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Seamers run through Warwickshire to pave way before County Championship trophy presentation

ECB Reporters Network26-Sep-2025Nottinghamshire 374 (Hameed 122, Verreynne 83, Patterson-White 70) and 20 for 0 beat Warwickshire 258 (Mousley 74, Hutton 4-46) and 133 (Hain 42, Abbas 3-18, Hutton 3-30, Pennington 3-52) by ten wicketsA day after collecting enough bonus points to put themselves out of reach of Surrey, newly-crowned Rothesay County Champions Nottinghamshire finished their season in style by completing a 10-wicket victory over Warwickshire with a day to spare.With a first-innings lead of 116 giving their potent seam attack ample licence to attack in conditions still making batting difficult, Nottinghamshire dismissed Warwickshire for 133 in 54 overs.Brett Hutton finished with 3 for 30. Mohammad Abbas, in what may or may not be his last appearance for the county, took 3 for 18 to total 32 in nine matches, with Dillon Pennington lifting his tally to 28 with 3 for 52.It left Nottinghamshire needing just 18 runs to complete the victory, which they achieved in just 22 deliveries at 3.30pm, time enough for Ben Slater to score the 15 runs he needed to total 1000 for the season before Haseeb Hameed won the match with a glorious cover drive off Nathan Gilchrist for four.Nottinghamshire were docked a point for slow bowling-rate but it mattered not one bit to a large gathering of supporters who stayed on for the trophy presentation – staged in front of the Hound Road stand with the pavilion currently hidden behind sheets and scaffolding.Hameed’s team win the title with 224 points and seven victories under their belts. The skipper led the way with the bat, totalling 1258 runs.Six Nottinghamshire bowlers took 26 wickets or more in the course of the season but none more than Hutton, leading wicket-taker with 38, seven of them in this match.It is a contrast with the 2010 season – the last time Nottinghamshire claimed the Championship pennant – when 109 wickets were shared between Andre Adams (68) and Paul Franks – now assistant head coach at Trent Bridge – who took 41.As it happens, another member of the 2010 team, Alex Hales, was on the ground to receive an award to mark his 18 years with Nottinghamshire. Hales, who last played first-class cricket in 2017, cut his ties with the club after the 2024 season, having scored more than 14,500 runs in their colours across all formats.Having been on the ropes overnight, three down for seven in their second innings and still 109 behind, a Warwickshire side with only a slim chance of improving on fourth place in the Division One table might have been been rolled over even more rapidly under a cloudy sky on the third morning.Nottinghamshire had been eager to start their full-blown Championship celebrations a day early after making sure of the title on Thursday.As it was, Will Young was Warwickshire’s only casualty before lunch, falling into what looked like a trap laid by his former county as he clipped a ball from Abbas straight into the hands of Lyndon James at square leg.Zen Malik took four boundaries in a single over against Pennington but rode his luck at other times, edging the same bowler between second and third slips before surviving a difficult caught-and-bowled chance to James on 16. Warwickshire were 79 for 4 at the first break.There seemed a case for tossing Liam Patterson-White the ball to add some variety to Warwickshire’s diet but the left-arm spinner remained stationed in the slip cordon as Hameed kept faith with his seamers, justifiably as it turned out.There was still something in the pitch, as Sam Hain discovered four overs into the afternoon, caught behind off a ball from James that left him enough to take the edge. It felt like the key wicket for Nottinghamshire and one well deserved by allrounder James for a consistently testing spell.Yet it was Pennington who hastened Warwickshire’s demise in short order, taking three wickets in five balls in his 12th over of the innings.He dismissed Malik leg before with a ball the batter could do little about and had Ed Barnard caught behind from a lifting delivery that took the glove before benefitting from some good fortune as Michael Booth looked to have kept out his first ball before it rolled into the stumps, as a consequence of which Warwickshire were eight down and still 12 behind.They managed to get their noses narrowly in front before Hutton finished them off, still finding movement to pin Tazeem Ali leg before and bowl Gilchrist, who shouldered arms to a ball that swung away and then jagged back to bowl him – handing the stage to Slater and Hameed to finish the job.

Chelsea have now reportedly launched their first move to re-sign Antonio Rudiger in what would be a sensational return for the experienced central defender.

It’s no real surprise that the Blues have set their sights on more experience. As impressive as their young squad is, it is still exactly that – young. Enzo Maresca has already suffered the consequences of an inexperienced side at times this season, with Chelsea too inconsistent to seriously challenge for the Premier League title but good enough to secure a top four place.

Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, that quality was on full show as goals from Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto wrapped up a comfortable 3-0 defeat. In the same week, however, Chelsea drew 2-2 with Qarabag in a game they should have comfortably won – highlighting their inconsistencies once again.

The addition of a serial, experienced winner could be the missing piece to the puzzle – particularly within Maresca’s backline. The Blues have suffered a number of injuries and suspensions within their back four this season, leaving Maresca with little choice but to come up with internal solutions.

Against Qarabag, 19-year-old Jorrel Hato especially struggled, begging the question as to whether he’s ready to be thrown into the current Chelsea side. Maresca defended his decision to rotate in midweek, but admitted that young players need the chance to make mistakes.

The Italian told reporters: “They are talented, they are young. When they are young you have to give them chance to make mistakes.”

Still, the question of experience will remain and as Rudiger’s contract continues to tick down at Real Madrid, the Blues could have the ultimate solution to their problems lying in wait.

Rudiger makes Real Madrid decision as Chelsea come calling

According to reports in Spain, Chelsea have now made contact with Rudiger over a return to the club in 2026 when he’s set to become a free agent at the end of his Real Madrid contract.

Alas, whilst Rudiger does love the West London club, his preference is to extend with Real Madrid and stay put. Leaving the ball in the Spanish side’s court, the German has less than nine months to get his wish.

If that contract doesn’t arrive, then Chelsea should come swooping in. Rudiger is a two-time Champions League winner these days and one of the most experienced defenders around at 32 years old. He’s led the Blues before and would comfortably do it again.

Chelsea star criticised vs Wolves after having fewer touches than Sanchez

The summer signing endured a tough time against the Old Gold.

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By
James O'Reilly

Nov 8, 2025

Having previously written in the Players’ Tribune that Chelsea will always be “in his heart”, a return to Stamford Bridge could be the perfect way for Rudiger to close out an excellent career.

Whether Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso will let him leave that easily is another question, though. The Spaniard previously reiterated that the German is “very reliable” and losing that for the cost of nothing next summer is something that the La Liga giants should want to avoid.

Chelsea "actively in talks" over signing "very mature" England international

The CSK batter scored 69 in a failed chase, much like Tilak’s struggles against LSG

Omkar Mankame05-Apr-2025 • Updated on 08-Apr-2025

R Ashwin 28 (23)

RR vs LSG, Wankhede, 2022With murmurs growing louder around the tactical use of retired out in T20 cricket, Ashwin took the conversation from theory to practice. Promoted to No. 6 in the tenth over to shield Riyan Parag for a more favourable entry point later, Ashwin compiled 28 off 23 balls. But with just ten balls left in the innings and Rajasthan Royals (RR) on 135 for 4, he chose to retire out, making way for Parag. RR added 30 runs in the remaining deliveries and later edged home by three runs.

Atharva Taide 55 (42)

PBKS vs DC, Dharamsala, 2023Punjab Kings were lagging in their 214-run chase, and opener Taide’s strike rate of 131 after facing the equivalent of seven overs wasn’t helping. With five overs to go and the required rate climbing, PBKS made a tactical call of retiring out Taide to bring in Jitesh Sharma, with Shahrukh Khan and Sam Curran next to come. At that point, Kings were 128 for 3, needing 86 to win off 30 balls. The move didn’t quite tilt the game their way, as they eventually fell short by 15 runs.

Sai Sudharsan 43 (31)

GT vs MI, Qualifier 2, Ahmedabad, 2023It was the Shubman Gill show in Ahmedabad, the opener lighting up Qualifier 2 with a breathtaking 129 off 60 balls. Sudharsan held one end up while Gill did the heavy lifting, but in the slog overs, Gujarat Titans’ momentum dipped – the 18th and 19th overs produced just 16 runs. With one over left, GT retired out Sudharsan. In walked Rashid Khan, who hit his first ball for four. GT finished on 233 for 3 – more than enough to book a spot in their second straight IPL final.

Tilak Varma 23 (25)

MI vs LSG, Lucknow, 2025Suryakumar’s scintillating 67 off 42 kept Mumbai Indians in the mix during their 204-run chase in Lucknow. But Impact Player Tilak, brought in at No. 5, struggled to shift gears. With MI needing 52 off the last 23 balls. Tilak managed to score eight off his last five balls at the crease – four of them coming via an edged boundary – before he went off as MI grew increasingly desperate. Tilak was retired out when MI needed 24 off seven balls. The move didn’t pay off, as LSG held their nerve to close out a 12-run win.

Devon Conway 69(49)

PBKS vs CSK, Mullanpur, 2025It was Conway’s second match of the season and he scored a steady fifty after opening the batting alongside Rachin Ravindra. His 89-run partnership with Shivam Dube off just 51 balls kept CSK’s hopes alive. But after Dube fell with CSK needing 69 off 25, Conway could make only 19 off 12 balls after his fifty. In the 18th over, with 49 needed off 13 balls, CSK decided to retire him out with MS Dhoni in the middle, sending in Ravindra Jadeja. CSK eventually went down by 18 runs to suffer four losses in five matches.