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Match details

Afghanistan vs South Africa
Tarouba, 8.30pm local time

Big picture: Afghanistan look to continue dream run

Afghanistan played their first official fixture in 2004 as part of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy, which featured 15 teams. Twenty years later, they have done the unthinkable by making their first World Cup semi-final in the biggest World Cup featuring 20 teams.In just 20 years, they have achieved what many teams might take 50 years to do. Afghanistan have always had the raw talent. They’ve now married it with elite skills and continue to upgrade them, thanks to global T20 exposure.Their captain and lead spinner, Rashid Khan, is arguably the most sought-after T20 player in the world. Noor Ahmad, their second spinner, is a left-arm version of Rashid while Rahmanullah Gurbaz, their opener, can bruise oppositions in the powerplay. Fazalhaq Farooqi is on his way to becoming the next Trent Boult in T20 cricket while Naveen-ul-Haq has had Dwayne Bravo, Afghanistan’s bowling consultant and T20 legend, grooving and celebrating near the boundary with his variations. Eight of Afghanistan’s XI that toppled Bangladesh on Monday in Kingstown were part of IPL 2024.Related

• Not just another piece of content, Afghanistan have been a headline-grabbing act

• New beginnings promise new endings for un-South Africa

• The Rashid phenom: everything, everywhere, all at once

• Tarouba venue guide: High-scoring game on even covering of grass with cracks

• Tactics board: Rashid, de Kock, Gurbaz-Ibrahim and Maharaj – the key factors

Then, there is Mohammad Nabi, who of course played in Afghanistan’s first official fixture back in 2004. In a year in which his son made his Under-19 World Cup debut for Afghanistan, Nabi, 39, will turn up for Afghanistan in their first World Cup semi-final. Nabi has defeated 45 teams in his career and will now look to add South Africa to that list.Mujeeb Ur Rahman was sidelined from the tournament after playing a solitary game, but Afghanistan, under Bravo’s tactical guidance, have still had enough depth to roll over oppositions. No attack has taken more wickets than Afghanistan’s 57 in this World Cup and their economy rate of 6.35 is second only to South Africa’s 6.10 among the Super-Eight teams.Afghanistan, however, don’t have as much depth in their batting, especially in the middle order. And while Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have struck up four 50-plus partnerships while batting first, their stands while chasing are eight against PNG, zero against West Indies, and 13 against India.So, there’s a strong case for South Africa to make Afghanistan chase, try to separate their openers early, and put the middle order under pressure. Keshav Maharaj, their left-arm fingerspinner, will look to ace his match-up against a right-hander-heavy Afghanistan line-up on a Tarouba surface that may continue to offer variable bounce. Tabraiz Shamsi, the left-arm wristspinner, could also pose a threat with his variations and knowledge of Caribbean conditions, having spent a number of South African winters in the CPL.Though Reeza Hendricks is struggling for form at the top, South Africa have a dynamic middle order with all of Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen capable of countering spin, and a vastly experienced David Miller around to finish the innings.South Africa have been on the precipice at several points during the World Cup, but they have somehow hauled themselves back to claim seven successive wins across challenging conditions. They need to win two more to secure their maiden World Cup title. No team has ever won a T20 World Cup unbeaten, so South Africa and India have the chance to rewrite history this time.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Form guide

Afghanistan WWLLW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
South Africa WWWWW

In the spotlight: Naveen-ul-Haq and Heinrich Klaasen

Afghanistan’s spinners need no introduction, so let’s talk about Naveen-ul-Haq. The seamer might not have taken the new ball had Mujeeb been available. But in the absence of Afghanistan’s powerplay spinner, Naveen has stepped up brilliantly to ease the load on Farooqi. His delivery to dismiss Travis Head – slanting in towards leg stump, then swinging and seaming away late to crash into middle – is a genuine contender for the ball of the tournament. With a number of slower balls in his repertoire, Naveen has also been difficult to get away at the death on the Caribbean pitches.Heinrich Klaasen vs Rashid and Co could very well dictate the course of the game. His quasi-pulls and slog-sweeps can disrupt the rhythm of any spinner on any surface. Since the start of 2023, he has struck at 182.12 against spin in T20 cricket. His strike rate is the best among 41 batters who have played at least 40 innings against spin in T20 cricket during this period.

Team news: Gurbaz’s fitness under cloud

Gurbaz had suffered a blow on his knee while keeping wicket in the first over of Afghanistan’s defence against Bangladesh on Monday and immediately left the field with Mohammad Ishaq stepping in as a substitute keeper. Afghanistan didn’t train in Tarouba on the eve of the semi-final, and it remains to be seen if Gurbaz is fit to play. If Gurbaz doesn’t recover in time, Afghanistan might bring in Hazratullah Zazai at the top and perhaps make another change to squeeze Ishaq in as a keeper and middle-order batter.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)/Hazratullah Zazai, 3 Azmatullah Omarzai, 4 Gulbadin Naib, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Karim Janat/Mohammad Ishaq (wk), 7 Rashid Khan (capt), 8 Nangeyalia Kharote, 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq FarooqiKeshav Maharaj will be key for South Africa against a right-hander-heavy Afghanistan side•ICC via Getty Images

South Africa might not run the risk of replacing Hendricks with rookie Ryan Rickelton in a semi-final. Considering the variable bounce and purchase for spinners at Tarouba, Shamsi will also likely keep his place ahead of death-bowling specialist Ottneil Baartman.South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch and conditions: More variable bounce?

The conditions in Tarouba were characterised by variable bounce during the group stage. But Daren Ganga believes that the bounce will be truer on Wednesday after remedial work over the past two weeks. Dew has been often a major factor in the CPL games at this venue. While the overhead conditions will likely be cloudy in Tarouba, the chances of rain are low on Wednesday night.

Stats and trivia: Afghanistan’s brittle middle order

• Afghanistan bowlers have dominated the powerplay in this T20 World Cup, taking 20 wickets at an economy rate of 7.19 during this phase. In comparison, South Africa have managed only ten wickets though their economy rate (5.85) is lower than Afghanistan’s.
• Afghanistan’s middle-order batters (Nos. 4-7) have the lowest strike rate (102.21) among the Super-Eight teams in this World Cup.
• Klaasen has scored 27 runs against Rashid off 21 balls while being dismissed once in T20 cricket. The sample size is slightly bigger for Miller vs Rashid, with the match-up in favour of the wristspinner: 50 runs off 42 balls with four dismissals.
• South Africa and India are the only two Full Members Afghanistan have not beaten in international cricket so far.

Quotes

“For us, it’s a new challenge and I think that makes us dangerous in the semi-finals as a side with nothing to lose and obviously a lot of pressure on the opposition.”
“Definitely, it’s always great to dream and I think everyone in South Africa dreams of the time when a trophy gets lifted.”

Since winning the Premier League a few weeks ago, Liverpool have either been working aggressively behind the scenes to sign new players or quite literally, they have been on the beach, enjoying the party life in Ibiza and Dubai.

Well, set to enter that part over the summer is Jeremie Frimpong, who is due to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold as Arne Slot’s new right-back.

They could also welcome Bayer Leverkusen Florian Wirtz to Anfield with the German being headhunted by some of Europe’s heavyweights.

Valued at over £100m, Wirtz has attracted the interest of Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Bayern love signing domestic players while Man City are on the hunt to find a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.

So, with such a hotly contested race, perhaps FSG will turn their attention elsewhere.

Liverpool big admirers of Florian Wirtz alternative

According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Liverpool are currently working on a list of creative targets.

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While Wirtz is on that list, the Reds have carried out background checks on RB Leipzig’s Dutch midfielder, Xabi Simons, while if Morgan Gibbs-White is made available by Nottingham Forest, he is another player they could pursue.

Also name-checked is Aston Villa sensation, Morgan Rogers. The report states that Liverpool are big admirers’ of the playmaker but it will be difficult to prise him away from Villa Park.

Rogers signed last year for a tiny fee of just £8m, and as some reports claim, he is now valued at around £90m by the Villans.

Given Villa’s PSR situation, it’s unlikely they’d turn down a bid in that region.

Why Rogers would be such an exciting signing

The meteoric rise of Rogers in the last year has been quite extraordinary. In January 2024, he traded Middlesbrough for the Midlands and has only gone from strength to strength since.

During 2024/25, the creative midfielder has become a full England international, scored a hat-trick in the Champions League against Celtic and helped himself to 29 goal involvements (14 goals & 15 assists).

It feels like Liverpool have been trying to add a player of his profile for a while. They famously missed out on Jude Bellingham before he went to Real Madrid and instead signed Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai.

The attacking midfielder has impressed, but ultimately hasn’t been too great a goal threat, netting just seven times in all competitions this term.

That explains links to players like Rogers and Wirtz who beat the goalkeeper with greater regularity.

Similarities between the Villa midfielder and the aforementioned Bellingham are also eye-catching. Indeed, speaking back in August, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp acknowledged that “there are parts of what Jude Bellingham does” in Rogers’ game.

That comparison stems from not just the way they carry the ball – an “electric” trait of Rogers’ in the words of European football expert Zach Lowy – but primarily their final actions in the final third of the pitch.

Goals

0.24

0.30

Assists

0.30

0.30

Key passes

1.51

1.54

Progressive passes

3.62

7.11

Shot-creating actions

3.12

3.87

Successful take-ons

1.93

1.47

Progressive carries

3.38

2.71

Ball recoveries

3.41

3.50

Considering the former Borussia Dortmund star’s elite status, it’s interesting to note that of the metrics selected here, there aren’t too many differences between the two.

Villa’s star man doesn’t register as many progressive passes, but he is in the lead for progressive carrying, a particular highlight of the duo’s game.

It’s when it comes to creating chances and scoring goals where they are most similar, and if Liverpool are to miss out on Wirtz, Rogers would be a superb alternative.

What makes this comparison even more noteworthy is that the two are actually childhood friends, with Bellingham taking Rogers under his wing during his first training sessions with the Three Lions.

‌

So, while Liverpool fans might not be too keen on Bellingham right, good friends with Trent of course, they would love a player of his ilk in the squad.

There are not many in the game who perform quite as highly as the Madrid star does, but Rogers is well on the way to cementing himself as one of the most exciting English players about.

Arsenal could see £59m bid accepted for "monster" upgrade on Sesko

Arsenal have been handed the chance to sign an upgrade on Benjamin Sesko.

ByMatt Dawson May 18, 2025

Over the years, Tottenham Hotspur have been known for being the home to numerous elite-level attackers who have made a name for themselves at the top of European football.

Harry Kane is undoubtedly the club’s best-ever goalscorer, registering 280 goals during his time in North London, breaking the record set by the infamous Jimmy Greaves.

He would depart to join Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, carrying on his superb form in front of goal, notching 78 efforts in his 86 outings for the Bundesliga outfit.

After his departure, Ange Postecoglou’s side have still managed to find the back of the net, scoring 60 times in their 32 Premier League matches in 2024/25 – the third most of any side in the division.

However, it hasn’t been enough to lead them out of the bottom half of the table, with the Aussie already targeting reinforcements to prevent such a situation from occurring next season.

Spurs’ hunt for new attackers this summer

Despite investment into the front line in recent seasons, Spurs are still in desperate need of added options to help provide the goods in the final third on a consistent basis.

Antoine Semenyo is the latest attacker touted with a move to North London in recent days, with the Bournemouth star just one player on their shortlist ahead of the upcoming window.

However, if they are to secure a deal for the 25-year-old’s signature, they will have to fork out £70m, with Andoni Iraola’s side reluctant to offload their talisman.

Matheus Cunha is just another name thrown into the mix, but like Semenyo, a potential club-record fee is needed to prise him away from Molineux in the coming months.

Such a high figure could lead the side back into the race for Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, with journalist Florian Plettenberg claiming the Lilywhites are still in contention to land the 19-year-old sensation.

However, Bundesliga sides Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig are also keen on a deal, which could cost any interested party just £35m after the Saints’ relegation.

The player who could be Spurs’ next Gareth Bale

Winger Gareth Bale will go down as one of Spurs’ best ever players after his impact during his time in the first team, starring for the Lilywhites on two separate occasions.

The Welsh international originally featured at left-back, before his hat-trick against Inter Milan in the Champions League catapulted him into a forward role – one that would change his career trajectory massively.

He registered 71 goals during his two stints in North London, with 26 of his efforts coming in the 2012/13 season, leading to his eventual £85m move to European giants Real Madrid.

12 years on from his big-money sale, the hierarchy could be about to land their new version of the superstar in the form of Dibling, with the youngster following on the same path of joining the club from Southampton.

However, his similarities stretch way beyond such a move, with his ability to glide past the opposition similar to that of Bale, having the potential to emulate the former Spurs fan-favourite.

When comparing the 19-year-old’s stats from the ongoing campaign to Bale’s final year on loan at the club, Dibling has managed to match or better his tallies in numerous key areas – showcasing how much of a superb addition he would be.

The Southampton star, who’s been labelled “outstanding” by Sky Sports’ Joel Thomlinson, may have been outscored by the Welshman, but has notched a higher take-on rate per 90, along with more carries per 90 – showcasing his relentless running into attacking areas.

Games played

28

20

Goals & assists

2

11

Progressive carries

3.5

3

Carries into final third

2.5

2.1

Pass accuracy

81%

69%

Take-ons completed

2.6

2.3

Fouls won

2.5

0.9

He’s been a menace to countless backlines this season, winning 2.5 fouls per 90, whilst also completing 81% of his passes, with both of his subsequent tallies higher than those of Bale.

Whilst the teenager has a long way to go until he reaches the levels produced by the former Real Madrid star, the figures he’s produced this year are nothing short of sensational, having the platform to improve further in the years ahead.

His direct nature makes him a constant threat, but he just needs the final product to his game to allow him to break through and become the next elite talent in North London.

It’s vital that the hierarchy work tirelessly to win the race for his signature this summer, with Dibling having the tools to point Ange’s side in the right direction in 2025/26.

Their best LW since Son: Spurs plotting £70m move for "world-class" star

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be making moves ahead of the summer transfer window.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 16, 2025

It was a night of mixed emotions for Arsenal on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta lost another player to a hamstring injury, this time Gabriel Magalhaes, but the team picked up all three points at home to Fulham, and Bukayo Saka made his long-awaited return.

Moreover, the Hale End icon scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal just seven minutes after coming off the bench.

The importance of the Englishman’s return cannot be overstated, although it could spell trouble for one of the club’s leaders.

Saka's importance to Arsenal

It was on December 21st, away to Crystal Palace, that Saka injured his hamstring, and since then, the points gap to Liverpool has grown from just seven points to 12.

If that wasn’t evidence enough of the winger’s importance, then how about the fact that of the 13 league games he’s missed this season – including the away defeat to Bournemouth – the North Londoners have dropped points on six occasions.

Those included four draws against Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United, plus the defeats against West Ham United and the Cherries.

Games

17

13

Wins

10

7

Draws

6

4

Losses

1

2

Points per Game

2.11

1.92

In comparison, the Gunners have dropped points in just seven of the 17 league games the mercurial winger has played this season, courtesy of six draws and one loss.

That means that when Saka plays in the Premier League this season, the Gunners have averaged 2.11 points per game, whereas when he has not played, they’ve averaged just 1.92, which is a significant drop.

In short, the fact he’s back in action is brilliant news for the club, but it could be less so for one of Arteta’s regular starters.

The Arsenal star who might be in trouble

So, there might be a number of you who assume the player who could miss due to Saka’s return is Ethan Nwaneri, and while that’s a perfectly logical assumption, it’s not.

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In fact, due to the teenager’s own impressive form this season, scoring eight goals and providing two assists in 1153 minutes of action, and the fact he’s more than capable of playing in the middle of the park, we would not be surprised to see Arteta move him there for the game tomorrow, in place of Martin Odegaard.

Yes, the starter in danger is none other than the club captain, who may be an incredibly talented midfielder in his own right but has been undeniably poor this season.

For example, despite the fact he is supposed to be the creative hub of the team, the Drammen-born international has only scored five goals and provided eight assists in 33 appearances this season, which comes out to a disappointing average of a goal involvement every 2.53 games.

That’s a not-so-insignificant drop from his 22 goal involvements in 48 appearances last season, an average of one every 2.18 games, and worse yet, his actual performances have been far more frustrating this year, as he consistently struggles to make his mark on games.

Appearances

45

48

33

Minutes

3404′

4053′

2579′

Goals

15

11

5

Assists

7

11

8

Goal Involvements per Match

0.48

0.45

0.39

Minutes per Goal Involvement

154.72′

184.22

198.38′

It was the same story on Tuesday, as the Standard’s Dom Smith awarded him a 6/10 match rating, writing that he ‘should have done better’ with the opportunities he received and that it just ‘didn’t quite happen for him’ on the night.

Fans are also starting to lose their patience somewhat, with content creator Rimedi arguing he’s “not at the level” at the moment while fellow content creator Alex Moneypenny claimed he was “falling out of love” with the Norwegian following another dismal showing.

Ultimately, Odegaard is an incredibly talented player, but he has not shown that this year, and with Saka back at right-wing and Nwaneri in red-hot form and capable of playing in attacking midfield, he might be in real danger of losing his place in the team.

Berta has also held Arsenal talks with £50m star alongside Nico Williams

The Italian’s personally reached out to another player.

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A timeline of Yash Dayal’s incredible redemption

When Yash Dayal helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru seal a spot in the 2024 IPL playoffs by defending 17 in the last over against Chennai Super Kings, his performance was widely described as redemption for failing to defend 29 against Rinku Singh and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023Earlier this year Dayal, 26, impressed the selectors enough with his skills in white-ball and first-class cricket to be given a fast-bowling contract. And this month, he got his maiden Test call-up when he was picked in India’s squad to play the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. Dayal talks here about how he struggled to cope after the KKR match, his thoughts before bowling the final over against CSK, a significant conversation he had with Virat Kohli ahead of the 2024 IPL, and the cricketers who make up his support system.You are one step closer to realising the dream of playing for India. What has it been like since you received the Test call-up?
In 2022 I was named in the Indian squad for the first time – for an ODI series in Bangladesh – but I couldn’t make it due to injury. At the start of the Duleep Trophy [earlier this month], I was aware that there was a spot for a left-arm fast bowler in the Indian Test team. In the first innings, my bowling was normal [1 for 39 for India B against India A], though not to my satisfaction. But the way I bowled in the second innings [3 for 50], I believed I was a strong contender.We comfortably won the match and my performance was very good. I was at the team hotel in Bangalore, watching TV, when I got a message from a friend saying I’d been selected in India’s Test squad. I didn’t believe him, but a little later I saw my name in the Test squad on BCCI’s website.Related

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Immediately I kept my phones aside to try to process what was happening inside me emotionally.I had become too emotional, because getting a Test call-up is very big. I started recalling my journey across the years. I then called my family: my mother and my sister were equally emotional, tears of joy were rolling down their faces. I spoke to my dad in the evening. It was like a festival at home. A lot of people had gathered and the and [types of drums] were being played. The BCCI fast-bowling contract you got earlier this year – was that the first signal that you were in the India management’s plans?
I was already in the targeted pool after the 2022 IPL. But now, getting a fast-bowling contract given to a select few – I was aware that if I do well in domestic cricket, it could be easy to get the India call-up.At first I wasn’t aware what exactly happens with players in the targeted pool. But soon I understood that everything about my game would be looked after and monitored by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). That includes not just my bowling but my workload, training sessions, how much strain was on my body.A lot has changed in the last two years. When I see senior players from up close, when I talk to them, I notice [that some of them] travel with personal chefs, they measure what they eat, how much rice they consume, how much protein had, things to avoid to enhance their training. When I see them looking that lean, it naturally motivates me.In the 2023 IPL, after that match against KKR, I became slightly weak and my focus wasn’t there. But slowly I started to cope with what had happened. After that I made a set-up so I would not turn back – whether it be in training or my diet, I would be so clear that when I make the comeback, I would leave no stone unturned. I took the decision to focus on the assignments given to me and the targets I need to meet. Because of that I now feel that this call-up has come at the best time.”My basic bowling strength has always been swing. Then I developed speed to go with my swing, which is very difficult for batsmen to confront”•BCCIYour sister, Suchi, is a nutritionist. What role has she played in your career?
[MS Dhoni] hit Lockie [Ferguson] for a four in the 19th over [CSK scored 18 in that over]. At that point there was this anxiety in my head. I hoped CSK would need a lot of runs in the final over. There was this [changes direction]. I have always believed without swing nearly 90% of my bowling strength will be reduced.Dayal on what defending 17 runs in an over against CSK: “[Kohli] told me take my time between deliveries, not to worry about what happened, but that I needed to believe in myself”•BCCIWhile you were at the NCA with other fast bowlers in the targeted pool, Mohammed Shami, your team-mate at Titans was also there for his injury rehab. How has he helped you with your bowling?
I have spent a lot of time with Shami bhai at GT, both on and off the ground. He spoke to me a lot about the importance of backspin on the ball and suggested I work on that. He said the more backspin you have, the faster you will be able to bowl.Then there’s Ashu pa [Titans head coach Ashish Nehra], who has played a big role in my professional career. He has supported me a lot. He is the one who got me into the IPL. In the beginning, I used to face problems bowling in first-class cricket. Ashu pa worked on my [bowling] volume. In the IPL, you have to bowl only four overs, but he would say you cannot prepare for just four. You shouldn’t feel tired by the 24th ball. He would make us prepare in a way that even after bowling the 24th ball, you felt you could bowl another six overs. That helped change my mindset and become better at bowling longer spells.Your 27th birthday will fall in the middle of India’s tour of Australia. You wouldn’t mind celebrating your birthday bowling in a Test in Australia, will you?
If given a chance, it will be like the ultimate dream coming true.Having picked you in the ODI squad in 2022 and now in the Test squad, it looks like the selectors are considering you an all-format bowler.
That does feel really good that the selectors, the BCCI, people at the NCA, show trust in me. Yes, if you are here after performing in the IPL, then it’s obvious that you can do well in white-ball cricket. But now when I was picked for red-ball cricket, I realised they had been observing me for quite some time in domestic cricket.I was first picked for the Bangladesh tour [in 2022]. Since then I’d been wondering if I would ever get another chance [to make it to an India squad]. I have heard from others that it’s a big thing to make a comeback. I get that boost that I have made my comeback to such a big Test team that has all these big names who will play alongside me.

Their familiar weakness against spin has been exposed. They need to make sure it does not affect them mentally

Ian Chappell12-Feb-2023The mouth-watering India versus Australia Test series featured a lot of chatter about selection and pitch-doctoring in the lead-up.The noise was exactly that in the case of the pitch. Not unexpectedly, it turned out to be nothing more than a fairly typical first-day Indian red-soil wicket. It was by no means impossible to play on, as Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith showed, but Australia failed to post a testing first-innings total.The state of the pitch was put into perspective by the Indian captain Rohit Sharma. He played a masterful innings that displayed confidence in his own defence, his wide stroke range on a turning – but not impossible pitch – and his ironclad discipline.Related

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Rohit’s confidence in his defence was crucial. If a player doesn’t trust his defence on Indian pitches he can easily be panicked into trying to do something that he’s not capable of, and this ends up in an embarrassing dismissal.Not only did Rohit reveal a wide range of shots, he also frustrated the Australian bowlers with the way he only played them when the time was right. He showed all players, home and touring, how to play on Indian pitches, and his example was flawlessly followed by the much improved Ravindra Jadeja.The move to open in Test cricket saved Rohit’s career. He looked like he might waste his enormous skill down the order but batting above Virat Kohli has prevented him being overawed by the ex-captain’s popularity. Captaincy has also played a big part in Rohit’s revival; the discipline required to lead a team has added another level to his batting.For his part Jadeja displayed the improvement in his game in both batting and bowling. He has always had talent but now he also has the belief. To see the clever tweaks he’s made in both skills tells you that Jadeja has a high cricket intelligence.

The media making allegations about pitch-doctoring is nothing new. Players need to ignore this little game or else it has a debilitating effect on the visiting team

On the subject of pitches in India, the first thing a touring player has to realise is that he will face a lot of spin. However, he should also understand that the Indian quicker bowlers are not without skill on these surfaces. If a visiting player thinks anything else, he is badly misinformed.The selections in this match were a mixture of brave choices and one that was a head-scratcher. The omission of Travis Head, despite his troubles against good spinners, was difficult to fathom. The choice of offspinner Todd Murphy in his first Test after only seven first-class games was brave. Nevertheless it also displayed great faith in Murphy’s skills.Murphy was economical but also took wickets and he was unafraid to bowl a leg-stump line to contain the Indian batters. The problem was Australia’s lack of first innings runs, which meant the bowlers had to perform the most difficult of tasks: take wickets while also containing the batters.In the end the choice Australia made, to favour economy over wicket-taking potential, quickly took its toll and India capitalised on bowlers tiring from a heavy workload.The first Test has exposed Australia’s weakness against good spin bowling on turning pitches. If they can ensure this setback doesn’t mean their mental capacity to cope in India is not dented, it will keep them in the series. If they waver, they are in big trouble.The media making allegations about pitch-doctoring is nothing new. Players need to ignore this little game or else it has a debilitating effect on the visiting team. Far too much emphasis is put on how pitches are going to play and on doctoring. It’s worth remembering that both teams have to play on the same pitch.The reality is that India have developed into a very strong side all round the world, with a special feel for how to win at home. If Australia, who have a weakness against spin in India, don’t adapt to conditions quickly, they are going suffer the same fate that has befallen other visiting sides.

Dominant position enhanced by desperate decision-making from opponents

Andrew Miller16-Jan-2021Batsman error is a curious concept. It’s what all bowlers are looking to cause when they turn at the top of their mark, by applying sufficient pressure to force the fatal misjudgement, or by setting a crafty trap and springing it on the unwitting. Because, as Jack Leach finally proved with an outstanding delivery late in the day to Kusal Mendis, it’s only a glorious handful of balls that are genuinely unplayable.So what are we to make of the batsman errors in this contest so far? Specifically the Sri Lankan ones, for England, despite an afternoon of rather harder toil than they might have envisaged after the first innings, still have the first Test at their mercy, with a hefty lead in the bank and two more days on a wearing deck to reassert their authority.But even in the midst of an otherwise valiant rearguard, the one wicket to fall in the first 59 overs of Sri Lanka’s second innings was another self-inflicted wound of the type that came in a torrent on day one. With only one man back on the rope at deep backward point, even England’s unofficial Maker of Things to Happen, Sam Curran, struggled to take the credit for a wide outswinging long-hop to a well-set Kusal Perera, and his coy puff of the cheeks as Leach completed the catch rather gave the game away.Related

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“You don’t take Test wickets for granted but, yeah, that wasn’t the way I expected,” Curran said at the close. “The way things happened for us on day one aren’t going to happen very often, but you don’t take those days for granted because when they do come you’ve got to enjoy them. In the second innings, Sri Lanka fought really hard, which we expected, but we stuck in there as a bowling group, keeping the scoring rate as low as possible in really tough conditions.”To be fair to Perera, his second-innings dismissal was not remotely as culpable a dismissal as his first-day aberration – a second-ball reverse sweep to Dom Bess that set in motion one of the most preposterous five-wicket hauls in Test history. However, it was in keeping with a contest in which England have so far claimed just three wickets out of 13 with good deliveries, and the first two of those might well have been resisted by less skittish opponents.There was Stuart Broad’s legcutter to Mendis, an outstanding piece of thinking against an opponent who at that stage had not scored a run in four innings, but it still required a nervy hard-handed thrust to seal the deal. As for Dilruwan Perera, his second-ball inside-out drive against Bess was perhaps not the ideal response to a well-flighted delivery on off stump.In mitigation for England, this match is effectively their warm-up fixture, because a low-key intra-squad warm-up in Hambantota wasn’t nearly enough of a gallop after nearly five months in mothballs for most of the squad. But with five more Tests to come in the next two months, including four against a ferociously drilled India who are currently dredging new reserves of spirit on their tour of Australia, the worry for Joe Root’s men is that they might not find the freebies quite so easy to come by from here on in.”No-one’s really played much cricket so you’d expect a bit of rustiness and a lack of rhythm, but the guys fought hard in humid, sweaty, hot conditions,” Curran said. “The build-up was what it was, we have no complaints. Rooty was very clear that we need to hit the ground running which we luckily did on day one. But day four is going to be a test for us, because we’ve got a lot of overs in our legs now, and we’ve got to come back and keep fighting.”Sam Curran celebrates his breakthrough with Dom Bess•SLCAnd for that reason, it’s hard to pick too many holes in a team who are still favourites to complete an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory in Asia – all of them in Sri Lanka, following their 3-0 clean sweep two winters ago.They’ve got some significant bench-strength to come as well – for the India leg of the winter, if not before – including James Anderson, who seemed the pick of the bowlers in Hambantota, as well as Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, two men whose methods might prove especially effective in Asia, not to mention Moeen Ali – now finally released from his Covid quarantine.However, the likelihood of Moeen returning for the second Test is slim, given both his own lack of match practice, but also the fact that Leach and Bess are now finally getting enough overs themselves to start feeling a hint of rhythm. Leach in particular – one of the stars of that last Sri Lanka campaign – had bowled a grand total of 52 first-class overs in the 12 months leading up to this Test, through a combination of illness and life in the England bubble. It’s little wonder he has needed a session or two to locate his range.”Line, length, pace … everything really! I probably came up a little short,” Leach told Sky Sports at the close. “I’ve been short of match overs for a little bit of time. You can do as much as you want in the nets but you need that stuff in games. I found I bowled a little bit short when I tried to bowl quicker, that’s something to think about for tomorrow.”The good news for England is that their game plans, though lacking the requisite meat on the bone, do seem to be firmly in place. In particular, the use of Mark Wood in a series of two- and three-over bursts has been encouraging – and the fierce lifter that slammed into Perera’s top hand was an early example of the shock value of a raw quick, even on an unconducive deck.At the other end, Stuart Broad produced another inventive and economical display of out-of-the-box seam bowling – showing echoes of Darren Gough’s methods from his triumphant tour of 2000-01, going through the wall, round the wall, sometimes even under the wall with an attempted slow yorker to Lahiru Thirimanne late in his second spell, in a bid to prise a rare and precious opening.However, Broad was blowing by the end of his eighth over, and sixth maiden – a state of affairs that reiterated the importance of England’s spinners. It’s all very well inverting the pyramid and turning to your seamers to bowl the spinners’ holding overs, which was a secret of England’s success here two years ago, but it does increase the onus on those spinners to attack with the utmost discipline.Instead, Bess in particular found his good fortune from the first innings being rebalanced in a leaky display, while Leach’s own struggles seemed to have been summed up in his 16th over, when Mendis propped forward to a decent biting delivery and lobbed a simple chance to short leg. Sadly for England, however, that fielder only materialised one ball later – Leach’s economy rate of close to four an over had rather negated the option of being attacking.But late in the day, Leach found his fizz at last, and with a nightwatchman at the crease alongside the steadfast Thirimanne, Root remains confident that his side is on course to close out the contest.”When you come and play here, and at this ground in particular, you’ve got to remember how quickly things can change, and how difficult it can be to start your innings,” Root said at close, after establishing England’s dominance with his magnificent 228.”It’s really important as a bowling group that we remember that. You’ve got to make those first 10-15 balls count against a new batter, and remember you’re always in the game throughout, because there’s always that one ball somewhere if you get it in the right spot and fortune’s on your side.”You’ve just got to work hard and try and be as patient as possible, and keep applying as much pressure as you can for long periods.”

Chase Burns is fast. Just 11 months after the Cincinnati Reds selected him with the second pick of the draft and just three months after he made his pro debut in Class A ball in front of 4,532 fans in Comstock Park, Mich., the righthander will make his major league debut Tuesday against the New York Yankees.

His rapid ascent of just 66 innings of pro ball is a testament to how he has dominated (13 walks, 89 strikeouts and just 38 hits) with his high-spin, high-velocity fastball. At 22 years and 159 days old, he is the youngest starter to debut against the Yankees since Ian Anderson of the Braves beat New York in 2020.

If you’re looking for comps for Burns, you must look beyond this year. There is no starting pitcher in MLB who throws this hard and with such a high release point as Burns does. Here is how he ranks if you consider his minor league metrics:

Highest release point, MLB starters with 95+ mph fastball

MPH

Vertical Release

1. Chase Burns (minors)

97.8

6.61

2. Hayden Birdsong, Giants

95.6

6.52

3. Ben Brown, Cubs

95.7

6.40

4. Ben Casparius, Dodgers

96.2

6.26

To find the best comp, you need to go back a decade to a prime Justin Verlander:

Four-seam comparison

MPH

Vertical release

Extension

Spin rate

Justin Verlander 2015

96

6.62

6.3

2,576

Chase Burns 2025 (minors)

97.8

6.61

6.3

2,531

That is a close match on paper. But when we look at the mechanics, we see Verlander had a smoother delivery. Burns has the same release height, but a higher arm angle. He needs to tilt his torso to move his head to allow his arm to work at that angle, a move that can tax the shoulder more—a move that caught up to Anderson and prompted Michael Wacha, after injury concerns, to lower his arm slot.

Ravindra Jadeja has been building a case to be one of the best allrounders in the game. A four-for to follow a hundred against West Indies to start the new home season was just the latest evidence he offered in favour of that argument. On the back of his 104 not out and 4 for 54, India completed an innings win with two-and-a-half days to spare.A proud record stood tall between February 22, 2013 and October 25, 2024. It buckled 24 hours later. India lost a Test series on home soil for the first time in nearly 12 years. Many of the players who had contributed to that run are now retired, including Virat Kohli, R Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara. But Jadeja remains.He was there when India began that run against Australia in Chennai. He was there when New Zealand broke them last year in Pune. And he was there once again, lifting them back up against West Indies now. At 36 years old, it is unclear how much cricket is left in him but it was poetic that in the first of 66 Tests that India had to play at home without R Ashwin, his old pal came up with a hundred and a four-for.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Alick Athanaze carried the West Indies flag, showing why he is rated as a good player of spin. He picked up length well. He was decisive going forward or back. And he remembered to put pressure back, two rock-solid reverse sweeps for four and one sumptuous cover drive for three highlighted his process. All of those scoring shots were against half-volleys that were well wide of the stumps. This is the judgment and the competence that convinced the coach Daren Sammy and the management to bring him back into the Test side.India, though, kept placing new threats in front of Athanaze. Jasprit Bumrah hit him on the helmet. Washington Sundar tested him with the ball turning away. They were waiting for Athanaze to be just slightly off with his process and eventually, after 73 balls, he was, closing the face of the bat, baited by an offbreak that pitched on middle. Washington took a simple catch, which then led to a symbolic representation of West Indies’ batting in this Test.Jomel Warrican tried to impose himself on Mohammed Siraj, swinging as hard as he could, only for his bat to fly out of his grip and land at square leg. The ball meanwhile settled in mid-off’s hands.Alick Athanaze offered some resilience for West Indies•Getty Images

West Indies are a side still building its best batters. Ahead of this tour, they were shorn of two of their best bowlers. This informed the challenge they could pose. They are struggling to find a better opener than John Campbell, 32, who is the third-most experienced player in this XI. He has 23 caps and in all that time, he has no centuries. Even in first-class cricket, after 101 matches, he has only nine centuries. In Ahmedabad, he fell for 8 and 14. The only slightly younger Tagenarine Chanderpaul finished with 0 and 8. Top-order returns like that just won’t do.Jadeja is sometimes accused of being that left-arm spinner who just fires the ball in and lets the pitch do its work. But he knows how to work batters out too. He saw Brandon King lunging forward to try and smother the turn and that helped him once. He hit a crisp cover drive for four. It also led to his downfall as Jadeja recalibrated his flight. It was still full so it triggered King’s instinct to get on the front foot. But he had no way of getting to the pitch of this one. Having committed to the shot, he ended up vulnerable to the turn and presented a straightforward catch to slip. All this happened in the space of two overs. In that small period of time, Jadeja turned what the batter thought was a strength into a weakness.Siraj was the other bowler among the wickets, taking five or more over the course of a home Test for the first time.West Indies lost 10 wickets in two sessions on the first day. They did it again on the third day. Only two players got into the 30s. Only two faced 50 or more balls. They have five days to address these problems before the start of the second game in Delhi. The wait to win a Test match against India in India, which is into its 31st year, continues.

Curtis Jones says Liverpool are "in the sh*t" after their demoralising 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. Defeat at Anfield condemned the Reds to their worst run of form in 71 years, with many scratching their heads at how they can arrest this slide. While some players will have kept their anger for the changing rooms, Jones gave a brutally honest post-match interview.

• Liverpool's plight is 'unacceptable'

  Following Liverpool's 4-1 loss to PSV on Wednesday night, which came days after a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, midfielder Jones held nothing back when analysing his side's woeful run of form. The England international said their results have been "unacceptable" and that everyone needs to do better.

  He told RTE: "I don’t have the answers. Honestly, I don’t. I’m saying that to everybody. It’s just unacceptable. I don’t even have to wait to think about it. I’m past being angry inside. I’m at the point now where I just don’t have the words. It’s hard because I’m playing for the team I support. I’m a fan, and I’ve seen this club all my life. In a long, long time, I haven’t experienced a Liverpool team going through a period like this with results like these. But at the end of the day, we still have that badge on our chest. And until that badge is gone, we’re always going to fight. We’re going to try and get this team back to where it needs to be, show everyone again what this club is about and why people call it the best team in the world. But right now, we’re in the s***, and it needs to change."

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• Liverpool 'too nice' now

  The 24-year-old also believes that the fear factor once associated with Anfield is nowhere to be found. He also thinks that the Liverpool team are being a bit too "nice" and should be pressing sides like "absolute dogs".

  He also told CBS: "You just want to be a man out there and you just want to tackle someone and just be a dog out there. It’s got to be on me and the rest of the lads to change this around to not be so nice where teams are coming here thinking, ‘We’re gonna win here and score two, three, four goals’. This used to be a place that you hated to come – with the fans and how we’re going to play and how we’re going to press and be absolute dogs. Now we hardly even play. There’s times where we do play but off the ball stuff… I think that is the stuff that has to change."

• 'Cannot continue like this'

  Naturally, Slot cut a dejected figure after yet another history-making loss. Reds legend Jamie Carragher does not think the club should sack Slot but even the Dutchman is increasingly doubting his own competency. 

  He said: "I'm not questioning the players, because I know that we have very good players. Their mentality after us going 1-0 down was also what I was hoping for, but also what you have to expect if you are a Liverpool player. So it's something normal for me that you're questioning your line-ups, you're questioning your tactics, you're questioning the substitutions you make, but that's also what you do if you don't lose every single time. But it's normal for me to question the choices I make, because I've said many times that I'm responsible for this situation. But the players have so much quality that this cannot continue like this."

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  What comes next for struggling Liverpool?

  After a run of nine defeats in their last 12 games in all competitions, on top of losing six of their last seven in the Premier League, Liverpool will be low on confidence heading into a clash with lowly West Ham this weekend. The Hammers have picked up their form in recent weeks and will be hopeful of causing another upset. After that, the Reds take on Sunderland and struggling Leeds United as a huge run of matches beckons.