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The fast bowler emulated his childhood hero Abhimanyu Mithun with a five-wicket haul on first-class debut

Shashank Kishore31-Jan-2023M Venkatesh comes from a family of musicians. His grandmother and younger brother are classical singers. Growing up, Venkatesh was different. He loved playing cricket and roughing up batters gave him a thrill.On Friday, he roughed up Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals on a greenish M Chinnaswamy Stadium deck, becoming only the fifth Karnataka bowler since 2006 to pick up a five-for on first-class debut. One of the bowlers in that list, Abhimanyu Mithun, was Venkatesh’s hero in his age-group days. He simply calls him Mithun (older brother).Venkatesh woke up expecting to carry drinks, like he had done all season, and when he got a tap on the shoulder from his captain Mayank Agarwal, informing him of his debut, he froze. V Koushik had pulled up with a back spasm and Venkatesh was going to be in the thick of things quickly, with Karnataka electing to bowl.”I didn’t have time to call anyone [family] and inform them I was playing,” Venkatesh said after the day’s play, with Karnataka firmly in control after bowling out Uttarakhand for 116. “It feels nice to finally get an opportunity. I wasn’t expecting it at all, and I was totally surprised when I got the news.”Venkatesh, 22, grew up playing a lot of cricket in Mysore, but he didn’t necessarily watch a lot of it. His father played local cricket and wished his son would carry forward his interest in the sport. When young Venkatesh did, he was delighted. “My father would show me videos of Kapil Dev,” he said. “He was my father’s hero. I also watched a lot of videos of him.”For a number of seasons, Karnataka have been in a fast-bowling transition following the exits of Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun (in pic) and S Aravind•PTI Venkatesh is shy and soft-spoken, and almost needs to be shaken up to speak. It certainly felt that way at his post-game media interaction when he sat at a table fielding questions about his growing-up years and his journey to the Karnataka team.Even a local cameraperson looking for that perfect shot when Venkatesh fielded on the boundary had to cajole him to show some (energy). Venkatesh’s teammates, who were walking beside the rope then, joked about how he had been shivering in the dressing room before taking the field.Once the first wicket was out of the way, Venkatesh appeared a lot calmer. He ran in hard, bent his back, and bowled quickly and accurately for most of his first spell, an eight-over burst that brought him two wickets.It helped Venkatesh that much of the pressure he was able to exert was also kept up at the other end by Vidwath Kaverappa and Vijaykumar Vyshak. Venkatesh, the junior-most member of the pace-bowling group, largely kept to himself early in the day but by the end of Uttarakhand’s innings mustered up enough courage to speak with his senior colleagues.When he uprooted Abhay Negi’s middle stump with some late tail in, Venkatesh was unstoppable. By then, he was running on instinct and adrenaline. The fifth and final wicket came when Kunal Chandela, Uttarakhand’s best batter on the day, misjudged the line of an away-going delivery and nicked to Manish Pandey in the slips.M Venkatesh grew up watching videos of Kapil Dev, his father’s hero•ESPNcricinfo LtdAs he led the team off the field, Venkatesh wiped away a tear. He had to be coaxed into raising the ball up to acknowledge the dressing room. He was also clapped off the field by Ravindra Jadeja and Navdeep Saini, who are currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), which is housed in the Chinnaswamy Stadium.Venkatesh touched upon how he had needed to be patient and wait for his chance in a team brimming with talent. If you were a Karnataka seam bowler in the 2012-18 period, you would have needed a lot of patience, since R Vinay Kumar, Mithun and S Aravind, the pace trio that led the team to back-to-back domestic trebles, were at their peak. Even someone as talented and skilled as Prasidh Krishna had to carry drinks for three full seasons before getting a look-in.Several bowlers have had to contend with the frustration of missing out. Ask HS Sharath. A fourth seamer who came in and out of the side based on conditions, he was part of the famous double-treble attack before fading away. He hasn’t played.a first-class game in seven years. Then there’s Ronit More, in one day, out the next. The cycle has repeated itself on loop. More even left to play for Himachal, only to return. It’s fair to say things haven’t gone to plan.Since 2019, though, things have been different. The famous troika were no longer together, with Vinay first leaving for Puducherry and then retiring. Mithun and Aravind, who was Karnataka’s bowling coach last season, followed suit. It left Karnataka needing to search for a new seam attack, and several contenders have staked a claim. Venkatesh is the latest in a long list of fast bowlers trying to make a mark and become a regular.”It feels amazing to play in the same team as some of these legends,” Venkatesh said. “Aravind has been backing me a lot, always open to giving me inputs and suggestions on how I can improve. Playing for the same team that legends like Vinay and Mithun played for feels amazing. I love bowling fast and I hope to keep improving.”

With two peaches to remove Rahane and Pujara, he might have well finished off India’s chances.

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2021There were two key wickets Australia needed on the third day in Sydney. That Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane both fell to Pat Cummins should be no shock in itself – he is the No. 1-ranked bowler in the world – but they were part of a masterclass in fast bowling that reinforced why Cummins has that tag and appears unlikely to let it slip without a fight.Cummins’ four main spells read: 6-3-10-0; 5-2-9-1; 6-3-5-1; 4-2-5-1 – no let up from start to finish. There was not so much as a no-ball or a wide. There might an inquisition over the three boundaries he conceded in the 21.4 overs: for the record they were through point and cover by Shubman Gill, who became Cummins’ first wicket late on the second day, and a steer to third man by Pujara (the ball after taking a blow on the shoulder) against the second new ball.Related

• Cheteshwar Pujara: 'Couldn't have done anything better against the best ball of the series'

• Ravindra Jadeja suffers dislocated left thumb, Rishabh Pant has elbow injury

• Pat Cummins, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne put India on the back foot

However, it is considered a shock when Cummins does bowl a poor delivery. Today’s performance was the most economical spell of at least 20 overs by an Australia bowler since 2014.Back to the present day and ten overs into play on Saturday, Rahane, who had played the match-defining innings at the MCG with a magnificent 112, was cramped for room by a back-of-a-length delivery that nipped back and took a bottom edge into the stumps. But Cummins’ best was still to come, 34 overs later.Pat Cummins leaps up in joy after getting rid of Cheteshwar Pujara with a jaffa•Getty ImagesFive balls after Pujara had done the rare thing of scoring a boundary, Cummins produced the ball of the day – perhaps the match – which climbed from a length and took the thumb of the glove through to the keeper. It was Australia’s second wicket in five balls, following the removal of the dangerous but injured Rishabh Pant to end a 53-run stand that had taken India to 195 for 4. It was the moment where the Test took a likely decisive swing to the home side. The last six wickets fell for 49 runs.It was also the cumulation of a contest that had spanned Pujara’s 176 balls. This was no quick dissection, but in many ways that made it even more impressive. Australia, led by Cummins, held and squeezed until that little bit of magic came along. His career is already littered with such deliveries and there will be many more. His career average sits at 21.15, very close to the 21.08 he reached during the 2017-18 Ashes, and of bowlers to take more than 150 Test wickets only five have done it with a better average.Cummins has now removed Pujara four times in the series. Here’s how ESPNcricinfo’s ball-ball commentary has recorded them:2nd innings, Adelaide: 1st innings, Melbourne: 2nd innings, Melbourne: 1st innings, Sydney: Ajinkya Rahane chopped on against Pat Cummins•Getty ImagesThere have been subtle differences in each dismissal, but one thing that has not shifted is the unstinting accuracy around that off-stump channel. Pujara, because he is such a good player, has been able to repel and repel for significant periods (more than 400 balls now in the series) but unlike his herculean tour here two years ago, Australia have found a way to cut him off.”The one today I think I got a bit of assistance with the pitch, it seemed to jump up a bit,” Cummins said. “He is someone you know you are going to have to bowl a lot at. I think we got our head around that this series, for him to score runs we are going to make it as hard as possible.”Australia bided their time with Cummins, giving his body time to mature as the game champed at the bit for him to return, and that measured approach is reaping huge dividends.”Hopefully a couple of years on, we are all little bit better equipped as bowlers and see what happens,” he said ahead of the series when asked about the task of overcoming Pujara.The series has not been decided yet and won’t be until next week even if Australia win here, but if Tim Paine is holding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy aloft, Cummins will be a major reason why.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez is one of the hottest names as Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline approaches.

The question remains whether the Diamondbacks will decide to part with him or keep the slugger in hopes of competing for a National League wild card spot, as they currently sit 5.5 games out of the final slot. According to a new report from the 's Jon Heyman, that question remains unanswered, but Arizona is unsurprisingly receiving calls on Suárez.

Heyman named the New York Yankees as a team that has checked in with the Diamondbacks on the 34-year-old slugger. He also named the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners among many other teams that would make sense as a landing spot should the Diamondbacks decide to sell.

Although Heyman didn't explicitly name them in the recent report, another team who may be interested in Suárez's services is the team with the best record in baseball—the Detroit Tigers. Suárez began his career in Detroit and recently said it would mean a lot to him to finish where he started via Evan Petzold of the .

If the Diamondbacks do decide to become sellers, it's clear they won't have an issue moving Suárez, who's slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. They have just under two weeks to figure it out.

Through 96 games this year, he's slashing .251/.322/.567 with 31 home runs and 78 RBIs. He's currently tied with Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber for the fourth-most homers across the MLB this season and he's also tied for fourth in RBIs, but with Tigers star Riley Greene.

The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-3, in 10 innings on Monday night despite the best efforts of Shohei Ohtani. The Mets scored a run in the fifth inning when Brandon Nimmo hit a ground-rule double that scored Jeff McNeil.

McNeil had almost gotten doubled off second when Michael Conforto made a tough catch at the wall on a long fly ball from Francisco LIndor. Conforto quickly threw the ball back in an attempt to get McNeil at second, but second baseman Tommy Edman couldn't make the catch and it bounced away.

The ball then hit umpire Jansen Visconti in the head and ricocheted straight up into the air and miraculously landed back in Edman's glove. You couldn't recreate this bounce in a lifetime.

Luckily, Visconti was alright. In fact, he was so alright that he and Edman shared a laugh and then the cameras caught him pointing back out to the outfield with a big smile on his face to let Conforto know that he was alright. And in the process, he looked like the coolest umpire in baseball.

أوضح خورخي فالدانو، المدير الرياضي السابق لنادي ريال مدريد، ما يفتقد إليه المدرب تشابي ألونسو مع الفريق الملكي خلال هذا الموسم، وذلك على هامش الأزمة التي يعيشها اللوس بلانكوس على مستوى الأداء والنتائج خلال الفترة الأخيرة.

ريال مدريد يعيش أزمة كبيرة خلال الفترة الأخيرة، حيث لم يستطع الميرنجي تحقيق الانتصار في آخر ثلاث مباريات بواقع هزيمة واحدة وتعادلين في كافة المسابقات.

وورد أن ألونسو علاقته متوترة حقًا مع لاعبي ريال مدريد وخصوصًا فينيسيوس جونيور، ما يفتح باب الشك حول أمر استمراره مع النادي الإسباني.

ويرى فالدانو في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”، أن ألونسو يعاني الأمرين بسبب عدم وجود لاعب خط وسط في ريال مدريد ينفذ أفكاره.

وقال فالدانو: “أهلاً بكم في ريال مدريد، إذا أجريتم الكثير من التغييرات فأنتم ثوريون، وإذا لم تجروا تغييرات فأنتم رجعيون، هذا النادي يعاني من عدم الارتياح ولا يتعامل جيدًا مع الهزيمة أو التعادلات”.

اقرأ ايضًا .. روبياليس ردًا على هجوم بيريز ضد برشلونة: ريال مدريد تواصل معي بشأن تقنية الفار

وأضاف فالدانو في حديثه: “تشكيلة تشابي ألونسو ضد إلتشي مألوفة وهي التي استخدمها بانتظام في باير ليفركوزن، لكن التشكيلات التي لا تشمل لاعبين قادرين على تنفيذها لن تفيد الفريق على الإطلاق”.

وأوضح: “يبدو أن تشابي ألونسو لا يجد لاعبين في خط الوسط يمنحون الفريق رباطة جأشه وانسيابية اللعب، وأعتقد أن هذا يعيقهم دفاعيًا وهجوميًا”.

كما أبدى فالدانو إحباطه من عودة أردا جولر، نجم ريال مدريد، للعب في مراكز متأخرة من الملعب بسبب جود بيلينجهام حيث أردف: “أردا جولر، الذي نال التقدير هذا الموسم لتألقه المستمر مجبر الآن على اللعب على بعد أمتار قليلة من مبابي”.

واختتم: “هناك دائمًا سلسلة من التبعات التي تمنع الفريق من التأقلم بشكل كامل، هذا بالإضافة إلى كل ما يحيط بالنادي وتشابي ألونسو، ما يعطي انطباعًا ظاهريًا بأنه من غير المريح اللعب تحت هذا الضغط”.

Al-Nassr continued their perfect start to the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League season with a spectacular 4-1 win over sixth-placed Al-Khaleej. It was the Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo show yet again as the Portugal internationals bagged one goal each, taking their respective tallies for the season to 10 apiece. The Faris Najd have now bagged nine wins in nine games with 30 goals to their name.

• Al-Nassr win 4-1 against Al-Khaleej

  Al-Nassr hosted Al-Khaleej at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh on Sunday in Matchday 10 of the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo's side lead the table with a perfect record, while the visitors sat sixth ahead of the clash. Jorge Jesus' Al-Nassr arrive unbeaten, having won all eight of their league matches so far. They have scored a league-high 26 goals and conceded only four.

  Al-Nassr kicked off the game strong with Ronaldo coming close to opening the scoring in the fourth minute with a long-range attempt after Joao Felix's well-worked ball, however, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner could only drag it wide off the mark. Ronaldo got the second chance of the game as well, although in a much better position as Sadio Mane found the Portuguese striker inside the six-yard box with a delightful ball. However, the 40-year-old's shot was spectacularly saved by Al-Khaleej goalkeeper Anthony Moris.

  Felix then seemed to open the scoring in the 33rd minute; however, after a lengthy check by the VAR, the goal was ultimately ruled out for a handball in the buildup by Marcelo Brozovic. It didn't take too much longer for Faris Najd to retake their lead after a wonderful cross by Angelo fell right at Felix's feet, who found the back of the net with a deft touch. Just minutes later, Wesley doubled the lead with a superb strike after Felix's eager pressing gave Al-Nassr the ball inside Al-Khaleej's box.

  The second half presented an uphill battle for the visitors as they faced the challenge of clawing back from a two-goal deficit against Saudi Pro League's best defence. However, they made the perfect start after Murad Al Hawsawi struck the ball with all the perfection in the world to halve Al-Nassr's lead, one minute into the second half. While Al-Khaleej did pump up the pressure, trying Nawaf Al-Aqidi on multiple occasions, it was Al-Nassr who struck a finishing blow to the visitors. Sadio Mane managed to find the back of Moris' goal with a lobbed curler to take Faris Najd's lead back to two.

  Al-Khaleej's Dimitrios Kourbelis had a night to forget after his earlier missed chance was followed up by a horrific stamp on Ali Al-Hassan, which saw him receive a straight red card. The sending off followed yet another spectacular goal, and possibly the best of the lot as Ronaldo pulled off an ecstatic bicycle kick from Nawaj Boushal's cross to give the host a comfortable 4-1 win.

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• Getty
  

  Felix continues his superb Saudi Pro League form

  Felix was once again the main man for Al-Nassr as the former Chelsea, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid flop managed to maintain his joint lead with Ronaldo as Saudi Pro League's top goal scorer. The Portuguese forward's strike took his season tally up to 10, and also bagged his first assist of the season with his decisive pass to Wesley for Al-Nassr's second of the night.

• Getty Images
  

  Brozovic lucky to not be sent off

  Brozovic had a very rare night off as the Croatian midfielder looked out of sorts through the middle part of the first half. Additionally, he cost Al-Nassr their spectacular opener with a needless handball, which should have seen him receive a second yellow card. However, Jesus was quick to react and hooked the former Inter Milan midfielder at half-time.

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• AFP
  

  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bayern Munich have reportedly decided to offer veteran goalkeeper and club legend Manuel Neuer a contract extension for another year, which would see him remain at the Allianz Arena until June 2027. The 2014 World Cup-winning custodian has reiterated that he wants to take his time before reaching a decision over his future, however, with the club set to hold talks in December.

Neuer going strong at Bayern in his final year of contract

The 39-year-old has managed to retain his place in the starting lineup under head coach Vincent Kompany, proving week in week out that he is still among the best in the business despite having entered the twilight of his career long ago. Despite his horror blunder in the 2-2 draw against Union Berlin last weekend, which saw Bayern's 16-game win streak come to an end, there are no doubts Neuer is still the man for the No.1 spot. Neuer has played in 14 of the 17 games the Bavarian giants have played this season.

But Neuer will not stay at Bayern forever. The legendary goalkeeper is set to turn 40 in March next year and is into the final seven months of his deal. According to a report from , Bayern have reached a decision over the future of their iconic player. The report claims that the club are keen on extending Neuer's contract by another year, until June 2027. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportNeuer keen on taking his time amid retirement talks

Bayern are determined to ensure Neuer stays at the club beyond next summer, with contract talks set to intensify sometime in December. The club are extremely happy, not only with his performances, but also with the significant changes he has incorporated into his daily routine to prevent further injury setbacks. mention that Neuer consults the physiotherapist everyday and undergoes weight training ahead of every team training session. What's more, his main workout sessions are followed by an extra 30-minute weight lifting sessions twice a week. 

With Neuer walking the extra mile with respect to his fitness, it may seem like he aims to prolong his career. However, the Gelsenkirchen-born goalkeeper is not spending any time pondering over his future, preferring to take it one day at a time instead. 

"I’m totally relaxed about it. The most important thing is what we do with our team," Neuer told reporters ahead of the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month. "I already hinted at this in the mixed zone, that my well-being will also be important. I'm taking my time and being totally relaxed, at least over the winter. Many factors come into play. It's a question of health, fitness, and motivation. But also, what happens with the club next season. I can't answer that myself because it's still far too early. Then, of course, we can always talk. Everything plays a role."

Urbig motivating Neuer to push himself

There's belief at Bayern that they will reach an agreement with Neuer to extend his contract. At the same time, they are also relaxed about the future of second-choice goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, who has made just 15 appearances since joining Bayern from Cologne in January earlier this year. Per , Neuer is motivated by his heir apparent; he understands that his colleague is a highly-promising goalkeeper and hence, he is not taking his current status as the undisputed first-choice for granted at all. 

Urbig, for his part, is embracing the experience of learning from experienced goalkeepers like Neuer and Sven Ulreich. He is not paying attention to whether Neuer extends, he says. “These are things I don't really concern myself with,” he told recently. “Because it's not my place to comment on the decisions Manu makes, or the club makes. I concentrate on the day-to-day work with Manu, the goalkeeping team, and the squad. Our relationship is good; we work well together. It’s important to me to emphasise that we have a good relationship within the entire goalkeeping team. Manuel and Sven simply have an incredible amount of experience, which I can learn a lot from.”

Still only 22, Bayern believe Urbig can further develop behind Neuer in the 2026-27 season, should the latter potentially opt against retiring.

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AFPA return to Germany on the cards?

Whether Neuer retires or not also probably hinges on whether he comes out of international retirement. Reports over the past few months have mentioned that Germany could urge Neuer to consider re-joining the national team in light of the uncertainty faced by Marc-Andre ter Stegen at Barcelona. 

Speculation also suggests that authoritative figures within the German Football Federation (DFB) are trying to persuade head coach Julian Nagelsmann to allow Neuer to return. However, the final decision will rest with the former RB Leipzig and Bayern head coach. 

also mentioned that DFB sporting director Rudi Voller reportedly held conversations with Neuer to ask him if he was willing to return to the national team, with the World Cup set to take place next summer.