in the early rounds of the Belgian Cup and as a substitute in the final match of the champions' play-offs against Anderlecht.

  Brugge earned a 1-1 draw in that contest to clinch the title, giving Lammens his second piece of senior silverware, but he continued to see his path to a regular role blocked by Mignolet. Lammens made only 11 appearances across all competitions in the following season, with none of those coming in Brugge's run to the Champions League knockouts, and he was allowed to leave the club as a free agent at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

  That could have been a devastating blow, but Lammens landed on his feet when newly-crowned Belgian champions Royal Antwerp drafted the promising 'keeper in on a four-year contract, which gave him the chance to work under the guidance of former Bayern Munich and Netherlands star Mark van Bommel. 

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  How it's going

  In an interview with , Van Bommel described Lammens as a goalkeeper with "enormous potential" and suggested he could be a future starter for Belgium. However, Lammens was the second choice initially at Antwerp, behind Jean Butez, with the majority of his 18 appearances in the 2023-24 season coming in the Belgian Cup. 

  Antwerp made it all the way to the final of the competition, only to lose 1-0 against Union Saint-Gilloise, and they also slipped to a disappointing sixth-placed finish in the league, which cost Van Bommel his job. Jonas De Roeck was appointed as the Dutchman's replacement, and one of his first orders of business was to promote Lammens into the No.1 role.

  Consistency continued to prove elusive for Antwerp, and De Roeck only lasted nine months at the helm, but Lammens drew widespread acclaim for his performances last term, while developing a reputation as an expert at keeping out penalties. He saved four spot-kicks in total, and kept 10 clean sheets as Antwerp finished fifth in the Pro League, with the senior Belgium national team calling him up for the first time in March.

  Lammens did not play in the Nations League play-offs doubleheader against Ukraine, but the experience of training alongside Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois and Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels was invaluable. Rumours of a big summer transfer to United began to swirl after that, and Stef Wils, who was named De Roeck's permanent successor at Antwerp earlier this summer, has admitted that Lammens is "ready for the next step".

  Wils added after seeing Lammens put in a typically assured display in Antwerp's 2025-26 curtain raiser against Union Saint-Gilloise on July 25: "He has everything it takes to make it, in any league." 

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  Biggest strengths

  Wils has only had two months to work with Lammens, but has been blown away by his abilities. "Senne is a modern goalkeeper. He's still young, he has the potential to grow," the Belgian coach has said. "He instills confidence in a defence. When high balls come, it's a plus that Senne is always there. That gives the central defenders a certain sense of calm." 

  In addition to having full command over his penalty area, Lammens is a superb shot-stopper. He made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Belgian Pro League last season (127), and ranked in the top one per cent of goalkeepers across Europe's top 20 leagues for goals prevented, according to . 

  That incredible record is in part a by-product of Lammens' quality in one-vs-one situations, as he so often outfoxes attackers through a mix of superb positioning, razor-sharp reflexes and composure. United fans will also be pleased to know that the Antwerp star also excels when it comes to distribution with both feet, which is one of the areas Onana has fallen woefully short in since his 2023 move from Inter.

The fast bowler, however, will be available for selection in T20 internationals

Madushka Balasuriya23-Jul-2019Lasith Malinga is set to retire from ODIs after the first game of the upcoming three-match series against Bangladesh. This will give Sri Lanka a chance to identify their next line of wicket-taking bowlers, which will be their “biggest problem” going forward, according to captain Dimuth Karunaratne.”Our biggest problem is identifying wicket-taking bowlers in the months ahead, we need to find bowlers that can take wickets in the early overs, as well as the middle overs,” Karunaratne said, when asked what the team’s immediate plans were post World Cup.”In the series ahead we will be giving chances whenever we can to identify that talent, because we know Lasith Malinga is not available after this series. Lasith is only going to play the first match and then he’s retiring. That’s what he’s told me at least.”SLC confirmed in a statement that the first match against Bangladesh on Friday will be Malinga’s last ODI. However, he hasn’t retired from T20Is and will be available for selection in the shortest format.”Lasith Malinga is an exceptional player, who has contributed immensely to the game of cricket in Sri Lanka,” SLC president Shammi Silva said. “His departure from ODI cricket opens up a door for young bowlers to come and emulate what Malinga has done, while playing for the country.”Karunaratne, who is a known stat buff, will have been likely well aware of his team’s impotency in terms of wicket-taking when making his observations. At the World Cup, Malinga’s 13 wickets at 28.69 in seven matches were more than twice that of the next best Sri Lankan bowler, Isuru Udana, who picked up six in the same number of games. Nuwan Pradeep, who picked up five in three games, is a possible contender to take over the mantle, but injuries have been a frequent hindrance for him.As such, Karunaratne knows the only lasting solution is to plan well in advance, with his thoughts already turning towards building for the 2023 World Cup.ALSO READ: Niroshan Dickwella, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan recalled for Bangladesh ODIs“We also need to groom some youngsters for the next World Cup as well,” Karunaratne said. “Yes, there’s plenty of time, but we need to groom them one at a time and that takes time. Of course, we can’t fix everything at once, but we have four years before the next World Cup so we need to see how we can groom our youngsters and pass on the experience of our senior players to them.”We’ve been looking to give Shehan Jayasuriya a chance after his performances against India A, and Lahiru Madushanka who performed well against South Africa [for the Emerging Team]. Those are some of the players we have in mind, but of course we can’t give everyone a chance just yet.”Following a World Cup campaign in which Bangladesh both impressed and disappointed, they will also be looking to test their fringe players. For them it’s a temporary glimpse; Shakib Al Hasan – the unofficial player of the World Cup – is away on Haj pilgrimage, Liton Das is getting married, and captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Mohammad Saifuddin are injured. That’s four World Cup starters out, and a chance for some fringe players to shine.ALSO READ: Mashrafe Mortaza out of Sri Lanka tour with hamstring injury, Tamim Iqbal to lead“The guys who have been picked in the squad are all very capable. I really don’t like to talk about players who aren’t here at the moment,” stand-in captain Tamim Iqbal said, when questioned about Bangaldesh’s plans for replacing Shakib. “I know he’s a special player and has done fantastically well for Bangladesh, but he’s not part of this tour so let’s not talk about him. There are other 15 players and they all are very, very capable, and whoever plays in the first ODI, I’m sure they’re ready to cash in on their opportunity.”Tamim, however, doesn’t have as many concerns as Karunaratne. Bangladesh travelled with a well-settled squad for the World Cup, and at another time would have likely travelled to Sri Lanka at full strength and probably as favourites. But as things stand, Tamim was keen to focus on the players at his disposal, and helping his side take the step up from simply playing well to winning games consistently.”I think we had a pretty decent World Cup, there were a few games we should have won. If you see the points table you’d think we had a very bad World Cup because we finished only eighth in the table, and we as cricketers know we could have done more. On the whole though we played some good cricket, but we know that in the end it’s winning games that is important.”GMT 12.40pm The story was updated with the news of Malinga making himself available for selection in T20Is.

Liverpool transfer target Robert Lewandowski has submitted a transfer request at current club Bayern Munich ahead of the upcoming summer window.

What’s the story?

As confirmed by Bayern’s director of football Hasan Salihamidzic, via the Liverpool Echo, the Polish striker has lodged a transfer request and intends to depart Bavaria this summer despite still having another year on his contract with the Bundesliga giants.

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Liverpool have recently been claimed to be interested in signing the 33-year-old after previous target Erling Haaland’s move to Manchester City was confirmed this week.

With Divock Origi looking likely to depart Anfield whilst Roberto Firmino’s future hangs in the balance, Jurgen Klopp will certainly need depth amongst his strikers and reuniting with Lewandowski after the two worked together at Borussia Dortmund would provide the German would an even more deadly front line.

Liverpool must sign Lewandowski

Although Bayern are holding their cards close to their chest, with president Herbert Hainer stating: “Lewandowski has a contract until June 2023 and will play for us until then,” it seems likely that the Poland international will move on this summer.

It will be incredibly hard for the German juggernaut to keep hold of the striker following the submission of a transfer request, and Liverpool must pounce.

Striker Diogo Jota has had an excellent campaign for the Reds, scoring 21 goals for Liverpool. However, it seems as though the arrival of Luis Diaz, whilst being predominantly a winger, has seen the Portuguese fall down the pecking order slightly.

The 25-year-old started Saturday’s FA Cup final from the bench but was brought on to replace the injured Mohamed Salah and played a total of just 63 minutes across the two legs of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final tie against Villarreal.

Therefore, extra firepower up front is needed and Lewandowski has a mouthwatering pedigree in front of goal.

Labelled as a “freak of nature” by journalist Sam Tighe and “breathtaking” by Owen Hargreaves, the 33-year-old has scored a whopping 509 goals and registered 135 assists in 675 appearances throughout his club career, with 50 of them coming this season alone.

Moreover, in 374 appearances for Bayern Munich, the Polish forward has found the back of the net on 344 occasions whilst providing 72 assists, averaging 1.11 goal contributions every appearance.

Lewandowski is a serious goal machine and would provide Liverpool with an answer to City’s acquisition of Haaland, something that could propel them towards their second Premier League title.

AND in other news: Liverpool must now brutally sell £85k-p/w dud who’s lost possession every 4.5 minutes

Dani Ceballos has hinted at his potential exit from Real Madrid in this ongoing summer window.

Ceballos hints at exit this summerMidfielder was previously eager to staySpaniard has offers from Champions League teamsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After appearing in a cameo against Oviedo in Real's latest La Liga fixture, Ceballos posted a story on Instagram with the caption "Last dance" and a thank-you emoji. This suggests a potential shift in base for the 29-year-old, who has offers from Champions League outfits.

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With Xabi Alonso taking charge at Madrid, Ceballos seems to have fallen in the pecking order. He is the sixth midfielder on the list, alongside injured players like Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga. The manager has preferred Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, along with Arda Guler, whom he has converted into a central role. This suggests it will be tough for Ceballos to get a place in the starting lineup. In the 3-0 win against Oviedo, he was subbed on to the pitch in the 86th minute, and against Osasuna, he joined the action in the 90th minute.

TELL ME MORE

Ceballos, despite having offers, wanted to stay at Real and fight for his place. He was aware that if he could convince Alonso for a place in the lineup, it would be smoother for him to convince Luis de la Fuente to offer him a place in the upcoming World Cup. However, as things stand, unless Ceballos moves to a different club and gets sufficient minutes, his dreams of featuring in the 2026 World Cup will remain in jeopardy. Madrid are not reluctant to keep him and will be open to offers between €15-20 million (£13m/$18m to £17m/$23m).

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CEBALLOS?

Ceballos' future has to be decided in the next few days as the window closes on August 31. He was previously linked to Betis, but there is no concrete development on it.

Nicolas Jackson has been offered to clubs in the Premier League and Serie A by Chelsea but there are no takers so far.

Jackson tipped to leave Chelsea this summerClub have signed Joao Pedro and Liam DelapStriker offered to three clubsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Jackson's days at Stamford Bridge could be numbered following the arrival this summer of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. The Blues have offered the Senegal international to Newcastle, Manchester United and AC Milan but are yet to strike a deal, according to talkSPORT. The Blues are also said to have slashed an initial asking price of £100 million ($135m) to £80m ($106m) for Jackson.

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Newcastle and Manchester United appear to have prioritised a move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, rather than Jackson, and are believed to be battling for his signature. The Red Devils have also been linked with Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic ahead of the start of the new Premier League season. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Jackson has scored 30 goals in 81 appearances since joining Chelsea from Villarreal in 2023 and was first choice last season. However, costly red cards against Newcastle in the Premier League and Flamengo at the Club World Cup may have helped end his career at the club.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JACKSON?

Chelsea have friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan lined up before their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace. Manager Enzo Maresca's team selections for those friendlies may well offer clues as to whether Jackson has any future still at Stamford Bridge.

Northamptonshire 142 (Stone 4-39) and 507 for 6 declared (Rossington 135*, Proctor 112* Thurston 96, Curran 58) drew with Warwickshire 369 for 8 (Bresnan 105, Yates 88)Northamptonshire secured a Bob Willis Trophy draw that felt like a win after seventh-wicket pair Adam Rossington and Luke Procter batted through the final day to crush the life out of Warwickshire’s victory bid at Edgbaston.Northamptonshire seemed to be hurling to defeat when, just after lunch on the third day, trailing by 227 on first innings, they hit 148 for 5 in their second. But from that point onwards they showed enormous resilience and resolve to bat their way to safety on a flattening pitch.The great escape was led by Rossington who dug in to deliver the archetypal captain’s innings – 135 from 399 balls with 17 fours. After adding 159 with Charlie Thurston on the third day, on the fourth, the skipper added an unbroken 200 in 83 overs with Procter, who reached 112 not out, to steer his side to 507 for 6, their record total against Warwickshire.The superb rearguard action left a young Northamptonshire side proud and delighted, but there were the opposite feelings in the home dressing-room. After completely dominating the first two days, Warwickshire let victory slip through their fingers, literally with several dropped catches, while the bowling attack failed to deal with the loss of spearhead Olly Stone.The absence of Stone, who was off the field having a side injury assessed, was a big blow but did not excuse the lack of potency and control from too many other members of the attack.Northamptonshire still had plenty to do to reach safety in the match when they resumed on the final morning on 317 for 6, but Procter set down an immediate marker for the day with successive fours off Tim Bresnan.On a pitch which offered the seamers less and less assistance as the match lengthened, very few balls did not locate the middle of the bat. Rossington reached his seventh first-class century from 227 balls with his 14th four, punched straight off Ryan Sidebottom before, in the next over, Procter posted his 50 from 91 balls with eight fours.The pair added 98 in the morning, then in the afternoon Rossington dropped anchor deeper than ever. The captain scored just 15 runs in the session, settling for largely strokeless resistance and challenging the home side to find the potency to dislodge him, which they failed to do.Procter completed his fourth first-class century with his 17th boundary, cut off Rob Yates, in the first over after tea. That Yates, having never before purveyed his off-spin in first-class cricket, was into his 14th over said everything about Warwickshire’s bowling performance. They will hope to welcome Liam Norwell and Henry Brookes back into the attack for the match away to Gloucestershire starting next Saturday.

The 37-year old called time on a two-decade long career, which brought 7081 first-class runs at an average of 40.93, with 17 centuries and 30 half-centuries

Shashank Kishore31-Jul-2019Earning Greg Chappell’s praise and being in the same dressing room as his batting idol Sachin Tendulkar are two of Venugopal Rao’s fondest memories as an India cricketer. On Tuesday, the 37-year old middle-order batsman called time on a two-decade long career, which effectively ended in 2017.Over the last two years, while he has continued playing corporate cricket for MRF, retirement has been a constant thought. He took a final call during his World Cup assignment as a commentator for a regional sports channel. A formal announcement came through the Andhra Cricket Association, the team he represented for a majority of 121 first-class matches that brought 7081 runs at an average of 40.93, with 17 centuries and 30 half-centuries.For now, he has no T20 offers in the pipeline. He is looking forward to his future in Telugu commentary and perhaps some coaching too “if something comes up”.”In the early 1990s, they used to laugh whenever someone from Andhra desired to play for India. To be one of only two cricketers from the region (MSK Prasad being the other) to play for the country proved that you can achieve your goal,” Venugopal told ESPNcricinfo. “To come from a fishing village near Visakhapatnam, where my father worked for a modest salary of INR 7000 to support five children, and play was a big thing. All credit to my parents.”It is nearly fourteen years to the day when Venugopal made his India debut. Tendulkar was still recovering from a tennis elbow, Sourav Ganguly had been suspended for an over-rate offence, VVS Laxman was not an automatic pick and MS Dhoni was asked to open the batting. India needed a middle-order batsman and Venugopal was one of two debutants alongside Suresh Raina.”Playing Muttiah Muralitharan on debut was an unforgettable experience,” he said. “As batsmen, we grew up playing spin, but I felt nothing quite prepared you to face him. He was an exceptional bowler. I have fond memories of that game [even though India lost].”

To come from a fishing village near Visakhapatnam, where my father worked for a modest salary of INR 7000 to support five children, and play was a big thing

In the season that preceded his debut, Venugopal announced himself by smashing a career-best 228 not out in a chase of 501 for South Zone against England Lions in the Duleep Trophy. It was the fifth-highest chase in first-class history at the time, against a competent attack featuring Simon Jones, Sajid Mahmood and James Tredwell, all of whom went on to play for England. Yet, Venugopal believes it was a practice match that turned out to be the difference between an India cap and being on the fringes.”Before the Sri Lanka tour, we had a conditioning camp followed by a match between the 30 probables. The seniors played against the second XI. I made a 90 against the seniors, whose bowling included Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan. That knock convinced [then India coach] Greg Chappell. After the game, he had a long chat with me and the next day, I was informed of my India selection for the Sri Lanka tour.”I was very jittery, I always felt as a cricketer growing up, if someone from Tamil Nadu or Mumbai made 120 runs, I had to make 200 to be noticed,” Venugopal said. “Ahead of my India debut, I was a little nervous. Many thoughts ran through my mind. Greg had just taken up as coach, and he told me ‘Look, for me, where you come from doesn’t matter. I know you are good enough to be here, and that is why you are here.’ Those words gave me a lot of belief.”Venugopal was used as a floater between 2005 and 2006, but his career could not quite take off. He played the last of his 16 ODIs in the West Indies in 2006, with his highest of 61 not out coming against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. He was also India’s first ever super sub. Post his short India career, Venugopal battled injuries and inconsistency to play for Andhra and Gujarat in domestic cricket. He was also part of the IPL title-winning Deccan Chargers in 2009. His last IPL appearance was with Delhi Daredevils in 2014.

Australia opener Nicole Bolton has spoken about her battle with mental health following her return to action after a five-month break and said if it hadn’t been for stepping away from the game she may have been forced to retire.When Bolton started her indefinite break in the middle of the fourth edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in January, citing personal reasons, an air of concern hung over her withdrawal. It wasn’t, after all, a drop in form that had triggered the decision; she had just smashed a fifty for the Scorchers against Sydney Thunder and picked up 2 for 26. However, that Player-of-the-Match performance also brought the curtain down on Bolton’s season.More than five months on from the start of that hiatus from competitive cricket – she was unavailable for selection for the three-match home ODI series against New Zealand in February – which ended with a recall to Australia’s Ashes squad, Bolton revealed that her pull-out had been down to “alarm bells” around her mental well-being that nearly forced her to consider retirement.ALSO READ: Nicole Bolton relieved after bouncing back from first-baller ahead of Ashes“Personally a few things happened to me away from cricket which was a bit of a challenge in itself,” Bolton told . “There is still a lot of stigma around mental health, depression and anxiety. I don’t think I’d be sitting here talking to you if I didn’t take a break. I potentially would have retired to be honest.””It was what people couldn’t see behind closed doors where I was really struggling. Physically my body started to fail me in a sense. It was like alarm bells because I was like ‘this isn’t normal’.”A battle that has been faced by some of Bolton’s top-flight competitors such as England’s Sarah Taylor and Kate Cross, posed her a similar challenge: to speak up. And Bolton admitted she “wasn’t completely honest” with the Perth Scorchers team doctor, to whom she had only described symptoms of potential burnout.”I was almost covering up how I was really feeling,” Bolton said. “I didn’t want to rush it. It was something I knew that if I was going to take the time off, I had to do it properly. If that meant never coming back to play for Australia, then that’s what it meant.”During her time away from the game, Bolton found a confidant in the Australia and New South Wales men’s allrounder Moises Henriques, who had taken leave from the Big Bash League in late-December 2017 due to mental-health reasons.”He doesn’t know the role that he’s played, but it’s unbelievable really,” Bolton said of Henriques, who would try to lift her with words of encouragement on WhatsApp.Nicole Bolton gets set to play a sweep•Getty Images

At the time, Bolton’s decision to step away from the game was met with support by her club and national team-mates, including the likes of Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry.”You speak to anyone around the country in women’s cricket and she would have had an impact on them in some way or another,” Perry, the Sydney Sixers captain had said. “She’s a great mate of mine and I know she’s got a huge amount of support from everyone. She won’t be a stranger, that’s for sure.”Bolton’s Scorchers and Australia captain, Lanning, echoed Perry. “It’s a family at the Scorchers and we’re right behind her,” Lanning said. “She knows that so hopefully she can get into a good spot and we’ll see what happens from there.”The support from her colleagues has been palpable since her return to the Australia squad for the multi-format seven-match Ashes, which starts next month and will kick off a busy international season that includes a tour of Sri Lanka in September, a tri-series involving England and India in January next year, leading up to the home T20 World Cup in February-March. There’s also the first standalone WBBL, running from October to December, on the domestic calendar.”Coming back into the squad, they were just rapt and even the staff were pumped,” Bolton said. “I never once felt alone, I knew I had the support I just needed a bit of help to get there. To be picked to play for Australia again I think is a massive achievement.”You get so caught up in the pressure and expectations and it can just grind away at you. Now I feel like I’ve got other things going on in my life that if cricket is not going well, well it’s okay. In time, I hope I can share my experience and maybe help someone else. It was an important time in my life and I’m glad I’ve been able to come through it.”

The Mumbai Indians captain also said the team was open to resting Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya if needed, but the players preferred to keep playing

Deivarayan Muthu in Hyderabad12-May-2019With the World Cup starting on May 30, 18 days after the IPL final, workload management has been a major talking point throughout the season. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma reckons that the demands of the IPL will help players build towards the showpiece event in England and Wales, rather than lead to burnout.Rohit cited the example of India winning the Champions Trophy in June 2013, which started about ten days after the end of the IPL that year. Rohit was in top form across both tournaments, following up his 538 runs in 19 innings for Mumbai Indians in their maiden run to the IPL title with 177 runs in five innings in the UK, helping India secure that title as well.”Once the IPL started, we knew this was the window – March and April or April and May – because of the elections,” Rohit said. “In 2013, we played the IPL and went on to play the Champions Trophy and in fact we went on to win the Champions Trophy. I feel the guys who play IPL and go play big tournaments right after that, they’re very much in touch with their game.”Rohit also said that Mumbai were open to resting key India players – fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and allrounder Hardik Pandya, who had just recovered from a back injury ahead of the IPL – at various points during the league, but the players opted against it and were instead keen to keep playing.Bumrah and Hardik are among six players to have featured in all of Mumbai’s 15 games so far this season. While Bumrah is their leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 6.84, Hardik found form – both with bat and ball – after being sidelined from the India side with multiple injuries and off-field troubles earlier this year.Hardik had missed India’s most recent ODI series against Australia, but hit the ground running this IPL. He has been Mumbai’s premier power-hitter, making 386 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 193. And he has smashed 28 sixes – only Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell (52) and Kings XI Punjab’s Chris Gayle (34) have hit more sixes this season. He has elevated his batting to an all-new plane, so much so that he can now hit yorkers – or near-yorkers – for sixes by deploying the helicopter shot.Hardik has also been at it with the ball and in the field, claiming 14 wickets and taking 11 catches.”We spoke at the start of the tournament that we will assess each one of players, see where they are at and what they feel about their bodies,” Rohit said. “It’s more an individual thing than [what] we decide for them.”In the case of Jasprit, he’s someone who likes to play games to make sure he’s in good rhythm. At the start of the tournament, we spoke that at any given stage if he feels he needs to rest, we were open to that. But our physios and trainers have monitored him quite well and there was constant feedback from Jasprit as well about he’s feeling. So far, we haven’t had issues with Jasprit and Hardik, so we continued to play them.”Before the IPL if they weren’t in great form, this is the time they can get back to form. Hardik is the best example. Before the IPL, he didn’t have a good time, was injured, and missed a few games as well. But he has been tremendous for us – both in batting and bowling. So, yeah it’s [IPL’s] a big tournament and you can judge yourself where you’re at before a big tournament like the World Cup.”