Stumps Jake Doran scored his fifth first-class century before hurt Tasmania’s quest for an outright Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland.Doran, the 27-year-old, resumed day two on his overnight score of 86, and made 101 in 112 balls as the Tigers progressed to a commanding 394 for 5.Only 9.1 overs were possible on Saturday before driving rain settled in above Allan Border Field and continued until play was called off mid-afternoon.Day-one hero Jake Weatherald (186) had only added one to his overnight score when he played back to a full Mitchell Swepson legspinner and was trapped in front.Doran brought up his century off 101 deliveries with a delightful late cut off Bryce Street to the third boundary.The new ball moved around under heavy skies and Mark Steketee troubled Doran before luring him into a drive that was snaffled by wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson.Beau Webster (17 not out) was looking composed but unable to kick on due to the weather.Fine conditions are forecast for Sunday with Tasmania the only team in a position to push for a win with a declaration expected overnight. The Tigers bowlers will need to take 20 wickets and restrict the hosts to meagre totals if they are to record their first win of the season.
Chelsea are now “advancing” talks to sign an “exceptional” £70m player, with a formal offer expected “soon”, journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed.
Blues eyeing new attacker with Felix heading for exit
The Blues have been able to splash the cash this summer, in part due to their successful Club World Cup campaign, and they are still looking to make more additions to the squad, given that they are about to complete a big-money sale.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Joao Felix is now closing in on a move to Al-Nassr, which is set to raise up to £43.7m, while Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga and Armando Broja all still remain up for sale.
Even with the likes of Felix, Broja and Sterling due to depart, it is difficult to envisage where another attacker would fit into the starting XI, given that Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens have already been brought in this summer.
However, the west Londoners remain keen on signing another attacking midfielder, and Jacobs has now revealed they are “advancing talks” with RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, with the terms of a deal now broadly in place.
Direct talks with Leipzig are currently ongoing, which are described as “positive”, and the Blues are expected to submit a formal bid “soon”, with Romano recently revealing they remain confident about getting a deal over the line.
Simons could be "exceptional" signing for Chelsea
Enzo Maresca is, of course, already blessed with an array of attacking options, with Cole Palmer performing particularly well at the Club World Cup, picking up two goals and an assist in the 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
However, it remains to be seen what sort of effect competing out in the USA will have on the Blues’ regular campaign, and Maresca may need a bigger squad to cope with the increase in fixtures.
Chelsea table bid to sign "exceptional" £40m Arsenal target, talks ongoing
The Blues are pressing ahead with a move for a defender, who is also a target for the Gunners.
ByDominic Lund Jul 27, 2025
As such, the £70m-valued attacking midfielder could be a necessary signing for Maresca, and there are signs he would be able to kick on at Stamford Bridge, having been lauded as an “exceptional player” by Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund.
Simons also recorded fairly similar attacking numbers to Palmer in the 2024-25 campaign, although it would, of course, be a step-up to move to the Premier League from the Bundesliga.
Will Graham Potter secure any more new signings before the start of West Ham United’s Premier League campaign?
So far this summer, the cash-strapped Hammers have brought in both Callum Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters on free transfers, while El Hadji Malick Diouf has arrived from Slavia Prague for a reported fee of £19m.
However, given that Mohammed Kudus has been sold to Tottenham for around £55m, the Irons are still in the market for midfield reinforcements, so have they pinpointed their prime target?
West Ham's search for a new midfielder
Earlier this week, it was reported that West Ham had identified Jacob Ramsey as their ‘top target’, willing to spend around £30m to secure the signature of the midfielder.
However, it was claimed that Aston Villa value the 24-year-old at close to £43m, with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham also purportedly interested, meaning this certainly will not be an easy deal to finalise.
Thus, potentially in need of an alternative, Football Insider reports that the Hammers are ‘plotting a late-window move’ for Mateus Fernandes of Southampton, adding that the Saints are ‘reluctant’ to sell, but the Portuguese under-21 international is ‘keen’ to return to the Premier League, following his side’s relegation.
It’ll therefore be interesting to see if he is involved in their EFL Championship opener against Wrexham at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Fernandes joined Southampton from Sporting CP for £15m as recently as last August, but there claims he could fetch as much as £50m, which would make him West Ham’s record signing, surpassing the record of £45m held by Sébastien Haller.
Of course, the later into the window we get, if Fernandes pushes for a move, potentially the stronger West Ham’s negotiating position gets, so could the 21 year old soon swap the South Coast for the East End of London?
What Mateus Fernandes would bring to West Ham
Fernandes joined Sporting Clube de Portugal at the age of 12, and is the latest product of their academy forecast to go to the top.
He actually made just ten appearances for Sporting, his only goal in green and white hoops coming against Farense in the Taça da Liga group stages, spending the 2023/24 season on loan at fellow-Primeira Liga outfit Estoril Praia, before Southampton were convinced to sign him.
Analyst Ben Mattinson is certainly a fan, labelling him a “massive talent’, outlining that “passing” and “vision” are his key attributes, adding that he is a “solid ball-winner” and a “press-resistant midfielder”.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout agrees, asserting that he is a “big talent” who is definitely capable of remaining at Premier League level, while Kevin Araújo Fernandes of Breaking the Lines adds that he is ‘capable of covering ground with real intensity’, making him an ‘extremely talented’ all-round midfielder.
Ahead of Southampton’s visit to Old Trafford in January, Rúben Amorim, who was his manager at Sporting, described Fernandes as a “really good player” who is able to “overload the midfield” from wide areas, a skillset that should translate well to Potter’s West Ham team.
Nevertheless, the question remains: how does Fernandes compare to the Hammers’ other top midfield target Ramsey? Let’s find out.
Mateus Fernandes vs Jacob Ramsey 2024/25 comparison
Statistics
Fernandes
Ramsey
Appearances
42
45
Minutes
3,365
2,074
Goals
3
4
Assists
6
7
All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:
Shots
0.7
0.7
Shots on target %
63.64%
33.33%
Chances created
1.1
1.1
Big chances created
0.18
0.28
Passes attempted
38.2
31.5
Duels contested
12
9
Tackles
2.8
1.7
Clearances
1
0.5
Interceptions
0.9
0.5
Ball recoveries
5.6
4.6
Touches
59
46
Average SofaScore rating
6.95
6.87
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, Squawka and SofaScore
Caveats required for both: Ramsey’s minutes were limited last season due to injury and lack of selection, while Fernandes was playing for one of the worst teams in Premier League history, with Southampton collecting an ignominious 12 points.
With that out the way, the Portuguese midfielder’s underlying statistics are almost universally more impressive across the board, ranging from passing and touches, to out-of-possession metrics, namely duels, tackles, ball recoveries and interceptions.
The fact Southampton struggled so much may directly correlate as to why Fernandes’ defensive metrics were so high but, with many forecasting a tough campaign for West Ham too, this could certainly be useful.
Thus, if the Hammers are able to secure the highly-rated Portuguese youngster for a reasonable fee, he would surely prove to be a shrewd addition.
Kudus replacement: Bellingham-esque £40m star is now West Ham's top target
West Ham need attacking difference makers, having sold Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham, hence why they’re chasing a £40m star “similar” to Bellingham.
Tottenham have opened talks to sign another player in a “separate deal from Savinho”, according to Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday, with the Lilywhites moving to support new manager Thomas Frank with late fresh faces before deadline day.
Spurs recently lost Son Heung-min to LAFC, who drew the curtain on his memorable 10-year stay at the club with an emotional farewell in Seoul, while star playmaker James Maddison is set to be absent for most of 2025/2026 with an ACL rupture.
FFC Spurs – James Maddison
This series of blows comes amid Dejan Kulusevski’s lengthy lay-off with a knee injury too, so the need for new attacking options is glaringly obvious.
Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange attempted to shore up Frank’s forward line with a £60 million deal for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White last month, and the deal was so advanced that Spurs even had a medical booked in for the Englishman.
However, after Forest blocked the move, threatened legal action and convinced Gibbs-White to commit his future to the City Ground, Tottenham were forced back to square one in pursuit of a new number 10.
With just three weeks to go until the transfer window closes on September 1, Spurs have now upped the ante in search of proven attackers to fill the voids left by Kulusevski, Son and Maddison.
On Sunday evening, it was first reported by Romano that Tottenham opened club-to-club talks with Man City over a deal for Savinho, and the Brazil international winger is open to moving down south in what would be a statement deal.
The 21-year-old is expected to cost in excess of £45 million, but considering Savinho’s age, flair, pace, proven top-level experience and contribution going forward at Eastlands, this could be a very good value deal.
Savinho bagged 13 assists in all competitions for City last season, and was a key member of the Girona side that finished third in La Liga and briefly contended for the title in 2023/2024 – racking up 21 goal contributions.
His playing style can be likened to that of ex-City and Leicester star Riyad Mahrez, with the prospect of him joining Spurs a pretty tantalising one for supporters.
Now, in another bit of very promising news, Tottenham are in negotiations for Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze as well.
Tottenham open talks for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze
Frank’s side have been linked with a potential swoop for the 27-year-old in the last few days and earlier this summer, but discussions are reliably believed to be underway.
According to Romano via X on Tuesday morning, Spurs talks for Eze have reopened, with Levy and co trying to sign the England international again as they also work on a deal for Savinho simultaneously.
What’s more, Eze is also keen on a switch to N17, dealing a major worry to arch rivals Arsenal, who’ve been actively pursuing a deal for some time.
The former QPR star’s 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last term explain just half the story, with Eze spearheading Palace to their first ever major trophy by scoring their FA Cup final-winning strike at Wembley in May.
He is by far Palace’s standout attacking asset. Eze averaged more shots at goal, key passes and successful take-ons per 90 than any of his teammates in the top flight last season, with the CAM also able to fill Tottenham’s ‘locally trained’ Champions League quota in another potential boost.
There are plenty of reasons for Tottenham to move, and even more reasons for fans to clamor for his signature.
Rohit was struck on the knee while attempting to play a pull shot and had to be attended by the physio
Alagappan Muthu22-Dec-20242:54
Pujara: With two Tests left, India the happier side
The Indian team management is not concerned about any injury worries to Rohit Sharma after the India captain was struck on the knee during practice at the MCG on Sunday and needed some attention from the physio. Fast bowler Akash Deep also took a blow while batting but later brushed any injury issues for both players aside.Rohit, who seems to be settling into his middle-order role – he let KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill face the new ball in the adjacent nets while he started batting against spin – attempted to play a pull shot but it didn’t come off and the ball cleared the top flap of the pad and hit him on the knee. He needed some treatment – elevating the leg and putting an ice pack on it – and seemed in good order by the time the session was winding up, walking around and having little chats with his team-mates and coaches.India’s trip to Melbourne has been eventful since their arrival earlier this week. There was a Virat Kohli event at the airport. A misunderstanding about Australian media filming his children on arrival. There was a Ravindra Jadeja event at the MCG. A misunderstanding about taking questions in English. And now a Rohit event at training.Related
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Akash Deep took a hit to the arm while batting and at the press conference on Sunday, he said neither blow was anything to worry about. “Such blows are common when you play cricket,” he said when asked about him and Rohit . “I think this (practice) wicket was for white ball which is why the ball kept low at times. But these blows are common in training. There are no major concerns because of that.”Rishabh Pant received plenty of attention during India’s first nets session on Saturday, spending nearly an hour talking with head coach Gautam Gambhir several yards away from all the action. Prasidh Krishna, who was initially with the India A team on tour in Australia and later brought into the senior squad ahead of the Perth Test, looked sharp. He had a good outing at the MCG in November, picking up 4 for 50 and 2 for 37 against Australia A.With the MCG nets offering public vantage points, there were several fans who came around to watch India train. A little girl who kept trying to catch their eye was unimpressed when she wasn’t able to. “If they can’t wave, they can at least smile,” she said.With the series at 1-1 and considering they haven’t gotten the better of Australian conditions in the first innings, India’s focus was understandably elsewhere. There was a fair bit of green grass on the pitch to be used for the Boxing Day Test, but with it being four days away, it is likely some of it will be shaved off. The MCG has had a drastic change in character since the last time India were here – from batting-friendly to bowling-friendly.Rohit Sharma has an ice pack on his knee after getting hit in the nets•Getty ImagesIn 2020, they bounced back from a difficult loss in Adelaide, where they were bowled out for 36, with an eight-wicket victory in Melbourne. The next Test match that the MCG hosted saw Scott Boland pick up 6 for 7 as England were knocked out for 68 in the second innings. There has only been one total of 250-plus in the two games held at the venue in this season’s Sheffield Shield.Akash Deep has had a couple of highs since making the XI in Brisbane. From No. 11, he helped India save the follow-on and belted Pat Cummins for a huge six over wide long-on. “At the time we come in to bat, scoring those 20-30 runs are very important. My mindset is to contribute in whatever way I can and that day my mindset, I didn’t think about saving the follow-on, I just didn’t want to get out. And when you do well from that situation it gives confidence and that’s the confidence that the team was able to see in me and I was really happy.”Akash Deep had a nice battle with Steven Smith as well, beating his bat on both edges, and receiving praise both on the field and later at his press conference. Despite bowling well, he only got one wicket in that first innings. “At the time, I felt like, the skill with which I bowled, a lot of the times he was getting beaten on the inside edge and the outside edge and I felt that sometimes ‘what is this luck that I have, I can’t get him out’. But then I realised that the wicket is not in our hands. What we have in our hands is just bowling well. Bowling in the right areas.”
يستعد فريق ليفربول، بقيادة المدرب آرني سلوت، لخوض عدة مباريات في مختلف المسابقات خلال شهر أكتوبر المرتقب من عام 2025، حيث يسعى النادي إلى تحقيق نتائج إيجابية.
ويتصدر ليفربول جدول الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز برصيد 15 نقطة، بعدما فاز في 5 مباريات وخسر في واحدة، في حين تأهل إلى دور الـ16 من كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية، كاراباو.
اقرأ أيضًا.. ديلي ميل: وسط حالة قلق.. سلوت ينتظر شيئًا ما من محمد صلاح قبل كأس أمم إفريقيا
كما بدأ ليفربول مشواره في مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2025/26، بفوز صعب على أتلتيكو مدريد بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين على ملعب “الأنفيلد”. مواعيد مباريات ليفربول في شهر أكتوبر 2025
تشيلسي وليفربول، الجولة السابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم السبت 4 أكتوبر 2025، 7:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.
ليفربول ومانشستر يونايتد، الجولة الثامنة من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم الأحد 19 أكتوبر 2025، 6:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.
آينتراخت وليفربول، الجولة الثالثة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، يوم الأربعاء 22 أكتوبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.
برينتفورد وليفربول، الجولة التاسعة من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم السبت 25 أكتوبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.
ليفربول وكريستال بالاس، دور الـ16 من كأس كاراباو، يوم الأربعاء 29 أكتوبر 2025، 10:45 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.
Club veteran steps down as captain after four seasons in charge
ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2024
Scott Borthwick led Durham to the Division Two title in 2023•PA Photos/Getty Images
Scott Borthwick has stepped as Durham captain but will remain an integral figure at the club after signing a two-year player-coach contract.Borthwick, 34, came through the Durham academy and played a key role in their 2013 County Championship title win. He left for Surrey in 2016, winning another Championship down south, before returning to Chester-le-Street as captain in 2021 and overseeing the club’s return to Division One.Borthwick averaged 19.77 in the Championship last season, with two fifties, but scored a maiden one-day hundred. He will continue to be available to play across formats, while taking on coaching responsibilities with the academy, pathway teams and both men’s and women’s professional squads.”I’m delighted to be taking on this new role as player-coach,” Borthwick said. “I’ve been fortunate to achieve so much as a player with this club, from an 11-year-old in the academy to being club captain – so there is nowhere I would rather start my coaching journey than with Durham.”I’m grateful to Marcus [North], Ryan [Campbell] and the coaching staff for providing me with this opportunity and I’m looking forward to learning from the talented coaches and staff we have across our teams, whilst training hard and remaining available to play and be the best possible player still.”Durham has given me so much in my career so far and I can’t wait to get started on this new chapter.”Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “Scott has been an integral part of Durham Cricket for many years and his love for the club remains as high as it ever has been. After conversations following the 2024 season, and looking ahead to the future, Scott will now move into the next stage of his career with a player-coach role, something which we see as the perfect fit as a club and for Scott.”His leadership qualities and knowledge of the game will benefit the wider club which is exciting for the players he will be working with, albeit he will remain available to play for the first team.”Scott will add real value to our support staff throughout our professional teams and pathways for both the men and women alongside his playing contributions. We look forward to playing a part in his coaching career over the next few years.”Scott’s return to club as captain back in 2021 was a critical factor in us achieving promotion back to Division One. I would like to thank him on behalf of Durham Cricket for his tremendous contribution during his four years as captain.”
It’s been an interesting summer for Arsenal so far this year.
Andrea Berta and Co have been very active in the transfer market, bringing in six new faces for Mikel Arteta so far.
Undoubtedly, the most exciting addition has to be Viktor Gyokeres, who was a lean, mean goalscoring machine for Sporting CP last season, and looked good in the club’s final pre-season game.
Gyokeres
However, while he was part of the team that picked up three points away to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, he didn’t look anything like the goal threat we saw last season.
While he’ll likely only get better as he gets used to the Premier League, Arsenal could help speed things along by signing another international ace they’ve been linked with this summer, an international who could potentially help Gyokeres hit Erling Haaland-esque numbers.
Gyokeres' underwhelming debut
While Gyokeres looked impressive against Athletic Bilbao in the Emirates Cup, scoring a header and coming incredibly close to getting another, he didn’t make a great impression on his Premier League debut on Sunday.
Granted, it was a bad day at the office for most of the side, apart from David Raya and some of the defence, but with the eyes of the league watching him to see if he could translate his sensational goalscoring form from Portugal to England, the Swedish marksman failed.
For example, in his 60 minutes of action, the Stockholm-born international failed to take a single shot – the first time that has happened in a competitive game since his days at Coventry City – was unable to complete a single dribble, played no key passes, lost ten duels and took just 22 touches, which was 25 fewer than Raya between the sticks.
Now, in his defence, there were a couple of occasions when he drove out wide before firing a ball back towards the centre in reasonably dangerous positions only for nobody to get on the end of it, but by and large, it was a debut to forget.
However, given his form over the last few years, Gyokeres will surely find his shooting boots sooner or later, and for their part, Arsenal could bring in a particular player who might be able to help him reach Haaland-esque numbers: Rodrygo.
Why Rodrygo could help Gyokeres explode
Among all the attacking players Arsenal have been linked with this summer, Rodrygo has arguably been the most exciting, and while he is now being touted for a move to Manchester City, there is supposedly still a chance the Gunners can secure his services for around £78m.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Now, on top of being an exceptional signing in his own right, why would the Real Madrid star be able to help Gyokeres’ goalscoring numbers explode this season?
Well, the first reason is that he’s already proven himself to be a reliable source of goals and assists with the Spanish giants over the last couple of years.
For example, across the 23/24 to 24/25 seasons, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.
In other words, the often “unstoppable” dynamo, as dubbed by Madrid columist Kiyan Sobhani, was averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes in that period, which is made all the more impressive by the fact he was playing everywhere but his preferred position of left-wing.
Appearances
51
54
Minutes
3707′
3452′
Goals
17
14
Assists
9
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
0.46
Minutes per Goal Involvement
142.57′
138.08′
Just imagine the numbers the Swedish goal-machine would be able to put up with the 24-year-old to his left, instead of Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka to his right – they could be Haaland-esque if things click.
Moreover, when we take a look at the former Santos gem’s underlying numbers, it quickly becomes clear that he is elite at getting the ball into dangerous areas through carrying, which for a traditional number nine like Gyokeres could be perfect.
For example, FBref ranked him in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in La Liga last season for carries into the final third, the top 3% for touches in the attacking third, the top 6% for total carrying distance, the top 10% for carries and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, with his record from the last two years being what it is, we know Gyokeres can score goals at a rate few can match, and to help him get close to those numbers again, Arsenal need to bring in a world-class left-winger like Rodrygo.
Arteta must axe 4/10 Arsenal star who was worse than Gyokeres vs Man Utd
Arsenal may have secured victory at Old Trafford but there were some negatives.
O Amazonas se recuperou na segunda rodada da Série C e bateu o América RN por 2 a 0 no último fim de semana. Campeão estadual e líder da equipe no acesso nacional em 2022, o treinador Rafael Lacerda valorizou o triunfo.
RelacionadasBotafogoMarçal, do Botafogo, revela sondagem para participar de esquema envolvendo apostasBotafogo12/05/2023Fora de CampoCasas de apostas firmam parceria com entidade para garantir ‘integridade’ do esporteFora de Campo11/05/2023Fora de CampoWeb recupera falas de Rafael Sóbis alertando sobre esquema de manipulação em apostas: ‘Se for atrás, pega um monte de gente’Fora de Campo11/05/2023
– A vitória foi importantíssima, principalmente por se tratar de uma estreia em casa. Valeu também para confirmarmos a boa atuação que tivemos no primeiro jogo, apesar da derrota. Resultado fundamental para a campanha que pretendemos realizar na Série C – disse.
No próximo domingo o clube do Norte do país visitará outro time da região. O rival será o Remo, que não vive boa fase. Rafael vê dificuldades na partida, mas crê no potencial da equipe para obter uma vitória.
– Confronto dificílimo. Adversário de camisa pesada, que vem de duas derrotas e deseja se reabilitar. Porém, acreditamos muito na qualidade da nossa equipe e vamos a Belém buscar um resultado favorável – definiu.
Australia’s allrounder has had a lean series against India with the bat and hasn’t been used significantly as a bowler
Alex Malcolm31-Dec-20243:17
Cummins: ‘One of the best Tests I’ve been part of’
Mitchell Marsh is a good chance of keeping his place for the final Test against India in Sydney despite a lean series with the bat while his lack of overs continues to be attributed to the nature of the matches rather than any fitness issues.Uncapped Tasmania allrounder Beau Webster is in the squad along with spare fast bowlers Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott if Mitchell Starc is unable to recover after suffering a back problem at the MCG or the selectors decide on other changes.Related
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Rohit on Bumrah's bowling workloads: 'We've been very careful'
Coach Andrew McDonald and captain Pat Cummins both admitted Starc was carrying an issue and bowling through pain, but believed he should be right to play in Sydney.However, Starc’s issue, and his workload across the series alongside Cummins, has highlighted the lack of contribution from Australia’s fifth bowler in Marsh. He has bowled just 33 overs across seven innings in the series (discounting the brief second innings in Brisbane), and since claiming 2 for 12 in the first innings of the series he has figures of 1 for 127 from his last 28 overs.Travis Head provided a vital match-winning breakthrough for Australia in the fourth innings at the MCG as Marsh did not bowl at all in the final two sessions despite periods where Australia’s quicks needed a rest. But McDonald insisted he has no worries about Marsh’s contributions with the ball.”No, there’s no concern,” McDonald said after the memorable victory at the MCG. “And I think people have probably been reading too much into that. We haven’t required him with the ball as often as what we would have thought. He bowled again today. His speeds are up in the high 120s [kph]. There are no injury concerns there.”I think to sort of head that down that angle is a little bit unfair. We just haven’t required him at certain times for whatever reason, so that’s more a tactical implementation, as opposed to a body. I think the amount of overs that we’ve bowling across the series is probably going to be to a benefit to us.Mitchell Marsh has had a lean series but appears likely to keep his place•Getty Images
“Across the entirety of the series, it’s been relatively light, so I’d expect both attacks to be in decent shape to be able to press [in the final Test]. So does that mean you need a fifth bowler? I think you still need a fifth bowler. But are you going to put a huge demand on the fifth bowler, potentially not.”However, Marsh’s limited contributions have further exacerbated his lean returns with the bat. The reigning Allan Border Medalist was Australia’s best Test batter last season with match-winning half-centuries in four of Australia’s six wins across series against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand. But in this series he has scored just 73 runs at 10.42, with 47 of those coming in the second innings in Perth when the game was long gone. Nathan McSweeney scored 72 at 14.40 before he was dropped for the fourth Test.Despite the poor series and a history of self-doubt, McDonald believed Marsh was in a good frame of mind.”Would he like better performances? There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “Over four Test matches, he hasn’t been able to deliver at the level that he would like and we would like, but yeah he’s up and about. We just won a Test match. He’s in a pretty good headspace.”McDonald was confident his trio of quicks could handle the short turnaround to Sydney despite Starc’s soreness.”Anytime you get through the game, it’s always a good indicator that you’re a chance at the next game,” McDonald said. “It didn’t stop him. Clearly, there was a little bit of discomfort early on in spells, but once he got warm, it seemed as though he was pretty free. [His] ball speeds were good.”We’ll see how everyone recovers. Bowling last, it was a pretty attritional game, something that we’re not used to in the last few years. Clearly Starcy’s carrying something of some description. We’ll assess that. But other than that, it looks as though we got through pretty unscathed, but [with a] short turnaround recovery is important, and we’ll assess what the team looks like in Sydney based upon the surface, as we always do.”Australia released Richardson to play a BBL game for Perth Scorchers in Adelaide on New Year’s Eve but he will return to the squad on Wednesday and McDonald was confident, despite his injury history, that he could be called upon to play if needed.”Very confident,” he said. “He’s here for a reason. So if we weren’t confident, he wouldn’t be here. He’s had a heavy week with us in the nets. All indications are he’d be capable of bowling 40-plus overs if he was called upon.”Sean Abbott’s there as well. We feel like, [the] SCG is his home ground, so he will be serviceable if called upon as well. It’ll be about assessing our frontline quicks and then making decisions from there.”Josh Inglis, who has been a reserve batter throughout the series, was withdrawn from the squad after picking up a calf strain while substitute fielding on the second day at the MCG. It has yet to be confirmed if a replacement will be named.