The SA allrounder’s century in the Guwahati Test marks a steady rise in his ability

Firdose Moonda23-Nov-20253:14

Philander: ‘Muthusamy deserves all the accolades coming his way’

If you’re surprised to be reading the words Senuran Muthusamy, Test centurion, don’t worry. You’re probably not the only one.Though Muthusamy has spent his domestic career labelled as a batting allrounder, he was picked at international level as more of a bowling allrounder. He was included in South Africa’s Guwahati XI at the expense of a seamer, rather than one of the frontline batters (remember Zubayr Hamza and Dewald Brevis are sitting on the sidelines). Still, he managed to do what no-one else has in the series so far: score a hundred.And he did it while demonstrating the perfect technique for these conditions, with a solid defence, the ability to play the ball late and levels of patience that Ravi Shastri called “meditative.” While Muthusamy himself often only goes as far as saying he is “just trying to do a job for the team,” as he did in Sunday’s post-match press conference, he also showed a skill set that ranged from navigating Mohammed Siraj in fading light on day one to negotiating Jasprit Bumrah and India’s spinners on day two.Muthusamy occupied the crease with monk-like discipline. In the early stages of his innings, he looked for runs only when he could steer the ball behind square. He had two nervy moments – one, when he was on 37 and edged Bumrah short of second slip; the other on 48, when he missed a sweep and was given out lbw to Jadeja.Related

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South Africa had just crossed 300 at the time, and his partnership with Kyle Verreynne was worth 57. Muthusamy later told the broadcasters he was so “emotional and disappointed” at losing his wicket that he just reviewed, not knowing whether there was anything that could save him. While he waited for the replays and chatted to Verreynne, Muthusamy said he realised there was the possibility the ball brushed his glove, although he didn’t feel it. When the smallest of spikes resulted in Rod Tucker’s on-field out decision being overturned, neither the Indian fielders nor Muthusamy could believe it, but that’s sport. There’s often some luck involved.Muthusamy capitalised on his, and later, revealed his improved hand-eye coordination was down to a stint with a South African sports scientist, Dr Sheryll Calder, who founded EyeGym – an organisation that works with ordinary people and athletes to sharpen motor responses.Senuran Muthusamy had an answer to everything the Indians threw at him•AFP/Getty ImagesThere was a point when Muthusamy “wasn’t sure if I’d ever play Test cricket again, and certainly not in India.” For four years after his debut in Visakhapatnam, he just went into what he called “the wilderness,” of domestic cricket, where he took 76 wickets in 24 matches at 25.15. He was looked at again when Shukri Conrad took over as head coach. Even then, Muthusamy played just one game in 2023, against West Indies in Centurion, where South Africa went all-pace but with the security of someone who could bowl spin. He only bowled eight overs in the match.Since then, Muthusamy has played six of South Africa’s 21 Tests but only appeared in consecutive matches once, in Pakistan last month where conditions called for an extra spinner. That he can bat is a bonus (especially for a coach like Conrad who places significant store in allrounders), and it’s proved more than handy in Guwahati.And let’s not forget that Muthusamy definitely can bat. His game awareness, especially of his own scoring strengths – which is something South Africa have been working on – was exemplary, and he even ventured out of his crease as his innings progressed. When he was on 68 and had seen Marco Jansen clear the ropes, Muthusamy decided he could also show aggression. Washington Sundar tossed the ball up and Muthusamy slogged it over long-on for his first six. Jansen would go on to hit six more sixes during what Muthusamy called a “sublime knock,” helping South Africa race past 400.Muthusamy and Verreynne managed just 28 runs in the first hour of play and scored at a rate of 2.23 per over, but when that partnership was broken and Jansen came in, the run-rate jumped to 5.49. Several factors, including an older ball and a flat pitch, contributed to the difference. But mostly it was Jansen.5:06

‘Extremely tactical’ hitting from Jansen

“He’s got fantastic levers, he’s a clean striker of the ball, and he really showed his skills today,” Muthusamy said. “That was a treat to watch from the other end. It was really attritional cricket out there until Marco came in and really played his shots beautifully. It was a good challenge and then awesome to just build those partnerships and really extend our first innings.”After bettering his previous career-best of 84 with a swing over midwicket, Jansen was on track for a first Test hundred, and furious with himself when he bottom-edged Kuldeep Yadav onto his stumps on 93. But South Africa could still be satisfied with their highest score in India, since the 558 for 6 declared in Nagpur in 2010. The next step is figuring out how to take wickets a surface that is still excellent for batting.Muthusamy seems to be banking on the collective experience of the South African attack more than the prospect of the surface deteriorating and taking turn as the team goes in search of a series win. “We’ll adjust accordingly to the conditions. Simon (Harmer), Kesh(av Maharaj), and myself have got a lot of experience,” he said. “Simon’s got over 1,000 first-class wickets and Kesh has over 200 international wickets, so there’s a vast amount of experience, and I look forward to seeing how things unfold.”Don’t forget Muthusamy has 277 first-class wickets, including 11 in the Lahore Test last month, which contributed to him earning the Player-of-the-Series award. He also scored 89* in the Rawalpindi game, giving South Africa a match-winning lead, and showing the full range of what he offers. Perhaps he shouldn’t be categorised as either a batting allrounder or a bowling allrounder, but rather what he thinks he is. “I see myself as an allrounder,” he said, no caveat attached besides this one. “And it’s tough being a spinning allrounder in South Africa. Conditions are a lot different to the subcontinent. But when we get an opportunity to come to the subcontinent, we really look forward to it.”

Partex Sporting Club get out of relegation zone with dramatic win while Rakibul Hasan and Nahid Rana shine with the ball

Mohammad Isam27-Mar-2025

Key takeaways

Abahani Limited have taken the lead in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, as it goes into the Eid break. Abahani are now on 14 points, while Gazi Group Cricketers and Mohammedan Sporting Club are on 12 points each. With eight rounds of matches complete, Abahani have taken a significant step towards defending their title.It was a good week for Prime Bank Cricket Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club, who like Abahani won both their matches this week. Mohammedan sealed a seven-wicket win against Shinepukur Cricket Club, but their regular captain fielded for just one over and was rushed to a hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Best batters

Gazi Group’s Anamul Haque reached 500 runs in a Dhaka Premier League season for the seventh time, and became the first to cross the landmark in the 2024-25 season. He struck an unbeaten 149 against Mohammedan last week, following it up with an unbeaten 144 against Gulshan Cricket Club this week. Anamul started the season with two ducks, but now has scored at least a fifty in five of the last six innings, with his other score being 48.

Best bowlers

Left-arm spinner <Rakibul Hasan and speedster Nahid Rana took four-wicket hauls against Dhanmondi Sporting Club in Abahani’s five-wicket win in Mirpur. Due to workload management, Rana is playing only selective matches for Abahani this season, but he has made an impact. Rana has nine wickets from his four outings, while Rakibul leads the wicket-takers with 17 scalps.

Best match

Partex Sporting Club dragged themselves off the relegation zone (bottom three) in dramatic fashion, beating the high-flying Agrani Bank Cricket Club by one wicket. Their middle-order batter Mohammad Rakib was the hero, remaining unbeaten on 80 off 103 balls with five sixes and as many fours. Rakib kept his cool as four wickets fell in the last four overs. With ten runs required off the last over, Rakib first struck a boundary before getting dropped at long-on. He struck another straight boundary before No 11 Abdul Gaffar took a cheeky single off the last ball to win the game.

Points to ponder

Agrani Bank and Dhanmondi lost both their matches this week. Though Agrani Bank remains in the top six, the big-budgeted Dhanmondi slipped to No. 8 in the points table. Shinepukur and Rupganj Tigers remain at the bottom with just two points each.

Players to watch

Samiun Basir became only the third bowler in Bangladesh’s List-A history to take a five-wicket haul on debut. He took 5 for 27 playing for Legends of Rupganj against Rupganj Tigers in Mirpur. Samiun has a classic left-arm spinner’s action, and likes to float the ball to the batter. He also can spin the ball, which would be an asset going forward.

Facing a no-out, bases-loaded jam against the Reds on Wednesday night, Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired three straight batters to help carry a 3-2 L.A. lead through another half-inning.

The 27-year-old forced Ke'Bryan Hayes into a fielder's choice before striking out Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz to leave the 6th inning unscathed.

After making De La Cruz look foolish with an 80-mile-per-hour curve ball for a third strike swinging, Yamamoto let out all of the emotions—and turned in this epic reaction:

Awesome stuff.

The Dodgers' offense went on to score four more runs in the ensuing half inning to give their team, and their pitcher, some insurance while taking a 6-2 lead.

Yamamoto was ultimately pulled after an outing that saw him allow just two unearned runs and four hits while striking out nine across 6 2/3 innings. With a win, the Dodgers will advance to the NLDS and take on the Philadelphia Phillies.

Old Firm weeks are never quiet in Glasgow, but this one has been off the scale.

On Monday night, completely out of the blue, Brendan Roders resigned as Celtic manager, not the first time he has abruptly departed the club, despite reiterating “without any avoidance of doubt, I will be here next year 200%” following last season’s Premiership title was clinched at Tannadice in April.

However, in the intervening six months, plenty has clearly changed, with owner Dermot Desmond releasing a scathing statement against Rodgers following his resignation, blaming him for creating a ‘toxic atmosphere around the club that had fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team’ and describing the manager’s actions as ‘divisive, misleading, and self-serving’.

Fair to say, he’s probably not returning for a third time!

With Martin O’Neill back in interim charge for now, ahead of Sunday’s Glasgow derby at Hampden, all eyes are on who will be the next appointment, so should the board target a manager currently coaching in the Champions League?

Whether Ange Postecoglou could return to Celtic

Of course, the populist appointment would be to re-hire Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian is out of work following his ill-fated 39 days in charge of Nottingham Forest, but is still ultra-popular in Glasgow’s East End, having won five trophies across two seasons in charge of the club, turning the team around after Rangers had won the Premiership title by 25 points the year before.

However, Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports reports that a Postecoglou​​​​​​​ return to Parkhead is ‘very unlikely’ as he seeks to take a break from football, but would he actually be the right appointment anyway?

Well, Celtic do love re-hiring managers, with Neil Lennon, Rodgers and now O’Neill all given second stints; since 2000, only seven men have managed Celtic, three of which have had multiple spells.

However, despite Europa League glory in May, thereby ending Spurs’ infamous trophy draught, Postecoglou’s reputation may be seriously damaged, considering he’s lost 31 of his last 48 Premier League matches, accumulating just 45 points across this period, his teams conceding 91 goals.

So, rather than looking to the past, seeking to recapture former glories, Desmond, Peter Lawwell​​​​​​​ and Michael Nicholson should look forwards and target a “workaholic”.

Celtic should target Champions League-level manager

Plenty of managers have been linked with the vacancy in the past few days, including Kieran McKenna, Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy and Kjetil Knutsen, but Nicky Hayen is surely the outstanding candidate on the radar so far.

As per the aforementioned Sky Sports report, Hayen is a figure that the Parkhead hierarchy are currently ‘tracking’, albeit with it yet to be seen if they will be able to prise him mid-season.

The 45-year-old has been a coach for over a decade, holding a variety of managerial and assistant roles, including briefly being the manager of Haverfordwest County​​​​​​​ in the Cymru Premier, winning six of 11 games in charge of the Bluebirds from Pembrokeshire.

He then took the job as Club Brugge’s youth team manager, before becoming their senior head coach on an interim basis when former Celtic boss Ronny Deila was sacked in March 2024.

Well, during his caretaker stint, he won nine of 14 matches, losing only once, leading the Blue-Blacks to the Conference League semi-finals and clinching the Jupiler Pro League title on the final day.

This earned him the job on a permanent basis, and his record at Jan Breydelstadion is very impressive.

As the table notes, since winning the Belgian league title during his interim spell, he has continued to rack up domestic victories, beating Anderlecht 2-1 in May’s Coupe de Belgique Final in Brussels, albeit they were pipped to the league title by Royale Union Saint-Gilloise​​​​​​​ on the final day.

Meantime, in the Champions League, thanks to wins over Sturm Graz, Aston Villa and Sporting, as well as a hotly-contested 1-1 draw at Parkhead, Club Brugge reached the knockout stages last season, springing a major surprise by dumping out Atalanta, before eventually falling at Villa Park in the round of 16.

All of this has earned Hayen high praise, with Rob Edwards, chairman of Haverfordwest, labelling him a “workaholic”, adding that he favours a possession-based style, delighted that his club is associated with ‘undoubtedly one of the hottest properties in the world of football’.

Meantime, Will Unwin of the Guardian documents how Hayen does ‘not change his philosophy’, wanting to ‘keep the ball and pass through opponents’, with Jack Chippendale of Total Football Analysis praising his tactical masterclass in Bergamo last year.

To start this Champions League campaign, Club Brugge claimed a result Celtic supporters would have enjoyed, demolishing Rangers 9-1 on aggregate in the play-off round, before commencing the league phase with a 4-1 annihilation of Monaco.

​​​​​This European pedigree will certainly catch the eye of the decision makers at Celtic Park, considering the Hoops’ lack of continental victories over the last two decades and more.

Of course, getting Hayen out of Brugge certainly will not be easy, especially mid-season, but this would surely be a slam-dunk appointment, with the 45 year old very much on the up, while the same surely cannot be said of Postecoglou, despite how popular he will forever be.

Rodgers upgrade: Celtic have "kamikaze" title-winning manager on the radar

Celtic have a manager on their radar who could come in as a big upgrade on Brendan Rodgers.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 29, 2025

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.

Northern Superchargers 193 for 5 (Malan 58, Crawley 45) beat Birmingham Phoenix 157 for 9 (Bethell 48, Livingstone 46*, Potts 3-26, Lawes 2-23, Rashid 2-26, Duffy 2-31) by 36 runsAn absorbing game in front of a capacity Leeds crowd finally went the way of Harry Brook’s Superchargers, who claimed top spot outright in the men’s Hundred following another scintillating batting performance against Birmingham Phoenix.In pursuit of the Superchargers’ 193 for 5 – the highest score in the men’s tournament since the 2023 season – a magnificent partnership of 80 in just 42 balls between Phoenix’s Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell briefly threatened to upset the odds, but the brilliance of Adil Rashid, who removed Bethell caught-and-bowled with 87 still needed from 38 balls, ultimately swung the momentum back to the home team.Livingstone kept swinging after Bethell’s departure but Rashid’s guile was too much for the Phoenix hitters. In a game dominated by the bat, on a flat pitch with a lightning fast outfield, it was the great legspinner who once again proved to be the difference, outfoxing Livingstone with his 17th delivery to settle the contest.The Phoenix top order again failed to fire, with three wickets falling in the powerplay – two of them to the excellent Matthew Potts, who finished up with three. Phoenix now face an uphill task to qualify for the latter stages of the competition.With the bat, the Superchargers’ superb top four were yet again irrepressible. Zak Crawley and Dawid Malan continued their fruitful opening partnership, adding 67 in 31 balls – Crawley was particularly savage on anything wide, racking up six fours and two sixes in his 23-ball stay – before Michael Pepper and then Brook took centre stage.Brook opened his account with an outrageous scoop for six off his first ball, and finished with 31 from just 14 deliveries as the home side added 40 in the last 20 balls.With three wins in four, Andrew Flintoff’s team are emerging as one of the teams to beat in this year’s tournament.Rashid, named the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “I thought we played exceptionally well. We put a great score on the board, which allowed us bowlers to go out there and attack to take wickets. We’ve got world class players all the way through and great firepower in the middle order.”I know their batters are going to come hard at me, so I need to be unpredictable and mix it up. It’s useful for me because I’ve bowled to a lot of these boys in the nets, so I know their strengths and weaknesses as well, which all plays a part. You’re always learning every day, and hopefully I’ll keep learning until the day comes when I hang up the boots.”

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

With teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius set to open with him, Rickelton could be thrust into the senior role

Firdose Moonda06-Aug-2025There’s no Quinton de Kock, or Temba Bavuma, or Reeza Hendricks. While it has not been confirmed that the first of those has retired from the T20Is and the other two are completely out of the picture (though Bavuma probably is), South Africa will be looking at a new opening pair for the next T20 World Cup. Enter Ryan Rickelton and Lhuan-dre Pretorius.Both are left-handed and both are wicketkeepers. They have 18 T20I caps, two half-centuries and a decade in age between them. That means Rickelton, who enjoyed a breakthrough summer in Tests and ODIs for South Africa and played in his first IPL, could be thrust into the senior role even as he looks to cement himself in the side. How might that alter his usually aggressive approach to batting? Not at all, he said.”I’m still trying to establish myself in the T20 side but I don’t think there’ll be any expectation for me to change anything that I’ve been doing in these last two years,” Rickelton said from Darwin, where South Africa are set to play a three-match T20Is series against Australia starting Sunday. “It’s just an opportunity for me to hopefully claim that opening spot for this South African side, going into the World Cup and further on past that.”Related

• Markram, Bavuma return for SA's white-ball tour of Australia

• Owen earns ODI call-up to face South Africa, Labuschagne retained

South Africa play three T20Is and will have the experience of regular captain Aiden Markram back in the top order and Rassie van der Dussen in the middle order, which Rickelton believes will allow him to continue to play his natural game. “The way the team is structured fits the mould of how they want me to play too, so I’m pretty comfortable with what’s required,” he said. “I am always looking to land that first punch and get the side off to a good start no matter who’s alongside me at the top.”Rickelton, Markram, as well as other returnees Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada, were all rested from the tri-series tournament in Zimbabwe as South Africa gear up for eight months of almost non-stop cricket. After the Australia tour, they will play white-ball cricket in England before starting their World Test Championship defence in Pakistan. That will be followed by an all-format tour of India, the SA20, a brief home series against West Indies and the T20 World Cup. Those five, and some others, will then go on to play in the IPL which will extend their active time to ten months. For someone like Rickelton, who did not play the MLC this year, the schedule has already provided lessons in workload management which he will draw on as the next busy period looms.”This was my first IPL year and it’s long three months in India which can really stretch you, mentally more than anything,” he said. “I would still like to play leagues when the opportunity comes along and next year there’s a break after the IPL so there’s some space in between.”Once you get to the groove of playing a lot of cricket, it can be really nice when you’re playing quite well but it can also be quite dark if you’re not playing too well. It’s more trying to manage the space mentally. That’s probably the balance that I’m trying to walk at the moment.”Ryan Rickelton opened for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025•AFP/Getty Images

Rickelton can already see the challenge of that task. Since being part of the squad that won the WTC final at Lord’s in June, Rickelton has had six weeks off while Pretorius made his Test debut against Zimbabwe (and scored a century) and was moved around the T20I batting order from opening to No. 5 and back up.”I haven’t been hitting the ball too well these last couple of days but I’m not too worried. We’ve played a lot of cricket this year already and it’s not something that you just lose full stop. It will take a few more sessions for me to get going,” he said. “But I’m watching the rest of the guys, they’re really hitting the ball quite nicely and you can see the guys that have been playing are moving a lot better than a few of the guys that have taken a little bit of time off.”All of that changes from this week when South Africa press play on what is set to be an important period as they build under all-format coach Shukri Conrad, with two ICC tournaments and a new WTC cycle ahead of them.”If you look at the fixtures lined up for the T20 World Cup, we’ve got some big competition and some big rivals,” Rickelton said. “If we can put a good foot forward and play quite well and match what we want to try and replicate in a few months’ time, especially against quality opposition, that’s really important to the team and the individuals as well. We spoke about it as a group, we have an opportunity to try and win a series in Australia, which doesn’t come around that often, and we’re looking forward to obviously cementing our own places and playing well for South Africa.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Torcedores do ABC foram abordados pela Polícia durante a partida do Mais Querido contra o Santa Cruz-RN, pelo Campeonato Potiguar, no último sábado (6). O motivo, porém, é um tanto peculiar: os alvinegros estavam acompanhando a partida “escondidos” em colina ao lado do Estádio Manoel Dantas Barretto, o Barretão.

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➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

Durante a transmissão, era possível ver um grupo de torcedores do ABC assistindo à partida em local inapropriado, em cima de um morro ao lado da arquibancada. Já próximo do final do jogo, a Polícia chegou e abordou os presentes no local, o famoso “baculejo”. Não há informação sobre possíveis detidos.

Antes mesmo da partida, boa parte da torcida do ABC vinha criticando os preços dos ingressos para o setor visitante. As entradas para o duelo fora de casa, no Barretão, custavam entre 50 (meia-entrada) e 100 reais (inteira).

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Além do inconveniente com os torcedores, o ABC saiu derrotado por 2 a 0 diante do Santa Cruz-RN. O jogo foi válido pela semifinal da segunda fase do Campeonato Potiguar. Com o resultado, o Mais Querido não tem mais chances de ser campeão do estadual neste ano.

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ABC-RN

Across two Tests and three innings, they bowled unchanged for 89.5 overs, turning into Pakistan’s two-man answer to Bazball

Danyal Rasool24-Oct-2024Plenty had happened since Pakistan last made a bowling change. They had won a first home Test in four years. The entirety of the knockout stages of the Women’s T20 World Cup had taken place. New Zealand had won their first Test in India in 35 years. Pakistan’s newly-formed selection committee had travelled from Multan to Rawalpindi alongside the chief curator Tony Hemming, and, in what vaguely felt like a crime against horticulture, heated, fanned, sunned, shaded and raked 22 yards of soil to subvert its natural characteristics.Spanning eight days, three England innings and two cities, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali had thrown themselves into the cause with the zeal of men who could barely believe they had been called on. It appeared that their surprise was matched by that of their head coach, who had, twice in the past two days, made clear to anyone who would listen that none of this was his plan. But having bowled Sajid and Noman in tandem for the final 15 overs of England’s first innings last week in Multan, Shan Masood, who had similarly had his wings clipped, stuck with them for all of their second. Sajid and Noman were then entrusted with the new ball in Pindi – the first time a Pakistan side had ever opened a Test with two spinners – and they simply carried on.Related

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• Stokes bullish after defeat: 'We've got the best top six in England'

• Captain Stokes loses his sheen as Rawalpindi return ends in flat defeat

• Sajid and Noman revel in the moment as Pakistan's plans come together

• 'No excuses' says Brendon McCullum as England succumb to Pakistan's spin cycle

Lunch was taken, and yet, when play resumed, there was no change. Like one of those Fantasy Football games where, once locked out of your account, you can never go back in to make changes, Pakistan kept to their last default setting. On commentary, Ramiz Raja worried about the two spinners tiring their fingers out, but, having played no first-class cricket since January, Pakistan’s new 31- and 38-year-old saviours were making up for lost time.The journalists were briefly ushered out of the press box to commemorate a milestone, with the PCB having prepared a cake to mark English journalist Scyld Berry’s 500th Test match. When everyone returned, Sajid and Noman were still bowling; they might as well have been there before Berry made his debut.The pleasant morning gave way to a warm afternoon, and the crowd gradually built up. The stadium announcer was doing his best to keep them animated, rousing them into cries of Sajid and Noman, but swiftly found himself out of ideas beyond that. If he was anything like the DJ in Multan, whose entire playlist was a shuffle between Wonderwall and Skyfall, that admittedly didn’t take much.In truth, though, when the change finally happened was merely a statistical curiosity. There was not once in what would become 89.5 unbroken overs from the pair that a change was required and passed up. This Pindi surface, after all the ignominies visited upon it, was taking spin from the outset, and few bowlers in Pakistan currently can exploit that better than Sajid and Noman.Noman preyed on Zak Crawley’s impatience at a crucial point in the first session, when England’s openers appeared to have countered the spin threat in a 56-run stand, slowing the pace down – a tactic the left-arm spinner has employed cannily through his career – and landing it wide. Earlier that over, he’d beaten Crawley with a perfect delivery that drifted in landed on middle, and ripped past Crawley’s outside edge. This, by contrast, looked like a loosener, and Crawley snatched at it, slicing it to gully.Sajid Khan finished with figures of 6 for 128•Getty ImagesSajid found an area outside off stump from where he could turn his offbreak at pace, and stuck with it. His knack of in-match problem-solving helped Pakistan turn around the second Test, and he found turn to trap Ollie Pope and Joe Root in quick succession – the latter with a ripper that even Root’s quick hands were unable to keep out.By now, the pitch’s demons were making no effort to conceal themselves. Ben Duckett had battled for his half-century on a surface designed specifically to preclude him from doing so. But no batter, however set, could have accounted for the one that just about rolled along the ground after landing on middle. It barely hit him above the ankle; he hardly had enough time to shoot the surface a look of disgust before the umpire sent him on his way. There were cackles in the crowd, and even the Pakistan players’ delight was tempered by the acceptance that this wasn’t a manner of dismissal usually found in the first session of day one.But it’s often too easy to treat and the moustache-twirling, thigh slapping Sajid as gentle, harmless figures of fun. Their presence in the side can be explained away by Pakistan’s chaotic desperation, their success as a product of pitch preparation. The pitch was expected to hold itself together for a couple of days, but if these two were getting wickets, it must have been crumbling apart. Even when in the wickets, as they have been since they were called up, the marketability of Sajid and Noman – combined age 69 and combined hairline to match – doesn’t hold a candle to Pakistan’s quicks, thick luscious hair and all. Even ESPNcricinfo has been guilty of this in the past, only talking Noman up if it could be done through the prism of Naseem Shah’s wider appeal.But it is when things got deadly serious that Pakistan turned to Sajid and Noman. Jamie Smith, the only batter to comprehensively pass Pakistan’s death-by-spin test, called Sajid a “fantastic bowler”; having missed the first Test, he is already the series’ highest wicket-taker. It is the presence of these two that emboldened Pakistan to try out this drastic change of strategy in the first place, confident that their quality on helpful surfaces would overcome their rust. Masood’s rallying call over the last fortnight has been 20 wickets; the two have managed 29 in three days of bowling. You’d have to require incredible commitment to the bit if you handed them 90 consecutive overs for a bit of a laugh.Sajid, too, gently pushed back against insinuations that his wickets haul was down only to the surfaces. “This wicket isn’t like Multan,” he said. “The ball gets soft after 25-30 overs. In Multan, even with a softer ball, you get assistance from the pitch. This wicket is not like that. There were some good balls, but also poor shots from them. Wickets don’t get given to you here. You have to vary the pace, use the crease, and that’s how I got my wickets.”Forty-two overs into England’s innings, Pakistan finally made a change. With England’s seventh-wicket partnership beginning to blossom, Zahid Mahmood stepped up from Pavilion End. He banged in a long hop to Gus Atkinson, and was pulled away to deep midwicket.Sajid and Noman were no longer bowling together, and everyone could tell.