England and India served up a treat at Lord’s, leaving the series delicately poised. Alan Gardner was joined by Sid Monga and Vish Ehantharajah to discuss what went down
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2025England and India served up a Test match for the ages at Lord’s, one that was eventually won by 22 runs deep into the final day as the hosts took a 2-1 lead with two to play. With the dust still settling on the closest contest of the series, Alan Gardner was joined by Sidharth Monga and Vithushan Ehantharajah to pick through all the goodness – from honours board appearances for Joe Root, Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul, to Jofra Archer’s comeback, Ravindra Jadeja’s herocis, Ben Stokes’ juju and the welcome return of on-field needle as the tour reaches its pointy end.
His 40-ball hundred led Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chase of 246
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2025
Chris Gayle – 30 balls
175* vs Pune Warriors India, Bengaluru, 2013 It was the day on which Gayle rewrote T20 record books at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. His unbeaten 175 remains the highest individual score in the format, and his 30-ball century is the fastest in IPL history even after 12 years. After a watchful first over, Gayle took 21 off Ishwar Pandey and 28 off Mitchell Marsh to bring up a 17-ball fifty. Aaron Finch’s 29-run over only added to the charge and Gayle brought up his century in the ninth over. Of his first 103 runs, 98 came in boundaries. He finished unbeaten on 175 and later returned to pick up two wickets, capping off a surreal day.
Yusuf Pathan – 37 balls
100 vs Mumbai Indians (MI), Brabourne, 2010 Pathan teed off when Rajasthan Royals (RR) needed 143 off 57 balls to chase down MI’s 212. He hit 54 off his next 11 deliveries, including three successive sixes off Ali Murtaza and 24 in the following over from R Sathish. The carnage continued as he brought up what was then the fastest century in the IPL with a towering six. He was run out the very next ball, leaving RR with 40 to get from 17 balls – a bridge too far in the end. However, his captain, Shane Warne, described it as the best innings he had ever seen.
David Miller – 38 balls
101* vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Mohali, 2013Miller’s 38-ball century rescued Kings XI Punjab (now PBKS) from 64 for 4 and powered them in a jaw-dropping chase of 191, with 99 runs coming in the last five overs. It began with a flurry of boundaries off Vinay Kumar before he tore into RP Singh for 26 in a single over. With three runs needed and Miller on 95, he launched a length ball straight over the sightscreen to bring up his century in style. After the match, Miller shared his father’s advice: “If it’s in the V, it’s in the tree. If it’s in the arc, it’s out of the park.”
Travis Head – 39 balls
102 vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2024Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Head had already signaled their intent with a 277-run blitz earlier in the season. In Bengaluru, they went one better. Head had set the tone with a powerplay assault that saw SRH race to 76 for 0, bringing up his fifty along the way. By the time he was dismissed in the 13th over for a 41-ball 102, SRH had rocketed to 165. They eventually finished on 287 – the highest total in IPL history.
Priyansh Arya – 39 balls
103 vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mullanpur, 2025PBKS picked 24-year-old Delhi opener Arya for INR 3.8 crore after a bidding war at the auction and he’s already showing why. After a 23-ball 47 on debut, Arya delivered on his potential against CSK. He began the innings with a first-ball six and didn’t let the fall of wickets at the other end disrupt his intent. He later smacked Matheesha Pathirana for three consecutive sixes and a four to bring up a stunning maiden IPL century in just the 13th over of the innings.
Abhishek Sharma – 40 balls
141 vs PBKS, Hyderabad, 2025SRH needed a blazing start to give themselves a chance of chasing down 246, and Abhishek gave them exactly that. He started by hitting four fours off the first five balls he faced. He had a slice of luck on 32; he was caught at deep-backward point but the bowler, Yash Thakur, had overstepped. Abhishek rubbed it in by launching the next ball for a six. He brought up his fifty in 19 balls and comfortably outscored Travis Head in an opening stand of 171 in 12.2 overs. It was a mild surprise when he gently turned the ball on the leg side to bring up his hundred for a single. He eventually finished on 141 off 55 balls, the highest individual score for an Indian at the IPL.
Take a bit of risks and don’t go after the yorkers for all six balls – that was Matt Henry’s clear plan as he helped New Zealand to the men’s T20I tri-series title in a last-ball thriller in Harare.Henry stood at the top of his mark with South Africa needing seven off the last over with six wickets in hand. ESPNcricinfo’s win predictor gave South Africa a 93.3% chance, with a set Dewald Brevis batting on 31 off just 14. But all Henry conceded were three runs and picked up two wickets.”The thought process was making sure that there were tough options [for the batters]. If you go to yorkers too early and you run two, it’s hard to kind of keep six [balls] out,” Henry said after New Zealand’s three-run win. “So, we just tried to be positive and to take an element of risk of the death that doesn’t always come off but that was good.Related
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“With not too many to defend, I probably made it a little bit clearer in terms of, having probably taken a few more risks, and making sure that it either was a dot ball or a wicket. Just making sure I was nice and clear at the top of the mark and executing what I wanted to do, and thankfully executed the plans nicely and catches stuck, so that was good.”2:32
Matt Henry: ‘Tried to take an element of risk at the death’
The last over was not devoid of drama. A couple of athletic catches sealed New Zealand’s fate, while the one missed chance did not cost them. On the second ball, Brevis looked to pull a bouncer over the deep midwicket boundary and almost succeeded. But Michael Bracewell timed his jump, held his balance to complete a juggling catch that gave New Zealand the edge. A ball later, he couldn’t hang on to a miscue from Corbin Bosch, grassing the chance after running in from deep midwicket. On the fifth ball, Daryl Mitchell covered good ground to his right from long-on to pull off another excellent catch to convert a certain boundary into a wicket, thus sending back George Linde.”I was hoping he was going to catch it,” Henry said of Bracewell, “it was a really good catch. When you’ve got Bracewell out there on the boundaries, [he is] one of the better fielders going around. So [I had] a lot of confidence, just hoped that one did his job. These guys, they take more catches than they drop, so I wasn’t as worried [about the dropped catch]. I was more just focused on what I could do. [It was a] tough chance, and not many people probably get to that to create a chance. He’s an unbelievable fielder.”Henry finished the tri-series as the leading wicket-taker with ten wickets. Six of those wickets came at the death (overs 17-20), a phase in which he had an economy of 6.69.”The key thing is wanting those overs,” Henry, who was named the Player of the Match as well as the Player of the Series, said. “It’s never easy, they don’t always go your way either. It’s something we all train at, and I think when you’re talking about death, it’s not just the final over. It’s actually the building up of that.”I think the guys that had some really tough sets there, [Jacob] Duffy and Zakary Foulkes, they’ve done a great job. There was some seriously aggressive striking there [from South Africa] as well. So for us to get to that position was probably the key thing.Henry also praised the tri-series as a means to play high-pressure matches in preparation for the T20 World Cup next year.”We don’t play too many of them, but to come here today and then the final one is great,” he said. “We want to play cricket against great sides and under pressure, that’s why we play the game. Today was one of those games. It was different to all the games we played here. It was a really strong surface, which required a high scoring game – obviously 180 was probably the highest for the tri series – so to come down to the wire was exciting. For us, it was building on what we’ve been talking about. A lot of guys that have stepped up at different times, which is a pleasing thing.”We’ve loved it, we’ve had such a great tour, and we’ve got a big year of T20 cricket with the World Cup to look forward to. For us, [it is about] not getting carried away with the results, more of the style of cricket we’re playing, and how do we keep asking ourselves to grow in our roles and take the game forward. It was a great stepping stone towards where we want to get to.”
It wasn’t a classic, but Arsenal did what they had to in their League Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta named a significantly changed team to the one that beat Crystal Palace, and still ran out 2-0 winners, and are now set to face the Eagles again in the quarter-finals.
With all that said, while it wasn’t the most thrilling of games, the Gunners did play reasonably well, and aside from a few moments early on, were far and away the better team.
Moreover, there were a few starters who made a strong case for staying in the side, including two gems who are looking like the new Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
Arsenal's standout performers vs Brighton
One player who should not be in the team for Burnley this weekend, but still made a good impression on Wednesday night, was Andre Harriman-Annous.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The academy gem was handed his first senior start for the side, and while he didn’t score a goal, he was a handful all night and made several intelligent runs.
Moreover, it was his shot that led to Saka scoring his goal and sealing the deal for the side, so even though he should not play at the weekend, the 17-year-old is someone to keep an eye on.
A youngster who does deserve to make it into the travelling squad for Saturday is, of course, Max Dowman.
The “certified worldie of a talent,” as dubbed by analyst Rohan Jivan, was utterly incredible in his first senior start, and the Seagulls had no option but to double- and triple-team him when he had the ball, he was so dangerous.
Finally, even though they lacked some synergy in the first half, the entire backline came out of the game looking good, with the centre-back pairing of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie looking particularly sturdy.
With all that said, there was another duo who did themselves proud, a duo who could be the new Saka and Smith Rowe.
Arsenal's new Saka and Smith Rowe
With Dowman already mentioned, it will come as no surprise that the two youngsters who could be Arsenal’s new Smith Rowe and Saka are, of course, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Now, this doesn’t mean the pair exactly mirror the former Hale Enders, nor does it mean they’ll follow their exact footsteps, especially as injuries unfortunately saw Smith Rowe left behind by the project.
However, like the duo that came before them, the two 18-year-olds are of the same academy cohort and, most importantly, play incredibly well together.
For example, it was the Gunners’ exciting young left-back that provided the assist for Nwaneri to open the scoring midway through the second half.
Moreover, while they only combined for a single goal, there were other moments in the game in which the “fearless” Lewis-Skelly, as dubbed by Declan Rice, charged into the middle of the park and played some quick passes with his “phenomenal” teammate, as dubbed by former professional Stephen Warnock.
Nwaneri & Lewis-Skelly
Games
28
Minutes
765′
Points per Game
2.14
Goals
2
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Including Wednesday night’s game, the pair have now made 28 senior appearances together, totalling 765 minutes, in which they’ve combined for two goals and averaged 2.14 points per game.
Finally, on top of their connection on the pitch, the youngsters have made it clear in numerous interviews that they are incredibly close friends, which can surely only improve their in-game synergy.
Ultimately, it’s still early in their careers, but it looks like Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly could be Arsenal’s new Saka and Smith Rowe.
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The allrounder made a successful comeback for Baroda with a match-wining performance on Tuesday
ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2025
Hardik Pandya last played for India during the Asia Cup in September•AFP/Getty Images
Hardik Pandya is set to make a comeback to T20Is when India’s selectors pick the squad for the five-match series against South Africa on Wednesday. There are doubts about the availability of Shubman Gill, India’s T20I vice-captain.The Gill question is likely to be top of the agenda for the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel when they meet in Raipur, where India play South Africa in the second ODI.In Gill’s likely absence, Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the possible contenders to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma. While Samson was in the recent T20I squad that toured Australia, he played only two out of the five matches and batted only once – at No. 3. Jaiswal was not part of that squad.Gill had hurt his neck while batting in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata, where he retired hurt and played no further part in the match. He missed the second Test too – which India lost to concede the series 2-0 – and the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa as well.It is understood that Gill’s injury involves a pinched nerve, and as per the initial timeline drawn up by BCCI medical staff, he would need to rest for a minimum of five weeks before resuming training. He arrived at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Monday to continue his rehab.The selectors are also likely to consider Riyan Parag for a slot in the 15-member squad. Parag last played for India in a T20I series against Bangladesh in 2024 and is currently leading Assam in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Both the selectors and the Indian think tank will be happy about Hardik’s successful return – he led Baroda to a victory against Punjab on Tuesday in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – having successfully recovered from the left quadricep injury he suffered during the Asia Cup in September. Hardik took 1 for 52 in four overs and scored a match-winning 77 not out in his first competitive game in more than two months. He had missed the five-match T20I series in Australia in October-November, which India won 2-1 with two washouts.The T20I series against South Africa begins on December 9 in Cuttack – after the ODI series ends on December 6 – followed by games in New Chandigarh (December 11), Dharamsala (December 14), Lucknow (December 17) and Ahmedabad (December 19).India, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, are currently the top-ranked T20I team, while South Africa are in fifth place.
Lamine Yamal's frustrations at being substituted off in Barcelona's 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday night might have rubbed some people up the wrong way, but the Spanish star proved he has the elite mentality that only the game's greatest – such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – possess.
Yamal hooked in Champions League
Yamal missed a total of five minutes at the end of the Champions League win over the German side at Camp Nou on Tuesday, but that did not stop him from showing his frustrations after his number was held up in the 89th minute. His night was fruitful, providing an assist, creating two chances, and having 110 touches of the ball, but it's not the first time his emotions have seemingly got the better of him. A few weeks ago, in the 3-1 win over Alaves – a game in which Yamal scored – he pulled off a similar stunt, giving a stone-faced look at his manager as he walked straight past him and to the bench. That night, the 18-year-old admitted he was frustrated with how he played, and that he holds himself to higher standards. The match against Frankfurt looks to be a similar situation, with Yamal proving he has a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque mentality, that there is always room for improvement, and he wants to be on the pitch for every minute possible.
That will not stop Flick from bringing his brightest talent off if he feels it is necessary, as he explained after Tuesday night's clash. He said: "We changed Lamine with a few minutes to go because he was booked and it was late," the German said. "If he was a bit annoyed, then I fully understand and I like it. I was a player too. It's fully acceptable, not a problem." Yamal is not the only star in La Liga to have erratic reactions to being hooked. Vinicius Junior has often caused a stir with his outbursts of emotion on the pitch, and it almost always comes down to the big-name players feeling like they have more to contribute. More often than not in modern football, the player outlasts the manager, and in Flick's case, he must manage Yamal carefully to avoid his own early dismissal. To his credit, he's doing everything right up to now.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportFollowing in CR7's footsteps
Ironically, Yamal plays for Real Madrid's biggest rivals, but there are a lot of clear similarities between him and the great Cristiano Ronaldo. Like the Portuguese superstar, Yamal wears his heart on his sleeve and isn't afraid to show emotion. All he cares about is winning, not emulating those who came before him. Barca's No.10 went out of his way to claim he does not want to be Lionel Messi, the man who wore his shirt number for so many years in Spain and to such incredibly high standards. He said: "I think that Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time, but he also knows that I’m a good player. There will be mutual respect if we play against each other. He knows that I’m not trying to be him, to play like him, or wear the 10 like him. I want to follow my own path."
The truly elite players in football want to be involved in every minute of every game across the season; that much has been evident in Yamal's time at the top so far. At 18, he has played over 8,000 minutes, significantly more than most players of his age, due to his astonishing breakthrough at just 15 years old. For that reason, Flick's decision to rest him at every available opportunity is somewhat justified. But what the German might find, going forward, is that Yamal's demands will increase, as he grows older, gets even better, and becomes a more globally recognised figure in the sport. When that moment comes, it will be better to just step back and let him shine.
Overwhelming support for Barca's wonderkid
The consensus across social media is that Flick handled Yamal's frustrations in the media well enough – another clear indicator that it would be wise for the Blaugrana head coach not to get on the wrong side of the evolving superstar. One fan, @BEANle, explained his interpretation of the moment: "Lamine Yamal wasn't mad he’s just passionate. Kids who love the game never want to come off and that fire is exactly what makes him special."
Another, @DKostanjsak, reminded everything of the importance of the Barca man, adding: "Lamine Yamal is still the biggest game breaker in the world of football. His ability to flip the script from 0 to 100 is one of Barcelona's biggest weapons. But it's up to Flick to maximise that. At the moment, we're not getting the most out of the world's best."
Finally, @Ayse_Crypt said: "Barca fans should be relieved. We finally have a young talent who doesn’t hide when things get tough. He wants every minute, every duel, every moment. These are the guys who become club pillars."Getty Images SportA long career ahead
Unless there is a dramatic change, Yamal is going to be a Barcelona player for a long time. He has the ability to smash records, both in Spain and Europe, but only if he is given the freedom to grow into a role filled by Messi before him. As much as he might not be fond of them, the Messi comparisons aren't going anywhere. Lamine Yamal is going to be a name associated with football for the next decade at least, and it is not too-far fetched to suggest he could go on to become one of the greatest players of all time. While no player is bigger than the club, the support of the manager in ignoring the minor misdemeanors is only going to help Yamal on that path to legendary status. And Flick, for now, appears to have it spot on.
And does Angelo Mathews hold the record for the most Tests played at a single venue?
Steven Lynch24-Jun-2025Tharindu Rathnayake picked up three wickets in the first innings of his Test debut – two with offspin, the other with his left arm. Is this the first time anyone has done this in a Test? asked Divy Tripathi from India The versatile Sri Lankan spinner Tharindu Rathnayake marked the first innings of his debut, against Bangladesh in Galle last week, with three wickets. The first two – left-handers Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque – came with offbreaks, but Rathnayake often changes his bowling style when faced with right-handers so his fingerspin still turns away from them… and he disposed of Litton Das while bowling orthodox left-arm spin. In the second innings he again dismissed Mominul with an offbreak, then Liton and Jaker Ali with his left arm.It seems certain that this feat is unique in Test cricket: we don’t know how some bowlers delivered, but I’m sure that someone changing mid-stream and having any success would have been commented on and we’d have known about it! The only men I’m aware of who have even bowled with both right and left hand in Tests are Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad (it seems he had switched to slow left-arm at the end of Garry Sobers’ then-record 365 not out in Kingston in 1958) and Graham Gooch of England, who enlivened the closing stages of a drawn Test in Calcutta in 1982 with some bowling impersonations, including at least one ball delivered with his left hand. Neither of them took a wicket with their “wrong” arm, though. Rathnayake’s Sri Lankan team-mate Kamindu Mendis has occasionally bowled left-arm in first-class cricket, but his three Test wickets to date all came with right-handed offbreaks.Karun Nair returned to India’s Test side at Headingley after missing 77 matches. Was this a record? asked Vinesh Maharajan from India Karun Nair reappeared for India in the first Test against England at Headingley after missing his country’s previous 77 five-day matches. He’s quite high on the list, but not at the top: the Indian record-holder is the left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, who missed 116 successive Tests between his debut, against South Africa in Centurion in December 2010, and the second of his four caps, against Bangladesh in Mirpur in December 2022. Two Indian wicketkeepers also missed more Tests than Nair: Dinesh Karthik 87 between January 2010 and June 2018, and Parthiv Patel 83 between August 2008 and November 2016.The only man from anywhere with a bigger gap than Unadkat is the England offspinner Gareth Batty, who missed no fewer than 142 Test matches between June 2005 and October 2016, when he was recalled at 39 to face Bangladesh in Chattogram.Angelo Mathews, who just retired, played his 34th Test match at Galle. Was this a record? asked Mohan de Silva from Sri Lanka That’s a good spot, as I hadn’t seen it mentioned anywhere: Angelo Mathews played 34 Tests in Galle, which is indeed the record for a single venue. Next at the moment is Jimmy Anderson, who played 29 Tests at Lord’s, while his long-time new-ball partner Stuart Broad had 28 matches there.Mahela Jayawardene played 27 Tests at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo (his home ground), while Mushfiqur Rahim is likely to add to his current total of 27 at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. Mushfiqur recently became only the 19th player to extend his Test career beyond 20 years.No other player has played as many Tests at a single venue than Angelo Mathew’s 34 in Galle•AFP/Getty ImagesWho holds the record for taking the most Test wickets at home before taking his first wicket abroad? asked SM Nazmus Shakib from Bangladesh That’s an unusual question – and the answer is an unusual character: the South African medium-pacer Jimmy Blanckenberg, who took 56 wickets in 13 home Tests on the matting pitches used there at the time. He then toured England in 1924 with less success, taking just four wickets in the five-Test series. After this Blanckenberg had several seasons in the Lancashire League, although he also ran into controversy there, apparently refusing to shake the hand of the black West Indian allrounder Learie Constantine. After his stint in the leagues Blanckenberg rather disappeared from view, and his death details have never been discovered, although there’s a theory that he passed away in Berlin in 1955. If any historians out there have more details, do let me know!The Middlesex legspinner Walter Robins took 52 Test wickets in England before finally claiming one overseas, in Australia in 1936-37, while fast bowler Rodney Hogg picked up 51 in Australia – including 41 in his maiden Ashes series in 1978-79 – before touring India the following season, when his first scalp was that of Sunil Gavaskar.Turning the question around, Jasprit Bumrah collected 79 wickets overseas before finally taking one in India. That’s the record, unless you include the legspinner Yasir Shah: he took 207 wickets before finally taking one in Pakistan, but that included several in “home” Tests in the UAE and elsewhere while security concerns precluded matches in Pakistan.In the World Test Championship final, Aiden Markram scored the only century of the match in the fourth innings. How often has this happened in a Test? asked Dylan McKenzie from South Africa That superb 136 from the South African opener Aiden Markram, which did much to decide the destiny of the World Test Championship mace, was indeed the only century of the final at Lord’s. It’s a relatively rare occurrence: this was the 39th Test match in which the only century was scored in the fourth innings. Markram had done it before – also against Australia, in Durban in 2018 (the Aussies still won that one, though).Markram is one of only three men to do this twice, the others being fellow openers David Warner and Dimuth Karunaratne. But Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene uniquely scored the only century of a Test in the fourth innings on three occasions: against South Africa in Colombo in 2000 and also at the Sinhalese Sports Club in 2006, and against Australia in Galle in 2011.The first such instance was by Australia’s Joe Darling, whose fourth-innings 160 was the only century of the match against England in Sydney in March 1898. There were only 17 further cases in the 20th century, but 21 since 2000.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
Abhishek and Gill added 105 in just 59 balls as India chased down 172 with seven balls to spare
Sidharth Monga21-Sep-20251:45
Was Fakhar Zaman out or not out?
For about 10 overs, Pakistan threatened what has become rare in recent years, a memorable cricketing contest against India, but ran out of gas against the depth of India’s bowling. Still, 171 was the highest total Pakistan have ever posted batting first against India, but it ended up as all their defences against India have: in defeat, this time with seven balls to spare.Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill crushed the total without ever looking in trouble, starting with a six first ball and adding 105 for the first wicket in just 59 balls, making sure the middle order didn’t have too much to do when scoring became difficult against the older ball. Gill scored 47 off 28, and Abhishek, who had dropped Sahibzada Farhan in the first over of the match, carried on to 74 off 39, and left India just 49 to get off 46 when he was dismissed.Farhan went on to score a fifty to promise a contest but it felt like he had to play out of his skin to get there. He was also culpable in Pakistan’s slowdown, adding just 7 off 11 after reaching fifty as Pakistan went 39 legal deliveries without a boundary.Abhishek Sharma’s explosive innings contained six fours and five sixes•AFP/Getty Images
Even though the chase appeared a walk in the park, the simmering tensions between the sides rose to the surface on the odd occasion. India’s batters appeared to be extra mindful of reassuring each other as the players from the two sides engaged with each other for the first time in more than one-and-a-half matches.India remained the cooler of the sides: Farhan wielded his bat like a gun after reaching fifty, Abhishek blew kisses after reaching his. The celebrations were indicative of the effort taken to reach the respective milestones.
Bumrah’s costliest powerplay
Pakistan protected the struggling Saim Ayub from opening the innings, and it worked with Fakhar Zaman getting off to a flier, after which Farhan carried on. Pakistan raced away to their best powerplay against India, scoring 55 for 1. Jasprit Bumrah bowled three overs in the first six for the third straight match, and registered his costliest T20I powerplay: 34 runs.Sahibzada Farhan slowed down after getting Pakistan off to a quick start•AFP/Getty Images
Pakistan get over middle-overs muddle… just about
Coming into this match, the only teams in this Asia Cup slower than Pakistan in the middle overs were Oman and UAE. Pakistan had gone at under a run a ball, but this time they managed to hit three four sixes in overs 8-10, off Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel. The fourth six brought up Farhan’s half-century.Having done the hard work, Pakistan slumped. The slide began against Shivam Dube, whose progress as a sixth bowler through this tournament will satisfy India immensely. Dube didn’t provide the batters any pace, stayed away from their swinging arc, and took out both Ayub and Farhan after they had put on 72 for the second wicket. The quality of Varun and Kuldeep then shone through, as they tied Pakistan down despite taking just one wicket between them. Faheem Ashraf’s unbeaten 20 off 8 added respectability to the score, but it always looked light.
Abhishek, Gill blitz through
It began looking even lighter when Abhishek hooked the first ball of the chase for a six. Gill and Abhishek laced the bowling, making full use of the new ball and whatever pace Shaheen Shah Afridi provided them. India’s 69 for 0 was the best powerplay of this Asia Cup, and India’s best against Pakistan.Abhishek kept clearing the infield while Gill kept finding the gaps, and all the while they made sure they stood together whenever a confrontation threatened to materialise. It eventually came to a head with Abhishek and Rauf in each other’s face after Gill pulled the latter for a four.Ashraf provided Pakistan the breakthrough with a ball that seamed in to bowl Gill immediately after he had taken treatment for cramps. Suryakumar Yadav then fell for a duck, but Abhishek kept striking the ball cleanly, taking down Abrar Ahmed, potentially Pakistan’s most threatening bowler. Even though Abrar finally got his wicket, Abhishek took him for 32 off 12 balls including four sixes.
Tilak labours through the last mile
India experienced a brief slowdown similar to Pakistan’s as Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma struggled to come to terms with the old ball not coming onto the bat. Samson managed just 13 off 17, but Tilak saw India through with sixes off Rauf and Afridi in the 18th and 19th overs.
They had won 15 straight matches in this tournament until they were knocked out on Thursday by South Africa
Sampath Bandarupalli17-Oct-202415 Consecutive wins for Australia at the Women’s T20 World Cup until their eight-wicket loss to South Africa on Thursday. Australia’s previous defeat at this competition came in their opening fixture of the 2020 edition against India.Australia’s 15-match winning run is twice as good as the next best at the Women’s T20 World Cup – seven by West Indies across 2016 and 2018, and England across 2020 and 2023.1-7 South Africa’s win-loss record at the Women’s T20 World Cup against Australia. South Africa had lost all of their previous seven meetings against Australia, the joint-most defeats for a team against an opponent.3 Number of defeats for Australia in the knockout stages of the Women’s T20 World Cup – all three by eight wickets. England won in the semi-final of the inaugural edition in 2009, while West Indies got the better of them in the 2016 final.Related
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31 Balls needed for Anneke Bosch to complete her fifty, the fastest for South Africa at the Women’s T20 World Cup. The previous quickest fifty was off 35 balls by Lizelle Lee and Sune Luus, both against Thailand in 2020.It is also the joint-second fastest fifty by any batter against Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup, behind Deandra Dottin’s 22-ball effort in 2009. Smriti Mandhana also scored a 31-ball fifty against Australia in 2018.74* Bosch’s score is the third-highest in a run-chase at the Women’s T20 World Cup. Claire Taylor’s unbeaten 76 against Australia in 2009 is the highest, followed by Sophie Devine’s 75* against Sri Lanka in 2020.200 Bosch’s strike rate against the Australian spinners, against whom she scored 46 off 23 balls with six fours and a six. Against the seamers, she scored 28 off 25, with two fours.5 Instances of Australian spinners bowling eight or more overs without taking a wicket in a women’s T20I. Only one of the previous four came at the T20 World Cup – against Ireland in Delhi in 2016.86 for 3 Australia’s total at the end of the 15th over in the semi-final. It is Australia’s lowest 15-over total while batting first in women’s T20Is since the 2016 T20 World Cup game against New Zealand, where they scored 63 for 5.Australia’s 134 for 5 is also their lowest total while batting first since the 129 for 4 against New Zealand in March 2021.100 Innings for Beth Mooney to complete 3000 runs in T20Is, the fastest woman to the milestone. Stafanie Taylor was the previous fastest, having got there in 103 innings.5-0 Win-loss record of the teams electing to bowl first in the ongoing T20 World Cup, including South Africa on Thursday. The teams choosing to bat first have won nine and lost seven.
AC Milan have made contact with Nottingham Forest over a deal for a £26m Nuno signing who now wants to leave.
Forest on the up under the helm of Dyche
Ange Postecoglou didn’t last long after replacing Nuno earlier this season, but Sean Dyche has really managed to turn things around, with his side now four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone, after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.
The Tricky Trees edged out a 1-0 victory against the bottom-placed side, courtesy of an Igor Jesus goal with just under 20 minutes left to play, meaning they finally have some breathing room, and survival is looking increasingly likely.
Dyche praised his side’s mindset in the narrow victory, saying: “They kept going and throwing things at us. I’m pleased with our mentality. You saw the way we dug it out, they threw a lot at us second half and we dealt with it well.”
In fairness, given that Forest qualified for the Europa League last season and spent heavily in the summer, relegation shouldn’t be on the cards, but it would be fair to say some of their recent additions haven’t hit the ground running at the City Ground.
Arnaud Kalimuendo, who arrived from Rennes for £26m, has particularly struggled to make an impact, having failed to score in his opening seven Premier League games, predominantly being utilised as a substitute.
According to a report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the striker could be offered an exit route soon, with it being revealed that AC Milan have made contact with Nottingham Forest CEO Lina Souloukou over a potential deal.
Kalimuendo now wants to leave Forest, amid a lack of game time, featuring for just 81 mintues across his seven Premier League appearances this season, and clubs from Italy are lining up to sign him, with AS Roma also being named as potential suitors.
Forest should sanction Kalimuendo departure this January
In truth, it is probably best for all parties if the centre-forward moves on this summer, given that he clearly hasn’t managed to impress all three of Forest’s managers this season, given the lack of game time in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old has impressed at times in the Europa League, most recently scoring in the 3-0 victory over Malmo FF, but he was unable to make an impact as a substitute against Brighton in the following match, failing to register a single shot.
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In fairness, it is difficult to have a major impact coming on late in the game, and Kalimuendo may need to be given a Premier League start if he is to prove himself.
However, with Jesus recently scoring his first Premier League goal, and Chris Wood still to return from injury, opportunities are likely to be even more limited going forward, and it may be worth Forest cutting their losses in the January transfer window.