Latest news with #Atherton
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Serious injury curtails Atherton LR's friendly at Darwen
Atherton LR's penultimate pre-season game on Saturday came to an early end following a serious injury to Darwen's Nathan Emery. Prior to the game, former LR players Ryan Talbot and Akim Samms featured in the Darwen team news with Samms contributing during a small stint late last year, while Talbot was a crucial player during the 2024/25 treble campaign for the Yellows. The LR team news saw the return of Joe Bickerstaffe following a back injury during the Bury game two weeks earlier. LR put in a strong opening 30 minutes, with Lewis Adams and Abiola Obasoto commanding a good defensive shape showing a marked improvement from last Tuesday night's draw. Tom Lawless and Cal Hunter combined well with some early breaks with the help of Joe Bacon and Kieran Nolan - with manager Dave Jones later claiming it to be a 'much more structured performance.' A sign of bad things to come came following an off-the-ball incident which saw Adams receive a ligament injury after a collision with the pitchside barrier - the captain had also had issues in the previous game which was certainly made worse by this incident - leading to an early substitution for LR. The game came to a close early following a 50-50 challenge which unfortunately caused Salmoners player, Emery's leg to break - forcing the referee to stop play and eventually abandon the game - a decision which was supported by the LR backroom staff. The fixture will not be replayed and everyone at Atherton LR wished Emery a speedy recovery, with the player later posting on social media, 'Ill be sound. I've come back from it before, ill do it again.' Boss Jones said: 'We were competitive, looked good in our defensive shape and dangerous on the break - a much more structured performance than Tuesday night.' Atherton LR's final pre-season game will be against Cheadle Heath Nomads at Crilly Park tonight.
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
India should go for three-spinners combination at Old Trafford: Atherton
ANI New Delhi Former England cricketer Michael Atherton weighed in on the possible tweaks that India can make for the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester and suggested a three-spinner bowling combination against his former side. England broke Indian hearts with a 22-run victory in the third Test at Lord's to ascend to a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. With India contemplating its pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's utility and the best combination to restore parity, Atherton believes it is time for left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav to showcase his prowess and weave his magic. The 57-year-old offered cogent advice to India to go with a two-pace and three-spin bowling attack, considering Old Trafford has favoured wrist spin. Even though a spin-laden combination could work wonders for India, the weather forecast in Manchester has hinted at the possibility of rain, which could prompt them to reconsider their team selection. 'In the middle, where the televised pitches are, I said just flat, flat, flat. You know wrist spin goes well at Old Trafford in those circumstances, so I was wondering whether they could go like Bumrah and Siraj and then play their three spinners, Washington Sundar, Jadeja and Kuldeep. But you don't know about the forecast in Manchester, that's the other thing. If it's going to be cooler and showerier, more showery, and whether the fast bowlers then come into it, but I think that's a definite option India should think about,' Atherton said on thepodcast. After India brought the series to level terms in the second Test at Edgbaston, India captain Shubman Gill claimed that it was tempting to use Kuldeep, but extending batting depth was their first priority. India went with the same combination, with Bumrah replacing Prasidh Krishna, and ultimately misfired in their attempts to chase down England's 193-run target, conceding a 1-2 lead. With India desperate for a win, former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has urged the tourists to create space for Kuldeep if Manchester's strip resembles the past surfaces. 'If the wicket is similar to the last three matches, he should play. You need guys who can get you those wickets, batting-wise, it is all well. But if you score 25-30 runs less, it is okay, but you need someone to take these wickets, as you cannot always depend on fast bowlers. One guy has to play that defensive role; guys who can bowl those long spells and in one channel. It will also bring a different variation,' Rahane had said on his YouTube channel.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Why Old Trafford pitch was turned 90 degrees and Mike Atherton says Kuldeep Yadav should play India's 4th Test against England
It was at Old Trafford in Manchester, the venue for India's fourth Test against England next week, that Shane Warne had bowled the ball of the century 32 years back to take out a bewildered Mike Gatting. He had ripped out that snorter from the Warwick Road End, but India won't be be able to bowl from that end in the next Test. Around a decade back, the pitch was moved 90 degrees from its east-west sitting to north-south direction. The old east-west axis, established in the 1850s, used to pose the batsmen with a unique problem in the evenings of getting blinded by the setting sun. County matches were even stopped due to the blinding sun. When the pitch was turned around, Old Trafford lost out both Warwick Road End and the Stretford End. Ever since that turnaround of the pitches though, the tracks have been more or less played flat. In a Sky Sports podcast, Mike Atherton said he spoke to James Anderson about the pitches on offer this season. Incidentally, Old Trafford has one end now named after James Anderson. 'I had a chat with Jimmy (James Anderson) who said the pitches have been flat. Since they turned around the pitches, they haven't had the pace. There is a couple of pitches in the end some zing but the middle, the televised pitches are flat flat this season',' Atherton said. Atherton further reckoned that India should think about playing Kuldeep Yadav, and even think about playing three spinners. 'I think wrist spin goes well on those circumstances. 'If Kuldeep is going to play Trafford is the place. I was wondering if they could go with Bumrah and Siraj and play their three spinners in Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep. Just don't know about the forecast, there is the other thing, if its cooler and showery, then fast bowlers come into picture.' His co-host of the podcast Nasser Hussain listed out the strong England tail for the fourth Test. 'Liam Dawson at 8, Gus Atkinson at 9 if he comes in, Brydon Carse at 10 and Jofra Archer at 11.' Apart from Warne's ball of century and the dramatic 2005 game against Australia, Old Trafford has thrown up moments like Jim Laker's 19 wickets for England against Australia in the 1956 Ashes Test.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"Play Three Spinners...": England Great Gives Big Advice To Team India Ahead Of 4th Test
Former England cricketer Michael Atherton weighed in on the possible tweaks that India can make for the fourth Test in Manchester and suggested a three-spinner bowling combination against his former side. England broke Indian hearts with a 22-run victory in the third Test at Lord's to ascend to a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. With India contemplating its pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's utility and the best combination to restore parity, Atherton believes it is time for left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav to showcase his prowess and weave his magic. The 57-year-old offered cogent advice to India to go with a two-pace and three-spin bowling attack, considering Old Trafford has favoured wrist spin. Even though a spin-laden combination could work wonders for India, the weather forecast in Manchester has hinted at the possibility of rain, which could prompt them to reconsider their team selection. "In the middle, where the televised pitches are, I said just flat, flat, flat. You know wrist spin goes well at Old Trafford in those circumstances, so I was wondering whether they could go like Bumrah and Siraj and then play their three spinners, Washington Sundar, Jadeja and Kuldeep. But you don't know about the forecast in Manchester, that's the other thing. If it's going to be cooler and showerier, more showery, and whether the fast bowlers then come into it, but I think that's a definite option India should think about," Atherton said on the Sky Sports podcast. After India brought the series to level terms in the second Test at Edgbaston, India captain Shubman Gill claimed that it was tempting to use Kuldeep, but extending batting depth was their first priority. India went with the same combination, with Bumrah replacing Prasidh Krishna, and ultimately misfired in their attempts to chase down England's 193-run target, conceding a 1-2 lead. With India desperate for a win, former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has urged the tourists to create space for Kuldeep if Manchester's strip resembles the past surfaces. "If the wicket is similar to the last three matches, he should play. You need guys who can get you those wickets, batting-wise, it is all well. But if you score 25-30 runs less, it is okay, but you need someone to take these wickets, as you cannot always depend on fast bowlers. One guy has to play that defensive role; guys who can bowl those long spells and in one channel. It will also bring a different variation," Rahane had said on his YouTube channel.
India.com
4 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
'Don't know where it comes from..': Ravindra Jadeja snubbed umpire at Lord's, claims commentators post match
Ravindra Jadeja The third Test between India and England was full of dramas, tensions and aggression both on and off the field. The five days Test between the two teams was a very high-profile game, with both sides performing at their best. Despite this England secured a thrilling 22 runs victory over India at Lord's. The slow over rates have been a major story behind the Lord's Test and throughout the series. In the third Test, there were multiple interruptions again and again as the umpires would call for delays based on the state of the ball or individual players. Michael Atherton on Jadeja ignoring umpires at Lord's Former England batter Michael Atherton has highlighted concerns around the 'authority' of the umpire being challenged, highlighting an incident off-camera with India's Ravindra Jadeja as an alarming example. Atherton pointed at the current issuethe current issue of over-rates and if the on-field officials are now getting sidelined in important moments and losing the capability to manage players' behaviour. 'The focus is more on the umpires than the players, for the umpires to just get a grip. I don't know where the diminishing of umpires' authority comes from. Maybe it's the post-DRS thing,' Atherton, who is also a part of the broadcast team, told Sky Sports Cricket. 'Pre-DRS, the umpires were almost omnipotent. Since DRS, maybe that authority has just withered away. There was one point where Jaddu was having a drink, and the umpire was pointing towards the watch and was telling him to get on with it. And he just completely ignored him!' said Atherton 'So I think there's room for the game to be sped up a bit, without compromising the quality.' Atherton added It's unclear whether Atherton was talking about the first or second innings, but Jadeja contributed considerably for the bat during the Lord's Test where his unbeaten 61 contributed significantly to bring the end of the third Test to an exciting conclusion when he managed to get India moving in its fightback while he was batting with the tail in its chase of 193 runs. Do-or-Die Tests awaits for India in Manchester Coming to the match India was chasing down the target of 193 runs in a unstable situation at 71/5. Jadeja played a calm and composed knock and built a couple of partnerships with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah, which kept India's hopes alive. Eventually, he also took the responsibility to score runs alongside No. 11 Mohammed Siraj, but sadly Siraj walked out too soon and India had to suffer a heartbreaking defeat. Shubman Gill-led India now must win the fouth Test match in Manchester to keep their series win hopes alive with England leading the five Test series 2-1. Team India had its first training session in Manchester on Thursday.
