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And does Varun Chakravarthy have the best bowling figures in a losing cause in T20Is?

Steven Lynch05-Feb-2025Sri Lanka used only four bowlers in Australia’s huge total in the first Test. Was this a record? asked Aditya Agarwal from India
Australia’s first innings in Galle last week reached 654 for 6 before Steve Smith declared. You’re right that Sri Lanka used only four bowlers, who sent down 154 overs between them.It was not only the highest Test total in which only four men bowled – previously Australia’s 528 against India in Adelaide in 1981 – but also the highest in all first-class cricket. That mark was previously 533, by South Africa in an unofficial Test against an Australian XI in Port Elizabeth early in 1987.There have been two Test innings longer than 154 overs to feature only four bowlers. In Rawalpindi in 1997, Pakistan used only four in 167.5 overs as South Africa made 402. But the most deliveries came in Sydney in 1951, when England used only four bowlers in 129 eight-ball overs – equivalent to 172 of six balls – as Australia reached 426. One of those England bowlers, Denis Compton, sent down only six overs – but Alec Bedser delivered 43, John Warr 36 and 40-year-old Freddie Brown 44.Three of Sri Lanka’s bowlers last week conceded more than 180 runs: this has happened only once before in a Test innings, in Sri Lanka’s own record total of 952 for 6 declared against India in Colombo in 1997. The bowlers then were Rajesh Chauhan (1 for 276), Anil Kumble (1 for 223) and Nilesh Kulkarni (1 for 195 on debut; his wicket came from the first ball he bowled).Gudakesh Motie top-scored in the match as West Indies beat Pakistan last week. How often has the highest individual innings in a Test come from a No. 9? asked Shane Chintamani from Guyana
It turns out that Gudakesh Motie, who made 55 in the second innings of West Indies’ dramatic series-squaring victory over Pakistan in Multan last week, was only the tenth man to make the highest individual score in a Test match from as low as No. 9 in the order.The list includes Reggie Duff, a batter who usually opened but who went in at No. 10 on his debut for Australia against England in Melbourne in 1902, and scored 104.The other No. 9s who top-scored in an entire Test were Clem Hill (160) for Australia against England in Adelaide in 1908 (he usually batted much higher, but had been ill), Ian Johnson (73) for Australia vs India in Madras in 1956, Asif Iqbal (146) for Pakistan vs England at The Oval in August 1967, Warren Lees (89) for New Zealand vs Sri Lanka in Christchurch in 1983, Wasim Akram (66) for Pakistan vs West Indies in Faisalabad in 1986, Fanie de Villiers (67 not out) for South Africa vs India in Ahmedabad in 1996, Brett Lee (62 not out) for Australia vs West Indies in Brisbane in 2000, and Shaun Pollock (111) for South Africa vs Sri Lanka in Centurion in 2001.Was Usman Khawaja the oldest man to score a maiden Test double-century? asked Emil Chandran from Australia
When he reached his double-century against Sri Lanka in Galle last week, Usman Khawaja was 38 years 43 days old. He was the 12th man to score a Test double-century after turning 38: Don Bradman of Australia and India’s Vinoo Mankad both made two.The oldest man to score a Test double-century remains the South African opener Eric Rowan, who was 42 when he made 236 – his first and only double – against England at Headingley in 1951. Jack Hobbs was 41 when he scored 211 (also rather surprisingly, his maiden Test double-century) for England vs South Africa at Lord’s in 1924. Another Englishman, Patsy Hendren, reached his maiden Test double-century on his 41st birthday, against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1930. Graham Gooch of England and South Africa’s Dudley Nourse both also scored Test doubles after their 40th birthdays. Mankad and England’s Andy Sandham were also older than Khawaja when they reached their maiden Test 200s. For the list, click here (note that the ages given are at the start of the match in question).Varun Chakravarthy is the only bowler to have taken two five-fors in losing causes in T20Is•BCCIVarun Chakravarthy took a five-for in a T20 international against England the other day and lost – and it was the second time he’d done that. What are the best T20I figures by someone who ended up losing? asked Lakshmi Narayanan from India
The Indian legspinner Varun Chakravarthy took 5 for 24 in the second T20I against England in Rajkot last week, but he still finished on the losing side, as he did when he claimed 5 for 17 in Gqeberha last November.In all there are 28 instances of a bowler taking five or more wickets in a losing cause in a men’s T20Is, and Chakravarty is the only one to have done it twice. The best figures in a defeat are 6 for 12, by the Hong Kong seamer Nasrulla Rana against Papua New Guinea in Kuala Lumpur in 2023; Chakravarty’s 5 for 17 are the best figures in vain in a match between two Test-playing nations.There were 53 men’s Test matches in 2024. Was this a record? asked Andrew McKenzie from England
The number of men’s Tests in 2024 has been exceeded only twice before: there were 55 in 2001, and 54 in 2002. What’s noticeable is that there were 12 draws in 2001, and eight in 2002, but only three last year. The last time there were as few as three draws was 2020, when Covid meant there were only 22 Test matches all year.For the list, click here. Note that this is worked out by the start date, which means a few Tests which straddle the new year are not credited to the second year. This does not affect any of the top 25 or so entries, except 2013 and 2014 – one Test started on December 30 and continued into January 2014 (so arguably the totals for those years should be 43.5 and 41.5).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

كشف ليونيل ميسي، أسطورة كرة القدم ونجم نادي إنتر ميامي، عن طموح منتخب الأرجنتين في منافسات بطولة كأس العالم العام المقبل، كاشفًا في الوقت ذاته عن أفضل مدرب في التاريخ من وجهة نظره.

ميسي سبق وأن صنع المجد مع الأرجنتين، حيث قاد منتخب بلده إلى الفوز ببطولة كأس العالم عام 2022، والتي أقيمت في قطر.

ويتطلع ميسي إلى كأس العالم العام المقبل، والتي سوف تلعب في كندا والمكسيك والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، بينما يمتلك منتخب الأرجنتين تشكيلة قوية.

وأكد ميسي في مقابلة مع شبكة ”ESPN”، على رغبة لاعبي منتخب الأرجنتين في صنع التاريخ مرة أخرى والحصول على لقب كأس العالم.

وقال ميسي: “الفوز بكأس العالم صعب للغاية، أي فريق يمكنه أن يصعب الأمور عليك ويقصيك، قد تصطدم الكرة بالقائم وتخرج، أو تصطدم بالقائم وتدخل وهكذا تنتهي رحلتك، أو قد تخسر بركلات الترجيح”.

وأوضح ابن الـ38 عامًا: “في كأس العالم الأخيرة، كان الحظ حليفنا، فرغم تفوقنا الكبير في مباراتينا ضد هولندا وفرنسا، انتهى بنا المطاف بالفوز بركلات الترجيح”.

وأردف ميسي: “خلال ركلات الترجيح، كان لدينا إيميليانو مارتينيز الذي قادنا للفوز، لكن من الممكن أن تصل إلى ركلات الترجيح ولا تفوز، من الصعب جدًا الفوز بكأس العالم”.

طالع .. الذكاء الاصطناعي يتنبأ ببطل كأس العالم 2026.. وحظوظ المغرب

وتابع: ”نعم، أعتقد أن هذه المجموعة ستحاول الفوز بكأس العالم مرة أخرى وستبذل قصارى جهدها وتقاتل”.

وأثنى ميسي على مدربه السابق في برشلونة والمدرب الحالي، لمانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا، موضحًا أن الأخير هو أفضل مدير فني في التاريخ.

وواصل ميسي: “بالنسبة لي، جوارديولا فريد من نوعه، هناك مدربون ممتازون للغاية لكنه يمتلك شيئًا مختلفًا، بالنسبة لي هو الأفضل بينهم جميعًا”.

واستكمل ميسي في حديثه: “عندما يتعلق الأمر برؤية الأمور، والتحضير للمباريات، والتواصل مع اللاعبين، فهو متكامل للغاية”.

واختتم: “إنه الأفضل، وكنا محظوظين بوجوده في برشلونة، لقد اجتمع مع اللاعبين الذين كانوا لدينا وتشكلت العناصر المناسبة لتحقيق ما أراده، وتحقيق كل ما تم تحقيقه”.

واعترف ميسي بأن عائلته وقفت بجانبه تجاه الانتقادات التي كان يتلقاها من قبل جماهير الأرجنتين، حيث قال: “عائلتي هي كل شيء بالنسبة لي. كانوا دائمًا بجانبي فهناك لحظات صعبة مررنا بها مع المنتخب الوطني”.

وأضاف ميسي في حديثه: ”كنا نتحدث عن كل مباراة قليلًا من قبل، كنت أفكر في المباراة القادمة وكنت أعود من الأرجنتين وألعب بعد ثلاثة أيام مع برشلونة، كنت أعيش واقعين مختلفين”.

وأوضح: ”في برشلونة، كنا نفوز بكل شيء، كنت ألعب بشكل جيد وأسجل الأهداف، ثم أذهب إلى المنتخب الوطني ولا أحقق النتائج المرجوة. كانوا يلعنونني. كانوا يقولون لي أشياءً كثيرة، مثل أنني لم أعد أشعر بالقميص أو أنني لست أرجنتينيًا أو أنني لن ألعب بعد الآن، أو أنه لا ينبغي لي حتى أن أكون هناك”.

وأردف: ”كانت عائلتي تمر بوقت عصيب للغاية، وفي تلك اللحظة بالذات، تقدر أكثر كل الحب الحقيقي الذي يكنّه الناس لك ووقوفهم بجانبك”.

وتابع: ”ولطالما كنت محظوظًا لأن عائلتي قريبة مني جدًا ، نحن متحدون جدًا، تمامًا مثل عائلة زوجتي وهذا يسهل كل شيء لأنهم يتصرفون مثلنا”.

وأشار ميسي إلى رغبته في المشاركة في كأس العالم، حيث قال: “آمل أن أكون هناك، لقد قلت سابقًا إنني أرغب في ذلك”.

وأضاف: “في أسوأ الأحوال، سأكون حاضراً لأشاهدها مباشرة، لكنها ستكون بطولة مميزة. كأس العالم مميزة للجميع، لأي بلد وخاصةً لنا، لأننا نعيشها بطريقة مختلفة تماماً”.

وأشاد ميسي بكثرة المواهب الأرجنتينية خلال السنوات الأخيرة، حيث أوضح: “يستمر ظهور لاعبين جدد، فإلى جانب اللاعبين الحاليين  تستمر الوجوه الجديدة في الظهور، عندما تكون هذه المجموعة كهذه يسهل على اللاعبين الجدد التأقلم”.

واعترف ميسي بأنه ليس مهووسًا بالأرقام القياسية والإحصائيات، إذ أردف: ”يركز الناس اليوم كثيرًا على الإحصائيات وأنا شخصيًا لا أحب الإحصائيات، لا أعتقد أنني مضطر للتسجيل أو التمرير فقط لتحقيق رقم قياسي أو تجاوز لاعب آخر”.

واختتم: ”أعيش اللعبة وأستمتع بها، أحب أن أكون حاسمًا ومنخرطًا في مجرى المباراة لكنني لا ألعب من أجل الإحصائيات ولم أعطها أهمية قط، كل شيء حدث بشكل طبيعي، ليس لأنني كنت أسعى لتحقيق أرقام أو محاولة تجاوز أي لاعب، الأمور حدثت ببساطة لأنها حدثت”.

واعترف ميسي بأنه يرغب دائمًا في تحقيق الانتصارات، حيث قال: “لطالما كنت تنافسيًا، أحب الفوز وأسعى إليه، مررت بفترات صعبة ولحظات صعبة خلال مسيرتي لكنني دائمًا ما أواصل المحاولة وأنهض من جديد، باحثًا دائمًا عن الأفضل”.

وأضاف: “العديد من الأمور التي حدثت لي لا أدركها أو أقدرها إلا الآن، عندما تكون مركزًا أو منغمسًا في روتينك اليومي، يكون الأمر صعبًا للغاية، طوال مسيرتي كنت ألعب كل ثلاثة أيام ودائمًا ما أخوض مباريات مهمة، وأُكافح دائمًا من أجل تحقيق أهداف مهمة”.

وأوضح: “كنا نفوز بمباراة وبعد شهر نخوض مباراة أخرى، أو يبدأ عام جديد ويكون علي الالتزام بالفوز بكل شيء، متطلبات اللعب في نادي كبير مثل برشلونة والأمر نفسه ينطبق على باريس، وكذلك على الأرجنتين حيث عليك دائمًا بذل قصارى جهدك للفوز”.

وأردف: “في معظم الأحيان لا يحدث ذلك أو يكون صعبًا للغاية، ولكن منذ البداية تكون عقليتك هي الفوز بكل شيء، ويمنعك روتينك اليومي من الاستمتاع بالأمور”.

وتابع: “ما هو قادم أهم مما حدث ومع مرور الوقت، تبدأ بتقدير الأمور أكثر بكثير”.

واعترف ميسي بأنه يحلم في العودة مرة أخرى إلى نادي نيولز أولد بويز، والذي بدأ معه مسيرته الكروية، حيث قال: “لطالما قلت إن حلم طفولتي كان اللعب مع الفريق الأول لنادي نيولز، كنت أذهب إلى الملعب وألعب هناك، وحلمت بأن أصبح لاعبًا محترفًا في الدوري الإسباني،  ثم تغيرت حياتي تمامًا لأنني غادرت في الثالثة عشرة من عمري وظهرت لأول مرة مع برشلونة، وكل ما حدث بعد ذلك”.

وقال: “إنه شيء لم أتخيله أبدًا ولا حتى في أفضل أحلامي، عشت تجارب أكبر بكثير مما كنت أحلم به”.

وأضاف: “الحقيقة هي أنني لطالما كنت متهورًا بعض الشيء في الملعب، عندما تدخل الملعب تتغير شخصيتك، خارج الملعب كنت خجولًا ومنطويًا وفي الملعب كنت أتحول ، أصرخ، وأجادل، وأريد أن أفعل كل شيء بشكل صحيح، وما زال هذا يحدث حتى اليوم”.

وأوضح ميسي: ”إنه جزء من اللعبة وكل شيء يبقى فيها، ألعب دائمًا للفوز وأشعر بالغضب، وفي تلك اللحظات لا أستطيع التحكم بمشاعري،  بالنسبة لي كل ما يحدث يبقى في الملعب”.

Arsenal suffered a devastating 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime, surrendering their five-point lead atop the Premier League table in dramatic fashion.

Emiliano Buendia’s stoppage-time winner completed a remarkable comeback for Unai Emery’s side, dealing a significant blow to the Gunners’ title aspirations.

Matty Cash gave Villa a deserved first-half lead with a thunderous finish at the back post in the 36th minute, capitalizing on Arsenal’s struggles to contain the hosts’ energetic pressing.

The right-back’s half-volley from a deflected cross caught David Raya off guard, sending Villa Park into raptures and rewarding the home side’s dominant opening period.

Mikel Arteta responded decisively at the interval, introducing Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres for the ineffective Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino.

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The Belgian substitute made an immediate impact just seven minutes into the second half, converting a rebound after Emiliano Martínez could only parry Bukayo Saka’s initial effort. Trossard’s poacher’s instinct at the back post hauled Arsenal level and appeared to shift momentum decisively in the visitors’ favour.

Arsenal dominated possession throughout the second period, creating numerous opportunities to snatch victory. Noni Madueke struck the side netting late on when well-positioned, while Declan Rice orchestrated attacks from deep despite struggling with the calf complaint that troubled him against Brentford midweek.

However, Villa refused to surrender tamely.

Emery’s tactical substitution proved inspired as Buendia replaced Matty Cash in the 85th minute, pushing the hosts into a more aggressive attacking shape with Lamare Bogarde dropping to right-back.

The Argentinian playmaker delivered the decisive intervention deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest to a loose ball inside Arsenal’s penalty area and firing home to secure all three points.

The defeat represents Arsenal’s second loss of the campaign and ends their 18-match unbeaten run across all competitions. More significantly, it allows Man City the opportunity to reduce the gap at the summit to just two points, should they defeat Sunderland later today.

Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal – best players

Match Rating

Emiliano Martínez

7.8

Declan Rice

7.7

Matty Cash

7.5

Boubacar Kamara

7.5

Martin Odegaard

7.2

via WhoScored

For Villa, the victory extends their remarkable home form to just one defeat in their last 25 league matches at Villa Park, maintaining their challenge for Champions League qualification while sitting third in the table.

It also begs the question, are Emery’s men now genuine title contenders?

Stuart Pearce says Youri Tielemans stole the show against Arsenal

With that debate now set to rumble on, former England defender Stuart Pearce has picked out one Villa star to thank for an absolutely incredible afternoon for Emery in the Midlands.

Commenting on the game for talkSPORT, Pearce named his Player of the Match — £150,000-per-week midfielder Youri Tielemans.

The Belgian international apparently stole the show against Arsenal, with Pearce calling his display in the engine room ‘outstanding’.

Tielemans, who is out of contract in 2027, has just made a firm case to the Villa hierarchy when it comes to his long-term future.

The 28-year-old returned to full fitness fairly recently after missing six league games with a calf problem and was left out of the starting eleven for Villa’s thrilling 4-3 win at Brighton.

Emery’s decision to start Tielemans today was a masterful decision, and that performance will give the player huge confidence ahead of Villa’s trips to FC Basel and West Ham.

England head coach defends opener despite pair as methods come under scrutiny

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Nov-2025

Zak Crawley bagged the first pair by an England opener since Mike Atherton in 1998•Gareth Copley/AFP/Getty Images

Brendon McCullum still believes in Zak Crawley despite his pair in the first Test against Australia, and has called on England bat with more conviction following their two-day defeat in Perth. The visiting head coach even cited Travis Head’s match-winning 123 as an example to follow.Head made light work of what looked a more-than-competitive target of 205, driving Australia most of the way home to an eight-wicket win in just 28.2 overs. With Usman Khawaja yet again suffering from a back injury, Head replaced Marnus Labuschagne (who opened in the first innings) and proceeded to slap 20 boundaries, including four sixes that belied the size of the Optus Stadium boundaries.As well as flaying an England attack that 24 hours earlier had put the frighteners up the home batters, Head was responsible for the first runs for an opening partnership in the Test. The first overs of the previous three innings had brought ducks. Crawley was responsible for two at the hands of Mitchell Starc. Jake Weatherald – knocked off his feet by Jofra Archer on day one – maintained his footing with 23, his first runs in Test cricket.A careless waft outside off stump six balls into the match was followed by a checked-push five balls into his second innings, brilliantly caught by Starc. With that, Crawley became the first English opener dismissed without scoring in both innings of an Ashes Test since Michael Atherton at Melbourne in 1998.Pegged as a batter to thrive on Australian pitches, England have groomed Crawley as an X-factor player ahead of this tour. He has been backed to the hilt by captain Ben Stokes since the start of his tenure.Though Crawley was the leading run-scorer in 2023’s Ashes, and England’s standout run-scorer on the following tour of India, he has averaged just 32.26 since the start of 2022. His career average – 30.96 – is close to dipping under the thirty mark.McCullum has previously insisted Crawley is not picked to be “a consistent player”. Essentially, he is a scorer of great runs rather than a great run-scorer. That point of view remains undimmed, as is his importance in an opening partnership with Ben Duckett that remains the fastest since 1998. Travis Head starred as an opener with an extraordinary 69-ball century•Getty Images

“We believe he is a quality player,” McCullum said, when asked if Crawley was undroppable. “Particularly in these conditions against this sort of opposition. How many balls did he face? 10 or 11? He got out cheaply, but we believe in Zak.”He’s been around this group for a long time, he’s done really well. The combination with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley has allowed us to enter games as best as we think we can. And I’d expect to see a strong bounce-back from Zak in the next little while. Sometimes you get out early, right? It would have been nice if he hadn’t. But that’s life. If he can get going, he can do some damage.””If” being the operative word. Crawley is now joint-fourth on England’s duck list from 96 innings – the only member of that top five to have batted fewer than 142 times in Test cricket. And the suggestion he cracks on when he gets a start is not backed up by the statistics. The 27-year-old has 24 fifty-plus scores, but of openers with at least 20, his average of 85.80 is the third lowest.Of course, Crawley is not the sole batter to blame for the fact England are 1-0 down. It was a top-order collapse of 5 for 23 – including Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root across six deliveries for no run – that relinquished what had been a lead of 105 with nine second-innings wickets in hand.It was Scott Boland who thrived during this passage, eventually finishing with 4 for 33, making amends for a difficult 0 for 62 in the first innings.Related

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Having bested the 36-year-old on Friday, England were unable to get a hold of him on Saturday. A mistake, in McCullum’s eyes, which he puts down to batters not wholly committed to their respective methods. Unlike Head.”Maybe just back away and slay it over point, or slog it to cow?!” McCullum said, tongue in cheek, when asked how England might have batted better. “I’m not saying they didn’t go hard enough, but there was a player [Head] who had total conviction in his method and has done it across different formats and on different stages over the last few years.”‘Have conviction’ – that’s been what we’ve said. Choose a method and have conviction in it. If it works then great. But if it doesn’t at least you’ve done it your way.”Despite the early finish, England are set to remain in Perth for the time being before heading straight to Queensland ahead of the second Test, a day-night affair in Brisbane, which begins on December 4.A decision is yet to be made on whether any of the main squad will drop into the England XI – originally the Lions – for the Prime Minister’s XI match in Canberra (November 29), which will offers them pink-ball practice. Most importantly for McCullum is shedding the pain of this whirlwind defeat as quickly as possible.”We will let the dust settle, but we are bitterly disappointed for us, but also all the fans who have turned up here to support us so well here and we know we will be throughout the series.”We can’t carry this one onto the next. We’ve been trying to insulate against things going wrong for a while. For us that connectivity and camaraderie is something we pride ourselves on. We will need it over the next few days.”

Tottenham’s miserable form under Thomas Frank continues following a lacklustre 2-1 loss at home to Fulham on Saturday night, with the home side subjected to a chorus of boos at the full-time whistle.

Tottenham 1-2 Fulham as tepid Spurs form piles pressure on Frank

The visitors delivered a devastating early double blow to extend the North London club’s torrid run and raise fresh questions about Frank’s ability to arrest their alarming slide.

Fulham raced into a commanding two-goal advantage within the opening six minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, capitalizing ruthlessly on defensive frailties that continue plaguing Spurs despite their manager’s persistent tactical tinkering.

Kenny Tete opened the scoring after just four minutes when his speculative effort took a wicked deflection off Destiny Udogie’s leg, completely wrong-footing goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and nestling into the bottom corner. The Italian stopper, helpless against the deflection, barely had time to recover before Fulham doubled their advantage.

Harry Wilson compounded Tottenham’s defensive nightmare just two minutes later, capitalizing on catastrophic goalkeeping from Vicari

The Welshman caught Vicario in no man’s land with a long-range chip from distance, and given there were no defenders there to clear it off the line, the ball floated into a completely empty net.

Tottenham dominated possession throughout the opening period but created virtually nothing of substance, managing just two shots and accounting for a paltry 0.01 expected goals during the first half.

Frank introduced attacking reinforcements during the second half, withdrawing Joao Palhinha, Richarlison and Archie Gray for Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons and Rodrigo Bentancur around the hour mark.

The changes provided brief encouragement when Mohammed Kudus lashed home a powerful half-volley in the 59th minute — his first at home in a Spurs shirt — which reduced the deficit and offered fleeting hope of a comeback.

Tottenham hold talks with Arsenal target as Frank 'craves his progressive passing'

Spurs need more creativity.

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 28, 2025

However, Fulham expertly managed the remaining half-hour, introducing Sasa Lukic and Emile Smith Rowe to shore up midfield and nullify Tottenham’s increasingly desperate attacking thrusts.

Despite introducing forwards Mathys Tel and additional creative players, Spurs lacked the quality and conviction required to salvage anything from another disappointing home performance.

The defeat represents Tottenham’s fourth loss in their last six matches across all competitions, following humiliating setbacks against Arsenal (4-1) and PSG (5-3) in the last week.

The pressure is now seriously on Frank, who is attracting real scrutiny as critics question whether he is really the right man for the Spurs job.

Jamie O'Hara loses it with Xavi Simons in Tottenham defeat to Fulham

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, pundit Jamie O’Hara picked out substitute Simons for criticism alongside Frank, despite the fact he only had half an hour to make an impact.

The former Spurs midfielder was livid with Simons following repeated failed flick attempts when the north Londoners were chasing the game at 2-1, with O’Hara expressing his outrage at the wasteful attacking play.

After his disasterclass in goal, keeper Vicario was also booed by supporters nearly every time he touched the ball, with the tension among fans now reaching breaking point as Spurs continue to underperform.

Simons, who could end up costing the club £125 million over a potential seven-year contract when you factor in wages, agent’s fees and add-ons, needs to find his feet in England soon or risk being seen as a major flop.

The Dutchman has scarcely been given a chance by Frank lately, but the fact he’s only been given a few minutes here and there should send a pretty clear message.

Simons was often bullied off the ball against Fulham and failed to make the desired impact, even despite all of his efforts to get into dangerous positions.

For Spurs, the home curse continues, and no other ever-present Premier League side boasts a worse record on their own turf than Tottenham in 2025.

Sellout crowd disappointed as heavy and persistent rain prevents any action at Malahide

Matt Roller19-Sep-2025Persistent rain wiped the second of three T20Is between Ireland and England out before a ball was bowled. Heavy overnight rain in the Dublin area left patches of the outfield totally sodden at Malahide Cricket Club, and a planned 1.30pm inspection was pushed back indefinitely until umpires Aidan Seaver and Jonathan Kennedy eventually called the game off at 3.47pm.It made for an anticlimactic afternoon, not least with a “sold out” sign plastered onto the ticket booth and a crowd of more than 4,000 expected. After three washouts against West Indies, Ireland have now lost four out of their eight home men’s internationals this summer to the weather; the only consolation is that the forecast for Sunday’s match is more promising.Brian MacNeice, Cricket Ireland’s chair, said that their insurance policy mitigated the financial impact of the abandonment. “We have a policy that covers it,” MacNeice said. “There’s no financial impact to us, other than potentially a slightly more expensive insurance policy next year.”A member of the groundstaff tries to dry the outfield•Sportsfile via Getty Images

The wash-out was particularly frustrating for Ireland as this series was initially pencilled in for June, only to be shifted back to September at the ECB’s request. “Even in the middle of the summer, you can’t predict that you’re going to get perfect weather,” MacNeice said. “We didn’t have a problem having the games here at this time.”England had planned to rotate their side for the second T20I, with Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox both in line to feature before the weather intervened. They may win opportunities on Sunday, but one man who will not is the uncapped Scott Currie, who has been released from the squad to play for Hampshire in Saturday’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge.Wednesday’s series opener saw England take a 1-0 lead over Ireland, chasing 197 with 14 balls to spare thanks to Phil Salt’s innings of 89. It meant a winning start to Jacob Bethell’s short tenure as stand-in captain, deputising for the rested Harry Brook.

No shortage of allrounders in the final XI and perhaps a controversial call or two

Andrew McGlashan26-Oct-2024Ahead of the tenth season of the WBBL we thought it would be fun to select an all-time XI. The aim was to try and pick a balanced side with players as close to their usual positions as possible, or a role that they could fill. There are a few particularly notable omissions, with the top-order and spin options especially stacked.

Beth Mooney

The leading run-scorer in the competition’s history heading into the tenth season, Mooney’s consistency has been remarkable. Only twice has she averaged under 42 for a season; one of those was the first year of WBBL in 2015-16 and the other was 2018-19 when she was still able to score a hundred and then play the defining innings in the final for Brisbane Heat. Her most prolific campaign was 2019-20 with 743 runs at 74.30 – she has followed that with four more seasons of over 500 runs following her move to Perth Scorchers.Related

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Alyssa Healy

In this XI, Healy forms her international opening combination with Mooney. It won’t always be about volume of runs for Healy – the way she plays means low scores are part of the risk – but when things click she can be unstoppable. She has the most centuries (five) in WBBL history and the second-highest strike rate of those with at least 1000 runs. In 2019, during which she added a tournament-record stand of 199 with Ellyse Perry, and then 2020, Healy had the eye-watering strike-rates of 155.69 and 161.44. The following two seasons were less productive (albeit including 107 off 64 balls against Perth Scorchers) and the dog-bite incident meant she missed all but one game last summer.

Grace Harris

One of the WBBL’s most iconic figures. Harris’ three centuries all come with great stories: she struck the first in the competition’s history, then made the fastest off 42 balls and last season surged to 136 off 59 balls with one of her sixes coming with a broken bat. “Stuff hit, I’ll hit it anyway,” was the viral quote. As with a number of players in this side, there is a high level of risk vs reward and there will be lows amid the highs. But Harris can win a match on her own.Sophie Devine has regularly made an impact with bet and ball•Getty Images

Sophie Devine

The most formidable allrounder in WBBL – and there’s good competition for that title. An ever-present across the nine seasons, split between Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers, things started a little slowly for Devine in the first year but then she found lift-off with 103 not out off 48 balls against Hobart Hurricanes. Barring a tough 2022 season, she has remained ultra consistent. The 2019 edition was a stunning one where she averaged 76.90 with the bat and claimed 19 wickets. She remains the only player in the tournament with a half-century and a five-wicket haul in the same game.

Ashleigh Gardner

It’s possible to argue that Gardner has underperformed overall with the bat in the WBBL. But her strike rate remains in the top 10 for those with at least 1000 runs, and in the middle order it’s about the impact a player can have over a shorter period. Initially it was Gardner’s batting that led the way – including the magnificent 114 off 52 balls against in 2017 – but the last two seasons has seen her offspin excel. In the 2022 edition she managed to bring both aspects together with a player of the tournament return where she averaged 28.25 with the bat, alongside a strike rate of 150.66, and claimed 23 wickets.

Marizanne Kapp

Kapp gets into the side for her bowling, which includes the stand-out economy rate of 5.59 – the second best in WBBL history with a minimum of 200 overs – while providing a middle-order safety net with the bat. Until last season, where she admitted she had a torrid time at Sydney Thunder, Kapp had been the epitome of consistency. Her peak all-round seasons came in 2019 and 2020 when she averaged 32.61 with the bat and 19.82 with the ball across the two editions for Sydney Sixers. Then, having moved to Perth Scorchers for the 2021 season, she was player of the match in the final against Adelaide Strikers.Amanda-Jade Wellington has produced some remarkable figures•Getty Images

Jess Jonassen

The leading wicket-taker in the competition, Jonassen has been an ever-present for Brisbane Heat. She has never had a poor season and peaked with a brilliant all-round double of 419 runs at 38.09 (strike rate 133.01) and 21 wickets at 19.19 in the second of their back-to-back titles in 2019. In the last two seasons she has taken a combined tally of 70 wickets across 46 games.

Sammy-Jo Johnson

The pace-bowling allrounder has been a key figure in two tournament deciders for two teams: in 2019 she broke open Heat’s run chase with 27 off 11 balls against Adelaide Strikers, then in 2020, having moved home to Sydney Thunder, took 2 for 11 off her four overs to set-up victory over Melbourne Stars to take the title. That capped a season where she was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. In the 2018-19 edition, the first of Heat’s back-to-back titles, she produced a memorable all-round display with 260 runs and 20 wickets, becoming the first player to complete a 250 run/20 wicket double for a season. Last summer she joined the century of wickets club.

Amanda-Jade Wellington

It’s a tough race to be the legspinner in this team. In another era, Wellington would have played a lot more for Australia. Few bowl a harder-spun leg-break. Instead, she has been an integral figure for Adelaide Strikers with the last few seasons seeing her game go to another level. Across Strikers’ back-to-back titles she has taken 46 wickets. For 12 months she held the best figures in the tournament’s history with 5 for 8 against Heat in the 2021 Eliminator final, a return she matched against Renegades a year later, and she was player of the match in the 2023 final. Across all nine seasons only once (2016-17) has she not taken at least 10 wickets.

Molly Strano

Like Wellington, Strano is unfortunate not to have played more international cricket. She led the way from the WBBL’s launch, initially for Melbourne Renegades, and was the first bowler to reach 100 wickets. In 2019-2020 she was the leading wicket-taker in the season with 24 and only once has taken fewer than 13 in a campaign. Her best figures of 5 for 15 came in the first season of WBBL against Melbourne Stars

Megan Schutt

As one of the leading pace bowlers in the world for a number of years, it’s little surprise that Schutt is the most successful quick in the WBBL although it is over the last two seasons where her wicket-taking numbers have really exploded including the 6 for 19 which are the best figures in the competition. While she wasn’t always a prolific wicket-taker, her economy rate has often been a standout: as low as 5.06 during the 2016-17 season never higher than 6.46 in any edition.

Sam Whiteman struck a century for Western Australia but the home side paced their chase perfectly on the final day

AAP07-Dec-2025Victoria secured a memorable Sheffield Shield victory over Western Australia, pulling off a tricky run chase of 195 late in the final session at the MCG.Unheralded opener Blake Macdonald posted his maiden first-class century to guide Victoria home by six wickets in the final minutes of day four on Sunday.Related

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The 27-year-old, who grew up in Canberra and played for New South Wales before moving to Melbourne, capped off a breakout Shield performance to finish unbeaten on 109 off only 116 balls.Macdonald also top-scored with 79 in Victoria’s first innings of 255 to comfortably claim player of the match honours.Victoria fell into early trouble in their chase at 46 fir 3 when captain Peter Handscomb was knocked over for a duck. But Macdonald combined with Australia white-ball batter Matt Short for a 137-run stand to steer Victoria to their fifth win from six Shield matches this season.With time against them going into tea at 99 for 3, Victoria scored at five runs an over to motor to the target and avoid a draw. Going into the BBL break, they are well clear on top of the ladder and in the box seat to qualify for the final.It was only Macdonald’s second Shield match for the season, since he was dropped after scoring 45 and 30 against South Australia in October. He was averaging 26.23 with a top score of 61 in seven Shield matches before this game.Earlier, an outstanding century from captain Sam Whiteman appeared to go a long way towards helping Western Australia avoid defeat.After slumping to 52 for 4, still trailing Victoria on day three, WA were on track for a heavy defeat. But with rain halting Victoria’s charge on Saturday, Whiteman stepped up to score his 17th first-class century early on the final day.Whiteman fell for 103, while valuable contributions from veteran Hilton Cartwright (43), allrounder Aaron Hardie (33) and wicketkeeper Joel Curtis (28) helped WA to 255.Victoria seamer Sam Elliott worked tirelessly as he enjoyed one of the best games of his first-class career.It was a forgettable return to Shield cricket for Mitchell Marsh, with the Australia white-ball star making only 4 and 9. Marsh had been hoping to press his case for a Test recall, with Australia considering using him for shock value at the top of the order in the Ashes.WA will remain on the bottom of the ladder until at least the Shield’s resumption in February, virtually already out of contention for the final with four matches remaining.

The home side have handed out two debuts for the first time since 2019 while there remains much interest in the Perth pitch

Matt Roller20-Nov-2025

Big picture: England’s perfect storm

The multi-purpose Perth Stadium staged a Metallica concert earlier this month and another heavy-metal tour begins there on Friday morning. No series can compete with the Ashes for anticipation, and months of speculation will finally come to an end when the first ball of the 2025-26 series is bowled in front of a sold-out crowd.The first Test arrives with an unmistakable sense of English optimism, fuelled by the injury status of both teams’ fast bowlers. For once, the absentees are Australian: Pat Cummins (back) and Josh Hazlewood (hamstring) are unavailable, while Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will play in the same team for only the second time in Tests.Related

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It represents the best-case scenario for England, who have spent the last three-and-a-half years under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s leadership building a team capable of competing in Australia. They are both aware that the next seven weeks will provide a lasting verdict on their tenures: McCullum has dubbed it “the biggest series of all of our lives”.Four years ago, England returned from Australia as a broken team, thrashed 4-0 on a tour made even more miserable by oppressive Covid restrictions. Since then, they have changed their approach to become Test cricket’s most aggressive team, with a settled batting line-up and a regenerated bowling attack since the retirements of Stuart Broad and James Anderson.But context is key: even being competitive on this tour would represent a marked improvement from England’s last three away Ashes series. The scarcity of the draw in the modern era means that they will likely need to win three Tests out of five to regain the urn; they have not managed to win even once in their last 15 in Australia, losing 13.Reports of Australia’s demise are an exaggeration: they have won 14 out of 18 Tests since the drawn 2023 Ashes in England, and are unbeaten in their last six series at home. Steven Smith, their stand-in captain, is an all-time great with a formidable record against England; in Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, they can boast two of the four Australians with over 400 Test wickets.Ready to go: Steven Smith and Ben Stokes pose ahead of the Ashes•Getty Images

But there are hints of vulnerability, not least with Australia fielding two debutants in an Ashes Test for the first time since January 2011. Jake Weatherald will become Usman Khawaja’s sixth opening partner since David Warner’s retirement, and Brendan Doggett is the first fast bowler to win an Australia cap in four years.Two years ago, Australia took a 2-0 lead in England but were clinging onto a 2-2 draw by the end of the tour, ultimately saved from a series defeat by the rain in Manchester. It left the clash of styles between England’s power and Australia’s pragmatism in an unsatisfactory stalemate, whetting the appetite for this rematch.This is the first time since 1982-83 that an Ashes series in Australia has not started at the Gabba, with Perth now locked in as the host of the first Test of the summer. Starc said on Wednesday that Australia’s players would rather be in Brisbane, while England will hope that a change of venue brings a change in their fortunes.

Form guide

Australia: WWWLW
England: LDWLWJofra Archer prepares for the opening Test•PA Photos/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Mitchell Starc and Jofra Archer

In the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc is the last man standing in Australia’s long-established pace trio, a fact which he joked made him feel “old” after training on Wednesday. He is the undisputed leader of the attack, and England’s approach against him will be instructive: Starc leaked 4.78 runs per over in the 2023, but was the leading wicket-taker on either side despite missing the first Test. If Australia bowl first, memories will immediately return to the first ball of the 2021-22 series, when he cleaned up Rory Burns at the Gabba to set the tone for a 4-0 win.He may only have played two Tests in the last four years, but Jofra Archer‘s gradual comeback to international cricket after back and elbow injuries has culminated in him being available this week. It will be his first Ashes appearance since his maiden Test series six years ago, when he took 22 Australian wickets at 20.27 and hit Steven Smith on the head with a lightning-fast bouncer at Lord’s. He is expected to open the bowling alongside Gus Atkinson, and Ben Stokes plans to use him in “short, sharp bursts” to break games open. Archer’s return to red-ball cricket in the English summer was a reminder of his potency against left-handers, and Australia are expected to field five in their top eight.

Team news: Another batting reshuffle for Australia, England set for all pace

Australia will hand debuts to two 31-year-olds: opening batter Jake Weatherald, the top run-scorer in last season’s Sheffield Shield, and seamer Brendan Doggett. There is also a recall for Marnus Labuschagne, who was the spare batter during their most recent series against West Indies, with Cameron Green shuffling down to No. 6 at Beau Webster’s expense. Steven Smith returns as captain in Cummins’ absence, leading Australia for the 41st time in Tests.Australia: 1 Jake Weatherald, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Travis Head, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Nathan Lyon, 10 Scott Boland, 11 Brendan Doggett.England named a 12-man squad on Wednesday, but went no futher, with Shoaib Bashir expected to be the one to miss out. Mark Wood has been cleared to play what will be his first match since February’s Champions Trophy – and his first Test match since last August – after hamstring soreness last week, and is set to form part of a five-man, all-pace attack. Ollie Pope, who captained their most recent Test against India, has been replaced by Harry Brook as vice-captain but retains his spot at No. 3 after pressure from Jacob Bethell.England (probable): 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Jofra Archer.1:45

Will Australian pitches affect England’s Ashes chances?

Pitch and conditions

Curator Isaac McDonald predicts that his pitch will offer fast bowlers the “pace and bounce” that has long been associated with cricket in Western Australia, and that cracks could open up as the Test wears on. The weather has been relatively cool in Perth in the build-up and will continue throughout, with forecast highs of 28 degrees Celsius and the possibility of occasional showers over the weekend. Around 10,000 England fans are in Perth for the first Test, with more than 40,000 expected to attend across the series.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won 13 and drawn two of their last 15 men’s Ashes Tests on home soil. Their last defeat to England in Australia was in January 2011.
• Perth last hosted a men’s Ashes Test in 2017/18, when Australia won by an innings and 41 runs at the WACA.
• Each of the five previous men’s Tests staged at Perth Stadium has been won by the team batting first.
• Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have only played once together previously in Tests, against West Indies in Southampton (July 2020).
• Mitchell Starc needs 13 wickets in the series to overtake Wasim Akram as the most prolific left-arm fast bowler in Test history.
• Brendan Doggett will become the third indigenous man to play for Australia in men’s Tests, after Jason Gillespie and team-mate Scott Boland.

Quotes

“The first three days are sold out, which is outstanding. There’s going to be plenty of viewers on TV, both here and back in England as well, so hopefully we can put on a good show and entertain plenty of people.”
“We’ve obviously come here with a goal, and that goal is to get on that plane in mid-January, returning to England, being Ashes winners. But we know it’s going to be very, very tough.”

It has been a very eventful last 36 hours for the West Indies left-arm spinner

Mohammad Isam21-Oct-2025Akeal Hosein reached his hotel room in Dhaka at 4:00am on Tuesday. The West Indies selectors summoned him for the second ODI, following two injuries in the squad. Hosein joined the team in the bus to the Shere Bangla National Stadium around noon. By the end of the night, he was bowling the Super Over for West Indies, defending ten runs.Hosein had an unfavourable match-up with the left-handed Soumya Sarkar taking strike. He started off with a wide and then a no-ball. Bangladesh got four runs without facing a legal ball. Hosein somehow managed to salvage the over from there, avoiding getting hit for a boundary, even though he did concede one more wide with four needed off the last ball. So he had to go again and this time he kept his lines and gave up just one run.”I don’t think I have anything left in me again, buddy,” Hosein said after bringing West Indies back from the brink to level the series 1-1. “Got to the hotel at 4:00am. But it’s part of the job, and once you commit to something and once you give your word, you better be ready to turn up and give 100%. No excuses, and I almost messed it up, but thankfully, you know, I took the team home in the end.”Hosein is a world-class limited-overs performer but this was his first ODI in two years. Granted he was playing on an absolute, raging turner in Dhaka, he was still under pressure bowling the Super Over.Related

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Hosein managed to get the ball to turn into the left-hander’s body when Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto were on strike. Against Saif Hassan, he bowled over the wicket, not allowing the right-hander to free his arms.”It’s a tricky pitch,” he said. “It’s not one that is turning at a fair pace. The ball is jumping a bit, so for me, to the left-hander, it was definitely to make him hit square. He’s [Sarkar] quite a powerful guy, so I think that if he has arms, he can hit through the line easily.”So, for me, it was just trying to spin the ball from as close as possible on a good length and force him to hit square, because that square boundary was quite big.”Hosein had faced a similar situation, in the Hundred last year. He didn’t have to bowl the Super Over back then, but did bowl the final set that pushed the game into overtime.”I have been in a situation like this,” Hosein said. “It was an Eliminator in the Hundred. And it started off quite similar. I bowled a no-ball. In the Hundred, a no-ball is two [runs]. And I had to defend nine [10] or something like that. And one ball [the no-ball] went for six, and then they needed two [three] off four [five] balls or something.”I remember Chris Jordan coming up to me, and he said, ‘don’t worry, you got this.’ and I said to myself, ‘if he can believe that I have this, with two [three] runs to go, Liam Livingstone, world-class hitter on strike, with four [five] balls to go, if Chris Jordan can believe, why can’t I believe?'”Hosein said that he was surprised not to see Rishad Hossain come out to bat in the Super Over on Tuesday. West Indies believed the lower-order batter who had confidently struck an unbeaten 39 off 14 balls earlier in the game, was the obvious choice for Bangladesh.”Yes, I was a bit surprised. I mean, the guy that seemed to do the most destruction in the match, 39 off about 14 deliveries not out, and he’s not in your Super Over, hitting to the short side where he struck two sixes.”We all were a bit surprised that he didn’t come out at all, and you know, it worked in our favor. He was one of the few guys who sort of packed that power and he had that reach because he’s quite a tall guy.”Sarkar, who was one of Bangladesh’s batters in the Super Over, said that the captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and coach Phil Simmons picked the batters for the Super Over.”The coach and captain took the decision,” Sarkar said. “We actually didn’t know Akeal Hosein would bowl. If two left-handers had gone in, and then an off-spinner came on, we would be in trouble. That’s why there was a lefty and a righty. You’ll see the same with their team; they also batted with a lefty [Sherfane Rutherford] and a righty [Shai Hope].”Hosein also shared the funny story about the unusually black coloured surface used for the first Bangladesh-West Indies ODI on Saturday.”I turned my TV on. The first thing that I did was check my TV, because I thought there was something wrong with it. I thought the color had gone or something like that. The pitch was black, and I was like, ‘surely something is wrong with my television'”, he said.