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India want a bowler who can bat at No. 8 at the World Cup, so Mohali didn’t really change anything

Karthik Krishnaswamy22-Sep-20231:23

Chawla: Shami’s seam position ideal for these kind of pitches

If you’re the sort of cricket fan who believes in picking your best bowlers from Nos. 8 to 11, never mind their batting ability, Friday’s India-Australia ODI in Mohali was made for you.Mohammed Shami, who’s definitely one of India’s four best ODI bowlers, picked up 5 for 51, his best figures in the format. Along the way he got Mitchell Marsh caught at slip with a gorgeous first-over outswinger and cleaned up a set Steven Smith with a big inducker out of nowhere. On a pitch that offered grip when the sun was out, he stayed in tune with the conditions in textbook manner, hitting the full side of a good length with the swinging new ball and the shorter side of a good length later on, with the vertical seam gradually giving way to the scrambled-seam offcutter as his stock option.Shardul Thakur, who isn’t one of India’s four best bowlers, went at seven an over or above for the 14th time in 42 ODI innings – that’s once every three innings. His first over, the ninth of Australia’s innings, could have been his career, or the popular narrative of it, in miniature. David Warner dispatched a half-volley and a long-hop for fours, and survived a dropped chance when he snatched too eagerly at a drive and spooned the ball to mid-off.This was an uncharacteristic moment of misfortune for Thakur, but you could also see it as an entirely characteristic slice of fortune: his detractors would suggest he has made a career out of taking flukey wickets with non-threatening deliveries.On a day when India picked only five bowlers, Thakur went for 78 in 10 wicketless overs. None of his colleagues went at over a run a ball.Australia were bowled out for 276. India chased it down with five wickets and eight balls remaining. Australia put them under pressure at times, but the top seven did the job by themselves. Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 11 weren’t required to bat.If you belong in the camp that’s against the idea of the Thakur-style utility player, this match wrote your arguments for you.Shami got his chance on Friday because India rested Mohammed Siraj, who had picked up a five-for in their last game, the Asia Cup final. It ended up being the perfect like-for-like swap.If you’re in the just-pick-your-best-bowlers camp, the idea that India have to choose between Siraj and Shami is a travesty. Why not play Siraj Shami Jasprit Bumrah? Kuldeep Yadav?India, however, have been clear in the lead-up to the World Cup that they won’t pick all four of their best bowlers at the same time. When they’ve been at or near full strength, they’ve almost always picked only three of them, plus two genuine allrounders in Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, and one other allrounder at No. 8. Depending on conditions, this third allrounder is either Thakur or a third spinner.1:11

Can India do without Shardul Thakur in World Cup XI?

Thakur has been integral to India’s World Cup plans. He has played as many ODIs (28) as Siraj since the start of 2022; no India bowler has featured in more games.Mohali may have convinced you that Shami had won the argument with Thakur, but the reality is that there’s no such argument. They aren’t fighting for the same spot.This might seem like a frustrating reality after games like Mohali, but not all ODIs are like Mohali. Some ODIs, instead, are like Birmingham 2019, the match that convinced India that batting depth is non-negotiable.India picked their four best bowlers in that game: Bumrah, Shami, Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal. The Kul-Cha era was in full swing when India began that World Cup, and Kul-Cha had contributed handsomely to India starting the tournament with five successive wins and a washout.India’s best four bowlers, though, couldn’t prevent England from running away to 337 on a flat Edgbaston surface. And they became a liability when the chase commenced. Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 11 didn’t bat at all, but they had an outsize influence on India’s approach. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli put on 138, but went at less than a run a ball. With India lacking depth, they put all their eggs in one basket: preserving wickets to turn this into something like a T20 chase.India got to the last 20 overs needing 186 with eight wickets in hand. Cameos from Rishabh Pant and Hardik kept them in it, but India effectively shut shop after they were dismissed. You probably remember feeling puzzled and frustrated when MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav pushed the ball around for singles during an unbroken stand of 39 with no intention of going for the target. You might not remember that there was virtually no batting to come, and India were resigned to playing for net run rate.India jettisoned Kul-Cha after that game, and went back to one wristspinner plus Jadeja. What can a No. 8 do if your top seven doesn’t score runs? Jadeja answered that question more than adequately nine days later, almost winning India a semi-final they’d all but lost.If anything, India have strengthened their bowling since that World Cup. Jadhav, a part-timer, was their sixth bowler in that tournament. Hardik and Jadeja have both moved up a place in the batting order since then, allowing India to play a genuine sixth bowler in either Thakur or a spinner such as Axar Patel, R Ashwin or Washington Sundar.Jasprit Bumrah are Mohammed Shami offer a lot with the ball but not with the bat•BCCIAnd while Thakur is no one’s idea of the perfect fast bowler, he’s built a weirdly compelling body of work. Only 27 bowlers in ODI history have picked up 50 wickets at a strike rate of below 30 (that’s effectively more than two wickets per 10-over quota): Shami, Siraj and Thakur are among them, though it won’t surprise you that Thakur has the worst economy rate of all 27.This speaks to his very method. Thakur may take a lot of wickets with seemingly innocuous deliveries, but there’s definitely skill involved if you keep doing it over 42 innings. He’s capable of swinging even the semi-new white ball, and he finds ways to get the ball to behave in odd ways by bowling cutters or cross-seam deliveries into the surface. And over time, it’s also become fairly clear that India have given him license to gamble with attacking lines and lengths. The dropped chance of Warner on Friday, for instance, came off a classic Thakur delivery, a full ball that wasn’t quite full enough to drive safely. Similarly, he may have overdone the short ball and taken stick for it on the day, but on another day, he may have had a couple of wickets from miscued hooks.It’s not how you’re supposed to bowl in ODIs, if such a rulebook exists, but it’s probably how India think they can get the best out of a player with unusual gifts.Thakur isn’t the ideal No. 8 either, but India aren’t blessed with the likes of Sam Curran or Wanindu Hasaranga, who average in the 20s and strike at close to or above a run a ball. While batting at No. 8 or below, Thakur averages 15.50 and strikes at 114.28 – of the India players to have occupied those slots at least 10 times since his debut, only Bhuvneshwar Kumar (18.13) has a better average, but his runs have come at a strike rate of below 80. Kuldeep, Bumrah, Chahal, Siraj and Shami have the batting records of No. 10s at best.Thakur might not have played the number of games he has for India, across formats, if even one of their other regular fast bowlers had his ability with the bat. None of them do, however, and India have found in Thakur an imperfect solution to a thorny problem.It’s something India fans might just have to get used to as the World Cup looms into view. Love him or hate him, Shardul Thakur isn’t going anywhere.

In their first time at an ICC world event, PNG are looking to triumph over adversity and a poor run of results

Peter Della Penna16-Oct-2021On the eve of their maiden appearance at a major ICC senior level global tournament, Papua New Guinea appear to be a far cry from the team that in 2019 romped to the final of the qualifiers for the current World Cup to secure one of the six qualifying berths on offer. This September, in their first international matches since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, they have lost ten straight games, eight ODIs and two T20Is (12 games, if you count two unofficial World Cup warm-up matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka).But if you look at it with the glass-half-full optimism of some members of the team set-up, this is nothing but the best kind of déjà vu. PNG lost eight matches heading into the start of the global qualifier in 2019 before suddenly flipping a switch for the first match of that event and then stringing together five wins in six matches. Head coach Carl Sandri is taking his inspiration from baseball.Related

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“You know the doco?” he says, referring to the film chronicling the Boston Red Sox’s historic comeback from 3-0 down to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series in 2004 to win that series, before defeating the St. Louis Cardinals for Boston’s first World Series title since 1918. “This will be our three days in October.”PNG only needs three good days in October to advance to the main phase of the T20 World Cup. But those three days seemed a long way off after they spent 676 days between international matches due to the pandemic.Despite not having any cricket on the field, there was still some activity off of it. Head coach Joe Dawes stepped down last March, saying he wanted to spend more time closer to family in Australia.There has been something of an Australia and New Zealand coaching pipeline to PNG over the years. Andy Bichel, Peter Anderson, Dipak Patel, Jason Gillespie and Dawes have all featured in coaching roles. Cricket PNG CEO Greg Campbell – who has been with the organisation wearing numerous hats since 2009 – is an Australian import too. And the theme continued with the appointment of Sandri, who had a very brief Big Bash career with Sydney Thunder in 2013 but is better known in the Associate scene as a match-winner for Italy, having made his debut at the 2012 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE.Carl Sandri (extreme left) was appointed team coach in March 2021•ICC/Getty ImagesIt was there that he got his first taste of the fighting spirit of PNG’s cricket culture, when Italy wound up on the wrong side of a 12-run loss chasing 119.”We thought we were home and hosed,” Sandri said. “Not enough runs for them and we thought we’d walk that in. Michael Di Venuto was playing that game as well, so we thought we had a team to get the job done. Then as soon as you’re out there in the heat of the battle, the passion and the spirit of them all, you couldn’t hit a ball in a gap without five of them running at it. There was not an easy run to be had out there.”That’s what we’re looking for now in our group. I don’t think I’ve seen as many teams play as well as a team as we do in that circumstance.The majority of the PNG squad is from Hanuabada Village, a conclave on the western side of the capital, Port Moresby. “Having that, growing up together, playing together and spending all that time representing their country, that’s the strength that they have,” Sandri says. “You could feel that at the time [in 2012] and it can still be felt. You can feel it in the opposition [thinking] that when the team is together, they’re gonna be hard to beat. Being involved in that and being part of the Barras family is an amazing experience.”In the rare event that a player is from outside Hanuabada, as is the case with Chad Soper, who was born in Port Moresby but spent a significant chunk of his youth living and playing his developmental cricket in New South Wales, or the captain, Assad Vala, who grew up three and a half hours outside of Port Moresby, committing to a full-time cricket contract means moving to where all the action is. The closeness helps breed a zestful joy for the game that, as Sandri alluded to, most often comes out in their fielding.”Whatever we do, we just smile,” Vala says when asked what he thinks will stand out to people who will be watching PNG play for the first time at a World Cup this Sunday. “We love playing the game. The way we play the game is different. The way we celebrate wickets and the way we run around is something different from all other countries because we love celebrating and we love representing our country.”Hanuabada Village is the spiritual home of PNG cricket. Most members of the national team have emerged from the neighbourhood•Chris Hyde/Getty ImagesPNG pride themselves on their fielding, which has a reputation as the best in the Associate world, and at times could be in the conversation as the best in the world period. But their rustiness has put a dent in that reputation in recent times. While USA’s Jaskaran Malhotra made headlines for hitting six sixes in the 50th over to raise 173 not out against PNG in an ODI in early September, it was partly courtesy of PNG having dropped him four times, including twice before he passed 20. Campbell says that consistency is the one area where PNG have struggled over the years, especially after prolonged layoffs, but he feels he is seeing encouraging signs in their more recent fixtures, to indicate better results are around the corner.”The last couple of weeks I see a difference,” Campbell says. “While we were in Oman, the hotel had an amphitheatre. We went and watched and the boys laughed about it and said it was good motivation.”You just don’t know with this group. They can just turn up and do brilliant things and you think, ‘How did that happen?’ We haven’t seen it quite to that potential yet, but it’s coming.”I’ve seen these guys play for 12 years and deep down, I knew we’d struggle initially. If you’re not playing cricket, you don’t get any better. But they’re getting better and that’s why I’m optimistic. The more they’re playing the game, the more they’re starting to remember and get into gear. It’s a bit like an old steam train that takes a long time to get going but once you play consistent cricket with them, they start picking up. Hopefully it happens in this World Cup.”Regardless of whether or not it comes in the form of victories, Campbell says the country’s maiden appearance in a world event is almost certain to be transformational for the sport in a country of nine million. Their grassroots programmes have become stronger, he says, since a pair of key events in the middle of the last decade. PNG secured ODI status for the first time with a top-four finish at the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand. The extra ICC funding secured in the wake of that achievement helped put their players on full-time contracts, and currently there are a total of 39 fully contracted players (16 men, 13 women and ten Under-19s).PNG made their first T20 World Cup on the back of a five-win streak in the 2019 Qualifiers, losing only a single match, to Scotland•International Cricket CouncilFollowing their profitable hosting of the 2015 ICC World Cup, Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket jointly donated A$200,000 (about US$150,000) to Cricket PNG for infrastructure development. That was matched by another A$200,000 from the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby. It sparked a plan to build 48 synthetic wickets around PNG, in particular for new wickets outside of Port Moresby, where Amini Park holds the only turf wicket in the country. Of the 35 wickets constructed so far, two have been built in Lae, the city with the second biggest population in the country, and a pair in Popondetta, a city of approximately 50,000 people that has been a focal point for women’s recruitment.Campbell says that currently there are 300,000 children playing cricket in the country through PNG’s introductory and school programme initiatives, but that the exposure from the World Cup could see that nearly double in the space of five years. Cricket PNG has negotiated a discounted rate with Digicel, the country’s TV rights holder, to make World Cup viewing access more affordable. Campbell says viewing parties on big-screen TVs are being organised in Hanuabada.All of this offers a contrast to the dark times the team has experienced recently, not just in terms of their results. In the span of less than 48 hours last week, three players on the team had one of their parents die: Nosaina Pokana’s father, and Kiplin Doriga’s and CJ Amini’s mothers. Amini’s mother was herself a former national women’s team captain. If that sounds alarming, sadly it is not entirely unusual in PNG cricket. PNG Women’s squad member Kopi John died at 26 in the summer of 2019 after contracting tuberculosis. Many other players over the last decade have had parents die while on tour.”We actually spoke about this before they left,” Campbell says. “In the current [Covid] climate, that might happen. In my 12 years, it does happen a little bit in PNG. I’ve been away on Under-19 tours where parents have died and you deal with it. So we spoke about that – the possibility that if it happened, they wouldn’t be able to get home. We’re not sure it was Covid. Some of them said their parents had some underlying factors, but it was a big shock, having three in the space of a day and a half.”They’re a close-knit group. Having [former PNG player and current assistant coach] John Ovia on board and a bit of my experience in 12 years, sitting with CJ [Amini] for six or seven hours that night. There wasn’t a lot of conversation but when he wanted to talk, I was there. They watched the funerals last week via Zoom.”The third generation of his family to play cricket for Papua New Guinea, Charles Amini lost his mother, herself a former national team captain, recently•Michael Steele/ICC/Getty ImagesIf the bereavements weren’t enough adversity, their training camp in Oman was disrupted by Tropical Cyclone Shaheen last week, which forced PNG to evacuate their team hotel for 48 hours with nothing but “the clothes on our backs”, according to Campbell.Through it all, they have kept smiles on their faces. You’d never know that this is a team coming off ten straight losses and a trio of family deaths in the squad, judging by the way Vala, Sandri and Campbell have been grinning from ear to ear through their media interactions in the last week, as they tried to find a positive attitude.”If you can harness that in the right way, as they have shown with qualifying for this World Cup, that’s where the challenge is,” Sandri said. “If we can harness that natural ability, the athleticism that they can show, if we can put that and some cricket IQ more consistently, if they can improve that, then their natural athletic ability and talent can match any cricketer I’ve seen.”They’ve had that aura about them. When you’re batting against them, they’re a big family. They’re all over you. The pressure by presence is obvious.”Campbell is hoping the players continue to project that on-field family culture of unity and optimism – not to mention world-class fielding and dynamic skills – to the TV cameras broadcasting the tournament around the world when PNG take the field at Al Amerat against co-hosts Oman this weekend. If they can generate a few wins in the rest of group play, which includes matches against Scotland and Bangladesh, they’ll have a bigger opportunity to show even more viewers what they’re made of, in the next phase of the tournament.”I’d love them to play their flamboyant way,” Campbell says. “To express themselves, show their natural ability, so people sit back at home and say, ‘Maybe we should take more notice of PNG. I’m going to watch these guys moving forward.'”These guys are pretty good from where they come from. They love the game. They play it a different way than what we’ve seen and they play for enjoyment. That’s it. They love the game.”

Blake Snell was electric in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night, twirling seven innings of scoreless ball and surrendering just two hits. The veteran lefty racked up 12 strikeouts and the final one came in interesting fashion after he talked manager Dave Roberts into keeping him in the game.

Holding a 3-0 lead with two outs in the seventh, Snell was working with runners on first and second. With the tying run at the plate and 107 pitches already delivered, it looked as though Roberts would be making a move to bring in Alex Vesia from the bullpen. Vesia certainly thought that was happening as his skipper jogged on the field but Snell had a different plan.

Snell was able to successfully lobby to keep competing and Roberts did a quick U-turn toward the dugout after hearing what he needed to hear from his starter. Vesia, who thoughtfully was trying to keep up the pace of play, was forced to stop his jog toward the mound and return to his perch behind the left-field fence.

"I was excited," Snell said after the game, via MLB.com. "I don't like the bullpen finishing my innings. I'm very adamant about that. I don't want them in that situation. I put myself in this, I can pitch my way out of it."

Roberts's trust was immediately rewarded as Snell fanned Otto Kemp to end the threat. Loving the moment, he raised his fist in celebration.

The independent head of BCB’s integrity unit said keeping some players out of the auction was “one of many actions” to “protect” the BPL

Mohammad Isam30-Nov-2025Alex Marshall, the independent head of BCB’s anti-corruption unit, wanted to keep some individuals away from the upcoming edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as it would make the tournament “much safer” without them. On Saturday, the BCB had removed several players from the auction that took place on Sunday. The BCB integrity unit is carrying on investigations to look into previous editions of the BPL.Marshall’s statement was played ahead of the BPL auction’s broadcast. “In advance of BPL 12, I have provided advice to the (BPL) governing council about some people who should not be invited to this year’s event,” he said. “That’s just one of many actions that are being taken to protect this year’s BPL. And I just felt it would be much safer to keep some people away while investigations are completed and we look back over recent years.”Marshall and the BCB have, however, not officially named anyone as part of their reports. “I’ll say no more about any individuals because that would be wrong, and I will never discuss the details of a live investigation. That’s unfair to victims and witnesses, and it’s unfair to people who are suspects. My team will maintain confidentiality.”Shortly before the auction started, the BCB also announced that the country’s high court had rejected three writ petitions which challenged the board’s decision to exclude nine cricketers from the BPL auction.The board released an official statement that said: “Upon hearing the petitioners’ lawyer Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Cricket Board’s lawyer Barrister Mahin M Rahman, Advocate (Appellate Division), Supreme Court of Bangladesh, a Division Bench of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, Mr Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi and Mr Justice Raziuddin Ahmed, vide an Order dated 30 November 2025, summarily rejected the said writ petitions. Accordingly, the auction of the BPL 12th Edition will proceed without the names of the nine players.”

England have hinted that they will pick Ollie Pope at No. 3 in their warm-up game against the Lions on Thursday, indicating that he is likely to beat Jacob Bethell to selection for the first Test against Australia in Perth next week.Harry Brook said that players were told they will be “going hard” against the Lions in their three-day practice match by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes at the start of their Tuesday training session. Some England players may also feature for the Lions, who have brought an 18-man squad to Australia.”That was partly what Baz and Stokesy said,” Brook told England’s social channels. “We’re going hard. We’re going to go 100%. We’re going to try and beat them. I think we’re going to be selecting an XI and playing against another XI, so it’s not going to be just a mess-around… It’s good preparation playing against some of the best players in England ahead of the Ashes.”Pope’s position at No. 3 has been under pressure ever since Bethell’s maiden Test series in New Zealand last year, when he made three half-centuries in the role. England’s decision to transfer the vice-captaincy from Pope to Brook last month only fuelled speculation that Bethell would start the Ashes in the role.But Marcus Trescothick, one of McCullum’s assistant coaches, gave a strong hint that Pope will retain his spot for the warm-up match. “I’m presuming the same sort of No. 3 we’ve had for a period of time,” he told BBC Sport, when asked who would bat there. He added: “I can only say we are a very consistent team in what we’re trying to do.”Trescothick also said that performances in the warm-up match were unlikely to affect selection for the first Test.”It’s definitely not going to change dramatically before the start of an Ashes series because someone puts their hand up by taking five wickets or gets 150,” he said. “The team has been what it has been for a period of time for a reason, so that when you come to big series, you are more settled and confident going into it.”England have trained at Lilac Hill, the venue for the warm-up match and the home ground of grade team Midland-Guildford CC, since they arrived in Perth and Brook said that conditions will be “completely different” when they arrive at Optus Stadium for the first Test.”It’s completely different here, if I’m being brutally honest,” he said. [The pitches] are slow and low here. It’s going to be slightly different to the Optus, but we’ve got three or four days before that first Test where we can utilise [those] pitches… It’s a perfect opportunity in this game to try and get some time out in the middle and use it wisely.”

Ayub smashed an unbeaten 71 off 38 balls after Pakistan’s seamers rolled South Africa over for 110

Firdose Moonda31-Oct-2025From the ruins of Rawalpindi, Pakistan rallied to level the T20I series against South Africa and romped to a nine wicket win in Lahore.The match was all but over in the first 10 overs, when South Africa slipped to 66 for 6 after stunning spells from left-arm quick Salman Mirza, playing in his sixth T20I, Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf. Pakistan used pace-off balls to excellent effect and South Africa put on one of their poorer displays of shot selection in a performance they will want to forget. Only one batter, Dewald Brevis, got past 20, and only one partnership did the same. With Lhuan-dre Pretorius on the bench, South Africa may want to rethink their line-up heading into tomorrow’s decider.On the other hand, Pakistan played the situation to perfection. Their bowlers read the surface well before the batters knocked off their target of 111 with 41 balls to spare. An opening stand of 54 between Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub set them up before Ayub and Babar Azam finished things off with an unbroken 58 for the second wicket. In the process, Babar became the leading run-scorer in T20Is.The series is 1-1 with the decider to come in less than 24 hours’ time.Salman Mirza’s figures of 3 for 14 were his best in T20Is•Getty ImagesMirza makes things happenMirza was given an opportunity ahead of fellow left-armer Shaheeh Shah Afridi and made an immediate impact. He set Reeza Hendricks up with an opening delivery that moved away from him and then brought the second one back in and found leg stump to dismiss him for a duck. In the next over, Mirza angled a couple into Tony de Zorzi’s pads, then went for the surprise short ball and de Zorzi missed his pull. That was a warning. Two balls later, Mirza went for a slower-ball bouncer and de Zorzi pulled to Abrar Ahmed at short fine leg.In between those dismissals, Quinton de Kock was caught at mid-off off a slower ball from Naseem Shah and dismissed cheaply for the third time since his comeback, and Naseem could have had more. Matthew Breetzke was dropped at short third off him, which only allowed Mirza to get a third. He delivered another cutter, beat Breetzke’s edge, and bowled him to leave South Africa 23 for 4 in the fifth over.Faheem finishes off Brevis threatened to take control with a quickfire 25 off 16 balls including three sixes, all hit cleanly, but mishit a slower short ball from Faheem to cover point. South Africa were in all sorts at 49 for 5 in the eighth over, and stand-in captain Donovan Ferreria could barely rebuild. He chopped a Faheem short ball onto his stumps at the end of the 10th over. Two overs later, George Linde went almost exactly the same way, playing the pull rather than cut, but also edging onto his stumps. South Africa were 73 for 7 but dragged things into the 20th over before getting bowled out for 110.Faheem Ashraf picked up four wickets•AFP/Getty ImagesSuper SaimSouth Africa had made run-scoring look difficult but Ayub showed that was a fiction as he anchored the chase with his first fifty in a home T20I in a 360-degree display of hitting. He took advantage of any hint of width or anything slightly short and even had a bit of luck with two healthy edges that went for four. But the ninth over belonged to him; after an edge off Baartman went for four, he smashed a slightly short ball over long-on for six, then hit him over point for four, and then produced the shot of the night with a no-look pick-up over deep square leg for six. The over cost Baartman 21 runs and put Pakistan 29 away from victory with 11 overs left to play.All hail BabarAfter a duck on T20I comeback in Rawalpindi, expectation was high on Babar, especially on his home ground, and he was in the mood to deliver. He creamed the first ball he faced through the covers for four to send Lahore into a frenzy. Then he was stuck on 6 off 7 for two overs, with Ayub taking all the strike and carving big chunks off the target. Babar needed three more to overtake Rohit Sharma as the leading run-scorer in T20Is. He got there at the start of the 12th over with a single of Ferreira – his 4232nd run in the format – and the home fans knew exactly what he had achieved. Babar received appreciative applause from a packed crowd, and Ayub sealed the game with a six two overs later. Babar is now three runs ahead of Rohit, who is retired from the format.

It might go against everything you’d expect to see from a right wing-back, although the decision to deploy Amad in that role is currently working wonders for Ruben Amorim and Manchester United, with the Ivorian striking up a devastating partnership with Bryan Mbeumo in recent weeks.

The presence of two left-footers both seeking to cut inside had caused problems in the early knockings of the campaign, not least when they collided in the area in the opening day defeat to Arsenal, with doubts creeping in over whether the duo were simply too similar to thrive together in tandem.

Since the win over Sunderland, however, in which the pair showed shades of Yorke and Cole with their interchanges, this right-wing pairing has simply taken off, with the two men combining at Anfield and at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

For all the question marks over Amad’s defensive prowess, having been caught out for Morgan Gibbs-White’s header at the City Ground, the 23-year-old is certainly making up for those shortcomings by dominating proceedings at the top end of the pitch.

That impact has no doubt been highlighted even further by the issues on the other flank, with Amorim still yet to find a permanent solution at left wing-back.

Man Utd's solutions at left wing-back

Heading into the January window, this might be an area that Jason Wilcox and co look to strengthen again, amid links to the likes of Inter’s Federico Dimarco, despite having seemingly solved that problem almost 12 months ago.

Indeed, the addition of Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu looked to have handed Amorim a perfect fit for this system, with the versatile Dane having previously featured as a winger, as well as at full-back, making him ideal for a rampaging left-sided role.

Perhaps as to be expected for a player who only recently turned 21, however, Dorgu is undoubtedly still a work in progress, a fact heightened most notably at the Etihad, where he had the most touches in the opposition box for United (12), yet had little to show for it.

An improved display did follow last time out against Spurs, having won nine duels in total, although that rawness to his game was seen in the final third, as he lost possession 24 times, as per Sofascore.

That is perhaps why Amorim had turned to Diogo Dalot as an unorthodox option prior to that, albeit with the Portuguese full-back not exactly shining in that role either, having been caught out for Nicolo Savona’s goal against Nottingham Forest.

The 26-year-old, as is to be expected for a right-footer, looks distinctly uncomfortable on that flank, forced to cut in repeatedly, rather than burst into potential space ahead of him down the left.

There is something of a wildcard option in the form of summer arrival, Diego Leon, although the 18-year-old – who did score a stunning solo goal for the U21s against Spurs – is still finding his feet in the youth ranks, having yet to make a competitive senior appearance.

The Paraguayan, thankfully, isn’t the only teenage sensation that Amorim can turn to in the near future.

How Man Utd can replace Dorgu

It will take more than one transfer window to get this squad where both Amorim and INEOS want it to be, although the Old Trafford side can’t simply rely on incomings and investment – the academy set-up also needs to be utilised.

Perhaps in midfield, the Portuguese coach could look to a player like 17-year-old sensation, Jim Thwaites, while at wing-back, a future star is brewing in the form of 18-year-old, Harry Amass.

The ex-Watford starlet – who made his senior debut last season against Leicester City – ended 2024/25 with seven senior appearances to his name under Amorim, having most notably come off the bench in the 5-4 thriller against Lyon in the Europa League.

Tipped to be “Luke Shaw’s successor” by journalist Alex Turk – with Shaw himself singling out his compatriot as one to watch – Amass has long been tipped for a starring role in the first-team, a fact only heightened by his displays out on loan at Sheffield Wednesday.

The teenager joined the struggling side on loan over the summer, having since gone on to make a real impression for the Owls, notably netting a delightful strike from range in the recent defeat to Southampton.

That effort showcased everything Amorim would surely want from a wing-back, as Amass took it upon himself to drive into the centre of the pitch, before providing a real quality end product.

Lauded as “one of the most exciting teenage full-backs in Europe” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the diminutive talent has started all 11 games since moving to Hillsborough, with ten of those seeing him play the full 90 minutes.

Games (starts)

11 (11)

Goals

1

Assists

0

Big chances created

2

Key passes*

0.7

Pass accuracy*

79%

Successful dribbles*

1.4

Total duels won*

50%

Tackles & interceptions

3.2

Such is the success of that loan spell so far, in which he has featured in a left midfield or left wing-back berth, there is already talk of further moves between the clubs, with United academy stars such as Victor Musa and Gabriele Biancheri in line to potentially follow him to Sheffield.

Whether Amass does actually see out the season in his temporary home remains to be seen, however, with recent reports revealing that there is the presence of a break clause in January, ensuring he could return to United in the New Year.

Should that occur, it would likely be with another loan in mind, although with neither Dorgu nor Dalot nailing down that left-sided role this season, Amorim should certainly consider bringing Amass back into the fold.

Their own Wharton: Man Utd teen looks like he's "stepped out of La Masia"

Manchester United could save themselves millions in the transfer window, by looking for an in-house Adam Wharton.

ByRobbie Walls Nov 14, 2025

Top-order collapses before Hughes, Ibrahim come together in fourth-wicket stand

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Jul-2025

Sussex 222 (Lamb 48, Coles 47, White 3-25) and 115 for 3 (Hughes 56*, Ibrahim 50*) trail Yorkshire 545 for 9 dec (Revis 152*, Lyth 115, Wharton 85) by 208 runsAll-rounder Matthew Revis continued his sparkling run-scoring form in the Rothesay County Championship, posting his third hundred in as many matches to help Yorkshire press for a crucial victory over Sussex at Scarborough.Dating back to late June, in Yorkshire’s last four Division One fixtures, Revis – 23-years-old – has posted scores of 93 not out, 150, 110 not out and a career best 152 not out.He hit the 150 in a victory over Essex at York, 110 not out in last week’s draw here against champions Surrey and now this 188-ball effort with 14 fours and two pulled sixes against spin.Yorkshire declared on 545 for nine midway through the afternoon, leading by 323 with 44 overs remaining in the day, and then restricted Sussex to 115 for three at close. Opener Daniel Hughes gave the visitors something to cheer with an impressive rearguard 56 not out from 131 balls.It would now be a significant surprise if Revis is not selected to tour Australia with the England Lions this winter. Another man who could be on that tour is George Hill, with whom Revis shared an entertaining seventh-wicket partnership of 140 either side of lunch.Fellow all-rounder Hill contributed a season’s best 75 off 93 balls. He has already had Lions exposure this summer, courtesy of his near 40-wicket campaign with the ball.For Sussex, off-spinner Jack Carson plugged away with three for 150 from 43 overs. But he was swimming against the tide.Revis, who started the day on 22, drove handsomely down the ground before pulling a couple of sixes off Carson just before Yorkshire declared minutes before 3pm.Before lunch, Hill lofted Carson over long-on for six and out of the ground at the Trafalgar Square End.Revis reached his fifty off 77 balls and his fifth career first-class century off 137, the latter on the stroke of lunch. Sandwiched in between, Hill’s fifty came up in 65 balls.Sussex started the day nicely by removing Harry Duke and Will Sutherland, leaving Yorkshire 320 for six in the 97th over, the day’s seventh.Duke was caught behind for 21 against an out-swinger from Fynn Hudson-Prentice – Sussex having taken the new ball immediately at the start of play – before Sutherland was bowled by his fellow Australian Gurinder Sandhu for two.Sutherland is playing his last match of the season for Yorkshire this week and had been surfing in the North Sea at the end of day two.Revis and Hill advanced Yorkshire’s cause in entertaining fashion. The aforementioned Hill six off Carson even landed in the back yard of the Air BnB which the county’s live streaming team are using this week.Revis became the first Yorkshire player to score three hundreds in successive first-class matches since Gary Ballance did it back in 2019 and the first non-capped White Rose player to achieve that same feat in 80 years.Unfortunately for Sussex, further trouble was around the corner at the start of their second innings.They faced 12 overs before tea, where they reached at 29 for three.New-ball pair Jack White and Matt Milnes struck once apiece added to the run out of Tom Alsop courtesy of a direct hit from Imam-Ul-Haq at the striker’s end from cover.White had Tom Haines caught and bowled off a lead edge and Milnes got James Coles caught at fourth slip for a golden duck the ball after Alsop had fallen in the sixth over.But just when all seemed lost, left-handed Australian Hughes stood firm with the help of fourth-wicket partner Danial Ibrahim.Hughes was understandably watchful but drove, cut, pulled and deflected 10 boundaries en-route to a 114-ball fifty. The pair have shared an unbroken 95, with Ibrahim 50 not out.Ibrahim reached 50 off 111 balls with the day’s final delivery. But the pair have plenty more work to do on a pitch which is showing increasing signs of turn.

The Kansas City Royals had been thinking about making the move for a while, so when general manager J.J. Picollo approached catcher Salvador Pèrez and asked him to consider playing more first base, the executive was ready with his argument: 

Pérez scoffed. , he said. 

, Picollo said.

That was all it took. Pérez, a nine-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glover and four-time Silver Slugger at catcher, has spent a third of his time at first this season. (Even on those days, he does not entirely relinquish his role; he sits in meetings with backup Freddy Fermín and still makes mound visits from first base.) The result? At 34, Pérez has put together one of the best seasons of his career and helped key the Royals to a likely playoff berth, their first in a decade. The people around him are talking about enshrinement in Cooperstown. Pérez thinks about that honor—“I think any player [wants that],” he says—but right now, he is focused on one thing. 

“What I want so bad is for these guys to make it to the playoffs, because I know when you make it to the playoffs, and you feel that energy, that crowd—next year they’re just gonna want that again,” he says. “ I didn’t know until 2014 how that feels. But after that …” 

He smiles. He knows how it feels. And he wants to feel it again. 

أحرز ماركوس راشفورد الهدف الثالث لبرشلونة أمام إلتشي، ضمن منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر من الدوري الاسباني لكرة القدم.

ويستقبل برشلونة ضيفه إلتشي على ملعب مونتجويك، وكان قد أنهى الشوط الأول بتقدمه بهدفين لهدف واحد.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | رافا مير يسجل هدف إلتشي الأول أمام برشلونة

وأحرز ماركوس راشفورد الهدف الثالث لبرشلونة في الدقيقة 60 بعد تلقيه تمريرة من فيرمين لوبيز، ليسدد بقوة في شباك إلتشي من داخل منطقة الجزاء.

ودخل هانز فليك مدرب برشلونة لقاء اليوم بتشكيل مكون من: تشيزني، بالدي، جارسيا، أراوخو، كوندي، لوبيز، مارك كاسادو، فرينكي دي يونج، راشفورد، فيران توريس، لامين يامال.

ويغيب عن برشلونة العديد من اللاعبين في مباراة اليوم، مثل رافينها وخوان جارسيا ومارك تير شتيجن وبيدري وكريستنسن للإصابة.