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Victory against Namibia will ensure progress to the Super Eights and no points or run rate are carried over to the next stage

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-20244:28

Paine: England’s white-ball teams are living in the past

Australia have the opportunity to plot England’s downfall at the T20 World Cup 2024 and could jeopardise their rivals’ prospects of qualifying for the Super Eights by resting players in their final group-stage match against Scotland.Andrew McDonald, their coach, repeatedly insisted on Monday that his players are focused on their game against Namibia in Antigua on Tuesday night. If they win, Australia will qualify for the Super Eights with a match to spare. With their seeding in Group 1 of the Super Eights predetermined, they would then enter Saturday’s fixture against Scotland with no pressure on the result.”[Against] Namibia, we need a win to guarantee ourselves a way through,” McDonald said about the prospect of resting players against Scotland. “And then after that, once we’ve firmed up that qualification, then we can start to look at that potential if we feel like it’s necessary… we know if we win this one, then we get the ‘Q’ next to our name.”Related

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England are defending T20 world champions but have just a single point from their first two games: a washout against Scotland and a comprehensive 36-run defeat to Australia on Saturday. It leaves them needing to register convincing wins over Oman and Namibia to overturn a net run-rate (NRR) deficit to Scotland, who have already beaten both teams.Scotland have the added advantage of playing the final group game, putting them on the right side of an information asymmetry with England. Hypothetically, they could find themselves in a scenario where Australia set them, for example, 200 to win – but both teams would know that Scotland might only need to score 150 to keep their NRR ahead of England’s and thereby qualify for the Super Eights.”We’re not really focused on England and where they’re at,” McDonald said. “We played them, we’ve moved past them and we’ll do what’s important to us within those [remaining] games… England have clearly got their own work to do in the next couple of games.”We were put in a similar situation in the last T20 World Cup [in 2022] where we had to chase the net run-rate. It’s always difficult, you’re always dependent on other results and it’s not a nice situation to be in. But that’s for them to work through, not us.”McDonald said that he believes NRR is the best possible tie-breaker: “I don’t think there’s any other way of really doing it. It creates interest.” But he hinted at some frustration that Australia’s record will be wiped clean in the second league phase, as well as the fact that winning Group B would not affect their status as second seeds [B2] heading into the Super Eights.Josh Inglis is one of the squad players who could potentially have an outing against Scotland•Getty Images

“The only thing is that you don’t carry your NRR through to the Super Eights, which is a little bit interesting. The whole tournament starts again. I would have liked to have seen the benefit of the early rounds, and what you were able to do in the early rounds, even right down to the seeds. We’re seeded No. 2. We can’t change that seeding, so it doesn’t change what happens in the Super Eights for us.”In football’s World Cups, teams in the same group play the final round of fixtures simultaneously to avoid situations where sporting integrity could be compromised. That has been a norm ever since a 1982 match – known as the Disgrace of Gijón – which saw West Germany and Austria collude on a result which suited both teams.Asked if cricket could consider a similar system, McDonald drew a comparison with Australian Rules Football: “You’d have to have a rolling schedule, wouldn’t you, to work out what was going to happen and unfold? I know other sports do that now: they don’t lock away their later rounds until they’ve seen the first part of the season.”That’s probably more an AFL lens on that. But I think sometimes you’re a beneficiary of that position, and other times you’re not. So, whatever unfolds, there might be a way for teams to work out whether they’re going through the Super Eights or not.”Australia could play five times in 10 days if they reach the final in Barbados on June 29, and McDonald said their management are conscious of player workloads ahead of Tuesday’s fixture. “We’ve got a short turnaround from the England game into this one. There’s travel involved… we believe that whatever XI we put out there, it’s going to be very, very strong.”Clearly there’s a great challenge there for teams to navigate through the Super Eights: game, travel, game, travel, game. It’s going to be difficult in how you manage your resources and make sure they are ready to perform with short turnarounds. There’s a bit of an art to that. It may not necessarily be a locked XI through that period for teams. But they’re hypotheticals: we’ve got Namibia in front of us first.”

Everton manager David Moyes is prepared to enforce sweeping changes this summer after guiding his team, hitherto imperilled, toward safety since re-joining in January.

Incomings will flood through the gates at some stage, but for now, some house-keeping. Ashley Young, Asmir Begovic and Abdoulaye Doucoure are among the first-teamers set to depart when their contracts expire next month.

The biggest presence, Doucoure, has done a lot for Everton, not least scoring against Bournemouth on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign to preserve the club’s long-sustained Premier League status, but he’s 33 next year and the top earner besides at £130k per week.

With Dwight McNeil and Charly Alcaraz in the fold (the latter should sign after his loan spell), number ten isn’t actually the priority position for Moyes though.

However, signing a new striker is definitely an urgent job for the Toffees as they step into the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton need a new striker

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is out of contract at the end of the season, but the 28-year-old striker has not been named as one of the outgoing players.

If Everton are to keep him on the books, it shouldn’t come at the expense of a fresh signing, for Calvert-Lewin has only scored three goals across 25 Premier League games this term.

Beto has been a man reborn under Moyes’ wing, but is still prone to some misfires and Armando Broja, whose loan spell at Goodison Park has been ruined by injury, will return to Chelsea after this weekend’s culminating fixture against Newcastle United.

Everton desperately need to sign a new number nine, having only scored 41 goals in the league this season; the three relegated sides are the only ones to have bagged fewer.

While it’s easier said than done, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes one of English football’s most sought-after stars would be wise to make the move to Bramley-Moore Dock in the coming months.

Carragher urges Moyes to sign PL star

On Monday Night Football, following Liverpool’s defeat at Brighton, Carragher was critical of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap’s potential transfer to Manchester United.

As per The Athletic, the 17th-place Red Devils have held executive meetings to determine whether a deal for the Englishman is feasible, with Chelsea also keen.

Moyes has been candid about his side’s own hopes of completing a move, and it’s something Carragher seems to agree with, believing the 22-year-old’s development would be best served in a talismanic berth on Merseyside.

Delap has a £30m release clause in his contract, which became active after the Tractor Boys’ relegation was sealed toward the end of April.

Though it’s been a pretty miserable campaign for Kieran McKenna’s newly-promoted team, Delap can hold his head high after scoring 12 goals from 32 starting appearances in the Premier League, praised as being “very strong” and a “powerful runner” by Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, who seems keen.

Delap’s physicality and natural-born clinical edge may well see him become Everton’s finest centre-forward in a long time, perhaps even since the days of Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku joined Everton from Chelsea for £28m (a similar fee) in July 2014 after a successful season-long loan spell at the outfit, and though he’s plied a nomadic career for himself, the 32-year-old devoted four prolific campaigns to the Blues cause.

Delap differs from the well-known Lukaku, but he’s similarly brutish in applying his physicality, eager to outmuscle his opponents and marry that presence with a deceptive swiftness and a sharp shooting sense.

As you can see below, Delap has maintained a comparatively superior level of prolificness to Everton’s existing strikers, also matching a combativeness that can be observed through high numbers in the duel.

Matches (starts)

36 (32)

29 (14)

25 (19)

Goals

12

8

3

Assists

2

0

1

Goal conversion

18%

16%

6%

Shots (on target)*

1.9 (0.9)

1.6 (0.8)

1.9 (0.8)

Big chances missed

10

12

14

Pass completion

62%

58%

64%

Key passes*

0.6

0.3

0.3

Dribbles*

1.1

0.7

0.4

Duels won*

4.3

5.0

5.0

And, of course, he’s far more progressive in his ball-carrying, something perhaps more clearly underscored by data-led platform FBref, who record Delap to rank among the top 13% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues this term for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90.

Lukaku has been noted to ‘run like a wrecking ball’ by The Athletic’s Carl Anka in his heyday, and given the success Everton gleaned from the goal machine’s inward tactical database, extracting the raw quality of his skill set and building a team perfectly framed to promote his talent, Delap may well be curious at following suit to kick on over the next few years.

Given that the goalscorer used to be on Manchester City’s books as an academy player, a further similarity with Lukaku can be found, amid his initial stint at Chelsea. Let’s not forget too, the Belgian had one of the most fruitful spells of his storied career at Everton, posting 87 goals and 27 assists across 166 displays.

Described as a “wrecking ball” earlier in the campaign by Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones, just like Lukaku, Delap has what it takes to become a bona fide superstar in English football.

But would moving to Manchester be the most prudent for him right now? Old Trafford has proven to be a hotbed for stagnation and even regression over the past decade, and this is a player who needs balmy conditions so he can continue to foster his skills.

Imagine him & Ndiaye: Everton could see £12m bid accepted for PL midfielder

Everton are ready to make a series of signings for David Moyes this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair May 19, 2025

Aston Villa’s name will not be etched on the FA Cup this season after a disastrous day out to Wembley at the semi-final stages saw Unai Emery’s Villans be humbled 3-0 by Oliver Glasner’s breathless Crystal Palace.

With no knock-out Champions League football on the menu now either, Villa’s sole goal rests on clinching a finish inside the Premier League’s top five to play amongst Europe’s elite once more.

Whatever does transpire, Villa could be facing a losing battle to keep Morgan Rogers situated at Villa Park past this season, with the rumour mill suggesting that the 22-year-old might be off very soon.

The latest on Morgan Rogers' future at Aston Villa

Rogers isn’t the only notable first-team face that could soon be heading for the exit door, with reports also surfacing that long-standing Villa servant Ollie Watkins is a wanted man by Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal.

The Independent claims that Chelsea are the Premier League club sniffing around for Rogers’ services, on the other hand, with a worry that Emery’s side might have to sign off on this departure reluctantly, owing to PSR rules.

The electric number 27 has shone throughout the season both down the wing and as a number ten, so it should come as no shock that Enzo Maresca’s Blues are keen, considering they are also weighing up moves for Jamie Gittens and Ademola Lookman to revolutionise their attacking options.

But, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom at Villa Park if Rogers does up and leave this summer, with a move for this sensational wonderkid finally getting over the line somewhat lessening the blow.

The "elite" long-term Rogers replacement

Obviously, losing a player of the 22-year-old’s unbelievable quality wouldn’t be ideal, with Rogers now up to a blistering 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season from 50 clashes.

But, it could push Villa to go back out into the market to fish for their next up-and-coming talent in a similar vein to the ex-Manchester City youngster, with long-term target Sverre Nypan potentially ticking a lot of boxes in this regard. Indeed, recent reports from Fabrizio Romano last week suggest they are ‘closing in’ on an agreement for the wonderkid’s signing.

The Champions League aspiring outfit took an almighty risk on Rogers coming good when he joined the building for around the £15m mark just last year, only for him to now be worth around the gigantic £100m price range.

Therefore, Villa will hope another risky gamble on their end to land the 18-year-old Rosenborg sensation works out, considering the attack-oriented menace continues to take his native Norway by storm in a similar way to the newly-capped Englishman

Nypan’s league numbers for Rosenborg (2024)
Stat (* = per 90 mins)	Nypan
Games played	28
Games started	25
Goals scored	8
Assists	7
Big chances missed	8
Big chances created	7
Total duels won*	5.4
Stats by Sofascore

Already off the mark for Rosenborg during their new Eliteserien campaign, Villa’s interest in the Norway U21 international would have been piqued before this, with his league numbers for his boyhood club last season also standing out massively.

Indeed, despite starting just 25 games, Nypan would close out the season with a weighty 15 goal contributions tallied up, leading to the likes of Arsenal also allegedly eyeing up the Nordic ace to try and claim their next version of Martin Odegaard.

In Villa’s case, landing Nypan’s signature would be all about trying to fill the potential void left behind by Rogers, with the teenager further showing himself to be a viable long-term replacement when you look at his adaptability to play as a striker, away from his usual midfield duties.

Hailed as an “elite potential talent” data analyst by Ben Mattinson just this year, it does seem like only a matter of time before a notable outfit takes a punt on Nypan, with Villa needing to exercise patience – much like they did with Rogers – to get the very best out of the Scandinavian starlet.

Their new Grealish: NSWE backing Aston Villa move for "ridiculous" PL star

Aston Villa’s owners are prepared to back a move for the Premier League star.

By
Dan Emery

Apr 29, 2025

Since the arrival of Graham Potter, West Ham United have opted for a more defensive approach, often starting in a back five, looking to have extra solidity in the side.

However, this has come at a cost, with the Hammers only scoring 33 goals this season, ranking 16th in the Premier League for goals scored per game.

West Ham are only averaging 47.4% possession, and whilst it is a big increase from last campaign’s 40.1% possession average, it still ranks 15th in the Premier League in this metric. The Hammers also only average 12.9 shots per game, ranking 12th in this metric in the division.

It is clear Potter himself knows his side has to improve, but getting to the summer and allowing him to invest in some players to help implement his style of play to a better degree would be a huge positive, with links already beginning to emerge for some summer targets.

West Ham targeting the next Kudus

According to reports from journalist Graeme Bailey, West Ham are interested in FC Twente star, Sem Steijn. Other Premier League clubs such as Bournemouth, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Wolves are also scouting the youngster, who has been excellent in the Eredivisie this season.

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder has made 39 appearances for FC Twente this season, scoring 26 goals and providing six assists in his 3,129 minutes played. Whilst English clubs have already sent scouts to watch the young midfielder, reports also suggest interest is emerging from Germany and France.

As we know, West Ham have already had success when buying from the Eredivisie, signing Mohammed Kudus back in 2023, joining from Ajax for a fee worth around £38m.

Why Steijn could be the next Kudus

Since joining the club, Kudus has made 72 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 17 goals, providing eight assists and totalling 5,634 minutes played. His form has tailed off in the 2024/25 campaign, but his debut Premier League season was certainly explosive, showing exactly what the 24-year-old has to offer.

Goals

0.37

0.75

Assists

0.17

0.16

xG

0.23

0.29

xAG

0.14

0.03

Progressive Carries

3.99

1.03

Progressive Passes

2.96

3.21

Shots Total

2.52

2.96

Key Passes

1.14

2.05

Shot-Creating Actions

3.52

2.05

When comparing the underlying metrics of Kudus in his first season at West Ham and Steijn’s current season in the Eredivisie, the 23-year-old comes out on top in five of the nine metrics analysed, offering better goal output, generating more xG, taking more shots, making more progressive passes and more key passes per 90.

Football Wonderkids on X (formerly Twitter) labeled Steijn a “ruthless” goalscorer, which is something the Hammers desperately need, even if it doesn’t come from the centre-forward. Adding that extra goal threat will only improve the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Kudus too, having a big overall impact on the side.

Whilst not all things are linear, Kudus’ integration from the Eredivisie to the Premier League could be a good sign for West Ham when recruiting “Twente’s biggest jewel” – in the words of talent scout Jacek Kulig – with the Hammers clearly hoping if they do choose to sign the 23-year-old, he could come and have an instant impact.

Best signing since Bowen: West Ham struck gold on £90k-p/w "game-changer"

West Ham have struck gold on their “game-changer” who is easily their best signing since Bowen.

ByConnor Holden Mar 31, 2025

Head doesn’t just score runs, he scores them quickly, and often against balls that aren’t all that bad – a recipe to deflate any attack

Alagappan Muthu15-Dec-20241:33

Pujara: India fed too many balls to Head outside off

Sometime during the 2019 Ashes, there was an announcement at St Johns Wood tube station: “Mind the gap. Also, does anybody know how to get Steven Smith out?” The moment stands out in “The Test”, Amazon’s documentary about the Australian team. There might be some places in India sending out a similar SOS about Travis Head. The irony is that he came into this Test having been dismissed for 0 off 1 three straight times at the Gabba.Getting a bogey batter out early is the ideal scenario, and also maybe a slightly easier one, when compared to getting them out after they’re set. And Head is not without his weaknesses. There is one that India failed to exploit rather famously at the WTC final in 2023. And they might be guilty of something similar here too. According to HawkEye data only 10% of the fast bowling he faced was bouncers.When Head came in at No. 5, Jasprit Bumrah was fairly fresh and he was brought on pretty quickly. His first over included one that rose up towards Head’s chest. He went for the pull and made no effort to keep it down because there was nobody at deep square leg. He was happy to hit it in the air. there was nobody down at deep square leg. The field wasn’t set for that ball.Related

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India had reason to explore more traditional lengths on this Gabba pitch. Even at 54 overs, Akash Deep was getting the ball to bounce past the shoulder of Smith’s bat. Normal Test-match bowling was working in Brisbane… so long as Head wasn’t the one facing it. This is what his talent to a cricket ball – not meet it under his eyes, not defend it close to his body but it – does. It breaks a game in two.Morne Morkel, the India bowling coach, in explaining their plans to Head, hinted at just how easily he forces oppositions on the defensive. “The margins to him were just so small. And like I said, once he’s in, you know, what is the best way for the team and for you to maybe slow down the scoring rate? Because you know he’s going to be aggressive. What is the best way of bringing a little bit of control into the game?”Morkel was still talking about getting Head out but the way to do it had changed from targeting him to tying him down. India had a deep point in very early into Head’s innings. They had discovered that unlike most left-hand batters they come across, he enjoyed the ball coming into him from around the wicket. “Our plan going into this game was to bowl a little bit more over the wickets, just to bowl a straighter line,” Morkel said.Travis Head notched up a 115-ball hundred•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesAustralia scored 130 runs in the middle session at 4.8 an over with Head scoring 80 of them to bring up his fourth century against India across formats. Bumrah went to a bouncer and actually cramped him once, but Head adjusted by leaning back from the ball and just letting it glance off the face of his bat which he had propped up like a ramp. It was deliciously intentional.The ball that most people think brings him down, bowled by one of the best in the world, simply flew off the middle of his bat. That’s how Head brings the opposition’s shoulders down. He doesn’t just score runs, he scores them quickly, and often against balls that aren’t all that bad.”The way he’s able to put the bowlers under pressure from the outset is quite incredible,” Smith, a fellow century-maker and his partner over the course of 241 runs, said. “You know, he’s got an unbelievable eye and the areas in which he scores, it’s tough to put fielders in those positions in a way.Steven Smith and Travis Head combined well for Australia•Associated Press”You know, you see them put the deep point out and stuff, but he just finds ways to just put it past him. Yeah, he’s batting beautifully, he’s confident and it’s nice to get in a partnership with him because the scoreboard moves extremely fast. And I was just in the sheds with him then and he goes, ‘geez, that went quick today.'”Ravindra Jadeja thought he had Head caught behind in the 55th over. It was a lovely ball, spinning into the batter against the angle from around the wicket. But he couldn’t bowl it again. One of the most accurate spinners in the world couldn’t back up a good ball with another good ball because when he tried he was hit for two successive boundaries, which forced Jadeja into bowling darts. Head faced them with ease, off the back foot, with all the time in the world. He had thrown the bowler off what he wanted to do and made life easier for himself seconds after being in trouble.India weren’t at their best on Saturday. Morkel admitted that there is a lot of work they still need to do on bowling between the 30th and the 50th overs and that finding the right length at the Gabba has been a bit of a challenge. They had a scare with Mohammed Siraj grabbing his left knee and walking off the field (he came back though). As they waited for the second new ball, cycling through their change bowlers just before tea, and leaking three fours in 12 balls, they turned to Bumrah sooner than they might have liked. He had two balls’ notice to warm-up. Every ball, every over, every session, Head kept pushing India to the brink and now they are teetering.

Australia allrounder makes up for lost time by hitting a sublime 75 in the third T20I, shows she still has the stomach for a fight

S Sudarshanan15-Dec-2022How much is too much?An international career spanning one-and-a-half decades is bound to have its share of highs and lows. Ellyse Perry has won multiple World Cups – T20 and ODIs – starred in Women’s Ashes series, suffered heartbreaks and endured testing times. But the last year, perhaps, tested her more than others, especially in the T20 format.Ever since Perry walked away teary-eyed with a hamstring injury during Australia 2020 T20 World Cup campaign, she’s faced one test after another. The allrounder has played only nine of Australia’s 20 T20Is since January 2021 – three out of 14 in 2022. A stress fracture of the back, sustained at the end of the ODI World Cup earlier this year, meant she couldn’t bowl during the Commonwealth Games.Related

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Perry’s strike rate with the bat came under scrutiny and she missed out on a spot during the T20I leg of the Ashes earlier this year. With the rise of Tahlia McGrath as an allrounder since her T20I debut last year, Perry couldn’t find a place in Australia’s best XI on the strength of her batting alone.And so in a setup without Meg Lanning, who is on an indefinite break, and the retired Rachael Haynes, Perry found a spot in the XI on the tour of India and proved why she is still regarded so highly.Asked to bat first in slightly seamer-friendly conditions at the Brabourne Stadium, Australia were reduced to 5 for 2 in the third T20I. It was the earliest that Australia had lost their second wicket in T20Is this year. The consistent Renuka Singh and Anjali Sarvani had managed to stifle the visitors with some disciplined swing bowling.However, off her third delivery, Perry saw just enough width and hit the ball through covers. She capitalised on the slightest width and was unafraid of using her feet early in her innings, racing to 25 off 17 balls to take Australia to 43 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.With the field then opening up, Perry resorted to rotating strike and kept Australia on course. She hit Deepti Sharma over deep midwicket for her first six and continued to attack the Indian bowlers even after Beth Mooney fell. She ventured down the track to Renuka, hitting her over mid-off, and then walloped another six off Devika Vaidya.

“The game’s moving at a rapid pace forward. We’ve seen that around the world. Very fortunately for us that we’ve got the WBBL which is going now for eight editions.”Ellyse Perry, Australia allrounder

Perry got to her half-century off just 33 balls, her fastest in all internationals. From a situation where Australia were in trouble, Perry was pulling off a rescue act with minimal fuss. It was only the third time she had hit three sixes in a T20I innings and she did it at a venue where she had won Australia a World Cup on one leg. She finished with her T20I best score of 75 and helped her side get to 172 on a track that was not as flat as the ones in Navi Mumbai.Perry was also at her wily best with the ball, though she bowled only one over. As Harmanpreet Kaur and Shafali Verma were cruising towards a half-century partnership and attacking every bowler, Perry ran in and almost had Shafali chop one on. One over. Two runs. Top impact. That slowed India down and the visitors managed to break the partnership a couple of overs later.”You’re always trying to evolve,” Perry said. “The game’s moving at a rapid pace forward. We’ve seen that around the world. Very fortunately for us, we’ve got the WBBL which is going now for eight editions.”I think there is no better place to keep evolving and trying to develop. That’s a strong motivating factor to still play. That’s the most fun part of the game, to continue to work on things and work with people you love working with.”An athlete’s ‘prime’ is a subjective phrase. You never know if Perry is past that stage. But every time she steps onto the field, she almost conjures magic, which is reason enough to put everything aside and watch Perry do her thing without wondering about how much more she has in the tank.

Three first-day wickets at Galle set agenda for England and scotch some preconceptions

Andrew Miller14-Jan-2021Perhaps it’s the headband, perhaps it’s the wrist position. Perhaps it’s the “bravery” that the man himself says comes with experience. But Stuart Broad has started this Sri Lanka series – this Asian winter – with the exact same ebullience and optimism with which he finished England’s lockdown summer. In doing so, he’s let it be known once again that, at the age of 34 and with a remit to perfect the game-craft that he’s spent the past 13 years honing, he is living his best life right here, right now.The first day of England’s first excursion of 2021 was, as Broad put it at the close, “a nine out of ten day” – as a harassed Sri Lankan line-up, still not recovered from their bruising defeat in South Africa, found a range of ways to gift their opponents the upper hand – from fluky deflections off ankles and fingertips to abject reverse sweeps and miscued half-trackers.But nothing that transpired – certainly not Dom Bess’s curate’s egg of a five-for (the ball to dismiss Dilruwan Perera was the good part…) – could match Broad’s path-finding injection of know-how in his two brief but pointed spells.”It’s an absolute dream world day for us,” Broad said, “and three wickets in Sri Lanka as a seamer feels like a decent day personally.”That’s putting it modestly. Within eight overs, Broad had matched his tally from three previous Tests in Sri Lanka. That haul (for want of a better word) had been spread over three visits in 2007, 2012 and 2018, beginning with a Test debut in Colombo of such alarming inhospitality that the then-beanpole 21-year-old was quietly eased back out of the firing line and held back for more hospitable conditions in New Zealand three months later.It’s worth pointing out that Broad didn’t actually do a whole lot wrong in those three campaigns, other than bowl with the tenacity (aka predictability) of an English seamer, trained to plug away outside off stump, then bang in the short ball for effect when all else fails.But twice he had been on the receiving end of Mahela Jayawardene masterclasses (a fate that few visitors of the 2000s escaped, to be fair, given his eye-watering haul of 23 Test hundreds on home soil) while on his most recent trip in 2018, Broad’s 14 overs in two innings might as well have been designated shine-removers, as England’s trio of spinners – Jack Leach, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid – continued their dominant theme for the series by sharing 14 wickets to wrap up a 3-0 clean sweep.This time, however, Broad was a man with a new plan – including one made more or less on the hoof, given how cursory England’s preparations for this series have been. While bowling to Joe Root in England’s solitary warm-up at Hambantota, the pair noted the awkwardness of Broad’s lift from just back of a length, and figured a leg gully might be an opportune gamble to the left-handers. Sure enough, Lahiru Thirimanne jabbed low to Jonny Bairstow, to set in motion a day of barely relenting progress for England.Broad confirmed at the close that the ball itself had not been a deliberate ploy, rather a contingency plan in case of natural variation. “At Hambantota, we had a lot of balls from middle stump sliding through the air to leg gully, leg slip,” he said. “Rooty was batting at the time and said it might feel uncomfortable on certain pitches to have a fielder there with my style of bowling. I don’t try and swing it away, but I do try and nip it back, so it was a deliberate ploy to have a fielder there and make the batsman play as often as possible. But you need a bit of luck for it to go there.”Stuart Broad claimed the big wicket of Angelo Mathews•SLCBut you need a bit of skill too to create the conditions for such happy accidents to take effect, and that is the aspect of Broad’s recent performances that is becoming ever more apparent in the late summer (Indian summer, he might be hoping…) of his career. Where once he was a mood bowler, famed for wrecking intermittent Test matches in the space of a single session but slipping back into James Anderson’s gargantuan shadow in between whiles, now he is becoming a mood in himself.Related

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• Kallis 'sad' to be surplus to SA requirements as England stint begins

• Wasteful SL skittled for 135 as England take control

It was in the process of taking his 500th Test wicket, at Old Trafford in August, that Broad’s career average dipped below 28 for the first time in his career. But his returns in the past two years, essentially from the moment he took advantage of a rare period of down-time after the 2017-18 Ashes tour and embarked on an extensive technical MOT, he’s racked up 118 at 21.44, including 38 at 14.76 in 2020 – a year that culminated in a prestigious nomination for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.The majority of those wickets, all captured in South Africa and England, might as well have been screen-grabbed from some of his most famous Test rampages – the 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge, or the 6 for 17 at Johannesburg: full and threatening, you-miss-I-hit lengths every ball, attacking the pads and the edge with equal insistence, kicking off a high seam and occasionally skidding through, and all delivered with those ubiquitous “pumping knees” that signal an attack dog at the top of his game.But it was a subtle manipulation of those methods that earned Broad his rewards today, and in conditions where even he had previously been a bit hang-dog. There was energy and optimism in abundance, of course, but his average speed, hovering around the 80mph mark, ended up being lower even than that of the left-arm swinger Sam Curran – by no-one’s estimation a bona fide quick bowler. That was, as Broad himself explained, a result of some canny changes of pace and seam position rather than any sense that he’s about to lose his nip.”We talked before the Test match about building pressure for long periods of time, and using your individual skill in those little periods,” Broad said. “So I concentrated on making the batsman play as much as possible, and also varying my pace in little ways. Maybe not 6-7mph at times but actually going up two miles an hour, coming down three or four miles an hour, and that was the plan I stuck to.”As befits a man who once captained England’s T20 side – a format in which he has not now featured for almost exactly half his international career – Broad contrived to treat every delivery of his precious new-ball spell as an event. It’s a trait that served him equally well in England’s lockdown summer, when his new-found relish for a fuller, stump-threatening length asked questions of every batsman in his sights.”The pitch offered us something with the ball, which you expect when you bowl a side out for 130, but it wasn’t necessarily sideways movement,” he added. “There was a little bit of extra bounce, a little bit of two-pace that brought the fielders in.”Broad was also responsible for two of the outstanding moments in what was otherwise an abject Sri Lankan batting display – the perfectly pitched cutter outside off that lured the hard-handed Kusal Mendis into a tentative stab to the keeper (and a fourth Test duck in a row), and the injection of venom just back of a length that rushed Angelo Mathews into a misjudged slash to slip, where Root grabbed an impressively sharp catch. On the face of it the moment was yet another batsman error, but Broad’s variety and accuracy made it happen.”I was pleased with [the legcutter],” he said. “It’s one of my best balls. A few years ago I wouldn’t have tried that second-ball to a new batsman but, with experience and confidence in my game, I wanted to bowl a quicker one first ball and then a legcutter to get the batsman playing on the second one.”It just did that perfect half-a-bat-width movement and I think, just with experience and playing more cricket in these conditions, you get braver. With a new ball. I’d never dream of doing that in England, but in these conditions, you’ve got to try something different.”Broad is now two wickets away from matching Courtney Walsh – the first man to breach the 500-wicket barrier way back in 2001, and whose eventual tally of 519 scalps once seemed an insurmountable peak. And who knows, on this showing, maybe even Anderson’s humungous tally of 600 and counting will not be out of his reach.For he may lack the natural skill that has marked his team-mate out as the greatest English bowler of his generation, but Michael Vaughan wasn’t wrong when he stated, way back in 2008, that Broad was one of the most intelligent operators he’d ever encountered. He was finding new ways to skin Test batsmen even back then – short and nasty on that occasion to complement Anderson’s full and tricksy – and as his evisceration of David Warner showed in the 2019 Ashes, the evolution of his methods has been gathering pace for some months already.For if Broad’s fabled reaction to his omission from England’s last first Test of a season, against West Indies at the Ageas Bowl in August, is anything to go by, he’s got the form, the skill and the bloodymindedness to keep confounding expectations for as long as his remarkably injury-free body holds up. And who knows, maybe he, like Anderson before him, can go some way to confounding those preconceptions about his record in less seam-friendly climes.

The nightcap of the day-night doubleheader between the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates had it all Thursday.

The Tigers' mascot tried—and failed—to troll Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Pirates reliever Dennis Santana took a swipe at a fan from the dugout. And to finish the night, there was a rain delay in a tied game during the bottom of the ninth inning. When play resumed, the game went to extra innings and the Pirates scored the go-ahead run on a controversial call.

In the top of the 10th inning, Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a single to right as he pinch hit for Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz. Tommy Pham was on second and was waved home, which made for a bang-bang play at the plate. Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter threw a dart to home that catcher Jake Rogers gathered as Pham slid home.

Pham was called safe which gave the Pirates the lead, but Tigers manager A.J. Hinch challenged the call. Rogers's glove clearly was on top of Pham before his hands could touch the plate—the question was whether Rogers tagged him or if the tag went over Pham's arms before he touched home plate.

After review, the call stood and Pham remained safe with the go-ahead run staying on the board. Hinch quickly ran out of the dugout to argue the call and earned his first ejection of the season. You can watch the full sequence below:

And here's a couple screengrabs of the tag. The first appears to show Rogers get it down for an out at the plate, but the second—and the video review—looked to show the tag went just over Pham's arm.

The Pirates scored three more runs in the 10th inning and went on to win 8–4. The Tigers took the first game of their Thursday doubleheader 9–2.

Kylian Mbappe has officially joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in one of world football’s rarest elite clubs after hitting 60 goals in the 2025 calendar year during Real Madrid’s draw with Girona. His penalty at Montilivi not only marked an extraordinary milestone but also cemented his place in French football history as the first since Just Fontaine to reach such a total.

• Mbappe hits 60-goal mark for 2025

  Mbappe reached the 60-goal mark for the 2025 calendar year when he converted a penalty during Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw against Girona on Sunday night. The Frenchman was frustrated throughout the scrappy contest, repeatedly crowded out by defenders and denied a second goal after an inadvertent handball moments before Girona struck the opener. Despite Madrid controlling phases of the match, they were forced to settle for another draw away from home, allowing Barcelona to grab La Liga's top spot.

  The equaliser carried historic significance even as Real Madrid’s performance raised concerns, extending their run without an away win to a third league match. The result also increased pressure on Xabi Alonso, whose side have struggled to maintain consistency in recent weeks despite Mbappé’s extraordinary scoring output. Girona, who have historically troubled Madrid at Montilivi, again proved difficult to break down and came close to taking all three points before late Madrid pressure fizzled out.

  Mbappe’s goal ensured he remained at the heart of the title race narrative, but the shared points exposed deeper vulnerabilities in Madrid’s current form. With Barcelona surging, Madrid’s margin for error grows thinner, and the reliance on their superstar has become increasingly obvious. Even on a historic night for him personally, the broader implications of the draw left Madrid with more questions than answers.

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  Joins Messi, Ronaldo and Lewandowski in special club

  Mbappe’s 60th goal of the year places him alongside Messi, Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski as the only players in the 21st century to hit such a tally in a single calendar year. His achievement is particularly significant in French football history, as he becomes the first French player since Fontaine in 1958 to score 60 goals for club and country within the same year. 

  It also underscores the unique pressure he carries at Madrid, where he has instantly become the focal point of the team’s tactical structure. His prolific output has masked wider issues within the squad, with Madrid lacking the stability needed to keep pace with Barcelona despite possessing one of world football’s most lethal forwards. The club’s form in late 2025 has made Mbappe’s reliability even more important, especially in tight matches where he is often required to produce decisive moments alone.

  Still, the broader context of his performance reveals a player thriving even amid turbulence. Between league matches, Champions League fixtures, and international duty with France, Mbappe has maintained an elite level of efficiency in both scoring and chance creation. His ability to sustain such production across competitions highlights why he is now mentioned in the same breath as Ronaldo and Messi when it comes to calendar-year scoring feats.

• Mbappe's spectacular 2025 calendar year

  The 2025 calendar year has been a definitive turning point for Mbappe, marking his transition from global superstar to Real Madrid’s undisputed centrepiece and leader. His first full year at the Bernabeu failed to bear fruit as Los Blancos went trophyless. However, across the first six months of 2025, he delivered crucial goals in the Champions League knockout rounds and formed threatening partnerships across Madrid’s front line.

  As the 2025–26 season began, Mbappe immediately picked up where he left off, scoring at a remarkable rate and reinforcing his status as the league’s most dangerous forward. He combined his individual brilliance with increased leadership responsibility, while also taking on a central tactical role in Alonso’s evolving system. His contributions for France during this period were equally significant, as he captained Les Bleus through qualifiers and continued to deliver decisive goals.

  By late November, his statistical profile reflected one of the most complete individual years in modern football, with 60 goals across club and country and a growing list of match-winning displays. This figure included goals in league action, European competition, domestic tournaments, and international matches.

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  Mbappe looking to help Real Madrid catch up with Barcelona

  Real Madrid will now look to stabilise their league form as they enter a crucial stretch of winter fixtures, with Mbappe expected to continue carrying much of the attacking responsibility. Upcoming matches, particularly their trip to San Mames to face Athletic Club, will test whether the team can convert individual brilliance into sustained collective momentum. With his goals keeping Madrid firmly in the title hunt, the club will hope their superstar’s historic year becomes the catalyst for a stronger run heading into 2026. 

Victoria 343 for 9 dec (Handscomb 103, O’Neill 64, Harris 61, Pope 3-87) and 231 for 6 (Peake 70*, Buckingham 3-43) beat South Australia 350 for 9 dec (Hunt 126, Lehmann 113, Perry 4-75) and 223 (Nielsen 52, Warren 5-69) by four wicketsTeenager Oliver Peake guided Victoria to an impressive four-wicket win over reigning Sheffield Shield champions South Australia.The highly regarded Peake could have been out first ball, but instead played an early career-shaping knock to steer Victoria to the tricky chase of 231 at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.Related

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After barely surviving a hat-trick ball to begin his stay, the 19-year-old showed composure beyond his years to finish unbeaten on 70 from 147 deliveries.Seamer Fergus O’Neill (33*) provided great support for Peake in an unbeaten 84-run partnership for Victoria, who lost Sam Harper at an important time when the wicketkeeper was batting well.O’Neill hit the winning runs in the dying stages of day four, upsetting SA in their first match since breaking their 29-year Shield drought in March.It was only Peake’s second Shield game for Victoria, and fifth first-class match, after playing three matches for Australia A this year. His clutch performance would have delighted Australian selectors, who have been tracking the young gun’s progress closely.It came after SA quick Jordan Buckingham (3-43) fell agonisingly short of a hat-trick, with Henry Hunt dropping a sharp chance at short leg.After dismissing former Test players Marcus Harris and Peter Handscomb in consecutive balls, Buckingham had the opportunity to make history. Peake clipped the hat-trick ball off his legs, but Hunt put down the reflex chance to deny Buckingham and change the momentum of the chase.In the first innings, Handscomb posted an outstanding innings in a reminder he might not be done at international level. Handscomb, whose most recent Test was against India in March 2023, faced 180 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.But SA captain and Test hopeful Nathan McSweeney endured a poor Shield opener, out for a duck and 6.