Category Uncategorized

What was The Oval Test all about? Numbers, of course

Andy Zaltzman13-Sep-2018An intriguing, fluctuating series, between two sides that blended brilliance with fallibility in a compelling if curious cricketing cocktail, had already been decided, so expectant crowds flocked to The Oval largely to see History Being Made. And History duly stepped up to the plate, plonked a smorgasbord of statistical nuggets onto that plate, and whispered “bon appetit” in its most seductive accent.Day one may not have seen the Alastair Cook farewell hundred that some had predicted was “written in the stars” (the stars, it transpired, had an even better story written in them) (there are quadrillions of stars; everything that has ever happened is written in them if you look at them in the right way – even Hashan Tillakaratne scoring 17 off 61 balls in his final Test innings in 2004). However, it did give the history-hungry spectators the consolation of seeing England reach 128 for 1 after 60 overs – the lowest 60-over opening-innings score by a team that has lost fewer than two wickets since 2003, and the second-lowest such score in any innings since 2005.Then the famous old ground basked in the moment as Jonny Bairstow became:(a) the third England player to make three ducks in a home series batting in the top seven (after Graeme Hick against West Indies in 2000 and Ben Stokes in the 2015 Ashes, both of which were also victorious series for England, suggesting there was scientific backroom method behind the splattering stumps).(b) the second top-seven player ever to be bowled for a duck three times in a single Test season (after New Zealand’s Matt Poore in 1955-56).(c) the fifth player to be bowled out six times in an English Test summer (after Ted Dexter in 1960; and Wilfred Rhodes, and South Africa’s Aubrey Faulkner and Tip Snooke in the Triangular summer of 1912).On days two to four, Virat Kohli, needing seven runs with two dismissals in hand to reach 600 for the series and become the second player after Don Bradman to reach that total four times in his career, proceeded to edge two successive balls in the corridor of temptation. The second was a fatigued poke after a six-week series of dedication, brilliance and restraint. It was followed by an eight-hour marathon session of futile fielding as England slowly cranked their superiority, followed by approximately 14.7 seconds of quality downtime while Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara blunted the new ball with their pads.Nevertheless, the noisy Indian support could celebrate their skipper instead becoming the third batsman, after Bradman and Garry Sobers, to score 593 or more in four or more different series. A stat is a stat, even if it is the frayed remnant of another imploded stat.How The Oval cheered as it watched both teams put on a double-century stand in the second innings of a Test for only the second time ever (the previous instance was South Africa v India, Johannesburg, 2013-14). “I prayed last night,” a teary-eyed father chirruped to his wonderstruck children, “that you would see this stat come true. And also, my darlings, that you would see England’s first 200 partnership in the second innings of a home Test since 1998, when, of course, Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart added 226 for third wicket at Old Trafford against South Africa.”Having lost the series, Virat Kohli gives up his wicket for 0 at The Oval to make a point about the balance between positive and negative values•Getty ImagesDay five saw one of the estimated 364 standing ovations in the match greet tyro wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant becoming just the eighth player to make a fourth-innings Test century before the age of 21. Five of the previous seven to do so – Abbas Ali Baig, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Wasim, Dwayne Smith and Nafees Iqbal – have combined for a total of one more Test century in their careers. The other two were George Headley and Sachin Tendulkar. Some shining examples for Pant to strive to (a) not emulate and (b) emulate.Even the defunct Oval gasholders twitched with excitement as Pant finally fell to Adil Rashid, ensuring that no bowler would take a six-for in the series, and thus a new record for Most Wickets Taken by Bowlers in a Series That Did Not Feature a Six-Wicket Haul would be set (eventually finalised as 177 wickets).There were other momentous moments that simply dripped with momentousness.Ravindra Jadeja’s new Record Number of Overs in a Test Match by a Bowler Who Has Bowled Three or Fewer Maidens (77).Ten different batsmen making ducks in a Test in England for the first time since 1912.The first Test in England (and eighth anywhere) with three scores of 80 or more by players batting at seven or lower.Three or more wickets being taken in all four innings by the fifth-or-later bowlers used for only the third Test ever (after Australia v England in 1970-71, and Australia v India in 1967-68, both at the SCG), enabling this series to smash the record for Most Wickets Taken by Bowlers Coming on as Third Change or Later in a Series in England (now set at 35), testament to both teams’ bowling depth.England finishing with a series tally of 880 runs from Nos. 7 to 11, their third-highest series tally, and highest in a five-Test series, testament to one team’s batting depth.Cook, Joe Root and KL Rahul making this only the fourth Test ever in which three batsmen have made 125 or more in their team’s second innings.This match becoming the second Test ever to contain both four centuries and nine or more ducks (after New Zealand v England, Christchurch 2001-02). And the first Test with nine 50-plus scores and ten ducks.Keaton Jennings working his way onto the podium for Top Three Batsmen With the Worst Average in Home Tests (minimum eight matches). He averages 17.7 after ten Tests in England, a figure anti-bettered only by Lou Vincent (17.0 in nine Tests as a Top-Three player in New Zealand), and South Africa’s William Shalders (16.0 in 9, for South Africa, 1899-1906), who always dreamed of being a stat.So. Much. History.Then there was Cook’s staggering cricketing valediction, which became the highest ever second-innings score by a batsman in his final Test, and set a new record for Most Second-Innings Test Hundreds in a Career (15).And James Anderson breaking Glenn McGrath’s record for Most Test Wickets by a Pace Bowler (a tidy effort for a player who averaged almost 40 in his first 20 Tests over four and a half years, but whose last 200 wickets have come at an average of 20.2). By knocking the middle stump out to win a Test match.On reflection, people seemed more excited by those bits of history. For whatever reasons.I am starting to think I may be watching cricket the wrong way.This little Jimmy blew down the house•Getty ImagesA few further Oval reflections:A pre-match flutter on the four centurions all carving their names on the honours board in the second innings of this Test would have brought rich rewards. Perhaps not as rich as a pre-series bet that Alastair Cook (aged 33, fit as a cucumber) would be dismissed in his last ever Test innings caught by Pant (back-up wicketkeeper) off the bowling of Hanuma Vihari (not in the squad, not a bowler), but rich nonetheless.Rahul, who played one of the finest too-little-too-late-but-still-majestically-magnificent innings you could see, had averaged 21.2 in his previous 19 second innings, and Pant had made 1 and 18 in the second innings of his two Tests, dismissed twice in 18 balls. Root had made 12 of his previous 13 Test hundreds in first innings, and failed to convert his last 20 second-innings half-centuries, while Cook, a second-innings statistical titan for much of his career, had declined to such an extent that his last 14 second innings had brought just 150 runs at an average of 10.7 (the second-worst 14-knock second-innings sequence by a top three batsman in Test history, behind only M Vijay’s 139 runs in his last 14), and had just two second-innings hundreds in his last 58 innings (after 12 in his first 71).These were four varying bolts from the statistical blue. Cook had not even scored more than 20 in both innings of a Test in his previous 24 Tests, let alone two scores over 70 (it was his fifth Test with two 70-plus scores, matching Atherton’s England record).His first-innings struggle to 71 was, as with many of his high-value and often-overlooked-in-rightly-glowing-career-retrospectives non-centuries, less celebrated but of immense value to England.Vihari can proudly tell all of his current and future relatives that he took just 26 balls to dismiss a batsman whom Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh were collectively able to extract from the crease only six times in 1082 deliveries, or once every 30 overs.For the fourth time in the past five series between the two teams, England’s spinners have returned a better average than India’s (the exception being the overwhelming tweak supremacy of India in the 2016-17 series, 30.3 to 48.1; England’s slow bowlers had an average advantage of 47.6 to 93.8 in 2011; 28.6 to 40.6 in 2012-13; 23.7 to 44.0 in 2014; and 26.6 to 33.3 this year). India had a spin-average advantage in 11 of the previous 12 series, from 1981-82 to 2008-09 (some more relevant than others – in 1996, India’s spinners took 6 for 439, England’s 1 for 231). The one exception was the 1990 series.The staggering longevity and statistical milestones achieved by Cook and Anderson have been made possible not only by their own talents and dedication to the crafts of cricket, nor simply by the regular secret sacrifices of herds of oxen to Zeus, conducted covertly by the ECB to ensure the fitness of their prized assets, but also by the era of central contracts.Since 2000, England have won more Tests than they have lost in 17 out of 19 summers; they were even (won two lost two) in 2012, and had a losing summer in 2001. From 1984 to 1999, England had a losing record in ten out of 16 summers, were even in 1995 and 1998, and had only four winning home seasons (1985, 1990, 1991 and 1994). Whether this improvement was due to central contracts, which brought a reluctant abandonment of the grand English traditions of flogging bowlers into the ground through an unending county summer and dropping players for fun after a couple of bad matches (or one bad match) (or no bad matches) (or a poorly timed sneeze), or due to English cricketers just much preferring years beginning with 2, we may never know.The improvement away from home has been considerably less marked. Central contracts have brought England six winning winters out of 18, with two even, and ten losing. From 1983-84 to 1999-2000, they had four winning winters, 12 losing, out of 16 (they played no Tests in 1988-89).

Pakistan captain felt “given the bowlers we have, we should have defended that total” against USA

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-20241:23

Mumtaz: Pakistan seemed to lose their cool

After losing to USA in the Super Over in their opening match of T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan captain Babar Azam felt that their total of 159 for 7 in the regular time was a defendable one given the conditions and their bowling attack.Sent in after losing the toss, Pakistan lost three early wickets and were 30 for 3 at the end of the powerplay. Babar and Shadab Khan helped them recover with a stand of 72 off 48 for the fourth wicket but USA tied the game and went to win in the Super Over.”Today’s wicket had help for the fast bowlers in the first six overs,” Babar said at the post-match presentation. “But later on, I didn’t feel it was a different wicket. It settled down a bit. Because of the early start – the matches are starting at 10.30am – the fast bowlers will obviously get a little help. There was some juice in the pitch early morning. So they utilised that and executed their plan.”Even in the second innings, I think we also got help, but we were not up to the mark in terms of our bowling areas. We lacked in that in the first ten overs. We came back after that but they had already taken the momentum. But given the bowlers we have, we should have defended that total. On this pitch, I think it was a defendable total for our bowling.Related

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“We are better than that in the bowling. We did not take wickets in the first six overs. In the middle overs, if your spinner is not taking wickets, then the pressure is on you. After ten overs, we did come back but I think the way they finished game in the Super Over, the credit goes to the US team.”For Pakistan, Mohammad Amir conceded 18 in the Super Over. It included three wide deliveries, and seven extras in all as the USA batters, Aaron Jones and Harmeet Singh, kept running for wides too. Pakistan, in response, could manage only 13.”He [Amir] is an experienced bowler,” Babar said. “He knows how to bowl and we were just trying to bowl according to field. But I think the US batsmen were smart. Even when the ball went to the keeper, they were running. So I think that thing was a plus point for them in the Super Over.”Babar Azam never really got going and finished with a 43-ball 44•Associated Press

At the same time, Babar also rued not making use of the platform set by Shadab and him. They had taken Pakistan to 98 for 4 in the 13th over but left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige dismissed Shadab and Azam Khan off successive balls to dent them again.”In the first six overs, the ball was holding a bit and seaming around,” Babar said. “So it was important to build a partnership. When Shadab and I had that partnership, we got momentum. I think when we lost the wickets back to back, that was the turning point. The momentum we had was shifted towards the other side.”It was difficult in the beginning, but we covered it up. But as a professional unit, the middle order needs to step up in such situations. This is not an excuse – I don’t think it was that they played well, I think we played badly.”Did Pakistan, the runners-up of the 2022 edition, take first-timers USA lightly?”See, whenever you come to any tournament, you do the best preparation always,” Babar said. “You can say it’s a kind of mindset. When you come up against a team like this, you relax a little. If you don’t execute your plan against any team, then whatever team it is, they will make you pay. So I believe that our execution was not up to the mark. We were doing well in the preparation but in the match, we did not execute our plans as a team.”

Manchester United fell heavily by the wayside under Erik ten Hag, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before him; Jose Mourinho, previously, left hot under the collar after his progress unravelled like a spool of string in the wind.

Ruben Amorim has suffered a turbulent time at Old Trafford since replacing his hard-pressed predecessor, but he’s starting to turn a corner. His tactics are sinking in.

Just imagine how high the Portuguese tactician could reach should INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe equip him with a perfect spread of new signings this summer.

However, United have their financial difficulties and will need to sell in order to buy. Signing a striker is among the priorities for the Red Devils, but luckily, neither of Amorim’s recognised centre-forwards have proved they deserve a star role in the years to come at the Theatre of Dreams.

Man United's striking woes

United claimed a point in Sunday’s Manchester derby, which was very much emblematic of the issues presented to both neighbours right now.

Chiefly, the stalemate highlighted glaring deficiencies in attack, especially for the hosts’ part. Rasmus Hojlund toiled once again, replaced by Joshua Zirkzee in the second half. The Dutchman, who was signed from Bologna last summer for £36.5m, “offers a lot more” than his teammate, according to The United Stand’s Beth Tucker.

Even so, he’s not the long-term solution as the star focal frontman.

Minutes played

71′

19′

Goals

0

0

Assists

0

0

Touches

15

11

Shots (on target)

0 (0)

2 (1)

Accurate passes

7/9 (78%)

4/6 (67%)

Key passes

0

0

Dribbles

0/0

0/0

Duels won

1/4

1/2

Hojlund, Man United’s £72m number nine, was a non-entity once again. At least Zirkzee, replacing him with just under 20 minutes left to play, sought to make things happen, sought to take some initiative.

With just three goals from 26 Premier League appearances this season, Hojlund, who is 22, is apt for sale this summer, especially when considering that he’s averaging 0.8 shots per game.

How much Man United could recoup for a player like Hojlund, who is clearly talented but has endured a torrid time of it this year, remains to be seen.

However, the Dane will need to part with his red shirt if things are going to improve. United, for that matter, have identified the perfect replacement for Hojlund, and only by selling him will they be able to pounce.

INEOS make bid for new striker

As per Spanish sources, Man United are very much in the running for Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres, who has been one of the most prolific players in Europe over the past couple of years.

The Athletic confirmed last week that Arsenal have bumped him up to the top of their wish-list given Newcastle United are staying firm on their £150m valuation of Alexander Isak, but INEOS will hope that Amorim’s connection with the Portugal champions could see a bid from United hold sway.

Gyokeres, 25, is the gold standard, and the Red Devils know it. In fact, the report suggests that they have already offered a €75m (£64m) figure to take him off Sporting’s hands and reunite him with his former gaffer, albeit with Chelsea in the same boat.

Why Man United should sign Viktor Gyokeres

For what it’s worth, former Tottenham star Rafael van der Vaart remarked that Gyokeres is “a better version of Haaland,” owing to his more complete and dynamic skill set.

The data, in fairness, takes a step toward backing such an audacious claim up. As per FBref, Gyokeres ranks among the top 2% of forwards across Europe over the past year for goals scored, the top 5% for pass completion and shot-creating actions and the top 4% for progressive carries per 90.

So then, you see why he’s such a covetous man right now. Given that he fronted Amorim’s system at Sporting, posted 66 goals and 23 assists across just 68 matches for the young manager, you begin to see why INEOS are so desperate to bring him over to Manchester this year.

Such a powerful, precise and imposing number nine must leave Bruno Fernandes giddy at the thought of playing with him. Man United’s skipper, the all-inspiring talisman and all-embracing leader, has been the brightest light to emerge from a dreary campaign, popping up with big moments and providing creative support and defensive relief in nearly every fixture he competes in.

The 30-year-old is so many things for his team, but his chance creation is quite literally second to none, surely something that may tempt Gyokeres to move to Old Trafford and lead the line for Amorim’s side, charged as he would be by Fernandes’ consistent playmaking.

1.

Bruno Fernandes

30

74

2.

Cole Palmer

30

71

3.

Mohamed Salah

31

70

4.

Dejan Kulusevski

27

62

5.

Enzo Fernandez

29

60

While he wouldn’t come cheap, Gyokeres is the perfect profile for United and if signing a striker is neglected this summer, it’s hard to see how Amorim is going to close the huge gap between his team and their rivals.

There’s all the Sweden international’s clinical nature to consider. Sofascore record that he has missed 22 big chances across Liga Portugal and Champions League campaigns this season, scoring 36 goals across the two competitions.

That’s an insane level of composure and success in the ball-striking department. Truly, if such prowess can be translated to the Premier League, United could return to the forefront of the division, especially with Fernandes pulling the strings from behind.

Make no mistake, this is a player of greatness, a player who, in different circumstances, would be heralded with more effusive praises. Instead, he has remained committed to the United cause.

Fernandes has tasted a few pieces of silverware since walking through the gates, but if partnered with Gyokeres in a purring Amorim system, there’s no telling how high this club might reach.

Not just Bruno: Amorim's "key" Man Utd star just showed he’s undroppable

Man Utd played out a 0-0 draw against Man City

ByJoe Nuttall Apr 7, 2025

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers made a bold call to return to Parkhead for a second time in the dugout when he joined the club in the summer of 2023.

He replaced Australian boss Ange Postecoglou, who left to join Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, and has enjoyed an excellent second spell in Glasgow to date.

The Northern Irish boss won the Scottish Premiership and SFA Cup last term, beating Rangers 1-0 with a last-minute winner in the final, and have already won the League Cup so far this season.

Rodgers had left the club in 2019, after an almost three-year stay at Parkhead, and currently has two players who played under him in his first spell, in Callum McGregor and James Forrest.

The former Liverpool and Leicester City head coach managed some terrific Celtic stars between 2016 and 2019, and previously had a midfielder who was the perfect complement to McGregor in the middle of the park – Stuart Armstrong.

The kind of midfielder Celtic need next to Callum McGregor

McGregor has scored eight goals in the Premiership so far this season, but that is an outlier in his career as he has only managed more than seven league goals one other time for the Hoops, scoring nine in the 2019/20 campaign.

Typically, the retired Scotland international is deployed at the base of the midfield as the lone number six, with two central midfielders ahead of him in a 4-3-3 system.

This is the ideal position for the left-footed metronome because of his passing ability – completing 94% of his passes in the league this season – but also because of his lack of pace and dynamism in and out of possession.

Celtic need to have midfielders around him who can run and cover ground whilst also being able to influence matches at the top end of the pitch, which is exactly why Armstrong was the perfect number eight to play in the midfield three with him.

17/18

27

4

4

16/17

31

15

7

15/16

25

4

7

14/15

15

1

4

As you can see in the table above, the Scottish midfielder provided a decent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position for the Hoops in the Premiership, whilst he racked up 28 goals and 25 assists in all competitions.

Armstrong, whose performances earned him a £7m move to Premier League side Southampton in 2018, played 88 games under the Northern Irish head coach and contributed with 22 goals and 13 assists.

The right-footed dynamo provided great physical attributes to go along with his technical skills. Rodgers once hailed his athleticism, saying: “Physically he has everything: he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s powerful.”

Armstrong was, therefore, a complete midfielder who perfectly complemented McGregor by providing energy, pace, strength, and attacking contributions from midfield, and Rodgers has unearthed his new version of the Scottish ace, but it is not Arne Engels.

Why Arne Engels is not the new Stuart Armstrong

The Belgium international, who joined from Augsburg last summer for a club-record fee of £11m, has been a standout in the middle of the park with his ability to contribute in the final third.

Engels has racked up ten goals, with eight of those coming from the penalty spot, and registered 12 assists. This means that he has only managed two goals from open play in his 43 appearances for the Hoops, suggesting that the Belgian ace does not offer a huge goalscoring threat away from the penalty spot.

The 21-year-old midfielder is closer in profile to McGregor than he is Armstrong, though, as he does not provide outstanding strength or pace in the middle of the park, losing 54% of his duels in the Premiership this season.

There is, however, a midfielder in the Celtic squad who is the new version of Armstrong for Rodgers, and it is Portuguese maestro Paulo Bernardo.

Why Paulo Bernardo is the new Stuart Armstrong

The Scottish giants swooped to sign the 23-year-old talent from Benfica on a permanent deal for a reported fee of £3.5m last summer, after spending the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Parkhead.

Bernardo, who has been out of action since the middle of February with an ankle injury, has been unearthed as Rodgers’ next Armstrong because of his similar attributes in the middle of the park.

The Portugal U21 international was once described as a “high-intensity” and “tenacious” player by U23 scout Antonio Mango, which speaks to the energy and strength that he can provide in midfield. That is backed up by the star’s 57% duel success rate in the Premiership this term, as he has won the majority of his physical battles.

This suggests that Bernardo has the Armstrong-esque physical attributes that Engels currently lacks, which helps the former Benfica man to provide a defensive presence for the Hoops.

Appearances

22

22

Big chances created

4

5

Assists

3

3

Pass accuracy

83%

88%

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.4

2.1

Dribbled past per game

0.6x

0.3x

Ground duel success rate

49%

58%

Aerial duel success rate

42%

54%

As you can see in the table above, the £3.5m signing has improved from his first season at the club and has been a reliable and creative figure with the ball at his feet, as Armstrong was, whilst also being excellent out of possession.

Goalscoring is an area for Bernardo to improve on, with seven goals in 69 matches for Celtic to date, but he has already proven himself to be a pretty complete central midfield option for Rodgers when fit and available.

As you can see in the clip above, he does have the instincts to get himself into goalscoring positions and it is down to Rodgers to ensure that the team is creating enough chances for him to add more goals to his game.

Bernardo has already been a terrific addition to the club and emerged as the manager’s new version of Armstrong with his play in and out of possession as a central midfielder, but the Portuguese whiz could take his game to the next level by adding a consistent threat as a goalscorer in the months and seasons to come.

Celtic eyeing move for manager's dream who's been likened to James Milner

He leaves “everything on the pitch”.

1 ByBarney Lane Mar 24, 2025

Lauren Cheatle has admitted she thought her chance of playing for Australia again had gone, and that she might even have been one more injury away of giving the game away entirely, after being called up for the Test match on the multi-format tour of India next month.Cheatle, the 25-year-old left-arm pace bowler, first played internationally in 2016, just a year after being the youngest player to earn a New South Wales state contract, and was part of the 2016 T20 World Cup in India.In 2019 she was recalled for a one-day series against New Zealand but has not featured since amid ongoing injury problems which required four shoulder constructions as well as having a skin cancer scare in 2021.Related

• 'Matter of adapting on the run' – Australia ready to embrace the Indian spin challenge

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• Healy and Brown named for India tour, Cheatle recalled, but no captain yet

But in last season’s WBBL she played all 15 games for Sydney Sixers and so far in this campaign is their leading wicket-taker with 19 at 13.68 in 10 matches, while now having the confidence that her body won’t let her down.”I did think the green and gold was probably behind me, not that I wanted to stop trying,” she said. “I think the game has moved so far ahead and you can see the talent coming through is getting better and better. They’re one of the best teams in world sport, not just cricket, so to be able to be in that 16 is [something] I’m really proud of.”My body’s been through a lot and I’ve been through that journey but I’m super excited to get that call to head over to India.”The need for a fourth shoulder operation in late 2021 tested Cheatle’s spirit to go through the rehab process again while the cancer earlier that year, which required a melanoma to be removed, was the scariest problem she had to confront. She has previously spoken about how the wait for confirmation the cancer hadn’t spread was the longest seven days of her life.”[The] fourth shoulder [reconstruction] was pretty difficult and also the cancer scare. I feel like that came out of nowhere and really readjusted the way I thought about injuries and recovery. That was a really scary point in my career, one I never thought I’d face…it’s one that will never go away.”The frustration of another shoulder reconstruction after already going through three was pretty major and I kind of felt there was no point doing it again if I was going to re-hurt myself. But we took the time to rehab that properly and made all the right decisions.Lauren Cheatle had the rare experience of a three-day game in England earlier this year•PA Photos/Getty Images

“I think professional sport throws many different challenges at you. I feel like my journey has thrown a few more as well…but the people who supported me all through that have been amazing and a major part of why I’m still going.”Cheatle will only be part of the Test leg of the upcoming tour and whether she makes her debut in the format will depend on the balance of side Australia opt for, and potentially whether she is preferred ahead of Kim Garth or Darcie Brown.Multi-day cricket is rare in the women’s game and Cheatle’s experience of it amounts to two tour matches, the most recent being for Australia A earlier this year in England when the squad toured concurrently with the Ashes.Cheatle took 2 for 73 in 19 overs against the full England side in a warm-up match, proving the most economical of the Australia A bowlers as the home side rattled along at 5.49 per over. She would like to see more multi-day games.”[It’s about] being more patient with the red ball and stacking bigger overs together,” she said. “In [the T20] format you get one or two [overs] here and there and you don’t really get time to consistently put performances together. The batters are obviously coming a lot harder [in T20] and you set up a batter a lot differently and have more time to work around plans.”It’ll be interesting to shift from T20 cricket to red-ball cricket but I think the basics are the same in any format.”I really enjoyed those three-day games and love bowling overs. The more I bowl the happier I am so I’d like to think it’s a format I could suit, but it’s also a format I’d love to see come into the women’s game, whether that’s two-day or three-day. I think it’s a format that could really excel in women’s cricket.”She admitted to being short on details for what the next few weeks will look like in terms of preparation having become overwhelmed by the news of her recall, then having an emotional conversation with her family.”Through those two calls, I’m not quite sure what was said. They were just really happy, talking through tears, then when they cry, I cry, so an emotional phone call, but happy tears.”

Massive 360-run win set up by Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh’s partnership, before visitors folded for 89

Tristan Lavalette17-Dec-2023

No. 500 for Nathan Lyon•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Offspinner Nathan Lyon claimed his 500th Test wicket as Australia’s formidable attack crushed hapless a Pakistan on a difficult Optus Stadium surface to win the first Test inside four days.In the middle of the final session, with victory imminent for Australia, Lyon became the eighth bowler to reach the milestone when he dismissed Faheem Ashraf lbw on review to spark jubilant scenes of celebration among the Australia players and the sparse crowd of 9000 fans. He joined Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath as the only Australians to the landmark.Lyon then clean bowled Aamer Jamal later in the over to cap a successful return, after taking five wickets for the match in his comeback from a calf injury that had prematurely ended his Ashes series. Pakistan, who lasted only 30.2 overs in their second innings, crumbled on a wicket that was spicy throughout and deteriorated as the match wore on, with rearing deliveries contrasted by balls that crept low. Set 450 to win after Australia declared 30 minutes into the second session, Pakistan succumbed to brilliant bowling from quicks Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.They already faced a daunting task to avoid a 15th straight Test defeat in Australia, and it went almost as expected, as Pakistan were blown away in the opening seven overs to slump to 17 for 3. Opener Abdullah Shafique was caught behind in the first over when he poked at a menacing Starc delivery outside off. It was Starc’s 200th Test wicket at home, as he bowled with far more consistency than in Pakistan’s first innings.Captain Shan Masood was dismissed for just 2 when he was caught behind off Hazlewood after driving loosely. It was a tough captaincy debut for Masood, even as he had made a breezy 30 in Pakistan’s first innings; but his team were unable to play a proactive brand of cricket he had promised ahead of the series.Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh had a rapid partnership•Getty Images

Pakistan’s hopes rested on talisman Babar Azam, who defied Australia’s attack for almost ten overs. He worked hard against Cummins, as the pair renewed their battle after a riveting contest on day two. But Babar was helpless against a cracking Cummins delivery that seamed away, as he was caught behind on 14 after having made 21 in Pakistan’s first innings.The only interest left was whether Pakistan could take the match into a fifth day, and if Lyon would reach his milestone. Pakistan’s hopes nosedived when Sarfaraz Ahmed was caught in the slips off Starc before their plight was underscored with a disastrous run-out of Salman Ali Afgha after a mix-up with Saud Shakeel. It brought back ghosts of the past for Pakistan, who were outclassed throughout the Test.They had entered with optimism and made several bold selection calls, including overlooking veteran quick Hasan Ali and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. But debutant seamers Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal impressed by combining for 12 of Pakistan’s 15 wickets in the match. They bowled a hostile length late on day four and early on day five to rough up several Australia batters.They did the bulk of the heavy lifting, with spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi struggling throughout the match, having been elevated as vice-captain. He finished with match figures of 2 for 172 from 45.2 overs, and bowled mostly in the early 130kph range. Pakistan’s attack will rue their lifeless display early in the Test and had no answers for opener David Warner, who dominated the first day with a belligerent century after Cummins won the toss and elected to bat.Allrounder Mitchell Marsh also had a superb first Test on his home ground with two half-centuries and the wicket of Babar in Pakistan’s first innings. Opener Usman Khawaja made a gutsy 90 in Australia’s second innings, having overcome torrid bowling late on day three and early on day four. It was a dogged performance from Khawaja, having come into the match under the spotlight after not being allowed to wear shoes which expressed humanitarian views.Australia’s victory within four days came in the backdrop of a rebranded Perth Test match, with more than 59,000 fans attending – considerably more than last year’s corresponding Test against West Indies which went the distance. The surface was particularly spicier than last year’s game in a throwback to famous WACA Tests.For Pakistan, however, they barely mustered a better effort than their 72 in the previous Test match they had played in Perth back in 2004, as their horror run in Australia stretching more than two decades continued.

Newly-promoted Leeds United have been told to bring in Jose Mourinho for Daniel Farke as the German is just a "Championship manager".

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• Farke guides Leeds to promotion
• Told he's just a "Championship manager"
• Urged to replace him with Mourinho

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Liverpool and Leeds left-back Stephen Warnock believes Farke could leave the recently crowned Championship winners before they begin life in the Premier League in August. Despite Leeds chairman, Paraag Marathe of the 49ers Enterprises, ending speculation that the German could be dismissed by saying "he is my man", Warnock feels they need a safer pair of hands in the top-flight.

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  WHAT WARNOCK SAID

  He told Gambling Industry News: “I still think Daniel Farke could leave Leeds before the Premier League, because in my opinion he’s a Championship manager. I understand why it could happen and if I were the Leeds owners, I would probably make the same decision as well – he’s not a Premier League manager for me. If the owners do replace him, then they need to go with someone who’s experienced and knows the league. Leeds fans probably won’t like me saying this, but I’d possibly be looking at the likes of Jose Mourinho. He’s not going to win them the league, but he’s knows enough about the league to keep them there. I think he’d be a good candidate to do that.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Fenerbahce boss Mourinho did admit he would like to return to the Premier League and manage a club "at the bottom", it seems Leeds are intent on keeping Farke at the helm for now. While his record at Norwich City in the Premier League makes for grim reading, Marathe previously said Farke wasn't given the financial backing required to compete at that level but that won't be the case this time round. Regardless, it will be a huge task to stay in the top division, especially after seeing all three promoted teams go straight back down for two straight seasons.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  All eyes will now be on which players Leeds sign in the coming months and how much Farke is backed in the transfer market as they prepare for life in the Premier League again after two years away.

Smash and grab. Robbery. Whatever you want to call it. The result will show a 1-0 win for Liverpool and that’s all that matters, with Paris Saint-Germain’s first-leg dominance counting for little in the end.

Let’s face it, this was not vintage Arne Slot football, but with grit, fight – and a fair bit of fortune – the Merseysiders got the job done at the Parc des Princes, with this Champions League tussle now finely poised ahead of next week’s return tie at Anfield.

Such an outcome had looked unlikely for much of the encounter in the French capital, in truth, with the Ligue 1 leaders boasting 71% possession and totalling 27 shots in all, albeit while fashioning just three ‘big chances’.

Up against the heroic Alisson in the visiting goal – and with Ibrahima Konate escaping an early red card for a barge on Bradley Barcola – the Parisien giants simply couldn’t find a way through, having been ultimately punished at the death as substitute Harvey Elliott pounced to hand Slot’s side the advantage in the tie.

It was perhaps apt that on a night in which the likes of Mohamed Salah toiled, it was two men on the fringes who combined to put the Reds ahead, with Elliott meeting Darwin Nunez’s pass before calmly slotting past a sprawling Gigi Donnarumma.

That last-gasp strike certainly helped to spare a fair few blushes it must be said, as did the titanic display of the aforementioned Alisson in between the sticks…

Alisson's game in numbers vs PSG

It would have been easy to assume that the Brazilian was nearing the end of his time as Liverpool’s first-choice stopper, with injuries having handed able deputy Caoimhin Kelleher a far more prominent role in recent seasons, while the club also stepped up the succession plan with the astute signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili last summer.

90 minutes played

9 saves

1 punch

2.26 goals prevented

4 saves inside the box

44 touches

57% pass accuracy

10/22 long balls completed

4 clearances

9.4 match rating

On the evidence of Wednesday night’s showing, however, Alisson is going nowhere fast, having showcased a timely reminder of his undoubted quality after producing a string of standout saves in Paris.

The former Roma man notably denied Ousmane Dembele and the lively Barcola on the hour mark, before also keeping out Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s fizzing free-kick just after the break.

Among nine total saves for the 32-year-old was also another world-class stop to prevent Desire Doue from opening the scoring late on, with Liverpool’s number one having been a one-man wall at times up against the rampant hosts.

As such, while Elliott may have been the matchwinner it was Alisson who deservedly stole the headlines, with such an eye-catching performance having helped to cover up the woes of those ahead of him.

The Liverpool duo who could be on borrowed time

If Alisson proved to be the major positive for Liverpool on the night, then Slot won’t have to look far to find the key negatives, with the visitors’ attacking unit looking particularly blunt across the 90 minutes.

Performance in Numbers

Those woes – which saw the Reds record just two shots in total – were epitomised by the performances of both Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, with neither man looking up to the task in the forward line.

In the case of Jota, the Portuguese marksman was hooked just after the hour mark having been restricted to just 30 touches in total, having also lost the ball on 11 occasions and won just three of his 12 total duels.

Branded with a 5/10 match rating by Liverpool World’s Will Rooney, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man maintained his lengthy goal drought which stretches back to mid-January, having now netted just eight times in 26 games in 2024/25 to date.

Meanwhile, it was a similar story for Diaz on the left flank, with the Colombian speedster also handed a 5/10 rating by Rooney after looking rather off the boil prior to his late withdrawal, a fact encapsulated by his return of just 28 touches.

The former Porto winger also failed to register a single key pass and also lost 50% of his total duels, with Reds supporters likely to be eagerly awaiting the return of Cody Gakpo from his recent injury absence.

As broadcaster Nubaid Haroon noted, both Diaz and Jota looked to be “hiding” in the final third, with it coming to the stage in which Slot may wish to consider whether the pair can be selected alongside each other again.

FSG now ready £30m offer to sign "brilliant" star for Liverpool this summer

Liverpool are on the hunt for some exciting reinforcements once the window opens.

BySean Markus Clifford Mar 5, 2025

Ange Postecoglou faces a make-or-break Europa League final as his Spurs future seemingly hangs on one night in Bilbao.

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Spurs reach Europa League final after 5-1 aggregate winPostecoglou dismisses critics, says league form irrelevantRobinson: Ange's job depends on final resultFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After a 2-0 second-leg victory against Bodo/Glimt in Norway, Tottenham have secured a spot in the Europa League final, achieving a 5–1 aggregate semi-final win. Goals from Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro in the Arctic Circle set up a showdown against their Premier League rivals, Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21. But while major silverware is at stake, so too might be Ange Postecoglou's future with the club. Spurs' Premier League performance has dropped and they find themselves in 16th in the table. Nevertheless, the story is different in Europe, where Postecoglou has led his side to the brink of ending a 16-year trophy drought.

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Throughout the campaign, Postecoglou has come under growing scrutiny. Injuries have wrecked his team, but Spurs' domestic decline has raised doubts about his long-term future. Former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson now thinks the Europa League final will determine the club's season, which goes hand-in-hand with their manager's future.

WHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

Postecoglou came out swinging after reaching the final in Norway, striking back strongly at those who have mocked or insulted Spurs' European success.

"It's going to upset a lot of people isn't it," he said, according to . "The debate's now raging. The latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win — they're just going to take a team photo because we're not worthy."

The Spurs boss dismissed the idea that league form should diminish their achievement.

"Who cares if we're struggling in the league? It's a separate thing. It's got nothing to do with league form. I couldn't care less who's struggling and who's not. I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there."

Given Spurs' season, many have also asked whether winning this trophy would even matter. Postecoglou, however, made apparent its significance.

"I've said all along that this is important. What's happening now is people are fearing that — that it actually might happen, and let's see how we can tear it down somehow… by saying it's been a poor season and we don't deserve this or that, or somehow comparing us to Man Utd.

"Maybe if we had Man Utd's success then maybe I'd have a different view. So of course it's massive. You have to frame it against what this club has been through over the last 15 or 20 years and what the supporters have been through. We've given them some real hope and something to dream about — that we can do something special this year."

WHAT PAUL ROBINSON SAID

Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson added fuel to the fire with a stark assessment. "If Tottenham don't win, he won't be in charge next season,” he told. "Ange Postecoglou's whole season and Tottenham career depends on that one result."