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Scrivens half-century drives run-chase to boost title hopes

ECB Reporters Network26-Aug-2024

Mady Villiers impressed for Sunrisers on her birthday•Getty Images

Sunrisers 189 for 7 (Scrivens 56) beat Northern Diamonds 188 for 9 (Villiers 4-36, Munro 3-25) by three wicketsBirthday girl Mady Villiers equalled her career-best with the ball as Sunrisers beat high-flying Northern Diamonds by three wickets at Chelmsford to move third in the standings.Villiers, who turned 26 today produced spin wizardry to take 4 for 36 and with Sophie Munro’s 3 for 25 lending valuable support, Diamonds were restricted to 188 for 9.Grace Scrivens’ 56 led the chase, sharing half-century stands with Cordelia Griffith and Jody Grewcock (40) as the hosts overcame a late wobble to race home with 12 overs to spare.Diamonds, for whom Sterre Kalis made 36 and Katherine Fraser 34, were left to rue dropped catches in the field, but stay second and on course for the semi-finals.Missing Lauren Winfield-Hill, away at the Caribbean Premier League, and Bess Heath, withdrawn by England, Diamonds opted to bat on a used Chelmsford pitch.Fraser provided early impetus, a cracking pull shot the pick of her four boundaries, while Emma Marlow struck successive fours off Eva Gray. The bowler gained compensation with the wicket of Fraser, caught by Grewcock from the last ball of the powerplay.The visitors advanced to 67 for 1 before Villiers began the host’s fightback, dismissing the tournament’s leading scorer, Hollie Armitage, caught at short mid-on. The dismissal continued Armitage’s recent run of low scores from the Hundred with Northern Superchargers.Villiers wheeled away to great effect, capturing the wicket of Marlow with one which stopped in the pitch, before trapping Rebecca Duckworth lbw.Kalis in company with Beth Langston counter-attacked from the other end with a 60-ball stand of 50, the former mixing powerful driving with some classy cut shots.Both though fell in quick succession Langston becoming Villiers’ fourth victim before Munro, switched to the Graham Gooch end to castle Kalis, the wicket part of a spell of 3 for 11 in seven overs from the quick on loan from the Blaze.Thereafter, a stubborn ninth wicket stand of 28 between debutant Maddie Ward and Katie Levick helped Diamonds to what looked a par score.In a strange quirk all nine Diamonds wickets were taken from the Graham Gooch End.Ward was in the action early in the field catching Gardner to give Rachel Slater the breakthrough.Kalis’ catching would prove less secure an over later, shelling a straightforward chance at first slip to reprieve Griffith on 4, Beth Langston the unlucky bowler.Griffith, who endured a difficult spell with London Spirit in the Hundred, despite the franchise lifting the trophy, celebrated the life by lofting Levick for the first six of the day. However, the introduction of Fraser brought her demise, Griffith skying the spinner’s fourth ball back to the bowler, ending a stand of 53.Scrivens, who had been driving well off front and back foot through the cover region sent another skywards in the following over which Ward got a hand to running to her right but couldn’t hold.Scare survived, Scrivens was soon back to taking heavy toll of the Diamonds’ bowling, hitting Fraser for a towering straight six which accompanied by five fours took her to 50 from 62 balls.The stand with Grewcock reached 60 before Scrivens in attempting to sweep Marlow lobbed a gentle catch to Levick at short fine leg.Villiers was given a present by the visitors when Kalis dropped her at mid-on when she’d made only four, but Sunrisers’ hearts were beating a little faster later in the over when a mix up between the batters saw Grewcock run out for a run-a-ball 40.Villiers fell with 19 needed and Fraser (3 for 37) caused late panic with the wickets of Miller and Gray but Lissy Macleod (23 not out) saw Sunrisers over the line.

Chelsea are potentially closing in on their next summer signing for Enzo Maresca after an already-busy transfer window.

£50m Chelsea player in "advanced" talks to leave, could be done imminently

It would be a boost for BlueCo.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 26, 2025

They’re expected to be one of the most active Premier League sides in terms of recruitment and player sales before deadline day on September 1, having already sealed a £30 million deal for Liam Delap whilst trying their hand at a host of other men.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Chelsea held talks with AC Milan over signing goalkeeper Mike Maignan before the pre-Club World Cup transfer deadline on June 10, but couldn’t quite find an agreement with the Rossoneri, prompting them to leave negotiations for now.

Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike was also a top target for Maresca’s side recently, and they again held negotiations with the Bundesliga side in an effort to acquire him before June 10.

However, Eintracht’s lofty £85 million asking price appears to be a major roadblock as things stand, even if Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg recently insisted that he could still be one to watch for Chelsea as we head later into the window.

Chelsea tried to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens before the CWC deadline too, seeing three bids rejected for the 20-year-old, but talks have been ongoing ever since.

Reports suggest that talks have become much more positive between the clubs, and Chelsea are believed to be closer to signing Gittens despite their many failed offers earlier this month.

Chelsea ready six-year contract offer to Jamie Gittens

Now, as per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are ready to offer Gittens a six-year contract with the option of an additional season – and his signing could be done imminently.

The outlet reported yesterday afternoon that a deal may be struck in the ‘next 24 hours’, with Chelsea apparently “on the verge” of finally reaching an agreement for the Englishman, who’s bagged 12 goals and five assists in 49 appearances for Dortmund this season.

If Chelsea do get Gittens over the line, with talks “now advancing”, he won’t be able to feature for them at the CWC, even if Maresca can add new players to his squad thanks to a unique registration window open from today until July 3.

This is because Gittens has already featured for Dortmund at the tournament, so he’ll have to wait to make his Chelsea debut until after the CWC’s conclusion.

While the ex-Man City youngster is seen as a player with vast potential, there is an err of caution from critics surrounding this potential move, especially for a reported fee of around £45 million.

“I think it might be a slight worry given the [reported] fee that’s being discussed here, £45million,” said talkSPORT’s Olly Clink, when asked about Gittens falling down the pecking order at Dortmund recently.

“I know we live in inflated times, but I think you could argue with some of the transfers Chelsea have made in recent times that they have certainly overpaid. It will be another very long contract again as well for Gittens.

“With any player like this, there is potential that they have maybe a brief period where they’re fantastic, and it’s all very exciting, and they’ve got loads of potential, but we’ve already seen a few of those transfers go wrong for Chelsea already, and with these extremely long contracts it then becomes a little bit more difficult to get them off the books.”

Celtic have the chance to win the domestic treble for the second time in three seasons when they travel to Hampden Park to take on Aberdeen in the final of the SFA Cup this weekend.

The Hoops have already won the Scottish Premiership title and won the League Cup, beating Rangers on penalties, in the first half of the campaign, which means that a win on Saturday would clinch the treble.

Brendan Rodgers is seemingly not satisfied with that, though, as the Scottish giants are already eyeing up players to come in and bolster the squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Motherwell central midfielder Lennon Miller has been linked with a cross-Scotland switch to Glasgow, whilst Peterborough star Kwame Poku was recently linked with a move to the club.

The Scottish giants have, however, already wrapped up one signing before the summer transfer window even opens for business, as Kieran Tierney will be joining the club on a free transfer at the end of June.

Why Kieran Tierney is an exciting signing for Celtic

The Scotland international’s contract with Arsenal is due to expire this summer, and it has already been confirmed that the defender will be returning to Parkhead for a second spell in Glasgow.

This is an exciting signing for the Hoops for multiple reasons, not least because of the emotional backdrop to it. Tierney came up through the academy system and made his breakthrough in the first-team before starring for many years.

As you can see in the graphic above, the defender made 170 appearances for the club before his £25m move to Arsenal in the summer of 2019, and won five Scottish Premiership titles in that time.

He came up through the academy as a Celtic boy and achieved great success with the team, which is why his return could be an emotional one for him and the supporters heading into next season.

It could also be an exciting signing because of the quality that Tierney can provide from a left-back position, as shown in the impressive highlights package above.

The flying full-back scored eight goals and provided 37 assists during his first spell at the club, which shows that he is a defender who likes to burst forward to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.

This means that he could provide Rodgers with another attacking outlet down the left side, due to his ability to score and create goals from a left-back role, to support the winger ahead of him.

However, it is also worth pointing out that the 27-year-old is due to return to Celtic with a concerning injury history that suggests that he could miss a lot of matches for the Hoops.

Kieran Tierney’s injury history
Season	Injuries	Days missed	Games missed
24/25	1	160	18
23/24	3	103	21
22/23	0	0	0
21/22	2	116	17
20/21	4	87	19
19/20	1	97	19
18/19	5	140	27
17/18	1	23	5
16/17	1	86	16
Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Tierney has been absent for at least 16 games in seven of the last nine seasons of his career for Arsenal, Real Sociedad, and Celtic combined.

This means that there may also be a degree of concern over the move, as his injury history suggests that the defender may not be a consistent performer, due to a lack of availability, for Rodgers.

With this in mind, Celtic could land an even more exciting signing than Tierney by swooping for Blackburn Rovers attacker Tyrhys Dolan on a free transfer, having been linked with an interest in the English forward.

Why Dolan would be more exciting than Tierney for Celtic

Whilst the Championship winger would not arrive at Parkhead with the same emotional connection with the supporters that Tierney has, Dolan could be a more exciting signing for Rodgers and the Hoops for footballing reasons.

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Firstly, at the age of 23, the English star would be more of a long-term signing for the Hoops because he is four years younger than the Scottish dynamo. This means that he could be a part of Rodgers’ team for many, many, more years to come, making him an exciting signing for the future, as well as the present.

Dolan would also arrive as a durable and dependable performer from a physical perspective, as he has not had any notable injuries that have kept him out for significant periods, unlike Tierney.

This suggests that the Blackburn star, described as “absolutely terrific” by journalist Elliott Jackson, would be far more likely to be available week-in-week-out during the season, which is backed up by his statistics for the English side in the 2024/25 campaign.

24/25 Championship	Tyrhys Dolan
Appearances	44
Touches per game	38.1
Goals	7
Conversion rate	14%
Big chances created	7
Key passes	44
Assists	6
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Dolan featured in 44 of their 46 league matches in the Championship, and contributed with 14 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined.

Whilst that return in front of goal may not be hugely exciting on paper, it is worth taking into account that Blackburn averaged 49.1% possession per game and only racked up 51.7 xG in 46 matches, the 16th lowest amount in the division.

This means that Dolan has not been playing in a dominant, successful, and attacking side with Blackburn, which is why his personal numbers are not particularly amazing.

Now, the thought of a player who can score seven goals and create seven ‘big chances’ in a defensive Blackburn team playing in a dominant, front-footed, Rodgers-coached Celtic side is an exciting thought, as he would have far more opportunities to showcase his ability at the top end of the pitch.

This is another reason why the 23-year-old star could be an even more exciting signing than Tierney for Celtic, because of the untapped potential that the Northern Irish boss could get out of the winger.

Dolan would arrive as a young talent with huge potential and an encouraging injury record, rather than an experienced head with a concerning availability record, and it is now down to the club to strike a deal for his services.

Worse than Scales: Rodgers must axe Celtic flop for the cup final

Rodgers must drop this Celtic flop who was even worse than Liam Scales.

By
Dan Emery

May 17, 2025

Oliver Glasner entered his first full season at Crystal Palace after losing two of his key players from last season, with Michael Olise joining Bayern Munich and Joachim Andersen joining Fulham.

As a result, Crystal Palace spent around £78.5m in the 2024/25 season, making five permanent signings and two loan signings in the summer window, with a further one permanent signing and one loan move in January.

Eddie Nketiah

£25.4m

Maxence Lacroix

£15.4m

Ismaila Sarr

£12.8m

Chadi Riad

£12.8m

Romain Esse

£12.1m

Daichi Kamada

£0

Many have spoken about the impact of losing Olise and effectively replacing his output, but after also losing Andersen, the Eagles bought two new defenders on permanent deals, as well as Trevoh Chalobah on loan from Chelsea.

Crystal Palace's defensive numbers in 2024/25

This season, Palace are averaging 43% possession per game, giving them the fourth lowest possession numbers in the Premier League.

However, with this, the Eagles have formed a formidable defensive unit, conceding 12.9 shots per game and only conceding 1.36 goals per game – having notably held off Bournemouth last time out despite losing Chris Richards to a red card.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Playing in Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 system, the three central defenders and two wingbacks have formed a brilliant defensive contingent, pulling the Eagles up to comfortably in mid-table in the league this term.

Crystal Palace star will become more important than Guehi

The likes of Richards, Dean Henderson, Marc Guehi, Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell have all been key to this defensive solidity, but one summer signing has arguably been the most important in their entire back line, bringing a new dynamic to Glasner’s defence this campaign.

Crystal Palace bought a certain Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg for a fee that will reach up to £18m. The 25-year-old has made 35 appearances for the club since joining, scoring once, providing one assist and contributing to 12 clean sheets in his 3,209 minutes played.

The French defender has been deployed as the central centre-back in Glasner’s back three, often partnered by Guehi to his left and Richards to his right.

The addition of Lacroix has added some much-needed recovery pace to their backline, as well as some extra aggression when jumping out to press.

When comparing the underlying metrics of both Lacroix and Marc Guehi this season, you can see how their roles differ.

Goals + Assists

0.06

0.14

Progressive Carries

0.28

0.67

Progressive Passes

1.99

4.10

Pass Completion %

82.1%

83.4%

Tackles

2.20

1.80

Blocks

1.33

1.73

Interceptions

1.65

0.86

Aerial Duels Won

1.89

2.13

Guehi has better passing numbers, often orchestrating from the back with his progressive nature, whilst Lacroix is more of the defensive aggressor, making more tackles and interceptions to regain possession for his side.

Premier League legend Alan Shearer labelled Lacroix a “commanding” presence in the heart of the Palace defence, something that has been echoed this season by plenty of Eagles fans.

With many fans unsure about Guehi’s future entering the last season of his contract next campaign, the signing of Lacroix is even sweeter, knowing, no matter what, the Frenchman will be at the club next season. Thus, he could soon become even more important to Glasner and Co.

Crystal Palace have found a "spectacular" Olise replacement & it's not Sarr

Oliver Glasner has unleashed his “relentless” Crystal Palace duo to finally replace Olise

ByConnor Holden Apr 13, 2025

Since taking the Arsenal job, when the club were at their lowest point in a generation, Mikel Arteta has made some seismic changes.

Some of the most significant have come in the transfer market, as the Spaniard spent a massive sum of money building a squad capable of challenging for major honours domestically and on the continent.

In doing so, the former captain has signed an enormous number of players over the years, and while some haven’t exactly panned out, like Willian, Pablo Mari and Nuno Tavares, others, like Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya, certainly have.

In fact, it would be fair to say that one of Arteta’s acquisitions is now comfortably the club’s best signing since Mesut Özil joined the team over a decade ago.

Özil's Arsenal career

It’s a moment that no Arsenal fan who was around at the time will forget, Özil being announced on transfer deadline day 2013, in what was a club-record £42.4m deal at the time.

The German international was leaving Real Madrid to come to the Emirates, and saying that fans were excited about it would be a colossal understatement.

It didn’t take long for the mercurial midfielder to make good on his transfer fee either, as on his debut, away to Sunderland, he provided a brilliant assist for Olivier Giroud.

Throughout his stint in North London, the World Cup winner made 254 appearances for the club, scoring 44 goals, providing 75 assists, and playing a significant role in three FA Cup triumphs.

Unfortunately, after signing his bumper £350k-per-week deal in 2018, things started to go wrong, and he began to face criticism for his perceived lack of work rate, which worsened when Arteta took charge.

However, while things ended poorly, and he eventually left for nothing to join Fenerbahçe in January 2021, it cannot be forgotten that in his pomp, Özil was an incredible footballer to watch and, had the club built around him, he may have led them to league glory.

There have been some great signings made in the years since he left, but one potentially era-defining acquisition under Arteta could be fairly described as the club’s best since the German.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Arsenal's best signing since Ozil

As we mentioned above, Arteta has made his fair share of impressive signings since taking the job at Arsenal, but in terms of needle-moving purchases, the spotlight falls on one player: Declan Rice.

The former West Ham United captain moved to the Emirates for a club-record fee of £105m in the summer of 2023, and while there was a mountain of pressure on him, he’s since surpassed every expectation people had of him.

In fact, the fans often sing about signing him for half-price, and while that is somewhat tongue in cheek, there is likely an increasing portion of the support that is genuinely starting to believe it.

Appearances

94

Minutes

7640′

Goals

14

Assists

18

Goal Involvements per Match

0.34

Minutes per Goal Involvement

238.75′

For example, since moving to North London, the “world-class” midfielder, as dubbed by journalist Tom Marshall-Bailey, has made 94 appearances, in which he’s scored 14 goals and provided 18 assists, despite moving between the six and eight positions.

We saw just how devastatingly effective the Englishman can be last night when he scored two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid to give his side an incredible opportunity to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since the 08/09 season.

On top of his impressive level of output, the 26-year-old also has some sensational underlying numbers.

For example, FBref places him in the top 4% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries and carries into the penalty area, the top 6% for assists, the top 7% for goals plus assists, the top 8% for shot-creating action from dead-ball passes and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Arsenal would have expected Rice to perform to a high level considering his price tag, we are not sure they nor anyone else expected him to be this good, and that’s why he’s their best signing since Ozil.

Arsenal have struck gold on "unplayable" star who's their own Bellingham

The incredible talent looks destined for greatness with Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 9, 2025

The allrounder was a key figure for Madhya Pradesh after they endured a shift from boiling Puducherry to freezing Dharamsala

Shashank Kishore06-Feb-2024Venkatesh Iyer can’t remember playing a game in India in sub-zero temperatures. That’s until earlier last week, when he landed in Dharamsala for Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy Group D fixture against Himachal Pradesh.”My first thought was: I shouldn’t be out here playing,” Iyer tells ESPNcricinfo.The HPCA Stadium was covered in snow. There were sheets of rain and icy-cold winds. A day earlier, Madhya Pradesh had finished a game in 32-degree Celsius heat with over 90% humidity in Puducherry.”Temperature-wise, the chill in Ireland two years ago [when Iyer was part of an India squad that toured the country for a T20I series] was a lot more, but this was unique, a first for me in India. Even three layers of sweaters didn’t help,” Iyer says. “It was freezing, the entire ground was covered in snow. There was heavy rain as well.”MP’s situation was compounded by logistical challenges. From Puducherry they had to drive down four hours to Chennai and board a flight to New Delhi before reaching Dharamsala. A three-day break between games was whittled down to two.”From extremely hot, we came into freezing conditions, but weather can’t be an excuse for poor performance,” Iyer says. “That said, it was tough. That’s why we had to go there a couple of days prior to know how the body is going to react, how we’re going to recover. Else we would have been caught completely off guard. The two days of training was very crucial to our conditioning.”So what did it entail?”It was more about mobility exercises and warming up our muscles,” Iyer explains. “We also tried to leave the hotel for the ground a lot earlier than usual. If we used to leave usually at 7.45am, we left for the ground at 7.30.”Even 15-20 minutes of extra warm-up time was massively important in that weather. You can’t enter the ground and immediately start running in that weather, it can take a toll on your back. The entire schedule was superbly planned by our trainer.”What were the key aspects to training in such weather?”A lot of stretching for starters,” Iyer says. “It’s normal for muscles to cramp, they tend to become stIff, so it was important to keep them loosened in that cold. Even whe we were in the hotel, we were called to the gym for stretching more than any other form of conditioning because you never know which muscle you will end up pulling.Venkatesh Iyer missed MP’s journey to the 2022-23 Ranji title due to a combination of injuries and India duty•Getty Images”In the room, we were advised to use heaters at all times, and keep our bodies warm throughout.”On the field, Iyer had a memorable performance. He first picked up a three-for to help skittle Himachal out for 169 and then contributed a vital 72 in tough conditions to help MP eke out a first-innings lead. This earned him the Player of the match award in a drawn, weather-impacted fixture during which no play was possible on days two and three.”The forecast is very accurate there,” Iyer says. “The first day we arrived, the ground was covered in snow, but the first day’s play, the sun was shining bright, and we got in a full day of cricket. Overall, we knew we’d get probably 2-2.5 days to try and push for an outright result.”They got a good partnership lower down the order [Himachal recovered from 36 for 6 on day one]. Had we bowled them out for 70-80, and we got what we did, it would have been game on.” As it turned out, Himachal were 42 for 5 in their second innings, still six runs short of making MP bat again, when the game was called off.”Batting-wise, this is an innings I’ll remember for a long time,” Iyer days. “I had to battle the conditions. It was so difficult that you were never set. But once you know which direction you need to head to, the clarity makes this slightly better. I knew we had to make 170-180, that gave me increased focus.”Iyer found himself struggling at different times. He was recovering from a back spasm, which made it tougher given the conditions.”There was genuine travel fatigue” he says. “You’re on the bus for a long time. And then with the distances we had to cover, it took a toll, but you have to take care of it as a professional and ignore things you can’t change.”Iyer is driven by the desire to win the Ranji Trophy, having missed out on the team’s journey to the title in 2022-23 due to a combination of injuries and being on India duty.”We now know what it takes to be champions, we have the ability to win,” he says, with MP potentially one win away from entering the knockouts. “That belief has come since our win. For someone not part of the set-up there, to come in here, I find this an amazing place to be.”More than the team goal, it’s my burning desire to do something special to help us win the Ranji Trophy. Some things complete you as a cricketer. A Ranji Trophy win will complete it for me.”

They were rarely challenged by a woeful England side, but a number of new and younger players stood tall

Andrew McGlashan17-Jan-2022Warner’s opening partnerMarcus Harris was the player given the chance at the start of the series but he did not complete the five Tests, although that was as much to do with Usman Khawaja’s stunning return as his own failures. Harris did not grasp the opportunity with both hands, but his 76 in Melbourne was vital and in what was a tough series for openers – the lowest overall average for an Ashes in Australia since 1887-88 – he did not look out of place. Whether Khawaja, who had the misfortune of being asked to open in spicy Hobart conditions, will stay alongside David Warner remains to be seen. It might be the only spot available to him. Warner himself faded as the series went on, rounded off by his second pair in the Ashes in what may yet have been a final duel with Stuart Broad, but his two 90s in Brisbane and Adelaide, while owing something to luck, were agenda-setting. It’s largely up to him if he wants to make the 2023 Ashes.Related

• Cameron Green's international education gets first overseas test

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Head start (and finish)If you had been asked to pick a Player of the Series before a ball was bowled, it’s fair to say Travis Head’s name would not have been high up the list. It was a close call whether he or Khawaja would take the No. 5 position. However, he produced what should be a breakout performance, a fulfillment of talent and stroke play that many have recognised before but have waited to come to fruition. A thrilling century-in-a-session at the Gabba ensured there was no way back for England and, having missed the SCG Test due to Covid, he outdid himself in Hobart having walked in at 12 for 3 with the ball moving everywhere. His batting will often be a high wire act, and a few questions remain against the short ball, but he can be a gamechanger.Cameron Green found his batting form late in the series•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesGreen giantThe allrounder position was never a question of personnel coming into the series, but it was always going to be fascinating to watch Cameron Green’s development. And what a statement he made. Firstly it was with the ball as he claimed key wickets – including Joe Root twice in the first two Tests – with his bowling returning to something close to what it was before his back injuries. Then confidence was restored with the bat through hard work in the nets after England’s quicks had challenged his off-stump defence. He broke free in the second innings in Sydney and then played his best Test innings to date to turn the opening day in Hobart around. He was the first Australian player to score more than 200 runs and take at least 10 wickets in a men’s Ashes since Shane Warne in 2005 and before that it was Steve Waugh in 1986. There will inevitably be bumps along the road but the cricketing world is at Green’s feet.Carey for keeps?Elevated into the side only a week before the series after Tim Paine’s resignation and decision to step away from the game, the final day in Hobart was a timely confidence boost for Alex Carey. He rode his luck to make useful runs then grabbed a couple of superb catches – the one off Chris Woakes was a blinder – diving to his right where he had missed a few in earlier matches. It was not a debut series that said, without doubt, that he is the long-term option but it would be a huge surprise if he did not keep his place for the Pakistan tour. Carey is also admired for the leadership qualities and calmness he brings to the side.Scott Boland: the story of the series•Getty ImagesBeyond the big threeA lot of the pre-series talk had been about how Australia would use their quick bowlers. Through injury and Covid they were forced to delve into their much-vaunted depth and it stood up spectacularly. The story of the series was the performance of Scott Boland who took himself from a fringe candidate to someone who is difficult to leave out. Josh Hazlewood’s absence after Brisbane with a side strain was barely noticed while Pat Cummins’ late withdrawal in Adelaide due to being a close contact was handled with ease. Jhye Richardson came in and took a five-wicket haul, then did not play again in the series as he picked up a niggle and Boland stormed into the side. Mitchell Starc was the only frontline quick on either side to play all five Tests and was outstanding in the first three matches. Meanwhile, Cummins finished as the top wicket-taker to lead from the front in every sense.Captain CumminsAnd on that final point, it is a credit to Cummins (although also a reflection on the feeble opposition provided by England) how seamless the transition to his leadership has been. The new structure with Steven Smith worked well and was immediately called into action in Adelaide. If Cummins did make any missteps they came in Sydney and were fairly minor in the grander scheme of things. The fact England were blown away for under 200 in six of their 10 innings (and under 150 three times) meant there weren’t many long days in the field and those will come at some point. However, with a five-strong attack at his disposal there will always be a fresh bowler to call on. As Australia finally return to Test cricket overseas after more than two years, how he and his team evolve will be worth watching.

One of the biggest concerns about the Dodgers heading into the 2025 MLB postseason was the inconsistency and general lack of strength of their bullpen. So far in the NLCS against the Brewers, they've made any worries about their bullpen a moot point almost entirely.

Los Angeles jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the series, thanks to back-to-back superb performances from star pitchers Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The pair combined to pitch 17 innings over the last two games and surrendered just one run between the two.

GO DEEPER: How Yoshinobu Yamamoto Delivered the Best Pitched Playoff Game in Years

Snell pitched 8.0 innings on Monday night, and Yamamoto followed that up by going for a complete game in a 5–1 win on Tuesday.

The Dodgers' duo of starters joined some elite company in MLB history as a result of their stellar outings. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Snell and Yamamoto are the first teammates to pitch back-to-back starts of eight-plus innings in the same postseason series since Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner did it for the Giants in 2010. Lincecum and Bumgarner achieved the feat in Games 4 and 5 of the '10 World Series against the Rangers.

With two wins already under their belt, the Dodgers will turn the ball to Tyler Glasnow on Thursday for Game 3, and they'll have plenty of fresh arms available behind him, as the bullpen has pitched just one inning so far in the series. Shohei Ohtani is expected to be on the mound for Game 4.

Toluca stirred controversy after booking their place in the Apertura 2025 Final and knocking out Monterrey, aiming their celebration directly at Sergio Ramos. The Spaniard had earlier silenced the Nemesio Diez crowd after scoring Rayados’ lone goal in a 3-1 defeat. After the elimination, the Diablos turned his gesture against him – and Ramos didn’t hold back.

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  Toluca mocked Ramos on social media

  Ramos could not avoid the spotlight after Monterrey’s elimination, and his reaction quickly ignited social media. The veteran defender scored Rayados’ only goal in Toluca, and as soon as the ball hit the net, he brought a finger to his lips, signaling the Nemesio Díez crowd to be quiet -despite the fact Monterrey was still trailing 3-1 and already on its way out of the Apertura 2025.

  Toluca wasted no time firing back. Once the final whistle confirmed their place in the Liga MX Final, the club’s social media account mocked Ramos with the message: “Silence, the ‘Pandilla’ is already resting.” 

  The post immediately went viral and triggered a wave of reactions – including one from Ramos himself.

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  Ramos' response

  The Spaniard first replied by posting a screenshot comparing follower counts: Toluca’s roughly 600,000 against his more than 60 million. Minutes later, he doubled down by sharing another story, this time highlighting his extensive trophy collection alongside the jab: 

  “Lions don’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep," he wrote.

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  The semifinal marked Ramos’ final match in Liga MX

  While Ramos’ exchange with Toluca became one of the talking points of the weekend, it also marked the end of his short-lived chapter in Liga MX. The semifinal was his final match in a Rayados shirt – something that had been reported a week earlier and that the defender finally confirmed after the game. The Spaniard leaves Monterrey after 32 matches and seven goals, a notable haul for a central defender.

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  What comes next for Ramos?

  Ramos has not revealed his next destination, though reports suggest a possible return to European football.

Kagiso Rabada called the Rawalpindi win “one of the highlights” of his career

Firdose Moonda23-Oct-2025

Kagiso Rabada scored his maiden Test fifty in Rawalpindi•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa’s Test squad is leaving Pakistan with shared spoils and the satisfaction that they have turned the corner when it comes to playing in the subcontinent. The Rawalpindi Test win was their third in four matches in Asia, after they beat Bangladesh 2-0 a year ago, a series that has been described by several players as the turning point for their 2023-2025 WTC campaign.Before that series, South Africa had lost 10 out of 11 Tests in the subcontinent over a decade, across tours to India (2015 and 2019), Sri Lanka (2018) and Pakistan (2021). Now that they have ticked off a win against one of those opponents, it has given them the belief they have found a way to do it more regularly.”This victory is definitely one of the highlights in my career,” Kagiso Rabada, whose career-best 71 played a crucial role in the Pindi victory push, said at the post-match press conference. “Winning a Test match outside of Bangladesh in the subcontinent. I think that’s pretty awesome. It definitely gives the guys a lot of confidence. Also, it’s a pretty young team and a young team that wants to go out and do the dirty work.”Related

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Rabada operated almost as the solitary seamer across the two Tests, with Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen delivering 25 overs between them and the spinners doing the bulk of the work, and made his mark with his first Test half-century. His knock of 71 off 61 balls, which was part of a tenth-wicket stand of 98 with Senuran Muthusamy, came against the slow-scoring run of play and deflated Pakistan. It also earned Rabada a new bat, after a pact with David Bedingham.”We have a thing where if I score 30 runs, he’ll give me a bat because we are sponsored by the same batting company,” Rabada said. “He said he thought his money was safe after the way I batted in the first Test. So that was just one way to get one up on him.”Coming off a pair in Lahore, Rabada pulled off a series of powerful shots down the ground including a six off Shaheen Shah Afridi. No other batter played with such chutzpah though Rabada said it was always part of South Africa’s plan in tough conditions.”We wanted to be aggressive in the way that we played, because if you just sit around waiting for a bad ball, you’re probably going to get a good ball that gets you out,” he said. “It was important that the batting unit could establish the shots that they wanted to play to put the opposition under pressure and that they start putting fielders back and then you can start rotating the strike.”Kagiso Rabada bowled without much reward in Rawalpindi•Getty Images

That his bowling took a backseat despite excellent spells where he drew Abdullah Shafique’s edge, in particular, several times without success didn’t bother Rabada. “If you’re a fast bowler and nothing’s happening for you, it’s about keeping the game quiet or finding a wicket here and there and applying pressure by slowing the rate down. It’s about running and giving it your all,” he said. “You can still create pressure for the spinners, so they do their job much better. It doesn’t help if we are leaking everywhere and not necessarily bowling correctly. Not many rewards came my way, but I was more than happy to do the job that I did.”Rabada said the spin trio of Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy was “world-class”. “We came here with brilliant spinners and you saw the way that they performed. That was a really massive tick,” Rabada said. “And the batters as well. Rickleton stepped up. He came into this Test series under pressure. Stubbs came into this Test series under pressure, played a crucial knock. Tony (de Zorzi) came into this series under pressure.”Rickelton had scores of 16 and 6 in the WTC final and only one half-century across 11 white-ball internationals in August and September. Stubbs had only got into double figures once in nine innings before his first-innings 76, and de Zorzi had lost his Test spot to Rickelton and is trying to find his way back. He was the only batter in the series to score a century.South Africa ensured they still have not lost a series since the 2-0 defeat with a makeshift side in New Zealand last February and have won 10 of their last 12 Tests. “You have to be doing a lot of things right to get results like that,” Rabada said. And South Africa will feel that they did.