Smart Stats: Lungi Ngidi – the most impactful bowler of the match

How should we compare Ngidi’s 3 for 41 to Tabraiz Shamsi’s 0 for 17?

ESPNcricinfo stats team23-Feb-2020In a dramatic defence of what could be considered at best a middling target, South Africa came back strongly through their fast bowlers to pull off an incredible win in the second T20I of the series against Australia, in Port Elizabeth.The home team had set a target of 159, and in response, Australia were well on track to chase it down comfortably. At the end of the 17th over, the visitors required 25 runs to win. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster pegged their win chances at 89.67%.ALSO READ: Australia rue ‘missed opportunity’ as South Africa prove killer instincts at deathA required rate of just over eight runs an over in the last three with seven wickets in hand should’ve been a cruise. But Lungi Ngidi led South Africa’s late fightback in the match to ensure the home team won by 12 runs. Ngidi came back strongly at death – as has been his wont in recent times – conceding just five runs from the 18th over and also took the wicket of the dangerous Mitchell Marsh. His first two overs had gone for 25 runs. Australia’s win probability after the 18th over had dipped to 66.83% – a whopping drop of 23% over just six balls.Conventional scorecards don’t usually do justice to performances in T20 cricket: an economy of 10.25 in a 160-run game doesn’t say how well or badly the bowler bowled in crunch situations. How important were the wickets he took? That’s where ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats step in to provide context to the game’s fans.According to Smart Stats Ngidi’s was the most impactful bowling performance of the match. The algorithm reckons that the three wickets that Ngidi took – of Aaron Finch, Alex Carey and Marsh – were actually worth more: 4.1 Smart wickets. Finch is a quality T20 batsman whose wicket value, given the relatively small total that South Africa were defending, was worth 1.7 Smart Wickets. Marsh’s wicket was valued high more because it cut down Australia’s win chances by over 20%.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*='”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}})}();

Ngidi’s bowling performance meant that he was the second-most impactful player of the match with 88 impact points. South Africa’s captain, Quinton de Kock, earned 126 impact points with his 47-ball 70 making him the most valued player of the match.Smart Wicket Value is given for each wicket considering the following factors:
– The quality of batsman dismissed, so dismissing a top-order batsman fetches more points than dismissing a tailender
– The score at which a batsman was dismissed, so dismissing a batsman for a single-digit score is more rewarding than getting him out for 60
– The match situation at the time of the dismissal, so dismissing a batsman when the match is in the balance is worth more than getting him out when the result of the game is all but decided.Batting impact score is derived taking into account Smart Runs (factors taken are the innings run rate, required run rate at every ball when he scored his runs, the quality of opposition bowlers, wickets in hand, quality of batsmen to follow, and match situation) and the replacement benefit or cost to the team, as the case may be, if the batsman’s performance is replaced with the match average.Bowling impact score is derived taking into account Smart Economy and Smart Wickets (factors taken are the phase in which he bowled, the current/required rate, the quality of batsmen dismissed, and the match context when he took his wickets) and the replacement benefit or cost to the team, as the case may be, if the bowler’s performance is replaced with the match average. Impact Score is a sum of the batting and bowling impact scores in each match..

فيديو | أزارو يقود المغرب لعبور سوريا والتاهل لنصف نهائي كأس العرب

خطف منتخب المغرب، فوزًا صعبًا من سوريا، بهدف نظيف، في اللقاء الذي جمعهما اليوم الخميس، ضمن منافسات كأس العرب.

وأقيمت مباراة المغرب ضد سوريا، في ربع نهائي كأس العرب 2025، على ملعب “خليفة الدولي” في العاصمة القطرية الدوحة.

وسجل وليد أزارو، هدف المغرب الوحيد في الدقيقة 79 من عمر المباراة ليقود أسود أطلس إلى نصف النهائي.

طالع.. بالمواعيد | مواجهات دور الـ 8 من كأس العرب 2025

وكان المغرب قد تأهل إلى ربع النهائي عدما تصدر مجموعته برصيد 7 نقاط، حيث استهل “أسود الأطلس” مشوارهم بالفوز على جزر القمر بنتيجة 3-1، قبل التعادل السلبي مع منتخب عمان في الجولة الثانية، وانتصار على السعودية بهدف دون رد.

على الجانب الآخر، منتخب سوريا حصد 5 نقاط وضعته في المركز الثاني بفارق الأهداف عن فلسطين المتصدر.

منتخب سوريا بدأ مشواره بفوز ثمين على تونس بهدف نظيف، ثم خطف نقطة مهمة من قطر بالتعادل 1-1، قبل أن يفرض التعادل السلبي على فلسطين في الجولة الثالثة. هدف فوز المغرب على سوريا في كأس العرب

Ben Stokes yearns to join 'lucky few' in Ashes history

Ben Stokes wants to join the “lucky few captains” to return home with the Ashes and has called on his England side to create their own history in Australia.Friday’s opener in Perth will be the start of a mission to regain the urn for the first time since 2015. The task at hand is put into context by the 13-0 scoreline across the previous three tours, even with the Australians shorn of two of their stellar bowling attack with skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the first match. They may also feature two debutants in fast bowler Brendan Doggett and opening batter Jake Weatherald.Sir Andrew Strauss was the last of five captains to succeed Down Under since the Second World War, overseeing the 3-1 success in 2010-11. Now 15 years on, Stokes is angling to not only join Strauss as the sixth but become only the second since Ray Illingworth to reclaim the Ashes from Australia. It would also be Stokes’ first win in a five-match series in four attempts, the first of which was a 2-2 draw in the 2023 home Ashes.Related

  • Ashes FAQ: Do England really have a chance?

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  • England's Ashes squad have pace in abundance, but do they have the miles?

“I’ve come here absolutely desperate to get home on that plane in January as one of the lucky few captains from England who have come here and been successful,” said Stokes. “Personally, I do understand how big a series this is but it’s not putting any more effort into this one than I have done any other series I’ve been captain.”Stokes, as he has done throughout his tenure as captain, is keen to shield his players from any unnecessary outside pressure. On Wednesday, for instance, he and head coach Brendon McCullum named a 12-man squad featuring Shoaib Bashir.It felt like the delaying of the inevitable all-pace attack England are keen to unleash at the Optus Stadium, with Mark Wood available for selection after suffering from a tight hamstring last week. England could of course draft from outside that dozen if, say, Wood suffers a setback between now and the start of the Test to maintain a five-quick set-up.A further example was Stokes’ response when asked if the squad needed to stay grounded rather than consider the sporting “immortality” that comes with winning an away Ashes series: “I can’t say we are going to be immortal because we all die, don’t we?”Ben Stokes and Joe Root train at Lilac Hill in Perth•Getty Images

Stokes, along with Wood, Joe Root, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, as the only previous Ashes tourists, have been clueing up the rest on what they should expect. But he ceded it would not be right if they did not let themselves feel the energy around the series, and indeed Perth, and confront the scale of what lies before them.”Everyone in the world, everyone in Australia, everyone in England knows how big this series is,” Stokes said. “If we were to come out and not accept that and go on that as just another series, then we’d only be lying to ourselves and lying to the fact of what this series is. In particular this team, for myself, Brendan and for Rob (Key) and facing what that feels like, looking it in the eyes, taking it on, not being afraid of the challenge that we have ahead of us.”We know it’s a huge task coming to Australia and everything that comes with that away from the field, on the field. It is a huge two-and-a-half months for us. Rather than playing it down and not really accepting this moment for what it is, I think maybe we would not really understand what the moment is. So yeah – putting it all out there, letting everyone know the expectations of what it’s going to be like in particular because we’ve got a squad here who have come in and are experiencing Australia for the first time.”Stokes himself will be making his return to action, having not played a competitive match since the fourth Test against India at Emirates Old Trafford. After taking a five-wicket haul and scoring a century in the first two innings, he suffered a grade three muscle tear in his right shoulder in the fourth innings of the match, ruling him out of the decider which India won to earn a 2-2 draw.The last four months have been used to not just recover from the injury – which did not require surgery – but reinforce his body and top-up his skills. Dedicating himself to rehab was easy enough, having already ruled himself out of The Hundred campaign with Northern Superchargers that followed the India series, and all-but retired from white-ball internationals.While rebuilding in the shadows – he did not post any updates on social media, as he had done when rehabbing from his two hamstring tears – he signed a two-year extension to his central contract, which takes him through to 2027’s home Ashes.”[It was] very easy,” said Stokes of the decision to commit to a further two years. “I want to eke everything out of this body I can and I will do that in an England shirt.”

'Look forward to enjoying responsibility' – Rahul steps into the hot seat

In the absence of the injured Gill, Rahul will captain India in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-20257:34

Rahul: ‘Senior players make dressing room feel more confident’

KL Rahul has led India in 12 ODIs, three Tests and one T20I and as before he slips into the hot seat again with the regular captain injured. He sees himself as one of India’s finishers, having hit the winning runs in the Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia and being out there when those winning runs were scored in the final against New Zealand as well.”Just a day before the announcement, I was told that the opportunity might come and I might have to lead,” Rahul said on the eve of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday. “I have captained the side before. It is something that is very exciting. I look forward to enjoying that responsibility. I have always enjoyed responsibility, making the right decisions for the team. That’s about it. I don’t think too much about it.”Related

Kohli, Harshit, Kuldeep star to give India 1-0 lead

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Morkel: Gill is recovering well, Iyer has started rehab

Rahul will have the support of a generation of players that have played together for a long time and he was keen to tap into them as India build up towards the 2027 ODI World Cup.”I obviously have Rohit [Sharma], Virat [Kohli], Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja], all the senior players around me who will help out,” Rahul said. “How we have all played our cricket is to think of it as we are all leaders and we try and do the best for the team. That continues whether I am captain or someone else is captain. It is always a collective effort to doing something in the direction of a bigger goal.”KL Rahul has captained India in 12 ODIs so far•PTI

The most recent memory of Rahul on a cricket field, however, was a mis-hit where he reached out to a Simon Harmer offbreak trying to play a drive but was beaten by the drift and dip to be bowled. India were trying to leave day four in Guwahati unscathed. They weren’t quite able to and sunk to a heavy defeat.”There is no regret of not trying a different shot,” Rahul said when asked if he might have been served better by going down the track, if only to defend. “There is a regret of executing what I did.”It is a Test format. At the stage that I was playing, it was the last few overs of the day. I don’t think that’s the right time for me to try and step down and hit the bowler for a boundary.”Looking back, yes, maybe I would have [come down and blocked it] but it was only the second ball of the over. If I had stepped down and gotten out, maybe that would have been a question mark in my own head as to whether that was right or wrong. At that point in time, I think defending was the right option to do which I didn’t do well enough.”The damage done by visiting spinners at home has turned the spotlight on the India batters ability against the turning ball.”I don’t know why we were better in playing spin before and not so good now,” Rahul said. “There are a lot of reasons. But we can just think about how we can do better as players. How individually we can do better and when in six-seven months we are in a similar situation against Sri Lanka [away] and the home series against Australia, so how we can do better and what are the technical changes we need to make. These are things we’ll individually seek answers. And like you said, we used to play spin very well before so we’ll reach out to those players and try to learn something from our seniors.”

Como é o retrospecto de Luis Zubeldía, novo técnico do São Paulo, contra clubes brasileiros?

MatériaMais Notícias

Luis Zulbedía é o novo técnico do São Paulo. O técnico argentino deve desembarcar no Brasil neste sábado (20) assumir o comando do Tricolor até o final de 2025. Ao todo, o treinador já enfrentou clubes brasileiros de 11 oportunidades e não tem um retrospecto favorável.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasLance! BizQual será o salário de Luis Zubeldía no São Paulo?Lance! Biz19/04/2024São PauloConheça Luis Zubeldía, o novo técnico do São PauloSão Paulo19/04/2024São PauloSão Paulo fecha contratação do técnico argentino Luis ZubeldíaSão Paulo19/04/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! São Paulo no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Tricolor

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Dentro dos 11 jogos de Zulbedía contra clubes brasileiros, o técnico venceu apenas duas vezes. O argentino também empatou quatro jogos e perdeu cinco.

Além disso, ao longo de toda a carreira como treinador, Luis Zulbedía enfrentou o São Paulo em quatro oportunidades. No total, venceu duas partidas e perdeu as outras duas.

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🗒️ CONFIRA O DESEMPENHO DE LUIS ZUBELDÍA CONTRA TIMES BRASILEIROS:
2023 – Fortaleza 1 (3) x (4) 1 LDU – Final da Sul-Americana;
2023 – São Paulo 1 (4) x (5) 0 LDU – segundo jogo das quartas de final da Sul-Americana;
2023 – LDU 2 x 1 São Paulo – primeiro jogo das quartas de final da Sul-Americana;
2023 – LDU 0 x 0 Botafogo – 5ª rodada da fase de grupos da Sul-Americana;
2023 – Botafogo 0 x 0 LDU – 3ª rodada da fase de grupos da Sul-Americana;
2021 – Lanús 1 x 2 Grêmio – 2ª rodada da fase de grupos da Sul-Americana;
2020 – São Paulo 4 x 3 Lanús – segundo jogo da 2ª fase da Sul-Americana;
2020 – Lanús 3 x 2 São Paulo – primeiro jogo da 2ª fase da Sul-Americana;
2018 – Cerro Porteño 0 x 2 Palmeiras – jogo de ida das oitavas de final da Libertadores
2018 – Grêmio 5 x 0 Cerro Porteño – 4ª rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores
2018 – Cerro Porteño 0 x 0 Grêmio – 3ª rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores

Tudo sobre

Luis ZubeldíaSão Paulo

Their own Anderson: Man Utd to make £53m bid to sign "world-class" CM

Manchester United’s run of five games unbeaten in the Premier League is evidence that Ruben Amorim is certainly starting to get the best out of the current crop of players Old Trafford.

The 40-year-old’s stint in England has been nothing but plain sailing, as seen by his inability to lead the club to a respectable finish in 2024/25 – subsequently ending the year in 15th place.

However, the hierarchy have shown faith in the former Sporting CP boss, as seen by his £200m spending spree during the recent summer transfer window.

The likes of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have all joined the Red Devils in the last few months, with the latter of the trio already scoring six combined goals in England’s top-flight.

Despite the mammoth investment within the attacking department, the manager is still craving a new central midfielder to help take his side to the next level in the years ahead.

Man United’s hunt for a new central midfielder in January

Over the last couple of weeks, Elliot Anderson has been the name on the lips of all United supporters, with rumours rapidly starting to circle over a move for his signature.

The Nottingham Forest star has risen to stardom over the last 12 months, with the 23-year-old featuring in every league game in 2025/26, even earning him a spot in the England squad under Thomas Tuchel.

It’s been reported in recent days that the Red Devils have already reached out to the Reds over a potential deal for the youngster, but have been quoted a fee in the region of £100m for his services.

However, Anderson isn’t the only midfielder currently in their sights, with the hierarchy also closely monitoring German star Angelo Stiller ahead of the upcoming window.

According to one Spanish outlet, Amorim’s men are preparing an offer in the region of €60m (£53m) for the Stuttgart star, with Real Madrid also interested in a move for his signature.

The report claims that his current employers don’t want to lose the 24-year-old in the near future, but they could be forced to if an acceptable offer is presented by the likes of United.

Why Stiller target would be their own Anderson

United fans have seen first-hand the talents that Anderson currently possesses, after the Forest star managed to run the show in the recent meeting between the sides at the City Ground.

He featured for the entirety of the contest and thrived in and out of possession, as Sean Dyche’s men secured a 2-2 draw against the Red Devils in the East Midlands.

The 23-year-old managed to create three chances for his teammates – offering a threatening option with the ball – whilst also making 14 recoveries and preventing Amorim’s men from extending their winning run.

Anderson’s ability to complete 100% of his dribbles and register 15 passes into the final third further showcases his phenomenal talents – with such a performance leaving the United fanbase demanding his signature.

However, English talents are always more expensive in the modern transfer market, as seen by the current £100m price tag that has been placed on his head at present.

Given the money spent in the summer, it’s unclear if the United hierarchy would splash such a sum, with a potential deal breaking their club-record transfer fee set by Paul Pogba in 2016.

As a result, a move for Stiller could prove to be a more realistic proposition, but that’s not to say he’s a lower quality talent than England international, Anderson.

The German has been labelled as a similar player to the 23-year-old by FBref in the Europa League this season, with the Stuttgart star even bettering him in numerous key areas to date.

Stiller, who’s been dubbed “world-class” by one analyst, has completed more key passes per 90, whilst also making more passes into the opposition box per 90.

Games played

10

11

Goals & assists

4

2

Progressive carries

2.2

1.3

Pass accuracy

86%

83%

Key passes

2.1

1.3

Passes into opposition box

2.3

1.2

Interceptions made

1.1

0.9

Clearances made

1.4

0.8

Take-ons completed

73%

50%

Such numbers are no mean feat, especially considering Anderson’s talents in possession, subsequently showcasing the phenomenal talent that the Stuttgart talent currently possesses.

He’s also registered more progressive carries per 90, whilst achieving a higher take-on success rate, with such figures highlighting his dominance over the Forest star with the ball at his feet.

Angelo Stiller for Stuttgart

Stiller has managed to provide key talents out of possession too, even bettering the Englishman in terms of interceptions and clearances made per 90 in 2025/26.

The aforementioned figures could certainly make the German the perfect number six in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, which could finally end the club’s hunt for a new midfielder.

Anderson may remain as many supporters’ number one choice for the role, but ultimately, his current asking price is way above the range United would spend in January.

As a result, Stiller could offer a cheaper yet more effective option to the Red Devils, potentially helping the side make a top four push come the end of May.

Man Utd have a "future £100m" star who's Carrington's very own Anderson

Manchester United already have a star who could allow them to forget about signing Elliot Anderson.

1 ByEthan Lamb Nov 12, 2025

White Sox Fan Found Saddest Place to Propose During Team’s Shot at MLB Loss Record

The Chicago White Sox are on the cusp of breaking a rather unfortunate MLB record: securing the most losses in a single season.

Tuesday night could've secured the record as the White Sox sit at 120 losses this year, but they ended up winning the game. Fans attending the game vs. the Los Angeles Angels booed the hometown team and even brought signs saying "Sell the team." Morale was low at Guaranteed Rate Field to say the least.

However, one fan apparently thought the vibe was good enough to propose to their girlfriend during the game.

As messages were being shown on the video board, one came across saying "Veronica, will you marry me?" A picture of the board has since gone viral, but it's unknown what Veronica's answer was.

Still, a lot of people are confused why the fan thought the night Chicago could reach 121 losses was the perfect night to propose. We may never know.

Yankees Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. Had Funny Reaction to First Career Walk-Off Ice Bath

New York Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr. stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the 11th inning on Wednesday night with runners on first and third against the Kansas City Royals.

With the infield playing in to try to prevent the game-winning run from being scored, Chisholm hit a slider to the left side of the infield. Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. couldn't make a play after his diving stop, and the game-winning run came home to score as the Yankees walked off a 4-3 win in the Bronx.

The walk-off hit by Chisholm was consequential given the state of the playoff race in the AL East. The Yankees win and Baltimore Orioles's loss to the Boston Red Sox moved the Yankees into a game-and-a-half lead in the East.

For Chisholm, the first walk-off hit of his professional baseball career at any level was really special.

"Hit it where it's pitched and find a hole. Not trying to do too much, just trying to get a runner in," Chisholm said with a smile on his face after the win. "This is my first career walk-off so it means a lot right now."

Moments later, Chisholm was doused in an ice bath and had an incredible reaction.

"It's too cold in New York for those!" he said with a laugh.

Chisholm has kept it light and has been himself every step of the way since being acquired from the Miami Marlins in a trade earlier this season. Now he's playing a key role in a playoff race for the Yankees.

Real Madrid goalkeeper suspended for red card for role in feisty brawl in Clasico win against Barcelona

Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin has been handed a one-match suspension after being sent off in the closing moments of Los Blancos' heated 2-1 win over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Ukrainian was the only player dismissed following a brawl sparked by Vinicius Junior’s celebration late in the Clasico.

Heated Clasico ends in chaos

It was chaos at the Bernabeu on Sunday night as the high-stakes El Clasico ended in a heated brawl involving players from both benches. What started as Vinicius's celebration right in front of the Barca dugout quickly spiralled into a full-blown scuffle that needed security to calm things down. Los Blancos' second-choice goalkeeper Lunin, who wasn’t even on the pitch, got caught up in the middle of it all. The Ukrainian sprinted from the bench to confront the Barca players and had to be held back by his teammates. Players including Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal and Thibaut Courtois were also seen exchanging words with Lamine Yamal, who didn’t hold back either. However, it was only Lunin who was sent off by referee Soto Grado.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLunin handed one-match ban after El Clasico brawl

Lunin’s red card has now resulted in a one-match suspension, confirmed by the Spanish Football Federation's (RFEF) Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday. The referee’s official report stated that Lunin was sent off "for leaving his bench towards the opposing bench in an aggressive attitude, having to be held back by his own teammates.”

Real Madrid appealed the decision as they felt the call was harsh, but the committee backed the referee’s version of events, calling it a minor breach of sporting conduct. 

The suspension will keep Lunin out for one game. However, Los Blancos have the option to appeal again if they want to take it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 

Meanwhile, none of the other players involved, including Vinicius, Carvajal, Bellingham and Yamal, faced further action. 

Real Madrid had last laugh after Yamal’s pre-match jab

Before the Clasico even kicked off, Barcelona’s teenage star had taken a swipe at Madrid, stating that they complain all the time. His comments reportedly sparked anger in Madrid's dressing room, who wanted to teach the young winger a lesson on the pitch. Needless to say, those words by Yamal came back to haunt him. The Barca wonderkid struggled to make an impact at the Bernabeu, managing just two shots and creating a couple of chances as Madrid’s backline kept him quiet. 

Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for Los Blancos in the 22nd minute before Fermin Lopez levelled for the visitors. But Bellingham’s strike just before half-time proved to be the winner. Mbappe's second-half penalty miss didn’t cost the hosts as they cruised to a win. Madrid players, including captain Carvajal, made sure to respond to Yamal after the game, which led to further escalation between the two teams.

As well as the bust-up, Madrid's victory was overshadowed by Vinicius' furious response to his substitution in the second-half. The Brazilian has since apologised to his team-mate's and the club's fans, though he neglected to mention coach Xabi Alonso in the statement he posted on social media on Wednesday.

Before that, he attempted to explain the fiery nature of the match, saying: "This is how the Clasico is; there are many things happening on and off the pitch. We try to maintain balance, but that's not always possible. We didn't want to offend anyone, neither the young players nor the fans."

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Getty Images SportMadrid pull clear at the top in La Liga

The win put the Los Blancos five points clear at the top of La Liga, with nine wins from their first 10 games. Meanwhile, the defending champions are chasing behind with seven wins. With the dust yet to settle from the Clasico, both Spanish giants now turn their attention back to league action. Madrid will host Villarreal later this week without Lunin, who was expected to be on the bench, as they look to maintain their strong form. Meanwhile, Barcelona take on Elche on Sunday, hoping to close the gap at the top.

PSL 2025 likely to resume later this week in Pakistan

Overseas player availability a key concern after league had to be suspended due to cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India

Danyal Rasool12-May-2025The PSL is likely to resume later this week with the PCB aiming to hold the remaining games in Pakistan. The league, which was postponed due to increasing cross-border tensions with India, has eight games left and the PCB, as well as several franchises, is eager to conclude the season as early as possible.The PSL held meetings with the franchises on Monday to discuss specific dates and venues. The most pressing issue is the availability of overseas players, with ESPNcricinfo understanding a significant number are unlikely to return. The asymmetry of player availability may also impact squads, with some franchises more confident about overseas players rejoining than others.To mitigate that, the PCB is also believed to be considering a replacement draft to make up the numbers. While the quality of players available for such a draft is a concern – the most in-demand players were already with the PSL or the IPL – it is likely to be a necessary step to fill the gaps. The logistics around production will also need to be sorted, with the contracts for broadcasting teams ending on 18 May, the date for the final before the league had to be suspended.Several stakeholders at the franchises ESPNcricinfo spoke to said that bringing foreign players back for the remainder of the season had been made difficult by the decisions compelled upon the PCB from the sheer volatility of the period leading to the league’s suspension. As tensions between India and Pakistan escalated, the PSL at one point went through three different options within 24 hours.The PCB initially considered moving the tournament to Karachi after the security situation around the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium became untenable, before announcing early on Friday morning that it would be held in the UAE. Later that day, though, with the IPL also suspended by this point, it was announced the PSL was being suspended indefinitely – a decision ultimately made on the advice of the Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.During this time, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with the overseas players. One franchise member told ESPNcricinfo the players were “in no frame of mind” to play at this point, with emotions running high. It was decided that evening to airlift the players to the UAE that night from an airbase.The conclusion of PSL 2025 will mark the end of the ten-year leases for the six franchises, with the contracts up for renewal and renegotiation. The current owners have right of first refusal, with several indicating a preference to purchase teams in perpetuity rather than operate on rolling long-term contracts.The PSL spilling into the last ten days of May is also expected to impact Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan. Bangladesh were due to arrive on May 21 and play five T20Is starting on May 25, with the first two in Faisalabad and the remaining three in Lahore. The BCB said it was in “active and ongoing discussions” about the tour.

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