2 months ago
Karnataka batter Karun Nair has taken a subtle but pointed swipe at South Zone after being overlooked for the playing XI in the ongoing Duleep Trophy final against East Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Nair, who was part of the South Zone squad, was left out of the XI for both the semi-final and the final. After a post on X (formerly Twitter) described his omission as 'inexplicable', Nair reposted it with his own response.
'Inexplicable would be an understatement,' he wrote, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
The decision has gained further attention after South Zone endured a difficult first two days of the final, with East Zone piling up 708 runs before being bowled out.
Nair did not remain with the South Zone squad after learning that he would not feature in the final. Instead, he returned home to join the Karnataka State Cricket ******* ociation's pre-season red-ball camp.
The batter then made an immediate impact, scoring a century for KSCA Secretary XI against Chhattisgarh.
South Zone have not provided an explanation for Nair's omission from the playing XI for the final. His absence had already raised eyebrows before the previous match against North Zone, when captain Tilak Varma explained that Nair's exclusion was a tactical call.
At the time, Varma said Nair was 'just unlucky' after opting for Hyderabad's left-handed batter Kodimela Himateja in the middle order.
"Karun is just unlucky. He has scored a lot of runs in domestic seasons," Tilak had said while addressing the media at the CoE.
"I have chosen Himateja in place of Karun as they have good left-arm spinners. So we wanted a leftie in the middle order. He has also scored a decent amount of runs in domestic cricket. I was just backing him. As a youngster, he also has a good career. At the same time, it is very unfortunate for Karun."
However, Himateja's opportunity did not work out. He was dismissed for a two-ball duck and subsequently dropped for the final.
South Zone replaced him with another left-hander, Devdutt Padikkal, rather than bringing Nair back into the XI.
The omission of Nair has become an even bigger talking point after South Zone's bowling attack struggled to contain East Zone in the final.
East Zone resumed the second innings on 385/4 and continued to dominate from the outset. South Zone took the new ball after one over, hoping Mohammad Siraj and MD Nidheesh could make early inroads, but neither managed to break the partnership between Ishan Kishan and ******* ar Kushagra.
Kishan immediately attacked Siraj and Nidheesh, while Kushagra provided strong support from the other end. South Zone subsequently turned to Tripurana Vijay and Shreyas Gopal, but the change in bowling did little to halt the scoring.
Kushagra eventually completed his sixth first-class century, making 101 from 132 ******* with eight fours and five sixes before falling to Vijay shortly before lunch.
Kishan then took complete control of the innings.
The Ea
Nair, who was part of the South Zone squad, was left out of the XI for both the semi-final and the final. After a post on X (formerly Twitter) described his omission as 'inexplicable', Nair reposted it with his own response.
'Inexplicable would be an understatement,' he wrote, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
The decision has gained further attention after South Zone endured a difficult first two days of the final, with East Zone piling up 708 runs before being bowled out.
Nair did not remain with the South Zone squad after learning that he would not feature in the final. Instead, he returned home to join the Karnataka State Cricket ******* ociation's pre-season red-ball camp.
The batter then made an immediate impact, scoring a century for KSCA Secretary XI against Chhattisgarh.
South Zone have not provided an explanation for Nair's omission from the playing XI for the final. His absence had already raised eyebrows before the previous match against North Zone, when captain Tilak Varma explained that Nair's exclusion was a tactical call.
At the time, Varma said Nair was 'just unlucky' after opting for Hyderabad's left-handed batter Kodimela Himateja in the middle order.
"Karun is just unlucky. He has scored a lot of runs in domestic seasons," Tilak had said while addressing the media at the CoE.
"I have chosen Himateja in place of Karun as they have good left-arm spinners. So we wanted a leftie in the middle order. He has also scored a decent amount of runs in domestic cricket. I was just backing him. As a youngster, he also has a good career. At the same time, it is very unfortunate for Karun."
However, Himateja's opportunity did not work out. He was dismissed for a two-ball duck and subsequently dropped for the final.
South Zone replaced him with another left-hander, Devdutt Padikkal, rather than bringing Nair back into the XI.
The omission of Nair has become an even bigger talking point after South Zone's bowling attack struggled to contain East Zone in the final.
East Zone resumed the second innings on 385/4 and continued to dominate from the outset. South Zone took the new ball after one over, hoping Mohammad Siraj and MD Nidheesh could make early inroads, but neither managed to break the partnership between Ishan Kishan and ******* ar Kushagra.
Kishan immediately attacked Siraj and Nidheesh, while Kushagra provided strong support from the other end. South Zone subsequently turned to Tripurana Vijay and Shreyas Gopal, but the change in bowling did little to halt the scoring.
Kushagra eventually completed his sixth first-class century, making 101 from 132 ******* with eight fours and five sixes before falling to Vijay shortly before lunch.
Kishan then took complete control of the innings.
The Ea
2 months ago
In the longer format, patience and discipline are traditional routes to building an innings. The beauty lies in embracing that challenge when the situation demands it.
South Zone found themselves in a similar situation on Monday. At 80/5, they were staring at the prospect of conceding first-innings lead to North Zone, who had posted 195 in their Duleep Trophy semifinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here.
What followed over the next 271 minutes was an exhibition of restraint and disciplined batsmanship as Tilak Varma (106 batting, 225b, 7x4) and Shreyas Gopal (87, 169b, 11x4) took centre stage with a 175-run sixth-wicket partnership. Their stand eventually turned the tide, helping South secure a first-innings lead. They were 285/9 at stumps, 90 runs ahead on the second day.
South, who resumed on 40/2, were rocked by the brilliance of pacer Gurnoor Brar (4/70), who arrived in the city from the Sri Lanka tour on Friday. Making the most of windy conditions, Brar produced a peach in his fifth delivery of the day to disturb Narayan Jagadeesan's stumps. He struck again soon after, producing a similar delivery to castle R Smaran's off stump before dismissing Kodimela Himateja for a duck.
With their backs against the wall, Tilak and Shreyas joined hands and tested the North bowlers' patience.
The Karnataka all-rounder brought up his first four off the 42nd ball he faced. Tilak did not find the boundary again until his 154th delivery, with that four taking South into the lead. Having curbed his instincts and reached his fifty without a boundary, the Hyderabad batter gradually shifted gears.
Shreyas, meanwhile, completed his fifty in 107 ******* and looked in control as he appeared on course for his seventh first-class hundred. But pacer Arshdeep Singh ended his vigil when he edged one through to stand-in wicketkeeper Abdul Samad.
With South's tail beginning to crumble, Tilak was in danger of missing out on a deserved century. The Hyderabad batter, though, held his nerve, smashing two successive fours off Gurnoor to bring up his eighth first-class hundred in 219 ******* .
Interestingly, all seven of Tilak's fours came after he reached his fifty — a reflection of the restraint that underpinned his innings. With South nine down, he will be eager to carry that momentum into the third day and stretch their lead into three figures and beyond.
Brief scores: North Zone 195 vs South Zone 285/9 in 94 overs (o/n: 40/2) (Narayan Jagadeesan 36, Tilak Varma 106 batting, Shreyas Gopal 87; Arshdeep Singh 2-59, Anshul Kamboj 2-53, Gurnoor Brar 4-70).
#lead
South Zone found themselves in a similar situation on Monday. At 80/5, they were staring at the prospect of conceding first-innings lead to North Zone, who had posted 195 in their Duleep Trophy semifinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here.
What followed over the next 271 minutes was an exhibition of restraint and disciplined batsmanship as Tilak Varma (106 batting, 225b, 7x4) and Shreyas Gopal (87, 169b, 11x4) took centre stage with a 175-run sixth-wicket partnership. Their stand eventually turned the tide, helping South secure a first-innings lead. They were 285/9 at stumps, 90 runs ahead on the second day.
South, who resumed on 40/2, were rocked by the brilliance of pacer Gurnoor Brar (4/70), who arrived in the city from the Sri Lanka tour on Friday. Making the most of windy conditions, Brar produced a peach in his fifth delivery of the day to disturb Narayan Jagadeesan's stumps. He struck again soon after, producing a similar delivery to castle R Smaran's off stump before dismissing Kodimela Himateja for a duck.
With their backs against the wall, Tilak and Shreyas joined hands and tested the North bowlers' patience.
The Karnataka all-rounder brought up his first four off the 42nd ball he faced. Tilak did not find the boundary again until his 154th delivery, with that four taking South into the lead. Having curbed his instincts and reached his fifty without a boundary, the Hyderabad batter gradually shifted gears.
Shreyas, meanwhile, completed his fifty in 107 ******* and looked in control as he appeared on course for his seventh first-class hundred. But pacer Arshdeep Singh ended his vigil when he edged one through to stand-in wicketkeeper Abdul Samad.
With South's tail beginning to crumble, Tilak was in danger of missing out on a deserved century. The Hyderabad batter, though, held his nerve, smashing two successive fours off Gurnoor to bring up his eighth first-class hundred in 219 ******* .
Interestingly, all seven of Tilak's fours came after he reached his fifty — a reflection of the restraint that underpinned his innings. With South nine down, he will be eager to carry that momentum into the third day and stretch their lead into three figures and beyond.
Brief scores: North Zone 195 vs South Zone 285/9 in 94 overs (o/n: 40/2) (Narayan Jagadeesan 36, Tilak Varma 106 batting, Shreyas Gopal 87; Arshdeep Singh 2-59, Anshul Kamboj 2-53, Gurnoor Brar 4-70).
#lead
2 months ago
Norwich City winger Matej Jurasek has joined Sparta Prague on a season-long loan.
The 22-year-old returns to the top flight in the Czech Republic just 19 months after he moved to Carrow Road from Slavia Prague.
Sparta Prague will have the option to make the Czech Republic international's move permanent at the end of the season.
Jurasek featured in Norwich's first competitive game of the season, having come off the bench in their Carabao Cup first-round win against League One side MK Dons last week.
It was just his 22nd appearance for the Norfolk club.
#matej
The 22-year-old returns to the top flight in the Czech Republic just 19 months after he moved to Carrow Road from Slavia Prague.
Sparta Prague will have the option to make the Czech Republic international's move permanent at the end of the season.
Jurasek featured in Norwich's first competitive game of the season, having come off the bench in their Carabao Cup first-round win against League One side MK Dons last week.
It was just his 22nd appearance for the Norfolk club.
#matej
3 months ago
Olympique Lyonnais were certainly hoping for a better start to their season. Away at Sparta Prague for the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League, Les Gones suffered a worrying 2-1 defeat in the Czech Republic.
Playing in an experimental 3-4-2-1 formation, Paulo Fonseca's men appeared to lack their bearings for the vast majority of the match. That is why seeing them go into the dressing room with a one-goal lead at half-time, thanks to an own goal by Martin Suchomel (0–1, 45'), seemed nothing short of a miracle.
Despite coming out stronger in the second half, Lyon nevertheless conceded, somewhat predictably, the equaliser on the hour mark through Matěj Ryneš (1–1, 63′). It was a blow to the Rouge et Bleu, followed by a second, as captain Corentin Tolisso missed his penalty four minutes later, following good work from new signing Loïs Openda. And it took them only a few seconds to regret it, with John Mercado scoring Prague's second goal straight away (2-1, 69′).
Reorganised into a 4-3-3 formation following Paulo Fonseca's substitutions, Lyon pushed forward but were unable to turn the tide. With a week to go before the second leg in front of their home crowd at the Groupama Stadium, the Champions League has never seemed as far away as it did tonight for the Rhône side.
GFFN | Léo Aschi
#league
Playing in an experimental 3-4-2-1 formation, Paulo Fonseca's men appeared to lack their bearings for the vast majority of the match. That is why seeing them go into the dressing room with a one-goal lead at half-time, thanks to an own goal by Martin Suchomel (0–1, 45'), seemed nothing short of a miracle.
Despite coming out stronger in the second half, Lyon nevertheless conceded, somewhat predictably, the equaliser on the hour mark through Matěj Ryneš (1–1, 63′). It was a blow to the Rouge et Bleu, followed by a second, as captain Corentin Tolisso missed his penalty four minutes later, following good work from new signing Loïs Openda. And it took them only a few seconds to regret it, with John Mercado scoring Prague's second goal straight away (2-1, 69′).
Reorganised into a 4-3-3 formation following Paulo Fonseca's substitutions, Lyon pushed forward but were unable to turn the tide. With a week to go before the second leg in front of their home crowd at the Groupama Stadium, the Champions League has never seemed as far away as it did tonight for the Rhône side.
GFFN | Léo Aschi
#league
3 months ago
Investors dumping chip stocks hand over fist this summer may be forgetting something important: the strong fundamentals of the underlying companies.
Quick insight: JPMorgan is one of the first sell-side firms to come out bullish in the wake of the chip stock rout.
Others could soon follow, given the depth of the sell-off.
"We think that semis will find a floor soon on continued strong earnings delivery," JPMorgan strategist Mislav Matejka said in a note on Monday.
"Our view is that fundamentals will likely remain constructive, as meaningful supply additions are not due before 2028, so it would be too early at present to price in an inflection … if hyperscalers capex guidance remains strong, then we think that investors should step back into the ****** e over summer," Matejka said.
#investors #chip #fundamentals #think
Quick insight: JPMorgan is one of the first sell-side firms to come out bullish in the wake of the chip stock rout.
Others could soon follow, given the depth of the sell-off.
"We think that semis will find a floor soon on continued strong earnings delivery," JPMorgan strategist Mislav Matejka said in a note on Monday.
"Our view is that fundamentals will likely remain constructive, as meaningful supply additions are not due before 2028, so it would be too early at present to price in an inflection … if hyperscalers capex guidance remains strong, then we think that investors should step back into the ****** e over summer," Matejka said.
#investors #chip #fundamentals #think
3 months ago
Investors dumping chip stocks hand over fist this summer may be forgetting something important: the strong fundamentals of the underlying companies.
Quick insight: JPMorgan is one of the first sell-side firms to come out bullish in the wake of the chip stock rout.
Others could soon follow, given the depth of the sell-off.
"We think that semis will find a floor soon on continued strong earnings delivery," JPMorgan strategist Mislav Matejka said in a note on Monday.
"Our view is that fundamentals will likely remain constructive, as meaningful supply additions are not due before 2028, so it would be too early at present to price in an inflection … if hyperscalers capex guidance remains strong, then we think that investors should step back into the **** e over summer," Matejka said.
Quick insight: JPMorgan is one of the first sell-side firms to come out bullish in the wake of the chip stock rout.
Others could soon follow, given the depth of the sell-off.
"We think that semis will find a floor soon on continued strong earnings delivery," JPMorgan strategist Mislav Matejka said in a note on Monday.
"Our view is that fundamentals will likely remain constructive, as meaningful supply additions are not due before 2028, so it would be too early at present to price in an inflection … if hyperscalers capex guidance remains strong, then we think that investors should step back into the **** e over summer," Matejka said.
4 months ago
Dricus DuPlessis has accused former Ultimate Fighting Championship ****** leholder KamaruUsman of delaying their bout.
While Usman and du Plessis are now confirmed to be squaring off atUFC Oklahoma City on July 18, the latter claims "The NigerianNightmare" wasn't keen on the matchup. Ahead of the two formerchampions' clash, du Plessis has revealed that the UFC had toconvince Usman to sign the contract.
The UFC Oklahoma City main event announcement was left until the11th hour, despite du Plessis claiming weeks earlier that he'd beenoffered a fight and was waiting for his opponent to sign thecontract. With the Fight Night headlining bout now confirmed,"Stillknocks" has opened up about how it came together.
"He didn't want to sign the contract. I know that for a fact," duPlessis said in an interview with Fight Forecast. "I spoke to theUFC and they said, 'We finally convinced him to sign.' If you needconvincing to sign, that's a problem, but I can't blame him. Iwould also not want to fight me right now. It would be the smartmove not to sign the fight, but let's go."
While Usman is a couple of years removed from his dominantwelterweight ****** le run, du Plessis isn't counting out theNigerian-American, especially considering how Usman's teammateJustinGaethje defeated the far younger IliaTopuria at UFC Freedom 250.
"We've been talking about the fight for a long time. He's mentionedthe fight way before we made the fight and I said, 'Well, cool.I'll take that fight.' Now people will say, 'Why don't you fight[Nassourdine] Imavov?' I don't mind that fight either," he added."I want to fight somebody that gets me to my ****** le again. KamaruUsman, yes, he's a bit older, but now you look at what [Justin]Gaethje just did, so that throws that argument out the windowimmediately."
While Usman and du Plessis are now confirmed to be squaring off atUFC Oklahoma City on July 18, the latter claims "The NigerianNightmare" wasn't keen on the matchup. Ahead of the two formerchampions' clash, du Plessis has revealed that the UFC had toconvince Usman to sign the contract.
The UFC Oklahoma City main event announcement was left until the11th hour, despite du Plessis claiming weeks earlier that he'd beenoffered a fight and was waiting for his opponent to sign thecontract. With the Fight Night headlining bout now confirmed,"Stillknocks" has opened up about how it came together.
"He didn't want to sign the contract. I know that for a fact," duPlessis said in an interview with Fight Forecast. "I spoke to theUFC and they said, 'We finally convinced him to sign.' If you needconvincing to sign, that's a problem, but I can't blame him. Iwould also not want to fight me right now. It would be the smartmove not to sign the fight, but let's go."
While Usman is a couple of years removed from his dominantwelterweight ****** le run, du Plessis isn't counting out theNigerian-American, especially considering how Usman's teammateJustinGaethje defeated the far younger IliaTopuria at UFC Freedom 250.
"We've been talking about the fight for a long time. He's mentionedthe fight way before we made the fight and I said, 'Well, cool.I'll take that fight.' Now people will say, 'Why don't you fight[Nassourdine] Imavov?' I don't mind that fight either," he added."I want to fight somebody that gets me to my ****** le again. KamaruUsman, yes, he's a bit older, but now you look at what [Justin]Gaethje just did, so that throws that argument out the windowimmediately."
4 months ago
MUMBAI: Former India and Mumbai players-turned coaches Ramesh Powar and Wasim Jaffer will coach sides in the BCCI's Centre of Excellence's four-team Emerging Men's Tournament in CoE in Bengaluru, which will be held from July 6-24. It will be a red-ball tournament involving three matches per team of four-day duration each. The tourney is an exercise by the BCCI to identify promising young talents who could potentially go on to play Test cricket for India in the future.
The selected Under-25 players, who have represented India in age group cricket and are rising faces in domestic cricket have been named as captains for the four sides.
Jaffer, who was recently named as the mentor of the Hyderabad Cricket **** ociation, will be the head coach of Team A, with Uday Saharan as the captain. Former Bengal off-spinner Sourashish Lahiri will be the **** istant coach of Team A. Powar, a former India women's team head coach, will be the head coach of Team B, with Karnataka batter Ravichandran Smaran as the captain. The 23-year-old Smaran has already amassed 1534 runs in just 17 first-class matches at an incredible average of 73.04, with six centuries and four fifties. With 950 runs in nine [email protected], including four centuries and three half-centuries, Smaran was the top run-getter for Karnataka, who reached the final in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season.
Anshu Jain will serve as the **** istant coach of the team.
Team C will be led by 23-year-old Delhi batter Yash Dhull. The youngster captained the India Under19 team to the **** le in the 2022 U-19 World Cup. Former Rajasthan batter Vineet Saxena will be the head coach of Team C, while ex-Gujarat and Rajasthan Royals pacer Siddharth Trivedi will be the **** istant coach of the side. Team D will be led by Himateja K, with former India pacer Debasish Mohanty serving as head coach and ex-Mumbai batter Vinit Indulkar as the **** istant coach.
The selected Under-25 players, who have represented India in age group cricket and are rising faces in domestic cricket have been named as captains for the four sides.
Jaffer, who was recently named as the mentor of the Hyderabad Cricket **** ociation, will be the head coach of Team A, with Uday Saharan as the captain. Former Bengal off-spinner Sourashish Lahiri will be the **** istant coach of Team A. Powar, a former India women's team head coach, will be the head coach of Team B, with Karnataka batter Ravichandran Smaran as the captain. The 23-year-old Smaran has already amassed 1534 runs in just 17 first-class matches at an incredible average of 73.04, with six centuries and four fifties. With 950 runs in nine [email protected], including four centuries and three half-centuries, Smaran was the top run-getter for Karnataka, who reached the final in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season.
Anshu Jain will serve as the **** istant coach of the team.
Team C will be led by 23-year-old Delhi batter Yash Dhull. The youngster captained the India Under19 team to the **** le in the 2022 U-19 World Cup. Former Rajasthan batter Vineet Saxena will be the head coach of Team C, while ex-Gujarat and Rajasthan Royals pacer Siddharth Trivedi will be the **** istant coach of the side. Team D will be led by Himateja K, with former India pacer Debasish Mohanty serving as head coach and ex-Mumbai batter Vinit Indulkar as the **** istant coach.
4 months ago
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Fans at Mexico’s final World Cup group stage match on Wednesday chanted a slur that has previously led to fines and other sanctions against the country’s soccer federation.
The slur, which literally means male prostitute in Spanish, could be heard at the Azteca stadium toward the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar took a goal kick.
The chant has cost Mexico hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines levied by FIFA. It rose to popularity roughly 25 years ago and is used to intimidate goalkeepers when they take goal kicks.
It went viral in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was heard again in Russia during the 2018 World Cup and four years later in Qatar. It has persisted despite attempts by the Mexican soccer federation to stop it.
Mexico had already advanced to the knockout phase as Group A winners ahead of the match against the Czech Republic.
The slur, which literally means male prostitute in Spanish, could be heard at the Azteca stadium toward the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar took a goal kick.
The chant has cost Mexico hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines levied by FIFA. It rose to popularity roughly 25 years ago and is used to intimidate goalkeepers when they take goal kicks.
It went viral in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was heard again in Russia during the 2018 World Cup and four years later in Qatar. It has persisted despite attempts by the Mexican soccer federation to stop it.
Mexico had already advanced to the knockout phase as Group A winners ahead of the match against the Czech Republic.
4 months ago
Juventus could reportedly profit from Massimiliano Allegri’s arrival at Napoli as they aim to bring Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to the Allianz Stadium this summer. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Milan boss is not keen to keep the Serbian goalkeeper at the Diego Maradona Stadium.
Milinkovic-Savic joined Napoli from Torino on a season-long loan last summer. Though he started the season as Alex Meret’s backup, the 29-year-old quickly leapfrogged his Italian counterpart in the pecking order, establishing himself as Antonio Conte’s first choice between the sticks.
However, with Conte gone, Milinkovic-Savic’s career in Naples could be over. Nevertheless, the Partenopei must pay around €21 million to trigger the Serb’s buyout clause, having made it mandatory 12 months ago. Meanwhile, Allegri is reportedly ready to put the towering shot-stopper up for sale.
PSV Eindhoven star Matej Kovar remains the leading candidate to replace Milinkovic-Savic, yet Napoli must offload the former Torino man first. And Juventus could offer him an escape route.
It’s no secret that Juventus are eager to replace the underperforming Michele Di Gregorio. Head coach Luciano Spalletti has deemed the ex-Monza keeper surplus to requirements and will be looking to cash in on him in the coming months.
Milinkovic-Savic joined Napoli from Torino on a season-long loan last summer. Though he started the season as Alex Meret’s backup, the 29-year-old quickly leapfrogged his Italian counterpart in the pecking order, establishing himself as Antonio Conte’s first choice between the sticks.
However, with Conte gone, Milinkovic-Savic’s career in Naples could be over. Nevertheless, the Partenopei must pay around €21 million to trigger the Serb’s buyout clause, having made it mandatory 12 months ago. Meanwhile, Allegri is reportedly ready to put the towering shot-stopper up for sale.
PSV Eindhoven star Matej Kovar remains the leading candidate to replace Milinkovic-Savic, yet Napoli must offload the former Torino man first. And Juventus could offer him an escape route.
It’s no secret that Juventus are eager to replace the underperforming Michele Di Gregorio. Head coach Luciano Spalletti has deemed the ex-Monza keeper surplus to requirements and will be looking to cash in on him in the coming months.
