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Adam Voges will finish with the state at the end of the current season but may continue to coach Perth Scorchers

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2025Adam Voges, who will likely be in the frame to coach Australia when Andrew McDonald finishes, will step down as Western Australia head coach at the end of the 2025-26 season in order to pursue opportunities in franchise cricket.Voges took up the role in 2018-19 following Justin Langer’s appointment as Australia coach and oversaw an incredible run of success for WA with a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles and four One-Day Cup trophies, doing the double in three consecutive seasons from 2021-22 to 2023-24 in the process.Last season, they finished bottom in both competitions but are currently third after four rounds of this summer’s Shield after a thrilling one-wicket win over Queensland.”I’m incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to be in the role of WA men’s team head coach over the past eight seasons,” Voges said. “We have enjoyed an incredible amount of success over the past four seasons, which is a credit to everyone involved with the side.”It’s also been really pleasing to oversee many players from WA take the step to international duty and excel playing for their country. While it wasn’t an easy decision to make, I’m looking forward to pursuing more coaching opportunities in franchise cricket.”Earlier this month, ESPNcricinfo had reported that Voges was in talks to join Trent Rockets in the Hundred as an assistant coach. He has previously coached Australia A and worked with the national side.WA Cricket are continuing discussions with Voges about staying on as Perth Scorchers head coach in the BBL.McDonald’s current contract as Australia coach runs through to 2027 and he has indicated he is unlikely to seek an extension having been in the job since early 2022.Voges, who played 20 Tests and finished with the incredible average of 61.87, has been in charge at WA during a time where they have had significant Australia representation. Cameron Green and Josh Inglis are part of the current Test squad.There is a new generation coming through the WA system including allrounder Cooper Connolly and fast bowler Mahli Beardman.

England boss Thomas Tuchel has hinted that the glitz and glamour of the 2026 World Cup ceremony was rather unnecessary. The Three Lions eventually found out that they will face Croatia, Ghana, and Panama at next year's competition in North America. However, those watching the draw had to wait a long time to find out the results, something Tuchel believes they could have "done without".

'I don't need it'

On Friday, the football world discovered who will play who in the group stages of the World Cup, with England facing 2018 finalists Croatia first up in the tournament. For those tuning in, though, it took an eternity for the nations to actually be drawn in Washington D.C. Earlier on in the ceremony, United States President Donald Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino designating it for a person who has "taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace" and "united people across the world". Trump was given a large gold trophy, a medal, and a certificate, while Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was also heavily involved in the draw. Going by Tuchel's comments, he didn't appear to be a fan of the whole affair.

He told : "I do not, not like it but we could have done it like, without all of this. I don't need it. But of course, it's a huge stage and it's big entertainment. I was very well aware that it's not about the deep insight of football today."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEngland face 'difficult' group

While England are favourites to win their group and progress to the knockout stages of the World Cup, many Three Lions fans have not forgotten Croatia dumping them out of the tournament at the semi-final stage in 2018. And former Chelsea boss Tuchel is certainly wary of their upcoming opponents, even though they beat them in Euro 2020.

"Difficult group, difficult opener. Difficult group with Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups and two proud and strong nations. Panama, I don't know much about Panama at the moment but we will find out about it before the tournament starts, of course," he said. "For me, I'm only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to always give it the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult like our group now but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive.

"Nobody should be underestimated. Of course, Croatia is the standout, they're the highest ranked team from pot two that we got into out group but listen, Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise and has a big history in World Cup football, and also Panama will try to make the most in their underdog role. No one can be underestimated, everyone deserves the fullest respect and we can show that."

Tuchel's preference…

On paper, Croatia is the most difficult side England face in the group stage, with their European rivals six places below the Three Lions in the world rankings in 10th. Incidentally, Panama are down in 30th, and Ghana sit in 72nd. While some nations may want to ease into the competition with an easier match, Tuchel had no preference. 

He said: "I had no preference because why would I worry? I cannot influence. The legends took the draw and this is what we get and what we have to deal with now. We know now our opponents, we know we will start late in the tournament if players are involved in European finals, hopefully. We didn't desire anything we just handled the situation as it is. You get a little more days before and then you get a condensed schedule later in the tournament. Everything comes with in upside and downside."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for England?

England are expected to face Croatia in their World Cup opener in Toronto, Canada, or Dallas, in the United States, on June 17. Before then, the Three Lions will have to confirm some friendly fixtures earlier on in 2026 to get them ready for the showpiece event.

Trey Yesavage made history during the Blue Jays’ win in Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers. The rookie, who only made his first MLB start in September and started the year at Single-A, dominated on the road in Los Angeles, striking out 12 batters across a seven-inning outing.

No one was more fired up for the 22-year-old than veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer. After a big double play got Toronto out of the seventh inning, Scherzer could be seen on the bench going ballistic. The 41-year-old was smacking the railing inside the dugout and proceeded to throw his sunflower seeds in excitement.

Have a look:

Scherzer could then be seen speaking to Yesavage in the dugout, clearly still amped by his impressive performance.

When you have a three-time Cy Young winner and two-time World Series champion acting like that in the dugout, you know you’re putting on a show. And that’s exactly what Yesavage did on the mound Wednesday night.

The rookie had all three of his signature pitches working to perfection. His combination of his fastball, slider and splitter, mixed with his unique release point, was a puzzle the Dodgers’ lineup was simply unable to solve.

Scherzer was loving every minute of it from his viewing point in the dugout, and he couldn’t contain his excitement after the inning-ending double play.

The teams have built a rivalry that’s given the IPL some of its strangest finishes and most replayed highlights

Varun Shetty02-May-2025Openers and Ashwin drub RCB
IPL 2011, final, ChepaukThe only final between these two teams was one-sided. CSK’s openers Michael Hussey (63 off 45) and M Vijay (95 off 52) took them to 205. Chris Gayle was the one threat to the total, but MS Dhoni bowled R Ashwin to him first up, and the ploy worked. RCB’s innings never took off and they lost by 58 runs. CSK lifted the trophy for the second straight year.CSK celebrate their title win in 2011•Associated PressMorkel takes Kohli down
IPL 2012, ChepaukCSK needed 43 off two overs when, lacking options, RCB captain Daniel Vettori chucked the ball to Virat Kohli for the 19th. Albie Morkel smashed him for 4, 6, 4, 6, 2, 6 to leave 15 to win off the 20th. Vinay Kumar dismissed Morkel, but after a couple of Dwayne Bravo blows, it came down to three to win off the last ball. Ravindra Jadeja edged Vinay Kumar for a boundary to complete the heist.RP Singh blows it
IPL 2013, ChepaukKohli had begun to celebrate when Ravindra Jadeja edged the final ball, bowled by RP Singh, straight to deep third only to see that the umpire had called a front-foot no ball. CSK needed two off the final ball and managed to run one while the ball was in the air, giving them the win. Singh had 16 to defend in the final over and came back strong after Jadeja took 10 off the first two. But he overstepped on the final ball to leave Kohli fuming.Ravindra Jadeja completes the winning run while umpire Anil Chaudhary signals a no-ball•BCCIRCB survive Dhoni epic
IPL 2019, ChinnaswamyChasing 162, CSK sunk to 28 for 4 in 5.5 overs. Dhoni steadied the ship even as more wickets fell around him. He began his acceleration in the 16th over and, in typical Dhoni style, took it to the last over. CSK needed 26 off Umesh Yadav. Dhoni went 4, 6, 6, 2, 6 to leave two to get off one. But he missed the last ball, and Parthiv Patel hit the stumps direct from behind to give RCB the win. Dhoni finished with 84* off 42 balls.RCB’s biggest moment
IPL 2024, ChinnaswamyCSK weren’t winning the game, but with Dhoni at the crease, playoff qualification prospects were alive with 17 needed in the final over. Dhoni had already smashed a massive six off the first ball, but Dayal’s back-of-the-hand slower one had him caught next ball. The magic seemed to leave with him. With 10 needed off 2 balls to qualify, the stage was still set for a CSK heist. But Dayal held his nerve against Jadeja. The win completed RCB’s remarkable six-match winning streak and sealed their place in the playoffs.

Even if you're not a big fan of the New York Yankees and think their mystique is overstated, there's something about a player making their Major League debut at Yankees Stadium that adds just a bit of extra intensity to the moment. And when the player comes out of the gate with a measure of success, well, it's tough to imagine many cooler introductions to the sporting world.

Cam Schlittler fit the bill last night, working into the sixth inning and holding the Seattle Mariners at bay to pick up up a victory in the Yankees' 9-6 win. The 6'6" right-hander impressed right out of the gate, striking out seven batters a formidable fastball.

Everything came together perfectly for him to get the moment of his life as manager Aaron Boone strode out to take him out of the game in the sixth inning. Schlittler received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Bronx crowd and YES' cameras honed in a heartwarming moment from his parents as they shared a hug.

That's the good stuff right there.

It was only a few months ago that Schlitter was pitching for the Somerset Patriots. Now he's out there on a massive stage against a playoff-caliber team making it look easy. Hard to imagine the sense of pride and joy going on in that hug.

The Schlittlers may have more opportunities to tell everyone in their section that there as he slots potentially as a key aide in their quest to win the American League East.

The MLB Winter Meetings are off and running in Orlando, Fl. this week, and one of the many proverbial shoes set to drop did exactly that on Tuesday morning.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies are finalizing a five-year, $150 million deal that will keep the slugger in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. The 32-year-old had hit free agency and was testing his market after spending the last four seasons with the Phillies.

MORE: The Six Biggest Questions Entering MLB Winter Meetings

The Phillies fended off pushes from the Mets, Red Sox, Orioles, Pirates and Reds—who also attempted to sign Schwarber—in order to keep their glue guy in the clubhouse, according to Passan.

Schwarber is a three-time All-Star, a one-time Silver Slugger Award winner, helped the Cubs win a World Series in 2016, and this past season with the Phillies, led the National League in home runs with 56 and the entire MLB in RBI with 132.

Philadelphia is looking to win a third-consecutive NL East title in 2026, and now officially has its designated hitter back to help them do so.

The Atlanta Braves have been crushed by the injury bug in the 2024 season, but they’re still in play for a playoff spot as the trade deadline and All-Star Game approach in the MLB season. 

Atlanta is favored at home on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who will send lefty Martin Perez to the mound against Atlanta’s Charlie Morton. 

While the Braves haven’t mashed left-handed pitching this season like they have in the past, RBIs is still a great matchup considering the rest of Pittsburgh’s power-throwing righties that they could have faced. 

How should we wager on this NL matchup? 

Pirates vs. Braves Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line

Pirates +1.5 (-122)Braves -1.5 (+102)

Moneyline

Pirates: +160Braves: -192

Total

9 (Over -110/Under -110)

Pirates vs. Braves Probable PitchersPittsburgh: Martin Perez (1-3, 4.71 ERA)Atlanta: Charlie Morton (4-4, 4.20 ERA)Pirates vs. Braves How to WatchDate: Friday, June 28Time: 7:20 p.m. ESTVenue: Truist ParkHow to watch (TV): Bally Sports Southeast, AT&T SportsNet PittsburghPirates record: 39-41Braves record: 44-35Pirates vs. Braves Key Players to WatchPittsburgh Pirates

Bryan Reynolds: The engine of the Pittsburgh offense, Reynolds is having a great season, hitting .279 with 13 homers and 46 runs batted in. He’s second on the Pirates in batting average, first in homers, first in runs batted in and second in stolen bases. He is 2-for-3 with a double and a home run against Morton in his career.  

Atlanta Braves

Charlie Morton: Want a crazy Charlie Morton stat? He’s allowed four or more runs in six outings this season, but four times he’s bounced back with an outing of two or fewer earned runs. He’s looking to make it five on Friday, as he allowed five runs in his last start. Morton has an ERA of 4.20, xERA of 4.41 and a FIP of 3.95 this season. 

Pirates vs. Braves Prediction and Pick

It’s never fun to lay a major price on the moneyline in baseball, but I’m going to do it on Friday night. 

Morton (4.20 ERA) has pitched better than his ERA suggests this season, posting a 3.95 FIP, and eight of his 14 starts have resulted in him allowing two or fewer earned runs. 

The Braves are just 6-8 in his outings, but that’s a better record than the Pirates have when Perez pitches. 

The lefty has led them to just a  4-7 record in 11 starts, and his ERA has skyrocketed this month, going from 2.86 at the end of May to 4.71 on June 28.

That’s not going to get it done against an Atlanta offense that is in the top five in homers against lefties and 11th in OPS in 2024.

I’ll take the Braves to pick up a win at home on Friday.

Tarik Skubal dominated on the mound for the Tigers yet again Friday night in a decisive Game 5 against the Mariners. Unfortunately for Detroit, it wasn't able to capitalize on the Cy Young Award front-runner's latest impressive start, which is a trend that became all too familiar toward the end of the Tigers' season.

The Tigers went 1-4 over Skubal's final five starts of the year, which includes the regular season and postseason. That poor record is no fault of his own, though, as the big lefthander allowed just six earned runs over 32 2/3 innings pitched in his last five starts. Other than a nine-run outburst in Game 4 against the Mariners to keep their season alive, the Tigers' offense sputtered down the stretch, giving Skubal little run support and leaving his quality starts hanging in the balance once he hands the ball to the bullpen.

Nobody could have expected a 15-inning marathon in the winner-take-all Game 5, which saw a full nine innings after Skubal's night was done. However, the Tigers can only wonder what could have been after they fell in another critical game in which the ace started. Plus, the franchise may have limited opportunities left to capitalize on his dominance.

Detroit's ace remains under team control through the 2026 season. After that, he's slated to become a free agent where he's in line for the richest contract ever for a pitcher. That is, unless the two sides can work out a long-term contract extension in the meantime, which looks less and less likely with Skubal's astronomical value on the open market. After the disappointing end to the Tigers' season, Skubal spoke to his uncertain future and the direction ahead for the franchise, although he left it fairly open for interpretation.

"My job is to play," he said after Game 5 against the Mariners via Evan Petzold of the . "That's not my job—to do anything other than play. Those questions should be asked toward the front office and the people that make those decisions, but my job is to play."

He's represented by Scott Boras, who will undoubtedly try to get the best contract for his client who's one of the best pitchers on the planet. And it's a fair assumption that the best contract out there likely isn't from Detroit, which hasn't necessarily been the biggest spenders as of recent. Skubal's goal is to win a World Series, and he may have only one more shot to do so in a Tigers uniform.

The 25-year-old reached the milestone in his 44th Test after dismissing Hasan Ali.

ESPNcricinfo stats team28-Jan-2021 44 Matches Rabada took to take 200 Test wickets. Dale Steyn and Allan Donald are the two players from South Africa to reach the milestone faster than Rabada. Steyn reached this feat in 39 Tests, while Donald got there in 42. Only six pace bowlers have done it in quicker time. Yasir Shah is the fastest to 200 Test wickets, reaching this feat in just 33 Tests.ESPNcricinfo Ltd 8154 Balls taken by Rabada to get 200 Test Wickets, the third fastest in the history of Test cricket. Waqar Younis ( 7730) and Dale Steyn ( 7848) are the only two bowlers who got there quicker. Rabada made his debut in 2015 against India in Mohali and it has taken him just over five years to reach this feat. 9378 Rabada’s age in days (at the start of the Test) when he got to 200 Test wickets. Only three bowlers have reached the milestone at a younger age. Younis did it in 8788 days while Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh got there in 8830 and 9203 days respectively. 0 Bowlers to have a better strike rate than Rabada in the history of Test cricket with a 200-wicket cut off. Rabada’s strike rate of 40.8 is the best. His compatriot Steyn is second on the list with a strike rate of 42.3. Among active players, Mitchell Starc and Neil Wagner are the ones among the top five with strike rates of 49.3 and 51.9 respectively. Rabada is almost 10 balls ahead of the next best. Even if the cut off is reduced to 150 Test wickets, Rabada still tops the charts. Rabada’s average of 22.96 is the fourth best for South Africa. Only Vernon Philander, Steyn and Allan Donald have better averages.ESPNcricinfo Ltd 9 Five-wicket hauls for Rabada in 44 Tests. He has four 10-wicket hauls as well. Although Rabada has not taken five wickets in an innings since March 2018, he has a good strike rate taking wickets on a regular basis. At the 200-wicket mark, Steyn had 13 five-wicket hauls while Younis had 19 five-wicket hauls.

With IPL auction just around the corner, national selectors and talent scouts could keenly watch out for players they could shortlist

Shashank Kishore25-Jan-2021Karnataka vs PunjabKarnataka are the defending champions. Punjab are looking to shed bridesmaid status. When these two teams met in the league phase, Siddarth Kaul picked up a hat-trick and Prabhsimran Singh made a bruising unbeaten 89 to make light work of Karnataka’s target of 126.Punjab finished the league phase with an all-win record, while Karnataka just managed to sneak through on net run rate despite winning four out of five matches. Going into the final day of the league phase, they needed three results to go their way, and luckily for them, the stars aligned.Manish Pandey is unavailable due to a tennis elbow. Karun Nair’s prolonged bad patch is now into its third year, Devdutt Padikkal is yet to hit top gear and Shreyas Gopal has been in and out of the side. The bowling has blown hot and cold, and with K Gowtham unavailable due to net-bowler duties with the Indian team for the upcoming England series, Karnataka will need a collective effort.For Punjab, Prabhsimran and Abhishek Sharma have swatted bowling attacks to the extent that the middle order has hardly had a look-in, but there’s experience to bank on in the form of Mandeep Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, and Gurkeerat Mann.Himachal vs Tamil NaduThe Dinesh Karthik-led Tamil Nadu not only dominated the group stages, but also had an air of intimidation to their performances. Four of their five wins came in chases after those games were set up by the spin trio of R Sai Kishore, M Ashwin and B Aparajith; the fifth was set up by the batsmen, led by N Jagadeesan. Sandeep Warrier has given their attack some pace and control upfront with the new ball.Himachal, meanwhile, have come through the tough way, staving off competition from Gujarat to finish as the team with the second-best net run rate from the Elite pool. Their defense of 141 against Gujarat proved to be crucial to their qualification, and the win was carved out by Rishi Dhawan courtesy an unbeaten 43 and two wickets. Once touted a serious India prospect, he has slipped under the radar and performances like those should help him at least come back into the IPL radar.Haryana vs BarodaJayant Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohit Sharma, and Rahul Tewatia give Haryana the kind of experience they have been yearning for. That they have got here having convincingly beaten Delhi, consisting Ishant Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Nitish Rana among others, tells you how well they’ve gelled as a unit. Along the way, they also had to stave off a serious fight from Kerala, who fizzled out after starting the tournament with a bang.Up against them is a side that has punched above its weight to get here. The build-up to their tournament wasn’t the best, with senior allrounder Deepak Hooda leaving the camp after a tiff with Krunal Pandya. Then, Krunal, the captain, had to leave the camp due to the death of his father, leaving Kedar Devdhar with a relatively inexperienced side. Lukman Meriwala, the fast bowler, has been key to them bowling out two accomplished sides in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh for sub-100 totals. Devdhar himself has taken up the batting responsibility and tops their run charts currently with 226 runs in five innings, including a best of 99 not out against Maharashtra.Rajasthan have developed a good core group of players, like the Chahars who are also key to their respective IPL teams•BCCIBihar vs RajasthanThis may seem as a bit of a mismatch. Bihar didn’t even know the side they’d put out for their first game a week before departure. Two different factions, claiming to run cricket in the state, picked squads amid administrative squabbles. But having got the distraction out of the way, Bihar did well to keep up their side of the bargain by winning four out of five.However, they must also consider themselves massively lucky for a washout between Chandigarh and Nagaland, the other two sides with four wins, pushed them into the knockouts. A result either way in that game could have certainly meant curtains for Bihar. They’ve hardly been troubled, though. The highest of their four chases was a mere 111. Ironically, their serious challenge came from seventh-placed Arunachal, who bowled them out for 122 and then lost by 18 runs.Rajasthan aren’t strangers to administrative issues but seem to be developing a good core group of players, like the Chahars – Deepak and Rahul – who are both capped India players and key to their respective IPL teams, young legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Tanveer Ul-Haq and batsman Mahipal Lomror. Deepak Chahar, though, will miss the knockouts due to injury, but Bihar’s inexperience may just help Rajasthan sail through their first knockouts hurdle.