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Hussain believes Topley justified importance in England’s white-ball side after 6-24

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On the third anniversary of England winning the 2019 Men’s Cricket World Cup at Lord’s, tall left-arm quick Reece Topley left a lasting impression in the second ODI against India at the home of cricket.

In defence of 246, Topley made use of seam movement, variable bounce and varied his pace to pick up 6-24, the best-ever figures by any England bowler in ODI history as India crashed to 146 all out in 38.5 overs, giving the hosts a 100-run victory.

Topley’s career-best efforts meant that England levelled the three-match series 1-1 and set the stage for a winner-takes-it-all affair at Manchester on Sunday.

Now, former England captain Nasser Hussain believes Topley justified his importance and the value he brings to England in white-ball cricket after enduring a rough run with four stress fractures to his back in five years.

“It’s an outstanding story, the way he’s gone through the ups and downs, the stress fractures. He’s bowled well in white-ball cricket of late and as well in that T20 game at Trent Bridge when everyone else was going around the park.

“It’s his place now and when you get figures like that, with so many big games coming up and England are looking for bowlers with a long list of injuries…if some bowler can stand up and continue to put in performance after performance then you’re almost saying ‘you can’t leave me out’,” said Hussain on Sky Sports after the match.

Topley was well-supported by fellow left-arm pacer David Willey, who bowled a miserly spell of 1-27 from nine overs with two maidens and the big scalp of Virat Kohli. Hussain felt the different bowling styles of Willey and Topley proved to be a testing combination for India, who couldn’t do much after being 31-4 in 11.2 overs.

“He’s (Topley) quick enough, he’s tall, he gets bounce, he’s accurate and he’s got a good left-arm companion at the other end in David Willey, so they’re a good combination. David Willey pitches it up and swings it, and Reece Topley comes in and hits the deck. You can see at the death, he’s got the variations and the balls out the back of the hand.”

Hussain signed off by pointing out that Topley used his six feet, seven inches height to good effect at Lord’s. “He’s very smart, he’s a good T20 cricketer as well, so he’s got it with the new ball and the old ball – but on a pitch like this, where they were slightly two-paced, his biggest assets are his height and hitting the deck hard.”

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IPL 2025: Only unfinished business is lifting the trophy, says SRH’s Nitish Reddy

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New Delhi, April 3: After ending up as runners-up in the last edition of the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy feels that the only unfinished business for the franchise is to lift the trophy this season.

SRH had a tough start to the IPL 2025 season as they lost their last two matches and are placed in eighth place in the standings. They will look to add two points against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Thursday, in a rematch of the IPL 2024 final.

“To be honest, I never set personal goals, even when playing for India or in the IPL last year. The only unfinished business is lifting the trophy. We created history with some records, but our ultimate goal is to win the IPL title and add a second star to SRH’s legacy,” Reddy said on JioHotstar’s show ‘Gen Bold’.

Reflecting on his growth since the breakthrough last season, where he scored 303 runs in 13 matches for SRH and went on to make his India debut in T20I and Test formats, Reddy said, “I am very happy with the progress I’ve made, both in my performances for my country and my IPL franchise. I want to continue delivering at the same level. There has been a significant change – people have started recognising me and praising my performances.

“However, I don’t want to let this get to my head. Moving forward, I want to play with the same passion and consistency, whether it’s for my franchise or India. My focus remains on keeping my love for cricket alive.”

The 21-year-old lauded Pat Cummins’ leadership skills and termed him a calm and composed captain. “He is an extremely calm and composed leader. The way he handles pressure is remarkable. When you see your captain managing things so smoothly, it instils confidence in the entire group.”

“His composure helps us believe that we can always make a comeback. As a captain, he is brilliant, and I truly enjoy playing under his leadership,” Reddy said.

On SRH’s explosive batting line-up, he added, “I would rate my team very highly. We had an incredible season last year, and we want to replicate that success. Our strategy is simple – playing with a free mind, maximizing runs in the powerplay, and carrying that momentum into the later overs. Whether it’s the top or middle order, everyone has a role to play. We’re hopeful for another great season.”

Reddy picked Kagiso Rabada as the toughest bowler to face in the IPL and said facing him was a tough challenge.

“I guess I have started understanding the bowlers better now. Just as they study my game, I analyse theirs too. My approach will remain the same, but I will adapt to situations as required. Last year, I didn’t play the first four matches, but when I did, I found Kagiso Rabada particularly challenging. When we played against Punjab, he was very expressive on that wicket, and facing him there was a tough challenge for me,” he said.

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IPL 2025: Nick Knight backs PBKS winning formula under Iyer and Ponting

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New Delhi, April 2: Former England cricketer Nick Knight believes Punjab Kings (PBKS) have found a winning formula in IPL 2025, with the leadership of captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting.

After a strong start to the IPL 2025 campaign, where Iyer’s unbeaten 97 off 42 balls powered Punjab Kings to a narrow 11-run victory over Gujarat Titans, PBKS extended their unbeaten streak with a commanding eight-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants, courtesy to Prabhsimran Singh (69) and Iyer’s ( 52 not out) fluent half-centuries.

Knight was particularly impressed with how Indian players have stepped up in the team’s two commanding victories so far.

“You look at their team line-up and think they’ve won two games quite well—this one (against LSG) certainly comprehensively. Overseas players haven’t played a major part in that. So (there are) contributions from Indian players. The captain’s like a rock. He looks so calm. He looks so authoritative. The team is playing exactly how his mentality is playing out along with the coach Ricky Ponting,” Knight said on ESPNcricinfo.

What stands out is how much of PBKS’ success has come from their Indian core. Shreyas Iyer has led from the front, but youngsters like Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Prabhsimran Singh have also played key roles. This bodes well for the team, especially since their overseas stars—Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Lockie Ferguson, and Azmatullah Omarzai—haven’t yet had a major impact.

“Maxwell, Stoinis, Ferguson, Omarzai, whoever it’s going to be, you know they’re going to play a major part, win a game or two and have a major contribution along the line. So you put that in the back pocket and say, ‘Well, that’s going to happen at some point. So if we’re winning games without them, we’re in a pretty good place’. That’s as much I see from that performance. That is a really confident start for them based on some of their major players yet to make a major contribution,” said Knight.

After win on Tuesday night against LSG, PBKS will look to maintain their momentum and add another victory to their tally when they face Rajasthan Royals on April 5.

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IPL 2025: When and where to watch LSG vs PBKS, head-to-head record

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Lucknow, April 1: Lucknow Super Giants will host the Punjab Kings at the the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday in match 13 of the 2025 Indian Premier League campaign.

Led by captain Rishabh Pant, the Super Giants will head into the game brimming with confidence after they defeated SunRisers Hyderabad by five wickets at their home ground.

Having opened their account in IPL 2025, LSG will be looking to continue the winning momentum against the Kings at home.

Punjab Kings began their IPL 2025 campaign with a 11-run win over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.

The Kings’ top order includes wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh, opener Priyansh Arya and newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer. The likes of Azmatullah Omarzai, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh are expected to feature in their middle order. In the bowling department, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal and Vijaykumar Vyshak are their key options. Their opening game win against GT was an overall solid performance where Arya and Iyer set the foundation in the first innings and clutch death bowling by Vyshak secured the win

LSG vs PBKS head-to-head record in IPL

LSG have a superior head-to-head record against Punjab Kings in the IPL, having won three of the four matches.

The last time the two sides met, the former registered a 21-run home victory over the Kings in March 2024

Live Streaming details

Venue: The match will take place at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

When: April 1, 7:30 PM IST

Livestream: The clash between Lucknow and Punjab will be live-streamed on JioHotstar app and website

Broadcast: Star Sports Network

Squads:

Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Shardul Thakur, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, RS Hangargekar, Akash Maharaj Singh, Avesh Khan, Matthew Breetzke, Aryan Juyal, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Akash Deep, Mayank Yadav, Shamar Joseph, Arshin Kulkarni

Punjab Kings: Josh Inglis(w), Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas lyer(c), Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash

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