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Since IPL 2023, Shivam Dube has been a casualty of the Impact Player rule that has greatly limited opportunities for allrounders to showcase their dual skills. Over the past three seasons, Dube’s bowling numbers read: 3-0-47-1.In a way, this limitation has been a factor in Dube’s hunger to contribute with the ball, and continue to upgrade his skill sets. To that end, the work he has put in at training, especially with his bowling, has been noticeable.On Wednesday, India didn’t to hand Dube the ball. Suryakumar Yadav did, and Dube picked up three wickets across two overs. There was a seam-up that nipped away to nick off Asif Khan, a nip-backer that trapped Dhruv Parashar, and a slower delivery that had Junaid Siddique slogging to mid-on.Related

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“The captain and the coach told me earlier itself that I will bowl [at the Asia Cup] and that they are confident about me,” Dube said at the press conference after India’s demolition of UAE. “My bowling coach [Morne Morkel] has told me a lot of things. I was preparing for this for a long time, that I will get an opportunity to bowl and when it comes, I’ll be ready. What happened today is because of that preparation.”Dube admitted that while his role with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL has largely been that of a power-hitter, he has used the time away to gather plenty of bowling miles. Even if it doesn’t instantly result in him bowling as many overs as he would like to.”The answer lies in your question itself,” Dube said when asked about the Impact Player rule. “The scheme of an allrounder has been reduced. Because of that, in the IPL, there wasn’t a necessity for me to bowl. But, from my side, I was always prepared. Every match, I was ready to bowl. I was working really hard before the IPL also. I spent two months working on my fitness and bowling.”That effort seems to be paying off. Dube credited Morkel for fine-tuning his action and approach. The two have been in each other’s ears constantly at training. Two days ago, Morkel had even stated the importance of having someone of Dube’s abilities prep in a manner that gives him the confidence to bowl in pressure situations.”At the England series [in January-February], he told me a few things,” Dube said. “He told me to bowl from outside [wider of the crease] and to bowl slower [from a certain angle]. I have been working on that for a long time. He told me a few things about my bowling run-up too. Because of those two-three things, my bowling is getting better. My pace is also improving and I am getting confidence.”Today’s start was very important. As an allrounder, I am always prepared for four overs of bowling. Whenever I get an opportunity to bowl three-four overs, I am ready for it. I will try and do what the team needs.”There aren’t just bowling tweaks that Dube has been working on. Between IPL 2025 and now, he has worked a lot on his batting too, back at home in Mumbai. One of the aspects he identified was working on improving against the short ball bowled at high pace and into his body. The Asia Cup opener was his first competitive outing since the IPL ended in May (barring three middling games at the Mumbai T20 League where he captained ARCS Andheri).1:55

Why did Suryakumar let Siddique bat despite being out?

“About my batting, I was thinking of adding some of the shots,” he said of his tailored training. “Yes, I can hit in certain areas. But certain bowlers are there who come on me with the short balls and all. I worked [on that] in the IPL. And even after IPL, I have been working on some extra shots that I can bring to the Indian team. And yes, I was working on my fitness because I knew that if I become fitter, then I can bowl four overs or whatever the team requires.”Dube’s selection in India’s XI against UAE reflected the team management’s emphasis on extending the batting depth till No. 8 – a call that, in turn, makes his ability to deliver with the ball even more crucial. Dube revealed that there had been a lot of learning from the coaches and off Hardik Pandya, who isn’t exactly like-for-like but someone whose experience he’s been more than happy to dip into.”Hardik is someone from whom I always learn,” Dube said. “He is like a brother to me. As a cricketer, he has a lot of experience in international cricket and IPL. So I feel I have a lot to learn from him with regards to both batting and bowling. I have never thought about comparison. I just thought I should get something from him with which I can improve myself.”2:21

Can UAE take away anything from this thrashing?

Asked to talk about the quality of India’s opponents in their opening game, Dube was sympathetic, especially the UAE batters’ inability to handled the quality of India’s spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.”I can’t say whether they were able to pick or not… I’m not going to say they [UAE batters] are not of the same class,” Dube said. “I will never say that to any opponent because I feel it doesn’t send out a good message. Yes, they [Kuldeep and Varun] are mystery bowlers. Even I am not able to pick them up sometimes [in the nets]. So there is nothing in that.”It was only when Dube was inevitably asked about the next game, against Pakistan, that he chose to be slightly more guarded. “Whether it’s a match with UAE or Pakistan, it’s important for me when I go on the ground and for my team that… our coach has said something that has always been in my heart and mind: that whenever you go on the ground, whenever you represent your country, you have a chance to do something big for the country.”Gautam [Gambhir] sir has always said this. So, keeping that in mind, whether it’s Pakistan or UAE, or whoever I’m playing with in the future, I want to do a miracle on the ground so that I can make my country proud.”

Afghanistan sealed an emotional victory over Pakistan with a sublime performance from their spinners, squeezing Salman Agha’s men out and triumphing by 18 runs. In the wake of the earthquake at home where the death toll has crossed 1400, a resilient performance from Afghanistan in Sharjah proved much too good for Pakistan with Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal producing a 113-run second-wicket partnership that formed the backbone of their innings.It was an innings held up almost entirely by that single pillar; while Zadran and Atal scored 65 and 64 respectively, no other batter managed to get beyond single figures. Pakistan’s bowlers might have felt the had done enough as an economical showing from Saim Ayub and a sensational one from Faheem Ashraf kept Afghanistan on a leash, with Pakistan needing 170 to win in wet, dewy conditions.For the Afghan spinners, though, the dew proved an almost laughably negligible impediment. Fazalhaq Farooqi set them up by getting rid of Ayub for a golden duck and a misfiring Sahibzada Farhan shortly after. It was just the window Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi needed to run riot in the middle. No Pakistan batter was ever really able to work out which way Noor turned the ball or how to target Rashid without taking extreme risks.The trio took six wickets among them as Pakistan lost 7 for 49 to slump to 111 for 9. At the time they were looking at a chastening defeat, but Haris Rauf restored some balance to the scorecard with a breezy little cameo, an unbeaten 34 off 16 that took Pakistan past 150, and made the game look more competitive than Afghanistan’s dazzling spin attack had ensured it really was.Ibrahim Zadran scored a second fifty in two games•Emirates Cricket Board

Zadran, Atal combine for a special stand

Pakistan made a dream start after being put in to bowl with the early dismissal of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. By the end of the fourth over, Afghanistan had only shuffled along to 18. But Atal and Zadran have made a bit of a habit of partnerships that straddle multiple phases of an innings, and they produced their most impressive one yet.The first signs of a gear shift came when Rauf, who struggled all day with the ball, was smashed for a four and a six in the fifth over. Thereon, Atal and Zadran rendered the Pakistan bowlers strangely toothless, while gradually cranking up the scoring rate. The signal to launch had been building, but at the same time seemed to come out of nowhere as the pair plundered 20 off Sufiyan Muqeem in the 14th over. By the time the partnership was finally broken, the duo had added the second-highest second-wicket stand in Afghan T20I history.Faheem Ashraf returned his best T20I figures•AFP/Getty Images

Ashraf’s silver lining

On a forgettable day for Pakistan, Ashraf’s spell stood out, going some way to burnishing his short-form bowling credentials. It was a slow, spin-friendly wicket, but with Pakistan struggling to break that Atal-Zadran stand, they turned to Ashraf in the tenth over. He went through it without either inflicting or sustaining much damage, but it was his three-over stint at the back-end that demonstrated his value.It was he who broke that partnership off the second ball of the 16th, and was unfortunate not to snare Azmatullah Omarzai later on that over when Mohammad Nawaz shelled one. He would get his man with a beautifully disguised slower delivery next over, with another change of pace doing for Zadran two deliveries later. Taking pace of the ball continued to work when it proved too good for Nabi. At a time when Pakistan’s bowlers were travelling from the other end, Ashraf’s last three overs had seen just 18 scored and four wickets taken, ensuring the batting side were kept below 170.Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi made life tough for the batters•Getty Images

Afghan spinners rip through the middle order

This is why Afghanistan feel so confident defending totals. There was plenty of dew by the midpoint of Pakistan’s pursuit, but Afghanistan’s spinners buzzed around the batters, relishing their defence of a total that was just about par. Pakistan had consolidated after two early wickets, and kept up with the rate; Fakhar Zaman took 15 off Omarzai’s first over to help Pakistan to 52 for 2 in the powerplay.In the eighth over, though, the spinners began to weave their web. Nabi threw in the change-up, darting the ball in as Fakhar sliced his smear to short third for Farooqi to grab. With the runs drying up, Pakistan threw in a signature unforced error, some lazy running combined with a clever bit of work from Rashid catching Salman short of his crease.Left-arm spinner Noor, curiously benched for the first two games, made up for lost time with a wicket off his first delivery to send Hasan Nawaz packing. Mohammad Haris failed to punish a long hop from Nabi the following over to allow Afghanistan to burrow deep into Pakistan’s tail. They had gone from 62 for 2 to 82 for 6, and no amount of deep batting can hedge against that kind of collapse against an attack of Afghanistan’s quality.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly prioritising a deal to sign Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas, who is now available at a cut-price ahead of the January transfer window.

It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks for those in the Midlands. After sacking Vitor Pereira, Wolves went on the hunt for a new manager and landed on Rob Edwards, who controversially left Middlesbrough to take the vacant position. He’s since claimed that no other job would have lured him away from Riverside and he now has the chance to keep his dream club afloat in the Premier League.

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Speaking to reporters after arriving, Edwards said: “It feels amazing to be back. I’m really proud. I’m genuinely proud and I’ve told all the staff and players that. I won’t lie about it, it has been an aim of mine since I first got the under-18’s job here 11 years ago. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.

“But this was something that I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time, and I didn’t know if this job would ever come up again for me. The opportunity might never, ever come up for me to be the head coach of this club. I didn’t want to look back in 10, 15, 20 years, and think I turned down a chance to manage Wolves in the Premier League.

“I didn’t want to regret that, so here I am. I know the size and the scale of the task, but I’m really enthused by it, I’m excited by it, and this week has been really enjoyable. But now the games start, so let’s see.”

He will be well aware that the task on his hands is far from easy, but Wolves are seemingly willing to back their new manager when the January transfer window arrives – starting with a new shot-stopper.

Wolves prioritising Christos Mandas move

As reported by Ben Jacobs for GiveMeSport, Wolves are now prioritising a move for Mandas in January as they search for a new goalkeeper. The shot-stopper is open to a move away from the Serie A club after going from the No.1 under Maurizio Sarri to without a league appearance all season under Marcos Baroni.

Unlike in the summer, Wolves also have the chance to land a bargain deal. When those in the Midlands previously set their sights on Mandas, they were quoted a £22m fee. Now, as Lazio look to climb out of their financial struggles, he’s set to be available for a maximum of £12m when January arrives.

Described as “reactive” by his agent, Diego Tavano, Mandas arguably needs Wolves just as much as they need him. The one-time Manchester City target would provide Edwards with an instant upgrade on Jose Sa, who is 32 years old and struggling for consistency.

At 24, there’s also every chance that Mandas rediscovers his best form by leaving Lazio. The Italians sit mid-table in Serie A and the goalkeeper still hasn’t been able to win back his starting place.

Wolves now want to sign £20m set-piece specialist compared to Declan Rice

Liverpool’s dire run of form continued on Saturday afternoon. The Reds were defeated 3-0 by Nottingham Forest at Anfield, leaving Arne Slot’s side with just three wins in their last 11 games in all competitions, and just 18 points to their name in the Premier League.

It was a hugely underwhelming performance from the reigning Premier League champions. Their poor form sees them slip to 11th in the top flight, with just 18 points to their name. They are already eight points behind league leaders Arsenal.

In terms of the Saturday afternoon clash at Anfield, a first-half strike from defender Murillo, and second-half goals from Nicolo Savona and captain Morgan Gibbs-White were enough to give Sean Dyche’s side all three points.

The Reds dominate the ball, having 76% possession, and 21 shots at the Forest goal, but simply didn’t do anything of substance. They lacked real bite in attack, with just four of their shots actually finding the target. Forest, on the other hand, had seven shots on target out of 15.

There were some poor performances across the board from Slot’s side, although a few stand out in particular.

Liverpool’s worst players vs. Forest

It was yet another tough day at the office for Liverpool, with one man struggling to get into the game being Liverpool striker Alexander Isak. The Swede went another game without finding the back of the net, still chasing his first goal in the Premier League for Liverpool.

Liverpool content creator George Scaife expressed his surprise at the fact that Isak got just 15 touches of the ball against Forest. Indeed, there was a lack of service against Forest for the Reds’ number nine, who only managed one shot on goal.

Another man who left a lot to be desired for Liverpool on Saturday afternoon was Alexis Mac Allister. The 2022 World Cup winner was part of yet another reshuffled midfield, and although he almost put Liverpool ahead, he struggled to contribute anything of note.

Indeed, the disappointing performance from Mac Allister was noticed by Liverpool World journalist Will Rooney. He gave the Argentina international a 4/10 rating, criticising him for the fact that he ‘stupidly dived in’ on Neco Williams, which allowed the former Liverpool man to find a cross leading to Savona’s goal.

Isak and Mac Allister certainly struggled against Dyche’s men, but there was one player who was perhaps worse.

Liverpool’s worst player vs. Forest

It was yet another day to forget for Reds centre-back Ibrahima Konate. The Frenchman’s poor afternoon was summed up by James Pearce, The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter. He described it as a “nightmare” and said it was “error after error” at Anfield.

His once-formidable partnership with Virgil van Dijk has been breached plenty of times this season. Indeed, that was something that Forest found it easy to do on Saturday, given that they bagged three goals.

Some of the stats from the 26-year-old’s performance against Forest highlight how tough a day it was for him. Konate only won four out of seven attempted duels, conceded two fouls and was dribbled past once.

Konate key stats vs. Forest

Stat

Number

Touches

61

Passes completed

50/54

Number of times ball lost

5

Ground duels won

2/5

Aerial duels won

2/2

Fouls

2

Number of times dribbled past

1

Stats from Sofascore

Indeed, Rooney gave the former RB Leipzig man a scathing review. The journalist rated his showing a 4/10, explaining that he “should have dealt with the ball better,” which led to a corner from which Forest opened the scoring, and “made a meal of the cross” from which Forest had their goal ruled out.

This season, Konate, who is out of contract in the summer, has put in several underwhelming showings. As recently as September, it was reported that Real Madrid will try and sign the Frenchman, either on a free if he doesn’t sign a new contract, or in January.

Slot and the higher-ups at Anfield now have a decision to make. With Konate’s performances and contractual situation, they may well decide to recruit in January and look to move on from the Frenchman.

They have been linked with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi again in the last few weeks, after failing to sign him on deadline day. Perhaps the Reds will be of the view that it is best they cut their losses on Konate and sell him to Los Blancos, or elsewhere, and reinvest that money.

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It has not been the start to the season that Leeds United might have hoped for. Daniel Farke’s side picked up some points early on, but they have soon been sucked into a relegation battle.

The Whites have won just one of their last five games.

Despite the poor form, the Leeds head coach has seemingly settled on his first-choice midfield. Sean Longstaff has been one of their key creative components and is currently creating an average of 2.3 chances per 90 minutes. Summer signing Anton Stach has featured in all ten Premier League games, too.

However, it is Ethan Ampadu who has arguably been the key man in midfield

What makes Ampadu so important for Leeds

Since moving to Elland Road back in 2023, Wales international Ampadu has become a key player for Leeds. There is certainly a strong argument to suggest that he is Farke’s most trusted player in their squad.

Indeed, the Chelsea academy star has played eight times in the Premier League this season, missing two games at the beginning of the campaign due to injury. Of those eight appearances, he’s played 90 minutes six times.

The 25-year-old has operated at the base of the midfield this season, forming that trio with Stach and Longstaff. However, part of what makes him so crucial for the Whites is his versatility.

Ampadu can also play at centre-back, offering excellent flexibility to Farke should he wish to change shape during a game.

It is not just versatility that makes Ampadu so important to this Leeds side, but also his leadership, which has previously been described as “impressive” by the manager.

As club captain, Ampadu guided Leeds to promotion last season and has skippered them in all eight top-flight games he’s played in 2025/26.

Interestingly, Leeds might have their homegrown version of Ampadu shining in the academy.

Leeds could have a homegrown Ampadu

Not only is Ampadu an exceptional footballer, but the versatility he possesses and the leadership qualities he brings to the squad make him a huge part of the Leeds project under Farke.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

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Well, it is exciting that the Whites could be replicating that, in the form of Alfie Cresswell. The 18-year-old has shone for the academy side at Elland Road this season and is certainly showing similarities to Ampadu.

One of those is the versatility he offers to the Leeds under-23s. This term, Cresswell has operated as a number six more often than not. He’s impressed in that role, too, scoring four times in nine appearances.

However, like the Leeds first-team skipper, Cresswell can operate in defence, too.

In fact, that is a role he’s played more often than not for Leeds’ academy sides, 26 of his appearances coming from centre-back.

Cresswell stats by position for Leeds academy

Position

Games

G/A

Centre-back

26

3

Defensive midfield

22

7

Right-back

6

1

Central midfield

2

0

Right midfield

1

0

Stats from Transfermarkt

It is already easy to see the comparison between Ampadu and Cresswell. Having that level of versatility certainly increases his chances of a first-team opportunity, because Farke can rely on him in different positions. In fact, the youngster has already trained with the senior side at Leeds.

The similarities between Ampadu and Cresswell, whose brother Charlie and dad Richard have played for the club, do not stop there. The 18-year-old has also captained Leeds’ academy side, doing so six times this term.

His leadership is something that has stood out to arguably the most important person, Farke. The Leeds manager has complimented Cresswell for having “brilliant character,” which is certainly something you need to become a successful skipper, while suggesting he could be an example of saving the club from having to dip into the market.

It really does feel like the Whites are brewing the heir to Amapadu’s thrown in the academy. His profile is identical to Leeds’ number four, being a versatile defender who has played as a number six this term and captained the side.

It will be fascinating to see how Cresswell’s career develops from here, and if there are going to be any first-team opportunities in a matchday squad this season.

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Since 2021, India’s batters have seen surprisingly poorer returns at home than in the previous five years. Here is a deep-dive into why that has happened

S Rajesh15-Sep-2024For several years now, defeating India in India is considered the toughest task in men’s Test cricket, a claim which is backed by numbers: since the start of 2013, India have a 40-4 win-loss record at home, easily the best; in second place is Australia’s 41-7.Over much of this period, India were extremely dominant with both bat and ball: from 2013 to 2020, when they had a stunning 28-1 win-loss home record, India averaged 44.05 runs per wicket with the bat, and 23.30 with the ball. Both were the best among all teams at home. In this period, the only year when the India batters averaged under 40 at home in a calendar year was in 2015, when they scored only 25.27 runs per wicket on dubious pitches in the four-Test series against South Africa. (These batting averages exclude runs scored from extras, while bowling averages include bowler wickets only.)ESPNcricinfo LtdSince 2021, though, that trend has changed a bit. In 17 home Tests in these four years, India’s batting average has dropped to 33.40 from the highs of 48 between 2016 and 2020 (actually 2019, since there was no Test cricket in India in 2020). In terms of rank, India have slipped from first to fifth. The bowlers held their end of the bargain though, averaging 21.29 runs per wicket, which is next only to South Africa’s 18.84 among all teams in their home conditions. India’s 12-3 win-loss record in this period points to a team which is still dominant, though not overwhelming so like they were earlier.The lower batting and bowling averages for India also point to another trend, of conditions getting tougher for batters in general in the country. How much more difficult is batting in India in these last four years, compared to an earlier similar period? Let the numbers provide the answer. We’ll look at the top-seven batters only, in the periods 2016-20, and since 2021.