Nottinghamshire Outlaws’ hopes of reaching the knock-out phases of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup were ended when an Essex side who were already eliminated still pulled off a crushing victory by seven wickets at Trent Bridge. Robin Das, opening and still unbeaten, posted a maiden white-ball century off the last ball of the match.The 20-year old Jamal Richards, one of five in the Essex side raised like Das in north-east London, earlier claimed 5 for 31 with wholeheated, bustling pace. His best figures in all cricket halted an Outlaws surge to 96 for 1 and later helped induce a plummet from 163 for 4 to 218 all out despite Ben Slater’s 47 and 52 from South African Matt Montgomery.Other youngsters then saw Essex maturely home as Das and Noah Thain, neither of them yet past his 23rd birthday, put on 185 for the third wicket. Das finished with 100 from 119 balls whilst the teenage Thain fell with victory five runs away for 83, his best in Essex cricket so far.If they could not quite match Essex’s partnership record for the third wicket (268 by Graham Gooch and Keith Fletcher, both veterans at the time) the elder statesman would dearly have relished their stand.Chasing 219, Luc Benkenstein soon went to a spectacular catch on the midwicket boundary as Jack Haynes, running back, caught the ball, threw it up, went over the rope but skipped back to grab it a second time. And Rob Lord made it two wickets in his opening 13 balls when Tom Westley lost off stump to one that kept low.But as Das and Thain went forward with a calm judgement that belied their inexperience, the asking rate, initially 4.38, remained between 4.19 and 4.55 throughout the reply’s first 35 overs. At this point they raced forward as the match was claimed with 39 balls to spare.The Outlaws, put in, had earlier built a 40-run platform from the day’s first eight overs before Haynes, reprieved on five and 14, edged a slash to fall finally for 17.In his 64th first-team match in all formats, Feroze Khushi at last saw his off-spin called up for a maiden outing but it was Richards, the sixth bowler of seven employed, who ended a 56-run stand when Slater was held by Khushi at backward point off his third ball and Haseeb Hameed was bowled for nought by his fifth, a beauty.When Richards, one of seven men aged 25 or under in the line-up, ended an impressive 33 from teenager Freddie McCann, Nottinghamshire, losing three in six overs, were 123 for 4 in the 26th.Tom Moores revived things with 33 from only 28 balls but fell in the deep attempting a second successive six over midwicket before Lyndon James, Liam Patterson-White and Calvin Harrison all came and went cheaply in a disastrous half hour.The last of the trio was wonderfully caught by the leaping Khushi to bring Richards his fourth success at the start of his second spell and he ended things when Montgomery, flailing, miscued to deep cover with 16 balls unused.
Liverpool plan on defending their newly claimed Premier League title next season, having defied expectations to dominantly dethrone Manchester City after four years, brushing injury-hit Arsenal aside in the race for the top spot.
Few expected Arne Slot’s side to challenge this year, having just been dealt the bitter blow of Jurgen Klopp’s departure, the iconic manager stepping down after nearly nine years at the helm.
Football can be fickle, however, and the detractors will be out in force come autumn, waiting for the Merseysiders to stumble. That’s why FSG have moved incisively to back their head coach and strengthen a number of areas.
Liverpool’s full-back berths have been shored up, even with Trent Alexander-Arnold now playing in Real Madrid’s white jersey, and Florian Wirtz is on the brink of signing for the English giants.
Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz andJeremieFrimpongapplaud fans with teammates after the match
Negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen have dragged on a bit, but all parties expect Wirtz to sign for the Anfield side, and for a British-record £120m fee at that.
And there’s even more still to come.
Liverpool's summer transfer plans
Wirtz is a one-of-a-kind attacking midfielder, regarded by sports media professional Cristian Nyari to be a “truly generational talent.”
Florian Wirtz
However, he alone won’t restore the equilibrium of Liverpool’s frontline. Darwin Nunez is “planning to leave”, as per Fabrizio Romano, and Liverpool are doing due diligence on a number of strikers, the likes of which include Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig. Victor Osimhen’s name has also been mentioned.
Liverpool, furthermore, could lose one of their major attacking cogs, Luis Diaz, who is being courted by Barcelona and Saudi side Al Nassr. Barcelona have already seen an approach rebuffed.
Should Diaz, who is entering the second-to-last year of his contract, leave, Liverpool will need to source a replacement, and they might just have found the man for the job.
Liverpool plotting move for Premier League star
As per TEAMtalk, Liverpool are considering making their move for Newcastle United wide forward Anthony Gordon, who has been valued at £80m.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The winger is said to be ‘extremely happy’ at St James’ Park, although he would be ‘very keen’ on returning to Merseyside, with Liverpool ‘confident of striking a deal’, despite the lack of ‘club-to-club contact’ with the Magpies as yet.
It feels unlikely Gordon would arrive if Diaz stays put, but this could be a neat replacement for a 28-year-old who appears open to leaving, especially since, for Gordon, it would be a homecoming, having left Liverpool’s academy aged 11.
Anthony Gordon looks dejected for Liverpool
Liverpool will continue to prepare their offer until Diaz’s future is resolved, but should the Colombian leave, the Magpies ace is the top target.
Why Liverpool should sign Anthony Gordon
Last summer, Liverpool explored an opportunity to sign Gordon after his tremendous 2023/24 campaign for Newcastle, notching 28 goal contributions across all competitions.
However, the Magpies found alternative ways to avoid financial repercussions from the Premier League, and he stayed put.
Anthony Gordon
Now, though, the potential sale of Diaz could see the Reds return, maybe enticing the boyhood Liverpool fan to make the move back to Merseyside and combine with a fellow new recruit in Wirtz, who might just hold the key to a new level of performance on the 24-year-old Gordon’s part.
Diaz can prove a tricky opponent for even the meanest of defences, and in that regard, Gordon could be the perfect replacement, having described himself as being “a nightmare for anyone”.
Anthony Gordon in action vs Brentford
His pace and athleticism are exactly what Liverpool need to keep their left flank firing on all cylinders, and with Wirtz pulling the strings from the middle, it might be the start of a truly special partnership.
Wirtz’s blend of creativity, hard graft and dribbling is enough to raise the game of any forward teammates, including that of Gordon, who perhaps hasn’t reached the same heights on Tyneside across his second full season.
Injury and suspension have come together to prove a hindrance for the Three Lions star across the latter half of the season, but he’s now a Carabao Cup champion and played his part in pulling Newcastle back into the Champions League.
Moreover, there’s enough there to suggest Wirtz could elevate him to the next level. Indeed, former Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes has described the German international as being “probably the best midfielder in the world.”
Matches (starts)
35 (34)
34 (28)
Goals
11
6
Assists
10
5
Shots (on target)*
2.3 (0.9)
1.7 (0.6)
Pass completion
82%
81%
Key passes*
1.6
1.5
Big chances created
16
6
Dribbles*
1.5
1.1
Ball recoveries*
3.6
2.9
Tackles + interceptions*
1.8
1.1
Duels (won)*
5.3 (49%)
4.4 (52%)
So then, such a player would be perfect to bring Gordon back to life. The Leverkusen sensation, after all, ranked among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Bundesliga last year for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for progressive passes and progressive carries, and the top 3% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
The high-level consistency across so many different metrics really does make a conclusive comment on the calibre of player Liverpool could be getting with Wirtz, and if fielded alongside Gordon, Slot could have a duo for the ages, capable of leading the club to another sustained spell of glory, challenging every year for the biggest prizes.
For now, we can only wait for the movements concerning Diaz’s future at Liverpool. But given the proactive start to the summer that sporting director Richard Hughes is overseeing, you wouldn’t bet against levers having been put in place to make a move for Gordon in the coming weeks, bringing him back to Anfield after so many years.
Wirtz will make him world-class: Liverpool now targeting "the new Haaland"
Liverpool are making sweeping changes in the transfer market this summer.
With the summer transfer window set to open on the 1st of June, it is clear that Chelsea are going to sign a striker. The Blues, who face Real Betis in the Conference League final on Wednesday, are strongly linked with several new names who could lead the line for them.
A recent report from Kieran Gill for The Mail named some of the striker targets the Blues are chasing this summer. They include Eintracht Frankfurt youngster Hugo Ekitike, also wanted by Liverpool, and fellow Bundesliga striker Benjamin Sesko, currently playing for RB Leipzig.
Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike
However, there is another man the West Londoners are interested in, for whom they are thought to be leading the race to sign.
Chelsea’s main striker target
It will be fascinating to see who the Blues pursue this summer, with regards to their centre-forward targets. Of course, they seem to be strong contenders to sign Ekitike and Sesko, but they are arguably not their preferred choice.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Well, according to a report from Chris Wheeler of The Mail, Chelsea are currently the favourites to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap. The Blues have ‘edged ahead’ in the race in recent days, perhaps swung by their Champions League qualification, which was confirmed on Sunday.
This has been corroborated by journalist Graeme Bailey, with the transfer insider outlining that the Blues are now ‘confident’ that they will beat Manchester United in the battle for his signature, having already held ‘fresh talks’ with the player.
Ipswich Town'sLiamDelapreacts
Any deal for the in-demand striker would cost in the region of £30m, owing to a relegation release clause in his contract at Portman Road.
Why Delap would be a good signing
Few players in their first Premier League campaign have made as much of an impression this season as Delap. In what was a disappointing season for Ipswich as a whole, the England under-21 forward certainly made a big impact.
The 22-year-old, who is the son of Stoke City cult hero Rory, played 37 times in his first full Premier League season. In that time, he managed to bag himself 12 goals and also chipped in with two assists.
One of the biggest positives about Delap is his consistency. His longest goal drought in 2024/25 was seven games, which actually came in the final few games of the season.
Aside from that, he was a consistent scorer for the Tractor Boys, even finding the back of the net against Chelsea in a 2-0 win at Portman Road.
If the Blues do manage to sign Delap, then he is in safe hands under Enzo Maresca. The Italian coach certainly knows how to get the best out of a clinical goalscorer, given the form Jamie Vardy showed under him for Leicester City last season in the Championship.
In 37 games under the now-Chelsea boss, the Foxes legend helped himself to 20 goals and two assists. That included 18 strikes in 35 Championship appearances, to help his side win the league and return to the top flight.
Maresca certainly knows how to handle a deadly centre-forward and get the best out of him, be it as an individual goalscorer or his general striker play.
In a team that scored 89 goals in 2023/24, Vardy had to be selfless too, and Maresca helped him fit in with the team’s dynamic.
Well, that can certainly be said about Delap, too. One person full of praise for the Ipswich star is analyst Ben Mattinson, who described him as “a problem for every Premier League defence”. He’s also been described as a “monster” by teammate Alex Palmer.
Ipswich Town'sLiamDelapapplauds fans after the match
The stats on Sofascore from this season show he is more than just a goalscorer, but a well-rounded striker. For example, Delap won an average of two aerial duels per game and played 21 key passes this term.
Delap key stats in 2024/25 PL season
Stat
Per 90 mins
Total
Shots
2.3
68
Shots on target
1.1
32
Dribbles completed
1.4
40
Aerial duels won
2
58
Expected goal involvements
0.37xGI
10.75xGI
Stats from Sofascore
Vardy and Delap are also noted as similar players among those in their position in both Europe’s top five leagues and in the Premier League, as per FBref, reflecting their statistical likeness.
For example, the Ipswich forward averages 0.34 goals per shot on target and 0.24 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes. In comparison, Vardy averages 0.35 goals per shot on target and 0.32 goal-creating actions each game.
The fact that they are so similar surely plays into Maresca’s hands, too. He surely knows how to get the best out of his number nines, and they are certainly like-for-like players, as the stats back up.
Maresca knows what he is doing when it comes to getting the best out of a striker. Delap will surely fit the bill nicely, as someone who is happy to work hard for his team and can score goals at a good rate, too.
If he can be as good as Vardy was under Maresca, then Delap will surely be a success at Stamford Bridge.
He's shades of Drogba: Chelsea open discussions to sign "the next Mbappe"
Chelsea needs to sign a striker or two this summer
The transfer window is just around the corner, and as Mikel Arteta told the press just last month, it’s set to be a massive one for Arsenal.
The Gunners failed to get over the line in any competition this year, and while injuries have played their part, one of the team’s most significant problems, which most agree on, is their lack of a truly clinical striker.
So, it’s not been surprising then, that in recent weeks, the North Londoners have been heavily linked with several top-class number nines, perhaps none more than Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, who could be available for around £70m.
However, the club seem intent on revolutionising the entire attacking unit, and reports have now touted another superstar for a move to the Emirates, a star who’d be a dream teammate for the Swede.
Arsenal's attacking transfer targets
Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other attacking talents who’ve been linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, such as Daizen Maeda and Jamie Gittens.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former has been enjoying a simply spectacular campaign north of the border with Celtic, in which he’s scored 33 goals and provided 12 assists in 48 games and best of all, he could be available for just £25m.
Gittens, on the other hand, could cost up to £51m, but as he’s still just 20 years old and has managed to rack up a stellar haul of 12 goals and five assists in 46 games for Borussia Dortmund this season, he looks like he’d be worth it.
However, to really get the most out of Gyokeres and take the club’s whole attack to another level, the Gunners will need to sign a true superstar, someone like Rodrygo.
Yes, according to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are one of a few Premier League sides keen on the Real Madrid star.
Alongside the North Londoners, the report has revealed that Liverpool and Manchester City have contacted the player’s representatives and remain in contact today.
In terms of how much the winger might cost Arsenal, a report from earlier this week claimed that he could be available for around €100m, which is about £85m.
Real Madrid'sRodrygolooks on
It would be an incredibly costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Rodrygo’s immense ability, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he’d be ideal for Gyokeres.
Why Rodrygo would be a dream for Gyokeres
So, to keep things simple, there is one primary reason why Rodrygo would be a dream teammate for Gyokeres, which all others stem from his output.
For the Swedish goal machine to make the most of his incredible finishing ability, he’s going to want to have someone as effective as Saka to the left of him, and that could be the Brazilian.
For example, in 50 appearances this term, the “world-class” attacker, as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has scored 13 goals and provided ten assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.17 games.
Appearances
50
48
53
Minutes
3290′
3313′
3262′
Goals
13
9
10
Assists
10
6
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.46
0.31
0.33
Minutes per Goal Involvement
143.04′
220.86′
181.22′
In comparison, Leandro Trossard has produced 18 goal involvements in 53 appearances, and Gabriel Martinelli has produced 15 in 48, which comes out to an average of one every 2.94 and 3.2 games, respectively.
Moreover, besides having far better raw output than the North Londoners’ current left-wing options, the 24-year-old has some seriously impressive underlying numbers to his name.
According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for carries into the final third, the top 2% for pass completion and passes blocked, the top 4% for progressive carrying distance, the top 9% for shot-creating actions from take-ons and more, all per 90.
Finally, despite his age, the Osasco-born dynamo has seen it all and won it all at club level, with two Champions League titles, three La Liga titles and a handful of other cups to his name, so while some of Arteta’s other options might struggle to step up on the biggest stages, it’ll just be another game to the Real star.
Ultimately, thanks to his brilliant output, impressive underlying numbers and the immense amount of experience he has at his age, Rodrygo would be a dream teammate for Gyokeres and Arsenal should do what they can to sign him.
Kai Havertz upgrade: Arsenal send scouts for "unpredictable" goal machine
The free-scoring forward could be just what Arsenal need.
After putting in what might be one of the club’s all-time great performances away to European champions Real Madrid on Wednesday night, Arsenal had the task of dispatching Ipswich Town yesterday afternoon.
Given the hype before their Champions League game and the sheer jubilation that followed it, it wouldn’t have been all that surprising to see the Gunners struggle to motivate themselves for a Premier League game that ultimately now means little in the grand scheme of their season.
However, Mikel Arteta has instilled a certain philosophy in his team, and they came out flying against the Tractor Boys, coming away from Suffolk as fully deserved 4-0 winners, with the likes of Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard seriously impressing.
Yet, as good as the two starters were and as vital as they will be for the rest of the season, one of the second-half substitutes is now worth considerably more than both and could even be the Gunners’ new Cesc Fàbregas.
Merino & Trossard's game vs Ipswich
With Thomas Partey set to miss the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain thanks to his brainless yellow card in the closing stages of last week’s win, Arteta left him out of yesterday’s starting lineup, moving Merino into midfield and starting Trossard up top, in preparation for the upcoming game.
Market Movers
Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?
While some were understandably worried about changing a winning formula, it would be fair to say it was a tweak that worked perfectly.
For example, the Belgian scored a goal in both halves and what made them all the more impressive was that he did so with little space to manoeuvre in the box, which might be how he has to operate next Tuesday.
We weren’t the only ones impressed with the former Brighton & Hove Albion man either, as the Standard’s Simon Collings awarded him an 8/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘made his case’ to start against PSG and ‘offered more than just goals.’
Moreover, be it the confidence he’s gained from playing up top or the simple fact that he’s now had a sizable run of games in the side, the former Real Sociedad star was phenomenal and earned an 8/10 rating from Collings.
For example, his brilliant backheel allowed Gabriel Martinelli to score his 50th goal for the club, and while he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, he was here, there and everywhere in the middle of the park, as exemplified by his statistics.
For example, in just 57 minutes of action, the “duel monster,” as dubbed by Arsenal content creator Adam Keys, amassed a combined expected goal plus assists figure of 0.48, provided one assist, took 33 touches, played one key pass, was accurate in 100% of his crosses, created one big chance, won ten duels and made six tackles.
Minutes
57′
Expected Assists
0.04
Assists
1
Expected Goals
0.44
Key Passes
1
Big Chances Created
1
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (1)
Touches
33
Duels Won
10
Tackles
6
Dribbled Past
0
In short, both Trossard and Merino put in stellar displays yesterday and should now be nailed-on starters for next Tuesday’s season-defining encounter.
Yet, both players are worth considerably less than one of yesterday’s substitutes, who could be the club’s next Fabregas.
The Arsenal gem worth millions more than Trossard & Merino
So, first things first, how much are Merino and Trossard worth today? Well, according to Football Transfers, the former is worth around €39.7m, which is about £34m, and the latter is valued at €31.8m, which is about £27m.
Now, while those are not insignificant valuations, they are, surprisingly so, much lower than Ethan Nwaneri’s, which is a whopping €54.6m, which comes out to about £47m, or £20m more than the Belgian and £13m more than the Spaniard.
Arsenal'sEthanNwaneriand MylesLewis-Skellyduring training
It might seem like an absurd number for someone who’s just turned 18, but that might actually work in his favour, as the Hale Ender is already showing an ability to thrive in a title-chasing side at such a young age, scoring nine goals and providing two assists in just 33 appearances, totalling 1294 minutes.
In fact, it’s this ability to step up and perform like a seasoned professional at such a young age that makes him so similar to Fabregas.
The former captain became the youngest player to represent the team in a competitive fixture – a title now held by the Enfield-born gem – when he came off the bench against Rotherham United in a League Cup match in October 2003.
Then, over the next few years, he became a regular starter in the team, so much so that he started the club’s triumphant FA Cup final against Manchester United in 2005.
On top of breaking through in similar ways, there is a real possibility that the Gunners’ “unplayable” young star, as dubbed by Jack Wilshere, could eventually move into the position once held by the Spaniard in time, as while he’s thriving on the wing at the moment, his most played position across his junior career was attacking midfield.
Finally, like the former Barcelona star, the teenage phenomenon has already shown that nothing about top-flight football fazes him, which could be one of the characteristics that help him establish a starting role in the first team in the years to come.
Ultimately, while Merino and Trossard should and almost certainly will start against PSG, Nwaneri looks like he will be one of Arsenal’s best players for potentially the next decade or more.
Best signing since Rice: £58m goalscoring "monster" wants to join Arsenal
The incredible international could be just what Arsenal need.
We will be keeping tabs on how these five young women go at the latest edition of the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia
Shashank Kishore17-Jan-2025
Caoimhe Bray (Australia)
A seam-bowling allrounder like her role model Ellyse Perry, Bray became the youngest to feature in the WBBL late last year when she was just 15. She marked the occasion by dismissing Deandra Dottin and then hitting the winning runs for Sydney Sixers.She had come into the spotlight after amassing nearly 1000 runs in the New South Wales Under-18s competition in 2024, which included a double-century in the final. Last September, she made her Australia Under-19s debut in a tri-series, where she hit 84 and picked up 4 for 20 against New Zealand.Bray has also represented Australia’s junior football team as a 14-year-old at the AFC Women’s Under-17 championships in Indonesia.Tilly Corteen-Coleman has come through the ranks following an impressive initiation in domestic cricket•Getty Images
Tilly Corteen-Coleman (England)
A left-arm spinner who dismissed Meg Lanning on her Hundred debut as a 16-year-old, England’s Corteen-Coleman has come through the ranks following an impressive initiation in domestic cricket, where she picked up four wickets in four deliveries for South East Stars in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.She followed that up with an impressive outing at the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in 2024, where she picked up nine wickets in eight games as South East Stars finished runners-up.Corteen-Coleman has already gained valuable experience in Asia, having represented England Under-19s in Sri Lanka last year.Niki Prasad recently led India to the Under-19 Asia Cup title•ICC via Getty Images
Niki Prasad (India)
As a 15-year-old in 2021, Prasad hit Deepti Sharma for towering sixes at a club tournament in Bengaluru, and there was a buzz around her in the cricket circles in the city. But a departure from her aggressive game to try and bat longer pushed her down the pecking order after she was initially in the running to play in the inaugural edition of this World Cup in 2023.Over the past 18 months, Prasad has rediscovered her big-hitting abilities through dedicated power-hitting sessions as well as a transformation in her fitness routine. In 2025, she will lead India as they hope to defend their crown. She is one of five players from the current India squad to have been picked up in the latest WPL auction; Prasad will play for the Meg Lanning-led Delhi Capitals.Karabo Meso has already featured in two T20Is as a wicketkeeper-batter•Cricket South Africa
Karabo Meso (South Africa)
Set to play in her second Under-19 World Cup, Meso is seen in South Africa as the natural successor to incumbent wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta.Meso comes from a family with a sporting background. Her mother played netball and her father played softball. Meso herself started off as a prodigious track-and-field athlete before shifting to cricket and choosing the big gloves. She earned a maiden national call-up for the home series against Sri Lanka last April, and has subsequently featured in two T20Is.Related
All you need to know about 2025 Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup
Her eight dismissals and superb glovework at the previous edition of the tournament was noticed when she was picked in ICC’s team of the tournament despite South Africa not making it past the Super Six stage.
Limansa Thilakarathna (Sri Lanka)
Daughter of former Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Melbourne-raised Limansa, an Australian national, wants to be a legspinner like another famous Victorian, the late Shane Warne. In 2021, she became the youngest female cricketer – at 12 – to play at the premier level, when she was chosen for Cricket Victoria’s Under-16 squad. She currently represents Melbourne Cricket Club.Limansa’s Australian nationality has caused debate within Sri Lankan cricketing circles, but the selectors have stuck to their decision of picking her citing her all-round abilities – she bats left-handed and in the top four, apart from being a legspinner.
The left-arm spinner was given an almost-impossible task due to his lack of first-class cricket
Alex Malcolm24-Feb-2023How does Ashton Agar go from being Australia’s second spinner in the Test team in January to being sent home from the Test tour of India halfway through?Tony Dodemaide, one of Australia’s three selectors alongside chair George Bailey and coach Andrew McDonald, explained the decision in Delhi.”From a pure selection point of view, it’s not so much why one person isn’t selected, it’s about what the alternatives are,” he said. “And in the calls we had to make, we felt that there were better alternatives. In the first Test with Todd [Murphy], we decided to go with the two and two structure of quicks and spin. And then for the three spinners between [Agar] and Matt [Kuhnemann] in the second Test, we just felt that Matt’s style would be better suited…it was a very close call though.”There is plenty of evidence to say those calls were correct. Todd Murphy took seven wickets on debut in Nagpur and has looked every bit Australia’s second-best red-ball spinner behind Nathan Lyon, while Matthew Kuhnemann did a commendable job for periods in Delhi and took the wicket of Virat Kohli.Related
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The question isn’t so much why Agar was not selected in the first two Tests. The question is why was he selected against South Africa in Sydney? The odds were heavily stacked against him and now he’s had to face leaving a tour surplus to requirements, having arrived as a Test incumbent. Agar handled the situation with class when he was interviewed on arrival back in Perth.”Obviously, it’s not an ideal situation but you just try to make the best of it,” he told . “I’m 29 now, and I’ve been through plenty of ups and downs in the game and we’re in a fortunate position, so it’s nothing that stresses me out too much.”It was clear messaging from [the selectors]. They communicated really well with me and it’s a clear path forward. With that message it’s chin up, walk tall and just try and improve. So that’s just what I’m going to do.”The messaging might have been clear to Agar, but it hasn’t been made clear publicly. Australia’s selectors are known for being a rational and pragmatic group and they have made plenty of excellent choices together as a trio over the past year. But this has not been their finest hour.
Australia’s spin cycle
Calm, composed and consistent. That has been the mantra of the Australian team and the selection panel ever since the start of the Pakistan tour last year.But consistency has not been evident when it’s come to Australia’s second spinner over the past 12 months. Mitchell Swepson had been pre-ordained as the partner and eventual successor to Lyon. He toured with Australia to India in 2017, enjoyed excellent success at Sheffield Shield level and was a regular in touring squads across a five-year period.Ashton Agar’s batting was seen as a key part of his package•Getty ImagesA legspinner complementing an offspinner was the ideal combination. Swepson was finally granted his chance to partner Lyon in the second Test in Pakistan and although he didn’t set the world on fire, there was enough evidence to suggest he had potential at Test level and the attack as a combination with both Swepson and Lyon in it were just a handful of dropped catches away from taking 20 wickets in each of the final two Tests.But in the next Test series in Sri Lanka there was a distinct shift in thinking. The flat surfaces of Pakistan, where it was thought legspin would be effective, were a world away from extreme spinning conditions of Galle.Suddenly wristspin was less desirable as Australia’s selectors wanted to get more specific in terms of picking players with skills that suited the conditions rather than just the next-best spinner available.Swepson bowled well in the first Test in Galle but Travis Head bagged 4 for 10. Fast fingerspin was the flavour of the month. Agar was on the tour and was a good chance to play but he suffered a side strain. Such was the desire for a left-armer, Jon Holland went from not being initially picked in the Test squad or the Australia A squad that toured simultaneously, to almost playing in the second Test.However, his lack of preparation caused him significant finger soreness and the selectors stuck with Swepson. Australia were beaten by an innings. Swepson took 3 for 108 while Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took 12 wickets on Test debut. The dye was cast. Australia needed a left-arm orthodox for India in 2023.2:58
O’Keefe: If you want to succeed as a spinner in India, your teammates need to back you
Australia’s left-arm obsession
The reasoning was sound. Steve O’Keefe took 12 wickets in Pune in 2017. Ravindra Jadeja has been near unplayable in India over his career. Axar Patel scythed through England and New Zealand in 2021. Even New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel took 10 wickets in an innings in Mumbai.The problem is Australia’s selectors only really have three left-arm orthodox spinners to choose from in Agar, Holland and Kuhnemann. Agar had played in Bangladesh in 2017 alongside O’Keefe who has since retired. Holland played on Australia’s tour of the UAE in 2018 but Australia did not visit the subcontinent again until 2022. Kuhnemann is the only other to play any regular first-class cricket in that time, and even then he had limited opportunities for Queensland behind Swepson.When the squad for Pakistan was announced in February of 2022, Agar was chosen as the third spinner behind Lyon and Swepson. Bailey was asked why Agar was picked ahead of Holland and Kuhnemann.”What we like about Ash is the incredible all-round skill set,” Bailey said. “I think his bowling will continue to get better. What we’ve seen is that the way he bowls, he is pretty adaptable to red-ball cricket. We see Ash as ahead of [Holland].”Yet, batting and fielding aside, in the primary skill of bowling there was no evidence that placed Agar ahead of Holland or Kuhnemann in terms of their career first-class numbers and those numbers only widened when isolated to the four-year period between 2018 and 2022.
There was a theory among the selectors that first-class numbers in Australia had no connection to bowling in the subcontinent and vice versa. Such a theory completely ignores the fact that Jadeja averages 21.78 with the ball in Test cricket in Australia, striking at 54.2.Agar’s resemblance in style to Axar, and his batting and fielding capabilities, made him the most attractive prospect. Although he didn’t play in Pakistan or Sri Lanka it was clear he was being set for India.
All-format curse
Agar has had plenty of T20 success in recent years. He was Australia’s T20I player of the year in 2021 and he has built an impressive T20I record having developed his short-form skills through playing a considerable amount.Prior to getting selected against South Africa in Sydney, Agar’s previous Test came in September 2017. That was his 46th first-class match since debuting in 2013. Up until that point, he had only played 36 T20 games. Since that Test match, Agar has played just 18 first-class games in five-and-a-half years. But he has played 105 T20s in the same period. He has worked assiduously on his T20 bowling, becoming incredibly adept at bowling six different balls an over, varying his lengths, lines and speeds from ball to ball and forcing batters to go at less than seven runs per over with five men on the rope.Ashton Agar’s T20 career has hindered his first-class development•Getty ImagesThe problem is none of that translates to long-form cricket, where spinners need to land their stock ball with incredible consistency to far more attacking fields. It is clear Australia’s selectors conflated Agar’s T20 and first-class form together.Despite touring Pakistan and Sri Lanka with the Test squad, Agar played just one first-class game between October 2020 and November 2022 but the selectors remained confident he could play an important role in India. He featured in the Prime Minister’s XI game against West Indies late last year alongside Murphy but did not bowl anywhere near as well as the offspinner. He then played a Shield game at the Gabba where he took 1 for 108 but did make 72.The selectors remained unperturbed. When Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green were simultaneously injured in the Boxing Day Test and the prospect of a turning pitch in Sydney awaited, Agar was called into the squad having played five T20 in the BBL since the Shield game at the Gabba.McDonald was careful to state at the time that Agar had been selected not because he was necessarily Australia’s second-best red-ball spinner, but rather because he complemented Lyon as a left-arm orthodox.He went wicketless in Sydney as the surface failed to deteriorate. But his lengths and lines lacked consistency, which was completely understandable. The selectors had confidence he would turn it around by India, despite being sent back to play five more T20 games before boarding the plane.In the meantime, it was noteworthy that while the selectors had full faith in Agar for the Border-Gavaskar series, Australia’s premier limited-overs legspinner Adam Zampa was overlooked due to his lack of red-ball cricket, much to his frustration.Ashton Agar struggled in training ahead of the India series•Getty Images
India indecision
The closer the Nagpur Test got the less convinced both Agar and the selectors were of how effective he could be. The selectors were desperate to pick a left-arm spinner as India were set to have six right-handers in their top eight. But Agar’s almost exclusive diet of T20 bowling over the previous few years had made it difficult for him to find the red-ball rhythm and consistency during the training camp in Bengaluru. Agar is one of the most honest and popular members of the Australian group, and he made his own doubts known to both the selectors and his team-mates.The selectors finally overcame their fear of picking two offspinners in the same team, having conceded that Murphy’s superior record to right-handers was overwhelming evidence he should be selected, and Agar was left to run the drinks.
When Kuhnemann debuted in Delhi, having flown in only five days earlier, Adam Gilchrist described it as a “pretty big insult” to Agar on radio.But it was clear to see in the Delhi nets that Agar wasn’t ready to play. The evening before the Test he bowled alone on the edge of the square under the guidance of bowling coach Daniel Vettori. Even there he struggled to hit a cap that had been placed on a length as consistently as the other spinners in the squad.It was notable too that he was the only one of Australia’s spinners to bowl no-balls in practice, regularly delivering from a foot-and-a-half in front of the line. It is a well-worn trope of elite cricketers that no-balls in practice do not equate to no-balls in games. They are usually right. Except when you practice from that far in front of the line, the good length you are grooving becomes a short length in a match. It is the difference between a left-arm orthodox testing a batter’s front foot defence and getting cut for four.Agar was honest when he got off the plane in Perth. Except for the occasional Sydney conditions that may call for two spinners, Agar’s next realistic prospect of Test cricket is the two-match tour of Sri Lanka in February 2025.”It’s been pretty hard for me recently, to be fair,” Agar said. “I’ve played maybe three red-ball games in three years. It’s hard to expect that part of my game to be in tiptop perfect shape.”He will play a fourth for Western Australia while he is home, one more than he would have played if he stayed in India, highlighting the pragmatism of sending him back. He could have had three in a row had he not travelled which is the sort of sustained red-ball cricket that he needs to have a fair of chance of success.It’s unlikely any of this has had an impact on the series scoreline, as Australia’s batting has been the major weak point, but it’s a situation the selectors could have done without, and one they could have avoided.
This week the Indian selectors will pick the squads for the Australia tour. Here is a list of questions they’re likely to be facing
Nagraj Gollapudi25-Oct-2020This week the Indian selectors will pick the squads for the Australian tour. The meeting will be the debut for two selectors on the panel including its chairman Sunil Joshi, the former India left-arm spinner, who joined the panel along with former India fast bowler Harvinder Singh in March.The Australian series is the first bilateral engagement for Virat Kohli’s side since March when the home ODI series against South Africa had to be abruptly halted as tremors of the Covid-19 pandemic shook the world.The tour will stretch into 2021 and is scheduled to start in Sydney on November 27 with three ODIs, followed by three T20Is in early December and the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting with a day-night Test in Adelaide from December 17. The tour will end on January 19 with final Test in Brisbane.Keeping in mind the travel guidelines and restrictions owing to the pandemic, it is understood the selection panel will pick a larger contingent in the range of minimum 30 players. This will also include some players who will feature among the reserves to help with the training in the absence of local net bowlers.Following are the big questions that Joshi’s panel are likely to deliberate on at the meeting which would also be attended by Kohli virtually.ESPNcricinfo LtdTestsShaw, Gill, Rahul – who should be the third opener?In New Zealand Rohit Sharma was absent from the Test leg, forced to return home due a calf injury. In Australia Sharma will reunite with Mayank Agarwal, who made his debut in the Boxing Day Test in 2018-19 tour. Both Sharma and Agarwal opened for India during the home season last year spanning five Tests.Agarwal played in the Australia series two years back only because Prithvi Shaw picked up a freak injury in the field in a warm-up match. Agarwal’s opening partners in the Melbourne and Sydney Tests were Hanuma Vihari, who had never done the job before, and KL Rahul respectively.India would want a third specialist opener especially in the absence of any first-class cricket for eight months. Shaw has been the team management’s preferred choice ever since he made a century on Test debut in 2018. He made a half century in second Test in New Zealand, but his indifferent IPL form including his technique against pure fast bowling has once again opened the room for debate.As for Rahul, he remains the preferred man to take over from MS Dhoni in limited-overs cricket, which will be further enhanced after his spectacular form this IPL with Kings XI Punjab. But Rahul has struggled in red-ball cricket for a while before he was dropped from the Test team after the 2019 series in West Indies where he managed 101 runs in four innings with a highest of 44. Not only did Rahul lose his position to Sharma, but also was not included in the India A squad for the Test series against New Zealand A earlier this year.ESPNcricinfo LtdShubman Gill, who has struggled to up the ante opening for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, has been the best batsman for India A in the last two years. Since 2018 Gill has made 970 runs in eight unofficial Tests, including two double centuries. Some might argue all those runs came in the middle order, but Gill opened in the last first-class match he played, against New Zealand A this February, scoring 136. Gill’s talent and run-scoring was not lost upon the selectors who picked him as a back-up batsman for the home season in 2019-20 spanning five Tests.So it is likely to be a toss-up between Shaw and Gill unless both are included with one among the reserves.If Pandya doesn’t bowl, does he merit a place?Hardik Pandya’s last Test match was at The Oval in 2018. The last time Pandya bowled was in December 2018 in a Ranji Trophy match for Baroda. Last October after recurring back problems Pandya underwent a surgery. He has not bowled since.Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan, the team director at Mumbai Indians, the team Pandya plays for, said the allrounder was “very keen and wanting” to bowl, but it was important to “listen to his body” and not rush him back.Pandya was the first successful allrounder to emerge and play for India in all formats since Irfan Pathan. Kohli has acknowledged he favours Pandya to play because he provides balance while allowing to tinker the XI based on the conditions. However, will the selectors risk including Pandya as an allrounder in the Test team with the T20 World Cup next October?ESPNcricinfo LtdWhite-ball cricketCan Pandya play as a specialist batsman?Barely anyone in India can match Pandya in power hitting in the lower order. He also remains a superb fielder in the deep. But if Pandya is unable to bowl, can he play just as a specialist lower-order batsman in the T20Is and ODIs? Incidentally, Pandya was part of the squad in March for the home ODI series against South Africa which was postponed due to the pandemic after the first match which itself was washed out.Keeping in mind the long tour as well as injuries and workloads, the selectors could possibly thinking of resting some key players in the white-ball segment. It is likely then Rohit may not feature in the T20Is, while the strike bowling pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami could be rested for the white-ball leg altogether.Can Patel’s IPL form get him a spot?Axar Patel has played a key role in Delhi Capitals being among the top two teams this IPL. Along with his fellow Capitals team-mate R Ashwin, Patel has been among the best finger-spinners in the tournament with 8 wickets at a miserly economy of 5.78. Patel last played for India in a T20I in South Africa in 2018, and his last ODI came a year before that, in the home series against New Zealand.However with Ravindra Jadeja showing poor form in IPL this time, will the selectors think of playing Patel as a bowling allrounder along with Washington Sundar?What about Suryakumar Yadav?One of the most consistent T20 batsmen in the last two IPL editions, Yadav missed out on the being part of the New Zealand T20I series earlier this year. However with Sharma picking up a sore hamstring this week, would the selectors be bold enough to pick a new opening batsman in Yadav for the T20I leg? Yadav is by no means a left-field choice: he has vast experience having batted in middle order at Knight Riders before being played in the top order at Mumbai. His other strength is he is an athletic fielder. This story was updated at 0700GMT to reflect Rohit potentially being rested for the T20Is
With Brevis taking Markram’s regular spot at No. 4 and Pretorius setting in at No. 3, South Africa’s T20I captain has made the move up top
Firdose Moonda15-Aug-2025
Aiden Markram got starts in each of the two games•AFP/Getty Images
With a fairly young playing group, it’s safe to say South Africa are still experimenting with roles in the T20I side, including that of the captain Aiden Markram. Though he will play his 200th T20 against Australia in Cairns, he is newly installed as an opening batter and juggling that with leadership and the occasional bowling role as South Africa build towards the next T20 World Cup.The decision to move Markram to the top of the order was made by all-format coach Shukri Conrad, taking into account the rest of the line-up which is (almost certainly) going to be without Quinton de Kock again. With Reeza Hendricks dropped for this tour and Ryan Rickelton as the other opener, Markram explained that Conrad saw him as the “best fit” for the spot, despite the presence of 19-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius.”Going through our squads and the players that we’ve got around, we think probably that (opening) is the best fit,” Markram said in Cairns ahead of the third T20I against Australia. “We’ve got some guys in the middle order that are a lot more destructive than myself and we feel probably it’s better off for myself and Ricks to be up top. I did it a bit at the IPL and am starting to do it now again at international cricket. It’s an exciting role. It’s always nice to bat in the powerplay and the focus is to get the team off to good starts.”Related
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In IPL 2025, Markram had good returns in the opening spot for Lucknow Super Giants, where he scored five fifties in 13 innings and maintained a strike-rate of 148.82. He also has three half-centuries from nine innings opening for South Africa, albeit that they came in a series against Pakistan in 2021, and strikes at 170.28. Those T20I numbers are less likely to have influenced Conrad than the presence of Dewald Brevis at No. 4, which would be Markram’s regular spot. As Markram himself said, Brevis is among those who are “a lot more destructive” than he is and with David Miller also likely to slot back in from the England series onwards, there is no other spot for Markram unless Pretorius (currently at No. 3) does not play.Aiden Markram is back at the top of the order for South Africa in T20Is•Getty ImagesIt doesn’t help Markram that he continues to struggle for form at this level. He has not scored a half-century in T20Is in 30 innings dating back to October 2022 and has only crossed 20 once in his last seven knocks. He will know that pressure is on him to deliver, especially after former captain Temba Bavuma was dropped from the format for similarly low numbers. Bavuma only scored one T20I fifty (Markram has nine) but got into double figures only four times in his last 13 T20I innings and was generally considered to be too slow a run-scorer to stay in the side.What Markram offers that Bavuma didn’t is the additional skill of offspin and under a coach who values allrounders, how often Markram chooses to bowl could also underline his value to the team. In the second T20I, he shared the new ball and picked up the early wicket of Travis Head but only bowled one over. As captain, he has bowled 35 overs in 28 matches, and a full quota of four overs twice. Asked if he would consider using himself more, Markram wavered but suggested it could happen if the situation called for it.”It’s very much a feel thing. It’s quite a daunting task. You just see the ball flying nowadays and I’m not so sure I really want to be a bowler,” he said. “But there’ll be occasions where you feel like the wicket might be on the slower side or might offer something and you sort of take that punt. The way I try to operate is just go on my gut feel, whatever my gut’s telling me in the moment, run with that and back that and reflect on what could have been and what should have been possibly after the game.”
“We’ve got some guys in the middle order that are a lot more destructive than myself and we feel probably it’s better off for myself and Ricks [Rickelton] to be up top.”Aiden Markram explains why he went back to opening in T20Is
South Africa have several spin options available to them in this squad – left-armers George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy, offspinner Prenelan Subrayen and legspinners Nqabayomzi Peter and Dewald Brevis – as well as two big names who are not in the touring party. Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi have been left out of this series with the push towards allrounders, which should only make Markram even more eager to show what he can do with ball in hand.For now, Markram’s focus will be on winning the series and getting South Africa’s T20I bilateral record back on track. They have won only one of their last nine bilateral engagements and, recently, also lost the T20I tri-series final to New Zealand in Zimbabwe. Though that record was largely the cause of playing with experimental squads, it weighed on former coach Rob Walter. The expectation is that with more of the first-choice players available to him, Conrad will produce more consistent results.The same can be said of Markram. His reputation as an inspirational captain was confirmed when he led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to back-to-back SA20 titles and then South Africa to the T20 World Cup final. Now, he will want to back that up with his own form and has already hinted that he has set himself the goal of stepping up.”The series so far has been good. The bowlers have been pretty good for us. The previous game made our batters look good, but it was very much an individual performance [Brevis hit an unbeaten 125]. So a nice challenge for our batters tomorrow to hopefully click and for them to put on a good score.”
The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-3, in 10 innings on Monday night despite the best efforts of Shohei Ohtani. The Mets scored a run in the fifth inning when Brandon Nimmo hit a ground-rule double that scored Jeff McNeil.
McNeil had almost gotten doubled off second when Michael Conforto made a tough catch at the wall on a long fly ball from Francisco LIndor. Conforto quickly threw the ball back in an attempt to get McNeil at second, but second baseman Tommy Edman couldn't make the catch and it bounced away.
The ball then hit umpire Jansen Visconti in the head and ricocheted straight up into the air and miraculously landed back in Edman's glove. You couldn't recreate this bounce in a lifetime.
Luckily, Visconti was alright. In fact, he was so alright that he and Edman shared a laugh and then the cameras caught him pointing back out to the outfield with a big smile on his face to let Conforto know that he was alright. And in the process, he looked like the coolest umpire in baseball.