Latest news with #XI
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
EXPLAINED: Why Jos Buttler Is not playing for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 Eliminator Vs Mumbai Indians
The Gujarat Titans will take the field in the 2025 Eliminator without one of their most reliable stars—Jos Buttler, who has returned to England for international duty. Buttler's absence, though expected, comes as a big blow. He was central to Gujarat's top-order dominance this season, forming a formidable trio with and Sai Sudharsan. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Across key matches, his ability to accelerate in the middle overs and finish games gave GT much-needed stability and aggression. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! With England's summer fixtures beginning in early June, Buttler has flown back to join national camp, a development that GT had been preparing for. In his place, Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter has been brought into the XI. Mendis, though yet to feature prominently this season, brings international experience and strokeplay that could serve Gujarat well on an unfamiliar surface in Mullanpur. Josh Hazlewood - we picked up momentum from Jitesh's knock in Lucknow GT's warm-up sessions reflected this change—Anuj Rawat kept to the bowlers, while Kumar Kushagra, also in gloves, stood behind Rawat, suggesting a shift in roles. Correspondents on ground noted that Kusal Mendis was not sighted during warm-ups, but he is confirmed in the squad as Buttler's replacement. Quiz: GT will hope Mendis can slot in seamlessly, though replacing a player of Buttler's calibre in a high-pressure knockout game is no easy task. Alongside the absence of , who has also left for South Africa duty, Gujarat's depth will be tested. All eyes will now be on how Shubman Gill's men adapt to these changes against a resurgent unit.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Man Utd stretch loyalty of 'numbed' Chinese fans to the limit
HONG KONG: Yan Gang speaks for many Manchester United fans when he says: "We've been numbed by performances over the past few seasons." Manchester United once claimed to have more than 100 million followers in China, Yan among them, but like supporters of the club everywhere their loyalty is being put severely to the test. As an illustration of United's fall from grace in China and beyond, tickets for today's friendly at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium against the city's representative team were still available on Thursday afternoon. Tickets also appeared on resale websites with their prices slashed 50 percent. United were beaten 1-0 in Malaysia by a Southeast Asian XI on Wednesday and booed off, a fresh low in a dismal season for Ruben Amorim's bedraggled men. "Every season ends with the same old story with no sign of recovery," said Yan, a supporter for 23 years and organiser of a United fans' association in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong in mainland China. Amorim's side left for Asia on Sunday, hours after concluding their worst season since 1974, to play friendlies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. The Old Trafford club made no attempt to hide the motivation for flying across the world straight after a draining and demoralising campaign that saw them come 15th in the Premier League and fail to lift a trophy. "Tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch," chief executive Omar Berrada said. This week's Asia visit will generate about $10 million (£7.8m) for United, the BBC reported. China has the world's second-biggest economy and second-biggest population, making it a vital market. United's finances are under scrutiny with co-owner Jim Ratcliffe implementing steep cuts since buying a minority stake just over a year ago. The club recently announced a further 200 redundancies were planned after 250 jobs were cut last year. Ratcliffe claimed in March that the Red Devils would have "run out of money at Christmas" otherwise. From Kuala Lumpur, where it was 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) at kickoff on Wednesday, it is a four-hour flight to a similarly sticky Hong Kong. July friendlies in the city between Tottenham and Arsenal, and Liverpool and AC Milan, sold out within hours of going on general sale. No such luck for United for their exhibition match with the Hong Kong team, and with a day until kickoff they face the ignominy of playing in front of empty seats. The 39-year-old fan Yan said that the United supporters club in Shenzhen has about 2,000 members. That number has hardly grown in the past few years, he said. Older fans make up the vast majority of members. "I can't think of any words we can use to attract new fans because the team has a bad record and no standout stars to recruit younger fans," said Yan. He Zhiyi, a United fan for more than a decade, is flying to Hong Kong from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. She had hoped to see the squad parade the Europa League trophy, but Amorim's side lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the final. With it went United's hopes of sneaking into the Champions League, which would have brought badly needed revenue, prestige and pulling power. "The team is all over the place -- players, coaches and management are not moving in one direction," said the 32-year-old He, a football content creator and author. "It feels like the team is killing the enthusiasm of the fans, as if the romance can't be sustained anymore." Zhang Chongqian, also from Chengdu, said United's "spirit and traditions" have been lost. "In recent years, our fans (in China) gradually stopped watching Manchester United or even football," the 38-year-old lifelong supporter said. Zhang will not join those fans abandoning his side, even after the poorest season in the club's recent history. "Manchester United have been experiencing a period of sinking," he said. "But there are still so many fans who will never give up on them."
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
He's going to be some player – Harry Brook hails ‘exceptional' Jacob Bethell
Harry Brook believes there is a lot more to come from Jacob Bethell after the young all-rounder helped England to a resounding one-day win over the West Indies at Edgbaston. Speculation over whether Bethell will return to the Test side against India this summer will only increase after a buccaneering 82 from 53 balls from the 21-year-old in this Metro Bank series opener. Bethell paced his innings to perfection, going along at a run-a-ball from his first 38 deliveries before upping the ante to lift England to 400 for eight before the Windies folded to 162 all out. We've got a real star on our hands in Jacob Bethell ⭐ See every boundary from his incredible innings: #ENGvWI | #EnglandCricket — England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 29, 2025 After beginning his tenure as England white-ball captain with a 238-run win which snapped a seven-match losing streak in this format, Brook said of Bethell: 'He batted beautifully there. 'When one of us gets going, most of the time it's hard to stop us and he showed that. He couldn't go on and get three figures but it was a match-winning innings and he's going to be some player. 'He's a confident lad, I don't think he needs too much more bigging up, he knows he's a good player and we all know he's an exceptional player. He's going to have a very long England career if he keeps on batting the way he does. He brings so much to a side (because) he can bowl and field as well.' Injury sidelined Barbados-born Bethell for England's shambolic Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year, while his Indian Premier League commitments meant he missed last week's Test win over Zimbabwe. That spared England's selectors a tricky decision over whether to stick with Bethell at number three after he excelled in New Zealand last December or restore vice-captain Ollie Pope back to first drop. Pope made a century at Trent Bridge to quieten his critics but Ben Stokes inadvertently fanned the flames on the issue by hinting Bethell would return to the XI for the marquee series against India. Stokes later clarified Bethell would only come back into the squad for the first of five Tests, starting on June 20 at Headingley, although the youngster revealed he is taking it all in his stride. Bethell told the BBC's Test Match Special: 'Not a lot has been said to me, to be honest. At the end of the day in Test cricket, those boys have their spots and whatever happens, happens. I'll just be happy with whatever.' Bethell put the finishing touches on England's innings following earlier half-centuries from Ben Duckett (60), Joe Root (57) and Brook (58), while every batter in their top seven passed 35. A decade on from posting a 400-plus total in ODIs for the first time in Birmingham to kick-start Eoin Morgan's revival of the limited-overs sides, England posted their highest total in three years and their best against a Test-playing nation since 2019. Brook said: 'It was a pretty exceptional start from the boys. Hopefully we can top that. The tempo we batted with throughout the innings was pretty much spot on. 'I got out with 20 overs to go and I felt like I was sat watching for about three hours. You can give yourself, 10, 15 or 20 balls to get in and then you can soon catch up.' Defeat to start the ODI series against England in Birmingham.🏏 #ENGvWI | #MenInMaroon — Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) May 29, 2025 Brook claimed a record-equalling five catches by an outfielder in an ODI as the Windies were skittled in 26.2 overs, with Saqib Mahmood taking three wickets and Jamie Overton doing likewise despite dislocating his finger in his first over. England can wrap up the three-match series in Cardiff but Windies head coach Darren Sammy has demanded an improvement from his side as he said: 'We were really outplayed – that was just not good enough.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
He's going to be some player – Harry Brook hails ‘exceptional' Jacob Bethell
Harry Brook believes there is a lot more to come from Jacob Bethell after the young all-rounder helped England to a resounding one-day win over the West Indies at Edgbaston. Speculation over whether Bethell will return to the Test side against India this summer will only increase after a buccaneering 82 from 53 balls from the 21-year-old in this Metro Bank series opener. Bethell paced his innings to perfection, going along at a run-a-ball from his first 38 deliveries before upping the ante to lift England to 400 for eight before the Windies folded to 162 all out. We've got a real star on our hands in Jacob Bethell ⭐ See every boundary from his incredible innings: | #EnglandCricket — England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 29, 2025 After beginning his tenure as England white-ball captain with a 238-run win which snapped a seven-match losing streak in this format, Brook said of Bethell: 'He batted beautifully there. 'When one of us gets going, most of the time it's hard to stop us and he showed that. He couldn't go on and get three figures but it was a match-winning innings and he's going to be some player. 'He's a confident lad, I don't think he needs too much more bigging up, he knows he's a good player and we all know he's an exceptional player. He's going to have a very long England career if he keeps on batting the way he does. He brings so much to a side (because) he can bowl and field as well.' Injury sidelined Barbados-born Bethell for England's shambolic Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year, while his Indian Premier League commitments meant he missed last week's Test win over Zimbabwe. That spared England's selectors a tricky decision over whether to stick with Bethell at number three after he excelled in New Zealand last December or restore vice-captain Ollie Pope back to first drop. Pope made a century at Trent Bridge to quieten his critics but Ben Stokes inadvertently fanned the flames on the issue by hinting Bethell would return to the XI for the marquee series against India. Stokes later clarified Bethell would only come back into the squad for the first of five Tests, starting on June 20 at Headingley, although the youngster revealed he is taking it all in his stride. Bethell told the BBC's Test Match Special: 'Not a lot has been said to me, to be honest. At the end of the day in Test cricket, those boys have their spots and whatever happens, happens. I'll just be happy with whatever.' Bethell put the finishing touches on England's innings following earlier half-centuries from Ben Duckett (60), Joe Root (57) and Brook (58), while every batter in their top seven passed 35. A decade on from posting a 400-plus total in ODIs for the first time in Birmingham to kick-start Eoin Morgan's revival of the limited-overs sides, England posted their highest total in three years and their best against a Test-playing nation since 2019. Brook said: 'It was a pretty exceptional start from the boys. Hopefully we can top that. The tempo we batted with throughout the innings was pretty much spot on. 'I got out with 20 overs to go and I felt like I was sat watching for about three hours. You can give yourself, 10, 15 or 20 balls to get in and then you can soon catch up.' Defeat to start the ODI series against England in Birmingham.🏏#ENGvWI | #MenInMaroon — Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) May 29, 2025 Brook claimed a record-equalling five catches by an outfielder in an ODI as the Windies were skittled in 26.2 overs, with Saqib Mahmood taking three wickets and Jamie Overton doing likewise despite dislocating his finger in his first over. England can wrap up the three-match series in Cardiff but Windies head coach Darren Sammy has demanded an improvement from his side as he said: 'We were really outplayed – that was just not good enough.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Amorim tells Man Utd players they cannot 'hide'
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim speaks to supporters at Old Trafford at the end of the season (Darren Staples) Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said Thursday that his players cannot "hide" after a dismal season hit a fresh low when they were booed off following a friendly defeat in Malaysia. United finished 15th in the Premier League and failed to win a trophy, then immediately jetted out Sunday for lucrative friendlies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Advertisement But if his squad were hoping for some respite in Asia, they did not get it, suffering a 1-0 defeat to a Southeast Asian XI in the Malaysian capital on Wednesday. United's players trudged off with boos ringing in their ears and footage later emerged of winger Amad Diallo making an obscene gesture to fans outside the team hotel. "I have respect for people but not for the one who insults my mom," the 22-year-old winger wrote on social media. "I shouldn't have reacted like that but I don't regret what I did." It was another unwanted distraction for Amorim and United, who face Hong Kong's representative team in another friendly on Friday. Advertisement Speaking to media in the southern Chinese city, Amorim was asked if an overseas tour to Asia was what the team needed at the end of a long and dispiriting campaign. "We've had the season that we had and it's not easy to face the fans around the world, so it's a moment that is hard for us and we want to finish the season," he said. "But at the same time we want to give something to the fans. We are travelling, we don't have time to adapt, we don't have so much time to have contact with the fans and give everything they deserve. "But it's clear that we cannot hide... if there is one thing that is really important in this club, it's that we need to face our fans in this moment and give something to our fans around the world." Advertisement - 'Hard moment' - Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag during the season but failed to spark an improvement, said his side of first-teamers and youngsters was "not really focused" in Wednesday's loss. "Everybody can feel it. But I understand the fans (booing), I understand the players and you also understand that we want to give something to the fans, but it's hard in this moment," he said. The 40-year-old Portuguese said he had learned that being Manchester United manager meant being "more than a coach". "You have to improve as a person, you have to improve as a leader. Sometimes after the games you see I am frustrated, I am trying to control that." Advertisement Heavy rain lashed the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium on the eve of the game and Amorim will be desperate not to have any fresh injuries to finish off the campaign. "If we are professional and we focus on the game it is the best way to protect our players from injuries," Amorim said. pst/dhw
