All posts by h716a5.icu

And was India’s 20 straight losses at the toss an ODI record?

Steven Lynch09-Dec-2025Nathan Lyon was left out at Brisbane after playing every home Test since 2012. Was this a record? asked Kane Lincoln from Australia
The surprise omission of offspinner Nathan Lyon for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane ended a run of 69 consecutive home Test appearances since he missed the third Test against India in Perth in 2012. That puts him third overall, but another Australian is ahead: Allan Border played 83 home Tests in a row between 1978-79 and 1993-94.Top of the list is Alastair Cook, who played in all 89 of England’s home Tests between 2006 and 2018. Hashim Amla played 67 consecutive home Tests for South Africa, and R Ashwin 65 for India.The highest individual contribution to Australia’s 511 at the Gabba was 77 – was this the highest Test total without a century? asked Deepak Krishnan from India, among others
Australia’s 511 against England in Brisbane was the fifth-highest total in Tests not to include an individual century. Top of the list is Sri Lanka’s 531 against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2024, when the highest score was Kusal Mendis’s 93 (Kamindu Mendis made 92 not out, and there were four other half-centuries). Mitchell Starc’s 77 was the highest contribution to Australia’s innings at the Gabba. The only higher total with a lower top score was India’s 524 for 9 declared against New Zealand in Kanpur in 1976, when Mohinder Amarnath made 70.Several readers pointed out that all 11 of Australia’s batters reached double figures. This was the 16th such instance in Tests, but in none of the previous cases was the lowest score as high as Brendan Doggett’s 13 in Brisbane.India have lost 20 successive tosses in one-day internationals. This must be a record? asked Vikram Mahradi from India
You’re right, India’s current streak is easily a record: they have now lost 20 tosses in a row in ODIs since Pat Cummins guessed correctly in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad in 2023. The next-longest sequence in men’s one-day internationals is 11 in a row, by Netherlands between March 2011 and August 2013. In women’s ODIs, Ireland lost 12 successive tosses between May 2017 and November 2021.The most successive lost tosses in Tests is ten, also by India, between December 2009 and October 2010. In women’s Tests Australia lost 11 in a row between February 1984 and January 1990. The record for men’s T20Is is ten, by Nepal and Vanuatu.If you lump all three formats together, the men’s record is 15 successive lost tosses, by India between January and July 2025, a run that included all five Tests in England. For women, it’s 12 by New Zealand between July 2018 and January 2019.The last time India won a toss before their latest ODI against South Africa was at the 2023 World Cup semi-final•ICC via Getty ImagesMark Wood rarely seems to play two Tests in a row, although I know he has sometimes. What’s the longest Test career of anyone who never did this? asked Martin Wilkins from England
The England fast bowler Mark Wood has now played 38 Tests, and only 21 of them have come without him having missed the previous one. Among players with 30 or more caps, only five have a “consecutive percentage” lower than Wood’s (21 out of 38 = 55.26%). The New Zealander Matt Henry is currently lowest of all, with only 15 consecutive Tests among his 33 caps (45.45%), although I’d expect him to play more regularly now some senior pace men have retired. Only 16 of Kumar Dharmasena’s 31 Tests for Sri Lanka were consecutive (51.61%), while the England pair of Mike Hendrick and Derek Pringle both won 30 caps, of which only 16 came in successive matches (53.33%). Another Sri Lankan, Dilhara Fernando, played 40 Tests, only 22 (55%) in succession.And to answer your question, there are five players who all won five Test caps, none of which came in successive matches for their side, four of them legspinners: England’s Tommy Mitchell (1930s), the West Indians Willie Rodriguez (1960s) and Rawl Lewis (between 1997 and 2008), and Todd Astle of New Zealand (2012-2020). The fifth member of the quintet is the Pakistan medium-pacer Ehteshamuddin (1979-1982).Who took only six wickets in his Test career – including a hat-trick? asked Vivek Seth from the United Arab Emirates
The bowler with this peculiar record is Bangladesh’s legspinning allrounder Alok Kapali, who took a hat-trick against Pakistan in Peshawar in 2003, but otherwise picked up only three wickets in 16 further Tests.A close second is the controversial South African fast bowler Geoff Griffin, whose career was effectively ended when he was no-balled for throwing during the 1960 Lord’s Test. Almost his last act in his second and last Test was to take a hat-trick, and he finished with only eight wickets.The tall England fast bowler Maurice Allom, who took a hat-trick on his Test debut, against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1930, finished his Test career with only 14 Test wickets. “Allom sent down an over which ranks on a level with the best ever bowled in New Zealand,” wrote team-mate Maurice Turnbull. “Four wickets in five balls with the score at 21 and including the hat-trick!”Another legspinner, Jimmy Matthews of Australia, took two hat-tricks against South Africa at Old Trafford in May 1912, but he took no other wickets in that match and finished with 16 in his eight Tests. The New Zealand offspinner Peter Petherick, who began his Test career with a hat-trick against Pakistan in Lahore in 1976, also ended up with 16 wickets in a six-match career. For the full list of Test hat-tricks, click here.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

And has anyone else made a fourth-innings hundred on the second day of a Test as Travis Head did?

Steven Lynch25-Nov-2025Mitchell Starc improved his best bowling figures in his 100th Test, against West Indies, and improved them in his 101st Test at Perth. Has anyone done this later in a Test career? asked Ekambaram Raveendran from India
Australia’s Mitchell Starc took 6 for 9 – his best figures at the time – as West Indies were skittled for 27 in Kingston in July. That was his 100th Test – and in the first innings of his 101st, against England in Perth, Starc took seven wickets in a Test innings for the first time, finishing with 7 for 58.Unsurprisingly, this is easily the latest stage of a career at which a player improved his best Test figures in successive matches. Two Pakistanis come next: Wasim Akram had best figures of 6 for 62 after 50 Tests, but took 6 for 43 against New Zealand in his 51st, and improved that to 7 for 119 in his 52nd, in February 1994. Abdul Qadir started his 48th Test with a best return of 7 for 142, but took 7 for 96 against England at The Oval in August 1987, and improved that with 9 for 56 in his 49th, against England in Lahore in November 1987.The latest a batter has improved his highest score in successive Tests was by Australia’s Ricky Ponting in December 2003. After 72 Tests his highest score was 206, but he scored 242 against India in Adelaide in his 73rd, and improved that with 257 against them in Melbourne in his 74th match. His successor as captain, Michael Clarke, improved his previous-best of 151 with 166 in his 58th Test, against Pakistan in January 2010, then made 168 in his 59th, against New Zealand in Wellington two months later.Travis Head scored a century on the second (last!) day in Perth. Has anyone else ever made a fourth-innings century before the end of the second day of a Test before? asked Martin Bennett from Australia
That stunning innings by Travis Head, which decisively wrenched the first Ashes Test Australia’s way in Perth, was indeed the first time anyone had made a century in the fourth innings of a Test by the end of the second day. The only other time a team has reached 100 in the fourth innings on the second day of a Test was at Headingley in 1912, when South Africa made 105 for 7 against England – but the highest individual score was Louis Tancred’s 38 not out (he was out for 39 next morning).Head reached his century in just 69 balls, the fastest in the Ashes apart from Adam Gilchrist’s 57-ball hundred at the WACA in Perth in December 2006. The only other faster century for Australia in a Test was in 67 balls, by Jack Gregory against South Africa in Johannesburg in November 1921. David Warner also reached three figures in 69 balls against India at the WACA in January 2012.England faced only 67.3 overs in both innings in Perth. Have they ever been bowled out twice more quickly? asked Jon Morrison from England
England were bowled out twice in 67.3 overs – 405 balls – in the first Test in Perth. They have only been bowled out twice more quickly in Tests they lost on two occasions, the most recent of which was in March 1904, when they faced just 54.1 overs (325 deliveries) in being dismissed for 61 and 101 by Australia in Melbourne. Before that England were bowled out for 53 and 62 in 388 balls (97 four-ball overs) by Australia at Lord’s in July 1888.The fewest balls to be bowled out twice and lose by any side in a Test is 248 (49.3 five-ball overs) by South Africa (93 and 30) against England in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) in February 1896.With his 109 not out against New Zealand, Shai Hope now has hundreds against every Test-playing nation, albeit across formats•AFP/Getty ImagesShai Hope has scored international centuries against all 11 possible Test-playing opponents. Has anyone else done this? asked Marlon Hoyte from Barbados
Shai Hope’s 109 not out in an ODI against New Zealand in Napier last week completed this particular full set: he’s scored individual international centuries (in Tests, ODIs or T20Is) against his 11 possible Test-playing opponents. Hope has scored four against England and India, three against Bangladesh, two against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and one against Afghanistan, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Only three of his hundreds have come in Tests: two against England at Headingley in August 2017, and one against India in Delhi in October.Seven players have scored international centuries against ten of their 11 possible Test-playing opponents: Hashim Amla (no hundreds against Afghanistan), Shikhar Dhawan (none against England), Martin Guptill (missing Afghanistan), Mahela Jayawardene (Ireland), Virat Kohli (Ireland), Rohit Sharma (Ireland) and Marcus Trescothick (never played against Afghanistan).How many times in Tests have a team won the toss, decided to bat first, been bowled out on the first day, have a deficit on the first innings but gone on to win the Test against the host nation, as South Africa did in the first Test in India? asked Andre Terblanche from South Africa
That’s probably the most specific question I’ve ever received! South Africa did do all this in the first Test against India in Kolkata earlier this month, but actually it was the third time it had happened this year – Australia did it against West Indies in Bridgetown in June, and Ireland did it to beat Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in February. This particular set of circumstances appears to have happened 32 times in all in Tests now. The first time was in August 1882, when Australia beat England at The Oval in the match that spawned the Ashes legend.There’s also an update from a question a couple of weeks ago:
In this column I answered a question about the players with the best averages in their last 25 Tests. In calculating the answer we considered only players who had won at least 50 caps – but actually that probably wasn’t the right way to do it. Two or three readers pointed out that the great England bowler Sydney Barnes took 170 wickets at 16.49 in his last 25 Tests – but he hadn’t shown up in our searches as he played only 27 matches in all.And so… we widened the search to include everyone’s last 25 Tests, even if they only played 26 (or 27 like Barnes). The efforts of Jasprit Bumrah in the first Test against South Africa actually gave him a better average than Barnes ahead of the second match of the current series – 125 wickets at 16.38 – but that may change: and in any case there’s someone who beats both of them, as the England offspinner Jim Laker took 120 wickets at 15.93 in the last 25 of his 46 Tests. Alec Bedser (136 at 18.68) and Curtly Ambrose (99 at 18.78) are fourth and fifth.Among batters Don Bradman remains way out on top (3468 runs at 105.09), but the West Indian Clyde Walcott comes in second, with 2651 at 67.97 in the last 25 of his 44 Tests, ahead of Kane Williamson (currently 66.67), Kumar Sangakkara (64.05) and Andy Flower (63.83).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

The trade deadline's biggest prize reportedly will go to the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners are acquiring third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a Wednesday night report from ESPN's Jeff Passan. Suarez, 34, previously played for Seattle from 2022 to '23.

The two-time All-Star joins the Mariners in the midst of a surpassing offensive season; he's slashing .248/.321/.577 with 36 home runs and 87 RBIs. The last of those figures leads Major League Baseball.

If the deal is confirmed, Suarez will re-form a formidable duo with Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh—a superstar with 41 home runs, 87 RBIs and a Home Run Derby title to his name this season.

Suarez is in his 12th MLB season, and has hit 312 career home runs. He has hit 30 home runs on six different occasions, and hit 49 for the Cincinnati Reds in 2019.

The Mariners have a long way to go to wrap up a playoff berth, but opposing pitchers will seemingly have their work cut out for them.

Phoenix crawl to 122 as Rockets cruise home with 22 balls to spare

ECB Media08-Aug-2025Trent Rockets kicked off their campaign in the Hundred men’s competition with an effortless victory over Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston.122 for 6 from the Phoenix never looked enough, and David Willey’s new-look Rockets side were led to a comfortable six-wicket victory by a strong bowling effort spearheaded by Lockie Ferguson (3 for 20) and a chase fronted by Tom Banton (42 from 29).Asked to bowl first, the Rockets attack made early inroads, removing Phoenix’s top three of Ben Duckett, Will Smeed and Aneurin Donald to leave the home side 24 for 3 after the 25-ball Powerplay.Rehan Ahmed swivels on the pull•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty ImagesSam Cook’s brilliant work off his own bowling to run out Jacob Bethell left Phoenix reeling, but a defiant Liam Livingstone (39) and Joe Clarke (29) partnership led a rebuild. Livingstone played a captain’s knock, hitting three sixes in his 30-ball stay, while Clarke struggled for fluency; a brilliant set from Ferguson removed them both.Despite some tight Rockets death bowling, a couple of late blows from Dan Mousley and Benny Howell brought Phoenix closer to a respectable total.In reply, although Tim Southee (2 for 36) bowled Joe Root early on, the Rockets began aggressively against the trio of Kiwi quicks. Banton and Rehan Ahmed (25 from 16) struck some lusty blows to quickly bring the runs required to below a run-a-ball.Although Ahmed and Banton were both removed by Benny Howell (2 for 25), who was the pick of the Phoenix bowlers, Max Holden (22 from 13) led the Rockets comfortably home with 22 balls to spare.

Roston Chase’s all-round show, of 90* with the bat and three wickets with the ball, went in vain for St Lucia Kings

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2025Guyana Amazon Warriors 188 for 8 (Sampson 76, Hope 44, Chase 3-30) beat St Lucia Kings 185 for 4 (Chase 90*, Auguste 50, Pretorius 2-36) by two wicketsDwaine Pretorius stunned table-toppers St Lucia Kings with a last-ball six in yet another thriller in CPL 2025. The win confirmed Guyana Amazon Warriors’ spot as the fourth team in the playoffs. Needing 12 runs off the last over and five from the last ball, Pretorius smashed a full toss from David Wiese over long-on, which knocked St Kitts and Nevis Patriots out of the playoffs race, and sparked off wild celebrations from the home fans.Amazon Warriors are currently fourth on the points table with 10 points, and will play the last game of the league stage against Barbados Royals, with a chance to finish in the top two.There was plenty of drama in the last over when Moeen Ali’s catch was dropped in the deep. It also turned out to be a no-ball for a high full toss on Wiese’s second delivery. With eight runs to get from four balls after the free hit, Moeen was run-out while attempting a second run, and with Wiese trying straight and wide yorkers, it came down to five off the last ball. That was also an attempted yorker but reached Pretorius as a full toss, and he dispatched it all the way.The Amazon Warriors’ chase got a strong start when Quentin Sampson took off with a first-ball four and continued to lead the partnership with Shai Hope after the fall of Ben McDermott. Sampson’s hard-handed strokes and swings brought up a 27-ball half-century and took Amazon Warriors past 100 in the 11th over.Roston Chase, however, led Kings’ fightback with the wickets of Sampson and Shimron Hetmyer off consecutive balls soon after; it was Hetmyer’s second duck in a row, his third of this CPL, and his seventh single-digit score in nine outings. Hope was on 10 off 15 balls at the time, and he held one end up even as Amazon Warriors lost Shamarh Brooks, Hassan Khan and Romario Shepherd in three successive overs to stutter to 133 for 6. That left them needing 50 runs off the last 30 deliveries.Hope soon switched gears to bring it down to 32 off 22 before holing out for 44 from 33 balls off Wiese. With 23 to get from the last two overs, Moeen started the penultimate over with a six to make it 12 from the last over before Pretorius took Amazon Warriors home.Earlier, Kings were in a bit of a trouble after they had opted to bat, reduced to 27 for 2 in the fourth over after Pretorius knocked over the base of Johnson Charles’ off stump for his seventh wicket in the powerplay this CPL, joint-most with Khary Pierre and Ramon Simmonds. But No. 4 Chase countered with a sequence of 6, 4, 6, 4 off Moeen to race to 21 off five balls, and took Kings past 50 in the fifth over.Kings never looked back after that. Ackeem Auguste took the aerial route too, bringing up the team’s 100 in the 12th over soon after Chase broke the phase of four boundary-less overs. Auguste fell just one ball after his 29-ball fifty when he found deep midwicket off Imran Tahir. Chase then took on Hassan for his 32-ball half-century by belting more straight hits. Chase also benefitted from a life Hetmyer gave him on 73 when he put down a catch at long-on, and he punished Pretorius further to finish unbeaten on 90 off 55 balls. But that knock, followed by his three wickets, ended in vain.

IPL teams rarely opt for two uncapped Indians at the top of the order, but PBKS have shown that sometimes potential trumps reputation

Sreshth Shah26-Apr-20250:55

Kumble: Arya’s timing is sublime

Two uncapped Indians walking out to open an IPL innings is usually the result of an emergency – injuries, loss of form, last-minute reshuffles. In IPL 2025, no team has dared to begin an innings with two uncapped openers. By choice. No team, except Punjab Kings (PBKS). In Ricky Ponting’s watch, it’s no contingency plan, but their statement of intent. PBKS have placed their trust in Prabhsimran Singh, a retained player, and Priyansh Arya, an IPL debutant, to kickstart their batting and the results are there to see.In their ninth outing together on Saturday, the two hammered 120 runs in just 11.5 overs in the washed-out game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), setting the platform for a big total. Although PBKS’ innings lost some momentum towards the end to finish at 201 for 4, the openers had already delivered a blockbuster performance.This was their highest stand yet, and while it carried their trademark boldness, it also revealed a growing maturity. Arya, typically aggressive from ball one, showed restraint up top, refusing to go aerial in the first four overs against the KKR quicks. Prabhsimran, too, kept his instincts in check early on, allowing Arya to set the tempo with his drives through the off side. The openers had a clear plan to absorb the early pressure and then launch. Their attacking shot percentage in the first ten overs, typically close to 50%, dropped to just 38.33% on Saturday. Against spin, the discipline was even sharper: only four attacking shots across the first 24 balls.Related

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Arya and Prabhsimran sparkle before rain dashes PBKS' hopes

But when the moment came, they shifted gears. Their use of the reverse sweep and the switch hit, especially Prabhsimran’s, showed readiness to take risks when the opportunity arose. By the time their stand ended, their average partnership run rate stood at 10.69 – second only to Travishek (10.89) this season for pairs to have faced more than 50 balls.Arya did most of his early scoring against pace, smashing 50 off just 20 balls, while playing more conservatively against spin (19 off 15). His best shots were drives between mid-off and point. Prabhsimran, in contrast, was 34 off 32 at one stage before exploding. Over his next 16 balls he plundered 49 runs, particularly targeting the KKR spinners. His confident use of the switch hit helped him smash 41 off 22 balls against spin and dismantle Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy after both had produced tidy spells. The PBKS openers complemented each other beautifully, not relying on brute force for a change. Arya finished with 69 in 35 balls, while Prabhsimran piled up 83 in 49.”The wicket tonight was slow and Ricky sir told us that we can rotate strikes after the first six overs and go deep this time,” Arya told the broadcaster after the innings. “His backing and positive words have given me confidence.”2:28

How tough is the road ahead for PBKS to make the playoffs?

Anil Kumble, on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out, praised Arya’s timing in particular. “The way Priyansh was hitting the ball, it was just pinging off the bat. It seemed like he was tapping it, but the fielders were just left looking at each other.”While Arya has been fast-tracked for his audacity and unpredictability against unfamiliar attacks, Prabhsimran has had to bide his time to finally make a mark.Picked up by PBKS as a 18-year-old under Mike Hesson in 2019, Prabhsimran has survived multiple regime changes – from Hesson to Kumble (2020-22) to Trevor Bayliss (2023-24), and now Ponting – convincing each coach even as auctions offered the temptation to look elsewhere. Having played just six IPL games between 2019 and 2022 as an understudy to Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, it was only during IPL 2023 that Prabhsimran finally got a proper go. Once he did, he produced two solid seasons: 358 runs in 2023 and 334 runs in 2024. Add the 292 runs this season with a strike rate (168.78) he has not had in an IPL season before. He is now among the top five openers when it comes to best strike rates across the last three IPL seasons.1:53

Kumble: We saw Prabhsimran’s maturity come through

“When Prabh gets bogged down, he looks to go after the bowling, step out and go down, but tonight he didn’t do any of that,” Kumble said. “He’s always had the potential. When I was there, I thought he is someone I should play because he was so good in the open nets.”And he’s done well in domestic cricket, too. It’s not just the IPL; he’s been consistent for Punjab [in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy] as well, and being with one IPL team consistently has helped him.”The Prabhsimran-Arya partnership has also ensured PBKS are serious contenders for the playoffs this season. Not much has come off the bats of Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell or Marcus Stoinis, and Shreyas Iyer’s home form has been woeful, averaging just 6.25 in four innings. Coming into this game, their middle order (Nos. 4 to 7) had the third-poorest batting average in IPL 2025, and on Saturday their Nos. 3 to 6 contributed only 46 off 37 balls. Despite being among the two least experienced batters in the top six, it’s been the openers who have been holding fort and setting up games.Nine matches in, Prabhsimran and Arya are now more than just a bold experiment. They are proof that backing potential over reputation can pay off. Their growing understanding – of their own and each other’s games – has given PBKS the kind of foundation most teams have taken more than half a season to find (and some are still searching for it). There will be tougher tests ahead, but Saturday night showed these two aren’t just swinging for the fences. They are laying the groundwork for something much bigger.

Bavuma says de Kock had started hinting at wanting to reverse his ODI retirement as early as January

Abhimanyu Bose08-Oct-2025Quinton de Kock’s ODI retirement U-turn has South Africa captain Temba Bavuma excited, but he said that the wicketkeeper-batter might not get an “easy pass” into the XI, with the team loaded with in-form batters who have helped them win ODI series in Australia and England over the last few months.”I’m a little bit biased when it comes to Quinton. I grew up playing with Quinton from school cricket. So the fact that he is back, I’m as excited as a lot of fans out there,” Bavuma said on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday. “I think there’s quite a lot of batters, young batters especially, who have put up their names. So he is obviously going to have to do what he needs to do from a run-scoring point of view.”I don’t think he is oblivious to that. It’s not the case that he is getting an easy pass into the team. But I think it’s a case of, from where he has been in the abyss, per se, watching into the team, he wants to be a part of what has been created within the team.”Related

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Bavuma also revealed that de Kock had started hinting at wanting to reverse his ODI retirement as early as January. In de Kock’s absence, two left-hand wicketkeeper-batters – in Ryan Rickelton and Lhuan-dre Pretorius – have staked their claim for spots in South Africa’s XI. Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis have also been impressive, in addition to the more seasoned batters like Bavuma himself and Aiden Markram.”I chatted to him earlier this year, in January, just before we were going to the Champions Trophy. And there he started kind of throwing out the fact that he would like to be available. Before he went and spoke to Shukri [Conrad, South Africa head coach], he spoke to me. He made it clear that that’s what he would like to do. And we will support him.”Quinton is one of the good guys within the system, a super-talented player. So if it’s the Quinton who batted in the 2023 50-over World Cup, I don’t think anyone would say no to that.”South Africa will begin their World Test Championship defence in Pakistan•ICC/Getty ImagesAt the 2023 World Cup, de Kock scored 594 runs from ten innings, at a strike rate of 107.02, and finished as the third-highest run-scorer, helping South Africa reach the semi-finals.Apart from South Africa’s lead-up to a home ODI World Cup in 2027, Bavuma will also have to oversee their defence of the World Test Championship title, beginning with a two-Test series in Pakistan starting October 12. Bavuma will not be part of that series as he is recovering from a calf strain but he sounded positive about South Africa’s chances.”Pakistan selected five spinners into their squad, so that really shows you what type of conditions the guys will be faced with there,” Bavuma said. “Guys are back home now, busy with their preparation. So we’ll leave no stone unturned. We’ve been to Pakistan before. The Champions Trophy – yes, those were good wickets. But we are familiar with the place.”After that will be India. There’s Sri Lanka as well. So there’s a lot more of the subcontinent tours that we’re going to have to overcome the challenge. And then something a little bit more familiar back home with Australia and England. But then again, those are strong teams.”South Africa faced criticism from some quarters about getting favourable fixtures in the previous cycle, but Bavuma was adamant that they didn’t want to shy away from playing the best teams.”I know in the previous cycle, there was criticism around our route into the final, supposedly playing the weaker nations,” Bavuma said. “That’s not the case now. I think for us as players, we look at it with a lot of optimism. Firstly, as a competitor, as an international player, you can test yourself against the best players. And obviously from a team point of view, we keep going and achieving what we want to achieve.”

Edgbaston six-for just reward for Mohammed Siraj, who assumed seniority in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence

Sidharth Monga04-Jul-2025

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have a chat before the third day’s play•AFP via Getty Images

A quirky, curious statistic kept assuming bigger proportion through the third day’s play at Edgbaston. Especially when Mohammed Siraj began taking wickets with the second new ball to go with his double-strike in his first over of the day.Here are the numbers. Mohammed Siraj has played 23 Tests with Jasprit Bumrah, and averages 33.82 in them. His average in 15 matches without Bumrah now reads 25.20. Siraj has played nine Tests with Mohammed Shami; he averages 34.96 in them. He has played six Tests with both Bumrah and Shami, and he averages 33.05 in them. In the 12 matches that Siraj has played with neither Bumrah nor Shami in them, Siraj averages 22.27.When put that way to Siraj in a spot interview with no time to reflect on it, Siraj said he loves the responsibility. But it is what it is: an oddity. Unless Siraj himself tells you when he plays with Bumrah he bowls for Bumrah. Until then it’s all pop psychology.Related

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When Siraj is the third bowler, you can probably look for some causation, in that you don’t get the new ball, you bowl more with a softer ball, and possibly have to play a containing role. When you are the second quick, you probably don’t get an end of your choice, you are just as attacking as when you are the first.A non-quirky fact is that Siraj is a fine fast bowler with good control, an outswinger that can at times go missing, a wobble-seam ball, and a big heart. He has been bowling well since the start of the Australia tour, but hasn’t really had the luck to get him wickets.Cricket is a messy sport. At Headingley, outside that first spell when he struggled running uphill for three overs, Siraj bowled roughly as many good balls as Bumrah, roughly at the same pace, drew roughly a similar percentage of false shots, but had nothing to show for it.Mohammed Siraj leads India off the field•Getty ImagesOf course Siraj is no Bumrah. That’s why he said he only believes in Jassi , resulting in memes where Bumrah was shown saying “I only believe on Miyan .” Still he was far from ordinary in Australia, but took 20 wickets at an average of 31.15 in a seam-dominated series. If this keeps happening for long, even the most empathetic of observers start pointing at your career average: 31.83 at the start of this series.The beauty of this messy sport is that when everybody has been worried about Bumrah’s absence, on comes Siraj, starts as the second bowler behind Akash Deep with both the new balls, makes no causal change to the way he bowls and ends with a six-for. His lengths didn’t become more attacking or shorter, he extracted much less seam, and he swung the ball as much as he did in Leeds.The one change he made, though, was move his lines straighter, which you can afford to do when the pitch is slower and lower. From 47.5% balls in the channel in Leeds, his channel deliveries came down to 42.9%. His straight lines went up from 22.5% to 33.8%. These, though, are fine changes that bowlers regularly make to adjust to different pitches and match situations.1:53

What worked for Siraj and Akash Deep?

Siraj himself is no stranger to the quirks of fate in cricket. “I have been waiting for a year for a five-for,” he told Jio Hotstar. “I was getting stuck at four. I was bowling well but not getting wickets. This is a very special moment. Especially because I had only four-fors in England.”It is just that bit extra special because of the kind of lifeless pitch it has come on. The pitch has only got slower during the Test with no seam movement. There have been long periods, especially after the ball ages past 30 overs, when it is hard to see where the next wicket will come from. In such conditions, Siraj was just fire with the new ball. As was Akash Deep.Despite bowling the fewest overs among fast bowlers – not counting Prasidh Krishna because he bowled a spell full of bouncers – Siraj attacked the stumps most often, projected to hit the stumps 28 times. He got three wickets in those balls. In just 26 false shots, he got six wickets. At Headingley, he got two in 69. Control data might not be gospel, but this is stark.Siraj knows it. He lives with these quirks of the game. That’s why he can keep running in with the same spirit after a run of barren Tests. He will do the same in the second innings. Have some patience if he doesn’t get same results.

Newcastle United need some fresh ideas. This much is clear after a turbulent start to the season that has left Eddie Howe searching for answers, his side 14th in the Premier League after 11 matches.

There are internal solutions available to the esteemed English coach, but there’s no question that he views St. James’ Park academy graduate Elliot Anderson as being the missing cog in the machine.

The Magpies reluctantly sold Anderson to Nottingham Forest for around £35m in 2024 to avoid PSR ramifications falling on their head. But now, the 23-year-old is flying, and his boyhood club want him back.

The latest on Newcastle's interest in Elliot Anderson

It is understood that Newcastle and Manchester United are the most likely clubs to do battle for Anderson’s signature next summer. Word on the street, however, is that Forest are set to demand a figure in excess of £100m.

Matches (starts)

37 (33)

11 (11)

Goals

2

1

Assists

6

1

Touches*

54.2

94.4

Accurate passes*

28.7 (82%)

62.1 (87%)

Chances created*

1.0

1.4

Dribbles*

1.0

1.3

Ball recoveries*

5.6

8.4

Tackles + interceptions*

2.5

3.5

Duels (won)*

6.5 (52%)

7.5 (55%)

That might be an exorbitant asking price, but we can see why the City Ground side would be so reluctant to part with their man. Anderson has grown into a world-beater of a midfielder, and he is emerging as the most likely candidate to partner Declan Rice in England’s midfield at the 2026 World Cup over the pond.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed, but with the Tricky Trees likely to prove difficult negotiators, don’t hold your breath.

However, it might be pleasing to note that PIF have been busy at the academy level, reinforcing the youth team with top talents capable of finding a way into Howe’s outfit.

And there’s one who might actually prove a bigger talent than Anderson, once given an opportunity to make his mark.

Newcastle have a bigger talent than Anderson

There has been a concerted effort toward raising Newcastle’s youth system over the past few years. And it is working, with prospects such as Vakhtang Salia added to the fold.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all fancied Dinamo Tbilisi’s talented forward this year, but it is a testament to Newcastle’s development that they won the race, enticing the youngster with a clear pathway toward the first team.

A versatile forward, Salia can play on either flank or in a central striking berth. In Ukraine, he scored eight goals and provided four assists across 57 matches for Dinamo’s seniors.

Salia only turned 18 in August, and it was then that his move to Tyneside was green-lit. However, it’s been a rocky start on English shores for the man who has been likened to Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal. He hasn’t played for United yet, injured early in his new start.

Journalist Graeme Bailey has described him as “one of the best teenage prospects in the world”, and with the right care and attention over the coming years, there is every reason that Salia could be fashioned into a superstar, so naturally gifted and with a physicality on the ball that suggests he could adapt to the brutality of the Premier League.

It is frustrating that Salia should have been disrupted in this way so early into his Newcastle career, but this will teach him about adversity, and in this, he could rival Anderson, who has weathered storms of his own before emerging as a superstar at the City Ground.

Woltemade will love him: Newcastle targeting a "top 5 manager in the world"

Newcastle are in dire straits in the Premier League at the moment.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 19, 2025

Tottenham are reportedly determined to give Thomas Frank time to succeed at the club despite their 4-1 thumping away to rivals Arsenal. Spurs have lost three of their last five Premier League games and have dropped to ninth in the table following their wretched performance at Emirates Stadium. But the Dane's future at the club is not under threat for now.

Frank apologises for Tottenham drubbing

Head coach Frank admitted he felt confident going into the north London derby but Arsenal dismissed Tottenham with apparent ease, with Spurs mustering an Expected Goals tally of just 0.07 and a paltry three shots on goal. After the loss on Sunday, the former Brentford manager, who joined Spurs on a three-year deal over the summer, apologised to the travelling fans. 

He told Sky Sports: "I think it is extremely painful. I won't talk away from that. It was a bad performance. It was completely the opposite of what the intention was when we came here. We can only apologise to the fans for the performance. I think no matter if both teams wanted to play shirt, they got more out of that and we couldn't get out. When the team went long, we didn't win enough duels. That is exemplified by the 2-0 goal and the 3-0 goal, where a player went through two or three players. Bad performance and we lost. I have seen a lot of character and fight in this team but we didn't win enough duels. We can call that whatever we want but we didn't win enough."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTottenham to stick with Frank

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham want to give Frank enough time to get things right but there are concerns he is making life hard for himself by chopping and changing too much. The report adds that Spurs believe Frank's numerous rotations have contributed to their inconsistency and creativity problems. Some players are keen for Frank to focus more on his team's strengths, rather than the opposition's, but it is unclear how widespread that feeling is. The club's owners, the Lewis family, are targeting long-term success under the Dane, which suggests that no short-term decisions are being considered. Incidentally, Frank took the number of changes he has made to his starting XI to 29 for the Premier League so far – the third-most in the league after Wolves (39) and Chelsea (31).

Tottenham tactics go awry

Frank also said that he tried to deploy the same tactics Tottenham used in their agonising UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August, but what he got was an "extremely bad" performance. 

He added: "That's an extremely hard defeat to take. We are all emotional and frustrated and need to look at it with calm heads. I was very confident going into the game that we could be competitive and we weren't, which was disappointing. We tried to do something different that was very successful against PSG. Today it wasn't and I always take responsibility for my decisions and then when it doesn't go the way we want it to go, that's on me. We changed it at half-time but I am 1000% sure that no matter what formation you play if you don't win enough duels or are aggressive enough, it doesn't matter what formation you play."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Spurs?

The games don't get any easier for Tottenham as after the loss to table-topping Arsenal, they travel to defending Champions League holders PSG in Europe's elite competition on Wednesday. And one area Frank is eager to fix is their toothless attack. 

He said: "That [lack of creativity] has been an ongoing theme that we are working hard to improve. It doesn't look good today or against Chelsea. We need to keep working on it. There were a lot of things in this game we need to do better. We are four months into it and they are further in their journey as a team and that was very obvious today. Of course there will be noise. We played against our biggest rivals and we lost badly. But we keep noise out and we focus. I know this tam is very competitive. I know this team is competitive and we showed that against Man City and PSG. Of course it looks bad today and it was not good enough."