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Khary Pierre, the left-arm spinner who is yet to play in Tests, has also been called up

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2025West Indies have dropped former captain Kraigg Brathwaite from their 15-member squad for the two-Test series in India beginning on October 2, while Alick Athanaze and Tagenarine Chanderpaul have been recalled with an emphasis on players well equipped to play spin.Brathwaite, a veteran of 100 Test caps, lost his place in the XI in the final Test against Australia earlier this year, a series which West Indies lost 0-3 and resulted in an emergency meeting which involved the likes of Clive Lloyd and Brian Lara. Also missing from the squad against Australia are Keacy Carty, Johann Layne and Mikyle Louis.Khary Pierre, the left-arm spinner who is yet to play in Tests, has been called up too. Pierre is the second specialist spinner in the squad alongside vice-captain Jomel Warrican, and has been selected after taking 41 wickets at an average of 13.56 in the West Indies championship. Gudakesh Motie, meanwhile, has been rested “given the demands of the upcoming limited-overs schedule,” according to a CWI release.”The return of Tagenarine Chanderpaul is to help transform our fortunes at the top of the order given the recent struggles, with Alick Athanaze being added for his strengths and qualities against spin bowling,” head coach Daren Sammy said in a statement. “Khary is included for the first time as our second spinner in what we expect to be helpful conditions.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Athanaze’s last Test appearance was in the subcontinent against Pakistan in January. Chanderpaul, who last played a Test in January 2024 on the tour of Australia, is likely to partner John Campbell at the top. Kevlon Anderson, who has a first-class average of 42.05, keeps his place in the squad. The other batters are the captain Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach and Brandon King.The spin contingent will be led by Warrican, Pierre, and Chase. The seamers are Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Anderson Phillip and Jayden Seales.West Indies are set to arrive in Ahmedabad on September 24. Only four players – Chase, Hope, Alzarri and Warrican – were part of the West Indies squad that last toured India in 2018-19. The first Test is set to be played in Ahmedabad and the second one in Delhi from October 10.West Indies have a busy season ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in February-March. Later this month, they play Nepal in Sharjah for three T20Is, then play two Tests in India before flying to Bangladesh for a multi-format white-ball tour in October-November. They close out the year with an all-format tour of New Zealand from November 5 to December 22 comprising five T20Is, three ODIs and three Tests.

West Indies Test squad for India series

Roston Chase (capt), Jomel Warrican (vice-capt), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts has had a tough 2025 campaign.

Heading into L.A.'s return to Dodger Stadium after a long road trip Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals, Dodgers fans rallied together to show Betts that they have his back. As he stepped to the plate for his first at-bat of the evening, the crowd roared as many stood to their feet to give Betts a tremendous ovation amid his recent struggles.

A plan for the ovation picked up steam across social media over the past day. And once some fans at Dodger Stadium began the louder than usual cheers, you knew others would follow.

Heading into Monday, Betts has a career-low .664 OPS through 102 games. He has never finished a season with an OPS lower than .800. His current batting average (.233), on-base percentage (.305) and slugging percentage (.358) are all career-low numbers, too. Over the Dodgers' last four games, he is 0-for-16 at the plate. He began Monday's game against the Cardinals 0-for-2.

Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Betts will remain in his No. 2 spot in the lineup despite the difficult season and recent stretch. “I’m going to continue to believe in him and trust that he’s the best option," he said pregame, via Fox's Rowan Kavner.

Even with the prolonged slump, Dodgers fans wanted their star shortstop to know they remain by his side.

The NZ captain has a signature deadpan style and even World Cup pressure hasn’t been able to dilute it

Sruthi Ravindranath22-Oct-20254:19

Preview: ‘Wounded’ India favourites against New Zealand?

Two losses in the first three games, and the next two washed out. New Zealand’s World Cup campaign has veered off track, but on the eve of an all-important clash against India, captain Sophie Devine was all calm, answering questions at the press conference in her signature deadpan style.”Thanks for not saying I’m old. I appreciate that, experienced is nice,” she said on being asked how her near 20 years as an international cricketer might help her in Thursday’s high-pressure game.New Zealand haven’t had much game time lately but they’re embracing the “underdog badge with pride”, Devine said, also acknowledging the pressure her side will be under playing in Mumbai in front of “99.9%” of India fans. But she also feels “real empathy” for hosts who have come under scrutiny after losing three matches in a row.”We’re really stepping towards that pressure,” Devine said. “In all honesty, I can’t begin to imagine the type of pressure that the Indian team is under. I know when we played at a home World Cup [in 2022], the pressure that we felt to perform in front of our home crowd was at times overwhelming. I can’t imagine what that’s like with a billion people tuned into the TV screens and the expectation and the weight that’s on their shoulders.””These are the moments that you want to be playing cricket in – a pretty much knockout game against India in India at a World Cup. We’re obviously under no illusions that India are still the favourites, without a doubt. And we will wear the underdog badge with pride, as Kiwis often do.”India might have home advantage but when it comes to ODI World Cups, their win-loss ratio against New Zealand is 0.2, the lowest against any opposition. Does that give New Zealand a psychological edge?Sophie Devine has 260 runs at the World Cup at an average of 87•ICC/Getty Images

“Yeah, ask me after the game tomorrow because I think that’s generally the way it goes, isn’t it?” Devine quipped. “We can get confidence from the fact that we’ve played them in pressure situations before. But tomorrow’s a new game, everyone starts on zero.”Related

• 'It sucks' – Devine emotional about World Cup exit and impending ODI retirement

• Rosemary Mair is fast, relentless, and coming for your stumps

• New Zealand in must-win territory with rain in the Navi Mumbai air

• 'It's extremely frustrating' – Devine on Colombo washouts

• Muzumdar: Dropping Rodrigues against England 'one of the toughest decisions'

Whether it’s the atmosphere or the profile of the game, Devine hopes it serves as a learning experience for the young players in her side.”Some youngsters that we’ve got, they’ve still played cricket under different pressures and have had to perform at different stages,” she said. “It is such a cool opportunity. This is why you play high-performance sport, it’s why you play international cricket. To be put under the most intense pressure and see how you stand up.””To me that’s just a really exciting opportunity to not only showcase the women’s game, but showcase New Zealand cricket,” she said. “And as you mentioned, we’ve had a great record, not just females, but males as well, of playing India in these sort of tournaments.”Rustiness is a concern – New Zealand haven’t played a full game in nearly 12 days – but so is the forecast. With rain having already sabotaged their campaign, Devine responded in her trademark style when informed there’s more in the forecast.”I’m not surprised, to be honest. I expect there to be rain everywhere we go at the moment,” she said, shrugging. “But you can’t control the weather. We’ll deal with it if it comes. There’s no point worrying about it until it actually falls down and the umpires call you off, we’re just focused on what we want to do.”Thursday’s clash will also be New Zealand’s first outing at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, but they’ll be banking on local knowledge from Amelia Kerr, who has played six WPL matches at the venue.”Not just tomorrow, but everyone expects Melie to perform and to give to this group,” Devine said. “She’s played a lot with Harman [Harmanpreet Kaur], she’s obviously played with the Mumbai Indians here. Hopefully she’s got a few fans in the crowd as well that’ll be cheering for New Zealand and her.”Melie knows some of those Indian players really well. They also know Melie well. I think the Indians probably have enough pressure on them coming from the rest of your country to try and perform and get through to a semi-final, which I know is the expectation for them.”Devine ended the press conference in her typical style: “We’ll let the Indian public and the media and all that give the Indian team enough pressure and we’ll just keep going about our thing.”

Ex-England, Chelsea and Manchester City winger Sean Wright-Phillips has given his verdict on Liverpool's struggles this season, claiming it was a mistake to allow Luis Diaz leave for Bayern Munich without a like-for-like replacement. The Colombian completed a £65.5m ($87m) transfer to the Bavarian giants in the summer, with the Reds acquiring central attackers in Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak.

• Diaz shines for Bayern since Liverpool switch

  Former winger Wright-Phillips was clear in his assessment of Liverpool's transfer business, saying he felt the decision to part company with Diaz without replacing him with another winger was a clear mistake from the moment it happened. He said many Liverpool fans are now waking up to the quality Diaz possesses, as he thrives in Munich. 

  The ex-Porto man has been a revelation for Bayern so far this term, scoring 11 goals and contributing five assists in 18 competitive appearances. The highlight of his brilliant start to life in Germany came in Bayern's 2-2 draw away to Union Berlin last month, when he rifled home a finish from an impossibly tight angle.  

  Diaz was absent in the German club's only loss of the 2025/26 campaign in midweek, after he followed a first half brace with a red card in the Bavarian side's 2-1 win over PSG. Vincent Kompany's side clearly missed his direct running and physical output in their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal. 

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  Wright-Phillps: Selling Diaz was a "mistake"

  In an interview with Wright-Phillips was asked whether he thought it was a mistake to sell Diaz to Bayern. He replied: "Yes. I thought that when I heard it before it even happened. I couldn’t quite understand it. That was a mistake, but an even bigger mistake was not replacing him.

  "You’re losing a winger, so replace him with another winger. For whatever reason, they chose to look elsewhere.

  "I think a few Liverpool fans recognised just how good he was for them, but a lot of people didn’t really understand how important and effective he was until he started doing it for Bayern instead."

• Wright-Phillips criticises Liverpool's transfer policy

  Wright-Phillips continued his criticism over Liverpool's transfer spending. He was asked if the Reds failure to secure Marc Guehi's transfer from Crystal Palace was their biggest mistake, however, the 44-year-old instead referenced the decision to acquire both Isak and Ekitike without Arne Slot adjusting his tactics to accommodate both players, or bring out the best in other high-profile purchases like Florian Wirtz. Isak joined Liverpool for a British record fee of £125m from Newcastle; Ekitike made the switch to Merseyside from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal that could reach £79m; Wirtz cost £116m to acquire from Bayer Leverkusen. All three men have struggled for form and fitness  over the start of the 2025/26 season. 

  "No, I don't think Liverpool missing out on Guehi was the biggest mistake of the summer. I think the biggest mistake is that Slot hasn’t adapted his approach so that Ekitike and Isak can play together," said Wright-Phillips. 

  "They’re both pretty similar, so you need to work on it to make sure they can team up. But you can’t have one who drops short, because that’s where Wirtz will be. But if you have Wirtz there, you’ve fundamentally changed your title-winning midfield tactics."

  Wright-Phillips went on to suggest that Liverpool had tinkered too much with their winning formula from last term. He added: "There's been too much change in Liverpool from the team that almost walked the league last season. I don't think there needed to be £400 million worth of changes. I don't think they needed both Isak and Ekitike. They could have just taken one and then they would have been well placed to go and obviously replace Diaz. But they were so focused on those two players that they didn't really do much else after that."

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  What comes next?

  Diaz's form will be add insult to injury for Liverpool fans, that have watched their expensive attack fail to gel. 

  It has not been much better in defence. Jamie Carrageher unleashed an x-rated rant against Arne Slot for continuing to pick the struggling Ibrahima Konate after Liverpool's disastrous 4-1 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven earlier this week. The Sky and CBS Sports pundit suggested the Dutchman has one week to right the ship, before shis position will come under serious threat. Slot has to find the right tactical balance ahead of the Reds trip to West Ham on Sunday, and the visit of Sunderland on December 3.

The allrounder entered at 179 for 5, with Ruturaj Gaikwad seemingly running out of partners, and did what he does best

Ashish Pant05-Sep-2025Around an hour and a half after lunch on the opening day of West Zone’s Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone, Tanush Kotian jumped down the track and smashed offspinner Saransh Jain for two straight fours. It is unlikely these two boundaries will be spoken about too much in the broader context of this match, but when Kotian hit them, they seemed to shift the momentum of the innings.West Zone were 179 for 5 in the 44th over. Shreyas Iyer and Shams Mulani had fallen in the space of eight overs, and while Ruturaj Gaikwad had reached his century, he seemed to be running out of support. Enter Kotian, Mumbai’s crisis man. He began steadily, getting right behind the line against the quicks, moving his feet swiftly against the spinners, the ball pinging off the centre of his bat. But he couldn’t find the gaps at the start. That changed with his charge against Jain. It changed things not just at his end but at Gaikwad’s too.Related

• 'Genuine allrounder' Tanush Kotian continues to be Mumbai's crisis man

• Shubham Sharma – a low-profile red-ball warrior in the T20 era

• From elbow injury to epic comeback: Gaikwad's masterclass in patience and power

• After difficult Test debut, Kamboj returns with a display of quiet control

West Zone went into the tea break on a high, and kept their foot on the pedal when play resumed. They crashed 73 runs in the first 11 overs after tea, and while Gaikwad did most of the scoring, Kotian ensured he did not clog up the strike.”I’ve played for Mumbai for the last three to four years, so I have an idea of how to bat down the order and how to absorb the pressure,” Kotian said of his innings. “I know how to take chances, when to take chances, and where to rotate the singles and build the game. That’s what I’ve implemented in this match.”Ruturaj was a set batsman in front of me. I just wanted to build a partnership with him, taking it ten runs at a time. That’s what I was planning. I was trying to play as many balls as I could and just wanted to rotate.”Kotian was happy to be the bystander in a 148-run stand with Gaikwad, which came off 184 balls. It was the first time the two had batted together in a first-class game, but Kotian said he “developed a good bond” with Gaikwad and learned a lot along the way.”We have played on the same team before but because he is an opener, we haven’t had a chance to bat together,” Kotian said. “It was quite fun to bat with him, the way he was rotating the singles, and he was also guiding me on how to play, what to do on this wicket, where to take a single.”I learnt a lot from him in this game and the way he was batting, the shots he was playing, it was fun to watch. He was giving me a lot of confidence with the shots he was playing. I think we were batting at a run rate of close to 4 or 4.5 yesterday; that was a plus point.Kotian has been part of the Test squad, but he isn’t worrying about when he’ll get to wear the India cap•PTI “Strike rotation was a key part of our partnership. We were hitting the ball straight to the fielder and running. It was about understanding, just the eye contact and we were off. I think we developed a good bond and that contribution benefited us.”Since his comeback to the Mumbai team in 2022, Kotian has often rescued Mumbai from tricky situations. Now, he was at it for West Zone, his 76 vital to their reaching 438 in the first innings. Kotian says he thrives on the challenge of batting with the tail, and, as a bowler himself, understands the importance of extra runs down the order.”It’s all about how I can utilise myself, because I have the capability to bat well,” Kotian said. “Whenever I go [to bat], I don’t think about how many wickets have fallen, or that the team is in trouble. I have confidence. I just focus on my game, analyse it properly. ‘How can I play my shots, and how can I get the team out of that pressure situation?’ That’s my game plan.”I try and play time and take it one hour at a time. My goal is to reach the next drinks break and take it from there. If I can take it one small session at a time, the opposition automatically gets bogged down and after that it gets easy to score.”Kotian has had a busy couple of seasons. Apart from being a regular in the Mumbai line-up, he has also been part of India A squads in Australia and England. When R Ashwin retired midway through the Border-Gavaskar series in 2024-25, Kotian was the offspinner India called up as his replacement. The India cap seems like the next step, but Kotian says he doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself.”I have not changed anything in these last six months,” he said. “What I have always done, I am continuing the same. I am not thinking too far ahead. I just like to stay in the present and plan each session accordingly.”Whatever happens in the future is in the selectors’ hand, but I try to give my 100%, whether it is batting or bowling.”Kotian is one of the few genuine allrounders in the Indian first-class setup. Before this semi-final, he averaged 25.93 with the ball and 43.50 with the bat after 38 matches, numbers that would make specialists in either discipline proud. With Ashwin’s retirement, a space has opened up in the Indian Test side, and with the numbers Kotian has accumulated, that cap may not be too far away.

Nottingham Forest have begun to see an excellent upturn in their form since Sean Dyche took over the club. He’s won three from his first six games, including Saturday’s exceptional 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. It has certainly been a positive start to his tenure.

Indeed, there have been some excellent individual performances since the Englishman became the Forest manager. Morgan Gibbs-White has been one of the standouts, with three goals in his last three Premier League games. The likes of Nicolo Savona and Igor Jesus have also been in impressive form.

With his side in excellent form, Dyche could well turn to the transfer market as he looks to add more quality to the Forest squad.

The latest on Nottingham Forest's transfer plans

It seems like the East Midlands side are looking to add depth in midfield. Reports in the past few days suggest they are plotting a move for talented Belgian midfielder Nathan De Cat, although the likes of Bayern Munich are challengers for the 17-year-old’s signature.

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However, if that move does not materialise, Forest are also considering Everton midfielder and former loanee James Garner.

According to a report from Football Insider, the club are “looking at him” and could make a move, with his contract up in 18 months.

However, this will not be an easy deal to do. There are a host of Premier League clubs interested in the former Manchester United man, with Newcastle United, Aston Villa and West Ham United all keeping tabs.

As for the price, he could cost upwards of £20m, according to a report in mid-November.

Why Garner would be a good signing for Forest

24-year-old Garner has been pivotal for the Toffees this season. He has excelled as a full-back and in the middle of the park, with Everton gaffer David Moyes relying on that versatility several times this season.

Indeed, Garner has played 11 times in the Premier League, operating in different areas of the pitch. He’s played three games as a left-back, scoring a thunderbolt in one of those, seven times in the heart of the midfield, and once at right-back.

Of course, a move to Forest would see Garner return to the club. He played a historic part during his first stint, a loan from Man United.

He played 69 times in Garribaldi Red, scoring and assisting 18 times, and helping Forest return to the Premier League. Statman Dave described him as a “special” player during his time at the club.

If Garner was to make a move back to the City Ground, and Dyche utilised him in midfield, he might well form a strong partnership with Gibbs-White. Unsurprisingly, the England international is a key player under Forest’s new boss.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder has been in excellent form under Dyche, with the third of his three goals in the top flight coming last weekend at Anfield. However, he has been a consistent performer in Garibaldi Red his whole time at the club.

He’s recently brought up his 50th goal contribution for the club, and has 22 goals and 31 assists in 135 games. Gibbs-White excels as a number 10, but there are times when he needs to play deeper to help Forest out defensively.

The signing of Garner, however, could change that. The Everton man is someone who could play with Gibbs-White in midfield and take some of the defensive responsibility off the Forest number 10. His defensive numbers are impressive, averaging four tackles and interceptions per game this season, for example.

This sort of defensive nous could make Gibbs-White unplayable for Dyche’s side. With a player like Garner behind him, and Elliot Anderson of course, it might mean he is less shackled defensively, thus being able to be more effective going forward.

This midfield dynamic could hugely benefit Forest, and make them a more potent team in attack. In this market, £20m is a nominal fee for a player who knows the club and can benefit the side.

Not Zinchenko: Dyche could now drop “incredible” Nottingham Forest star

Sean Dyche could ditch this Nottingham Forest star alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko for his Premier League return.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 26, 2025

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh had a dream 2025 MLB season but ultimately it will feel like a nightmare as his Mariners fell a game short of the World Series after losing to the Blue Jays, 4-3, in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.

The switch-hitting catcher belted 60 home runs during the regular season and then added five more in the postseason. His last dinger came in the Game 7 loss when he gave the Mariners a 3-1 lead with a solo shot to right field in the fifth inning.

Raleigh was understandably emotional after the loss. He fought through tears while talking to reporters at his locker, calling the season a "failure" after the team fell short of its ultimate goal of winning a championship.

“I’m super proud of these guys. It was a great team effort. I love every guy in this room but ultimately it’s not what we wanted," Raleigh said when asked to sum up his team's year. "I hate to use the word failure, but it’s a failure. We expected to get to the World Series and win the World Series and that’s what the bar is and what the standard is and it’s what we want to hold ourselves accountable to but yeah, it hurts. But I don’t want that to take away—like I said I’m proud of the guys in the room, I thought we fought all the way to the end and like I said I think it’s a great group of guys and I love every single one of them."

Here's that emotional post-game interview.

While Raleigh was rightfully bummed out with how his season came to an end, he could still very well win the AL MVP award thanks to his monstrous year.

The Mariners, however, will be kicking themselves for a while about how they fell just short of making it to the World Series. The took a 3-2 series lead over the Blue Jays with a win at home in Game 5 but then were not able to get one more win on the road as that 3-1 lead in Game 7 was wiped out by a three-run home run in the seventh inning by Toronto's George Springer.

The Blue Jays will now face the Dodgers in the World Series with Game 1 taking place Friday night in Toronto.

Florian Wirtz was denied a first strike for Liverpool after the Premier League's goal accreditation panel judged his effort against Sunderland to be an own goal from Nordi Mukiele. The German midfielder showed great close control to weave his way through the penalty box before shooting, with his effort taking a significant deflection off the Black Cats defender on its way into the back of the net.

• Wirtz's deflected strike earns Liverpool point

  Liverpool were staring down the barrel of another disappointing result on Wednesday night after falling behind to Sunderland courtesy of Chemsdine Talbi's effort. The defending for that goal was poor, with captain Virgil van Dijk giving the ball away and then backing off before the shot deflected off his side and past goalkeeper Alisson. The Reds once again looked short of confidence and failed to create too many opportunities against the resolute visitors, but a driving run from Curtis Jones and Wirtz's fine dribbling ability resulted in a desperately needed equaliser. 

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• Why the strike was deemed a Mukiele own goal

  It looked to be clean off Wirtz's boot on first viewing, but replays soon showed the former Bayer Leverkusen star had completely mis-kicked his effort, which was heading well wide of the goal. However, his side got the slice of luck they so urgently needed as the shot deflected off Mukiele and over Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs. Wirtz has been the subject of much criticism and mockery since arriving at Anfield in the summer, having failed to contribute much in the way of goals and assists since his £116 million ($155m) transfer to the English champions. This latest decision means the derision may continue until he finally gets a goal which cannot be debated, but there was no doubting he was still one of Liverpool's better performers on a night where few of them played with much freedom or creativity. That line of thought was echoed by former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher, who said on : "It feels like a real step back tonight to what you saw at West Ham at the weekend. They didn't look like scoring a goal at any moment of the game tonight. Missing the energy, zip, pace power. Really worrying."

• AFP
  

  When will Wirtz finally get off the mark?

  After his extraordinary exploits with Leverkusen, few would have predicted Wirtz would still be waiting for his first Liverpool goal by December. He got an assist in his first competitive outing for the club in the Community Shield and has another couple in the Champions League, but there is clearly so much more to come from the silky 22-year-old. Even with the lucrative price tag, he has been thrown into a malfunctioning Liverpool side, with Mohamed Salah, so often their reliable figure in attack, looking well short of match sharpness after an incredible 2024-25 campaign. There have also been issues in the central striker position, with Alexander Isak being short of fitness after he forced through his record-breaking transfer to Merseyside from Newcastle, while Hugo Ekitike has had to battle back from injury worries after a hugely promising start to his Reds career.

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• What comes next for Wirtz and Liverpool?

  It's only December but Liverpool already look out of the Premier League title race, with this latest result seeing them fall 11 points behind current leaders and favourites Arsenal. There is little time for Slot's squad to lick their wounds, however, with the famously hectic Christmastime schedule creeping up on teams throughout England. They next have a tough-looking trip to Leeds United, who will buoyed after earning a much-needed victory over Chelsea, and then there is a daunting journey to San Siro when they resume their Champions League campaign against Inter. The Merseysiders need more points if they are to progress to the round of 16 and avoid a European play-off, having suffered a damaging 4-1 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven the last time they played in the competition.

South Africa were bowled out for 74, their lowest T20I score

Sidharth Monga09-Dec-2025India are massive favourites in their title defence at a home T20 World Cup, but a potential stumbling block is the T20 lottery of losing the toss and having to bat on a damp pitch on a dewy night. That scenario presented itself on the first night of their 10-match lead-in to the World Cup, and they responded emphatically.Hardik Pandya rose above the conditions to score 59 off 28 to take India to 175 in an innings where almost everyone else struggled, and the bowlers used whatever help they could muster from the pitch to bowl South Africa out for their lowest T20I score. A 102-run win after losing the toss should put other contenders on notice.India’s early strugglesFrom ball one, it was apparent India were in on a sticky pitch that would get better as the night went on. Shubman Gill, returning from his neck injury, and captain Suryakumar Yadav ended up lobbing shots to mid-off and mid-on off Lungi Ngidi.Lungi Ngidi struck in each of his two overs in the powerplay•Associated Press

India played three left-hand batters in the middle order to possibly delay the use of Keshav Maharaj, but none of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel got going. Tilak and Axar scored 49 between them off 53 balls as the tall South Africa fast bowlers kept drawing steep bounce from the pitch. Abhishek, starved of strike in the early goings, fell to another special catch by Marco Jansen on this tour to have his innings cut short at 17 off 12.Hardik carries IndiaWhen Hardik came in at 78 for 4 in the 12th over, there was a good chance of India ending up with a below-par total on a pitch that would get quicker and friendlier with the dew.Aiden Markram thought he could now bowl Maharaj with Hardik going only at about a run a ball against left-arm spin over his T20 career. On this night, though, he took Maharaj down for two disdainful no-look sixes to start India’s revival. The returning Anrich Nortje had been too hot to handle for the others but Hardik hit two fours off him: one using his pace, and one an off-drive after charging at him. He helped India take 30 off the last two overs as everyone bar Jansen had his figures rearranged. The ramp off Nortje to bring up his fifty made Hardik only the fourth India player to hit 100 T20I sixes.Arshdeep Singh took a wicket in the first over•Getty Images

Arshdeep sets the toneIndia needed to make the most of the brief period of new-ball movement if they were to compete on a pitch expected to get better. It did indeed look better from the way Tristan Stubbs timed the ball, but Arshdeep Singh got India off to just the start they needed. First he brought Stubbs in with Quinton de Kock’s wicket for a duck off an awayswinger that also seamed away. In his second over, Arshdeep began to bowl wobble-seam, which brought him Stubbs’ wicket for 14 off 9, giving Jitesh Sharma the first of three smart catches.Spinners drive home advantage, Bumrah caps it offHitting still looked easier than it had done in the first innings, but India never went more than 16 balls without a wicket. The 16-ball stand was the most threatening, with Dewald Brevis getting the better of Varun Chakravarthy in the fifth over, but Markram went back to an Axar length ball and was bowled leg stump.As if his batting was not enough, Hardik took the wicket of David Miller first ball: an inside edge onto the pad taken diving forward by Jitesh. Varun then took out Donovan Ferreira and Marco Jansen, one with a quick delivery, the other with a slower one.The procession continued and Jasprit Bumrah went to 100 T20I wickets and beyond, becoming only the fifth bowler in the world to have reached that milestone in all three formats. Shivam Dube, probably picked in the squad ahead of Rinku Singh because of his bowling ability, gave the team management one final reason to smile with the last wicket of the night.

Haydos in the altogether at the MCG: you didn’t hear it here first

Alan Gardner16-Sep-2025The ECB has tried calling it “Super September”, which the Light Roller understands is short for “Super Sopper September” – and South Africa’s autumnal return to England, three months on from winning the World Test Championship, became a predictable shemozzle, with two rain-wrecked T20Is sandwiching a deluge of a different kind, as England pongo-ed their way to 300 in Manchester.South Africa managed to concede 400 during the ODI series too – having achieved the same in Australia last month (though it’s fair to note that they had already won the series on both occasions). At least you could say they are consistent. Such are the convolutions of the schedule that we would forgive the bowlers for not knowing which team jersey they should be wearing, never mind what format they’re playing or what lengths to hit.In England and Wales, getting back to bilateral internationals, as well as the culmination of a host of county competitions, was sort of comforting – dreary weather included – after a month of the Hundred, during which the game’s global T20 overlords descended en masse. Did the Teen Tech Titans have fun playing with their new toys at Lord’s? We can only hope they did, after buying up the prime chunk of summer.On the subject of the calendar, ECB chair, Richard Thompson, tried speaking truth to power (i.e. himself). “Cricket arguably does play too much,” Thompson told the BBC. “We’re the only sport to have a World Cup every year, which I personally think is too much.” Now, that might sound like far too sensible an opinion for a cricket administrator to espouse, but don’t get carried away.Asked about the fact the ECB had squeezed the Hundred into such a small window that it started the day after the conclusion of the Test series against India, and finished less than 48 hours before an ODI against South Africa, Thompson said change would have to wait until the end of the current broadcast deal in 2028. “So we’re only three years away from being able to ensure there is a gap at the beginning and end of that period.” Just three more years, lads, then you can have a proper rest! It’ll still be raining in September, though.

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The Ashes are coming (you may have noticed), and that means all sorts of nonsense leaking into the discourse. But – and we sincerely apologise for bringing this to your attention if you were otherwise unaware – new levels of WT-actual-F were reached by Matthew Hayden’s contribution on the subject of whether Joe Root, now the second-leading Test run-scorer of all time, would get into an Ashes XI. Regarding the absence of a century on Australia soil from his CV, Hayden declared: “I’ll walk nude around the MCG if he doesn’t get a hundred this summer.” And it doesn’t matter if Haydos does eventually do the walk of shame dressed only in his Stetson or not, you now have that image in your head regardless.

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“Wait, eco-warrior means you’re fighting the ecosystem, right? Right?”•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty ImagesAdam Zampa loves the environment. He loves animals (he’s a vegan), he loves sustainability. But he also loves the Hundred, as he said midway through a 34,000 km round trip to play in the men’s final for Oval Invincibles: “I absolutely love this comp, it’s my favourite one. I’ve loved playing for this team over the last couple of years of being involved.” Zampa duly bowled his 20 balls and helped Invincibles lift a third consecutive title, after which he hopped on the plane – presumably returning to his Byron Bay farmhouse, where the focus is on promoting native flora and fauna, growing their own food, and learning about “the ways in which we can help our impact on the eco-system”. Presumably one of those lessons being: if you can’t source your legspinners locally, it’s okay to fly them in from the other side of the world for one game.

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As anyone who has followed the sport for a period of time knows, cricket is more about talking than doing. There’s very little doing at any one time – often only two, maybe three or four, of the 13 people involved on the field – but usually lots of talking about it among those looking on. Or not talking about it, but rather discussing the weather, the food, the pigeons, or the regular appearances of the No. 32 bus over the shoulder of fine leg. So it’s fitting that attempts to refine and reduce the structure of the County Championship, after five months of discussion, look very much like boiling down to: it’s completely unworkable, but too hard to agree on change… so shall we just do the same again next year?

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It was bold, it was risky, it was trying to get ahead of the game… it was precisely none of the things that their opening partnership for Pakistan was famous for. And it probably needed an outsider of the calm, measured character of Mike Hesson to pull the T20I plug on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. It’s not about agendas or personal shortcomings, he said, just a simple question of strike rates. Data, guys. Look at the data. And then, y’know, obviously, he had to sit back and watch his bold, risky, ahead-of-the-game move result in Pakistan scoring at 0.35 above a run-a-ball after choosing to bat first in their defeat to India. Good try, Mike. But Pakistan’s gonna Pakistan.