KANPUR: The second test against India this week could be Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s last in this format if he is denied a home farewell next month, the under-pressure player said in an abrupt announcement on Thursday.

Shakib was a member of parliament for the Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina, whose 15-year rule as prime minister ended in August with her fleeing to India following deadly protests.

He is considered the greatest cricketer Bangladesh has produced but his political past places the former captain in a tricky position as an interim government supervises a power transition.

Shakib has not been home since protests erupted in July but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has assured him he will not be harassed on his return.

“I am available for the South Africa series but since there’s a lot happening back home, naturally not everything depends on me,” Shakib said.

“I have discussed my plans about test cricket with the BCB…” he said while also announcing his retirement from T20 Internationals with immediate effect.

“If there’s a chance and if I can play, the test in Mirpur will be my last. The board is trying to make it safe for me to go and play…”

“This is my desire … but this could be my last test match.” he said referring to the second test against India in Kanpur beginning on Friday.

Shakib anticipated no problem going home but was sceptical if he would be allowed to leave Bangladesh once he returned.

“My close friends and family members are concerned. I hope things are getting better. There should be a solution to it.”

He denied the situation back home forced him into retiring from those two formats.

“I think this is the right time to move on and give scope to newcomers,” Shakib said.

“I discussed my plans with the board, selectors, captain and coach – and they all agree this is the right thing to do.”

Shakib made his international debut in a 2006 one-day internationals against Zimbabwe.

He has played 70 tests, 247 one-dayers and 129 T20 Internationals, amassing 14,721 runs and claiming 708 wickets to establish himself as one of the leading all-rounders of his era.

FAISALABAD: Pakistan cricket team’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie on Wednesday stressed that it was important to give confidence and show faith in the cricketers.

Speaking during the commentary of Champions Cup match between Lions and Stallions, Gillespie said, “We picked a squad which is not too dissimilar to what we had against Bangladesh. I’m really keen to show our faith and belief in our players.”

The head coach also discussed a range of topics, from player development to fitness challenges and the lessons he has learned so far.

“We don’t want to have knee-jerk reactions after every bad game or a result that hasn’t gone our way. We want to show the faith and belief in these players because they’re very good players, and we showed glimpses of good cricket in both the first and second Test against Bangladesh in Pindi,” Gillespie said.

However, the head coach recognised the need for greater consistency. “We just need to do it a little bit more consistently,” he added, stressing that maintaining trust in the players could help them achieve the desired results.

‘Fitness is controllable’

Gillespie — who also toured to Australia with the Pakistan Shaheens — shared his experience of getting acquainted with the players and support staff.

“The team’s been great,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to be in Darwin with the Pakistan Shaheens, which was a great experience to get to know some of the guys playing underneath the test side. Obviously, the test series didn’t go the way we would have liked against Bangladesh, but to start getting to know the players, the support staff, and everyone within Pakistan cricket has been fantastic.”

Gillespie, himself a renowned fast bowler, also acknowledged the importance of fitness in Test cricket.

“Fitness has been well-documented in the press. That’s certainly something, as far as I’m concerned, and having spoken to Gary Kirsten, is controllable. It’s something that we can control. We can continue to develop and work on that because, as we know, Test cricket is a challenge,” Gillespie remarked.

One player who has caught the eye of the cricketing community is Kamran Ghulam, who has been in outstanding form in the Champions Cup, scoring two centuries.

While acknowledging Ghulam’s form, Gillespie remained focused on rewarding the current squad. “Kamran has been communicated that his form has been acknowledged. He’s had, in particular, recent excellent performances. There are guys in the test squad who have been excellent over time, and we want to reward that,” he explained.

The coach reiterated the importance of patience, noting, “We firmly believe if we show faith and belief in our players, it gives them the best chance to go out and play with the freedom that we want them to play.”

One of the more pressing challenges for Gillespie and the Pakistan management has been managing the workload of players who compete in all three formats, especially fast bowlers like Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi.

Gillespie underscored the importance of a “squad mentality” rather than over-relying on a few players. “There’s a lot of cricket in all formats that we need to just be really aware of and make sure we’re managing our players as best we can,” he said.

He also touched upon a personal learning experience regarding Afridi’s availability during the Bangladesh series, sharing, “I learned a pretty good lesson as a coach in the first Test match when Shaheen’s wife was due to give birth. My initial thought was for him not to play and to spend time with his family. However, Shaheen, to his credit, was so keen to play. In hindsight, I should have made that call to allow him to have that important family time. It’s a lesson I’ve learned as a coach.”

Younger players to be given a chance

When asked if he would consider trying youngsters in Test matches to come as Pakistan’s chances to qualify for WTC final are over, Gillespie reiterated his focus of winning every game, but he also acknowledged the possibility of giving younger players a chance.

“We want to show our faith and backing to the incumbents, but if there are prolonged performances that need improvement, we will look at things. I’ve got a lot of faith in these players. This tournament has shown just how much talent there is in Pakistan cricket,” he said.

Gillespie also hinted at potential opportunities for youngsters later in the year. “We may look at exploring opportunities to be brave in selection and expose some youngsters to the Test team environment,” he added.

The head coach also touched upon future talent, having observed players in both the Shaheens and domestic tournaments. “We certainly want to increase our depth in all facets of the game, whether it be batting, fast bowling, spin bowling, or wicket-keeping,” Gillespie stated.

The wicket-keeper position, in particular, is one he has his eyes on, with the experienced Mohammad Rizwan and former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed leading the pack. “Sarfraz has been a wonderful servant, but we know Safi’s not getting any younger. At some point, we’re going to need to start exploring and offering opportunities to other players,” he said.

As Gillespie continues to familiarise himself with the setup, the message is clear — building a squad that can compete at the highest level, managing workload efficiently, and nurturing talent are his top priorities. “We don’t want to have to rely on one or two players in any discipline. We want to be able to create depth and squads so that we can call on any player at any time,” he concluded.

Jason Gillespie’s first few months as head coach have been a learning experience, filled with challenges but also with a sense of hope. His approach of maintaining faith in the current squad, managing workload sensibly, and creating a broader talent pool will be crucial as Pakistan navigates the tough road ahead in international cricket.

Former Hungarian fencer Laszlo Csongradi has been left so distraught by the theft of his Olympic gold medal that he has offered to leave it to the thief in his will if the medal is returned.

Csongradi, 65, won the Olympic gold in the men’s team sabre competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. His home was broken into and the medal was stolen Sept. 10 as Csongradi was sleeping.

“For two weeks, I can’t calm down and be happy, because everything reminds me of my stolen Olympic gold medal,” Csongradi told Hungary’s Sportal website.

“I would give everything to the culprit, but I want him to return the worthless object that means nothing to him. Drop it in the mailbox and if you want, I won’t leave it to a museum in my will, I’ll bequeath it to him.”

The medal was stored away in a cupboard, Csongradi said, adding that the burglar left the house only when the former fencer left his room and shouted at him.

“He could have taken other important things, but for some reason [the medal] was all he was interested in,” Csongradi said.

“The thief touched many things, many fingerprints were left behind, but there is nothing to identify them. I don’t know what to do to get the message across to him: I don’t want to hurt him. … You can negotiate with me.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

The final day of the 2024 WNBA regular season is here, and one playoff spot remains up for grabs as all 12 teams head into Thursday’s finales. The No. 1 seed New York Liberty were the first to clinch a playoff berth, on Aug. 17. But they have had to wait a month to find out whom they will face in the best-of-three first round, which begins Sunday on the home courts of the top four seeds.

The Atlanta Dream (14-25), Chicago Sky (13-26) and Washington Mystics (13-26) are all vying for the last playoff berth. The Dream travel to face the Liberty on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV), while the Sky are on the road at the Connecticut Sun (7 p.m. ET). Atlanta is 0-3 against New York this season, and Chicago is 0-3 vs. the Sun. Washington will host the Indiana Fever (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video); the Mystics are 1-2 against the Fever.

Although the Liberty and the No. 6 Fever have their playoff seeds set, the Sun’s seed isn’t locked in yet. They start the day in third, but a loss Thursday combined with a Las Vegas Aces victory over the Dallas Wings (10 p.m. ET) would move up the Aces to the No. 3 seed and drop the Sun to No. 4.

The Seattle Storm’s No. 5 seed is set heading into Thursday’s road game (10 p.m. ET) at No. 7 seed Phoenix Mercury. So while there is nothing on the line in the Storm-Mercury game, it will nonetheless draw a lot of attention as it could be the final home game for Phoenix legend Diana Taurasi. At 42, she is playing her 20th WNBA season and hasn’t said whether it will be her last.

Thursday’s matchup between the Minnesota Lynx, who are the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, and the last-place Los Angeles Sparks (8 p.m. ET) also has no impact on the postseason. The Sparks will miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

So while some teams will focus more on resting their stars for all that’s ahead, others will have a lot on the line Thursday. Here’s a look at what to watch for as the regular season concludes.

It has felt for some time as if the eighth and final playoff spot wouldn’t be punched until the last day of the regular season. That’s indeed how things played out, although Atlanta is in the driver’s seat: If the Dream win, they are in.

Of course, going up against top-seeded New York is no easy task. But even if the Dream lose, they could still snag the final spot in two other scenarios: if Washington and Chicago also lose, or if Washington wins and Chicago loses.

What about the Mystics and Sky? The only situation where Washington makes it into the postseason is if it wins, as does Chicago, but Atlanta loses.

For the Sky — who are dealing with an array of injuries — to earn the final berth, they need to win and need Atlanta and Washington to lose. — Philippou

Although No. 5 Seattle and No. 6 Indiana don’t have anything on the line to play for Thursday, they will be watching to see how the Chicago-Connecticut game goes. The outcome of that could make Las Vegas-Dallas must-see-TV for Storm and Fever fans.

If the Sun win, they will be the No. 3 seed and face Indiana. The Sky have been in a free fall since the Olympic break ended, going 3-12, and it’s hard to see the Sun losing this one. But …

If the Sun fall and Las Vegas beats a Wings team that will finish next to last, then we will have an Aces-Fever first-round series. That would feature the huge favorites for MVP (Aces’ A’ja Wilson) and Rookie of the Year (Fever’s Caitlin Clark).

The Fever went 0-4 against the Aces this season, and 1-3 against the Sun. Both will be extremely tough opponents for an Indiana team appearing in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. But Indiana at least has had some success against the Sun.

The Storm went 1-3 against the Aces and 2-1 against the Sun. Seattle is coming off an 85-72 loss at home to Las Vegas on Tuesday that ended a four-game winning streak. — Voepel

Which teams will join Los Angeles and Dallas, which were eliminated from playoff contention in early September, in the lottery? The Dream previously traded their 2025 first-round draft pick to acquire Allisha Gray, so Atlanta won’t be in the lottery even if it misses the playoffs. That draft pick ultimately ended up in the hands of the Mystics, who probably wouldn’t mind being treated to two lottery picks (their own and Atlanta’s) or finding themselves in the lottery even if they make the playoffs.

Dallas is also rooting for Chicago to miss the postseason. If that happens, then the Wings have a stronger chance of landing the No. 1 pick via the combination of their own odds with Chicago’s, thanks to the pick swap that was part of the 2023 Marina Mabrey trade. — Philippou

With relatively little on the line for teams already in the playoffs, teams will have to weigh the importance of building positive momentum heading into the postseason with that of resting key players.

Wednesday night’s injury reports heading into Thursday indicate some teams are gravitating toward the latter. The Lynx already ruled out Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride due to rest. In Vegas’ quartet of Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray, all are listed as doubtful for the same reason; notably, the Aces will know by their 10 p.m. ET tip whether they are locked into the 4-seed, as Connecticut’s game starts three hours earlier.

The Storm might still be without Jewell Loyd (questionable, knee), while Ezi Magbegor is out after a concussion (both players last appeared this past Friday). Kahleah Copper, who hasn’t played since Sept. 7, was listed as questionable for the Mercury with a back issue.

The three teams competing for the final playoff spot won’t be at full strength either, but no team is as depleted as Chicago, which, in addition to recently losing Angel Reese (wrist) for the year, will also be without Diamond DeShields (ankle), plus potentially Kamilla Cardoso (doubtful, shoulder) and Chennedy Carter (questionable, foot). — Philippou

Taurasi said after Tuesday’s victory in Los Angeles that she would wait to make a retirement decision until after this season ended. At 42, she has done everything there is to do in basketball, multiple times. Yet she’s still effective: Taurasi is averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Those stats aren’t retirement numbers.

Still, with the knowledge of what it takes in the offseason to be able to perform at the level she wants in the WNBA, Taurasi has to weigh whether she wants to keep going.

That said, she still has plenty of enthusiasm for this Mercury team, which will face Minnesota in the first round. On Tuesday, Taurasi complimented first-year Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts for changing “the whole mindset of this franchise” and talked about how well the team gets along even through its ups and downs.

“We’re still trying to find a rhythm … to find things that work for us,” Taurasi said. “There’s still an opportunity to get better every single night. It’s still a big moment. Whenever you hit the court, the ultimate goal is to win.” — Voepel