All posts by h716a5.icu

Hasaranga, who picked up a hamstring niggle during the second ODI against Pakistan, is not yet ruled out of the tri-series

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2025Legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth has been added to Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the T20I tri-series in Pakistan as cover for allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who has a hamstring injury.Hasaranga has not been ruled out of the series yet. He picked up the hamstring niggle during the second game of the ODI series against Pakistan and subsequently missed the third ODI as Sri Lanka suffered a 3-0 defeat.Related

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Rawalpindi takes centre stage as Pakistan, SL and Zimbabwe scramble for World Cup spark

Viyaskanth will join the team directly from Qatar, where he was playing for Sri Lanka A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. He has represented Sri Lanka just once in senior cricket, making his debut in the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023.Viyaskanth first rose to prominence in December 2020, when he became the youngest player at 18 years and 364 days to feature in the Lanka Premier League for Jaffna Stallions. In that tournament, he also became the first born-and-bred player from Jaffna to appear in an internationally televised game. Viyaskanth was also the second highest wicket-taker in the SLC T20 League in August 2025. Overall, in 59 T20 games, he has taken 67 wickets at 20.98 with an economy of 7.18.Sri Lanka are also missing their regular T20I captain Charith Asalanka for the tri-series. He flew home with an illness and Dasun Shanaka will fill in as captain. Sri Lanka play their first game of the tri-series on November 20 against Zimbabwe. The series starts on November 18 with each team playing the other twice before the final on November 29.

The Brewers loudly announced their arrival to the National League Division Series Saturday, jumping out to a 9–1 lead on their division rivals, the Cubs.

However, it came at a price. Milwaukee left fielder Jackson Chourio exited the game with an apparent injury beating out an infield single.

The apparent injury ended a spectacular—albeit short—day for the Venezuela native. Chourio went 3-for-3, driving in three runs and scoring one. That performance came on the heels of a terrific showing in last year's NL wild-card series; he slashed .455/.500/1.000 with two home runs and three RBIs against the Mets.

In 2025, Chourio landed unsettlingly close to his 2024 numbers—he slashed .270/.308/.463 a year after slashing .275/.327/.464; he hit 21 home runs again and fell one short of his '24 RBI total. However, he missed 31 games this year, with a hamstring injury costing him almost all of August.

The Brewers said that Chourio left the game with right hamstring tightness and will continue to be evaluated, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Game 2 is scheduled for Monday in prime time in Milwaukee.

Sunderland ended a run of three matches without a win by turning around a 2-0 deficit to beat Bournemouth 3-2 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday in the Premier League.

Summer signing Bertrand Traore grabbed his first goal for the club to make it 2-2, before substitute Brian Brobbey scored for the second time in three matches off the bench to secure all three points.

The work done by Kristjaan Speakman and his team in the summer transfer window can only be described as miraculous at this moment in time, given that the Black Cats are fighting for European football, rather than battling against relegation.

Ranking Sunderland's top five summer signings

Sunderland, including permanent deals, free agents, and loans, made a whopping 15 additions to the team that earned promotion from the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign.

It is hard to look past Robin Roefs and Granit Xhaka as being the two best signings made by the club, as they are both undroppable stars within Regis Le Bris’ side.

The Black Cats number one has prevented 3.28 xG more than expected in 13 Premier League games, per Sofascore, whilst Xhaka has showcased his vast experience, starting all 13 matches and providing one goal and four assists from the middle of the park.

1

Robin Roefs

2

Granit Xhaka

3

Nordi Mukiele

4

Noah Sadiki

5

Omar Alderete

As you can see in the table above, we have put experienced signings Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete, as they have played a role in Sunderland only conceding 13 goals in 13 games so far.

Noah Sadiki also has to be up there because of his brilliant work rate in the middle of the park, averaging 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game across 13 starts, per Sofascore, after his £15m summer move from USG.

Of course, not every single signing goes to plan, and Sunderland are no exception. For example, Simon Adingra is currently on track to become the new Jeremain Lens on Wearside.

Why Simon Adingra may be the new Jeremain Lens

The Black Cats splashed £8m to sign Lens from Dynamo Kiev in 2015 to bolster their wide options, but he only went on to play 24 matches for the club, per Transfermarkt, with four goals and three assists to show for his efforts.

Lens found game time hard to come by after Dick Advocaat was replaced by Sam Allardyce. The winger went as far as to call it “annoying” and stated “I did not come to the Premier League to sit on the bench”.

He then went out on loan to Fenerbahce and Bestikas before signing for the latter permanently in 2018, ultimately leaving the Stadium of Light as a flop.

Unfortunately, Adingra may already be on the same path as the Dutchman after the club paid £21m to sign him from Brighton in the summer, making him the second-most expensive signing in the team’s history, behind the £27m deal for Habib Diarra.

Sporting director Speakman noted in the Ivorian star’s unveiling that he was “excited” to see the 23-year-old in action for the Black Cats, after the youngster had scored 12 goals in 73 games for Brighton, per Transfermarkt.

However, Adingra has not hit the ground running at the Stadium of Light, playing in eight of the 13 Premier League games this season, and is yet to register a goal or an assist, per Sofascore.

The right-footed flanker has struggled badly for game time in the top-flight his season, with one minute played in the last two matches, which will not be what the Black Cats were expecting when they decided to splash £21m on his services.

Bournemouth

0

Fulham

1

Arsenal

26

Everton

0

Wolves

0

Man Utd

37

Nottingham Forest

12

Aston Villa

0

Crystal Palace

69

Brentford

25

Burnley

63

West Ham

76

Adingra has been a bit-part player for Le Bris, with the likes of Traore and Chemsdine Talbi ahead of him in the pecking order, and it remains to be seen whether or not he can turn things around to become a key player for Sunderland.

If it gets to January, or next summer, and he is still struggling for minutes and rarely getting off the bench, the former Brighton man may end up in the position that Lens found himself in, where a loan will be needed for him to go out and play regular football again.

Not Ballard: Sunderland have signed their new O'Shea in £100k-per-week star

Regis Le Bris now has his very own John O’Shea at Sunderland in this £100k-per-week warrior.

1 ByKelan Sarson Nov 29, 2025

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl should be relatively pleased with his start to life in the dugout at Ibrox, with four wins out of four in the Scottish Premiership so far.

The Light Blues beat Livingston 2-1 at Ibrox in a controversial clash in their first game back after the international break, as no penalty was awarded for handball against Emmanuel Fernandez, who also scored the opening goal in the match.

Rangers got the job done, though, and claimed all three points thanks to a second-half strike from Mohamed Diomande, who tapped into an empty net at the back post.

The Ivorian central midfielder had an open goal in front of him because Bojan Miovski made a brilliant run over the top and poked the ball to Diomande as the goalkeeper came out to meet him.

It was a moment of real quality from the Macedonia international to help clinch all three points for the Scottish giants on Saturday, after what has been a difficult start to the campaign.

The Light Blues bolstered their attacking ranks with the £8m signing of Youssef Chermiti and the £4.2m signing of Miovski in the summer, and supporters may need to be patient with both of them.

Why Rangers fans need to be patient with Miovski and Chermiti

Rangers splashed the cash to bring those two centre-forwards to Ibrox, particularly Chermiti, and you can understand why some supporters may not be happy with what they have produced so far this season.

Both strikers have only scored one goal so far in the Scottish Premiership under Russell Martin, Stevie Smith, and Danny Rohl combined, which shows that they have rarely provided much in the way of quality in the final third.

Appearances

9

7

Goals

1

1

Minutes per goal

551

231

Big chances created

1

0

Assists

1

1

Duel success rate

33%

39%

As you can see in the table above, Chermiti and Miovski have both failed to offer value for money in the league since their respective big-money moves from Everton and Girona in the summer.

Rangers and their supporters should still have some patience, though, because Miovski is a proven Premiership goalscorer who can offer quality if he hits his stride.

The left-footed attacker, as shown in the graphic below, was a prolific scorer during his time with Aberdeen, before his move to Spain last year, and this suggests that there is still hope that he can turn his Ibrox career around.

Chermiti does not have the same history of goalscoring, having failed to score a single first-team goal in two seasons with Everton, that Miovski behind him has to suggest that he will come good, but the Portuguese striker is only 21.

The former Toffees flop has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and signed a long-term contract at Ibrox, which is why there may need to be patience with him to allow him to flourish as a player. It is not his fault that former sporting director Kevin Thelwell spent £8m on him, and he should be given a chance to prove his worth in the years to come.

Whilst patience is needed with Miovski and Chermiti, who were both permanent additions signed to long contracts, there are some other summer signings who should not be awarded the same patience.

Chalkboard

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

Nasser Djiga was brought in on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers during the summer transfer window in an attempt to bolster Russell Martin’s defence, but he has been an even bigger waste of time than the two strikers.

Why Djiga has been a worse Rangers signing than Miovski and Chermiti

The Burkina Faso international is only on loan from the Premier League side until the end of the season and the club do not have an option to make the deal permanent next summer.

That means, as it stands, the central defender should only be judged on his performances in the short-term because he is not a player who the Light Blues will benefit from if he develops and improves by the end of the campaign, as he will be off down south to England again.

Therefore, on current performance levels, Djiga looks to be an even bigger waste of time than Miovski and Chermiti, because he is not delivering quality on the pitch for Rangers in the present.

Livingston

90

Dundee

8

Roma

90

Celtic

102

Hibernian

90

Kilmarnock

0

Brann

76

Dundee United

0

Falkirk

90

Sturm Graz

0

The Wolves loanee, as shown by the table above, has been in and out of the side in recent weeks and months, which has been because of his inconsistent performances.

Injuries to John Souttar and Derek Cornelius provided him with a chance to impress against Livingston, but his error for Tete Yengi’s equaliser was described as “appalling” defending by reporter Tom English, as the centre-back allowed the forward to run off the back of him to score from a long pass.

That mistake against Livingston on Saturday is far from the first one that he has made in a Rangers shirt. Four Lads Had A Dream claimed that he

“genuinely looks lost” during the 3-1 defeat to Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup earlier this month.

Djiga also got off to a poor start to life at Ibrox in August. He was sent off in a 1-1 draw with Dundee at Ibrox before making a ‘disastrous’ error at the start of the club’s Champions League play-off qualifier against Club Brugge.

These examples show that the central defender has been an unreliable performer for the Light Blues throughout the season, for both Martin and Rohl, which is why he has been a dismal signing on current evidence.

That is also why he has been an even bigger waste of time than Miovski and Chermiti, because the two strikers were permanent signings on multi-year deals and have time to turn things around, whilst Djiga was a season-long loan signing who should be making an instant impact.

The new Ryan Kent: Rangers can unearth "electrifying" Gassama upgrade

Rangers have a possible upgrade on Djedi Gassama who could be their next Ryan Kent, but he has not played any minutes this season.

ByDan Emery Nov 23, 2025

Unless the Wolves loanee can drastically turn his form around and prove himself to be a reliable figure at the back for Rohl, he may go down as one of the worst signings of the Thelwell era, which lasted one summer.

Never mind the context of World Cups or Ashes, just let the good times roll in chilly Christchurch

Alan Gardner17-Oct-20252:42

What can England learn from their New Zealand white ball tour?

Big picture: Road to the Ashes World CupVery rarely does the international schedule seem to fit together in any logical way, but the next two weeks of bilateral white-ball competition should suit both England and New Zealand down to a tee (and not just because of the plentiful opportunities for golf).It’s true that for England, this tour comes hard on the heels of a long home summer and with a much-anticipated Ashes campaign looming in the background. But having already done their team-bonding thing down in Queenstown, the prospect of easing into the southern summer with some guilt-free tonking around some of world cricket’s more scenic venues should be right up their street – not least because of the local knowhow provided by Brendon McCullum, Jeetan Patel and Tim Southee.New Zealand, meanwhile, can look forward to bumper crowds – Saturday’s first T20I at Hagley Oval is already sold out – for what is otherwise an off-peak time of the season; so early in spring that the domestic programme hasn’t even got underway yet. Having made a bit of a false start against Australia earlier in the month, it’s also a good opportunity to try to get back on track with their T20 World Cup preparations.Related

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Quality trumps context as England, New Zealand prepare for early-season showdown

On that front, Mitch Santner returns after abdominal surgery and will retake the reins from Michael Bracewell. New Zealand are unbeaten in bilateral series since Santner was made permanent white-ball captain last December, and have plenty of T20I cricket to come – including five-game match-ups against West Indies (at home) and India (away) as they build into the World Cup.England are also led by a new-ish captain, with Harry Brook back from a mini-break (during which he also got engaged) that saw him miss last month’s trip to Ireland. No one in the touring party can avoid the pre-Ashes rumbling – Brook is fully aware of priorities for the winter – but this series will provide vital game time for a T20I side that is still coming together, with a three-match series in Sri Lanka their only other outing before the World Cup. Never mind whether Jacob Bethell can stake a claim for the Test No. 3 spot, Tom Banton has a T20 finisher role to nail down.Somehow, for the next three games, we have both context aplenty and the sense that this is a bit of a free hit. What’s not to like?Form guideNew Zealand LLWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
England WWWLWHarry Brook takes part in a traditional welcoming ceremony•Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Jacob Duffy and Phil SaltJacob Duffy has had a phenomenal 12 months in T20I cricket for New Zealand, taking 30 wickets at an average of 12.76, and rising to the top of the ICC bowler standings (he currently sits in fifth). A tall right-arm seamer who is fast enough and has all the tools you need, 31-year-old Duffy is the epitome of under-the-radar New Zealand excellence. Alongside Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, he could provide the sort of Test-match examination in seamer-friendly conditions that may start English minds casting ahead to the Ashes (perish the thought).Phil Salt has proven over and again that he is a T20 gun, ending the English summer in record-breaking form (having begun it out of the side while on paternity leave). His fourth T20I hundred underpinned England’s mahoosive 304 for 2 against South Africa last month, and there is every chance that he could cause similar havoc on his first outing in New Zealand, where the boundaries tend to be small and the wind a useful aid to hitting. After all, the man is bound to have done his research.Team news: Santner and Ravindra fitNew Zealand have confirmed the return of both Santner and Rachin Ravindra to the XI after both missed the Australia series with injury. Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes and Bevon Jacobs are the squad members to sit this one out.New Zealand: 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Tim Robinson, 4 Mark Chapman, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Jacob DuffyEngland named their team more than 48 hours in advance, with Brook back and Jordan Cox dropping down to take on a finisher role in the absence of Will Jacks. The presence of Sam Curran and Bethell in the top seven means England can call on three seamers and three spinners. Zak Crawley is with the squad but must wait for a T20I debut.England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Tom Banton, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Jordan Cox, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Luke WoodPitch and conditions: Wrap up warmConditions are likely to be fresh this early in the New Zealand spring, with extra layers needed for a game under floodlights. Seamers have tended to prosper at Hagley Oval – Santner termed it a “spinners’ graveyard”. As well as a chilly breeze, there might also be some rain around to contend with.Stats and trivia England have previously played three bilateral T20I series in New Zealand, and won all of them. Their last trip came a few months after the 2019 ODI World Cup final and featured a tied game at Eden Park, with England again winning the Super Over. Since the last T20 World Cup, New Zealand have won 12 and lost five – their only series defeat a 2-0 loss to Australia earlier this month. Jos Buttler is 164 runs away from becoming the fourth man to score 4000 in T20Is. Brook is 84 shy of 1000 T20I runs; Jimmy Neesham needs another 20.Quotes”Some wins would be nice. It’s the start of a bit of a nice build-up for us: England, West Indies, India away before the World Cup. But first things first we want to win a series in front of our own fans here in Christchurch.”
“We’ve got a great opportunity here against a very strong side to go out there and try and capitalise on the momentum we’ve already made. The last game we played together as a full group, we got 300.”

Sergio Aguero has claimed Lionel Messi could return to Barcelona before the end of his playing career. A former teammate of the eight-time Ballon d'Or at international level, Aguero also said he hopes Messi could "play forever" and that he backs the GOAT to have an impact for defending champions Argentina at next summer's World Cup in North America.

Messi's Barca chapter not over

The Manchester City legend made the comments in an interview with Stake. 

Aguero was asked on his thoughts of his former teammate returning to Barcelona, ahead of the re-opening of the Camp Nou. Messi returned to his adopted home city of more than 20 years with his wife, sparking a flurry of reports about the relationship between La Blaugrana and their greatest ever player. 

Messi said he thoroughly enjoyed his time in the city, and that he and his wife Antonela are "constantly talking" about a return to Catalonia. Club president Joan Laporta responded to rumours of a loan deal for the Inter Miami player, while newly signed shot stopper Joan Garcia spoke of his desire to see Messi turn out for the club once again. Recently, a report suggesting Messi had reached a complete agreement to return to Barca after departing PSG, added even more fuel to the fire. There is mounting speculation that he will return to the club in some guise before hanging up his boots. Aguero would be more than happy to see that happen. 

AdvertisementAFPAguero: Messi is the most important player in Barcelona history

Aguero said: "Messi is the most important player Barcelona has had in its history. He’s a club and city legend. Messi is synonymous with Barcelona and I believe he enjoyed stepping on the Camp Nou pitch again. I think that chapter is not closed." 

The 37-year-old is close personal friends with Messi, with the pair coming up through the ranks of the Argentinian youth teams at the same time. They played together for the senior national side 88 times, and briefly were on the books at Barcelona at the same time. However, just months after Aguero signed with the Spanish giants in the summer of 2021, Messi departed the club for PSG due to Barcelona's financial issues. 

Aguero backs Messi to perform in 6th World Cup

The City legend is backing his old pal to come through for the Alibceleste once again, as Messi prepares to take part in his sixth World Cup next summer. The diminutive Argentinian cemented his status as the GOAT with his heroic display in Qatar in 2022, scoring seven goals, including two in the final, to deliver Argentina's third World Cup trophy. Aguero missed out on that triumph, after he was forced into retirement earlier that summer, due to a cardiac arrhythmia.  

Aguero shared his thoughts of Argentina's chances in north America next summer. On Messi's role at the tournament he said: "We all want Leo to play forever. Even though we all know that’s impossible. We have to enjoy him while he keeps playing, and he will know until when and where."

On his nation's preparations, he added: "I see them very well. They maintain their playing style, the coaching staff is clear on what they want, and there have been very important additions that will help keep the team at a high level. It’s true they’ll lack match time because there will be few preparation games, although that will happen to almost all national teams. But Argentina has a solid system and whoever comes in adapts very well."

On whether Argentina can defend their crown, he replied: "Why not? They keep their core, their playing style, and their hunger for glory. And Scaloni has found great players who are completing the squad after others ended their cycle. A World Cup is always difficult, but I think Argentina are always contenders, because of history and because of the present."

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Getty Images SportCan Messi write another dream chapter in his glittering career?

The 2022 World Cup was supposed to be the crowning glory at the end of a storybook career, but now four years on, we have one of Messi's closest friends in the game backing him to perform on the biggest stage once again, and maybe making a sensational return to his spiritual home. A move back to Catalonia might seem farfetched, a 38-year-old star should not be able to drive his team to glory at the World Cup, but since when has Messi ever played down to our expectations? He always suprasses them. 

Shohei Ohtani continued his convincing campaign for a second straight National League MVP award by hitting his 54th home run of the season in style against the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

In the top of the fourth inning with one on and one out, Ohtani belted a 1-1 changeup deep into right center and straight into the pool beyond the outfield wall at Chase Field. It was the Arizona equivalent of a splash home run, and Ohtani's 54th of the season, tying his own 2024 record for the most long balls in a single season in Dodgers history.

But the homer also led to something unlikely: Ohtani received MVP chants in Arizona.

Admittedly, a lot of those chants are coming from Dodgers fans who made the trip to Arizona in the hopes of seeing Los Angeles clinch the NL West title, which they can do with a win over the Diamondbacks. But it's still impressive to hear MVP chants on the road for a visiting player, regardless of the circumstances.

Ohtani leads the NL in OPS, ranks second in home runs and has racked up 62 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched, recording a sparkling 2.87 ERA in his return to the mound in 2025. Ohtani, along with Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, is among the favorites to take home the NL MVP. Should he go on to win it, Ohtani will have been an MVP in four of the past five seasons between his time with the Dodgers and Angels.

We've officially hit the All-Star Break of the 2025 MLB season, with the next two days dedicated to honoring the league's best.

This year's slate of events will take place at Atlanta's Truist Park and will begin with the Home Run Derby on Monday night.

Of the eight participants, seven are first-timers—including the sensational Cal Raleigh, who leads MLB with 38 jacks—and are set to compete for some serious prize money.

So how much does the winner receive? And how is the money divvied up? Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 Home Run Derby prize pool:

2025 Home Run Derby Total Prize Pool

The total prize pool handed out at the MLB Home Run Derby is a whopping $2.5 million. However, it isn't winner-takes-all. While the champion receives $1 million off the top, the rest of the money is then trickled down to the rest of the participants in a variety of ways.

Here's how:

2025 Home Run Derby Prize Pool Structure

Simply participating in the Home Run Derby guarantees you a hefty check of $150,000—not too shabby. Additionally, the runner-up receives $500,000, and hitting the longest home run of the night earns you $100,000.

Place/Result

Prize

Winner

$1,000,000

Runner-up

$500,000

Remaining Participants

$150,000

Longest Home Run

$100,000

It doesn’t matter which order you put them in, Australia’s batting is frail right now, and their home conditions are not helping

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-2024Australia spent six months talking about the batting order, with Steven Smith central to the discussion.The chorus was almost unanimous. Smith had to get back to No. 4. It was his rightful spot. A spot where he has been one of Australia’s best ever. Smith said Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne “hated” him opening despite the fact he requested to do it citing a sense of “security” when he batted behind them.Cameron Green’s injury paved the way. Australia picked a makeshift opener in Smith’s place in Nathan McSweeney, who was deemed the next best batter available.Related

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And just one day into Australia’s back to the future batting adventure, Jasprit Bumrah blew that preferred top-order apart with a near unplayable spell of fast bowling on a near unplayable surface.It doesn’t matter which order you put them in. Australia’s batting is frail right now. It has been for a while. Their home conditions are not helping. Top-order batting in Australia has rarely, if ever, been harder than it is right now, as India can also attest to after a day of carnage at Perth Stadium where 17 wickets fell, only three batters reached 20 and no-one passed 41.And while Australia’s fast bowlers are loving life, having toiled on some very flat surfaces earlier in their careers, Australia’s team is discovering, like India discovered against New Zealand at home just recently, the more extreme the batting conditions become the more chances visiting sides have.Australia won four of their five home Tests last summer, but they lost one of them to West Indies and gave Pakistan a chance in two others. In similarly challenging conditions in New Zealand, they were fortunate to escape with a 2-0 victory. Australia’s batters are not separating themselves from their opponents in the same conditions.India were rolled for 150 and it looks above par right now. Australia are under enormous pressure against them on home soil once more, having entered as the far more settled group.Jasprit Bumrah was unplayable with the new ball•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaFor Smith, it’s torture. Australia’s greatest player of this generation is staring his cricketing mortality square in the face.He walked in as the security blanket at No. 4, although it’s hard to know how happy Khawaja felt about it as they crossed at the gate, and had his defence breached first ball.That Australia were 19 for 2 in the seventh over was not overly alarming given the conditions. McSweeney’s debut innings had been challenging. Those critical of his elevation to open in this Test with just two first-class innings’ worth of experience in the role might feel justified by his 13-ball 10. But he was undone by some exceptional bowling from Bumrah. He was beaten by a delivery that angled in and zipped away. He was then trapped lbw by a delivery that pitched wider and veered back into his front pad like a missile, with Bumrah’s flawless seam position looking exactly the same for both deliveries.Smith might have entered in the same over had Labuschagne been held by Virat Kohli. Bumrah went wide of the crease again and angled in before taking it away. Labuschagne shuffled across the crease, twisted chest on and nicked it knee high to second slip. Kohli had it and then fumbled it while his team-mates celebrated around him.Khawaja wasn’t so lucky, having looked as comfortable and assured as any Australian batter. From around the wicket, Bumrah first beat him with a beauty before catching the edge with a similar back-of-a-length ball that angled in and straightened. Khawaja was squared up completely as he edged it to Kohli, who held this chance easily.In walked Smith, but he couldn’t survive his first ball. Another inswinging missile thundered into his pads as Smith shuffled across and fell to the off side. For one of the rare times in his career, he did not review.It was a cracking delivery, in the midst of a truly extraordinary spell of bowling from a masterful fast bowler at the peak of his powers. First-ball ducks can happen to any player. Smith can be forgiven in that context. His line of credit extends beyond any player in this Australian team. But it is worth noting it was his third straight Test dismissal lbw and his fourth in his last five first-class innings, if you include his lone Sheffield Shield outing this summer. Two of those have come not offering a shot. Two others have looked identical – shuffling back and across, losing his bearings to off stump, getting beaten on the inside. He also fell in the same fashion in the first over at the Gabba when opening for just the third time in his career.Smith has spent a decade inviting the world’s greatest bowlers to hit his front pad in line with the stumps and for most of that decade he has plundered runs at a record rate. Now he’s missing them with alarming regularity.Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh could not produce counter-attacking heroics to rescue Australia, as they have done so often in recent times. It is of little surprise given neither had played in over a month due to the birth of their respective children.Marnus Labuschagne’s 2 off 52 balls was stubborn but not game-changing•Associated PressLabuschagne’s innings was torturous. He made 2 off 51 balls before he too was pinned lbw by Mohammed Siraj. He has gone nearly two years without a Test century in Australia and is averaging 15 from his last nine Test innings, which includes a 90 in his previous Test match.Mitchell Starc, who had bowled superbly earlier in the day, was adamant post play that the pitch was not that difficult to bat on, saying the bowlers were allowed to bowl good balls. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who top-scored for the day with 41 on Test debut, said the surface had more life in it than the MCG pitch he played on for India A just a fortnight ago, where scores were marginally better.Starc is right in the sense that Bumrah’s exceptionalism is worthy of acknowledgement. Sometimes the greats are just too good on the day.But when it comes as part of a downward trend, when the likes of Aamer Jamal, Shamar Joseph, and Matt Henry have all scythed through the same line-up in recent times, then it can’t just be written off as one special spell from one special bowler.Australia’s current population has ticked past 27 million this year and none of them could have handled Bumrah’s spell. The concerning part for Australia is that the best of them aren’t handling many spells at present on home turf.

Price century followed by four wickets for departing seamer Zaman Akhter as Derbyshire fall short

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Aug-2025Ollie Price illuminated the final day of the Towergate Cheltenham Festival, scoring a superb hundred as Gloucestershire beat Derbyshire Falcons by 59 runs to make a winning start to their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign.The Oxford-born batter posted 103 from 115 balls and staged stands of 141 with James Bracey and 97 with Ben Charlesworth for the second and third wickets respectively as the home side ran up an imposing 341-8 at the famous College Ground. Promoted to open the innings, Bracey contributed an enterprising 83, while Charlesworth and skipper Jack Taylor weighed in with half-centuries.Brooke Guest raised a brilliant 86 from 88 balls and shared stands of 64 with Matt Montgomery and 76 with Amrit Basra, who scored 42 and 40 respectively, as the Falcons made a decent fist of chasing. But paceman Zaman Akhter returned figures of 4 for 47, including a decisive spell of three wickets in six balls, to swing the contest back in Gloucestershire’s favour and ensure Derbyshire were dismissed for 282 in 45.5 overs.Derbyshire won the toss, elected to field and saw debutant Rory Haydon remove Australian Test batsman Cameron Bancroft lbw in a tidy new-ball spell of 1-16 from six overs with one maiden. Driving and cutting fluently, Bracey and Price found runs easier to come by against Ben Aitchison from the Chapel End. these two matching one another blow for blow as boundaries began to flow. When Nick Potts replaced Aitchison, Bracey hoisted him high over mid-wicket for six to bring up the half century stand, twice repeating the feat with further effortless pick-ups a few overs later to afford the innings added impetus.Bracey went to 50 via 40 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes and then smashed Potts for another six over mid-wicket as the innings assumed three figures. Potts was withdrawn after conceding 42 from three overs, but there was no reduction in the rate of scoring from the Chapel End, Price reverse sweeping Montgomery’s off spin for four to raise the hundred partnership in just 15 overs. He brought up his 50 via 59 balls soon afterwards.Derbyshire desperately required a breakthrough and Montgomery obliged, bowling Bracey via an inside edge with the score 148-2 in the 23rd. Bracey had dominated a stand of 141, his aggressive knock spanning 66 balls, including 8 fours and 4 sixes and affording his side an excellent platform. Price and Charlesworth consolidated thereafter, adding 50 for the third wicket in 63 balls in the face of accurate bowling from Joe Hawkins and Basra.A bumper Festival audience rose to acknowledge Price’s fourth List-A hundred, the 24-year-old reaching the landmark in 111 balls with a swept single behind square off Montgomery. Having hit 10 fours and a six, he was then bowled by Andersson. But there was no respite for the visitors, Charlesworth moving seamlessly to a run-a-ball half century with 4 fours and a six.Aitchison had Charlesworth held at long-on for a 59-ball 60 and Graeme van Buuren caught at the wicket for eight as Derbyshire briefly applied the brakes, only for the experienced Jack Taylor to combine power and deft placement in raising a quickfire 67 from 37 balls with 10 fours and a six to carry Gloucestershire out of sight.Forced to score briskly from the outset, Derbyshire lost Harry Came to scoreboard pressure in the seventh, the opener driving a length ball from Matt Taylor straight to mid-on with 24 on the board. But Caleb Jewell and Montgomery made amends, finding the boundary with sufficient regularity to advance the score to 53 at the end of 10 overs.Returning to Gloucestershire on loan seven years after leaving to join Warwickshire, Craig Miles struck an important blow when persuading Australian Jewell to cut to Charlesworth at backward point for 35 with the score 61 for 2. But the visitors continued to make a fight of it, Montgomery and Guest bringing up 100 inside 18 overs to keep the required rate at around 7.5 an over. The 50 partnership occupied 55 balls, the third wicket pair establishing themselves in a manner which suggested Gloucestershire might not have things all their own way.Having accrued a six and 5 fours in raising a 39-ball 42, Montgomery blotted his copybook, playing back to van Buuren’s slow left arm and chopping on to terminate a partnership of 64 in 11.3 overs as Falcons slipped to 125 for 3. Akhter and van Buuren applied the squeeze during the middle overs and Jack Taylor benefited, having Martin Andersson held at extra cover with the score 152 for 4.Derbyshire were still in with a chance while Guest remained at large, the captain going to 50 from 61 balls, while debutant Basra demonstrated clever improvisation to hit the ground running, plundering sixes at the expense of Jack Taylor, Josh Shaw and Miles to keep the reply on track.Gloucestershire needed a wicket and Akhter responded by taking three in the space of six balls. He bowled the combative Basra for a 31-ball 40, had Guest held at long-on in his next over and then removed Ross Whitely cheaply to reduce the Falcons to 234 for 7 and relieve pressure on his team. Requiring a further 107 from 11.1 overs, Derbyshire were never really in the hunt thereafter, Aitchison succumbing to Matt Taylor for 19 as the chase ran out of steam.