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He rescues visitors from 87 for 4 in their second innings before rain ensures a draw at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025Brooke Guest’s unbeaten half-century steered Derbyshire to safety against Middlesex and kept their promotion hopes alive ahead of next week’s vital Rothesay County Championship meeting with Glamorgan.Guest finished on 65 at Lord’s, having added 66 with Martin Andersson (31 not out) after third-placed Derbyshire had slumped to 87 for 4 in their second innings, an advantage of just 72 over their hosts.An afternoon downpour brought the contest to a premature close and left Derbyshire 27 points adrift of second-placed Glamorgan, who they host in the penultimate round of Division Two fixtures.Middlesex, a further three points behind Derbyshire, still retain a slim chance of promotion following the draw, which was also enough to confirm Leicestershire’s elevation to the top flight after 22 years.The home side’s hopes of forcing a victory were boosted after the opening four overs of the day, in which they captured two wickets to leave Derbyshire three down with a slender lead of 31.Luis Reece added just five to his overnight 17 before he was given out lbw to a Ryan Higgins delivery that zoomed some way back down the slope and Wayne Madsen soon followed in similar fashion to Toby Roland-Jones.Guest rode his luck at the start of his innings, with two inside edges off Higgins (2 for 49) that zipped just past the stumps and rolled to the rope, as well as surviving a persuasive lbw appeal by Olly Stone to a ball that kept low.The England pace bowler, in the first of a two-match loan from Nottinghamshire, was unlucky not to gain greater reward for an impressive pre-lunch spell, although he did remove Harry Came with a beauty that cannoned in to send middle stump flying.Having given away just six runs in his first eight overs, Stone conceded the same from one short-pitched delivery after the interval as Andersson pulled him into the Mound Stand to stretch Derbyshire’s lead to three figures.A brief rain stoppage with Guest on 47 could not derail the Derbyshire wicketkeeper, who punched Stone through the covers for four to complete a fifth half-century of the campaign soon after play resumed.Although Guest got away with a mistimed pull off Higgins that looped up and fell to safety, his work was already done and the dark clouds menacing the ground duly unloaded an hour into the afternoon session to confirm a stalemate.

Chelsea legend Pat Nevin has lauded Moises Caicedo's performances, going as far as to call the 24-year-old a "genius defensively". The pundit said the Ecuadorian could be a transfer target for Real Madrid going forward, however, given his performances and the lofty £115m sum the Blues paid for his services in 2023, a future deal for the player would be difficult to execute.

• Caicedo will interest Real Madrid

  Nevin was running the rule over Chelsea's season so far in an interview with Casino Hawks. He spoke glowingly about the Ecuadorian, suggesting he could play in any team, including Xabi Alonso's side. 

  However, the finances of any approach for Caicedo could prove prohibitive, says Nevin. While the midfielder has been a standout performer in 2025/26, the pundit still thinks even the biggest clubs might hesitate to part with the £200m Chelsea would likely demand. Caicedo joined the west London club from Brighton for a British record transfer fee of £115m in 2023, signing an eight-year contract with the Blues. 

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  Nevin: Caicedo is an "absolute genius defensively"

  Speaking about the midfielder, Nevin said: "Moises Caicedo is capable of playing in any team because he's more than a destructive player, he's an absolute genius defensively. Yes, he would interest Real Madrid, but I can't see the numbers working. I’m struggling to see the numbers working.

  "Because if he's bought for £100m, or £115m depending on what you hear about the add-ons, etc., how much is he going to have to spend to get him to give Chelsea a viable profit that they don't feel as if they've lost one of their best, if not their best, player? 

  You're talking 200 odd million. Unless you're a forward scoring 30, 40 goals a season, that market, I'm not sure about. Even though Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo were both bought for over 100 million and I have to say, it shocked a lot of us, that amount of money spent in that position. But to go further than that, I don't know."

• Caicedo's 2025/26 season so far

  Caicedo has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League in the 2025/26 season. He has completed 90.7% of his passes, according to Opta. Typically viewed as a destructive defensive presence, his output in the final third has improved this term, completing 81.7% of his passes in the attacking third this term. 

  He is still just as ferocious in the tackle, making 3.2 tacklers per 90 minutes and winning close to 60% of his ground duels. 

  The standout moment of his campaign came during the Blues 2-1 win over Liverpool last month. His thunderous strike had an xG of just 0.03. 

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  Caicedo a consistent performer in a baffling Chelsea side

  Enzo Maresca's side has blown hot and cold throughout the 2025/26 season, yet they still find themselves sitting in third place in the Premier League table. While his teammates have struggled for consistency, Caicedo has been a stalwart in the middle of the park. If the Blues are to mount any serious attack on the title race this term, he will need to continue his rich vein of form. That will likely attract a cadre of suitors for his services, but as Nevin points out, his already lofty price tag following his record switch from Brighton could well see him stay in west London for the bulk of his prime. 

  Caicedo and Chelsea's Premier League season continues with an away trip to Burnley following the international, before the Blues travel to Barcelona in the Champions League on November 25. 

Bangladesh are a good opposition for the ever-improving wristspinner to play against, especially in Kanpur

Alagappan Muthu26-Sep-20241:22

Should Kuldeep Yadav be playing more Tests?

A Player-of-the-Match award usually comes with a trophy, some money and maybe a bit of a headache about what to do with the giant novelty cheque. They never fit in the luggage to carry back home.Kuldeep Yadav has been given this honour twice in his Test career so far. And each time, he couldn’t find a place in the India XI for the next game. Since when did they start smuggling pink slips into these things?In Chattogram 2022, which was his first Test in 22 months, Kuldeep ran through Bangladesh’s middle order in the first innings to set up a comfortable victory for India. He finished with 8 for 113 in that game but in the next one, in Mirpur, a week later, his place was taken by Jaydev Unadkat.”Ideally, like in IPL, if Test cricket also had the Impact Player rule, I would have definitely loved to bring in Kuldeep in the second innings,” stand-in captain KL Rahul said at the time.Related

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In Dharamsala 2024, he was the difference India were looking for against an England side who, when in doubt, often tried to whack it out. Kuldeep took a five-for in R Ashwin’s 100th Test match. It almost seemed like a sign. For years, he had been that kid who kept hearing he wasn’t tall enough to go on this ride – because Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja kept raising that bar sky high – but now, he was up there with them. Ashwin even insisted that he take the match ball.Then came Chennai, a pitch made for fast bowling and once again Kuldeep had to make way. It was a gross error in foresight on his part. He should’ve known all those years ago, when he switched from fast bowling to wristspin, that the 2024 home season would begin in conditions borrowed from Headingley or something.Now India are in Kanpur, his home ground. A black soil pitch awaits, which usually tends to be batting friendly and eventually starts to take a bit of turn. Kuldeep makes a lot of sense in these conditions, because as a wristspinner he is able to turn the ball both ways and keep the batter guessing. That is part of the reason why Ravi Shastri, when he was India coach, proclaimed that they had found a new No. 1 overseas spinner after Kuldeep took a five-for in Sydney. (Guess what happened when India announced their playing XI in the next match in North Sound?)Kuldeep Yadav last played a Test in Dharamsala in March this year•Getty ImagesThere are two ways to deal with a less-than-ideal pitch as a bowler. One, be as disciplined as possible. Deny the opposition easy runs. And if you manage to do that long enough, you might just be able to buy a mistake. The other is what Kuldeep specialises in, his wristspin is capable of rising above the need for any help from the pitch. It is perhaps this belief that made India try him out at Lord’s in 2018, but that backfired. He was slow through the air back then and in Test cricket, where there was no need for the batter to manufacture runs, England were able to camp on the back foot and punish him with ease.Kuldeep has worn these setbacks well, in that he has never given up the one thing that makes him special, giving the batter precious little indication about which way his balls will turn. At a point, when he was being clapped at for being too slow through the air, he clapped back saying nobody was telling him how to be quicker without compromising on his other skills. Even when he was left out, and called out, he was clear in his mind that he wouldn’t change anything unless he was sure it would add to the bowler he already was.That belief can also be seen in how he rarely shrinks when a batter tries to take the attack to him; he still tosses it up. Like when he bowled to Ben Duckett in Dharamsala and had him caught off the leading edge while sweeping. There was no change in length; no thought of flattening it. He just shifted his line wider and made it riskier for the batter to play the shot with which he seemed to want to build his innings.Bangladesh are a good opposition for Kuldeep to play against. They do not have any real history of wristspin bowlers, let alone facing them on a regular basis. Kanpur is a good place for Kuldeep to play in. He’s never had the opportunity to represent India here in the past. Only time will tell though if India are also thinking this way because they have to consider a lot more than just the romance of a hometown boy getting his day in the sun.

Oval Invincibles launch bid for ‘three-peat’ with convincing win over rivals at Lord’s

ECB Media05-Aug-2025Oval Invincibles brushed London Spirit aside with ease in the opening game of the men’s Hundred as they began their bid to win the title for the third year in a row.Sam Billings’ side, who lifted the trophy in 2023 and 2024, are backing themselves for a ‘three-peat’ and the manner of their victory in the competition opener bodes well, a comfortable six-wicket stroll past a London Spirit side who never seemed at the races.Spirit batted first and were soon in trouble – Keaton Jennings, Kane Williamson and David Warner all back in the pavilion with the score on only 26. It wasn’t to get any better for Justin Langer’s side, who could only limp to 80 all out, undone by the combined guile of Sam Curran (3 for 16) and Rashid Khan (3 for 11), Rashid impressing on debut for the Invincibles.”It was nice to get that start, with the win most importantly and then to perform for the team was amazing,” Rashid said. “It’s been a good start for me. I’ve been out of the game for the last two months but it’s nice to get back and get back with a win.Will Jacks steered the Invincibles chase•Getty Images

“The break [since the IPL] has really helped. Physically but also mentally, to get ready for the next competition. The IPL is three months, it’s a long competition, and I needed a break mentally as well and that’s really helped. I’m quite happy with today.”Needing just 81 under the lights, Oval used the chase as a chance for more batting practice – Billings and Donovan Ferreira unbeaten and unfussed at the end, with Ferreira ending proceedings with a mighty six – the only one of the match – into the Tavern Stand.Rashid defended the quality of the pitch, and said: “It was a good surface. Spin was there but the length you bowled was really important today. When I bowled it was just in my mind to hit the right areas consistently, to bowl a good line and length, and it went really well.”

Anfield erupted. It really did. That was the performance Arne Slot’s Liverpool have been searching for this season, with Alexis Mac Allister’s second-half header putting Real Madrid to the sword in the Champions League.

Real Madrid were overwhelmed, enervated, reduced to mincemeat in a similar fashion to last season’s win over the La Liga giants, and it could have been a wider, more sobering margin for Europe’s biggest hitters, but for a strong performance from Thiabaut Courtois between the posts.

The win over Aston Villa in the Premier League at the weekend stopped the rot, ended the four-game losing run, but this was a display of a different nature, the Reds going from strength to strength and reminding Europe of their prowess.

There have been many issues and imbalances within Slot’s squad this season, but this was an emphatic performance, outstanding from every department, both in possession and against the ball.

Epitomising this mini-revival on Merseyside, of course, was Conor Bradley.

Bradley proves too much for Real (again)

Not for the first time over the past year, Bradley came up trumps against Real Madrid’s devastating frontline, this time focusing his sights on Vinicius Junior, who was ineffective all evening against the Northern Irish star.

Content creator George Scaife remarked that he had “the game of his life” against Los Blancos, winning all three of his tackles, winning eight duels and recovering so many balls.

With Jeremie Frimpong sidelined with an injury, the 22-year-old has a real chance to kick on now and nail down a starting berth after a shaky start to the campaign which has presented him as unsure and somewhat unfit at times.

There have been times when Bradley’s place in the Liverpool side has been called into question, but he has the ability to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, who made an unsuccessful return to Anfield on Tuesday, in the long run.

However, there’s another star who has become their main man, having looked endangered in the starting line-up after the summer spending spree.

Liverpool star is becoming one of world's best

There’s no question that Liverpool have been woefully out of sorts this season, but Dominik Szoboszlai has been a pillar of strength throughout the opening months.

Effortlessly good as an all-action midfielder and tenacious and industrious in a makeshift right-back berth, Szoboszlai’s energy and enterprise on the ball have been second to none, and he has been hailed as “our most important player” by one prominent Reds fan, also admitting that he “would be one of the ones to drop out of the XI” after a summer of spending that saw Florian Wirtz signed for a record-breaking £116m fee.

But the Hungary skipper has been nothing short of sensational, and he was once again the star of the show, peppering the Real Madrid goal and assisting the winner with a delightful set-piece delivery.

The Liverpool Echo saw it fit to hand the 24-year-old a 9/10 match rating, ahead, even, of the goalscoring Mac Allister, producing a masterful creative display and working overtime to overwhelm the Spanish midfield.

While the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk continue to stand proud as the leaders in Slot’s squad, there’s little question that Szoboszlai is outplaying the lot this term, and as the Reds click into gear, raising their collective level, Szoboszlai could hit staggering individual heights.

Another Chiesa: Slot's treatment of Liverpool star is a "sackable offence"

Liverpool have a shrewd solution to one of their biggest problems this season.

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 30, 2025