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Nottinghamshire batter Matthew Montgomery joins Derbyshire on three-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2025Gloucestershire’s England Lions fast bowler Ajeet Singh Dale has agreed a move to Lancashire at the end of the season, signing a three-year contract, while fellow seamer Matt Milnes has opted for a return to Kent after three injury-hit seasons with Yorkshire.Singh Dale, 25, is regarded as one of the quickest bowlers on the county circuit and was subject to interest from several counties after entering the final summer of his contract with Gloucestershire, whom he joined from Hampshire in 2022. Across four seasons at Bristol, he took 81 first-class wickets at 38.24, as well as being picked for the Lions in 2024 and 2025.Lancashire’s director of cricket performance, Mark Chilton, described Singh Dale as an “exciting young fast bowler with genuine pace and a real hunger to keep on developing and improving his game” who would help add depth to the attack at Old Trafford.Singh Dale said: “I’m really excited to be joining Lancashire and can’t wait to get started with the club in November. Lancashire has an exceptionally strong squad, which can compete across all formats, and I’m looking forward to pushing myself in a new environment while contributing towards success for this great club.”I have heard great things about the set-up and facilities at Emirates Old Trafford and I’m confident it’s the right place for me to take the next step in my career with the Red Rose.”Matt Milnes claimed his maiden five-wicket haul for Yorkshire this week• Allan McKenzie/SWPIx.com

Milnes, 31, has opted to head back to Kent on a three-year deal in order to be closer to family, having failed to make the expected impact after signing for Yorkshire in 2022. He only managed five County Championship appearances across three seasons, due to a series of back problems, with his best figures coming in their most-recent match – victory over Sussex at Scarborough that lifted hopes of the club avoiding relegation.A member of the Kent team that won the 2021 T20 Blast, Milnes said he was “excited to come back to Kent and join this new project under Adam Hollioake”. In a successful first spell at Canterbury, he claimed 126 first-class wickets at 27.15, as well as 37 in T20.Simon Cook, Kent director of cricket, said: “We’re delighted that Milnesy has chosen to come back to Kent. He was an extremely big part of our bowling attack during our sustained periods of success in his first time here, and he is an extremely talented bowler in both red- and white-ball cricket.”As we plan for the future in our ethos of producing Kent talent, his experience will also be a great boost to us, too.”

Montgomery to join Derbyshire

Matthew Montgomery’s offspin has been successful in T20•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire batter Matthew Montgomery will make the switch to Derbyshire on a three-year contract. He will join the club initially on loan for the Metro Bank One-Day Cup (although will be ineligible to face Notts).Montgomery, who was born in South Africa but has a German passport, made his Notts debut in 2021 and scored the first of his two first-class hundreds the following summer. Although he has only played once in the County Championship this year, he became an integral part of the T20 side, topping the bowling averages with 15 wickets at 18.06.”Matt has chosen to join our project at Derbyshire and we’re delighted to welcome him to the club,” Mickey Arthur, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, said. “He’s a batter with real ability in all formats, and he will get the opportunity to show what he can do. His bowling will also be a real asset for us in T20 cricket.”Montgomery said: “I’m excited to work with Mickey and join a group that is moving in the right direction. I look forward to taking this next step in my career and hope I can contribute to Derbyshire’s success across all formats.”

The 24-year-old New Zealander played shots that most overseas batters rarely attempt in India during his maiden Test hundred in Asia

Ashish Pant18-Oct-20242:29

Ravindra: ‘Context of the game made the hundred special’

Rachin Ravindra is a man of few emotions. Whether he’s reached a batting milestone or taken a wicket, he rarely has vivid expressions. But a Test century in India, one of the toughest places for a visiting batter, is no ordinary feat and Ravindra marked the occasion in Bengaluru with a first pump and a shriek of delight.”Yeah, very, very uncharacteristic,” Ravindra said of his celebrations at the end of the third day’s play, after his 134 off 157 balls helped New Zealand take a first-innings lead of 356. “I don’t know, a little fist pump doesn’t happen often for me, but I guess scoring an overseas 100 in India is always nice, but also the context of it when we had lost a few wickets, and we built a pretty cool partnership. And for me, that’s special.”I guess more than just the milestone, I think being able to do it with team-mates and do it with our backs… well no, I wouldn’t say backs against the wall because we had a sizeable lead, but when the game’s in the balance, it probably meant a lot and it felt really good to share it with my mate Timmy [Tim Southee].”The stand-out feature of Ravindra’s innings was his approach against India’s formidable spin trio. Ravindra faced 95 balls of spin, off which he scored 101 runs. He took R Ashwin for 30 off 35, Kuldeep Yadav for 30 off 21, and Ravindra Jadeja for 41 off 39. That almost never happens in India.Rarely does an overseas batter play the kind of strokes that the 24-year-old Ravindra did. He didn’t use the conventional sweep like most other visiting batters. Instead, he unfurled wristy flicks, like subcontinent batters tend to do, playing the ball late and also using his feet to get to the pitch of the delivery and send it downtown. When Ravindra brought out the cross-bat, he slog swept over the boundary – four times.Related

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• Batting magic in Bengaluru as India threaten something special

“I guess on a wicket like this, you’re able to pick and choose at times because it wasn’t doing too much,” Ravindra said. “[There were] not too many demons in it, but I think it’s looking like, okay, especially in Test cricket these days, it feels like you always have to drive the team forward and always score runs.”You see teams around the world, the way they’re scoring, the run rates are up, and that just feels natural. So, I think for us, it was just trying to push that on and take those options as we could, but I think we know, batting in India, once you’ve faced 20, 30, 40 balls it starts to get easier.”And obviously it’s a ground where you can score quite quickly, right? Shortish boundaries, fast outfield here, pretty good wicket to bat on. So luckily enough, the stars aligned today.”A rare display of emotion from Rachin Ravindra on reaching his Test hundred in Bengaluru•BCCIRavindra’s 134 was his second Test century, and his first in Asia. It just so happens that Bengaluru is where his parents were born and brought up. His father Ravi Krishnamurthy, who played cricket at a decent level in the city before migrating to New Zealand in 1997, was watching his son from the stands. Ravindra still has plenty of family in Bengaluru and used to visit them during his holidays.”Yeah, it’s obviously special,” he said. “A lot of my family are watching the game probably at the stadium and then at home on TV. I know they’re very, very proud and it makes me happy that they’re able to watch a relative play in their hometown, which is very cool.”And dad and mum would be very, very proud of that, me being able to play in their hometown where they grew up is pretty special. But like I always say I’m fully Kiwi, 100% Kiwi, but it’s nice to have that Indian heritage base here in Bengaluru.”Ravindra also showed composure and skill in marshalling New Zealand’s lower order. They had slipped from 193 for 3 to 233 for 7 on the third morning but he took the lead in a 137-run stand with Tim Southee off just 132 balls. He was eventually the last batter dismissed.In the lead up to New Zealand’s trip to the subcontinent, Ravindra had spent time training at the CSK academy in Chennai before the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida in September that was eventually washed out. He had played for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024 and hence was able to use their facilities.”Yeah, extremely invaluable experience,” Ravindra said of his pre-tour practice. “I guess I thought before the six subcontinent Tests that we had, I thought maybe it’d be the best thing for me to go and have a few days training there, bit more realistic conditions than what we’d have, in the used wickets in New Zealand, which, you know, wouldn’t serve the same purpose.”And lucky enough, the CSK guys really sorted me out and I was able to have four or five days of really good training on, you know, red soil and black soil wickets. So I think that was very invaluable and helped me, sort of, shore up some game plans and work on a few positions that I wanted to.”This is Ravindra’s second Test series in India. He made his debut here in 2021 but batted at No. 7 and 8, and bowled a few overs of left-arm spin, without much impact. He’s a transformed player now, and has given New Zealand a shot at achieving their first Test win in India since 1988. And if that happens in Bengaluru, he might be moved to display more than a little emotion.

There were nods of approval and even a sigh of relief after the World Cup draw was concluded and England appeared to have avoided some of the major potential banana skins as the pots were drawn to decide the group stages. But, as the dust settled, it became clear that England’s route to the World Cup final in New Jersey next July would be anything but straight forward. GOAL plots the path Thomas Tuchel's side will (most likely) need to navigate on their way to the ultimate title glory.

• England’s Group L opponents

  Ghana secured automatic qualification for the by finishing as winners of Group I in the African qualifiers. They had a dominant campaign, winning eight, drawing one, and losing only one of their ten matches to accumulate 25 points. The final qualifying match was a crucial 1-0 victory over Comoros in Accra in October where Mohammed Kudus scored the decisive goal. Croatia secured automatic qualification by finishing top of UEFA qualifying Group L. They completed their campaign with an impressive record of seven wins and one draw in eight matches, going undefeated throughout the qualifiers. And Panama secured their spot as the winner of Group A in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying. Their final win, combined with Suriname's final-day loss to Guatemala, allowed Panama to leapfrog Suriname for the top spot and automatic qualification.

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  Into the knockout stages

  If England finish top of their group, here’s how things will most likely fare for them in the early knockout stages. The Three Lions could face Senegal in the Round of 32 if they win their group and Senegal qualify in third place in Group I. Senegal had a strong qualifying run, finishing top of their group with an unbeaten record of seven wins and three draws, ensuring automatic qualification. Key Senegal players include Tottenham's Pape Matar Sarr, Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson – who's on-loan at Bayern Munich – and Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr. 

  Into the last-16 and there would be a huge test against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City. El Tri automatically qualified as hosts and will have a number of familiar faces, including Fulham striker Raul Jimenez and West Ham midfielder Edson Alvarez who is currently on loan at Fenerbahce. 

• Three Lions' foes in quarters and semis

  If they can overcome Mexico in their own backyard, England are looking likely to have to beat Brazil in the quarter-finals. Vinicius Junior and Co finished fifth in their qualifying table but were still good enough for an automatic spot at the tournament. This path, where both countries win their groups would see them face-off in Miami. Alongside Vini Jnr, the Chelsea youngster Estevao could take the world stage by storm and there’s Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes and West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta.  

  If England can swat the Selecao aside they will most likely face their foe for the ages, Argentina in a Dallas semi-final. The storied head-to-head has an infamous handball, dubious red card, and heart-breaking penalties among its chapters. And the two countries could battle it out once again, this time for a place in the World Cup final. Argentina topped their CONMEBOL qualifying group convincingly, securing their automatic place with only two losses, and are, of course, the defending champions. 

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  Into the final… who stands in England’s way?

  There are many, hugely daunting hurdles to overcome to reach this point but, if the Three Lions are still roaring at this point they are tipped to face Spain, the team who beat them at the last Euros to the European title. This path keeps them on opposite sides until the final match in New Jersey. Spain topped their UEFA qualifying group comfortably, securing their spot with seven wins and one draw. Familiar Spanish players in the Premier League include Manchester City's Rodri, Marc Cucurella at Chelsea, and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

Livvy Dunne's attempt to buy Babe Ruth's old apartment on the Upper West Side in New York was blocked by the building's co-op board.

The social media star took to TikTok on Tuesday to tell her eight million followers about her attempt to buy the property in Manhattan. Dunne said, "It was Babe Ruth's apartment. So naturally, like, I'm telling everybody. I'm excited. I was gonna buy it and I was gonna pay with cash, like I wanted this apartment bad."

The realtor was so confident that Dunne would land the apartment that she even brought her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes to the apartment. She also hired an interior designer.

Dunne reportedly made an offer on the apartment the seller accepted, but that wasn't the final step. The co-op board rejected her application to purchase the property without giving a reason.

"For all I know, they could have been Alabama fans and I went to LSU," Dunne quipped. "I have no clue. Maybe they didn't want a public figure living there. But I was literally supposed to get the keys, and that week they denied me."

The SI Swimsuit cover model then had some advice for her followers. "Long story short, don’t try to live in a co-op. You might get denied and you won’t get Babe Ruth’s apartment," Dunne said.

Winning trophies and top-scorer awards might be routine to Erling Haaland, but this week the striker stands on the brink of what could be a once-in-lifetime opportunity: to qualify for the World Cup with Norway. Since Haaland was born in 2000, Norway have never competed on the world's biggest stage. Their six attempts have all fallen flat, only reaching the play-offs on one occasion.

Automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, however, is in their own hands. And at the feet of Haaland. The Manchester City striker is the top scorer in UEFA qualifying on 12 goals from six games, five more than closest rival Memphis Depay.

In Norway's most recent qualifier against Israel, Haaland struck a hat-trick in a 5-0 drubbing. In the previous game, he scored five and set up two more as Norway walloped Moldova 11-1. The Scandinavians have won all six of their games to take a three-point lead over Italy ahead of their final two games, Thursday's home fixture against Estonia and Sunday's showdown with the Azzurri at San Siro.

But most crucially, and in large part thanks to Haaland's insatiable hunger for scoring, they hold a 16-goal lead in goal difference, the tie-breaker in the event they finish on the same amount of points as Italy. Victory against Estonia, who have lost five of their seven qualifiers, will therefore all-but guarantee them a spot at the World Cup.

Haaland and Norway are taking nothing for granted, but they are on the cusp of what the striker, who has won almost every major trophy with City, has described as the biggest objective of his career.

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  Family ties

  Haaland has a very close relationship with his former footballer father, Alfie, but also a healthy rivalry with him. "He never pushed me to anything, but he early knew that I wanted to become good at football," Haaland told magazine. "I said a long time ago 'Hopefully I'll become better than you'. I told him many times. That's been something that has been a motivation for me ever since I was young, to live from football and become better than him."

  It is fair to say that Erling has already had a far more impressive career than Alfie, who won zero major honours in his 20-year stint in professional football. Erling, by contrast, has won nine trophies, including the Champions League and Premier League, two Golden Boots and been named Player of the Season in both England and Germany. But Alfie can boast of one thing his son is yet to achieve: he has played in a World Cup.

  Alfie was part of the Norway side that qualified for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S., and so there is an added significance to Erling's bid to reach next summer's tournament and become the second member of his family to not only play in the world's most prestigious competition, but to do so in the same country as his father.

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  'Biggest party ever'

  Norway last reached the World Cup in 1998 (Alfie didn't make the squad), and while in the U.S. they agonisingly missed out on the knockout stage by one goal after all four teams in their group finished on four points, Norway had an epic journey in France, reaching the last 16 by beating none other than world champions Brazil. 

  Granted, Brazil had already qualified as Group A winners, but they still fielded an all-star side including Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo and the best player in the world at the time, Ronaldo. Norway went behind in the 79th minute but staged an incredible turnaround in the space of five minutes to snatch a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Tore Andre Flo and an 89th-minute penalty from Kjetil Rekdal. 

  Norway were beaten 1-0 by Italy in the last 16, but no one alive then will forget the achievement of beating Brazil and making it to the knockout stage. Haaland is not looking that far ahead, but he knows that just making it to the finals will be a historic achievement. "If we would qualify for the World Cup, it would be like another big nation winning it," he told . "It would be the biggest party ever. Scenes in Oslo would be incredible."

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  'Sick and tired'

  Norway had something approaching the biggest party ever when they beat Italy 3-0 in June. Rain had hammered down relentlessly throughout the game, but fans remained inside the Ullevaal Stadion long after full-time, serenading their players while wearing their ponchos.

  "People didn't want to go home," said coach Stale Solbakken. "The rain was pouring, but they were there long before the game and long after the game."

  Solbakken was part of the squad at the 1998 World Cup, giving the current crop of players, the vast majority of whom were not born then, a link with the past, although it is one that Solbakken wants to break: "We are sick and tired of talking about that now, so we need to get to another tournament. It’s 25 years since we've been in a major tournament, so it's about time."

  Solbakken's experience at the World Cup is not even his most significant achievement. While training with FC Copenhagen in 2000, the 57-time Norway international collapsed from a heart attack as his heart stopped beating for almost seven minutes and he went into a coma for 30 hours. "He was clinically dead," said the club doctor who revived him. "It is a miracle that he is still alive."

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  'Biggest match-winner'

  Solbakken was forced to retire at the age of 30, entering coaching in 2002. He won eight league titles with Copenhagen in two spells before becoming Norway coach in 2020. He is blessed with an incredible generation of players headlined by Haaland and Martin Odegaard (who is out injured at the moment), and backed-up by Haaland's City team-mate Oscar Bobb, Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth, RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa, Fulham midfielder Sander Berge and Borussia Dortmund full-back Julian Ryerson.

  "Offensively, we have players with some X-factor now. We feel we can always score a goal," Solbakken added. "As a team, we have become much more solid defensively as well. We have a better mix. The feeling (in the squad) has always been good, but there’s an extra edge to it now that we have done so well."

  No one has quite the X-factor of Haaland, and yet Solbakken insists the striker is "easy to coach". "He is very down-to-earth in terms that he wants to do his work defensively as well," he added. "He thinks about the team before he thinks about himself. You can see that when other players score, he's as happy as he is when he scores himself. He's aware he's a leader and he's taking care of his team-mates in a very good way. The other players know that Erling is our biggest match-winner and that we have to make sure that we put him in the right areas so he can score goals and be dangerous."

It is hard not to feel a little bit sorry for Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl after he watched his team ship three goals for the second time in four matches, albeit after extra time.

The Ibrox giants were beaten 3-1 at Hampden Park by their Glasgow rivals in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Sunday, but it was fairly impressive that they even took the game to extra time after going 1-0 down and down to ten men.

Rohl, who arrived to replace Russell Martin in the dugout, will have learned a lot about his group of players after his first four games in charge, with two wins and two defeats.

The former Sheffield Wednesday boss should be pleased with the fight this team showed on Sunday, although his side seemed to lose their legs in extra time, as shown by how slow the defenders were to react to Callum Osmand’s goal in the clip below.

Celtic’s young striker scored his first goal for the club in his second senior appearance, both of which have come under interim manager Martin O’Neill.

That shows that a fresh pair of eyes in the dugout can unearth a talent that was overlooked by the previous management team, which should be a lesson to Rohl, with the players in the Rangers youth ranks.

The academy problem Rangers have at Ibrox

The Light Blues have a problem with their academy at Ibrox because there has not been enough of a reward for the work being done with their youth teams.

As you can see in the table above, the five most valuable former Rangers academy players all play for other clubs, and none of them made more than 55 appearances for the first-team before they left.

Only two of them, Nathan Patterson and Billy Gilmour, being worth more than £5m suggests that the club are not doing enough to bring in or develop high-value players in their academy.

On top of potentially not bringing the right players through their academy system, an issue could also be the lack of a pathway to first-team football at Ibrox.

Osmand for Celtic is the perfect example. He did not play a single minute under Brendan Rodgers for the Hoops, after signing in the summer window, and he made an instant impact in a huge match when brought in by O’Neill.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

If Rodgers had stayed in post and continued to ignore the striker, Osmand’s development may have stalled, and he could have gone on to leave Glasgow and thrive or fail elsewhere.

Instead, O’Neill provided him with a chance to shine and, after his goal against Rangers, he may kick on to become a star for the Hoops in the coming months because of the opportunity that he has been given.

Now, on the other side of Glasgow, Rohl could unearth his own version of Osmand by finally unleashing Findlay Curtis as a starter for the Ibrox giants.

Why Danny Rohl should unleash Findlay Curtis for Rangers

The Gers academy graduate was given a chance by Martin at the start of this season, with starts against Panathinaikos, and he showed real promise, with an excellent first goal for the club.

It was a terrific run and finish from the “Boy Wonder”, as shown in the clip above, but he has not started a game in any competition since those two games against the Greek side.

Curtis added to his goal tally for the club with goals against both St Mirren and Alloa Athletic, in the Scottish Premiership and the League Cup. Both of those strikes, though, came as a substitute.

As you can see in the table above, the 19-year-old attacker has only made ten appearances in all competitions this season, starting two games, and has scored three goals in that time.

Per Sofascore, Curtis has been an unused substitute in seven of his last eight appearances in the matchday squad, with his only outing in that time coming off the bench against Dundee United in Stevie Smith’s game as interim head coach.

Despite his frustrating lack of game time on the pitch, only Djeidi Gassama (five) and James Tavernier (six) have scored more goals for Rangers in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, than the teenage winger.

Curtis has scored one goal in 49 minutes of action in the Premiership, across four appearances as a substitute, so far this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been effective with the minutes that he has had.

The Scottish forward, who produced four goals and three assists in eight matches for the B team, has delivered quality in the Premiership, in Europe, and in a domestic cup. He has shown that he can make an impact with the first-team.

Yet, as has seemingly been the case for academy players for far too long at Ibrox, Curtis has not been rewarded with regular game time to develop and improve in the senior team.

Rohl must change that by providing the 19-year-old attacker, who can play on the left or the right flank, with more chances to show what he can do on the pitch as a starter for the Light Blues.

Rangers saw firsthand what can happen when a young player is finally given a chance when Osmand found the back of the net against them, and they should learn from that lesson by finally unleashing Curtis.

Martin claimed Rangers star was a "huge asset", now he looks "rotten"

This Rangers signing was heavily praised by Russell Martin, now it looks like he needs to be sold.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 3, 2025

He was appointed in August 2022 and was at the helm when KKR won their third IPL title in 2024

Shashank Kishore29-Jul-2025Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and head coach Chandrakant Pandit have parted ways as part of a support-staff rejig in the wake of a disappointing IPL 2025, where they finished eighth on the points table.Signed on the back of his domestic success as head coach of Madhya Pradesh, Pandit was with KKR for three seasons. The highlight of his stint was the franchise’s title win in 2024 after a ten-year gap.”Mr. Chandrakant Pandit has decided to explore new opportunities and will not continue as head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders,” the franchise said in a statement. “We are thankful for his invaluable contributions – including leading KKR to the IPL championship in 2024 and helping build a strong, resilient squad. His leadership and discipline left a lasting impact on the team.”Pandit was appointed KKR head coach in August 2022, taking over from Brendon McCullum. After an underwhelming maiden season in 2023, where KKR finished seventh, Pandit was at the helm when the franchise won their third IPL title in 2024. After Gambhir went on to take up the role as head coach of the Indian team in July last year, Pandit marshalled KKR for IPL 2025 along with mentor Dwayne Bravo and bowling coach Bharat Arun.