All posts by h716a5.icu

Wayward for most parts, Tongue conjured two beauties in a spell that encapsulates his England career

Matt Roller31-Jul-20251:48

What will be a good score for India?

Josh Tongue could only laugh. He was Pollockesque at The Oval but more Jackson than Shaun, bowling like a man flinging paint at a blank canvas only to discover that he had painted a masterpiece. It is hard to recall a more scattergun performance from an England seamer, but twice in 12 balls, Tongue shocked everyone – not least himself – by hitting the bullseye.His figures – 2 for 47 in 13 overs – entirely masked the story. Left out for the third and fourth Tests, he was utterly wild in his first over of this one, pushing one ball so far outside off stump that it was called wide and spraying two so far down the leg side that they cost five each. He struggled with the landing area, but needed more than sawdust to solve this problem.It was briefly reminiscent of the spell that George Scrimshaw, Tongue’s old Worcestershire team-mate, bowled on England debut against Ireland two years ago, in which his first two overs cost 35 runs and featured six front-foot no-balls. If Tongue kept his foot behind the line then his lack of control was just as alarming, to the point of evoking sympathy.Related

Series of unfortunate events tests India's resolve

Stats – Karun Nair ends 3149-day wait; India hit new high at 3393

Karun Nair fifty resists England on rain-hit day

Woakes ruled out of Oval Test and is doubt for Ashes after shoulder injury

A change of ends made no impact. After five overs from the Vauxhall End before lunch, and the subsequent rain delay, Tongue charged in from the Pavilion End and sprayed his first ball down the leg side. Then, from nowhere, came his first unplayable ball: angling towards B Sai Sudharsan’s off stump from around the wicket, then nipping away to take the outside edge.Yet, the wicket appeared to have no effect on what followed. His next over to Karun Nair was wayward, and his first two balls to Ravindra Jadeja went for eight runs: the first was flung down the leg side past the blameless Jamie Smith, the second – short and wide outside off, in a seismic overcorrection – was uppercut over the slip cordon for four.Then came the second jaffa, a surprise straight ball after two sprayed either side of the wicket. It was the same line as the ball that dismissed Sai Sudharsan, but around two metres shorter, and took the shoulder of the bat. Jadeja could hardly believe his luck as Smith took another simple catch, and Tongue grinned then burst out laughing as he celebrated with Zak Crawley.Josh Tongue bowled to the left, he bowled to the right, but in between also picked up two wickets•Getty ImagesIt was an extreme encapsulation of Tongue’s England career. A compilation of his 25 Test wickets could give you the impression that he was the world’s best bowler: a swinging yorker to clean up David Warner and bouncing Steven Smith out two summers ago, then knocking back KL Rahul’s middle stump and ripping Jadeja’s glove off in Birmingham.There has been plenty of bad mixed in with the good. At this early stage in his career, he is the only England bowler in history with more than 25 Test wickets coupled with an economy rate above four. But therein lies the Tongue Paradox: his bad balls can make his good ones even better, such is the element of surprise.”It actually makes it very challenging when someone bowls like Josh did today,” Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, said. “He’s a very good bowler and when you don’t know what’s coming down as a batter, and he’s bowled a couple of absolute jaffas in there, and got two big wickets, it does make it tough.”Josh Tongue had an opening day of two halves•Getty ImagesThere were shades of Steve Harmison, with two balls of the version seen in the Caribbean in early 2004 but several more that evoked the start of the 2006-07 Ashes. Stuart Broad, Tongue’s two-time England team-mate, suggested that his issues were the result of a technical issue that had developed during his time out of the side.”When you’ve played the first two Test matches and come out of the side, you might lose your stride pattern, lose your rhythm,” Broad said on . “His great positive is he takes wickets and gets good players out… but he bowled some deliveries today that showed there’s some technical things going on that he needs to be able to fix during a Test match.”Tongue’s efforts were the logical extreme of an England selection policy that sees players picked for what they can do at their best, without worrying about what they are like at their worst. It is an unapologetically optimistic strategy, one that recognises Tongue not as a great bowler, but as a bowler of great balls.It is a ploy that can produce extreme results, but one that recognises a fundamental truth of Test cricket. For all its demands of mental and physical resilience, it is ultimately about moments: creating at least 20 wicket-taking chances is a prerequisite for winning, no matter what comes in between them.

It was another chapter in the rivalry where the suspense thrived, but the surprise never really came

Danyal Rasool29-Sep-20253:23

‘Clueless batting from Pakistan’

After all these years, it is remarkable that an India-Pakistan contest somehow manages to retain both its jeopardy and its inevitability. Long after India has cemented its status as cricket’s shepherd that corals its flock and drives it any way it might want it to go, Pakistan still manage to run off into a rogue field and cause brief mayhem. That order will eventually be restored, though, has never been in doubt, and in a final that never revealed its hand until the end, the people have played this game long enough to know the cards it concealed. And they knew it well before Tilak Varma’s arcing swipe found the midwicket stands rather than the fielder stationed just in front.That Pakistan came as close as they did, though, must have plenty more to do with this rivalry, still very much alive despite the lopsided win count of late or the Indian captain’s attempt to dismiss it as one. It is often said in football that local derbies fling form out of the window, and those games are impossible to learn anything from or read much into. That principle is all that looks to have tipped Sunday’s final into a thriller. Because, on the balance of what Pakistan had to offer against an Indian side that last lost a T20I in the Bronze Age or how much Pakistan even appeared to understands their own side’s capabilities and limitations, their proximity to glory – 11 days after they had to scrap to avoid elimination against the UAE – stretches credulity.Related

Salman Agha: India are 'disrespecting cricket' with their conduct

India refuse to accept Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

Stats – India 9-0 in chases against Pakistan

Tilak seals thriller to give India ninth Asia Cup title

It must be a strange thing to be Saim Ayub, a man who looks like he perpetually just woke up after his mother shooed him out of the house and funnelled him straight into the Pakistan team. He is both in the worst form of his life, but his dismissal also appears to act as his side’s trigger for absolute implosion. For the second Sunday in a row, Sahibzada Farhan – who had never played India a fortnight ago and has now scored more than a quarter of his international runs against them – got Pakistan off to the start of their dreams, before Saim popped in and tried to play himself into a bit of form.He lost his wicket shortly after, but Pakistan were still in almost the precise desirable position they found themselves in the previous week, given a precious do-over in the final. On that occasion, they’d sent in Hussain Talat, a player whose T20 game carries about the same excitement as a robot with a sore throat reading War and Peace. This time around, in the Mohammad Haris sweepstakes, this was the moment he was sent in – three wildly different uses of the same player on three different Sundays. The first time around, he was batting in the first over; last Sunday, he did not bat at all. In the final, with India’s torturously relentless spinners beginning to find their groove, out strode Haris.3:35

Pakistan’s shot selection, understanding of situation need to be better – Urooj

Haris is what might happen if a box of firecrackers were accidentally set off all at the same time: dazzling brief drama with bleak nothingness to follow. He opted – off just his second ball – to play the only inside out drive of the game, trying to caress Axar Patel on a surface that was stopping. Pakistan had lost two in four balls, and were rushing to fill in the lines in the pattern they had carved out last Sunday.Having had a week to ruminate on this precise scenario, Pakistan demonstrated they still had little idea how to deal with it. Fair play if you can accurately recall the Pakistani order in the wake of that Haris wicket, because it might as well just have been anyone at any time. It was, for the record, Salman Agha, who showed up next, a player Babar Azam could be compared to if he chewed gum and lost his cover drive. And of course, in a lot of ways, it really is all about Salman Agha.There’s little to dislike about Salman Agha the man, who has worked his way into international cricket at a relatively advanced age after toiling through the domestic circuit for a decade. He’s generally affable in his post-match interactions, and there’s a real sincerity to his everyman image and the seemingly informal elocution which media training has mercifully not yet modulated.”There have been ups and downs,” Agha said, in an assessment that might put a fortune cookie to shame. “There have been lots of positives and lots of things to work on. The good thing is we know what we did well and what we didn’t. We’ll try to do better with the things we did wrong, and to keep doing the things we did right.”But watching him walk out in the final began to feel like one of those things that Pakistan appeared to be doing wrong, and a moment when the emperor’s lack of clothes become impossible to ignore. This tournament has seen 28 batters score more runs than the Pakistan captain, all at over a run a ball. Agha’s strike rate in the Asia Cup is less than 81, and 110 over his career, dropping every time he seems to play an opposition of note. Against India and Australia, he has scored a combined 33 runs in 44 balls, averaging just over six. Even against the UAE on spinning tracks – his supposed strength, three games produced 32 runs at a strike rate of 78.09.It was off his seventh ball that he decided he wanted to launch Kuldeep Yadav out of the ground. Like a toddler biting off more chocolate than they can chew ability didn’t seem to come into it. He sputtered at the ball with the ungainliness of a wedding dancer thrust into the Bolshoi Ballet. It fizzed straight up and Sanju Samson was happy to collect.A dejected Pakistan side after the loss in the final•AFP/Getty ImagesFour balls earlier, Talat, also at the crease because the fall of wickets was no longer an event as much as an inevitability, had also taken his leave in similar circumstances, power-hitting with no power and offering the wicketkeeper catching practice. The two anchors had made little headway to Pakistan’s total, and hadn’t done much anchoring, either. A few overs later, Pakistan were bowled out for 146, nine wickets falling for 33 runs. 113 now is the highest total in T20I history upon which a side lost their second wicket and found themselves bowled out under 150.Perhaps there is a more charitable explanation for it all; that Pakistan simply have no tools to take India on when in full flow. An intentional slowdown the previous week, precisely to guard against a capitulation last night saw them fall well short anyway. In the final, they kept trying to hack at the spinners; they played aggressive shots to 40% of the balls they faced to India’s slower bowlers, and yet that trio allowed just 86 in 12 overs, picking up eight of Pakistan’s wickets. There is pain and misery whichever way you twist.But Pakistan are not setting this T20 side up, for now, anyway, to compete with India. No matter how close they felt to that mirage of an Asia Cup trophy, the chasm between the two sides remains tremendously large. Just flip the roles and picture Pakistan chasing last night, and see if there are any points in the chase you’d back them as favourites. Pakistan have set themselves a longer-term project that may involve short term pain for a side set up to reap longer term rewards. It is why Babar and Rizwan are out in the cold even if, as has been pointed out, they may ironically have been perfectly suited for the conditions this tournament offered up, and with whom Pakistan have a 2-1 winning T20I record against India in Dubai.Haris Rauf and Salman Agha plot a surprise•Associated PressWhile doing away with those two, though, Pakistan appear to have replaced them, simply further down the order, with decisively inferior options. After praising Hasan Nawaz as a generational power hitter whose non-Powerplay strike rate this year is inferior only to Dewald Brevis and Tim David, they turned once more to Talat, very much not in the mould that coach Mike Hesson has insisted Pakistan will look to relentlessly pursue. With the uncertainty of Haris’ role, or indeed Shaheen Afridi’s with the bat, Pakistan have spent the last month showing they may be willing to wound, but at the moments that usually matter, they have been afraid to strike.And that sounds very much like the side that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan used to lead. Against India where they somehow both overperformed and underperformed, it is anyone’s guess what lessons Pakistan will take as they continue on with what they still consider to be a revolution. But, as far as jeopardy and inevitability go, this is, after all, that most characteristic way of Pakistani revolutions, one where the establishment structure doesn’t quite seem to change.

They left Maheesh Theekshana out against Bangladesh, as rapid, round-arm and two-arm bowlers unsettled the opposition

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Sep-20252:42

Maharoof: SL didn’t transition well after golden generation left

If you doubt things have shifted for Sri Lanka, please consider that before they had stepped on to the field in the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh on Saturday, they had decided to leave out their mystery spinner.For Sri Lanka men’s earliest T20I teams, mystery spinners were vital. Muthiah Muralidaran had the killer doosra, Ajantha Mendis had batting orders wrapped around his fingers, Akila Dananjaya was picked from obscurity at age 18 for a World Cup campaign, Sachithra Senanayake, Tharindu Kaushal… you get the picture. Even Rangana Herath had a carrom ball.So central was mystery spin to strategy that Sri Lanka’s captains would even occasionally hide mystery spinners during group matches to keep their secrets shrouded till the knockouts.Related

Uphill task for Hong Kong against dominant Sri Lanka

Nissanka, Mishara, SL bowlers trample Bangladesh

But it’s 2025. Times have changed. Horizons have broadened. Sri Lanka have rapid bowlers. They have round-arm bowlers. They have two-arm bowlers. Against Bangladesh, they turned up, totted up their options, and decided the mystery spin of Maheesh Theekshana was surplus to requirement. They fielded three frontline fast bowlers. This was in Asia, on a track that always looked like it would take turn.It is an interesting trio of quicks. Two of them bowl roundarm. Two bowl fast. Two are good in the powerplay (each of those descriptions fits a different pair). For the team management, it’s also likely that different calculations recommended each of these bowlers. Dushmantha Chameera, the most senior fast bowler in the squad, had the form coming into this match – plus the experience. Nuwan Thushara had been expensive in the last game he had been picked for, but the man had 12 wickets in five matches against Bangladesh – plus an economy rate of 6.57. These are not numbers worth ignoring. Matheesha Pathirana had much worse numbers against Bangladesh in T20Is – and an economy of 10.09 in three matches – but perhaps there was a hunch that roundarm bowlers rattle this particular opposition.It would turn out that Pathirana would bowl a wild final over, and finish with bad figures. But it didn’t matter, because even without him, Sri Lanka’s seamers had still set this game up in the first two overs. Thushara bowled an airtight first over, looking for that swing into left-hand batter Tanzid Hasan, before zooming through the gate with one that straightened off the last ball. Chameera was even better following up from the other end, finding pace and pitch-perfect lengths in the channel before nicking Parvez Hossain Emon off.Sri Lanka wrecked Bangladesh to 0 for 2 in two overs•Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty ImagesThushara and Chameera had each bowled a wicket maiden, and Bangladesh were 0 for 2. Rarely are T20 matches decided in the first two overs, but by this stage, Bangladesh had used up 10% of their overs, lost 20% of their wickets, and wasted a third of their powerplay for zero runs – a situation they had never been in before. Batting teams also don’t tend to spring out of holes like that.Worse, Thushara’s next over brought only four runs, and Chameera’s next just three, all of which meant batters were taking risks they otherwise might not have. In the middle of the fifth over, Towhid Hridoy was caught short by a direct hit from Kamil Mishara from the deep, as he attempted a dodgy third run. From 11 for 3 after 4.3 overs on a decent track, a competitive score tends to require minor miracles.Spin, meanwhile, was entirely ineffective for Sri Lanka. I’m joking, of course – Wanindu Hasaranga came in to spin googlies into pads, dust off some celebrappeals, and take two wickets, which was more than any of the quicks. This being a Sri Lanka match at an Asia Cup, familiar decorum must be maintained. And yet it was Thushara and Chameera’s identical figures – four overs, one maiden, 14 runs, for one wicket – that both broke the game open for Sri Lanka, and depressed Bangladesh’s final score most.There are signs now that following a 10-year lurch, Sri Lanka might be entering a period of stability. There are several reasons for this, two of which are the domestic structure having improved significantly since the introduction of the National Super League, and consistency from the selectors headed over the past two years.Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets against Bangladesh•Asian Cricket CouncilOn the fast-bowling front, what this has meant is that quicks aren’t rushed from T20s to Tests to ODIs the moment they begin to prosper at the international level, and Sri Lanka have been able to develop a pace battery for each format. Thushara and Pathirana only really play T20s, for instance. Dilshan Madushanka is solely an ODI bowler for now. Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara are Test specialists.The coaching staff also seem to have had an effect. Chameera has always had a decent yorker, but he is currently deploying them more consistently than he ever has in the death overs. On Saturday, he bowled the 20th over against two set batters, and conceded only eight runs.The era of the mystery spinner was Sri Lanka’s greatest in white-ball cricket. Those teams made five global finals between 2007 and 2014, winning one. But sometimes the past needs letting go. This team could still play mystery spinner Theekshana through the course of this tournament. But they have built up options.

The MLB All-Star Game looked a bit different in 2025.

While the usual star-on-star battles were present as always, the end result featured a twist. The game, which was tied after nine innings, did not go to extra innings but instead went to a swing-off between three sluggers apiece from the American League and the National League.

And even though some of the game's brightest stars were not there to witness the swing-off, the ending provided some excitement, as Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber belted three clutch home runs to lead the NL to victory.

So, how did the new-look All-Star Game and its broadcast on Fox fare in the TV ratings?

The MLB All-Star Game reeled in an average of 7.2 million viewers, down slightly from 2024 but an increase from its record-low viewership just two seasons ago.

Besides the swing-off, among the highlights of the game were the star-studded showdowns in the first innings—including reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge against 2024 Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes—Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman's return to Atlanta, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw's appearance in the second inning, New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso's three-run homer, and the AL's late-innings comeback after it trailed 6-0.

England opt for four spinners, meaning seamer Kate Cross misses out on World Cup squad

Valkerie Baynes21-Aug-2025Heather Knight is expected to be fit for the World Cup after being named in England’s squad for the tournament, but her side will be without veteran seamer Kate Cross, who has been overlooked for selection.Knight, the former England captain, hasn’t played since injuring her hamstring during England’s home series with West Indies in May but it’s understood that her recovery is sufficiently on track to warrant her selection on Thursday.Danni Wyatt-Hodge also returns to strengthen the batting after being omitted in the 50-over format throughout the English summer, having made her last ODI appearance during the ill-fated Ashes tour of Australia in January.That means batter Maia Bouchier and allrounder Alice Davidson-Richards miss out, as does Cross, with England opting for four spinners to play in India and Sri Lanka during the tournament which starts next month.Sophie Ecclestone leads the spin contingent, which also includes fellow left-armer Linsey Smith and offspinner Charlie Dean, as well as legspinner Sarah Glenn, making her return after featuring in the West Indies series but missing out on the subsequent visit by India through June and July.England’s seam attack consists of Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer and Em Arlott, who made her international debut in May. Nat Sciver-Brunt is hopeful of returning to bowling in her allrounder role after a long-standing Achillies problem.ESPNcricinfo LtdHead Coach Charlotte Edwards said the tournament posed a “huge challenge” but she believed her side was capable of competing “with anyone”.”Being selected to play for your country in a World Cup is one of the biggest honours in sport and I’m delighted for all the players named in the squad,” Edwards said.”Conditions mean we have gone for the extra spinner and we’re lucky to be able to have such depth in this department, it’s fantastic to welcome Sarah Glenn back. That does mean there’s no room for Kate Cross, Maia Bouchier or Alice Davidson-Richards, which will be disappointing for them.”It’s also great to have Danni back in the squad, she’s been in good form in domestic cricket and she’ll bring dynamism and depth to our batting, alongside Heather, who we are absolutely delighted to be able to select. She’ll be a huge asset for us.”Commentating on the women’s Hundred match between Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets a few hours after the announcement, Cross expressed her disappointment.”A lot for me to process,” Cross said on Sky Sports. “It’s probably been a disappointing summer in terms of England cricket. I feel like I’ve done quite well in this tournament. I performed for Lancashire.”But it’s difficult when you go into a subcontinent World Cup and you can tell that the head coach wants a little bit more spin in her armoury, then it makes sense in my head. So there’s a lot of logic that’s mixed with a lot of emotion at the minute.”Cross revealed she had only learned of her omission at 9am on Thursday, two hours before the squad was announced.She will next play for Northern Superchargers against Invincibles on Saturday as her side, currently placed second on the table, look to keep themselves in finals contention.Missing out on the 50-over World Cup places Cross at an interesting juncture in her career. She turns 34 in October and, while a home T20 World Cup beckons next year, she has fallen out of England favour in the shorter format.She played her last T20I during the tour of Ireland in September 2024 while the first-choice squad were in the UAE preparing for the T20 World Cup, where England eventually crashed out in the group stages.She has also forged a successful side-hustle in commentating, although she acknowledged the difficulties of her on- and off-field careers colliding on a day like this.”I probably wouldn’t have talked about this openly live on the television if I wasn’t doing commentary,” she said. “But I’ve got 24 hours to turn it around to play a game for the Northern Supercharges on Saturday.”It’s been a bit of a whirlwind but this is professional sport, we sign up to it, it doesn’t always go your way, and I’ve held back the tears so there we go, we can finish talking about it.”The World Cup runs from September 30 to November 2 and will be the first ICC tournament in charge for Edwards and captain Sciver-Brunt.England Women’s squad: Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

Could Daniel Farke be the next Premier League manager in line to face the sack?

While Leeds United have picked up a promising three wins so far in the Premier League, fans of the Elland Road giants will also feel that there’s been a lot of other games this season where their side have been outplayed, with their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday falling into this category.

The Seagulls tallied up 14 shots on Lucas Perri’s goal compared to Leeds’ weak five on Bart Verbruggen’s largely untested net, as Fabian Hurzeler’s confident hosts never looked in danger of slipping up throughout their comfortable 90 minutes.

Farke will surely have to ring the changes for Leeds’ next Premier League clash away at Nottingham Forest to try and lift his side to bounce back, and to also save his skin, with Brenden Aaronson at risk of dropping out despite scoring a week prior.

Aaronson's poor performance vs Brighton

Aaronson wanted to kick on in the Whites’ first team picture away at the Amex, having been an exhilarating watch throughout Leeds’ 2-1 home win against West Ham United, with his bundled-in opener after three minutes nearly upstaged by an insane solo strike sailing in.

Yet, the Jekyll and Hyde American was way off it on the South Coast to add to Leeds fans’ frustrations surrounding his inconsistent performances.

Come the close of the match on Saturday, Aaronson failed to complete one single successful dribble from two attempts, failed to hit a single meaningful shot at the home side’s goal, and also only won a weak three duels from the ten he attempted.

It’s night and day from his high-octane showing against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, where he was 100% successful with all his dribbles, on top of winning a hefty eight duels.

Patience must be extremely thin; therefore, when it comes to Farke choosing to pick Aaronson week in week out, knowing that an unbelievable display is often followed up by the number 11 putting in a disastrous no-show.

But, Aaronson is not the only underperformer in the German’s bad books.

Farke must drop 4/10 Leeds star

Brighton ran the Leeds defence ragged all afternoon long, as Jayden Bogle continually failed to lay a glove on the rampaging Diego Gomez, who would finish the one-sided match with two Premier League goals next to his name.

Joe Rodon also looked way below his usual standards, but the Welshman definitely has enough credit in his bank this season alone to demand he’s still in the first team frame, having popped up with two goals from the back.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

81

Accurate passes

73/78 (94%)

Tackles won

0

Interceptions

0

Clearances

3

Blocked shots

0

Ball recoveries

6

Total duels won

1/3

On the contrary, his centre-back partner on the South Coast in Jaka Bijol, is yet to establish himself as a fan’s favourite, and he certainly won’t have endeared himself to the hardened West Yorkshire masses with his ropey showing against Hurzeler’s runaway hosts.

Indeed, away from spraying the ball about with some assurance, the brand-new Leeds’ number 15 struggled to contain the likes of Danny Welbeck throughout, leading to just one duel being won.

On top of that, Bijol would also fail to go in for a single tackle, leading Brighton to find it easy when carving open the away side’s frail defence at will.

Moreover, the former Udinese man very much lacked the pace and determination to track back when Yankuba Minteh and the aforementioned Gomez ran riot, with Pascal Struijk perhaps the better-suited centre-back option for this showdown.

Leeds fans had been crying out for their £15m summer recruit to start more games, but after his 4/10 afternoon against Brighton – which is the low score that was handed to him post-match by Leeds Live’s Isaac Johnson – he will surely be dropped back down to the bench, for the Dutchman to return to the XI.

Farke will pray that the changes that are made spur his team on to a rare away win against Nottingham Forest next, with a loss at the City Ground only pulling Leeds even closer to the relegation zone.

Farke can unleash Stach by dropping Leeds star who's "not good enough"

Leeds United boss could bring Anton Stach back into the starting line-up by dropping this star.

ByDan Emery Nov 1, 2025

Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2025Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai struck half-centuries each to carry Afghanistan to 188 for 6 in the opening match of the men’s T20 Asia Cup. Hong Kong had their moments, their spinners in particular harnessing slow conditions well enough to frustrate their more pedigreed opponents. But the gulf in class eventually showed as Yasin Murtaza’s side dropped catches and committed misfields to hurt their own chances.Sediqullah has brought up each of this three T20I fifties in his last four innings, and as well as he looked out in the middle, standing tall at the crease and largely coping with the lack of pace, he benefited from three missed chances. A man who could’ve been dismissed in the very first over in the end batted through to finish on 73 off 52.Murtaza was involved in all three lives Sediqullah got – twice dropping the catch himself and once having to watch it go down off his own bowling. He did the best he could to make up for it, the three Hong Kong spinners giving the ball such little pace but so much air that this game looked straight out of the 90s. As such, the more modern day T20 batter wasn’t able to adjust. Murtaza, Ehsan Khan and Kinchit Shah picked up 3 for 75 in 11 overs.However, the arrival of pace in the 17th over changed the game with Atal and Omarzai targeting Ayush Shukla. Afghanistan scored 69 runs in the last four overs with Omarzai raising his first T20I half-century. From the simple clear-the-front-leg slog to the cheeky ramp past the keeper, the Afghanistan allrounder has shown impressive range on a difficult batting pitch and finished with a strike rate of 252.38.Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase.

As takeover talks continue, Sheffield Wednesday could reportedly get the chance to sign former Leeds United star Liam Cooper after holding fresh talks with the EFL.

Things are looking up for the Owls. Even as Norwich City rescued a point, there was a greater sense of positivity at Hillsborough than there has been in recent months. With controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri gone, they’ve been able to look towards a future which could involve an owner who has the club’s interests at heart.

BBC reporter shares latest £50m step that 3 Sheffield Wednesday candidates have just taken

Things are looking up for the Owls.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 31, 2025

To that end, the likes of John McEvoy and other unnamed American parties have been mentioned as potential options in the last two weeks, with the amount of interest in the club coming as a positive surprise for co-administrator Kris Wigfield. In a statement, the Begbies managing partner praised fans for their support since arriving.

There could also be more positive steps to come. Wigfield told reporters that the administrators are in talks with the EFL over an alleviation of recruitment restrictions, which would allow the Owls to welcome some much-needed reinforcements.

Given that they currently sit on -4 points and with an impossible task ahead of them if they want to survive, any chance to recruit would be welcomed by everyone at Sheffield Wednesday. It could even open the door for a former Leeds star.

Sheffield Wednesday eyeing Liam Cooper move

According to The Star’s Alex Miller, Sheffield Wednesday are now eyeing a move to sign Liam Cooper after holding talks with the EFL in the hope of seeing their restrictions lifted. The former Leeds United defender has been out of a club since leaving CSKA Sofia in the summer, but could now get the chance to return to the Championship courtesy of the Owls.

It’s a move that he needs just as much as Sheffield Wednesday. At 34 years old, Cooper is not yet retired and could yet bow out back in English football. Having spent 10 years at Leeds in both the Championship and the Premier League, his experience would prove vital to the Owls whether they’re in the second tier or in League One next season.

After he played his final game for Leeds, manager Daniel Farke was full of praise for Cooper – telling reporters: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to be allowed to be his manager for the last 12 months.

“I’ve also played several times against him, also in his prime. So what can I say? A fantastic footballer, a fantastic human being, an unbelievable person. He’s a real club legend.”

John Textor makes Sheffield Wednesday contact

Mikel Arteta has provided a window into the ongoing contract negotiations between Arsenal and star winger Bukayo Saka. The Gunners boss said he is confident the 24-year-old will "leave a legacy" at his boyhood club. Saka is under contract with Arsenal until 2027, but is expected to sign a new deal as the club looks to lock down the core of its title-challenging squad.

Getty Images SportArteta provides update on Saka contract

The Spanish manager was speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal's north London derby clash with Tottenham on Sunday. 

When asked if he was confident the winger would sign a new deal with the club, Arteta shared that Saka has expressed his desire to remain with Arsenal going forward. He described the relationship between the England international, his representatives and the club's hierarchy as "very healthy and powerful". 

Saka signed his current deal in May 2023. The four year deal is set to expire at the end of the 2026/27 season, prompting the likely re-opening of talks over the past few months. 

AdvertisementArteta: Saka wants to "leave legacy" at Arsenal

Arteta was asked if he was confident in Saka's desire to stay with the club and replied: “I prefer that word, I think it is confidence.

“What Bukayo has transmitted to me and the club, and Emeka (Obasi, Saka’s agent) as well, is that they want to continue to be here. I think it’s a very healthy and powerful relationship.

“The journey that he has had at the club and what he has become is something we want to maintain. I think that is something that is going to leave a legacy at this football club and he needs to fulfill that role.

"What I’m very aware of is that he wants to continue with us, that he’s very happy and that he’s in the place that he wants to continue to be and achieve everything that we want to achieve together.

“When that (a new contract) happens and how it happens, I leave that to Andrea [Berta] and the club to figure it out.”

Arsenal lock down title-challenging squad

The north London club have systematically looked to secure the futures of a number of their best performers over the past few months. Saka's fellow academy graduates Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri penned new deals in the summer, locking them down until 2030. 

Real Madrid's reported interest in William Saliba was staved off with a new deal; the Frenchman is under contract until 2030 too. His defensive partner Gabriel — who was recently ruled out for a month after sustaining an injury on Brazil duty — extended his deal with the club until 2029. 

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard and David Raya also improved the terms of their respective agreements with the Gunners. 

Speaking on the club's proactive approach to managing their players' futures, Arteta said: “It’s been a very clear vision and route on how we want to do things.

“Ownership has been incredibly supportive and determined to make sure that we can continue the journey with these players and maintain the core of the team. That is the efficiency of everybody that works upstairs, starting with Andrea (Berta) and all the team to get things done because at the end there are always three parties and it’s never an easy thing to get done.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportSaka's growing Arsenal legacy depends on lifting trophies

There is scant evidence to suggest that Saka views his future outside of north London. Since breaking through into the first team as a left back in the 2018/19 season, the Gunners' 'Star Boy' has developed into one of world football's most consistent right wingers. He has made 277 appearances for the club, scoring 76 goals in all competitions. That form has seen him bloom into a trusted player at international level. Saka has won 48 caps, scoring 14 times for England. 

For the 24-year-old to leave a true legacy at such a massive club will depend on his ability to drive Arsenal on to more silverware. Saka has lifted just one majour honour in his career, the 2019/20 FA Cup, which the Gunners won during Arteta's first season with the club. Three straight second place finishes in the Premier League will have only further fuelled his ambition to win more. Arsenal's push for their first league title in more than 20 years continues with that north London derby on Sunday. 

Ashwin leaking runs in the powerplay and Jadeja failing to pick up wickets have added to CSK’s woes

Deivarayan Muthu10-Apr-20252:44

Can Ashwin and Jadeja get back among the wickets?

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja claimed 55 wickets each in 67 IPL matches together for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) between 2012 and 2015. Ashwin’s creative genius dovetailed beautifully with Jadeja’s metronomic accuracy, turning Chepauk into a fortress. Between 2012 and 2015, CSK won 18 of their 25 games at home, boasting a win-loss ratio of 2.57.In their quest to recreate that winning formula several years later, CSK splurged INR 9.75 crore on Ashwin and reunited him with Jadeja and his beloved Chepauk. But the grand reunion hasn’t produced the kind of output CSK and their fans might have hoped for. CSK have already lost two in a row at home and another defeat in Chennai will leave them in unfamiliar territory.Ashwin has conceded almost ten an over for five wickets this season and has completed his quota in only three out of five games. While Jadeja’s economy rate (8.07) is better than Ashwin’s, the left-arm spinner has got just two wickets in five matches and has not completed his quota in any of those.Related

CSK turn to Dhoni to avoid a hat-trick of defeats at fortress Chepauk

Why isn't Russell batting higher for KKR in IPL 2025?

MS Dhoni to lead CSK after Ruturaj Gaikwad is ruled out of IPL with injury

Ashwin came into this IPL as a retired international cricketer and started it looking like someone who hadn’t played professional cricket for three months. His first ball to Suryakumar Yadav, in the powerplay against Mumbai Indians (MI), was right in the slot and was pumped over the covers.That foretold Ashwin’s powerplay run this season: 78 runs off 30 balls for just one wicket at an economy rate of 15.60. Between 2012 and 2015, his powerplay economy rate was 6.25.The entire landscape of T20 has changed since then. It has become a different sport, with batters trying to launch every ball into orbit. Mitchell Marsh, who is among the top run-getters this season, recently described going at a run-a-ball in the powerplay as “panic stations”. Specialist offspinners are a dying breed and Ashwin, arguably, is the last of that breed.6:50

Chawla: Dhoni as captain will help struggling Ashwin and Jadeja

He has dipped into the carrom ball and turned it the other way, but batters just keep coming at him. There are also other factors that have hampered Ashwin. Chepauk no longer offers the sharp turn that it used to in the past, with CSK going on the record to express their dissatisfaction with the pitches at home. In Guwahati, CSK perhaps made a tactical error by throwing Ashwin at Nitish Rana, who was promoted to No. 3, to take advantage of his match-up with the spinner.Ashwin hasn’t had luck going his way either. In his final over against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur, Ashwin looped up a carrom ball wide of Priyansh Arya’s swinging arc and drew a mis-hit, but Mukesh Choudhary misjudged the catch and ended up stepping on the boundary cushion.Ashwin isn’t the only spinner who is going for runs in the powerplay. Even a mystery spinner and a modern superspecialist like Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) Maheesh Theekshana is going at over ten an over during this phase. The powerplay has become such a hostile environment for bowlers, especially spinners.

“We’ve actually restricted teams to below-par scores, and it’s been the batting that has held us up on this occasion”CSK head coach Stephen Fleming

CSK coach Stephen Fleming lauded Ashwin for fronting up to do a difficult job for them.”That sixth over is a tough over, so don’t underestimate that role that he’s playing,” Fleming said in the lead-up to CSK’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). “And after that, he came back really well. I think the last couple of overs went for single figures. So we’re asking him to do a tough role, but what we are doing is taking wickets, and that’s been the positive thing. We felt we’ve actually restricted teams to below-par scores, and it’s been the batting that has held us up on this occasion.”Unlike Ashwin, Jadeja doesn’t bowl in the powerplay; he usually bowls in the middle overs. Jadeja, who has retired from T20Is, has always had excellent defensive skills, but the arrival of Noor Ahmad has given CSK’s attack a point of difference. So they have preferred Noor’s left-arm wristspin over Jadeja’s fingerspin during the middle overs this season. Noor is currently the Purple Cap holder, with 11 strikes in five games at an economy rate of 8.33 and an average of 13.63.”I think we’ve got some good options with the spin department,” Fleming said when asked if CSK were under-utilising Jadeja the bowler. “Ruturaj [Gaikwad] has been able to use the appropriate bowlers for the batsmen that are in. Jadeja bowled really well in the last game. Noor Ahmad has been the key wicket-taker, so he’s dominated to this point. We’ve sort of got six bowlers that can provide good options throughout. Batting-wise, he’s moving up and down the order, depending on what we need. We really like his partnership with MS [Dhoni] at the back end. That appeals to us. There are other players in the squad that we’ve highlighted to be up the order, but he’s been up to No. 5, I think.Noor Ahmad’s addition has given CSK another spin option•AFP/Getty Images”He’s been in early and throughout, so just trying to get a gauge on who’s to bowl death, who’s in the middle, and work it around that way. It’s not a set stage that Jaddu has to come in. We’re quite flexible with it.”Sure, Ashwin and Jadeja haven’t produced the kind of impact they did back in the day, but don’t count them out. On either side of two expensive overs in Mullanpur, Ashwin threatened to shut PBKS down with the wickets of Nehal Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell in successive overs. Had Choudhary held onto Arya’s catch, it would have been a completely different story. In the same game, Jadeja bowled three tight overs and kept even the left-hand batters in check.On the eve of the match against KKR, when Devon Conway tried to line Ashwin up in the nets, the bowler cleverly dangled the ball away from his reach and made him look silly. It tore open a portal to his heyday when he used to make left-hand batters look silly.But of all the things that have taken CSK by surprise this season, their world-class spinners struggling at their fortress might be the biggest.