Latest news with #Middlesex
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli to lay low, lead quiet life in England, stay away from cricket even as India play 2 Tests in London: Report
As India prepare for a highly-awaited five-Test series against England, the most talked-about absence is undoubtedly that of Virat Kohli, who, while not part of the squad, remains very much in the vicinity. The former captain, now retired from Test cricket, is based in London with his wife Anushka Sharma and their two children, choosing a life of quiet anonymity just miles away from the cricketing field he once dominated. A report in The Telegraph sheds light on Kohli's current life in England: understated, private, and deliberately distanced from the sport, even as the Indian team gets ready to play two Tests in the very city he now calls home. Unlike Sachin Tendulkar, who was spotted at Lord's recently, Kohli skipped both the World Test Championship final and the MCC's 'World Cricket Connects' symposium, despite being within touching distance. London has long offered Kohli a kind of refuge that India never could. Here, he is occasionally seen at restaurants or even riding the tube, an unthinkable scenario back home. Kohli has, on a number of occasions, also acknowledged the privacy he enjoys on foreign soil, which seems to be the primary reason behind his shifting his base to England. The couple is believed to reside in Notting Hill, a neighbourhood they have quietly occupied for a few years now. In contrast to his iconic on-field persona, Kohli's off-field life has become intentionally minimal. Recently, County side Middlesex had shown interest in roping in Virat Kohli for the season; however, Kohli has yet to show any inclination towards the offer. His only recent cricketing involvement came earlier this month when Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the IPL franchise he led, finally won their maiden title, prompting wild celebrations that also, tragically, resulted in a deadly stampede during the victory parade. Kohli is expected to return to action in August for India's ODI tour of Bangladesh, the only format he now plays. Until then, his relationship with the England series will remain a curious one: geographically close, otherwise distant. Kohli did, however, host a number of Team India players, including newly-appointed captain Shubman Gill, at his London home for lunch before the start of the series.
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Somerset go top, Middlesex end wait, Foxes in hunt
Somerset returned to winning ways and to the top of T20 Blast South Group after a thumping win at home to Hampshire HawksElsewhere in South Group, Essex remain winless after losing a see-saw battle to Middlesex by one run off the final ball - Middlesex's first T20 win at Lord's in exactly three the North Group, Leicestershire cruised into second spot as they heaped more woe on dismissing the Outlaws for 156, Rehan Ahmed's maiden T20 half-century helped the Foxes home with four wickets in hand and more than two overs to spare. Lewis Gs tee-up platform for win Somerset made a fast start after being put in at Taunton and were 70-1 after 38 balls as Will Smeed brought up his half-century from 29 Smeed fell to Eddie Jack for 68 from 37 balls, with nine fours and three sixes, Somerset were 116-3 with more than nine overs to come, but the visitors battled back with Tom Abell, Sean Dickson and Ben Green departing for the addition of just 11 runs across 17 Gregory and Lewis Goldsworthy came together at 127-6 with 38 balls remaining and posted a T20 club record stand of 82 for the seventh wicket as skipper Gregory eventually departed from the final ball for 55 from 27 balls, with Goldsworthy unbeaten on 29 from 16 balls in their total of reply, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and James Vince amassed 56 in the six-over powerplay but the South African was caught in the deep for 37 and Toby Albert soon followed as Hampshire were 95-2 in the 12th (54) brought up his half-century from 29 deliveries with a six off Ben Green but was caught off the following Brevis and Joe Weatherley needed an unlikely 103 from 7.2 overs and the game was effectively up when Weatherley (15) was run-out by Riley Meredith who then bowled James hit four sixes in a 16-ball 36 but the Hawks eventually went down by 17 runs to stay fifth. Helm holds nerve for first Lord's win since 2022 Despite being asked to bat first at Lord's it started well for Middlesex as Kane Williamson made a fine 53 from 31 deliveries and Max Holden weighed-in with 37 as the hosts reached 121-2 with 7.3 overs two wickets apiece from Essex spinners Simon Harmer and Luc Benkenstein, and 3-19 from Mohammad Amir saw Middlesex lose their final eight wickets for the addition of 40 runs in 44 balls as they were bowled out for a below-par Elgar (20) and Michael Pepper (25) amassed 52 before departing in consecutive balls, while Jordan Cox (23) and Paul Walter (30) added 54 for the third wicket before falling in quick succession with 52 still needed from 45 balls and the nerves beginning to Matt Critchley (8) departed, Benkenstein and Charlie Allison needed 34 from 23 balls and 23 were still required from the final two Ryan Higgins gave up 13 from the 19th, Tom Helm had Benkenstein caught at long-off for 20 and defended three off the final ball to win by one run. Foxes looking up as Outlaws lose ground After being put in at Leicester, Nottinghamshire were bowled out for a below-par 156 by their East Midlands neighbours in 19.3 James's 30 from 26 balls was the Outlaws' biggest contribution, although Daniel Sams hit three sixes in his 28 from 17 - but the Foxes were impressive with the ball, led by Logan van Beek, who took 3-15, and Tom Scriven (2-18).Chasing a modest target on what looked a good pitch, the home side eased home by four wickets with 14 balls to spare thanks largely to England's Ahmed, who hit 52 from 37 balls, sharing a 69-run fourth-wicket partnership with Foxes skipper Louis Kimber, who made 35 off 15 deliveries. Friday's fixtures North GroupDurham v Yorkshire (18:30 BST)Northamptonshire v Nottinghamshire (18:30 BST)Bears v Worcestershire (19:00 BST)Derbyshire v Lancashire (19:00 BST)South GroupGlamorgan v Somerset (18:30 BST)Surrey v Middlesex (18:45 BST)Essex v Kent (19:00 BST)Gloucestershire v Hampshire (19:00 BST)
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Newcomers to London learn to swim at YMCA
YMCA Centre Branch held their first of many swimming lessons for newcomers to Canada on June 17, 2025. (Fiona Robertson/CTV News London) The YMCA Centre Branch held its first of many swimming lessons for newcomers to Canada. They were able to create this program thanks to a $1000 dollar grant from Participaction. Over 400 students will benefit from these classes. 'All of the registration is actually already full. We filled every spot, wonderfully, for the program. We're hoping again to apply for more grants and more funding to train more newcomers in London and Middlesex area,' said YMCA Centre Branch Supervisor Alax Brown. 'We're working on water smart messaging right now, lifejackets, to keep safe around the water, how to right themselves in the water as well.' Organizers say newcomers to the country are more at risk of drownings since many haven't had the chance to learn to swim. Just last year, there were two drownings in the region, one in Port Stanley, the other in the Thames River. Both victims were new citizens. Organizers hope these lessons will help prevent future tragedies. 'I need to learn swimming better, it's important,' said newcomer and swim lesson participant Roberto. 'It's very important because I can help all the other people in bad situations in the water.' While registration for this program is full, Brown has some advice for anyone looking to swim in any nearby bodies of water. 'So, life jackets, swim with a buddy, please swim in lifeguarded areas,' said Brown. 'Less than 1 per cent of our drownings occur in lifeguarded areas.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
COLUMN: Somerset are 'best equipped' side in white ball cricket
Despite Sundays first defeat of the season in the T20 Blast against Kent, I believe it's generally accepted that Somerset are the best equipped side and have been for the last 5 or 6 years in the shorter of the two white ball competitions, writes Merv Colenutt. Somerset were probably not quite at their best in the victory on Friday over Middlesex, but the old and probably the best saying in the game, catches win matches certainly proved to be the case in the defeat of Middlesex, where poor old Leus Du Plooy dropped two straight forward catches on the mid wicket boundary and was out to a first ball duck. Advertisement Somerset on the other hand, proved once again they are the best fielding outfit in the competition with Craig Overton once again pulling off an absolute diving stunner and the speed and aggression from the Somerset fielders in the opening power play of any game, so often sees the opposition score just one run, when other sides give away two runs. Selection is always going to be of the main importance in any game and despite some grumblings among a small section, Lewis Goldsworthy did Somerset and himself proud by picking up 4 wickets in the defeat of Gloucestershire, this after bowling one over in each of the previous games. Goldsworthy was the pick of the bowlers in that game and although not picking up a wicket against Kent on Sunday, he once again proved his worth by being the most economical. Tom Banton batted superbly against Kent, yet once again there were a few rumblings before the game on whether the England man should bat at 6 and move Sean Dickson up to open. Advertisement The game however revolved around a quite brilliant match winning century from Kent's Daniel Bell-Drummond a former prodigy of Gerry Wilson, cricket coach at Millfield School, who always held Bell-Drummond in high regard and on this rare occasion, made both Matt Henry and Riley Merridith look fairly ordinary, he batted that well. One player who must be feeling a little unlucky at present in the eyes of both leading horse trainer Michael Blake and former player Martyn Wright, has to be Tom Lammonby who has to look on from the sidelines and i also believe Jack Leach, when the wicket is turning can still be a match winner, but this is all about the strength in depth Somerset have that no other county side can boast of. One final thought on England selection, if Craig Overton was playing for Surrey and Jamie for Somerset, would Craig get the nod over his twin brother when it comes to playing for his country, as i said, just a thought.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Time right' for Middlesex to part ways with Johnson
Middlesex have parted ways with first-team coach Richard Johnson as "results have fallen below expectations". The 50-year-old has been at the helm since the start of the 2022 season, having previously worked as assistant coach under Richard Scott and taking over the lead role on an interim basis in 2018. Advertisement Johnson guided Middlesex to promotion from Division Two of the County Championship in his first season but they were relegated at the first attempt in 2023, finished third in the second tier last season, and are sixth, five points off the bottom, after three defeats in their opening seven matches. Middlesex have also lost three of their opening six fixtures in this season's T20 Blast to lie off the pace in seventh in a tightly fought South Group, and have failed to reach the knockout stage of either white-ball competition since Johnson's arrival. Alan Coleman, Middlesex's director of cricket, told the club website: "Jono has put his heart and soul into the role and we thank him for all his hard work. "Ultimately cricket is a performance business, and we do not feel that the results this season have matched the expectations that we have for the team at our disposal. Advertisement "Jono is due a lot of credit for leading the team through the most difficult off-field period that we have had and has embraced the challenge of working within the financial constraints placed upon the club during his time." Coleman added: "We do though have high expectations for the playing group that has been assembled, and we do feel that the time is right for a change to try and maximise the talent and performances from our squad. "Jono is a modern Middlesex cricketing great and has served the club exceptionally well during his time as a player, assistant coach and first-team coach."
