Category Uncategorized

What’s orange, striped and hot all over?

Prashant Vaidya11-Nov-2010Visit an orange orchard
This is not about going into a market and buying a few but heading out to the orchards around the city. Nagpur’s orange belt is about 15-20km north of the city. Once in orange country, ask the orchard owners if you can pluck the fruit yourself. Most will be happy to let you in. There are two orange seasons: one just after the rains, in the second half of the year, and the other before summer, in February-March, which is World Cup time. The pre-summer crop is the better of the two. With good soil and a pleasant climate, Nagpur is in a region where foodgrains and cotton are cultivated, but the city is still best-known for its fruit.Eat the local food
One of the more special and least celebrated of Nagpur’s attractions is its very earthy food. Let’s start with a breakfast staple called the Nagpuri (spiced puffed rice with potato), which we believe is the best of Maharashtra’s famous . The street-side stall near Kasturchand Park, run by Roopam Sakhare, sells thousands of plates of food: the cuisine of interior Maharashtra. Once you taste it, you’ll understand why we love (a coarse bread made with unrefined flour), the chutneys and vegetables served with it, and the most famous , known in the state as the common man’s quick meal. Among the things you must take back from Nagpur are the traditional Indian sweets made of, what else, oranges. Any auto-rickshaw driver or cabbie will be able to take you to Heera Sweets on Bhandara Road, where you can stock up on the orange or orange before heading out of the city.Hang out at a chowk
If you want to do what locals in Nagpur do, hang out at the big “chowks” (city squares) and watch the world go by. There is the Seminary Hill Park, which is right in the middle of the city, at a height from where you can see the countryside around Nagpur. Families like going out to Telankhedi Lake – an artificial lake created by the Bhosle rulers about 300 years ago – which is dotted with old temples. Nagpur has many colonial buildings, too, and it is worth taking a look around the central part of town at structures that are close to 100 years old, be it the secretariat, the High Court or the agricultural university campus.Head out to Ramtek
This is a small temple town centred around the legend of the Hindu deity Ram, about an hour out, 57km, from Nagpur. Its main temple is the centre of the Ramnavmi festival celebrations, but the most interesting sidelight from Ramtek’s religious past is its link with Indian literature. Kalidas, the most renowned of India’s Sanskrit poets, is said to have written his most famous poem, in Ramtek. There is now a Kalidas memorial at Ramtek’s highest spot, about 500m above the town, at a site called Ramgiri, where, every year, at the start of monsoon, there is a Kalidas festival. Why before the monsoon? Because is about the arrival of the monsoon in central India.Go tiger-spotting
And finally to my favourite – one of Nagpur’s best kept secrets, because we really don’t want it overrun with visitors. It’s a jungle safari at the Pench National Park, which is about 90km, or a two-hour drive, from Nagpur, across the Madhya Pradesh border. Pench is one of India’s few reserves that has witnessed a growth in tiger population, from about 20 to 53 in the 10 years I’ve been going there. I go there every two months and on every visit I’ve spotted a tiger in the wild. It’s an ideal getaway after a cricket match. When play ends you can drive over and spend a night at one of the many hotels around there and set out on a tiger safari at 6am the next morning. Apart from tigers, you will see bison, panthers, spotted deer by the dozen, and a few hundred of the 2000 species of birds said to be living there. You can also take in an evening safari. Pench is quite a favourite with cricketers, and on many occasions I’ve gone there with team-mates and friends and had a great couple of days there. Everyone who has ever gone to Pench gets addicted to it.

Martin Williamson reviews Oval Reflections by David Norrie

Martin Williamson11-Sep-2005

Given cricket’s new-found popularity, it is likely that the coming weeks will see a plethora of books finding their way to the bookshelves in a bid to milk that market. Few, however, will be as lavish or as well produced as Oval Reflections.There have been a fair few books about The Oval. While David Mortimer’s offering, published at the start of the summer, deals with the history of England’s oldest Test ground in depth, its appeal is very much towards the specialist. Oval Reflections, a coffee table book with knobs on, will appeal to the gnarled cricket enthusiast and the convert alike.Beautifully printed, the real strength of the book is its illustrations. Many will be familiar, but having raided Surrey’s archives as well as most picture agencies, David Norrie has been able to find a large number of remarkable images which are not in common circulation. From an early publicity shot of an elephant ambling across the outfield, to the rock concert in 1971 (The Who topping the bill), to the stunning aerial view of the ground as England won the Ashes in 1953, the images provide the wow factor.Norrie’s narrative is interesting, but the text rather jumps around and my own view would be that there should have been more pictures and a little less written word. But that is a minor gripe, and it is worth a read as well as a look.The ever-present logo of sponsors Brit Assurance might upset some traditionalists, but it is a small price to pay for keeping a book of such size and quality so inexpensive.

Ruben Amorim has revealed that Amad Diallo has been given permission to miss Manchester United's trip to Brentford after the death of his father. Amad will remain in Manchester rather than return to his home in the Ivory Coast. The coach hopes his team can pay tribute to Amad by securing a second consecutive Premier League win for the first time since he took charge.

Getty Images SportAmad's father death follows social media abuse

Amad has endured a rough week. He deleted all posts and pictures from his Instagram account after being flooded with abuse for posting a picture of him and former team-mate Alejandro Garnacho following United's game with Chelsea last week. Amad and Garnacho are friends and have the same agent. The club offered emotional support to Amad after the social media abuse and have now granted him compassionate leave following his father's death.

AdvertisementAmorim: Players should shut down social media

Referring to the social media abuse, Amorim said: "I say the same thing to my players – shut down social media. It's like that nowadays. It's a price you have to pay. But the important thing is the club and his friends are real life for Amad. We are here for him."

GettyAmorim: Let's win for Amad

The coach added that United were capable of beating Brentford without the winger and emphasised that him mourning his father properly was more important than the match.

He said: "It's a tough moment and in this kind of moment, the next game is not important. We can win without Amad and we want to win also for him."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Mazraoui out until mid-October

Amorim also revealed that Noussair Mazraoui would be out until after the international break after picking up an injury in the win over Chelsea. It means the Morocco international will miss the trip to Brentford and the subsequent home game against Sunderland. However, he should be available to take on Liverpool on October 19.

Savinho is reportedly fuming with his bosses at Manchester City as the club has blocked his transfer to Premier League rivals Tottenham.

• Savinho wanted move to north London
• Spurs have announced deal for RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons
• City remain unmoved on Brazilian winger's future

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  TBR Football reports the Brazilian winger was keen on a move to north London after talks between the two clubs progressed over the past week. However, City maintained their initial position. The player was not for sale and they were under no pressure to move Savinho on.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Any prospect of a move this window appears more unlikely as Tottenham have secured the transfer of RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons for £51.8m (€60m/$70m). It is a rare victory for Spurs in what has been a tortured summer after they saw their advances for Savinho, Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze all fall through.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The 21-year-old's prospective switch from Manchester to London was reportedly predicated on City's approach for Real Madrid's Rodrygo. Blocking Savinho's exit suggests that move will not come to fruition before the summer window slams shut.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR SAVINHO?

  Savinho faces stiff competition for game time in City's crowded attacking third. The Brazilian has yet to feature in the 2025-26 season as he recovers from a pre-season injury. It is expected he will return after the international break.

Arsenal have reportedly struck a deal worth over £50 million ($67.8m) to sign Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, with the England international set to sign a five-year contract at the Emirates. The 23-year-old former Tottenham academy graduate is expected to provide cover and competition for Bukayo Saka on the right flank in Mikel Arteta's setup for the upcoming season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Arsenal agree £52m deal to sign Chelsea’s Noni MaduekeWinger set to sign five-year contract at the EmiratesMadueke to provide depth and cover for Bukayo SakaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal have reached a full agreement with Chelsea to sign Madueke for a fee of around £52 million, including add-ons, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. The winger agreed on personal terms with the Gunners earlier this week and is set to undergo a medical and complete the transfer once Chelsea conclude their Club World Cup campaign.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Madueke leaves Chelsea after struggling for consistent minutes amid increased competition in attack at Enzo Maresca's side. The move also helps Chelsea balance their books amid Financial Fair Play concerns, as the Blues need to generate revenue through sales if they want to register their new signings for the Champions League this season.

DID YOU KNOW?

Madueke joined Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 and made 92 appearances in all competitions and bagged 29 goal contributions for the Blues. Despite flashes of brilliance, his minutes were limited due to Chelsea's recruitment spree.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MADUEKE?

Madueke is expected to complete his medical and sign officially before Arsenal travel for pre-season. He will compete with Saka and Gabriel Martinelli for minutes in a tightly contested front line. Chelsea, meanwhile, will continue offloading fringe players to balance their squad and finances.

Pakistan’s chase never really got going on another rain-hit day at the Asia Cup

Deivarayan Muthu10-Sep-2023 • Updated on 11-Sep-20231:33

Uthappa: Rahul’s innings showed how much work he has put in

KL Rahul wasn’t supposed to start against Pakistan. After Shreyas Iyer suffered back spasms during the warm-ups, he replaced him on Sunday and on Monday, the reserve day, he announced his return with a sensational hundred. At the other end, Virat Kohli did his thing, bringing up a century of his own, as India piled up 356 for 2.Jasprit Bumrah, bowling in ODIs for the first time after his injury break then discomfited Pakistan’s top order with vicious swing and seam movement. He was unplayable at various points while Mohammed Siraj also ramped up the pressure on Pakistan with his accuracy. After Bumrah had Imam-ul-Haq caught in the slips, Hardik Pandya joined the party by storming through Babar Azam’s defences. A rain delay then gave Pakistan respite, but upon resumption Kuldeep Yadav compounded their woes. The left-arm wristspinner finished with 5 for 25 in eight overs, with neither Haris Rauf or Naseem Shah walking out to bat for Pakistan. The margin of victory – 228 runs – was the biggest for India against Pakistan in ODI cricket.Related

Pakistan's day(s) of horror

Sublime India launch their Star Destroyers into hyperdrive

When menace meets precision – Jasprit Bumrah shows what he's all about

Stats – Record-breaking day out for Kohli, Rahul, and India

Injured Rauf and Naseem doubtful for remainder of Asia Cup

Resuming from an overnight 147 for 2 in 24.1 overs, India pumped 209 in 25.5 overs on Monday, with Rahul and Kohli responsible for all of those. This was only the fourth instance of India’s top four making fifty-plus scores in ODIs. In the absence of Rauf, who was out of action on the reserve day as a precautionary measure, Pakistan couldn’t separate Rahul and Kohli. Pakistan then suffered another scare when Naseem left the field in the 49th over with an injury to his bowling shoulder. This was the first time that Naseem has gone wicketless in 14 ODIs.Pakistan could have cut Kohli’s innings short at 60 had Naseem not misjudged a catch at deep third in the 42nd over. Kohli and Rahul proceeded to smash 92 together off the last eight overs of the innings. Kohli finished the innings with a thrilling sequence of 4,4,6.In the early half of the innings, Kohli had followed his usual ODI template of accumulating in risk-free fashion with singles and twos. Overall, boundaries only contributed only 54 runs to his 122.Rahul, though, had started the reserve day with a flurry of boundaries. He slapped Afridi so hard that even Shadab Khan couldn’t cling onto the ball at backward point. Shadab and part-time spinner Iftikhar Ahmed, who was filling in for Rauf, then copped punishment from Rahul. Kohli also lined up Iftikhar and left him nursing figures of 5.4-0-52-0.KL Rahul finished with 111* off 106 balls•Associated PressRahul played a number of sweeps and often took trips down the pitch to disrupt Pakistan’s spinners. He even pulled off an impersonation of Kohli when he launched Shadab over midwicket with the bottom wrist. When he reached a run-a-ball century, he closed his eyes and looked skywards in relief. Kohli’s celebration was more exuberant and, along the way, he became the fastest player to 13,000 ODI runs.Rahul didn’t take the field for the start of India’s defence, but at the start of the seventh over he returned to the field to take over the keeping gloves from Ishan Kishan. Later in the night, Rahul missed a sharp chance off a wrong ‘un from Kuldeep, but otherwise he got a decent workout behind the stumps too. After bowling five overs in the powerplay, Bumrah spent some time off the field, too, for unspecified reasons. It remains to be seen whether India rotate their players when they end up playing on a third successive day, against Sri Lanka, on Tuesday.By the time, Hardik had castled Babar on Monday with a wobble-seam inducker, Pakistan’s required run rate was almost eight. It had shot past nine by the time Kuldeep cleaned up Fakhar Zaman for 27 off 50 balls. No other Pakistan batter passed 25 in the chase. Kuldeep carved up the middle order with his stock balls, wrong ‘uns and sliders. He gave up only two boundaries and claimed his second five-wicket haul in ODIs. He looked good for more, but Pakistan’s Nos. 10 and 11 were out injured.

Harry Brook will have further opportunities to press his case for inclusion in England’s World Cup squad after being added to their squad to face New Zealand in a four-match series and included in a second-string group that will play Ireland later this month.Brook has impressed England’s management with his response to missing out on their provisional 15-man squad for the World Cup, blazing an unbeaten century in the Hundred and hitting 43 not out and 67 in their first two T20Is against New Zealand.He looks increasingly likely to feature in India, with head coach Matthew Mott repeatedly emphasising on Tuesday that the list of 15 names submitted to the ICC was only “provisional”, and he will have the chance to add to his three ODI caps over the next three weeks.Related

• Rehan lines up Trent Bridge final after 'special' hometown game for England

• Crawley expands repertoire in bid to bring Ashes form into Hundred

• Crawley considers IPL auction as he eyes white-ball breakthrough

• Malan: 'I'm not there to please anyone, I'm there to score runs'

• Brook quietly makes his case as England brace for buyer's remorse

It means the New Zealand series will become a shoot-out for batting spots in the squad, with Jason Roy, Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone the three players who appear most vulnerable to Brook’s potential elevation. Roy and Malan have both scored two ODI hundreds this year while Livingstone offers a spin-bowling option, but all three have been short of form in recent weeks.Brook has officially been added to the squad for the New Zealand series as “batting cover” and will link up with England in Cardiff on Thursday ahead of Friday’s first ODI. He is also due to feature in the Ireland series, which runs from September 20-26 – and could then fly to India with the rest of the World Cup squad a day later.With such a tight turnaround, none of the provisional 15-man squad have been included in the squad to face Ireland, which will be captained by Zak Crawley. Sam Hain, George Scrimshaw and Jamie Smith are in contention to make their international debuts, while Brydon Carse and Rehan Ahmed – who could be travelling reserves for the World Cup – also feature.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England are keen to give Crawley opportunities in white-ball cricket after he finished the Ashes as their leading run-scorer, and he will add to his three ODIs while leading his country for the first time. Ben Duckett, who ran the drinks throughout the four-match T20I series against New Zealand, will be vice-captain.Will Jacks, whose highest score in those four matches was 22, also features, while Phil Salt will also feature after being left out of the T20I squad. Luke Wood, Craig Overton and Matthew Potts join Carse and Scrimshaw as the seam-bowling options.The ECB said that England’s selectors “consulted with the first-class counties” and took the County Championship standings into consideration when picking the Ireland squad, to avoid leaving teams who were pushing for the title, promotion, or to avoid relegation without several first-choice players.England squad to play Ireland: Rehan Ahmed, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley (captain), Ben Duckett (vice-captain), Sam Hain, Will Jacks, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, George Scrimshaw, Jamie Smith, Luke WoodFixtures: September 20 – 1st ODI, Headingley; September 23 – 2nd ODI, Trent Bridge; September 26 – 3rd ODI, Bristol

Rustom Cooper, the former Indian cricketer, has died at the age of 100 years and 229 days. He was the oldest living first-class cricketer at the time of his death.Born in Bombay on December 14 1922, Cooper turned 100 last December. He had played 22 first-class matches between 1941 and 1951, scoring 1205 runs at an average of 52.39. It was reported that he died in his sleep in his home in Mumbai on July 31, 2023.One of the highlights of his career was the 1944-45 Ranji Trophy final, where Cooper scored 52 and 104 in Bombay’s 374-runs victory against Holkar.Apart from Bombay, Cooper also played first-class cricket for the Parsees and Middlesex in England.”Rustom was the oldest living first-class cricketer and played for Middlesex for three seasons in a golden era for the Club,” Middlesex said in a statement. “He made eight appearances for the Club, top scoring with 54 against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in August 1950 … Cooper came to Middlesex’s attention through Denis Compton, who spotted his talent whilst playing cricket against him whilst serving in the Army in India during the Second World War. At Compton’s request, Russi moved to England, took a placement at the London School of Economics, whilst pursuing a career as a professional in the English game.”

Bangladesh 382 (Shanto 146, Mahmudul 76, Masood 5-79) and 425 for 4 dec (Shanto 124, Mominul 121*, Zahir 2-112) beat Afghanistan 146 (Zazai 36, Ebadot 4-47, Taijul 2-7) and 115 (Rahmat 30, Taskin 4-37, Shoriful 3-28) by 546 runsBangladesh beat Afghanistan by 546 runs in the one-off Test in Dhaka, thus achieving their highest victory margin in Tests, and the third highest in the format’s history. The visitors’ last man Zahir Khan took a blow to the elbow and retired hurt during an extended morning session on the fourth day, thus leaving the hosts with only nine second-innings wickets to take to complete the win.Some drama also took place just before that, as Bangladesh neared victory. Zahir was given out caught behind off the ball of the 33rd over, with Taskin Ahmed taking off to celebrate what he thought was his first five-for in Tests, only for the batter to overturn the decision on review, as replays showed the ball had missed the bat by an inch.The delivery immediately after, Taskin bowled Zahir, only for the ball to be deemed as an above-waist full toss, and thus a no-ball. Then three legal balls after that, Taskin crashed one into Zahir’s elbow, thus rendering him unable to bat. After a few minutes of discussion and medical attention, Zahir walked off. That confirmed a massive win for Bangladesh.Bangladesh’s fast bowlers combined to take 14 wickets in the match, the most for them in a Test. The hosts entered the fourth day requiring eight wickets to seal the win, which they duly did inside 22 overs although eventually they had to take one wicket lesser. It started in the third over of the day when Nasir Jamal could do little against a beautiful delivery from Ebadot Hossain: the ball pitched outside off and straightened just enough to tickle the batter’s outside edge.Next over, Rahmat Shah survived when he was given out caught in the slips off a snorter from Shoriful Islam, before the TV umpire determined that the ball had come off his armguard. But Shoriful didn’t have to wait too long for his first wicket of the morning: three overs later – the 19th of the innings – Afsar Zazai edged him to Mehidy Hasan Miraz at gully.Najmul Hossain Shanto cracked two centuries in Dhaka•AFP/Getty Images

As a result of that wicket, in came debutant Bahir Shah, who was brought in as concussion substitute for captain Hashmatullah Shahidi. But Shoriful ended the 21st over by having him caught at third slip, where Taijul Islam took a good, low catch. That meant Afghanistan were 78 for 5, which soon became 91 for 6 when Taskin had Rahmat Shah caught behind for 30 four overs later. Taskin’s third wicket came soon after, when he bowled Karim Janat for 18.That meant all of the seven wickets to fall had gone to Bangladesh’s fast bowlers, after which one finally went to a spinner. Brought into the attack to start the 32nd over, Mehidy struck third ball when he had Amir Hamza caught at short leg, where the ball landed after coming off his glove and helmet in an attempted pull shot. And next over, Taskin had Yamin Ahmadzai caught at mid-off to get his fourth.But Afghanistan’s troubles had begun on the third evening itself, when Shoriful had trapped Ibrahim Zadran lbw first ball, thus becoming the second Bangladesh bowler after Mashrafe Mortaza to start an innings with a wicket. Next over, Abdul Malik chased an away swinger from Taskin, only to be caught behind for 5.Come the sixth over, Taskin struck Shahidi on the head with a bouncer. Shahidi, who had ducked at the ball after seemingly taking his eyes off, fell flat on the pitch, before walking off retired hurt. Effectively, Afghanistan were three down, before Bahir would take Shahidi’s place.But much before those problems for Afghanistan, twin centuries from Najmul Hossain Shanto – and one from Mominul Haque in the second innings – had already laid the foundation for Bangladesh’s triumph. They declared their second innings on 425 after obtaining a 236-run first-innings lead, thus setting Afghanistan an improbable 662. That eventually turned out to be more than enough for a commanding win.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have decided against naming a replacement just yet

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2023

Rajat Patidar has been ruled out of IPL 2023, after having failed to recover sufficiently from a heel injury. His team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, said as much while announcing the update that they “have decided not to name a replacement player for Rajat just yet”.Patidar, 29, had been undergoing rehab at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru over the past few days, and it was understood that he would miss the first half of the IPL 2023 season; he had initially been advised rest till mid-April. Patidar had picked up the injury prior to joining the Royal Challengers pre-season camp.