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Chelsea’s title ambitions were always more realistically viewed through a wider lens than the current campaign, but this recent drop in form has been concerning for Enzo Maresca’s side nonetheless.

A creditable draw against table-toppers Arsenal last weekend, preceded a bitter defeat to promoted Leeds United at Elland Road in midweek, and this one marked the perfect chance to bounce back and keep a toe in the early Premier League title race.

Bournemouth stood strong against the Blues on Saturday afternoon, but they also pulled their weight in the final third, recording an xG total of 1.37 compared to the visitors’ 0.88.

There was an undeniable bluntness to Chelsea’s attack, with a number of stars flattering to deceive on the south coast.

Chelsea's worst performers at Bournemouth

Robert Sanchez certainly wasn’t among Chelsea’s worst performers at the Vitality, having made a string of important saves throughout the contest to keep parity intact.

Neither was Moises Caicedo to blame. The Ecuadorian served the second game of his three-match suspension after seeing red against Arsenal, and his absence was keenly felt in the middle of the park.

Enzo Fernandez toiled without his dance partner in the engine room, but he was sloppy on the ball. Likewise, Cole Palmer looked rusty on his return from injury, only creating one chance and wasting a few decent opportunities before being replaced by Joao Pedro before the hour mark.

There was another attacking instrument under Maresca’s command who struggled to impose himself despite some hustle and bustle, looking like a teammate of his who has been absent for some time.

Maresca must bench Mudryk-esque Chelsea forward

Since leaving Manchester United and joining Chelsea this summer in a deal worth £40m, Alejandro Garnacho has blown hot and cold, scoring two goals and supplying two assists across 14 matches in all competitions. In the Premier League, Maresca has handed the 21-year-old six starts.

Against Bournemouth, though, he was part of a Chelsea side who succumbed to an absence of end product, hitting the woodwork and failing to build on his positive form of recent weeks.

Football.london did hand Garnacho a 6/10 match rating, acknowledging his optimism and energy on the ball, but he left much to be desired all the same, with his end product leading to a sense that he is shaping into the club’s next version of Mykhaylo Mudryk.

Mudryk is suspended at the moment, but from a footballing standpoint, his £89m transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk to Stamford Bridge in January 2023 ended up a major misfire from Todd Boehly and co, with the Ukrainian’s pace and technical skill unable to be applied with efficiency on English shores.

Having failed with all three of his attempted dribbles and proved unable to even attempt a tackle, the South American left something to be desired, and though he created a chance, he also lost the ball 11 times, and that having only completed 17 passes on the evening.

Minutes played

77′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

35

Shots (on target)

2 (0)

Accurate passes

17/20 (85%)

Chances created

1

Crosses

2/3

Dribbles

0/3

Ball recoveries

3

Tackles won

0/0

Duels won

3/7

We already know that Garnacho has a penchant for the spectacular, but he needs to channel his craft and grow into the player he has been touted to be.

In this, he is not too dissimilar to Mudryk, though hopefully he has more opportunities to showcase his skills.

Mudryk and Garnacho share a likeness in that they are both athletic and dynamic wingers, but the latter needs to prove now that Chelsea are going to get bang for their buck, and perhaps a return to the bench might fuel him with the requisite aggression and focus going forward.

Shades of Sterling & Mudryk: Maresca must axe Chelsea's "pointless signing"

The highly-rated attacker has not impressed so far this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes 6 days ago

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.

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

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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.”

Daniel Vettori calls it “New Zealand cricket’s greatest achievement”, while Shane Bond says “New Zealand have done an India on India”

Raunak Kapoor04-Nov-20247:20

Bond: ‘Sweeping India 3-0 is NZ’s best result ever’

Shane Bond: Delight is the first reaction. New Zealand coming off the back of that series in Sri Lanka where they played pretty well, probably could have won the first Test, but lost the series 2-0. I don’t think anyone, anywhere, especially at home, thought we could win this series, let alone a 3-0 sweep. I gave a little fist pump when Ajaz [Patel] went through the gate to get that last wicket [of Washington Sundar] and I’m absolutely delighted for the players, for Gary [Stead], the head coach.It’s always nice to see history created and for a team like New Zealand to beat India and become the first team to sweep them in a three-match series at home is something pretty remarkable.Related

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Ross Taylor: Like most of the country, I’m just in awe of the team. I think the way they played throughout the whole series… I think we hoped more than thought we were going to win. But a clean sweep – think it still hasn’t quite sunk in among the New Zealand public, probably for the players as well.Cricket is fighting for an audience [in New Zealand]. It’s a rugby nation, now there’s an extra football league in our local competition, so cricket after losing in Sri Lanka, the press after that has changed around completely. I don’t think we’ve had scenes like this since winning the [last] World Test Championship and I think it just tells you how high the New Zealand cricket public holds the Indian cricket team and what it’s like to go and win over there.After winning the first Test [in Bengaluru], it gave the team as well as the public some belief, but I don’t think even in our wildest dreams we imagined a clean sweep and such a convincing performance from Tom [Latham, the captain], Gary and the boys.Daniel Vettori: I think the excitement built from the first Test match. The expectation for any touring team that goes to India on these types of wickets is that it’s going to be incredibly difficult. We understand the challenge and in a lot of ways it’s just how are you going to compete against them. And for New Zealand to then go there, put in such an amazing performance in the first Test… people around New Zealand saw the excitement knowing how hard it is, given the history with two Test match wins in almost 80 years and a lot of trying.You have to go back to the great Sir Richard Hadlee’s era, and he could only get one win. So for this team to come here and get that first one and then to win a series is probably New Zealand cricket’s greatest achievement.8:53

Vettori: ‘New Zealand’s win is great for Test cricket’

How did New Zealand put it all together?

Taylor: After the Sri Lanka series loss just before [the India series]… what I found when I was playing was a New Zealand team that has nothing to lose and everyone writing them off is a dangerous New Zealand team. I think that’s where this team was at the start of the series. Obviously, you come to India after being completely outplayed in Sri Lanka, probably only the players in that dressing room and the support staff gave themselves a chance, and I think anytime you’re giving New Zealand the expectation to do well, that’s when I think we’ve struggled in the past. But a New Zealand team that’s got their backs against the wall is a pretty dangerous side.You need a little bit of luck as well. Bengaluru was a good toss to lose. And then winning the toss in the next two Tests [in Pune and Mumbai] after New Zealand knew they are likely to play on turners after India went down in the first Test was significant.Bond: I think if you look at this New Zealand team, they have a really nice blend of experience and youth. You’ve got players who’ve played in the IPL and in Indian conditions. You got contributions from everybody. Everyone through different Test matches stood up. It was Mitchell Santner in Pune, Ajaz in this one. And you’ve got a team that has had success in the last ten years, so they believe they can win and compete. Obviously that first Test match in Bengaluru, to start the series well was massive, and they’ve sort of just ridden the wave and ridden that experience through the series as well. New Zealand have had a great period over the past ten years, and this is just the perfect way to cap it off.And I think Tom Latham talked about it. They’ve come with a clear game plan. They understood how they wanted to play and how they thought they could win, and they’ve executed it. And for longer periods of time, they’ve been better than India. They’ve sort of done an India on India and they’ve done it over three Tests, which is a hell of an effort.Vettori: Obviously a lot of planning has gone on. I think the hardest thing going to India is the ability to score runs against [Ravindra] Jadeja and [R] Ashwin, and on this tour you had Kuldeep [Yadav] in the first Test and Washington [Sundar] in the last two. So the gameplan to score runs against bowlers like those was impeccable, and allowed New Zealand to put pressure on India, which is so rare.When you go to India, you feel like you’re hanging on for dear life most of the time. But it felt like in all three Tests, New Zealand made the running, and that’s really so unique in that part of the world.I think it was the batting. When you tour India and come up against Ashwin and Jadeja in particular, with their immense home record, the planning goes into firstly negating their wicket-taking ability and then secondly how you’re going to score runs. It just looked like New Zealand had such a good gameplan to be able to take on those two and find ways to score runs and actually put some pressure back on India.3:41

Young’s success formula in India: ‘Have the courage to back your methods’

On the success of Devon Conway, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra with the bat

Vettori: It was so nice for New Zealand to go through Devon’s lean patch and trust him and allow him to keep going, because he’s a quality player and has performed ever since he’s come in to the side, and they backed him and got the reward in this series.Rachin, in a short period of time, has proven how successful he can be in all formats, and in particular in the subcontinent. So to have those two players and a Will Young as well as the others contribute meant that India couldn’t put pressure on the batters and New Zealand were aggressive, they took really good options. [Daryl] Mitchell as well in the last Test. So the batting group came together and stood up and put up six really good performances with the bat and that’s what you have to do against India. It can’t just be a one-off, it has to be consistent.

On doing it without Kane Williamson

Taylor: All the batters contributed at different times. Will Young trusted his defence a bit more than all the other players, and he looked at ease. When you’re coming up against Jadeja and Ashwin, you can sort of put them on a pedestal and try and survive. I think we tried to hit 360, and the way all the batters tried to reverse sweep meant Ashwin and Jadeja weren’t able to settle on a length.When you do let those two bowl over after over on the same spot, you’re going to get a ball with your name on it, but I think Will Young set the tone. A lot has already been said about it but winning 3-0 without our best batter – and Will Young had to step in to fill those big shoes of Kane Williamson, which can be quite intimidating – but he handled it with calmness. It would’ve been easy to give that position to someone else, but for him to win Player of the Series is a fantastic accolade.Bond: We were missing our best player. That’s probably the most remarkable thing, that Kane Williamson wasn’t even there.So I think for a group to go, ‘no one is irreplicable, we can still perform without one of our best players’, and the fact that they managed to play the way they did – especially Will Young who was brilliant – that’s a real credit to the group and to Gary Stead, who has done a great job with the team.1:24

Manjrekar: Have to take your hats off to Ajaz

How did Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel pull it off?

Vettori: I think there’s trust built up with Mitch over a long period of time. He’s a senior player, he’s a captain, and I suppose at the start of the series he was secondary to Ajaz, who has been incredibly successful in the subcontinent.But the way that he bowled when he got his opportunity… the style, the pace, his ability to read the Indian batters, and then to have a surface that really suits him, just shows when you get on that roll, anything’s possible. Everyone knew Mitch had this sort of performance in him but to do it in India, take 13 wickets [in the Pune Test] and set up a series win, that’s incredible.Ajaz Patel is just completely consistent. His action is repeatable. The balls he bowls are repeatable with a lovely seam position and he gets a lot of revolutions on it. He was able to consistently put these great Indian batters under pressure. I thought New Zealand set some great fields to allow that pressure to maintain, so all these things in combination put together another incredible Wankhede performance from him.

On the contribution of New Zealand’s seamers

Bond: Well, you don’t have to worry about the bowling workload, do you, for starters, when you have seamers bowling six overs between them! But if you look at Matt Henry, his Test record has gone from averaging 50 at one point to now being almost in the 20s. That’s how good he’s become over the last few years.That experience of [Tim] Southee at times when everyone else was going around the park, he controls that run rate. Will O’Rourke is a hugely exciting prospect for New Zealand. New Zealand have obviously got the guys who are now in their early 30s and have been around a long time. But it’s that blend now. [Glenn] Phillips at 27, Ravindra at 24 – he is going to be a quality player – and O’Rourke at 23.1:23

Manjrekar: ‘My respect for Glenn Phillips has grown’

The importance of Glenn Phillips…

Bond: I think New Zealand have come to India this time with part-time spin bowlers. In the past, we’ve had the part-time medium-pace bowlers. And now when you look at someone like Glenn Phillips, who has really worked hard over the last four years to develop his bowling, even Rachin Ravindra… just having those options has allowed New Zealand to have much more depth in the spin-bowling department and that’s led to having depth in their batting, which has really helped them.Vettori: He’s the real complementary piece to it all. A No. 7 batter who is as aggressive as he is but can offer a lot of overs. I’m sure he reflects upon his performances in Bangladesh and that ability to perform in those conditions with bat and ball gave him the confidence to come up against this batting line-up and continue on that form. That allows every other facet of the game to come together. So I think when you look at that team, and what Glenn Phillips was able to contribute, that was a key part of achieving the series victory.

A word on Tom Latham’s captaincy…

Taylor: There’s an attacking nature to Tom. He’s had a lot of captaincy experience. He has captained the New Zealand team in all three formats of the game, so it’s not like it has just come to him overnight. But I think all those games that he has captained over the last three-to-five years came to the fore and he was able to show not only his attacking nature but also his discipline and the way he rotated his bowlers… New Zealand outfielded, outbatted and outbowled India. New Zealand’s tactics were definitely better than India’s.Apart from Kane Williamson and Tim Southee losing the captaincy, it’s the same team that lost to Sri Lanka. So there’s something to be said about that. Latham has a calming influence, the leadership will improve his batting and we saw glimpses of that.Bond: Great start to your captaincy reign! I think you’ve got to pay some credit to Tim Southee, who was magnanimous enough to step down and say, ‘look, it’s someone else’s time’, and Tom would have reaped the rewards of a lot of the work that Tim’s done over the last few years. But I know Latham’s a very good captain, good man, and good leader. I thought the innings he played in the Pune Test was the best innings I’ve seen him play, leading from the front.You can sit there and watch TV as you do and pick holes in some of the decisions and go ‘why is he doing this and that’ but at the end of the day he’s won 3-0 and done a brilliant job.1:28

Manjrekar: ‘Calm, composed Latham typifies the New Zealand trait’

Vettori: Latham’s been one of the leaders of this team for a long, long time, and I wouldn’t underestimate the inputs that Southee had in that group as well. Between them and Gary Stead, they were able to formulate a fantastic plan and implement it. A lot of teams have had great plans going into India, but to implement it for three Tests pretty much every day of the Test series is a credit to all of them.

… and on Gary Stead, the man in the background

Bond: I think he was probably under some pressure. There were enough voices at home calling for his sacking after the men’s T20 World Cup and a tough tour of Sri Lanka. But no one works harder than Gary – I’ve played a lot of cricket with him. He coached me as a boy actually. I played with him and then worked alongside [him] as a coach. He’s a great man, very hard working.In New Zealand, if you win the rugby World Cup, you get knighthoods. Gary’s taken this team to World Cup finals, won a World Test Championship, now this series win, and you still won’t see him front and centre. That’s the sort of guy he is. But I’m delighted for him, he’s a top man and should get the recognition for the work that he’s done.Taylor: Gary Stead and Tom Latham have a good rapport. Gary’s been around a long time. We were outplayed on the last trip [to India in 2021], but he would’ve learnt things about how he would want to go about it again. He is quiet, unassuming. Sits in the background. He would have had a big influence on the way that the team prepared, giving Tom some ideas along the way.And not just Gary, you’ve got a pretty accomplished support staff in Jacob Oram and Luke Ronchi there as well. That would’ve had a big influence.

New Zealand’s greatest feat in men’s cricket?

Taylor: This has to be the greatest New Zealand series win in Test cricket. No one has done it. South Africa have won a two-match series 2-0, but 3-0 in India, I don’t think anyone could see this at the start. So this surpasses the 2-1 Test victory in the ’80s against Australia.It’s also great for the World Test Championship and I’m sure the next team that comes to India will travel there with more confidence now, but I’m also sure India are a proud nation and they’ll be trying their hardest to rectify what went wrong here.Bond: In terms of Test matches, it’s our best result ever. No other team has come and done what New Zealand have. When you talk to all the teams about touring India, it almost seems like mission impossible. Even the great Australian team came there and couldn’t win. So for NZ to have won 3-0, I know they’ve made World Cup finals and would have loved to have won an ODI World Cup, but I think in terms of red-ball cricket, alongside the WTC [title win], this is far and away the best series result ever.4:51

Latham on series win – ‘I’m lost for words’

What does this result mean for New Zealand, and Test cricket in general?

Bond: I think Test cricket needs this. It needs a tight championship. It’s good overall for cricket. The game is still going to be challenged by T20 cricket, but I think New Zealand has been lucky over the last ten years to have made it to World Cup finals in men’s ODI and T20 cricket, the Test championship win, and now this. I think it’s always nice to see a game you love at home prosper. With England coming soon, I know it’s already sold out, people are pumped about cricket. And it’s nice in a country that loves the winter coats predominantly, that people will be talking about cricket, and about this performance, because everyone recognises what an effort this is.Taylor: We’re coming up to a big period in our cricket, to be honest. The England series is going to be massive, players are going to head away after that. But this just reminds us that Test cricket is right up there as the ultimate format. And that’ll show in the crowds for the upcoming series. I think it’s going to be something we haven’t seen in a long period of time in Test cricket and that’s a testament to the team and also a testament to where Test cricket is still held around the world. Hopefully this is a good sign for young players that they still want to play Test cricket in the years to come, but we don’t have the money and resources that some of the other teams do, so we have to skin the cat differently. But results like these put it out to the players that Test cricket is still the ultimate form.Vettori: I think this is an exciting time. What you want to see is every team on a level-playing field. Hardest thing to do in cricket is win Tests away from home, and New Zealand have proved they can do that. It’ll give them confidence wherever they go in the world, so I think it’s great for both Test cricket and the WTC, it keeps it wide open.

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.

MatériaMais Notícias

Leila Pereira criticou todas as falas de John Textor sobre o que envolve manipulação de jogos. Para a presidente do Palmeiras, nada do que o dono da SAF do Botafogo diz é verdade. Confira no player acima.

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Kajuru, eu afirmo. Enquanto ele (John Textor) não provar o que está dizendo, é uma inverdade. Ele precisa provar o que diz. Até o momento eu não vi nenhuma prova do que ele alega. Como eu posso dizer que tem 1%? Não, para mim, nada do que ele fala é verdade, a partir do momento que ele não prova absolutamente nada. Se provar e demonstrar que houve manipulação, que o Palmeiras foi beneficiado, ok

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afirmou Leila Pereira, presidente do Palmeiras

– Mas ele não está falando só do Palmeiras – disse o senador Jorge Kajuru, do PSB-GO.

– Sim, mas ele atinge frontalmente a Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras. Não tenho dúvidas disso. Ele não provou absolutamente nada. Eu ataco toda um entidade, todo uma empresa. Por exemplo: “Olha, nessa empresa tem manipulação e corrupção. Mas onde? Não, vamos investigar. Não, você tem que dizer. Então está todo mundo em xeque? Essa é a minha preocupação. Ele fala, fala, fala e não comprova absolutamente nada. Então, eu afirmo, se ele não prova nada, tudo que ele fala é mentira – complementou Leila.

– Aí daqui há cinco anos vai se descobrir que houve um fato de manipulação de jogo. Aí o que o Textor falou é verdade? Isso não existe, ele tem que provar agora o que alega – finalizou a presidente do Palmeiras.

🤔 POR QUE LEILA PEREIRA FOI AO SENADO?
A presidente do Palmeiras foi ouvida como testemunha para responder os questionamentos de John Textor sobre manipulação de resultados no Campeonato Brasileiro, inclusive, do Palmeiras. O convite foi feito pelo presidente da CPI, o senador Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO).

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Num primeiro momento, o encontro com Leila Pereira seria junto de Julio Casares, presidente do São Paulo. No entanto, as agendas não se casaram e a opção se tornou inviável.

Tudo sobre

BotafogoFutebol NacionalJohn TextorLeila PereiraPalmeiras

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.

Weatherald thinks he is ready for a Test call-up if it comes after posting 183 for Australia A while Peake, 18, impressed with his maturity making 92 against Sri Lanka A

Alex Malcolm24-Jul-2025Veteran Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald thinks he’s ready to go if a Test call-up comes his way for the Ashes later this year while excitement is building around eighteen-year-old Victoria batter Oliver Peake after another impressive showing in his maiden red-ball appearance for Australia A.The pair starred for Australia A alongside skipper Jason Sangha as the home side racked up 558 for 4 declared in a batting dominated draw in the second four-day match against Sri Lanka A in Darwin.Their performances will come with the obvious caveat that runs were very easy to make at Marrara Cricket Ground with Sangha posting a career-best unbeaten 202 while Weatherald also made 183 and Peake posted 92 in just his second first-class game as only ten wickets fell across four full days of cricket. Sri Lanka A batters Nuwanidu Fernando and Pavan Rathnayake also scored centuries while four other half-centuries were scored in the game.Related

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• Weatherald pushes Ashes case with 183 for Australia A

• Jason Sangha pushes Test credentials with unbeaten double

Weatherald believes he is ready to play Test cricket if called upon by the selectors for the Ashes series later this year after continuing his outstanding form across the last 12 months. Having been the leading runscorer in the Shield last year with 905 runs at an average of 50.33 with three massive centuries, he added 54 and 183 in his two innings for Australia A in this series.”If you keep making runs, of course you’re going to get noticed more – and I’ve done that,” Weatherald said on Tuesday in Darwin after his innings of 183. “Obviously there’s some great candidates there as well, and they’ve earned their right to be there.”So to be amongst them is a pretty proud moment.”But I’m batting well, and I think I’m ready to go if it comes to that moment.”Weatherald, 30, has long been one of the most talented ball-strikers in Australian domestic cricket but this is the first time he has averaged more than 41 over a 12-month stretch in his decade-long career. He said his cumulative experience is the reason for his consistent run.”Just age, getting used to what I’m doing, understanding my game, understanding what I need to do to make runs and bat [for] long periods of time,” Weatherald said.”And just being confident I can do it in any conditions, just believing that I’ve got the right method and sticking to it throughout my innings and not being taken away by the wicket or the situation.”Just being able to lock in and do my thing.”Sangha, 25, was impressed by Weatherald’s preparation and mindset after playing with him for the first time in this series.”He just looks so clear when he’s batting,” Sangha said after the match on Wednesday. “He’s obviously been a strong player and a very talented player for a long time.”He’s well renowned as a guy who really pounces on width and picks up length quite early, and it just looks like he’s made his strengths even stronger, and he’s able to rectify maybe some areas in his game that maybe would have cost him a few more dismissals.”He’s been great to share the change room with and talk about what he’s been doing the last 12 months, and how he’s been going about it. And I think for young guys like an Ollie Peake and even myself, who are always striving for that consistency, to see how diligent he is with his routines, how diligent he is with his preparation.”He just seems like he’s in a really clear space and knows his game so well, and it’s been a pleasure to watch him go about his business this week.”Oliver Peake made his mark in the 50-over and four-day games for Australia A•Getty Images

Meanwhile, there is some excitement building around Peake given he was playing just his second first-class match after making 52 on debut for Victoria in March. He also made 55 not out off 38 balls on List A debut for Australia A in the first 50-over match of Sri Lanka A’s tour in Darwin.Sangha, who himself has experienced the challenge of transitioning from being an Under-19 prodigy to becoming a consistent first-class player, marveled at how well Peake handled himself.”He played really well,” Sangha said after the match. “He’s got so much maturity for a young player, and even just talking to him out in the middle about his plans and how he was approaching his innings, he’s such an exciting talent, and he’s got a really good head on his shoulders.”I think even just off the field, just the way he sort of carries himself, credit to him.”I look back when I was 18, and I was probably nowhere near as emotionally intelligent or mature as he is.”It’s a really, really cool thing to see, and he’s obviously got some really good support around him, and such a down to earth, humble kid.”Peake’s selection for Australia A alongside a group of batters who had earned their call-up through outstanding Shield performances last summer is proof of how highly he is rated by Australia’s selectors. Peake was also taken on the recent Test tour of Sri Lanka as a development player to train with the Test squad.He looms as a likely tourist on Australia A’s tour of India later this year as Australia looks to give some younger players experience in spinning conditions with an eye towards the 2027 Test tour.

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