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And which Indian Test bowler has sent down the most overs after age 35?

Steven Lynch02-Sep-2025Mackay in Australia hosted a one-day international again recently for the first time in 33 years. Was this a record gap for a single venue? asked Karthik Ramanan from India

The Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay staged two matches in Australia’s recent off-season white-ball series against South Africa. The ground – formerly known as Harrup Park – had previously held just one men’s international, the match between India and Sri Lanka during the 1992 World Cup. That one lasted only two balls before it rained, so the locals had to wait a long time for some meaningful cricket (men’s, anyway; the ground has staged five women’s white-ball internationals).The 33-year gap between men’s internationals is the second longest for any ground, and the identity of the first one is a bit of a surprise, considering the ground concerned had held its country’s first Test: it’s St George’s Park in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), which saw no international cricket between Tests against England in February 1914 and March 1949, a gap of more than 35 years.Mackay lies second, but there’s another slight surprise in third place: Edgbaston in Birmingham did not have an international match for nearly 28 years between 1929 and 1957. There were only Test matches back then, so no opportunities for occasional ODIs or T20Is.The Bulawayo Athletic Club in Zimbabwe went more than 25 years without staging a men’s international (1992-2018), while Essex’s County Ground in Chelmsford went almost 24 years without one between the 1999 World Cup and Ireland’s transplanted home series against Bangladesh in May 2023.I noticed in On This Day that Richard Illingworth scored 13 in both innings of his Test debut. I’m assuming that two ducks is the most common such double, but what’s the highest? asked David Cohen from Australia

Ten men managed a higher debut double than Richard Illingworth’s brace of 13s against West Indies at Trent Bridge in July 1991. Highest of all was two 36s, by South Africa’s Dan Taylor against England in Durban in February 1914. Dan was the younger brother of Herbie Taylor, one of South Africa’s early greats, and their captain in that series.Syed Abid Ali of India and Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar both scored twin 33s on debut, while in the 19th century Bernard Tancred made two 29s in South Africa’s very first Test, against England in Port Elizabeth in March 1889. The England pair of Arthur Carr and Mark Ramprakash both started their Test careers with two scores of 27.You’re right that a pair of ducks is the most frequent (and most unwanted) debut double: in all, 46 men and nine women have suffered this fate.Who has bowled the most overs among Indian Test fast bowlers after 35 years of age? And who has taken the most wickets? asked Chetan Mishra from New Zealand

The fact is there haven’t been many Indian fast bowlers aged 35 or more: top of the list is Lala Amarnath, with 28 wickets, followed by Zaheer Khan with 16 and Umesh Yadav with 12. Amarnath bowled the equivalent of 503 overs, Zaheer 195.3, and Yadav 124. Vijay Hazare bowled the equivalent of 199 overs at a fairly modest pace, and took only nine wickets.If you lump in all Indian bowlers then Anil Kumble leads the way with 154 wickets after turning 35, while R Ashwin took 114 (note that this could exclude wickets taken in matches during which the player celebrated his 35th birthday).Among pace bowlers worldwide, James Anderson took the remarkable total of 224 Test wickets after his 35th birthday, while Courtney Walsh had 180 and Richard Hadlee 116.Lala Amarnath sent down about 503 overs and took 28 wickets after turning 35•Getty ImagesWhich Test ground (which has staged more than ten matches) has the highest average runs per wicket? I’m thinking Adelaide Oval… or perhaps somewhere in Pakistan? asked Andrew Dowling from China

An interesting question, and your first guess is not far off: as this list shows, Adelaide Oval lies seventh overall, with an average of 35.07 runs per wicket, and it has staged many more Tests than the grounds above it – 83 so far, with Georgetown’s Bourda Oval (36.26) next of those higher up, with 30 matches.On top overall is the Antigua Recreation Ground, with an average of 38.47 runs per wicket from 22 Tests: next comes McLean Park in Napier, which just scrapes in with ten Tests, in which the average is 37.99. After Bourda (and not including Adelaide), there’s a run of subcontinental grounds: Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium (36.07), Mohali (35.7), Chattogram (35.16), Lahore (35.05), Kanpur (34.9), Delhi (34.86), the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo (34.73), Rawalpindi (34.71) and Ahmedabad’s Modi Stadium (34.5). The top English ground is Trent Bridge in Nottingham at 32.55.I gather from Wisden that Shane Warne dismissed 236 different batsmen in his career. Is this a record? asked N Ravikanth from India

I suppose this is the opposite to last week’s question about the bowler with the most unique wickets. You’re right that Shane Warne dismissed 236 different batters in Tests, but the list is headed – as you might expect – by the overall leading wicket-taker, Muthiah Muralidaran. He’s clearly fond of round numbers, as he took 800 wickets in all, made up of 300 different opponents.Warne actually lies fourth on this list, also behind Anil Kumble, who dismissed 264 different batters, and James Anderson (263). He’s just ahead of Stuart Broad (234).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Leeds United fans must now be growing impatient with Daniel Farke at the helm, as another disastrous away performance was put in against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Heading into this huge tie towards the lower reaches of the Premier League, Forest had managed to collect just one home victory all season long.

Thankfully for Sean Dyche’s men, Leeds felt in a charitable mood defensively as another horror show performance on the road saw the Whites crash to a 3-1 loss, which now leaves the away side just one point above the dreaded bottom three spaces.

While the Tricky Trees have shot up to nine points after the win, and have some much-needed hope now that they can get out of their relegation mire, Leeds seem to be getting sucked more and more into a dog-fight as the season progresses, with several Whites first-teamers letting their under-fire manager down in the dreadful defeat.

Leeds' biggest underperformers against Forest

Minus Lukas Nmecha, who hammered home Leeds’ opening strike of the day before the wheels fell off, not many Leeds shirts can come away from that 3-1 loss with their heads held high.

In particular, the Leeds midfield ranks badly let the German down, as Sean Longstaff looked nowhere near his assured best when squandering possession 13 times.

Moreover, Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu also looked a shadow of his Championship best up against Dyche’s rejuvenated hosts, with the Whites captain failing to provide the away side’s defence with a stern cover, when winning just four of his nine duel attempts.

He was also at fault when Morgan Gibbs-White headed home the game-clinching second goal for the Tricky Trees, as the Welshman – alongside an equally ropey Jaka Bijol – left the England international in acres of room to become Forest’s hero on the day.

Farke will know he needs to make some alterations for Leeds’ next Premier League clash against Aston Villa in a bid to save his job.

Farke must now ditch Leeds' new Meslier-like figure

A certain Illan Meslier is now nowhere to be seen in the Leeds starting lineups, despite once being a regular week in, week out, stretching all the way back to the glory days of Marcelo Bielsa.

He was a consistent starter last season up to a point, too, before far too many error-prone moments started seeping into his game, leaving Farke with no choice but to bring in reserve stopper Karl Darlow to see out the rest of Leeds’ promotion bid.

Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves would put it down to a “lack of concentration” on the ex-Lorient goalkeeper’s end when consistently making errors, which made Leeds move for a new number one stopper in Lucas Perri in the summer.

The Frenchman hasn’t always been dismissed as an accident waiting to happen in between the sticks, though, with 21 clean sheets tallied up last season when at the peak of his powers.

Another scapegoat in the shape of Brenden Aaronson could well be becoming a new Meslier-type figure in the here and now for Leeds.

An unbelievable performance against West Ham United, which saw him bag Leeds’ opener, was then followed up by two forgettable showings against Brighton and Hove Albion and Forest to start November off on a damp note and push him back into the spotlight as an inconsistent individual who lets his side down too often, just like Meslier.

Minutes played

90

74

Goals scored

0

0

Assists

0

1

Touches

41

38

Accurate passes

24/26 (92%)

14/15 (93%)

Shots

0

2

Successful dribbles

0/2

1/7

Possession lost

11x

10x

Ball recoveries

1

10

Total duels won

3/10

8/16

Across Leeds’ last two pitiful defeats on the road, Aaronson has only managed to muster up one successful dribble from nine attempts, which is a far cry from him completing all 100% of his dribbles against West Ham as a reliable livewire.

On top of that, while the American found himself in the thick of the action all night long against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, he could only amass a lacklustre 38 touches of the ball versus Forest, with the aforementioned Perri even managing more in between the sticks at 44.

These constant hot and cold performances could kill Farke in the long run as he searches for consistent form from all his players to save his skin, with Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth handing Aaronson a 4/10 post-match rating even after he had a minimal part to play in Nmecha’s early strike.

Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto are available in reserve down the right flank if Farke wants to ditch the attacking midfielder who has been so staunchly loyal to.

BBC commentator drops immediate verdict on Farke amid Leeds sack rumours

Leeds have lost four of their last five Premier League games.

ByJames O'Reilly Nov 9, 2025

Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan, the only players with A contracts in the last cycle, are now in the B category

Danyal Rasool19-Aug-2025

The PCB has not awarded its most prestigious category A contracts to any Pakistan player for the 2025-26 season. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan – the only two players in category A last season – have been demoted to B.Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood, who was in the B category last year, is now in D, with ten players in each tier; this means the total number of centrally contracted players has increased from 27 to 30. Fakhar Zaman, who missed out on a central contract for the first time in eight years in 2024 amid disciplinary hearings, is back in category B.The decision to place no player in the highest category has been attributed to performance. ESPNcricinfo was told the team’s performance “did not lend favour to any player deserving a category A contract”. It has been internally communicated that players can be promoted to category A only if their performances justify it. Both Babar and Rizwan had relatively unremarkable seasons over the past 12 months, as did the Pakistan side across formats.In its official statement, the PCB pointedly stated the absence of a player in the highest band. “Notably, no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle,” the statement said.Related

Shan Masood to continue as Pakistan Test captain for 2025-27 WTC cycle

No Babar, Rizwan in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup

There have been promotions elsewhere, though. Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf, Salman Ali Agha and Shadab Khan have all been promoted to category B. Sufiyan Muqim, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris, each of whom did not have a central contract last year, have been awarded one – the first one in the cases of Muqim and Hasan. Meanwhile several players,dropped out of the central contract list altogether, notably Aamir Jamal, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Irfan Khan Niazi and Usman Khan.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

This is the final year of the landmark three-year deal the players reached with the PCB on central contracts. It gave players their highest pay raises in history, and more notably, a fixed share of revenue from the PCB’s earnings at the ICC. The board has stuck to the same arrangement this time, only tweaking which categories particular players are placed in, as was previously agreed. The contracts will be backdated to cover the period starting July 1, 2025, running for another 12 months before a revision can be made.Category B: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah AfridiCategory C: Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, Saud ShakeelCategory D: Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim jr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, Sufyan Muqim

A new global tournament, the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, involving eight teams from four continents, will be played from November 20 to 30 in Bangkok. Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands, UAE, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda will take part in the inaugural edition.The trigger for the tournament, an ICC statement said, was the success of the recent ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where “more than 500 million viewers in India” were recorded and there was also “significant growth in viewership across countries”.”Nearly 300,000 fans attended matches across India and Sri Lanka and the event concluded with India becoming the first Asian team to lift the Women’s Cricket World Cup, a watershed moment in the evolution of the sport and the socio-cultural context of gender roles,” an ICC statement said. “Building on the extraordinary impetus provided by the marquee event, the ICC continues to invest in creating a sustainable future for women’s cricket. The Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy is part of a new three-tier development pathway designed to offer high-performance exposure to emerging nations.”Sanjog Gupta, the ICC chief executive, said, “It is the ICC and the Chair’s [Jay Shah] vision to sustainably expand cricket’s footprint across the world and grow the women’s game. Providing elite athletes from emerging nations more opportunities to play at the highest level is aimed at fast-tracking their development and improving the competitiveness of their teams.”It also drives the visibility of the sport in participant nations, serving as a driver of girls’ involvement in the sport and inspires women from other nations to stay committed to the development pathways.”The opening day will feature Thailand vs Netherlands and Papua New Guinea vs UAE.

Despite earning a convincing victory in the Champions League, Napoli head coach Antonio Conte is concerned with the rising injury concerns inside his squad. As the Italian team prepare for their upcoming battle against Serie A leaders Roma, the coach wants his side to take extra caution as his squad is stretched thin.

McTominay powers Conte's side to victory

After a devastating 6-2 loss to PSV and a goalless draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli returned to winning ways in the Champions League by defeating Azerbaijani heavyweights Qarabag 2-0 on Tuesday. A 65th-minute goal from last season's player of the year, Scott McTominay, and an own goal from Marko Jankovic seven minutes later, decided Napoli's fate, who rose to the 18th position on the continental table. However, fielding his best side was somewhat challenging for Conte, who had to keep two goalkeepers and two young players on the bench. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportConte bemoans mounting injury crisis

Napoli missed six important figures against Qarabag, including the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Leonardo Spinazzola. While Conte expressed delight after the victory, he seemed cautious of the team's injury concerns.  

He told reporters: "Tomorrow we'll enjoy it, then we'll put the helmet back on because we have Roma on Sunday. Napoli were not dead, it's not a question of being alive or not alive, but of continuing to work always giving everything we have. Then games can be won or not, but we know that we always have to give everything. It is a moment of great difficulty for the availability of the players, we had seven players on the bench, two of whom were goalkeepers and two young players like Ambrosino and Vergara.

"We have been facing a very difficult period since the beginning of the year, we must start from the assumption that the players go on the pitch. If you don't have any, you have to find different solutions, trying to exploit almost always the same ones because then the risks increase. We are moving forward, we have played two excellent games. Let's not forget the results of Qarabag, in the Champions League there are no easy opponents, I was convinced that by bringing this pace we would direct the challenge."

Conte sheds light on Spinazzola's return

While Miguel Gutierrez succumbed to an injury a day before the Qarabag game, Conte expects Spinazzola to return on Friday. Whether he'll be available for Sunday's clash against surprise Serie A leaders Roma still remains unclear, but one of the six key individuals returning to the side will be taken as a positive by the experienced mentor. 

He said: "Many times we also judge on the basis of the results of the matches, I think since the beginning of the year we have been chasing having many unavailability. I can control some situations, but I can't manage the sprain that Gutierrez got yesterday during training. It's a shame, because then we immediately talk about a crisis without actually seeing what we are facing. The boys are exceptional, in terms of availability, everyone's responsibility has risen exponentially, because there will be many games that we have to face without being complete. We hope to have Spinazzola with us on Thursday, so we would have another option instead of the Spaniard."

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Getty Images SportNapoli's recent form over Roma a boost for squad

Defeating Roma will offer Napoli a chance to reclaim top spot in Serie A, depending on AC Milan's result against Lazio on Saturday evening. However, despite many injury concerns, Napoli have one positive to inspire them against Roma. In the last five meetings against the capital club, Napoli have lost to Roma only once, drawing two games and winning three. Conte might want his team to escalate their confidence, keeping this head-to-head record in mind. 

Manchester United are plotting signings and now look to be on the verge of announcing their latest arrival at Old Trafford, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Man Utd prepare to take on Crystal Palace

The dust has settled on a disappointing defeat for Manchester United against Everton on Monday night, which will have left Ruben Amorim with plenty to stew over after being denied by a rigid block that refused to budge at Old Trafford.

Arguably, a change of shape or style would’ve heightened the chances of the Red Devils scoring. Still, some excellent saves from Jordan Pickford ended their five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, and they will now need to reset against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

South London has proved to be one of the toughest destinations in the top-flight this campaign for clubs keen on points, albeit Manchester United will have no choice but to try and defy recent norms in their pursuit of continental qualification.

Come the January window, Amorim will hope to call upon the backing of INEOS in the hunt for new additions, and Wolverhampton Wanderers pair Joao Gomes and Andre are wanted at Old Trafford.

Casemiro could be on his way out at Manchester United, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that he may only be kept on under reduced salary conditions, as he said: “So now the desire is from Man Utd obviously to continue with Casemiro, but on different conditions.

“So the salary he has right now is a salary Manchester United don’t want to pay in the future. Not because of unhappiness with the player, but because they want to change the salary structure.”

With that in mind, the Red Devils could now be set to imminently sign a younger midfielder who shares similar traits with the Brazil international.

Man Utd set to sign Cristian Orozco

According to Romano on X, Manchester United are now close to signing Fortaleza midfielder Cristian Orozco for a fee in the region of £756,800 and he will arrive in England over the coming days to seal his move.

Despite never playing senior club football, scouts have compared him to the likes of Moises Caicedo and believe he could be the “next Casemiro” due to his “physically imposing” displays in the engine room.

Capped 13 times at Under-17 level by Colombia, he looks to be the latest in a long line of additions Manchester United have made over recent times with an eye for the future, similar to the likes of Chido Obi-Martin, Ayden Heaven and Diego Leon.

Related Man Utd plotting "bargain" deal to sign "imposing" Ligue 1 defender who scouts love

He could complete Amorim’s back three.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Nov 27, 2025

With Casemiro soon to be into the final few months of his contract, the Red Devils may have now done the groundwork to land his long-term replacement.

Despite their financial constraints, Barcelona remain confident of signing a new world-class No.9 to replace Robert Lewandowski, with Bayern Munich star Harry Kane one of the options being considered. Lewandowski is in the final few months of his existing contract and is expected to leave the club as a free agent next summer as the Catalan giants are unlikely to offer him a new deal.

Lewandowski likely to leave Barcelona

With just a few months left on Lewandowski's current Barcelona contract, the 37-year-old striker has been closely linked with a move away from the Spanish side next summer as a free agent. The Polish forward's representative, Pini Zahavi recently claimed that the striker could leave the Catalan side, saying: "Lewandowski's contract with Barcelona expires in the summer of 2026, and no decisions have been made yet. We'll have to wait and see what happens in the coming days." 

With the Lewandowski chapter possibly coming to an end, the Catalan giants have started to prepare for life beyond their star striker. According to , the club have prepared a shortlist of five forwards, which includes world-class options like Julian Alvarez and Kane. 

AdvertisementAFPCan Barcelona afford to sign a world-class No.9?

The report adds that Barcelona's financial department remains confident that the club would be able to secure the transfer for a top striker, with the club's eyes on Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez. But to afford the new player, they will have to return to La Liga's 1:1 rule. Once Lewandowski leaves, €40 million (£35m/$46m) will be freed up with which the new transfer can be funded.

As of now, Barcelona are close to achieving the 1:1 balance, with pending payment for the VIP seat instalments due in December. In the 2024-25 settlement, €70m out of the €100m (£88m/$116m) has already been paid and the club will receive the remaining €30m by December. With that they will be able to match the 1:1 balance. 

A second clause will be to draw up a financial structure to cover the transfer amount and Barcelona believe that the projected revenue growth after full opening of the Camp Nou will help them to cover that ground. 

Which players are linked with Barcelona

After ruling out the prospect of signing Erling Haaland due to the financial requirements, the favourite candidate to replace Lewandowski as Barcelona's main No.9 is Alvarez from Atletico. The shortlist also consists of Bayern and England star Kane, along with Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen, Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy and a low-cost option in Etta Eyong. 

The latter, who just joined Levante in the summer, said this week that his dream is to play for the Catalan club and labelled Camp Nou icons Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o as his childhood idols.

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Getty ImagesYamal wants Lewandowski to stay

While Barcelona have not offered Lewandowski a new deal, their star attacker Lamine Yamal reportedly wants the veteran striker to stay. The relationship between the two players at opposing ends of their respective careers has apparently strengthened both on and off the field. Yamal is said to view the ex-Bayern star as 'a mentor', with there being a productive understanding between the pair as they look to pose problems to La Liga and Champions League opponents.

Yamal now wants to see Lewandowski remain in his current surroundings beyond the summer of 2027, when free agency is set to be reached. He is said to be of the opinion that there is nobody better suited to continue fostering his development, while providing much-needed leadership.

The veteran forward has also been linked with a move to Serie A giants AC Milan as Zlatan Ibrahimovic reportedly wants to sign him, while there have also been reports that claimed that the 37-year-old might even consider announcing his retirement from professional football.

Somerset romped through to the Metro Bank One-Day Cup semi-finals with a comprehensive six-wicket victory over arch-rivals Gloucestershire at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.The visitors were bowled out for a disappointing 155 in 40.5 overs after winning the toss, skipper Jack Taylor top-scoring with 43. There were three wickets each for Jake Ball and Tom Lammonby, while Jack Leach sent down ten overs of left-arm spin for miserly figures of 2 for 23.Two rain-interruptions left Somerset facing a revised target of 149 in 45 overs. They reached it with more than 13 overs to spare, skipper James Rew leading the way with 46, and now face a trip to meet Worcestershire in the semi-finals on Sunday.Gloucestershire never recovered from losing James Bracey, so prolific in the competition this season, to the second ball of the match, bowled by Ball pushing forward defensively. The decision to bat first had come as a surprise as play began under heavily overcast skies, with the floodlights on, and a threat of rain later in the day.Cameron Bancroft looked in good touch, striking two big sixes in a half-century stand for the second wicket with Ollie Price. It was 56 for 2 in the 14th over when the Australian, on 34, played a checked drive to Kasey Aldridge and saw the bowler take a juggling return catch.Price had made 25 when judged lbw to a ball from Lammonby angled into his pads and 97 for 4 as Ben Charlesworth was caught at mid-on aiming a back-foot forcing shot off the left-arm seamer. Lammonby had figures of three for 20 when Graeme van Buuren popped up a soft return catch and departed for a duck looking suspiciously at the pitch.At 97 for 5, Gloucestershire were in disarray. With 29 runs added, Tommy Boorman fell leg-before sweeping a ball from Leach, who followed up by having Daaryoush Ahmed brilliantly caught by Aldridge racing towards the long-on boundary from mid-off and taking the ball just inside the rope as it dropped over his shoulder.Jack Taylor drove a catch to mid-off give Ben Green a wicket, having faced 59 balls and hit six fours. With his departure at 140 for 8 went Gloucestershire’s last hope of a meaningful total and Ball wrapped up the innings as Matt Taylor and Craig Miles edged through to wicketkeeper James Rew.Somerset’s reply had reached 16 without loss when the forecast rain arrived at 2.25pm. Play resumed at 3.50pm, with no initial reduction in overs or the victory target, and with just five runs added Archie Vaughan was superbly caught by wicketkeeper Bracey diving low to his right off Matt Taylor.Lewis Goldsworthy pulled a six off Taylor before Lammonby, on 18, played a loose drive at Craig Miles’ second delivery of the game, well wide off off stump, and gave a routine catch to Bracey with the total on 47 in the 12th over.At 53 for 2, rain forced a further 25 minute break and the overs and target were reduced. James Rew quickly settled in, lofting a ball from van Buuren over long-off for six as he and Goldsworthy added 39 for the third wicket before the latter fell for 27, caught and bowled off a leading edge in Ahmed’s first over.Having survived a loud appeal for a catch behind off Josh Shaw, the Somerset captain prospered in tandem with younger brother Thomas Rew, who took a six and four off an Ahmed over before pulling Jack Taylor’s first ball of the match over deep square for another maximum.Taylor had Rew senior stumped by Bracey having faced 53 balls, but by then the outcome was beyond doubt and his precocious sibling saw Somerset home, ending unbeaten on 40 off just 39 deliveries.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is gearing up for another important Premier League test at home to Brentford on Wednesday, looking to extend the club’s incredible unbeaten run.

Arsenal set for Brentford after 1-1 draw at Chelsea

It’s been 17 matches since the Gunners last tasted a single defeat in all competitions, and a lot has changed since that 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s English champions are now all but out of the title race, despite barely playing a third of 2025/2026, while Arsenal are flying high and five points clear atop the table.

Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

10-man Chelsea came the closest to beating Arteta’s side last weekend, taking a 1-0 lead through Trevoh Chalobah at Stamford Bridge, only for in-form makeshift number nine Mikel Merino to equalise with his 20th goal this calendar year.

Arsenal’s imperious early-season has been made all the more impressive when factoring in their extensive injury list this term.

Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Noni Madueke, William Saliba, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz have all been sidelined at various points, with Arteta doing very well to adjust.

In Havertz’s case, the £280,000-per-week star hasn’t played at all this season since Arsenal’s opening day win over Man United at Old Trafford.

The Germany international, after just coming back from a hamstring problem which kept him out for months at the back end of 2024/2025, sustained a knee injury against United, with Havertz hauled off after just half an hour.

Related Fabrizio Romano: Berta eyeing "bargain" move for player likened to "top" Arsenal star

He could be a snip.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Dec 2, 2025

Havertz required surgery with the former Chelsea star working hard to come back.

Reports suggest that Havertz has impressed Arsenal rehabilitation staff with his recovery, but he still hasn’t been available since August.

Mikel Arteta without Kai Havertz for 'weeks' after Arsenal injury update

The 26-year-old was, at one point, contending to be fit for Arsenal’s 4-1 triumph over Tottenham in the North London derby (Standard Sport).

Havertz was seemingly on the verge of a return to the field, but according to Arteta in his latest pre-match press conference, it will now be ‘weeks’ before the attacker makes his long-awaited return.

News of this setback for Havertz comes as a blow for Arsenal, with Arteta yet to have the desired conundrum of choosing how to fit both him and Gyokeres into his new Arsenal system on a regular basis.

Unable to display his best throughout 2025 due to consistent injury problems, Arteta will be desperate to have Havertz available once again as soon as possible.

With both Gabriel and potentially Saliba unavailable for Brentford too, summer signings Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera will likely partner one another yet again tomorrow evening.

Only 69 runs required for victory but history dictates South Africans will remain nervous to the last

Andrew Miller13-Jun-20253:39

Steyn: SA on the brink of a ‘fantastic achievement’

No team in world cricket, and arguably the whole of sport, has a more brutal relationship with the finishing line than South Africa.It’s cruel, but essential, to state this up front, much as Shukri Conrad, their impressively phlegmatic head coach, did when – with their place in the World Test Championship final up for grabs – they slipped to 19 for 3, chasing 148, against Pakistan in December.”Do you want to be remembered as chokers?” was the gist of Conrad’s message, as the cricket world – more engaged with this contest than could ever have been possible without the WTC’s over-arching narrative – began to snipe from the shadows in the prescribed manner.The players duly got their act together and hauled themselves over the line by two wickets, in what Conrad later coined “Camel classic”, in reference to the nerve-settling smoke break he’d had with a handful of his players.Related

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Markram and Bavuma put South Africa in sight of glory

SA hope Markram's knock can be match-defining

If that Pakistan run-chase was a moment to savour, it is nothing compared to the euphoria that South Africa now know is within their reach, after a day of batting dominance at Lord’s that might have been beyond their most fevered hopes and desires. And yet, even now, they dare not make eye contact with the prospect, lest the whole edifice comes crashing down.Speaking at the close of play on day three, for instance, Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s batting coach, was asked about the magnitude of Temba Bavuma’s performance – on one leg for most of his unbeaten 65, while carrying one of the most unconscionable burdens in world sport, as he extended his unbroken third-wicket stand with Aiden Markram to 143.Prince started to respond with the sincerity that his captain’s heroics deserved, but checked himself mid-flow: “Maybe I should answer that question after the game.”And so, there can – and will – be no counting of chickens as South Africa’s day of destiny dawns at Lord’s on Saturday. Least of all against an Australia that are not simply the defending WTC champions, but – as their proud record in world finals can attest – as habitually certain of their ability to win from any situation as South Africa tend to be consumed by fatalism.”The messaging has been the same throughout,” Prince said. “Make them believe that they can do it, and then just step out the way and allow them to go and do it.”One of the things we said before the run-chase is: ‘the game will finish when it finishes’,” he said. “Whether that is tomorrow at lunchtime or whatever, the end of the match will take care of itself. For us, the most important thing is to remain in the moment. And from a batting point of view, that means play one ball at a time.”3:33

Prince: This team’s greatest strength is its unity

The calm within South Africa’s dressing room, Prince added, was a testament to Conrad’s unflustered approach to his role.”Shukri must get a lot of credit for that,” he said. “As soon as Aiden and Temba came up the stairs [after the third day], the first thing he said was, ‘guys, do the same as you do every night’. Don’t change a thing. Tomorrow morning, come and do the same warm-ups that you do every day. We obviously understand the magnitude of the situation and what’s at stake, but just stay calm and take it in your stride.”Just stay calm… it’s easier said than done, given what South Africa know of their fractured big-match psyche, but moreover what they know everyone else knows of it.Not that the team will be allowing the thoughts to fly so far ahead of the process, but it’s safe to assume that the ICC is already preparing its big-match montage to accompany South Africa’s winning moment… just as was the case in the last World Cup final to be staged at Lord’s, back in 2019.On that occasion, the tape memorably froze in the split-second before Jos Buttler whipped off the bails for the title-sealing run-out… and the ghosts of England’s many and miserable failures flooded into the picture. But, on this occasion, will it even be possible to exorcise so many all at once?2:56

Hayden lauds Bavuma’s ‘champion effort’

For there’s been a horror story for every format and every generation since South Africa’s readmission, up to and including their agonising loss to India – 30 runs needed from 30 balls – in their first T20 World Cup final appearance in Barbados last year.For the current scenario, however, there’s an even more on-the-nose shortcoming – arguably the founding father of the chokers tag. In Bridgetown once again, in South Africa’s very first Test match back in the fold, Kepler Wessels and Peter Kirsten had carried their side to 122 for 2, chasing 201 for victory, against a West Indies pace attack led by Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.A rest day intervened – and premature celebrations were had. But, upon the resumption, those 79 runs were never remotely challenged, as South Africa’s remaining eight wickets were culled for just 25 runs. Against an attack featuring Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – and in light of their first-innings collapse of 5 for 12 – history is primed to repeat itself if there’s even the slightest dropping of the guard.”There’s no desire to get ahead of ourselves,” Daniel Vettori, Australia’s assistant coach, said. “I think it’s one wicket, that’s the starting point. I don’t think there’ll be any thinking around how to get eight dismissals. It’ll be simply about getting one and seeing what can happen from there.”Perhaps this fatalism really does all come from the outside now. Prince acknowledged there was a bit of low-key superstition at play while South Africa’s crucial stand was growing – everyone staying seated then rushing to the bathroom at drinks, or when Bavuma’s hamstring required treatment – but overall, he insisted the pursuit of positives was the defining aspect of their day. Even during the frustrating morning session, while Starc and Hazlewood were adding 58 for the tenth wicket.2:23

Day 3 review: Markram’s knock could be career-defining

“I think there were signs, starting yesterday evening, when you’re sitting and watching the game, that all those type of things might be positive for us,” Prince said. “There was a little bit of frustration, obviously, with the ball dropping short of the cordon all the time. But if you reverse that when we bat, it’s a little sign that something might be in our favour. The stats suggest that day three might be the best for batting, and their Nos. 9, 10 and 11 were pretty comfortable against a pretty good bowling attack.”Whether the cricket can now take care of itself, only the fourth day’s events can tell. And yet, South Africa already know they have given a good account of themselves, through the brilliance of Kagiso Rabada’s nine wickets, and the indomitability of their senior batting pair. Regardless of the final act, they have arguably already shown that the ends justify the means, when it comes to their scrutinised route to this showpiece occasion.”There was no talk about proving anybody wrong,” Prince said. “Obviously there was a lot of talk about our route to the final, and who we played against, and people have their opinions about that. I can promise you now, we’d love to play against everybody more often, especially if there’s some big-money series that we can also make some money [from].”But the important thing, from Shukri’s point of view, is to make the players aware of how good they are, and if you take them lightly, you might come short. I’m sure Australia wouldn’t have approached the game in that manner. But perhaps the rest of the world, watching the final or predicting what’s going to happen in the final, might have had that opinion.”