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It will be Ollie Pope, rather than Jacob Bethell, who bats at No. 3 for England against India in Friday’s first Test at Headingley.Pope, England’s vice-captain, left his position vulnerable after a poor run of form last year. Moreover, Bethell’s sudden emergence in New Zealand prompted serious consideration about the No. 3 spot. But Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have opted to retain Pope, resisting the temptation to pick England’s most promising young player of his generation.Bethell’s opportunity at No. 3 in New Zealand was the result of two absentees – Jamie Smith (paternity leave) and Jordan Cox (thumb injury) – pressing Pope into action as England’s wicketkeeper. He scored three half-centuries in his first three Tests, including a second-innings 96 in Wellington, while Pope looked more comfortable down at No. 6.But Pope returned to No. 3 against Zimbabwe last month, with Bethell deemed unavailable while at the IPL, and scored 171 to push his case for retention. Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, said on Tuesday that England had “two brilliant options” for one position, and they have chosen Pope.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England confirmed their team for the first Test on Wednesday, with Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes set to open the bowling after missing last month’s win over Zimbabwe through injuries. Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir retain their positions, with Gus Atkinson still recovering from a hamstring injury, while captain Stokes completes the attack.This will be Carse’s first home Test, after he took 27 wickets in five Tests in Pakistan and New Zealand this winter. “Headingley is an unbelievable ground,” he said. “I’ve played a bit of white-ball cricket here over the last couple of years… but to be able to play a home Test against India is going to be pretty exciting and I cannot wait to get going.”Carse has been a change bowler throughout his first-class career but is expected to take the new ball alongside Woakes this week. “There has been a little bit of discussion around that. I’m relishing that opportunity, if that is what it is,” he said. “I opened the bowling during the one-day series [against West Indies] and felt comfortable and confident.”England’s attack has considerably less experience than those India have faced on their recent tours. Mark Wood remains sidelined with a knee injury, while Rishabh Pant said it was “definitely” a bonus not to face the retired James Anderson and Stuart Broad. “It feels so good,” Pant said, with a smile. “But… they have enough ammunition as an England bowling line-up.”England XI: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Josh Tongue, 11 Shoaib Bashir.

Bangladesh have a tough decision to make. If Mehidy Hasan Miraz comes back into the XI for the second Test – and according to coach Phil Simmons there is no guarantee he will – who makes way?The theory seems to be that the player who stood in for him at Galle goes out. But what if that player – offspinner Nayeem Hasan – took a vital 5 for 121 in the first innings, and a tidy 1 for 29 in the second. Nayeem was the equal-highest wicket-taker in that match, which ordinarily should ensure he plays the next match in the series.But he is an offspinner, and so is Mehidy, who is returning to the team. Taijul, by dint of experience as well as being a left-arm spinner, will likely keep his place.”You assume that [Mehidy] will be in the team for the second match,” said Simmons, implying that he still may not be ready. “But at the same time, everyone else has to do their job and we can’t worry about Mehidy coming in.Related

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There is a chance, though, that three spinners can play, according to Simmons. Sri Lanka appear to be going in the opposite direction – they are considering playing three seamers at the SSC. But Bangladesh have the problem of a performing offspinner, whom they are understandably reluctant to keep out.”The first thing is that we will assess what the wicket looks like and the conditions, and then we decide which way we’re going to go – if it’s the three spinners”, Simmons said. “Nayeem had a wonderful game up in Galle. To leave him now is a little difficult. But if a decision has to be made, people understand that it’s what is good for the team.”Having dominated the back end of that Galle Test – Bangladesh were the side pushing for a victory on day five – spirits in the visitors’ camp are high, Simmons said.”They players are really good. When you play good cricket, it helps to lift you. The players’ mental strength is there, and physically they are very good.”

In what would hand their promotion hopes a major boost, Southampton are now plotting a January move to sign a Premier League star who’s been told to leave his current club.

Will Still "delighted" after much-needed Sheffield United win

Prior to their 2-1 victory over a struggling Sheffield United side, Southampton had gone as many as six Championship games without a win. It’s a run that included frustrating draws against Watford and Portsmouth and one that could have quite easily led to several questions about Will Still’s position. But, at long last, it is now a run that has come to an end courtesy of Sheffield United.

In the end, it was Ross Stewart who was the hero of the hour as his brace secured the Saints’ 2-1 victory against Chris Wilder’s side in what Still described as the “ultimate Championship game”.

Asked if Southampton deserved all three points, the manager told reporters: “Overall, yes. I think we’ve been in control of large parts of it. We probably conceded another one of those annoying goals.

“You then miss a penalty and think, ‘Jesus, it’s going to happen again’, but we’ve not done that at all. We’ve made a few tweaks. We bought a bit of energy on the pitch and managed to turn it around. Getting back into the game is always tough when you’re away here.

“Then we’ve just kept at it and not felt sorry for ourselves. We’ve dug deep and got a brilliant win from Roscoe. It was the ultimate Championship game.”

Even after getting back to winning ways, however, there’s still work to be done at St Mary’s and the January transfer window will present Southampton with the perfect opportunity to welcome one particular upgrade.

Southampton plotting Ward-Prowse return

As reported by GiveMeSport, Southampton are now plotting a move to sign James Ward-Prowse in the January transfer window. The West Ham United midfielder has been told that he’s not in new manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans and could now return to the Saints less than three years on from sealing a £30m exit.

It would be a sensational return for the Southampton academy graduate, who could certainly do with a return to where it all started. Already dropped by Nuno, Ward-Prowse arguably needs the Saints just as much as they need him.

Whilst it’s been a frustrating couple of years, Ward-Prowse is still capable of taking Southampton to promotion if he completes his return in January. The 30-year-old could instantly partner Shea Charles at the heart of Still’s midfield and suddenly take the Saints from play-off hopefuls into automatic promotion contenders.

There will, of course, be question marks over their ability to afford such a player but West Ham could yet set a cut-price amid Nuno’s desire to show the midfielder the door. If that proves to be the case, then Southampton should take full advantage.

Manchester United’s wage bill is a site to behold, with the Red Devils forking out more than £3m a week on first-team salaires.

The Red Devils currently have a whopping annual payroll of £158,700,000, but, despite this being such a huge number, it’s actually quite a bit less than it was in the previous campaign.

A number of recent exits helped the Manchester club’s cause, including selling Alejandro Garnacho and Antony, loans for Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, whereas Victor Lindelof and Christian Eriksen were released.

With that being said, we at Football FanCast have ranked every Manchester United player in the first-team squad in order from highest to lowest in terms of wages for the 2025-26 season, with the help of Capology.

Disclaimer – only the club and the players themselves truly know their wages, so take each of these figures as you will.

1

Casemiro

£350,000

£18,200,000

2

Bruno Fernandes

£300,000

£15,600,000

3

Matthijs de Ligt

£195,000

£10,140,000

4

Harry Maguire

£190,000

£9,880,000

5

Matheus Cunha

£180,000

£9,360,000

6

Benjamin Sesko

£160,000

£8,320,000

=7

Luke Shaw

£150,000

£7,800,000

=7

Mason Mount

£150,000

£7,800,000

=7

Bryan Mbeumo

£150,000

£7,800,000

10

Noussair Mazraoui

£135,000

£7,020,000

=11

Lisandro Martinez

£120,000

£6,240,000

=11

Andre Onana

£120,000

£6,240,000

=11

Manuel Ugarte

£120,000

£6,240,000

=11

Amad Diallo

£120,000

£6,240,000

15

Leny Yoro

£115,000

£5,980,000

16

Joshua Zirkzee

£105,000

£5,460,000

17

Diogo Dalot

£85,000

£4,420,000

18

Tyrell Malacia

£75,000

£3,900,000

19

Jadon Sancho

£50,000

£2,600,000

20

Tom Heaton

£45,000

£2,340,000

21

Patrick Dorgu

£40,000

£2,080,000

22

Altay Bayindir

£35,000

£1,820,000

23

Kobbie Mainoo

£25,000

£1,300,000

24

Chido Obi

£15,000

£780,000

=25

Joe Hugill

£5,000

£260,000

=25

Ethan Wheatley

£5,000

£260,000

=25

Tyler Fredicson

£5,000

£260,000

28

Ayden Heaven

£4,000

£208,000

29

Dan Gore

£3,000

£156,000

Here's a detailed look at the top 10 Man Utd earners… 10 Noussair Mazraoui £135,000 per week

Noussair Mazraoui was one of many who made the move to Old Trafford in 2024, arriving from Bayern Munich after the Red Devils sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka to West Ham.

The Morocco international penned a four-year deal with Man Utd, who will hope he can go on to star over the coming years.

9 Bryan Mbeumo £150,000 per week

Man Utd were able to offer attacker Bryan Mbeumo a big salary after making the Cameroon international a top transfer target.

The former Brentford ace cost the Red Devils more than £70m with add-ons included over the summer and penned a five-year deal at Old Trafford.

8 Luke Shaw £150,000 per week

Left-back Luke Shaw has now been a Red Devils player for 10 years and is closing in on 300 appearances for the club.

The England international may have had several injury struggles during his time as a Man Utd player, but he is still under contract until 2027.

7 Mason Mount £150,000 per week

Man Utd signed Mason Mount from Chelsea in a £60m deal in 2023, despite the Englishman having just 12 months remaining on his Stamford Bridge deal at the time.

Unfortunately, Mount missed large parts of his first season through injury, so in hindsight, the Red Devils would have been better off waiting for the player to become a free agent instead of splashing the cash.

6 Benjamin Sesko £160,000 per week

Benjamin Sesko is the latest man set to be tasked with firing Man Utd to glory, with the centre-forward choosing Old Trafford over Newcastle.

The Red Devils paid RB Leipzig an initial £66m for the towering striker, who is set to earn more than £40m in his five years with United.

5 Matheus Cunha £180,000 per week

Matheus Cunha took Man Utd’s famous number 10 shirt from Marcus Rashford after his big-money move from Wolves.

Ruben Amorim’s first summer signing at Old Trafford, Cunha was handed a five-year deal worth more than £9m a season.

4 Harry Maguire £190,000 per week

Former club captain Harry Maguire has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford on numerous occasions in recent years but remains a big Red Devils earner.

His near £10m a-year contract is set to expire in 2026, so it’ll be interesting to see if the club offer him new terms over the coming months.

3 Matthijs de Ligt £195,000 per week

Matthijs de Ligt is under contract with United until 2029, and after numeorus departues, is now the club’s third highest earner.

Former boss Erik ten Hag worked with De Ligt at Ajax previously, but it was Juventus who sold the centre-back to Man Utd in 2024, with the Dutch star penning a five-year deal.

2 Bruno Fernandes £300,000 per week

Bruno Fernandes was made Man Utd captain back in 2023, and in recent years, the midfielder has arguably been the only real marquee signing who has lived up to the hype.

The Portugal international turned down a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2025 and is under contract until 2027.

1 Casemiro £350,000 per week

The biggest earner at Old Trafford is Casemiro, who has been picking up £350,000 per week since joining from Real Madrid in 2022.

The Brazilian cost the Red Devils £50m, however, the player has come in for criticism in the last 12 months and was again linked with an exit in the summer.

Monaco coach Adi Hutter believes Paul Pogba is getting closer to full fitness and is progressing well with the training regimen put in place. The Austrian coach reported that Pogba is doing well both physically and mentally, but he will not rush him into the squad merely to bolster numbers, despite the club facing an injury crisis.

Pogba's move to Monaco and his physical condition

Pogba last played a competitive game in September 2023 as a Juventus player and joined Monaco in the summer of 2025 after his doping ban was lifted. The World Cup winner has been training with the club since July, but Monaco coach Hutter confirmed at the start of the season that both Pogba and Ansu Fati were far from match fitness and not ready for playing time.

However, a spate of injuries in midfield, including captain Dennis Zakaria, could prompt Hutter to accelerate Pogba’s integration. The coach believes that with his current progress, Pogba should be ready to feature after the October break.

AdvertisementHutter's update

In the pre-match press conference, Hutter addressed Pogba’s condition, saying: “We can't compare Paul Pogba's situation [with Ansu Fati's]. Fati is much younger than Paul. Ansu has been training for a long time. Today, Paul is being used more and more.” He added: “We're in our process. We've given ourselves three months. He's getting closer to the group. He's physically and mentally well.”

However, Hutter emphasised that he does not want to rush Pogba’s integration into the squad due to his injury history, explaining: “It's a consideration. With the injured, we have a look at that, but it makes no sense to bring someone in just to say we have someone.”

AFPFati's hilarious incident with Pogba

Introduced as a substitute in Monaco’s league match against Metz, Fati scored within a minute of coming on before adding a second later in the game. After the match, Pogba met him in the tunnel and, in a lighthearted exchange, told Fati he had predicted both his introduction and two goals, prompting Fati to call Pogba a wizard.

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Getty ImagesPogba and Monaco's challenges up ahead

Pogba will hope to make a full recovery and return to peak fitness. Monaco, meanwhile, will be eager to see him rediscover the same quality that helped him win trophies with France.

India vs Pakistan matches will always be passionate affairs. But for Pakistan’s players, this is just another opportunity to do the cricketing things they train to do as professionals. The hype, Pakistan’s coach Aaqib Javed feels, is external.”For the cricketers, this is a profession,” Aaqib said. “For them, it definitely is an honour. But, it is a profession. You try your best. In that, you sometimes lose as well. It is a match… one team will win, one will lose. How does it matter? Why so much pressure? Every game is different.”In a Pakistan-India game, the energy will remain high. And this is the beauty of this contest. What does the crowd do? When you play well, the crowd supports you, they clap their hands. When you play poorly, be it India or Pakistan, the home crowd will go against you. As a player, you shouldn’t keep the crowd in mind. We never kept it and neither should these players. What’s your focus? Ball, bat – that’s it.”Related

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Focusing fully on the cricket and not the external hype becomes all the more important for Pakistan, given, after their opening-day loss to New Zealand, they really need points on the board.There is also particular focus on this game, because although Pakistan are the official hosts, they have had to travel to Dubai, where India have set up camp, and have already played a match. There have been suggestions that it is India who are enjoying the closest thing to home advantage in this scenario. But Aaqib played those suggestions down.”There’s no advantage [for India] at all, because if you look at all the Pakistani players, they have been playing leagues here,” Aaqib said. “The PSL has been played here. So there’s nothing really – there’s no advantage or disadvantage.” Not to forget, nearly all of Pakistan’s home fixtures were played in the UAE between 2009 and 2019.The surface in Dubai is expected to play slower and lower than those in Pakistan, partly because the ILT20 was played here over the past six weeks. Very few of the strips on the square are fresh.”We also have to see the pitch and the ground here,” Aaqib said. “Are these similar to the one we have in Pakistan or are they different? We will play in accordance with the pitches, conditions and the opposition team.”

Despite already spending big this summer, Manchester City are now reportedly set to hold talks in an attempt to seal one last blockbuster move for Pep Guardiola.

Man City targeting late transfer flurry

After starting the transfer window so strongly with the arrivals of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri, it looked as though Manchester City had commenced and ended their summer business in clinical fashion early on. Since then, however, Savinho and Ederson have thrown unexpected spanners into the works which could force the Citizens to land at least one more blockbuster move.

Both players missed City’s opening day thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers through ill-timed injuries as rumours continue to emerge over their futures. Whether they make swift recoveries in the event of a late summer switch will certainly be interesting to see, however, with Tottenham Hotspur chasing Savinho and Galatasaray already in talks to sign Ederson.

In the event that Ederson does depart, which looks likely at this stage, Guardiola could reportedly welcome Senne Lammens before the end of the month. Although the Citizens initially had their sights set on Gianluigi Donnarumma, reports have since emerged that any deal to sign the Italian has become difficult due to Paris Saint-Germain’s £22m asking price.

As a result, City have reportedly turned their attention towards Lammens and hijacking Manchester United’s move to sign the Royal Antwerp shot-stopper.

Meanwhile, when it comes to potentially replacing Savinho, those at the Etihad have shifted their focus towards what would be one of the headline deals of the summer in the closing stages of the window.

Man City set to hold talks to sign Rodrygo

According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Manchester City are now set to hold talks to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid, with the Brazilian’s representatives already on their way to commence discussions. Madrid reportedly value the winger at around £87m, but are open to letting him leave before the end of the month.

Another Reijnders: Man City have made £86m superstar their main target

Manchester City have now made this £86m superstar their main summer target.

ByKelan Sarson Aug 18, 2025

Reportedly going head-to-head with Liverpool in the race to sign Rodrygo, City will have their eye on revenge on the Reds after watching on as Florian Wirtz chose Anfield over the Etihad earlier this summer.

What’s more, if City are looking to replace Savinho, then doing so with a star of Rodrygo’s calibre would certainly send a statement of intent around the Premier League. Dubbed “special” by former Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, the 24-year-old is arguably one of the best wingers in the world.

Appearances

270

Goals

68

Assists

51

In one swoop, City could have the potential to form one of the Premier League’s most deadly partnerships between Erling Haaland and Rodrygo – one which could see them restore their English crown just one year after conceding it to Liverpool.

Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan are also likely to be retained by the franchise

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Oct-20245:23

IPL 2025 retentions: Shami a risky retention for Gujarat Titans?

Gujarat Titans are likely to retain Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan, leaving them with one right-to-match card (RTM) option at the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.While the amounts for each player are not yet known, GT will have at least INR 51 crore deducted from their purse of INR 120 crore for retaining three international players and two uncapped players. If they pay more than INR 51 crore to retain five players, then the higher amount will be deducted from their purse.October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their list of retained players to the IPL ahead of the mega auction. The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players. While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.Gill and Rashid were picked by GT before the auction in 2022, when the franchise had just entered the IPL. While Rashid got INR 15 crore (USD 1.807 million approx. then), Gill got INR 8 crore (USD 963,000 approx. then). While Rashid remains their lead bowling allrounder, Gill was given the GT captaincy for IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians.Related

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IPL retention: How many players can a team keep? And at what cost?

While the retention of 23-year-old Sudharsan ahead Mohammed Shami and David Miller might be a surprise, GT believe the left-hand batter from Tamil Nadu is a long-term player who can perform a key role in the top order. Sudharsan, who was bought for INR 20 lakhs in 2022, was sixth highest run-maker in IPL 2024 with 527 runs with an average of nearly 48 and strike rate of 141. He is considered as a potential future Test player too by India’s selectors and the team management lead by Gautam Gambhir. It is learned Sudharsan was discussed as a candidate for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Tewatia and Shahrukh, both uncapped allrounders, were among the most expensive buys for GT and have been retained for their power-hitting ability in the lower-middle order. Tewatia, who was bought for INR 9 crore ($1.084 million approx. then) in 2022, has played several impactful knocks as a finisher and has been a key sounding board for GT’s leadership group with his knowledge the domestic Indian players. Shahrukh, who is also a part-time offspinner, is among the strongest hitters in domestic cricket and was bought in 2024 auction for INR 7.4 crore ($891,000 approx. then).

Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill are both likely to be available for the second Test against New Zealand, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has suggested two days out of the game.India are also hopeful of Pant returning to action as a wicketkeeper as they aim to bounce back from the defeat in the series opener in Bengaluru.Pant hurt his knee on the second day of the Test when he was attempting to stump Devon Conway in the 37th over of New Zealand’s innings. He failed to collect the ball and copped a blow. He winced in pain and went off the field straightaway. Dhruv Jurel took the gloves from Pant and kept for the rest of the first innings and the 27.4 overs of New Zealand’s second innings.Related

• Santner named NZ's interim captain for SL white-ball tour; Smith and Hay get maiden call-ups

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• Washington Sundar added to India's squad

Gill had missed the Bengaluru Test with neck stiffness.”Rishabh’s pretty good,” ten Doeschate said. “I think Rohit [Sharma] touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed he’ll be good to keep in this Test as well.”He’s batted last week in Bangalore, he had a few nets,” ten Doeschate said of Gill. “He’s got a little bit of discomfort, but I’ll think he will be good to go for the Test.”The team will of course be wary of taking risks with Pant’s knee because of the serious knee injuries he sustained in a car crash in December 2022. While he did come back to bat in India’s second innings in Bengaluru, hitting 99 off 105 balls, he showed signs of discomfort while running between the wickets. After India had lost that Test, captain Rohit had called for an “extra careful” approach with respect to Pant’s injury.During India’s first practice session in Pune on Tuesday, it was Jurel who was the first to undergo keeping drills with Pant watching from the sidelines. Pant then batted at full tilt in the nets against India’s spinners and net bowlers. Pant also kept wicket at the fag end of India’s training session.His injury kept him off the field while India bowled, but Rishabh Pant later came out to bat in the second innings•AFP/Getty Images

Ten Doeschate also clarified that R Ashwin, who just bowled two overs in New Zealand’s chase of 107 in the first Test, isn’t carrying any injury. Ashwin had conceded 94 runs in 16 overs for just one wicket in New Zealand’s first innings, as Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee took the attack to him, but India aren’t reading too much into it.”Ashwin’s fine. He’s absolutely fine,” ten Doeschate said. “He bowled nicely. I know he bowled only two overs in the second innings, but it looked like his pace and his rhythm were back to where it needs to be.”With Pune set to roll out a low-bounce black-soil pitch that could aid turn, India have beefed up their spin stocks by calling up offspin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar as their fourth spin-bowling option behind Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Ten Doeschate dismissed notions that Washington had been added to the squad as part of “desperate measures” after India had been shaken up in Bengaluru.Ryan ten Doeschate explained the logic behind adding Washington Sundar to the India squad as a fourth spin option•PTI

“Did you say desperate measures? No, definitely not,” ten Doeschate said. “Look, we’ve obviously got Axar in the squad as well and with four left-handers in their XI, we want the option to take the ball away from the left-handers as well.”That count could increase to five if New Zealand choose to boost their own spin attack by recalling Mitchell Santner. Washington has not played Test cricket for India since March 2021, but his recent form in red-ball cricket is encouraging. In the second round of the ongoing Ranji Trophy, Washington made 152 from No. 3 and followed it with a match haul of six wickets for Tamil Nadu on a fairly flat Delhi pitch. While there wasn’t much turn on offer at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Washington kept things tight and even managed to challenge the outside edge of the right-hand batters with some drift.”We’ve had Washy around the white-ball squad for a while and [we] like the way he operates,” ten Doeschate said. “And it’s also nice to see guys are getting rewarded for Ranji Trophy performances as well. So hopefully that sends a good message out to the other guys and it’s certainly not a desperate measure. We’ve certainly got a lot of faith in the spinners that we have, and we just want to make sure we’re absolutely prepared for the conditions and if that does mean taking the ball away from the left-hander, we want that option.”

Justin Broad takes seven but match called off after suspected broken finger for Vasconcelos

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2024

Play was abandoned at the County Ground due to an unsafe pitch•Getty Images

The Vitality County Championship Second Division match between Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire was abandoned owing to concerns from the umpires over player safety on a hybrid pitch.Umpires Chris Watts and Sue Redfern called a halt early on in the final session after Northants batters Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh had been struck blows on the hand by Gloucestershire paceman Ajeet Singh Dale and retired hurt.Northants were 116 for 2 in reply to Gloucestershire’s 125 when the contest was abandoned at 5pm, the umpires consulting with both captains before leading the players from the pitch and then holding a consultation with groundstaff to explain their decision.Watts and Redfern then talked with match referee Jason Swift before contacting ECB pitch inspectors at Lord’s to seek advice. The decision was then taken to abandon the match.Gloucestershire scored in excess of 500 runs on a neighbouring pitch against Leicestershire earlier in the week, but were unceremoniously shot out in just 36.1 overs on this occasion. The county deployed a hybrid pitch for their home Championship match against Middlesex in May without any issues arising. But this was an altogether different set of circumstances, with Vasconcelos being taken to hospital with a suspected broken finger.When Keogh was struck during the final session, the umpires, concerned for the safety of the batters, made their intervention. Northants will collect 11 points for a draw, including three bowling bonus points, but Gloucestershire will receive none. It remains to be seen whether or not the county will face any further sanction but the matter has been passed to the Cricket Regulator for investigation.The umpires issued a brief statement, which read: “The match has been abandoned because there was a foreseeable risk to the batters. In the opinion of the umpires, it would be unreasonable to continue.”Gloucestershire declined to speak to the media at the close of play, and later issued a statement in anticipation of further action.”Whilst we acknowledge that this is not something anyone would have wanted to happen, we need to see, understand and discuss the match referee’s report before making further comment on the decision,” the club wrote. “We expect there will be an ECB investigation and we will of course assist them at all stages of that investigation.”Justin Broad had reason to feel aggrieved, having produced a career-best bowling performance to put the skids under Gloucestershire. In the absence of pace spearheads Ben Sanderson and Jack White, both rested ahead of next week’s Vitality Blast quarter-final against Somerset, batting all-rounder Broad was handed the new ball and returned startling figures of 7 for 33 in 15.1 overs with seven maidens.Of the Gloucestershire batters, only Ollie Price managed to cope with exaggerated nip and seam off the pitch, top-scoring with 52 and staging a stand of 60 for the fifth wicket with Graeme van Buuren, whose dismissal for 40 sparked a collapse which saw the home side lose their last six wickets for 22 runs in 11.1 overs.Despite having to field a weakened attack, Procter did not hesitate to bowl first on a green-tinged surface and it proved an exceedingly good toss to win, Gloucestershire losing openers Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth inside six overs as Broad and his captain made the new ball talk.Although Broad boasted just 11 wickets at 43 apiece in 13 previous first-class matches, he looked the part when persuading a length ball to straighten up and clip the top of Bancroft’s off stump. Having scored a maiden double hundred in his last innings, Charlesworth was brought down to earth with a bump when pushing tentatively at an angled delivery from Procter and offering a straightforward catch to second slip.Procter struck again in his next over, Miles Hammond swishing at a ball outside off stump and nicking to second slip as Gloucestershire slipped to 16 for 3. Unlike Hammond, the in-form James Bracey could not be held accountable for his dismissal, the Championship’s leading run scorer being unfortunately run out when Dom Leach diverted an Ollie Price drive onto the stumps with the batter at the non-striker’s end backing up.Price and van Buuren enjoyed better fortune against the change bowlers, the latter taking on Gus Miller with a top-edged hook that went for six and then twice pulling Leach to the mid-wicket boundary to afford the innings momentum.But van Buuren flirted with danger and was twice dropped on 25 and 30 before pursuing a wide delivery and feathering a catch to second slip to gift Broad his second wicket. The South African’s dismissal for a run-a-ball 40 with the score on 93 sparked a calamitous collapse, Tom Price falling lbw to Broad in the final over before lunch, which was taken with the hosts on 113 for 6. Gloucestershire’s slide continued unchecked after the interval, Zafar Gohar shouldering arms to a straight one from Broad, who then pinned Ollie Price lbw for an 85-ball 52 to register his maiden five-wicket haul.Broad then accounted for tailenders Dom Goodman and Zaman Akhter in quick succession on his way to achieving the best figures of any Northants bowler in matches at Bristol since George Thompson took 8 for 14 in 1910.Batting continued to be a hazardous affair when Northants replied. Prithvi Shaw and Vasconcelos staged an opening partnership of 50 in 11.1 overs, only for the latter to then edge a catch behind off Singh Dale. Vasconcelos advanced his score to 21 before retiring hurt, after which Procter and Keogh added an unbeaten 49 for the third wicket.