Wayne Rooney has named a “brilliant” former England star as his toughest-ever opponent, given both his tackling ability and skill in possession of the ball.

Rooney reveals toughest-ever opponent

Very few defenders were able to get the better of Rooney on a regular basis, as evidenced by the fact the Manchester United legend is the third-highest scorer in Premier League history, with a whopping 208 goals to his name.

The Liverpool-born forward spent the majority of his career at Old Trafford, where he enjoyed a great deal of success, playing a part in the Red Devils winning five Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, one FA Cup and one Champions League.

During the Sir Alex Ferguson era, United were extremely dominant, but they did go three seasons without winning the title in the early noughties, given the emergence of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, who finished top back-to-back in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

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The likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech all cemented themselves as Blues legends in the process, but it is their former captain who was named as Rooney’s toughest-ever opponent when speaking on The Overlap. The 39-year-old said:

“I’ve always said John Terry was one of the toughest defenders to play against. On the ball he was very good – he was brilliant, and he could tackle. I also used to like playing against big centre-backs because I wanted a challenge and wanted that body contact – I could spin them all and come off them, then take them on. John Terry was the toughest though.”

Terry was part of the greatest-ever Premier League defence

It should come as no surprise that Rooney regards Terry as his most difficult opponent, given everything the former England star achieved at Chelsea, most notably playing a key role in the west Londoners setting the record for fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season.

During the 2004-05 campaign, Mourinho’s side shipped just 15 goals across the entire season, with the 78-time England international missing just two games, and he has since gone on to lavish the Portuguese manager with praise.

Not only was the ex-Chelsea captain a rock at the back, but he is also the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history, scoring 41 goals in 492 appearances.

With Levi Colwill set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to an ACL injury, Chelsea are in need of a new centre-back, but it will be extremely difficult to find one capable of coming close to replicating the impact Terry had at Stamford Bridge.

Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada and Washington Sundar join Rashid Khan to form a strong attack

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-20253:04

Cricinformed: Can Gill up his intent in IPL 2025?

Shubman Gill is determined to use the learnings from his maiden season as IPL captain, where Gujarat Titans finished eighth in 2024, to raise his team’s performance in IPL 2025.”Last year was definitely a learning curve for me,” Gill said ahead of GT’s opening game against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. “Captaincy is such a thing – the more you do it, the more you learn about yourself, and the more you learn about the game. There were some aspects that I definitely learned and experienced last year which I think would be very helpful for me this year.”At the start of the new season, Gill is focused on understanding his new team-mates better. “It’s like an overall growth that I would want to have within myself as a captain,” he said. “Maybe it could be talking with the players off the field or it could be anything. Having those one-on-one conversations with them where they open up to you, where they tell you what are the areas that they want to improve, or what are the areas that I want them to be able to improve to help my team.”Gill also underlined the need to bat better in the powerplay, a phase where GT were the slowest scoring team last season with a run rate of 7.72. Key to that improvement will be his partnership with his new opening partner Jos Buttler.”Honestly, yes, we didn’t [bat well] in the powerplay, we weren’t the best team in the tournament last year, but before that we had some good opening partnerships with me and Sai [Sudharsan]. Having said that, Wriddhi [Wriddhiman Saha] got injured in between.”[Mohammed] Shami got injured. It’s not easy to have so many different combinations when your players are getting injured constantly. Leading up to that obviously someone like Hardik [Pandya] went to MI, so I think in overall sense it was a bit tough for us to find the perfect combination as a team.”At the mega auction in November, GT assembled a solid bowling group. Among the key players they signed were Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada and Washington Sundar to complement Rashid Khan.”This year, we have a fantastic group. I feel we have covered all the bases, we have good depth in the batting, we have some very good bowlers, especially fast bowlers. IPL is a kind of a tournament where everybody really focuses on scoring 250-260-270, but it’s the bowlers that win you matches.”It’s the bowlers that would help you not concede those many runs. Doesn’t matter how many runs you score, if you are able to concede those then it doesn’t matter how many runs you are scoring. Especially for us, our philosophy is to have a really strong and stable bowling side.”We are hoping that we will be able to play the same bowling attack for the 14 games, but if anything happens we have good back-up as well. I think we have got Ishi [Ishant Sharma] . I don’t need to say much about him. He has been playing IPL since the inception of IPL and he has got great experience to him and I think we have got some really good young bowlers in our team as well.”

After Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)’s fourth successive defeat in IPL 2025, this one against Gujarat Titans (GT), former India player Ambati Rayudu says their bowling is a bigger concern than their batting.Rayudu feels if they are to turn their fortunes around, they need to pick up wickets in the middle overs. In five games, SRH have taken 12 wickets in that phase (overs 7 to 16), with their average (41.33) and economy (9.92) being the third-worst among the ten teams.”I think more than their bowling, it’s their batting that is struggling,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “In the middle overs, they don’t have anybody who can pick up those crucial wickets and put the opposition under pressure – like how GT have done with Sai Kishore, Rashid [Khan] and Prasidh Krishna. They really tightened the screws.Related

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“I don’t see SRH trying to take wickets. They are just about being defensive and trying to stop batsmen from scoring boundaries. You don’t win the IPL with mediocre middle-overs bowling. You need some really good middle-overs bowlers to pick up those wickets.”On the batting front, before the season started, many expected SRH to post the first 300-plus total of the tournament. They started with 286 for 6 against Rajasthan Royals in their first game, but since then, their ultra-aggressive approach has backfired. While they did score 190 for 9 against Lucknow Super Giants, their scores in the last three games have been 163, 120 and 152 for 8.Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have failed to give the team good starts. While Head has scores of 67 and 47, Abhishek has managed just 51 runs in five innings. In the last four games, SRH’s best opening partnership has been 15. Rayudu, though, does not think Abhishek’s form is a cause for serious concern yet.”I think he just needs a shift in his mindset,” he said. “Just hit those few boundaries along the ground, beside mid-off, [or] mid-on; run those singles; get your 10-15 runs; [and] get your blood flow going. Then the big shots will always come because you have trained for it. You are there to hit them, and they will come. Just spend a little time on the basics. I think SRH will have to come to basics now.”All their top three actually like [good] length a lot. So they are looking to clear the infield and hit those sixes off length, which they have been practising of late. Their backlifts have changed. Abhishek Sharma’s backlift has changed, Ishan Kishan does that. They are lifting the bat much higher so that their hands are higher and they can go for those big shots.”So now what teams are doing is they’re bowling really full to them. Still, these guys are trying to hit over the infield. I think they need to be slightly smart and just hit the gaps, because these are actually half volleys that people are bowling to them. I think a little shift in their mindset [is required], saying, ‘Okay, if it is full, generally as a batsman we are all taught to wait for a full ball.’ So that’s all they need to do: wait for a full ball, hit the gaps, and then let them come and bowl those lengths or short balls, and then you can get after the bowling. They just need to ebb a little bit and then flow.”

Two teams who have dished out many classics face off with several subplots to look out for – as long as rain stays away

Alagappan Muthu21-Mar-20252:50

The Varun + Narine spin test awaits Kohli

Big pictureFor the first time since they played the first game of the IPL Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will start the season. Something special was born that night, 17 years ago. A thirst trap.A thousand games have come and gone and the fans just can’t get enough. Grounds fill up quicker than an international match (Eden’s been sold out). The trophy’s been taken on tour. Players’ arrivals are being clipped out like movie trailers. Virat Kohli charms 29.1 million souls just by bouncing a ball on his bat. The only thing that has grown as rapidly as the IPL is the people’s appetite for its singular brand of superstars and mayhem.KKR and RCB have had some thrilling encounters. There was a one-run victory just last year. And they’ve propelled this league, and by extension T20 cricket, forward in various ways. Sunil Narine taught the value of opening batters not valuing their wicket. AB de Villiers pointed out that runs can be scored behind the wicket with the same consistency as those in front of it. Andre Russell has been conducting experiments to see if he can hit a ball into outer space for some time now.Related

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Will 300 be scored for the first time in IPL 2025?

All we have to do is just sit back and watch. (And hope the rain stays away.)Next three fixturesKKR go on a trip to Guwahati and Mumbai to face Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians before returning home to host Sunrisers Hyderabad.RCB have a five-day gap before their second game against Chennai Super Kings. Then they go up against Gujarat Titans. That’s a lot of high-quality spin for their batters to deal with to begin the season. But once they’re through, they’ll find themselves at the Wankhede and there’s always runs to be had there.New loyaltiesPhil Salt was KKR’s second-highest run-scorer in 2024 and he made those 435 runs at a strike rate of 182. His proclivity to hit the boundary first and ask questions later was an important point of difference for a side that scored its runs quicker than anybody else. Salt’s gifts are with RCB now.1:12

Cricinformed: Patidar, a menace for spinners

Team news & likely XIIsKKR might not mind losing one half of the opening combination that worked so well last time around considering they were able to bring in a former IPL winner in Quinton de Kock to take over. They will want him to improve on his record at Eden Gardens though (65 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 112). Spencer Johnson or Anrich Nortje will step in for Mitchell Starc, whom the franchise has let go.Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt) 4 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 5 Venkatesh Iyer, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Varun Chakaravarthy, 11 Spencer Johnson/Anrich Nortje, 12 Vaibhav AroraRCB have armed themselves with a long batting line-up, which should give them the tools they need to take all the risks they want even against a good bowling attack like KKR. However, their new spinner Suyash Sharma could be a doubt to face his former franchise as he is returning from a long rehab following a groin injury.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Swapnil Singh/Mohit Rathee/Rasikh SalamBig questionHave RCB made the right choice in elevating Rajat Patidar to the captaincy? They are yet to win an IPL title and the pressure of that now falls squarely on the shoulders of a man who is a fringe player for India and who only came into the franchise in 2021. The people who know him best, though, suggest he will be more than up for the challenge.In the spotlight: Rinku Singh and Virat KohliIndia have reached new levels of T20 batting since winning the world title. They almost made 300 once, an innings that ended with Rinku Singh sending the last ball for six. He was overlooked for the World Cup but has played 18 of 20 matches since. The IPL was the tournament that put Rinku on the map. What has he got cooking this season?Until IPL 2024, Virat Kohli tended to play out Varun Chakravarthy and Narine and look for his runs elsewhere. But last year, he decided to take them down. His strike rate against the two KKR mystery spinners went up from 98.56 to 166.66. Although it was only a small sample size (18 balls in one match), it signalled a change in Kohli’s outlook. He was willing to take more risks. Will that continue this time around too?1:59

Cricinformed: What makes Narine a six-hitting machine?

Key stats Varun and Narine’s eight overs will likely define the outcome of this game. Their strengths – Varun is a wicket-taker, he had a strike rate of 14.2 last season, and Narine is the banker, he gave away only 6.7 runs an over – line up against an RCB weakness. Five of their top seven, barring Patidar and Jitesh Sharma, have a strike rate below 140 against spin in T20 cricket since 2024. In Liam Livingstone (107) and Tim David’s (106) cases, it’s barely a run a ball. Since top-scoring for KKR in IPL 2024, Narine is averaging 9.05 as a batter across 20 innings with a highest score of 38. Will that prompt a change in the batting order? It’s unlikely, but they do have options. Ajinkya Rahane, their new captain, for example, enjoys batting in the powerplay. Patidar’s elevation to RCB captaincy is based on the value he brought to the team as a middle-overs (7-16) hitter. He scored over 300 runs in this phase last year, at a strike rate of 180.68. His strike rate against spin was even higher (197.24). Although RCB have lost Mohammed Siraj, they’ve brought in the IPL’s highest wicket-taker in the powerplay – Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 71. They also have Josh Hazlewood, who has done well in every phase of play in this tournament (14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.4 in the powerplay, eight at 7.7 in the middle and 13 at 10 in the death).Pitch & conditionsIPL 2024 set a new benchmark for run-scoring and Eden Gardens played a part in that. The conditions there were so conducive to batting that there were six totals of 200 or more, including a successful chase of 262. But putting a dampener on all that fun is a poor weather forecast for the game on Saturday. A steady drizzle on Friday evening brought about an early end to the team’s practice session. The practice began as scheduled at 5pm, but rain set in around 6pm, cutting short the prep.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos recebeu a punição pela confusão gerada na partida contra o Corinthians, pelo Brasileirão. O Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva (STJD) optou por punir o Peixe com 8 jogos com portões fechados e perda de mando de campo, ou seja, o clube terá que atuar sem torcida e longe da Vila Belmiro.

+ Até 70% OFF em produtos do Peixe para os torcedores fanáticos!

A medida foi tomada após a equipe ser julgada por infração no Artigo 213 do Código Brasileiro de Justiça Desportiva (CBJD). Além disso, o Alvinegro Praiano também terá que arcar com uma multa no valor de R$ 80 mil.

+ Torcedor do Santos, ajude a escolher o nome da área dedicada ao seu time no Lance!

A punição não valerá para o duelo diante do Goiás e o duelo acontecerá na Vila Belmiro, pois o confronto está próximo e será disputado no próximo domingo (9). Mesmo assim, o embate contra o Esmeraldino segue sem público devido a punição preventiva.

De acordo com o tribunal, o compromisso contra o Flamengo já contabilizou. O Peixe cumprirá a punição até o jogo contra o RB Bragantino e já poderá contar com seu torcedor na Vila Belmiro diante do Coritiba, no dia 21 de outubro.

Como não possuirá o mando de campo, o time da Vila Belmiro terá que jogar a 150 km de distância de sua casa. Portanto, o clube não conseguirá atuar na baixada santista, na capital e na grande São Paulo. Se quiser jogar dentro do estado, o time terá que procurar algum estádio do interior paulista.

O Santos ainda pode recorrer da decisão e, segundo o advogado do Peixe que estava presente no julgamento, o clube deve realizar o recurso.

O QUE ACONTECEU NO DIA

Com o resultado negativo encaminhado no clássico contra o Corinthians, gritos contra o elenco, o ex-técnico Odair Hellmann e o presidente Andres Rueda começaram a ecoar no estádio, junto de bombas e artefatos pirotécnicos que foram arremessados no gramado a partir dos 40 minutos do segundo tempo.

Enquanto acontecia a confusão dentro do estádio, e os atletas eram escoltados para irem ao vestiário, a polícia e torcedores santistas entravam em confronto nos arredores do local.

Ruben Amorim can put his feet up and enjoy the international break knowing his job is safe for now after Manchester United enjoyed a surprisingly comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland. Mason Mount struck early to get the Red Devils off on the right foot then Benjamin Sesko pounced after waves of pressure from the hosts, who deservedly won a third home game in a row.

United looked comfortable from the off and scored their earliest goal since Amorim's first game in charge at Ipswich 11 months ago when Mount trapped a cross from Bryan Mbeumo with his left foot then used his right to slot low into the net in the eighth minute. They continued to look at ease and were pushing for a second. Mbeumo and Amad were denied by good stops from Robin Roefs, who produced a tremendous save to tip a fizzing Fernandes strike onto the crossbar.

The second goal duly arrived just after the half-hour mark as United joined the new-found Premier League craze of scoring via throw-ins. Dalot lobbed the ball into the danger zone, Sunderland couldn't clear it properly and Sesko volleyed home from close range, scoring for the second game in a row.

United nearly shot themselves in the foot when Sesko stuck out a high foot defending a corner and appeared to strike Trai Hume in the head. Referee Stuart Attwell gave a penalty but overturned it on review, deeming that no contact had been made.

United took their foot off the gas a bit in the second half and Sunderland had a couple of half chances but debutant goalkeeper Senne Lammens impressed, guaranteeing Amorim a peaceful end to a game for once.

GOAL rates Man United's players from Old Trafford…

• Goalkeeper & Defence

  Senne Lammens (7/10):

  A solid debut. Got across goal to beat away Granit Xhaka's strike and saved with his legs to prevent Chemsdine Talbi scoring late. Looked comfortable on the ball and dealing with crosses and got a big reception from United fans, which says a lot about the low standard of goalkeeping witnessed recently.

  Leny Yoro (7/10):

  More than justified his return to the line-up. His pace helped snuff out the occasional visiting attack while his distribution helped United control the ball.

  Matthijs de Ligt (7/10):

  The type of assured display he needed after his difficult showing at Brentford. Cleared the danger with little fuss and dominated his opponents in the air.

  Luke Shaw (6/10): 

  Played it simple and safe, often going backwards when the crowd wanted him to go forward.

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• Midfield

  Amad Diallo (7/10):

  An encouraging return after missing Brentford on compassionate leave. Took a step up from his previous level this season, carving away at Sunderland's defence from the right flank. Tested Roefs with a stinging shot while his lay off to Casemiro deserved a better attempt. 

  Casemiro (6/10):

  The pace of the game suited him well as he was able to use his strength to his advantage. His distribution was way above what Manuel Ugarte usually offers. Booked for a cynical tackle on Brian Bobbey.

  Bruno Fernandes (6/10):

  Not his best performance. Didn't do as much damage as you might expect in a relatively straightforward win, aside from his strike off the bar, and was exposed a couple of times defensively.

  Diogo Dalot (6/10)

  Hit and miss. Looked good in the first half and his throw-in led to Sesko scoring. His passing was a bit off key and he was soon replaced by Dorgu.

• Attack

  Bryan Mbeumo (6/10):

  Worked hard as usual but his passing and finishing was lacking today. His cross to Mount got the ball rolling and he fired a good effort at goal but he wasted a fine Sesko pass and botched a through ball attempt which would have set Cunha on his way to score.

  Benjamin Sesko (7/10):

  A pleasing afternoon for a player who has taken his time to settle. Scored for the second game in a row and battled well off the ball, creating an excellent chance for Mbeumo.

  Mason Mount (8/10):

  Showed why Amorim loves him so much. Produced a fine finish to score his first goal of the season while his build-up play was outstanding.

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• Subs & Manager

  Patrick Dorgu (6/10):

  Didn't offer much of an attacking threat when he replaced Dalot save for one late burst of pace.

  Matheus Cunha (6/10):

  Didn't get the rub of the green and will be disappointed not to have contributed more. Had a snapshot which went straight at Roefs.

  Kobbie Mainoo (6/10):

  Got 13 minutes plus added time and must be getting frustrated with not starting a league game seven games into the season.

  Harry Maguire (N/A):

  Replaced Yoro in the 85th minute.

  Manuel Ugarte (N/A):

  Got 10 minutes when he came on for Casemiro.

  Ruben Amorim (7/10):

  Made the right selection calls, crucially finally giving Lammens his chance. It was mostly a pleasing performance from his point of view, even if the team dropped off a little in the second half.

The amount of talent Manchester United have produced from their academy over the years has been astronomical. Of course, you can go as far back as the days of the Busby Babes, the start of the Premier League era, where the Class of ‘92 burst onto the scene, or more recently, when Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford flew the flag for the academy.

Nowadays, Kobbie Mainoo is the only academy graduate to have truly established himself in the first team. That, in many ways, is a sad reflection of the current state of the club, which once prided itself on homegrown stars.

Yet, a few academy players are on the fringes of the first-team squad, with one of the most prominent ones being Chido Obi.

Chido Obi’s Man United career so far

When the Red Devils secured the signing of Obi last summer following his departure from Arsenal, it was a move that piqued the interest of many. The 17-year-old joined United with a huge reputation in academy football.

His record at youth level is phenomenal. For United’s under-18s, he has 12 goals in 10 games, and for the under-21s, five goals in eight. During his time at Arsenal, the Denmark youth international bagged 32 goals in just 21 matches for the Gunners’ under-18s side.

With that record in mind, it was probably not a surprise that Obi made his first-team debut for United last season. Although he’s yet to play this season, the 17-year-old has already notched up eight appearances. He also scored twice for the first-team on their post-season tour at the end of 2024/25.

One man who knows a thing or two about being a top-level striker is Alan Shearer. The Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer was impressed with the youngster after his FA Cup efforts against Fulham last season. Shearer said, “I like what I see from Obi”, and described him as a “handful” for defenders.

Obi is certainly an exciting talent and another graduate of United’s academy. However, he is not the only top attacker coming through the ranks at Carrington.

Man Utd may have their next Wayne Rooney

Although under Ruben Amorim, the number of academy graduates involved in the first team has greatly decreased, there is still a pathway available. Obi’s rise through the ranks has certainly proved that.

Well, perhaps next on that path could be 17-year-old forward Amir Ibragimov. The versatile attacker can operate in midfield as a number eight, a number 10, and play on both flanks. He’s certainly left a big impression after his performances for the academy.

Ibragimov has an impressive record of 11 goals and nine assists in 33 games in the under-18s Premier League. The 2024/25 season was his first full campaign in the competition, and he chalked up 14 goals and assists in 22 games.

2022/23

5

1

2023/24

2

1

2024/25

22

14

2025/26

4

4

One of the biggest compliments paid to Ibragimov came from Mail journalists Nathan Salt and Isaan Khan. They compared the United youngster to one of their all-time greats, Wayne Rooney, due to “his vision and his ability to pick a pass in attack”, which is high praise indeed.

Of course, replicating what Rooney did in that famous Red shirt will not be easy. Yet, the 17-year-old has “dangerous” attacking ability, according to Antonio Mango, and can make a real impact in the final third, as his numbers show.

There could be a long way to go before we might see Ibragimov show similarities to Rooney in the first-team. But the way he has performed for the Red Devils’ academy certainly bodes well for the future.

Perhaps he can soon follow in Obi’s path and break into the senior side. If he is half as successful as Rooney was for United, Ibragimov will have had an impressive career.

Man Utd let “little Iniesta or Xavi” go for £0, now he looks like Carrick

Man Utd may regret letting this star go back in 2023

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 25, 2025

Karachi Kings dumped Multan Sultans out of a tournament they never really got into, with former Sultan James Vince scoring a majestic unbeaten 65 to ask Sultans to chase 205. Sultans never looked to have the belief they would get anywhere close, and, eventually, didn’t. Kings were tidy, if not spectacular, letting Sultans’ tame, limp display on a blistering afternoon in Lahore do the job for them, and helping themselves to an 87-run win.This game was moved from Multan to Lahore despite Sultans’ objections. But it would have taken more than home advantage to overcome the gulf in the two sides’ performances on Thursday. David Willey conceded just 24 runs in his four overs, but when Michael Bracewell bowled the second over and conceded just as many in those six balls, it was more representative of what Sultans would dish up. That onslaught from David Warner on the New Zealand spinner set the tone for the innings, even if the Kings captain miscued Willey to point for an entertaining off just 30 13 balls.It was one of three wickets Sultans took within 11 balls, and would briefly have raised hopes that they would rein Kings in with wickets. Either side of Warner’s dismissal, Ubaid Shah removed Tim Seifert and Omair Yousuf. But it brought Vince and Irfan Khan together, as they took charge of the middle overs. As Sultans wilted in the heat, the pair cashed in, compiling 78 in 56 balls, and setting up a platform for a big finish.Sultans promised their fielding would stand out this tournament, and for reasons they wouldn’t want, it has. The shelling of a top edge from Vince by Usama Mir at square leg in the 17th over took the Englishman to 50, before both he and Khushdil Shah cut loose. The last 14 balls of the innings yielded 45 runs as Khushdil’s unbeaten 33 from 13 deliveries led the way as Vince offered ample support in his slipstream, smashing Ubaid for a six and a four in a penultimate over that went for 19 runs.Multan Sultans removed Mohammad Rizwan for a duck•PCB

When Khushdil cleared his front leg as well as long-on to heave Chris Jordan for six off the innings’ final delivery and dragged the total above 200, it was merely an exclamation mark on Kings’ dominance.Like a film that has revealed its hand halfway through but still needs to get through the remaining time, the second innings began. Sultans demonstrated there was little fight left, and their captain Mohammad Rizwan fell for a duck in the second over to Abbas Afridi. Usman Khan, once more, played an ordinary shot to scoop a wide delivery into Vince’s hands, while Yasir Khan’s breezy 26 was brought to an abrupt end by Aamer Jamal in the fifth over.Curtis Campher, though, went after Afridi in the final over of the powerplay to bring Sultans up to 53 in six overs, not far off from where Kings were at that stage. However, Sultans couldn’t bring themselves to put together a partnership of note, and the collapse that feels just around the corner was about to be realised. They lost five wickets for 14 runs to go from 76 for 4 to 90 for 9, wickets scattering like seeds in the wind, with Mohammad Nabi the primary grateful recipient.Two wickets in two balls from Nabi put Bracewell and Willey out of the equation before Khushdil mopped up Iftikhar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam. Nabi added a third before Chris Jordan and Ubaid Shah found 27 runs for the final wicket that got Sultans to three figures while avoiding a three-figure defeat, but when Mir Hamza applied the coup de grace by getting Ubaid, it was almost more a relief for Sultans than Kings.

Former England allrounder addresses accident and aftermath in documentary set for release this week

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Apr-20251:45

‘Flintoff’ on Disney+: An exclusive look at Freddie’s story

Andrew Flintoff, the former England allrounder, says he still “remembers everything” about the near-fatal crash he suffered while filming an episode of Top Gear, after addressing the incident and its aftermath in a new Disney+ documentary about his life and career.Flintoff, 47, was airlifted to hospital in December 2022, after the open-topped three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 that he was driving around Dunsfold Aerodrome overturned at 130mph. He was left with broken ribs and serious facial injuries, with the BBC paying him a reported £9 million in compensation after agreeing to “rest” for the foreseeable future.The documentary, directed by John Dower, is set for release on April 25, and in a Disney+ trailer that features previously unseen footage of the crash site, Flintoff is seen entering hospital for treatment on his facial wounds.”I remember everything about it,” Flintoff says. “It’s so vivid.”Flintoff retreated from public life for months in the aftermath of the accident, and in the trailer, he expresses his “frustration” with the media speculation about his crash.”This is what I’m left with … I’ve lived under the radar for seven months,” he says. “One of the real frustrations was the speculation, that’s why I’m doing this now, [talking about] what actually happened.”Everyone wants more, you’re just a commodity. I’m not saying I’m embracing them, but I’m not trying to hide my scars.”It’s almost like a reset, I’m trying to find out what I am now. I’ve always seemed to be able to flick a switch, I’ve got to find that switch again.’Flintoff’s return to the sport of cricket has been a key aspect of his rehabilitation. At the behest of his friend and former team-mate, Rob Key – now England men’s director of cricket – he made an incognito appearance at the 2023 Ashes, and went on to take up a series of roles within the game, including head coach of Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, and most recently head coach of England Lions.He has also appeared as the host of the rebooted ITV darts show, Bullseye, as well as filming a second series of his acclaimed series, Field of Dreams, in which he travelled to India with his team of new cricketers, and opened up about his struggles to recover from what happened.”‘I struggle with anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks, it’s so hard to cope,” he said during the series. “I genuinely should not be here with what happened.”It’s going to be a long road back and I’ve only just started. I’m going to need help. I really am. I’m not the best at asking for it.”The new documentary features also interviews with his wife, Rachael, former team-mates including his 2005 Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan, and close friends including Jack Whitehall and James Corden.Speaking to the podcaster Joe Rogan, Top Gear’s co-host, Chris Harris – who witnessed the aftermath of the crash – said that Flintoff was lucky to be alive.”He’s a physical specimen, Fred, he’s a big guy – six foot five, six foot six, strong. And if he wasn’t so strong, he wouldn’t have survived.”He’s a great advert for physical strength and conditioning, because if he hadn’t been that strong, he’d have just snapped his neck, he’d be dead.”In a statement released after the crash, a BBC spokesman referred to an independent health and safety review of the show, and said: “[The review] found that while BBC Studios had complied with the required BBC policies and industry best practice in making the show, there were important learnings which would need to be rigorously applied to future Top Gear UK productions.”‘Flintoff’ is available exclusively on Disney+

Borussia Dortmund have been handed a major boost ahead of their Bundesliga clash against Bayern Munich, with Serhou Guirassy back in full training after injury concerns. The Guinean striker, described by Niko Kovac as the team's “life insurance,” looks set to lead the line in Saturday’s highly-anticipated Klassiker clash after overcoming thigh problems.

Guirassy fit for Bayern clash after injury scare

Dortmund’s top scorer Guirassy has returned to full training ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash against Bayern. The 29-year-old striker had been a doubt after suffering thigh discomfort while on international duty with Guinea, but according to , he trained normally on Tuesday morning. His availability is a huge relief for head coach Niko Kovac, who relies heavily on the forward’s clinical edge in big matches.

Guirassy has already scored four goals in five Bundesliga matches this season, underlining his importance to Dortmund’s title ambitions. The club’s medical team and Guinean federation had opted for caution earlier in the month, allowing the striker to return to Dortmund early rather than risk aggravating the injury. Now fully fit, he is expected to spearhead the attack at the Allianz Arena.

AdvertisementAFPCoach banking on Guirassy’s goals for title push

Kovac has made no secret of how integral Guirassy is to his system, often referring to him as the team’s “life insurance” due to his reliability in front of goal. Despite struggling with form briefly in the league, the Guinean remains Dortmund’s focal point and is seen as a potential match-winner against Bayern.

In late-September, Guirassy had to halt his warm-up due to thigh pain before his team's loss to Mainz, but after starting in the 4-1 win against Athletic Club and the 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig, he has regained fitness.

Guirassy’s scoring form and release clause attract attention

While Dortmund fans are eager for Guirassy to continue his goalscoring form, top European clubs are also keeping tabs on his future. As revealed, his current contract includes a €50 million (£43m/$55m) release clause next summer, a potential bargain compared to strikers of similar calibre like Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe.

Guirassy has been linked with moves away before, but Dortmund successfully retained him this year despite offers nearing €75 million (£64m/$82m). Given his consistency and physical style, his market value continues to rise, making him one of the Bundesliga’s most intriguing forwards heading into 2026.

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Getty Two elite strikers set for Der Klassiker duel

Saturday’s Der Klassiker will feature two prolific forwards in the form of English hero Harry Kane and Guirassy. Kane has already scored 11 goals in six league appearances for Bayern, while Guirassy remains his closest challenger in the Bundesliga scoring race.

The Guinean striker, who finished joint-top scorer in last season’s Champions League with 13 goals, admitted earlier this year: “We both like scoring goals. Harry Kane is a world-class striker with a lot of experience. I watch a lot of football matches and am always learning.” Guirassy will hope to open his account in the Klassiker, having yet to score in the fixture.

Bayern currently lead the table with 18 points, while Dortmund sit second on 14. A victory at the Allianz Arena would cut the deficit to a single point and send a statement about Dortmund’s credentials under Kovac. With Guirassy fit again and Kane in red-hot form, Saturday’s clash promises to be an explosive encounter between Germany’s top two sides.