Karima Gore struck an unbeaten half-century to see a 134-run chase through
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2025
Shakib Al Hasan picked up his 500th T20 wicket during the match•CPL T20/Getty Images
Shakib Al Hasan made history on Sunday, becoming the fifth man in the world to take 500 wickets in T20 cricket. He bowled only two overs against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots but picked up 3 for 11 in a match-winning effort for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, who consolidated their place at the top of the CPL 2025 points table.Shakib needed six balls to get the record out of the way, deceiving Mohammad Rizwan in flight and securing a caught and bowled. Two more wickets came his way as he quadrupled his tally for the season and limited the former champions to a meagre 133 for 9 in North Sound. Patriots had a tough go of it after being put in to bat with only Rizwan (30 off 26) and Evin Lewis (32 off 31) scoring more than 18 runs. There were four single-digit scores and three run-outs, epitomising an innings that never went quite right.With a target in front of them, Falcons were able to negotiate the difficult batting conditions better but even they had the odd hiccup. Afghanistan wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil continued his outstanding form as this season’s top wicket-taker with figures of 1 for 16. Patriots needed more than one man to pull off this defence though. They ran into Shakib again, this time with the bat as the Bangladesh allrounder showed off his other skill. Four other men have 500 wickets in T20 cricket but none of them have nearly as much as his 7574 runs. Shakib was 3 off seven balls before he hit Ashmead Nedd for a six down the ground and reverse-swept the next ball for four to hasten Falcons’ march to the finish line.Falcons needed 28 from 30 balls when Shakib fell. Karima Gore, who was playing the anchor’s role until then, found a couple of boundaries to ease off the pressure. He also hit the winning boundary, thus seeing off the chase with two balls to spare and bringing up his fifty as well.
The New Zealand spinner achieved an extraordinary feat in his home city three years ago. What can he do this time around?
Ashish Pant30-Oct-2024Mumbai holds a special place in Ajaz Patel’s heart. It was where he was born and grew up for a while before emigrating to New Zealand with his parents as an eight-year-old. His wife is from the city, and he still has plenty of extended family there, whom he often visits. Three years ago, the Wankhede Stadium was the scene of one of the rarest bowling feats in Test cricket, when Ajaz became only the third bowler in the history of the format to bag all ten wickets in an innings.That was his first time playing international cricket in India and he finished the two-Test series as the highest wicket-taker, with 17 wickets – 14 of which came in that Mumbai Test, to date the best figures by any visiting bowler in the country. While it was an effort that catapulted him to global recognition, it was also bittersweet with New Zealand going down in the Test and losing the series 2-0.Now, almost three years later, New Zealand make their way to the final Test of the series having taken a 2-0 lead and broken a slew of records on the way. There is some pressure on them to sweep the series, but as Ajaz makes his way back to his “second home”, he is likely to take a quiet moment to himself in the place where it all began.Related
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“Yeah, it will be pretty cool. It’ll be pretty nostalgic for me, obviously, going back there,” he says. “My roots are deeply connected to Mumbai. For me, it’s just special being there and being available and having the opportunity to play at Wankhede. Yeah, it’s surreal. Even when I went there the first time, it was really special even before everything kicked off. It was just special to be in Mumbai and be able to have the opportunity to play there.”It was on the second day of the Mumbai Test in 2021 that the stars aligned for Ajaz. He had bagged four wickets on the opening day and was eyeing the honours board, but there was a lot more than that in store. He got his fifth and sixth off consecutive deliveries, and while the seventh took another 28 overs to come, he wrapped up the final three wickets quickly to claim a place in history.Of the ten, Virat Kohli’s wicket was the one Ajaz cherished the most. “He’s a great of batting around the world and comes out with an aura and confidence, and to be able to get him out was special,” he says. But more than the wickets, he remembers most fondly a feeling that came over him earlier in the match.”In a funny way, the glaring moment of that game for me was being out there on the morning of day one and kind of absorbing the fact that you’re out there in Mumbai,” he says. “The place that you’re born… you’re not living in India anymore, you’re playing for another country, which is your new home, but you’re back here against India. And all those things in combination were quite crazy to comprehend, and obviously, a lot of things have to line up to get that opportunity.Ajaz joined Jim Laker and Anil Kumble in taking ten in an innings in the Mumbai Test in 2021•BCCI”It’s almost like I was destined to come there and play, but then the way that it unfolded was obviously quite special. At the end of day two I was just kind of sitting back and appreciating what I’d achieved and what had just happened, and also accepting the fact that there’s a lot of destiny about it, and there’s a lot of grace from high up above to be able to achieve something like that, because we all appreciate that cricket requires a little bit of luck as well, and to take ten, you need a lot of things to go your way. So that was pretty special.”
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Ajaz made his first-class debut in 2012 and had to wait for close to six years to break into the New Zealand team. The 2021 Mumbai Test was only the 11th of his career. One would assume that after taking ten in an innings, opportunities might have been fairly regular for Ajaz, for a while at least. As it turns out, he wasn’t even part of the squad for the next Test series that New Zealand played, against Bangladesh at home less than a month later. In fact, of his 20 Tests, only three have been at home, the last of them in February 2020.New Zealand’s bowling requirements are such that they have opted for a seam-heavy combination at home, with the likes of Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips doing the spin-bowling duties if required. Since his record feat, Ajaz has been part of only ten of the 23 Tests New Zealand have played. All but one of those ten were in Asia. Before the Sri Lanka tour just preceding the ongoing one of India, he went through a period where he played only four Tests in close to two years, between late December 2022 and September 2024.While there is a tinge of frustration at the lack of opportunities, Ajaz admits it “breeds hunger” and the will to “continue to improve”.”If you’re honest, as an international cricketer and a professional cricketer, you want to be playing every game and work towards putting yourself in a position to be able to do that and play in all conditions and play everywhere around the world,” he says. “But sometimes in New Zealand, that’s a little bit difficult. You look around the world and you see spinners playing in all conditions. They play in their home conditions, they play in away conditions, where I guess our team balance and what we’ve been looking to achieve for a while now has been so seam-dominated that it’s been difficult to find a space in that team as a spinner.Ajaz’s new, slightly longer, run-up has helped him expand the range of speeds he can bowl at•AFP/Getty Images”But also, in saying that, if we look at the last five to eight years of New Zealand cricket, we’ve probably had the best seam attack we’ve ever had. So it’s kind of going well.”Yeah, it’s difficult and you want to play and you want to be available and push yourself for every opportunity, and realistically, sometimes that’s not a possibility.”But I think you still have to aim for it, you still have to work towards it because that’s the best way to prepare yourself when the opportunity does arise. I know that I don’t get as many opportunities, So when I do, I’m really hungry for them and I’m really excited for them. And I always work towards my game to be available everywhere, whether it be at home or whether it be in the subcontinent.”Obviously then it’s up to selectors whether I get picked or not. And then if I don’t get picked, that’s fine. I continue to grow my game, so that I can still keep pushing for that opportunity.”He can take comfort in the fact that since his debut, he has been part of the New Zealand playing XI in every Test in Asia. On the flip side, there is obvious expectation from him to rock up almost cold and succeed in spin-favouring conditions almost every time. After all, since his debut, only five bowlers have more wickets in Asia than his 70 in 15 Tests at 30.57 Over the last few years, he has made a change in his bowling stride and load-up, lengthening his run-up to help vary his pace so as to better adapt to surfaces in the subcontinent. It has yielded results. Ajaz was the second-highest wicket-taker when New Zealand visited Bangladesh for a two-Test series late last year. He also picked up eight wickets in the first Test against Sri Lanka in September.”If I’m honest there, about two years ago, I felt like my bowling wasn’t quite up to where I wanted it to be. And it’s funny to say that, because it was literally after I took ten wickets in India,” he says. “But my drive has always been to continue to improve and continue to get better. And one of the big things for me was being able to hit a higher range [of speed].”With my old action and my old run-up, I was able to hit 90s [kph], but not quite consistently. I would range between the mid-80s and the early 80s to the early 90s. With the addition of the run-up, now I can go up to mid-90s and still [also] hit the early 80s. So that range becomes a lot bigger, and that gives you more opportunities and also, it allows you to challenge batters on different surfaces.”If it’s slow, you can adapt and get quicker, or if it’s quick, you can adapt and get slower. After that Mumbai Test, there were probably games where I wasn’t quite satisfied with how it was coming out and what I was able to produce. It was then [about] going on a little discovery and figuring out what that looks like and where I wanted to take my bowling next.”During the two Tests in India in this series, Ajaz has seen the fast bowlers run riot in Bengaluru, and then Mitchell Santner take 13 in Pune. With match hauls of 2 for 100 and 2 for 97, his own performances have been lukewarm. Now, though, on (second) home territory, he will hope for another special show as New Zealand eye a rare series sweep. He will have plenty of support in the form of his parents, wife, daughter and extended family in attendance in the crowd. Is another ten-for too much to ask for?
Opener hits unbeaten 72 off 40 balls to keep Rockets winless
ECB Media10-Aug-2025Eighteen-year-old Davina Perrin continued her impressive domestic form with a sparkling 42-ball 70 to overpower Trent Rockets in The Hundred.It was Perrin’s first half-century in The Hundred, and the second-highest score by a female English player uncapped at international level. More importantly for Perrin and Northern Superchargers, it took them to the top of the table with two wins from two.”I had a conversation with one of the coaches before and he said: ‘What are you going to do when you go out?’ And I was like: ‘have fun,'” Perrin said. “It was a pretty decent deck, it was coming onto the bat nicely, so it allowed me to lean into it and just try and play strong shots. It’s nice to do it front of so many people and on a decent ground, so happy days.”It was a dominant performance from the team in purple, who were on top straight away and rarely let their foot off the gas, save some customary excellence from Trent Rockets skipper Ash Gardner.The Superchargers had Rockets at 5 for 3 after 18 balls and right up against it, Gardner did her thing to fight back with a 32-ball 61 but it was essentially a lone hand and her side’s eventual total of 128 felt light at a sun-dappled Trent Bridge.Ash Gardner forces one away through the off side•Warren Little/Getty Images
Perrin dominated the opening partnership of 62 with Alice Davidson-Richards and entertained the crowd throughout, with strong shots all around the wicket and even a one-handed scoop. Phoebe Litchfield matched her stroke for stroke with her 10-ball 22 and Annabel Sutherland finished things off in a fittingly creative way, reverse-sweeping through the off-side.It was a performance of great promise from the Superchargers who will feel they’re laying down a marker, for Rockets the need to get a win on the board is getting ever greater.
Após uma reunião com o Nova Iguaçu, o Vasco publicou uma nota na madrugada desta quarta para quinta-feira (14 para 15), na qual os clubes reiteram o desejo de jogar a segunda partida da semifinal do Carioca no Maracanã. Até o momento, o confronto está marcado para o Estádio Raulino de Oliveira, em Volta Redonda.
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Durante toda esta quarta-feira, clubes e entidades divulgaram notas expondo as visões de cada lado. Depois de uma “guerra de narrativas” o governador do Rio, Cláudio Castro, postou um vídeo nas redes sociais afirmando que o Maracanã está disponível para a partida entre Nova Iguaçu e Vasco.
O primeiro jogo da semifinal entre Vasco e Nova Iguaçu foi disputado no Maracanã. O jogo terminou empatado. Com isso, a Laranja da Baixada tem a vantagem do empate para se classificar para a grande final.
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A partida entre Nova Iguaçu e Vasco será no domingo (17). A bola rola às 16h.
Any doubts about Newcastle United’s quality have been extinguished by a run of October form that has led to six wins from seven matches in all competitions.
Newcastle are making headway in the Champions League and have set themselves back on track in the Premier League with a last-minute winner against Fulham at the weekend. St. James’ Park roared, and then cheers in concert once again when Tottenham Hotspur were dumped from the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.
Still, Eddie Howe’s side are hardly firing on all cylinders, and that especially applies to the final third. However, Nick Woltemade has been nothing but brilliant since completing his club-record £69m transfer over from Stuttgart in August, and the German striker is spearheading the fight for silverware and retention of this seat at the top European table.
Woltemade's prolific start at Newcastle
Woltemade’s crisp header to seal the victory over Tottenham marked his sixth of the campaign, just 11 matches into his Newcastle career.
Alexander Isak’s record-breaking transfer to Liverpool felt like it could have a detrimental effect on the Toon project, but Newcastle have kept on moving forward, with the rangy centre-forward dovetailing into the system.
He loves a header, the German does, but that’s hardly the full scope of his game. Lanky at 6 foot 6, Woltemade has no right to be as technically graceful and intuitive in the tight spaces as he is, ranking among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90.
And yet he is mesmerising when on the ball. BBC Sport analyst Raj Chohan has even said that “there’s no striker on the planet who moves the ball like Woltemade.”
With this in mind, the Tyneside frontline should be firing on all cylinders, but this isn’t the case. Anthony Gordon is seemingly saving his best displays for the continental front at the moment, while Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy make up solid, if unspectacular, parts of the unit.
But there’s another man who has left much to be desired, and must be frustrated with his tough start to life in black and white as Woltemade thrives beside him.
The Newcastle star being saved by Woltemade
How often have we seen a player struggle to impress after switching clubs in the Premier League? It’s not an uncommon experience, to be sure.
And for Anthony Elanga, this is the reality as he still searches for his first direct goal involvement as a Magpie, having joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest for £55m in August, one year after Howe’s first bid to snatch him from Evangelos Marinakis.
It’s been an inauspicious start to life in Howe’s squad, it must be said. Elanga has played 14 times in all competitions and has yet to register a goal or an assist.
Still, the Sweden international is one of the fastest players in the Premier League, and while his playmaking success has dried up of late, he ranks among the top 8% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists per 90.
And there’s a good reason that the big bucks were spent on his signature. For Nottingham Forest, the 23-year-old was a menace, with his fleet-footedness and tendency to directly take on his man playing to the strengths of Howe’s counter-attacking system.
However, deeper statistical analysis would suggest that even across his two terms with the Tricky Trees, Elanga left something to be desired. He is not the most active in taking on his opponent, despite his pace, and does not dribble with the intensity of frequency that perhaps his physique suggests is within his capacity.
Elanga in the Premier League for Forest
Stats (* per game)
23/24
24/25
Matches (starts)
36 (25)
38 (31)
Goals
5
6
Assists
9
11
Shots (on target)*
1.5 (0.6)
1.1 (0.6)
Pass completion
75%
78%
Key passes*
0.9
1.3
Big chances created
14
9
Dribbles*
0.8
0.7
Tackles + interceptions*
1.1
0.7
Duels (won)*
2.9 (44%)
3.0 (45%)
Data via Sofascore
With just four Premier League starts in a Newcastle shirt this season, it’s perhaps premature to analyse the data on a wider scale, but we can observe that Elanga is currently averaging only 1.8 successful duels per game, completing just 18% of his dribbles besides.
With a nominal amount of shots unleashed each game and not a big chance yet created, it’s not difficult to see why he’s struggling.
But Elanga needs only take a leaf from Anthony Gordon’s book. After all, the Three Lions star flattered to deceive after completing a £45m transfer from Everton in January 2023, then clicking into gear in 2023/24, winning the Newcastle Player of the Year award after posting 11 goals and ten assists in the top flight.
Gordon has yet to fully spread his wings this season, but he’s tenacious and talented and undoubtedly the focal point out wide for Newcastle. Elanga will use him as inspiration.
Now, Gordon is one of the most prominent wingers in the Premier League, seemingly Thomas Tuchel’s preferred pick on the Three Lions’ left flank as the 2026 World Cup looms ever closer.
While Elanga’s sticky form continued with a 6/10 display against Tottenham, as noted by the Shields Gazette, there is a wide recognition of the winger’s talent, and he will improve as he continues to develop under Howe’s wing.
This is all to say that fans would be silly to give up on Elanga after only a few months at St. James’ Park. There’s a real player in there, a star who the club scouted extensively.
Perhaps he’s mimicking a former version of Gordon, but if that is the case, then the best is yet to come.
New Tonali: Newcastle's 8/10 ace has been an "incredible piece of business"
Newcastle have proved their skill in the transfer market once again this summer.
Italy national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has refused to accept criticism after his team left it late to win their World Cup qualifying match against Moldova. The World Cup winning former midfielder insists his side dominated the game despite what the scoreline suggested as he hit out at the fans for the reaction at the full-time whistle.
Italy's hard fought victory over Moldova
Italy controlled the first half of the World Cup qualifying game with an impressive 82 percent possession and created multiple chances, but poor finishing kept the scoreline unchanged. The second half followed a similar pattern, with Moldova frustrating Italy’s attempts to break the deadlock. This led to the introduction of Mateo Retegui and young striker Pio Esposito to inject energy into the attack. The changes paid off, as goals from Gianluca Mancini and Esposito late in the game finally secured a hard-earned victory for Italy.
Gattuso commented on the rotation, acknowledging that putting 11 new players on the pitch is always a challenge when he said: “It’s fine, putting 11 new players out from the start is difficult.”
He admitted he was concerned that so many changes could disrupt the balance of the squad and that Italy could even lose, but he praised his players for their performance, saying: “I felt within myself we could even lose today with so many changes, but I tip my hat to them, they did better than I expected.”
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Gattuso's staunch defense of his side
However, with the match still at 0-0 late on, Italy’s small group of travelling fans protested, chanting that the players should 'go to work'. Gattuso disagreed with their criticism, insisting that the team had performed well.
"The protests from the fans are a disgrace, I'm sorry for what I heard today," he said. "This isn't the time to tell the players to go to work: we need to stay united, because the team is struggling on the pitch, and hearing 500 fans protesting away from home is something I don't accept.
"I'm very happy with the lads. We've brought in a whole new team, and we knew we'd struggle. I'm satisfied, but I'm angry about what I've heard in the last 30 minutes. Having 500 fans telling you to go work makes me feel bad. I'm disappointed about this. I don't know where it comes from, but in Italy's history it's the first time we've won six games. I'm convinced we'll get what we need to get because these lads are strong. Winning seven games boosts self-esteem."
Norway, Italy's rivals for the top spot in the group, beat Moldova 11-1 in September, but Gattuso discouraged any comparisons with Italy’s result, saying: “If you were expecting an 11-1like Moldova had against Norway, then that is not my problem. There are no easy matches."
Italy's chances of qualifying for the World Cup
Italy can still technically qualify for the World Cup as Group I winners. They are three points behind Norway – their opponents in the next and final match of the round – but it would take a massive win to overcome the deficit in goal difference. Instead, a place in the play-offs appears certain for the Azzurri, which will ramp up the pressure on the recently-appointed Gattuso.
The national team have not appeared in a World Cup since 2014, having failed to qualify in both 2018 and 2022 after painful play off defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia. The upcoming play offs now represent another high stakes hurdle in their bid to return to football’s biggest stage.
Gattuso was critical of the qualification rules, arguing that despite being the second-best team in the table with a plus twelve goal difference, Italy should not have to go through another round to qualify. “In my day, the top team in each group would go through, plus the best runners up,” He said. “We have 18 points, we have won six games, and still we have to go into another two matches to qualify. It does not seem right.”
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Italy on a World Cup mission
Italy will host Norway on Sunday at the San Siro while also keeping an eye on the teams they could face in the play offs next March, which will decide their qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Nat Sciver-Brunt becomes the first player to 1000 WPL runs
Sampath Bandarupalli15-Mar-20250-3 Delhi Capitals’ record in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) finals. They have been on the losing side in all three WPL finals, twice against Mumbai Indians – in 2023 and 2025 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2024.Capitals were the table toppers in all three seasons and qualified to the final directly, while MI finished second during the league phase in both 2023 and 2025.ESPNcricinfo Ltd22/22 Teams winning the toss chose to bowl first in all the 22 matches in this WPL. Chasing teams won all six matches held in Vadodara, while only once did the batting first team win across eight games in Bengaluru.The trend of teams electing to bowl after winning the toss continued at the Brabourne Stadium, despite all four matches being won by teams batting first, including the final.4 Instances of teams successfully defending a total of less than 150 in the WPL, including the 149 by MI against DC on Saturday. DC were on the losing side on two of the previous three occasions – they failed to chase 139 against UP Warriorz in 2024 and 148 against Gujarat Giants in 2023.7-1 MI’s win-loss record in the WPL at the Brabourne Stadium. Their only defeat at this venue came against RCB in the final league match of this season. Both finals that MI won against the Capitals were at Brabourne Stadium.1027 Runs scored by Nat Sciver-Brunt in the WPL. She became the first batter to 1000 or more runs in the league. She scored 523 runs this season alone, while no other batter has 400 in a single edition of the WPL.Sciver-Brunt also went past 8000 runs in T20 cricket on Saturday. She became the eleventh woman to the landmark and the third England player after Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Heather Knight.ESPNcricinfo Ltd18 Wickets for Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr in the WPL 2025, the joint-most in an edition of the WPL. Matthews and Kerr are also the top-two WPL wicket-takers across all seasons, with 41 and 40 scalps respectively.150.00 Harmanpreet Kaur’s batting strike rate during her 44-ball 66 in the final. The other MI batters combined to score 75 runs off 76 balls at a rate of 98.68.Harmanpreet hit only one four in her first 15 balls while scoring 11 runs but smashed 55 off her next 29 balls, with eight fours and two sixes.20 for 2 MI’s powerplay total on Saturday is the lowest during this phase (1-6) of WPL 2025. It is also the fourth-lowest powerplay total for any team in the WPL.MI recovered from the slow start, thanks to Harmanpreet’s counterattack, scoring 92 runs in the middle overs (7-16) and 37 at the death (17-20).9.87 Economy rate of DC’s spinners on Saturday in the eight overs they bowled, despite taking four wickets. Only twice did they concede at a higher economy in the WPL. The MI spinners also bagged four wickets in the 12 overs but were more economical (7.91).
Batter rewarded for impressive form for Oval Invincibles, en route to their third Men’s Hundred title
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2025Jordan Cox has been rewarded for his Player-of-the-Tournament display in the Men’s Hundred with a belated call-up to England’s T20I squad to face Ireland later this month.Cox, 24, topped the Hundred averages with 367 runs at 61.16, and a strike-rate of 173.93, as Oval Invincibles lifted the trophy for the third consecutive season with an emphatic 26-run victory over Trent Rockets in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.Cox himself made 40 from 28 balls in the final, after which he said he would continue to “bang the England door down”, after a series of luckless near-misses in recent months, including a broken thumb sustained on the eve of his designated Test debut in New Zealand, and a side strain sustained while making a century for Essex earlier this summer.He has previously played two T20Is, making scores of 17 and 0 against Australia in September 2024, as well as three ODIs on the subsequent tour of West Indies in October and November.His recall comes as part of a second-string England squad, captained by Jacob Bethell, that is due to play three T20Is in Dublin on September 17, 19 and 21. The original 14-man squad had been notably light on specialist batting, with the likelihood that a bowling allrounder – Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed or Jamie Overton – would be carded to come in at No.6.The news comes just 24 hours after England’s 50-over squad were bowled out for 131 in 24.3 overs at Headingley, to slump to a humiliating seven-wicket loss to South Africa in the first ODI.
South Africa blown away for 72 to go down by 342 runs – the heaviest defeat in men’s ODIs
Matt Roller07-Sep-2025Jacob Bethell cracked the first hundred of his professional career as England thrashed South Africa by a record margin in Southampton. Bethell’s 110 off 82 balls, a timely reminder of his immense talent, was more than South Africa’s batters managed between them as Jofra Archer ran through their top order in a blistering new-ball spell to set up a thumping consolation win.At 21, Bethell became the second-youngest England player to score a men’s ODI hundred and set the platform for a huge total in a 182-run partnership with fellow centurion Joe Root, who hardly broke a sweat. South Africa were never likely to chase 415 even if Temba Bavuma – who strained a calf in the field – had been fit to bat, but after a dramatic collapse it took a last-wicket stand of 15 for them to surpass their lowest-ever ODI score of 69.Archer struck with his second ball, a loosener which Aiden Markram edged behind, but there were no more of those across an opening burst of 4 for 10 in seven overs. He had Ryan Rickelton nicking behind, Matthew Breetzke top-edging while trying to leave one alone, and Tristan Stubbs caught in the slips as he cranked the pace up to 93mph/150kph.SA fined for slow over rate
South Africa were fined 5% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over rate. They were one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. As per Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, players are fined 5% of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.
It was a searing spell which had South Africa’s batters hopping around, with Stubbs and Corbin Bosch both wearing blows on the body. Archer was well backed up by Brydon Carse, who had Wiaan Mulder caught off the top edge and Dewald Brevis edging to third slip, before Adil Rashid mopped up the tail. It could have been even worse but for two dropped catches.Harry Brook, England’s captain, hailed the “ultimate performance” from his side, while Bavuma promised a debrief after “a poor showing” in which things went “terribly wrong” for South Africa. “A display like that doesn’t do us justice,” he said, before sheepishly lifting the series trophy.Bethell’s twin failures in England’s fifth-Test defeat to India at The Oval sparked countless column inches, which highlighted the low volume of cricket that he has played this summer. He acknowledged on Sunday morning that he could have played more, but his 76-ball hundred underlined that he is a special talent whose rapid promotion to this level is deserved.Jofra Archer ripped the heart out of South Africa’s batting•Philip Brown/Getty ImagesSouth Africa had the chance to inflict England’s first home whitewash since 2006 after sealing the series at Lord’s on Thursday but were completely bereft of intensity. They rested Lungi Ngidi and were uncharacteristically sloppy in the field: Breetzke made a hash of a very simple chance off Jamie Smith at cover, but Nandre Burger’s drop of Bethell on 44 at mid-on proved particularly costly.Retaining his spot at No. 4, Bethell took the initiative early in his innings by attacking Keshav Maharaj. He punished the short ball, launched three straight sixes, and reached three figures with a rasping cover drive, celebrating his first senior century in his 141st innings across first-class, List A and T20 cricket by running towards the pavilion with his arms outstretched.Bethell has now made at least 50 in four of his six ODI innings this year, and this hundred confirmed his status both as an automatic pick in England’s white-ball teams and as one of the world’s most exciting young batters. If he can continue his form on a tour to New Zealand in late October, he could yet displace Ollie Pope as England’s No. 3 for the first Ashes Test in Perth.Related
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Root played in Bethell’s slipstream, reaching an effortless hundred – his 19th in ODIs, six more than any other England batter – in 95 balls. It was vintage Root: he hit only six boundaries but scored 50 singles, 10 twos and two threes to run South Africa ragged. For the second ODI series in a row, they conceded 400-plus in a dead-rubber after going 2-0 up with a game to spare.England made their best start of the series after being asked to bat first by Bavuma, reaching 59 in the ninth over before Ben Duckett’s international summer ended with a top-edged pull to midwicket. Smith looked in fine touch, racing to his second half-century of the series, before he swung Maharaj straight to long-on for 62 two balls after the drinks break.South African heads dropped during Bethell and Root’s vast stand, and even two quick wickets in the 41st over – Bethell stumped charging Maharaj, and Brook run out for the second time in the series while attempting a casual second – could not slow the scoring rate, as Jos Buttler and Will Jacks ensured a strong finish.Buttler belted 62 not out off 32, launching Maharaj back over his head, scooping Mulder for six and turning a ramp off Burger into a late deflection for four. Jacks’ straight six off Burger doubled as a forewarning for the government’s emergency alarm test, which set off a flurry of phones in the stands; a loft over cover took England past 400 for the seventh time in ODIs.South Africa’s bowling effort was summed up by them conceding 27 extras, including 19 wides, while Burger’s analysis – 0 for 95 off 10 – was the most expensive in their ODI history. Codi Yusuf only narrowly avoided the feat himself in conceding 80 from his 10 wicketless overs of medium pace – the most by a South African debutant in ODIs – then became the second of Rashid’s three victims.
Liverpool splashed the big bucks and then some over the summer, hopeful of retaining their Premier League title in style.
However, the majority of the whopping £415m spent now looks as if it has gone down the drain, with both Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak remaining goalless, despite costing a combined £225m to bring to Anfield.
Arne Slot thankfully has the January transfer window coming into view now to try and turn around his side’s lacklustre campaign, with Liverpool all the way down in eighth position at the moment, as Manchester United are even ahead of the Reds on goal difference.
Liverpool planning to spend big again
You would think that the Merseyside giants might be more cautious in the transfer department after such a wild summer spending spree.
However, reports suggest that the underwhelming reigning champions could go all out to try and win Michael Olise from Bayern Munich for an astronomical £177m fee.
Moreover, one of the best players in the top-flight this term in the shape of Antoine Semenyo is reportedly also on their radar as they try to upgrade on an attack that looks short on confidence, even with Mohamed Salah starting week in, week out.
On top of flashy recruits being rumoured to join the Anfield ranks in attack, an update from Liverpool-based writer DaveOCKOP has also revealed that the Reds are holding initial talks with Crystal Palace over midfield star Adam Wharton.
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It is stated that the move is more likely for the summer of 2026 than the upcoming January window, but never say never when it comes to Liverpool’s ambition in this department, with it also being revealed back in September that the English international’s preference – if he were to leave the Eagles behind – was a switch to Slot and Co.
Having just made his first start for the Three Lions during this international break, the sky really does appear to be the limit for Wharton currently, with a mammoth £100m price tag also above his head.
How Wharton can become Slot's own Gerrard
As Slot looks to reshape his midfield in 2026, he could find a new beating heart at the centre of his team in the form of Wharton, much like a certain Steven Gerrard was back in the day.
By the close of his distinguished career at the very top, Gerrard was showered with some immense praise, with Gabriel Agbonlahor notably once describing him as the best midfielder in Premier League history, even ahead of Kevin De Bruyne.
Indeed, away from bagging a stunning 186 goals and picking up 155 assists for his boyhood club, the well-rounded servant also closed out his long-standing career on Merseyside with a Champions League title.
As Liverpool’s website affectionately put it when Gerrard hung up his boots, the Englishman was a revered “gladiator” for his boyhood side.
Of course, it would be crazy to expect Wharton to be as impactful from minute one of his own Anfield journey, but in time, he could be Gerrard 2.0, displaying a similar level of composure and ball manipulation from midfield.
Wharton for Palace by season
Stat ( *= per 90 mins)
23/24
24/25
25/26
Games played
16
20
9
Goals scored
0
0
0
Assists
3
2
0
Touches*
49.6
45.7
43.9
Accurate passes*
28.5 (81%)
26.7 (79%)
25.2 (78%)
Key passes*
1.3
1.3
1.6
Big chances created
5
5
5
Tackles*
3.0
1.7
1.3
Ball recoveries*
4.8
5.1
4.0
Total duels won*
4.9
3.2
3.2
Stats by Sofascore
The data above displays Wharton’s similar well-roundedness from the middle of the park, which is very much like the Liverpool great, with the 21-year-old only getting better with time, as he becomes more and more used to the demands of the Premier League.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t quite uncovered a goalscoring mojo in the top-flight yet, like Gerrard, but with the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai next to him if he takes on this huge Anfield opportunity, there is a possibility that he enhances his varied game to that next level.
Hailed as a “genius” at a very early age at Blackburn Rovers by ex-boss Tony Mowbray, and now an “incredible” star by former Selhurst Park teammate Eberechi Eze, it does feel as if a big move soon awaits Wharton.
If all clicks into place for the 21-year-old at Liverpool, he might well be the second coming of Gerrard; a powerful English midfield technician who has all of the tools to be a Three Lions mainstay for years to come.
It will take some big bucks to land his services, but if Slot can win a new legend in the process, it’s a bold investment that’s definitely worth making.
New Trent: Liverpool star is "one of the most underrated players in England"
Slot could find a shrewd solution to Liverpool’s problems in this talent.