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A late replacement for the injured Rawal, Shafali has been given the freedom by the team management to play her natural game

Sruthi Ravindranath29-Oct-20251:47

Shafali: ‘Playing a semi-final not new for me’

Just a couple of days ago, Shafali Verma was in Surat with the Haryana team, playing in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy. On Wednesday, she was addressing the media on the eve of India’s World Cup semi-final against Australia after earning a late call-up in place of the injured Pratika Rawal. Shafali was her usual confident self and said that playing a semi-final “was not new to her” and that she feels “super ready” to play in any position India wants her to.”I was playing domestic cricket and was in good touch,” Shafali said. “Talking about the semi-finals, it’s not something new for me because I’ve played many semi-finals before. It’s just a matter of keeping my mind clear and giving myself confidence. I’ve been in such situations earlier, so it’s nothing new. I’ll keep telling myself to stay calm and believe in myself. So absolutely, I’ll do well, 200%.”Of course, what happened with Pratika – as a sportsperson, seeing that doesn’t feel good. No one wants any player to go through such an injury. But I believe God has sent me here to do something good.”Shafali is no stranger to the big stage, having already featured in three T20 World Cups and an ODI World Cup, including a final and a semi-final – both against Australia. After being dropped from both formats last year, she fought her way back into the T20I side in June, though Rawal continued to partner Smriti Mandhana at the top in ODIs.Related

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• Shafali tunes up for Australia, a day after destiny's call

Having just played the T20s in Surat, Shafali admitted adjusting to the 50-over format would need some work. She has had two training sessions with the squad since joining, focusing on both her defensive game and her trademark big hits.”Absolutely, I was playing T20s, and as a batter, it’s not easy to switch formats so quickly,” Shafali said. “But we had good practice sessions yesterday and today. I stayed calm and batted well. I tried to attack the bowlers who were in my range. I’ve had long batting sessions over the last two days, and I’m feeling really good because whatever I’m trying is working out. So yes, I’m happy with my touch. It’s looking very good for me.”While she has built her reputation as a power-hitting opener, Shafali said that she’s ready to adapt to any role the team requires.”That’s a management call [if they want to play me tomorrow]. But if you ask me, I’m flexible,” she said. “I can play anywhere, not just as an opener or in the middle order. The confidence I have in myself is very important as a sportsperson. So wherever the management wants me to play, I’m super ready.”Consistency – or lack thereof – was a concern when Shafali was dropped, but she’s since gone back to domestic cricket and delivered. Last season, she captained Haryana to a quarter-final finish in the one-day competition, topping the run charts with 527 runs at a blistering strike rate of 152.31. While announcing the ODI World Cup squad in August, chief selector Neetu David had said Shafali was “very much part of our system” despite not being named in the squad and that India were “keeping an eye on her.”Shafali Verma prepares for the semi-final clash against Australia in Navi Mumbai•ICC/Getty Images

Inside the dressing room, the message to her has been clear: play your natural game.”All the players I’ve spoken to have boosted my confidence a lot, which means a lot to me,” Shafali said. “The coach, captain, and even Smriti [Mandhana] told me that I just need to play my game, there’s no pressure. I just have to play the way I know, without panicking. So yes, I’ve been given a lot of freedom, and I’ll try to respect the good balls and hit the ones in my range.”Shafali understands the magnitude of the challenge ahead of her – facing an unbeaten Australian side in a World Cup at home. But having faced them 25 times across white-ball formats, including scoring a match-winning 64 not out off 44 balls in a T20I in Navi Mumbai last year, she knows what to expect.”I’ve played against Australia many times, so it’s not something new for me,” she said. “I know their bowlers and their styles. I’ll back my strengths, and yes, they’ll come hard at us. But we’ve prepared a lot and everyone’s in touch. Hopefully, we’ll perform well.”I know that if we don’t lose early wickets as a batting unit, they start to feel the pressure. As a bowling unit, we’ll look to maintain good lengths, and as batters, we’ll back our strengths. The simpler we keep things, the better it’ll be. The less we panic, the better we’ll perform. So yes, we’ll back ourselves and keep things simple.”

Former Inter and Belgium defender Zinho Vanheusden has announced his retirement from professional football aged just 26, with the centre-back releasing a heartbreaking statement confirming his surprise decision. Vanheusden plied his trade in Italy, Belgium and Netherlands before heading to Spain this summer as he signed for third-tier club Marbella, but has now called time on his career.

• A promising talent in Inter's youth system

  After spending seven years in Standard Liege's youth academy, Vanheusden was scouted by Inter youth coaches and was brought to the club's academy in 2015. At 16, the defender was considered as one of the brightest prospects in Europe and was expected to shine for the Serie A giants' senior side in the future.

  However, his progress halted at Inter due to a series of injuries as he never got to play for their senior side. He was on Inter's book, though, until 2025 as he played for clubs like Standard Liege, Genoa and AZ on a series of loan spells. Finally, in the summer of 2025, he exited Inter to join third-tier Spanish club Marbella to revive his career. 

  At the start of the season, he made seven appearances for the club before a third anterior cruciate ligament tear of his career forced him to announce his retirement at the tender age of 26. Vanheusden also represented Belgium at the youth level and made his senior professional debut in 2020 against Ivory Coast in an international friendly which ended in a 1-1 draw. It was his first and only international cap.

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  Vanheusden released heartbreaking statement

  On Instagram, the 26-year-old wrote: "Today I am making a decision I never thought I would have to make at this age. After 22 years of soccer — from my fourth year until now — my life as a professional soccer player is coming to an end. Football made me who I am today. It gave me a life I never dared to dream of as a child. From supporting my favourite club for years as a child with my dad at Sclessin, to then playing a hundred games for it myself, to scoring for the Ultras and even getting the honour of being a captain here. It didn’t stop there… I got the opportunity to make my national debut and to play in Serie A. All things that seemed unreal when I started.

  "Besides all that beautiful, the last few years were tough. Much heavier than I ever seemed. Injuries, operations, injections, medication… I gave everything to go back, but it got harder every time. I was constantly searching for my level, overplayed through pain too often and lived after every workout or game uncertain about how my body would react the next day. I kept fighting to be the player I wanted to be, but every time a new fight came. In my heart I will always want to be a footballer, but my body has been saying enough for a while now. And that’s why — out of respect for myself, for my health and for my responsibility as a father — I am making this decision. As surreal as it feels writing this. But I want to be able to walk in my life without pain, play with my son and enjoy life with my family… I don’t know what it will be like to get up without football, but I’m going to find out now."

• Ex-Inter star named after famous Brazilian footballer

  Zinho's father Johan Vanheusden, in 2017, revealed that he had named his son after famous Brazilian footballer Zinho, who starred for the Selecao in their 1994 World Cup win.

  Speaking to , Johan had said: "The 'h' in Zinho is actually pronounced like a 'j,'" said Johan Vanheusden. "Like in Portuguese. Our son is named after the Brazilian footballer Zinho. I thought he was fantastic at the '94 World Cup'. Five years later, in 1999, the name for a son was quickly chosen."

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  What will Vanheusden do next?

  The 26-year-old will now work hard to regain full fitness and recover from the fresh setback. The former defender does not have clarity at the moment about his future, but like other retired footballers, he might try and get into management to remain in touch with the game, which he dearly loves.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber was on the doorstep of 40 home runs for just three innings.

He mashed his 39th long ball of the year in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles Monday night on a massive shot to the third deck at Citizens Bank Park. The homer gave him the National League lead, moving one past Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Then, as the Phillies batted around the order in the sixth, he hit another blast to right field—this time for a grand slam.

The 390-foot shot was Schwarber's 40th homer of the season, now two past Ohtani for the most in the NL. The next closest NL player is Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs with 27, although Eugenio Suárez and his 36 homers moved to the American League at last week's trade deadline.

Schwarber's career-best total is 47 home runs, which he notched in 2023. The season before, he had 46. Now, he has reached 40 with 50 games to go.

With the massive Monday, he moves into the MLB lead in RBIs with 94, surpassing Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh (88). Raleigh currently leads baseball with 42 home runs, but Schwarber is right on his heels with three homers in two games.

England manager Sarina Wiegman has broken her silence on comments made by Mary Earps in her explosive autobiography. In that, the former Lionesses goalkeeper questioned some of the selection calls made by the Dutch coach. Wiegman feels no need to explain any of the decisions that she has made down the years, with every one of those intended to help deliver collective success.

• What Earps said about Wiegman & Hampton

  Wiegman’s record suggests that she has got plenty of big calls right, with her time in charge of the Lionesses delivering back-to-back European Championship triumphs and a 2023 World Cup final appearance.

  She was, however, subjected to criticism in Earps’ new book ‘All In: Football, Life and Learning to be Unapologetically Me’. In that, ex-England keeper Earps – who helped her country to continental glory in 2022 – accused Wiegman of “rewarding bad behaviour” in her recalling of the previously excluded Hannah Hampton.

  Hampton went on to usurp Earps as the Lionesses’ No.1 ahead of Euro 2025, leading to an icon of the modern era announcing her international retirement. Earps watched on from afar as her replacement starred on Swiss soil and delivered penalty shootout heroics en route to capturing the ultimate prize.

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  Wiegman's response to comments from Earps

  Wiegman has now said of Earps’ comments and why she will never make decisions just to keep people happy: “We have conversations with different players all the time. What my reality is and what someone else's reality is can be different because how you experience things is very individual. I just know what I want to do is create an environment where we speak up and have clarity.

  “I make decisions to win. And what I've said all the time is that we have two incredible goalkeepers and at the end I made that decision to the one I came to and that's what it is for me.”

• Wiegman prepared to make unpopular decisions

  Wiegman admits that she has not spoken with Earps following the release of her book, with there nothing to be said. She is eager to point out that she cannot “control” the behaviour of others and “would have done the same thing” again if turning the clock back to Euros preparations.

  She added on making decisions that will not always be universally popular: “The competition has been really hard. We had a very good goalkeeping unit and the two goalkeepers were competing for the number one spot. I would have done the same thing. In the bigger picture I don’t think I would have done things differently.

  “As I always say, I always keep conversations private. When I have individual conversations, I keep that private because I think that builds trust. When I do that I think players will come to me and have conversations with me. We create an environment where we want people to be themselves and everyone’s different. I think that helps on and off the pitch to connect people.”

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  England fixtures: Next up for the Lionesses

  Wiegman does not believe that Earps’ revelations will cause divides in her squad, with everybody in the current England camp pulling in the same direction.

  She went on to say: “When there are teams there are always dynamics going on. We're working with people and everyone is different. No matter what the topic is there are always conversations going on. I want my door to be open at all times to have conversations when needed or if someone needs support and the other way round if I need to challenge a player for whatever reason.”

  Wiegman sought to end the discussion by stating that she “enjoyed working” with Earps as they shared some “incredible” times together. England’s focus now is on upcoming friendly dates with China at Wembley and Ghana at St Mary’s, with a group of 25 players being selected for those fixtures that will bring the curtain down on another memorable, and often eventful, 12 months for the Lionesses. Chelsea keeper Hampton will play no part in those games as she is currently nursing an injury.

The New York Yankees placed outfielder Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list over the weekend with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Though Judge will have to miss some time, he did avoid a more serious injury or any damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, and his elbow will not require surgery.

"I think we in the big picture dodged something pretty good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told on Tuesday. "Hopefully this little bit of downtime does the trick and also serves as a little bit of a physical reset for him in a long season where you're playing every day."

Boone added that he thinks Judge will begin hitting off the tee on Tuesday or Wednesday, and will resume throwing 10-15 days after the injury. Boone remains unsure of how long it will take Judge to be ready to go in the outfield after he starts throwing again.

Per Bryan Hoch of , Boone said the "hope" is that Judge will play as the designated hitter when he's eligible to return from the IL on Aug. 5.

The Yankees have talked to designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton about playing outfield with Judge out and for depth down the stretch. Though Stanton is "eager" about the opportunity and will do some drills in the outfield this week, Boone is unsure if he will actually use Stanton in that role.

A 19-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly verbally abusing Mason Mount during Manchester United's Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the man in question had attended the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He was removed after he was overheard making the alleged offensive comment by a member of staff.

• Police issue statement after making arrest

  The staff member reported the incident to the police, resulting in the fan's arrest on suspicion of "intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress", according to a statement shared by the Metropolitan Police to . The suspect has been bailed pending further enquiries, with the investigation ongoing. 

  Mount was not aware of the abuse. The midfielder played 19 minutes of the 2-2 draw, replacing Matheus Cunha. 

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  Tottenham vow to take action

  In a statement made to , Tottenham said they were supporting the police investigation, and they would take the "strongest possible action" against any supporter found to be using discriminatory language. 

  Spurs' statement read: “The club is aware of a supporter being arrested for alleged verbal abuse of an opposition player during Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Manchester United.

  “Prior to the game, all ticket holders received guidance regarding discriminatory chanting and, specifically, homophobic chanting.

  “We will now support Met Police in their investigation and, once concluded, any supporter found to have used discriminatory language will be a subject to the strongest possible action in accordance with our Sanctions and Banning Policy. We will also ensure they take part in a fan education programme. 

  “We work tirelessly with all our supporters’ associations to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans on matchdays, and have a zero tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination.”

• Tottenham fined last season for homophobic abuse of Mount

  The incident comes a little over a year since Mount faced homophobic chants during the Red Devils' visit to Spurs at the start of last season. 

  Tottenham were fined £75,000 after their fans were found guilty of the offence, as well as further homophobic chanting directed at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. 

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  Will fines and arrests stop abuse?

  While it is unclear what the 19-year-old suspect said to Mount, it is clear that homophobic chanting directed at former Chelsea players remains a persistent problem. While on loan at Crystal Palace, ex-Blues left back Ben Chilwell was also targeted by Millwall fans in an FA Cup tie.  

  The Red Devils have previously addressed this trend, issuing a statement that outlined their zero-tolerance policy towards "rent boy" chants. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed in 2022 that the term is considered a homophobic slur. 

  The hope is the application of the law and the handing out of fines by the Premier League will result in a reduction of this style of abuse on the terraces going forward. 

Liverpool pushed all of their recent agony to one side by comfortably getting the better of Aston Villa 2-0 on Saturday night.

Arne Slot’s Reds do still find themselves seven points shy of Arsenal at the very top of the Premier League tree, with four defeats in a row not exactly helping their cause, but a win was desperately needed all the same, and it was secured in a straightforward fashion versus Unai Emery’s challengers.

Mohamed Salah would have also been relieved, from a personal point of view, that he was back amongst the goals last night as Slot and Co. picked up their first league win since the hotly-contested Merseyside Derby back in September.

The milestone Mo Salah hit vs Aston Villa

It was a milestone night for the Egyptian after all, coming up against the visitors from the West Midlands.

Despite experiencing a shaky start to the season by his lofty standards, Salah would still manage to collect his 250th Premier League goal of his illustrious career on Saturday evening, after he capitalised on a mix-up at the back by Emiliano Martinez to slot a first-half effort home with ease.

That set the reigning champions on their way to an assured three points, with Salah looking lively throughout, away from just adding himself to the Premier League’s record books.

The 33-year-old would very much keep Lucas Digne on his toes throughout, with the Liverpool veteran managing to complete five successful dribbles to look back to his usual rampaging best.

Moreover, Salah also showed plenty of energy and vigour when launching himself into duels, with seven ground duels also impressively won.

Come the end of the contest, Salah would have been pleased with his overall application, away from just stealing the majority of the limelight with his milestone goal.

Still, there is a fresher figure in Slot’s ranks who is seemingly turning into the Dutchman’s new version of the Reds legend, in terms of being a must-have presence on the teamsheet when fit.

Slot's new Salah-type player

Salah is now 33 years of age, meaning his time as a Liverpool regular, week in, week out, could come to a halt soon.

He has, unfortunately, wobbled at points this season, too, with only four goals collected in Premier League action, but class is permanent, as was seen in his encouraging showing against Villa, which showed there’s still life in the ageing winger’s legs at the moment.

It cannot be understated how crucial Salah has been over the years for Liverpool with consistent moments of magic, but Slot could well find he has a new Salah-type figure in his ranks now in Ryan Gravenberch, who is a “vital” figure himself whenever he’s fit in the Liverpool starting XI, as ex-Reds midfielder Steve McManaman labelled him after the important 2-0 victory.

Journalist Henry Winter also stated, after the three points were secured, that the former Ajax sensation is “so important” to how Liverpool tick, with Slot cursing his talisman’s recent injury luck, before he returned to the first-team fold against Villa, with Liverpool coming worryingly unstuck 3-2 away at Brentford with Gravenberch not in the side.

With Gravenberch back in the side, though, on Saturday night, Liverpool never looked in danger of gifting Villa the three points, as the standout number 38 picked up his third Premier League goal of the season already – to show off a killer finishing ability like Salah – when this kind deflection wrongfooted Martinez early in the second half.

Gravenberch also led by example when winning six duels and two tackles, to give Liverpool some needed grit in the middle of the park, on top of also bowing out from the 2-0 win with an 88% pass accuracy intact.

The 23-year-old has been equal parts skilful and attritional throughout the season so far, as can be seen looking at the table above, with Salah’s insane 29-goal season last campaign in the Premier League even seeing him win his fair share of duels, when averaging 3.3 successful duels per clash.

The 8/10 midfield star – as was the post-match rating handed to him by journalist Ian Doyle – still has a long way to go before he’s seen in the same glowing light as Salah, who has become a top-flight great at Anfield.

But, if he continues at his current trajectory – with one analyst even branding him as “world-class” for his well-rounded showing against Villa – he will also be fondly remembered in the Liverpool hall-of-fame down the line, long after Salah’s esteemed playing days.

Best game all season: Liverpool star was even better than Salah & Gravenberch

Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield and this player stood out

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 2, 2025

After a campaign that never really took off, they have some reflecting to do: on batting-order tactics, on individual decision-making, and on whether the time is right for a change in leadership

Shashank Kishore15-Oct-20242:19

Muzumdar: ‘Couldn’t have asked for more from players’

Watching another game nervously with your fate reliant on its result is probably among the least enviable things in sport. Which is why, bags packed, several India players chose not to invest three-plus hours of their emotional energy into the New Zealand-Pakistan game, instead only glancing at the score from time to time.Their hopes rose when New Zealand were kept to 110, but they came crashing down when Pakistan tumbled to 56 all out. It’s the first time since 2016 that India haven’t made the semi-finals of a Women’s T20 World Cup. Their packed bags were ready to head straight to check-in as Harmanpreet Kaur’s team will head to their respective cities, before reconvening in Ahmedabad next week for three ODIs against New Zealand.Between now and then, they’ll have time to reflect on a campaign that never really took off. And that’s perhaps why this will sting more than the one in 2023, when they were contenders through much of the tournament before being stopped in the semi-final by eventual champions Australia.Related

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When they do stop to reflect, here are some of the things they will have to consider.

The batting-order muddle

It’s great to have flexibility and India tried out six different players at No. 3 since Amol Muzumdar took over as head coach in December last year. But when these experiments didn’t yield the desired results, the team management backed the experienced Harmanpreet Kaur to be the impact batter there.In T20s since the start of 2022, Harmanpreet has been striking at 94.07 across 84 innings. The plan here was to free her up to play the role of an aggressor, allowing Jemimah Rodrigues, originally a No. 3, to be a spin enforcer in the middle.Jemimah Rodrigues: No. 3 or not No. 3?•ICC/Getty ImagesBut one loss to New Zealand led to a reshuffle with Rodrigues coming out at No. 3 against Pakistan, a game where the openers failed to hit a single boundary in the powerplay when the need of the hour was quick runs to improve their net run rate if it came down to that.Rodrigues herself had spoken of how batting in a new position had got her to approach batting differently. Yet, in a decisive game against Australia, with spinners Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham and Ash Gardner applying the brakes on India’s scoring rate, they missed Rodrigues in the middle, because she was sent in at No. 3 again, above Harmanpreet. The revolving door at No. 3 may have not been the only reason for their exit, but it certainly forced India to deviate from the template they had wanted to set.

Mandhana, Ghosh off-colour

It also didn’t help that Smriti Mandhana had a forgettable tournament. Barring the half-century against Sri Lanka, she managed just 12, 7 and 6. Mandhana’s powerplay salvo has over the years allowed India’s middle order some cushion. It did so in 2023; not this time though, and it hurt the team. Muddled batting plans down the order didn’t help either, like the decision to send in Deepti Sharma ahead of S Sajana against Pakistan when India were looking to close out the chase quickly.Smriti Mandhana has a forgettable World Cup to reflect on•ICC/Getty ImagesDeepti was unbeaten on 7 off eight balls and by the time Sajana, playing primarily as a finisher, came in to hit her first (and only) ball of the tournament to the boundary to bring up the winning runs, India had eaten up 18.5 overs in a modest chase.Batting-order tactics aside, India also let themselves down with their individual, in-the-moment decision-making. Like Richa Ghosh, India’s biggest six-hitter, chancing a non-existent single to extra cover when big hits, and not quick singles, was the need of the hour.Or Harmanpreet’s decision to take a single with India needing 14 to win off six balls against Australia. It was clear, beyond doubt, that Harmanpreet was India’s last hope. India went on to lose two wickets in two balls. Even when there was still a chance, however unlikely, with India needing 13 off 3, Harmanpreet opted to take another single, leaving No. 9 Shreyanka Patil to hit two sixes.

Why camps over A-tour exposure in Australia?

Patil is a competent batter in domestic cricket but has hardly had opportunities to showcase her credentials at the top level. Okay, she was injured in the run-up to the tournament and needed the National Cricket Academy’s attention, but in simply focusing on skills and fitness camps did India deny themselves a valuable opportunity of sending some of the others, like Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav and Arundhati Reddy, on the India A tour to Australia?All through the South Africa and Bangladesh series, India’s lower order was hardly tested on the batting front. Even when they went 3-0 up in Bangladesh, they stuck to the tried-and-tested. At the time, this might have seemed fair because they were preparing for a World Cup that was expected to be in those same conditions. But hardly any batting time for a lower order for months leading into the World Cup didn’t help.

While India’s T20 World Cup preparation – exclusive fitness, fielding and skill camps across six weeks – may have seemed comprehensive on the face of it, they may have missed a trick by not scheduling a single fielding or training session under lights

Which is perhaps why exposure in a multi-format series against a quality opponent, which featured the likes of Tahlia McGrath, who played an important role in India’s defeat on Sunday, could have provided them exposure and experience that no skill or fitness camp would have compensated for.Also, while India’s preparation – exclusive fitness, fielding and skill camps across six weeks – may have seemed comprehensive on the face of it, they may have missed a trick by not scheduling a single fielding or training session under lights. While three dropped catches against Australia in a crunch game may not have directly contributed to their defeat, it all added up in the end.

So, what next?

Inevitably, the end of every World Cup cycle will prompt questions of a transition. Harmanpreet has been captain for seven years now, and has been a key driver for change amid a revolving door of coaches (Tushar Arothe to Ramesh Powar to WV Raman to Ramesh Powar to Hrishikesh Kanitkar to Amol Muzumdar) since she took over in 2017.Is it time for Harmanpreet Kaur to pass the captaincy baton on?•ICC via Getty ImagesMandhana has been the captain-in-waiting, much like Rohit Sharma until he replaced Virat Kohli, co-incidentally after a group-stage exit at a T20 World Cup in the UAE – in 2021. Mandhana has risen to be a top batter who commands the respect of the players and has built an impressive body of work.Earlier this year, she masterminded Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden WPL win. At 28, with over a decade’s experience, it may not necessarily be a bad idea for the team to go to her, for an influx of new ideas from a player who has come of age under Harmanpreet and can build on her good work.That could possibly unshackle Harmanpreet the batter as well, adding possibly yet another chapter to her illustrious career, especially with a 50-over World Cup to look forward to at home next year.

Vice-captain Pope said that the issue was the result of “the amount he’s pushed his body” during this series but insisted he’d be fit to bowl on Saturday

Matt Roller25-Jul-20254:14

Manjrekar: ‘Serious chance’ for Root to break Tendulkar’s record

England played down concerns over Ben Stokes’ workload after he was forced to retire hurt for the first time in his international career in Manchester due to cramp in his left leg. Ollie Pope, Stokes’ vice-captain, said that the issue was the result of “the amount he’s pushed his body” during this series but insisted that he would be fit to bowl on Saturday.Stokes had scored 66, his highest score of the series, when he retired hurt on Friday evening, as England built a substantial first-innings lead over India. He returned after the fall of three further wickets, reaching 77 not out overnight, but appeared to be in some discomfort while running between the wickets.While Stokes was fit enough to resume his innings, the fact that he retired hurt will sound alarm bells, particularly after a heavy bowling workload. Stokes dedicated five months to his rehabilitation from surgery on his left hamstring this year and has bowled 129 overs against India, the most that he has bowled in a Test series.Related

• Ironman Stokes beats his body and recaptures his peak

• Stats – Root second only to Tendulkar for most Test runs

“I think he’s okay,” Pope said. “He’s just cramping down his leg, and it managed to spread to his whole leg. It’s probably just a build-up of the amount he’s pushed his body over the last four or five weeks. He’s obviously pushed himself to some serious limits so far, and that was probably just a build-up of it. I think he will be good to go tomorrow, I’m sure, with bat and ball.”Ben Stokes retired hurt on 66 before coming back at the fall of the seventh wicket•Getty Images

Pope has previously said that he considers helping Stokes to manage his workload to be one of his responsibilities as vice-captain but conceded: “That doesn’t always go my way.” He said: “Everyone knows what a competitor he is, and the lengths he’s prepared to push his body to get the job in hand done… There’s times where you can’t take the ball off him.”Stokes clutched the back of his left leg while playing a reverse-sweep off Washington Sundar during the evening session, and suffered cramp while taking a single off Mohammed Siraj. He briefly consulted England’s physio before batting on, but retired hurt at the end of the following over, grimacing as he walked off the field.Stokes became the second player to retire hurt during the fourth Test, after Rishabh Pant was forced off with a foot injury on the first day. Pant later returned to the crease on the second day to score a further 17 runs but was unable to keep wicket and is unlikely to feature in the fifth Test at The Oval next week.Pope stood in for England’s media duties on Friday night because Joe Root – like Stokes – was suffering from cramp, but said that Root would be fit to field on Saturday. “He just didn’t fancy the media tonight,” Pope said, laughing. “He’ll be here in the morning.”