Kiwi legend’s stint at Lord’s reflects changing priorities for the modern grandees of the game

Matt Roller28-May-2025Kane Williamson will call Lord’s his home ground for the coming months and looked the part in his box-fresh Middlesex training kit on Wednesday. His deal for the English summer covers the T20 Blast, at least five County Championship games and the Hundred, and he will base himself in north London with his young family throughout.Williamson hitched a lift to St John’s Wood with Stephen Eskinazi, his new captain, and pulled a Karachi Kings kitbag – barely used in an abbreviated PSL stint – out of the boot on arrival. He briefly caught up with Nathan Lyon – an early arrival ahead of the World Test Championship final – on the Nursery Ground, before his first net as a Middlesex player.He later revealed his plans to extend his ‘casual’ arrangement with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for 2025-26, with his commitments in NW8 overlapping with an upcoming tour to Zimbabwe. Williamson’s first day at Lord’s served as an allegory for the modern game: he turns 35 in August, and while he sees red-ball cricket as the sport’s “soul”, his own priorities are changing.”My wife’s English, so we were keen to come over here,” he said. “To come here and call Lord’s home for a little bit, it’s quite special… I’ve got three kids, and they’re all quite small, so there’ll be a few parks and things we’ll visit, but it’s nice to be in one place for a [long] period of time. I’ve always enjoyed my time here, and summer has always got a nice buzz in London especially.”Williamson declined an NZC central contract last year, enabling him to skip a bilateral white-ball series to take up an SA20 deal. “I’ll be continuing with that,” he said. “Obviously, the landscape is changing really fast. I played a pretty large volume of international cricket in the last contract year, so we will be working through that again this season… It’s just a work in progress.”Williamson catches up with Nathan Lyon•Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesThe 15 years since his international debut have seen the sport’s structures transform, driven primarily by the IPL. “I feel really grateful that I started when I did, personally,” Williamson said. “The opportunities now are vast, and that’s an amazing thing, and the growth of the game – more so in one format than the others – is, overall, a great thing for a lot more people.”But I talk about the soul of the game, and I still see that as the red ball… The bond that you have with a team when international cricket is the only pathway that you aspire to play, and there is this journey that you’re on… That’s slightly harder to achieve when you’re playing in all different competitions, and it comes and goes a little bit.”Williamson’s signature was the indirect result of Middlesex’s outlier status among English counties. They are merely tenants at Lord’s, and the ground’s owners, MCC, effectively brokered the move on the county’s behalf; he will also captain London Spirit, the franchise which MCC will soon run alongside a Silicon Valley tech consortium, in the Hundred this summer.Related

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It is a unique arrangement, but one that should prove beneficial to all parties. Williamson’s first assignment is to revive Middlesex’s T20 fortunes: champions in 2008, they have only twice reached the quarter-finals since (in 2016 and 2019). When they last won a Blast match at Lord’s, Eoin Morgan was England’s white-ball captain, and Boris Johnson was prime minister.The competition itself is struggling, too. Middlesex sold 108,144 tickets for their four Blast games at Lord’s in 2019 but only 64,351 last year, and are braced for a poor crowd against Sussex on Thursday night. The blame is shared between the Hundred’s impact on the fixture list, rising living costs, the pandemic’s effect on London working habits, and the club’s own results.Although the Blast has flagged since he last played in it, for Yorkshire in 2018, Williamson’s presence at Lord’s is proof that English cricket retains a certain pull. “When you see Test cricket on TV in this part of the world, it always gives you a lift,” he said. “To see full houses, often, is special to me… Seeing that appreciation and passion in that format over here is great.”Williamson heads to the nets on his first day with Middlesex•Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesYet Williamson’s own future in the format is unclear as he gradually tapers back his international commitments. He could return to England for New Zealand’s three-match series next year, but the recent Test retirement of Virat Kohli – a fellow member of Martin Crowe’s ‘Fab Four’ – prompted a level of introspection.”You do start to reflect a little bit,” he said. “When some of those decisions are made, you go, ‘Oh gosh, there’s an end point.’ Before that, you’re on the journey, and there’s a pursuit there. It’s not connected to those other three, but we’ve all been playing at the same time and competed against each other for a long time… We’ve chatted a lot over the years.”You do realise that you’re not just cricketers as well: you’re human beings, and your life situation changes, and you go through a lot over the 14 or 15 years that we’ve all been doing it together… Until the decision is made, you assume that’s not happening; then it does, and you go, ‘Ah, I can understand it. It’s life.'”The underlying message is clear. Williamson will not be around forever, and while his reputation as a T20 batter may have dipped in recent years, there is no such doubt around his superstar status. Middlesex’s hope is that if anyone can revive their T20 fortunes – and the standing of the Blast itself – then it is him.

From going unsold at the IPL auction to becoming Punjab Kings’ designated finisher, he has seen heartbreak and redemption, and come out on the other side with renewed belief

Ashish Pant10-Oct-2025The night of June 3 still haunts Shashank Singh. Punjab Kings had done most things right in IPL 2025. They topped the group stages, qualified for their first IPL final in 11 years, and looked set for a maiden title. But they fell short in the final.Shashank was a central figure in the team’s run to the final. He was their fifth-highest run-getter, with 350 runs in 17 innings and a strike rate of 153.50. More importantly, he was their designated finisher.When he came in to bat in the final, PBKS were four down, with the required rate close to 12 an over. Quickly running out of partners, Shashank got a few boundaries away, and while he finished unbeaten on 61 off 30, it wasn’t enough. PBKS lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six runs.”It still hurts,” Shashank says. “Sometimes, when I recall what could have happened… it is very easy to say that I have moved on. But these things take time.Related

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“You say things [like] the sun will rise tomorrow, there will be another day. These things are nice to say and hear. It is very important to move on in cricket, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. The next ten to 14 days were very tough for me.”Every ball. I remember every ball even now. Where could I have been better? Should I have attacked Krunal Pandya? Should I have gone after Romario Shepherd a little early? Should we have done better [in] the field? What could I have done differently? I have moved on, obviously, and there are lots of things to look forward to. But yeah, sometimes it still hurts.”Since the start of IPL 2024, only Prabhsimran Singh has more runs than Shashank’s 704 in 28 innings for PBKS. Shashank averages nearly 47 across these two seasons, while striking at 158.91. While things are on the up now, it was very different three years ago, when he was left devastated after going unsold at the auction for the 2023 IPL. Having been on the IPL circuit since 2017 with Delhi Daredevils (2017), Rajasthan Royals (2019-21) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2022) and still only having played ten games, Shashank, 31 at the time, was left contemplating his future.Shashank was the top scorer for PBKS in the 2025 final, but his unbeaten 61 couldn’t stave off defeat while the rest of the batting collapsed around him•Getty ImagesHis PBKS signing for the 2024 season was mired in confusion after a mix-up during the auction where for a while it seemed that Punjab Kings wanted to rescind their winning bid for him. It led to plenty of trolling on social media for months. But now, with the worst behind him, Shashank firmly believes it was all for the best.”Whatever I am today is because of that IPL auction where I did not get picked on December 23, 2022. I am what I am today because of that date,” Shashank says. “If someone tells me that I am gradually improving, it is because of that year – it keeps me in check. I get reminded about it sometimes, once a year, sometimes once a month, but I do get reminded of it. And then suddenly I start getting scared. And then you realise, no one is bigger than the sport and can never be. So I start again. It was an eye-opener for me. Whenever I slack [off] or get laid back, I immediately snap out of it, recalling that time.”If that wouldn’t have happened, I probably wouldn’t have loved this sport as much, nor would I have been working so hard. Till two years back, I used to say that cricket is a part of your life, not your life. But I’ve realised lately that cricket is my life. I don’t know what I will do without this sport. If someone asks me my plans after five-six years, I get scared because this sport has become my life.”Over the last few years he has transformed himself from a middle-order batter to a death-overs specialist. It didn’t come naturally, but he took the plunge to give himself a chance to stand out from the competition. He first explored the finisher’s role at the DY Patil tournament in February 2023 in Mumbai and realised he had the “calmness and maturity” required to play in the position. For the rest of the year he practised batting with the tail and worked on his power-hitting. It gave him a fresh lease of life when he was picked up by PBKS.In this year’s IPL, no batter had more runs than Shashank’s 242 in the last five overs of an innings. Across the last two IPL seasons, only Tristan Stubbs (360) has more runs in the death overs than Shashank’s 318 at a strike rate of 213.42.”Surya [Suryakumar Yadav] once told me that the player who bats at No. 6 and 7 gets judged the most,” Shashank says. “There are more times that you will fail, because the level of risk you take is the highest.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”See, I want to be a superstar for my team. That role of a hero, I want to be that. And I feel that the best time to become a hero is by batting at No. 5 and 6. I enjoy taking responsibility, I like it when the odds are against me. When the team needs 12 runs off two balls, I want to be the batter to hit the two sixes.”Sometimes I feel I would have got more visibility if I had batted up the order. I have batted there all my life, I have scored runs also. But I feel I am the best as a finisher and that’s why the team has selected me in that position.”Shashank is also a handy medium-pacer, and while he hasn’t bowled much in the IPL, he has picked up 37 wickets in List A cricket and 20 in T20s. In the 2023-24 domestic season, he became the first Indian to make over 150 runs and pick up five wickets in the same List A match, against Manipur.Earlier this year he won the BCCI’s Lala Amarnath award for the best allrounder in domestic limited-overs competitions for the 2023-24 season.Despite all that and his decently consistent run with the bat, Shashank hasn’t received an India, or even an India A, call-up yet. “I won’t say that I don’t feel bad [at not getting a national call-up],” he says. “There is disappointment. But again, can I do anything about that? Yes, keep on performing and keep on asking what else I can do better.”I don’t want to just play for India; I want to win matches for the country. I visualise and think the same way. Even today, when I’m training, power-hitting, I think about what I need to do to win matches. If I’m playing in Australia, I’ll be facing conditions where there is extra bounce, so I need to improve my pulls and cuts. If I’m playing in India, I’ll need power-hitting so that I can clear the ropes easily.”See, my job is to tick the boxes, to work hard. I can only control the things which are in my hand. That national call, that India A call-up, how that will happen, when it will happen, I don’t know. But one thing is that I still have a dream. That dream of winning matches for India. It will happen. The belief is still there.”Some might think that at 34 Shashank is past his prime, but he feels his best years are ahead of him. He draws inspiration from an illustrious former Mumbai team-mate who made his T20I debut at 30. “Surya hit Jofra [Archer] for six in his first match [innings] and now he’s the captain of the Indian team,” he says.”Then there’s Pravin Tambe. He didn’t play for India, but at the age of 41, he debuted in IPL. Can you imagine that!ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Sometimes, when you are disappointed about not seeing your name [among those picked], then these examples come to mind. These players had that belief and that’s why they are there.”In our sport, there is no criteria for age. It all depends on the performance of an individual and the team’s needs. I think age is unnecessarily categorised as an important thing. I just feel it is an excuse. If I am a liability for the team, if I can’t run quickly between the wickets, if I can’t field in the outfield, then yes, surely the age factor comes into play. But when you are proactive, you are an asset to the team. Then age is just another number.”IPL 2025 was the first time PBKS made it to the final since 2014, and Shashank attributes the team’s success to the captain and coach, Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting.”Shreyas is at a different level altogether,” Shashank says. “He has his own aura, a different mindset altogether. Won’t talk rubbish, won’t tolerate rubbish. When he bats in the nets, he knows what he is doing. If someone asks me: who is the best captain you have played under? Hands down, Shreyas Iyer.”And then Ricky sir, he has made the game very simple. Cricket can be a complicated sport at times. If you ask a batsman, the leg shouldn’t go across, the head shouldn’t fall, but Ricky sir has simplified the game brilliantly.”You know why he is a great coach? It’s because he knows what a player wants. I’ll give you an example. I did not bat in the nets a single day throughout the IPL. Once the matches began, for two-and-a-half months, from the first match against Gujarat Titans till the final, I did not bat in the nets even once. Even Shreyas sometimes used to say, ‘Bro, what are you doing?'”Everyone has their own rhythm. After so many years, I now know my game. IPL is a high-pressure tournament. Even on non-match days there is a little pressure on everyone involved. Sometimes when batting in the nets, if you miss a few balls, if you mistime a few shots, there is added pressure on yourself. If I play a bad shot in the nets, I start thinking about that one shot rather than the other good shots I played. And I don’t know how but Ricky sir understood this.”Ahead of the last IPL season, Shashank had just one goal in mind: to not be a one-season wonder. Having ticked that box, he now wishes to manifest two things in the next year.”If you ask me about the team, then Punjab is lifting next year’s IPL for sure,” he says “And one more prediction I have, and that is in the upcoming [T20] World Cup in India, I’ll be playing, and I’ll be winning games for the team. I don’t know how that will happen, but I surely believe that it will happen.”

Babar Azam scored his first hundred in international cricket after a gap of 807 days on Friday night in Rawalpindi

Sampath Bandarupalli15-Nov-202583 – Consecutive innings without a hundred in international cricket for Babar Azam before his unbeaten 102 against Sri Lanka on Friday. His previous hundred in any format for Pakistan came in August 2023, when he scored 151 against Nepal in the Asia Cup.Eighty-one of those 83 innings were while batting in the top four, the second-longest such streak for a Pakistan batter. Mohammad Rizwan didn’t score a hundred for 82 consecutive innings while batting in the top four between 2021 and 2023.20 – Hundreds for Babar in ODI cricket, the joint-highest for Pakistan alongside Saeed Anwar.ESPNcricinfo Ltd136 – Innings Babar needed to get to 20 ODI hundreds, the third-quickest to get there. Hashim Amla is the fastest with 108 innings, while Virat Kohli achieved it in 133 innings. Anwar, for the record, needed 243 innings.Babar holds the record for being the quickest to 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 ODI hundreds.8 – Hundreds for Babar in ODIs in Pakistan, the highest, going past Mohammad Yousuf’s tally of seven. Babar’s eight ODI hundreds at home have come in just 31 innings.Related

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4 – Specialist batters with a century-less streak as long as Babar’s in men’s internationals (with a minimum of 20 innings in each format in that period). During his century drought, Babar batted 33 times in ODIs, 26 times in T20Is, and 24 times in Test cricket.Kohli also had a streak of 83 innings without a century between 2019 and 2022, while Suresh Raina went 123 straight innings without a century between 2010 and 2014. Malcolm Waller did not score a hundred in his 131 innings at the international level.Pakistan’s Umar Akmal, who was picked as a wicketkeeper occasionally, went 144 consecutive innings without a century between 2009 and 2014, while Bangladesh’s Sabbir Rahman, who was selected as an all-rounder at times, had a century-less streak of 112 innings between 2014 and 2019.40 – Number of century partnerships involving Babar in ODIs. Only one batter has been part of more century stands for Pakistan in the format – Inzamam-ul-Haq, with 41.289 – The target Pakistan chased down on Friday, the second-highest by them while losing two or fewer wickets. Their highest is 309 against India in 2008, which they won by eight wickets in Karachi.

It was the 15th straight win for Australia in ODI World Cups, while South Africa registered their lowest ODI total against Australia

Namooh Shah25-Oct-2025

Alana King ran through South Africa•Getty Images

15 – Consecutive wins for Australia at the Women’s World Cup since their defeat against India in the 2017 semi-final. They have equalled their own record of 15 straight wins across the 1997 and 2000 editions, which was ended by New Zealand in the final of the 2000 edition.97 – South Africa’s lowest total against Australia in women’s ODIs. Their previous lowest was 105 in Adelaide in 2024.24 – Overs in which South Africa were bowled out in Indore, the fourth-shortest innings in women’s ODI World Cups. South Africa feature three times in the top four entries, which includes the 69 all out in 20.4 overs in their first game against England in this tournament.Related

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7 for 18 – Alana King’s bowling figures on Saturday against South Africa are the first seven-for in the history of the women’s ODI World Cups, breaking a long-standing record of 6 for 10 by Jackie Lord of New Zealand in 1982.King’s returns were also the best for an Australian in women’s ODIs. She is the third Australia bowler to take a seven-for in women’s ODIs after Shelley Nitschke and Ellyse Perry.21 – Balls King took to complete her second ODI five-for. This is the fastest recorded five-for in women ODIs, breaking the record of Ireland’s Aimee Maguire, who did so in 23 balls against England in 2024.39 – Wickets by both Marizanne Kapp and Megan Schutt in ODI World Cups, the joint-second most in the tournament history, equaling Lyn Fullston and only behind Jhulan Goswami with 43 wickets.

Bizarre broadside from Australia’s stand-in captain puts England’s former spinner front and centre of the pre-series banter

Alan Gardner20-Nov-20250:39

Steve Smith’s strange ‘Mastermind’ jibe at Monty Panesar

Hands up who had ‘Steven Smith Hits Back at Monty Panesar’s Sandpaper Comments with BBC Mastermind Jibe’ on their Ashes 2025-26 phoney war bingo card?Because that, bizarrely enough, is the point we had reached when those in the UK woke up on Thursday morning, less than 24 hours out from the start of the first Test. Perhaps it was the logical endgame of an Ashes build-up that has seemed ever more febrile and fantastical as the weeks have ticked by. But it also prompted, on many levels, the question: why?Why had Smith, in responding to what was reportedly a planted question early in his press conference, chosen to specifically target Panesar amid all the pre-series chatter on both sides? Why did Smith decide to make a personal dig at a retired player about a TV appearance from almost seven years ago? And why, on the eve of one of the most anticipated Ashes in recent memory, was he rewatching Panesar’s infamous meltdown if, as he claimed, “it doesn’t really bother me”.Ironically, the Panesar comments that Smith claimed he hadn’t been bothered by received minimal coverage – certainly in contrast to his “off-topic” digression in the full glare of pre-game media duties, which caused “Monty Panesar” to become a trending topic on two sides of the globe.The issue had, in fact, seemed to spiral after being picked up by Brad Haddin and Alyssa Healy on the Willow Talk podcast earlier this week. Haddin, still keen as ever to get involved in a stoush, suggested Panesar should “Pull your f***ing head in” – which is about the level of wit for Ashes repartee. What’s remarkable is that the mud-flinging has not been confined to social media, but ended up with Australia’s stand-in captain using it for an open-mic spot on matchday-minus-one.For those still in the dark, Panesar – speaking to an online betting company – had urged England to “really get into” Smith about his role in the 2018 sandpaper incident at Cape Town and “make him feel guilty”. But it seems unlikely that Monty’s masterplan would have featured quite so high up in the strategising by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum ahead of this series (although perhaps it now should…)Monty Panesar and Steven Smith have reprised hostilities in unlikely circumstances•Getty ImagesPanesar also explicitly urged the UK media to take up the cudgels against Smith, following the example of some typically fruity coverage of England’s preparations by the local outlets. In another irony, Smith’s response has made it much easier for the English pack to now mount their high horses (something that rarely requires a second invitation).As for the Barmy Army, who are expected to make up a significant proportion of the crowd in Perth Stadium, they won’t need any prompting from Panesar to break into another chorus of “We saw you cry on the telly”.Smith added in his press conference that he was “pretty chilled” these days, and certainly delivered his pre-planned bit for the cameras with a broad grin in place. It was, nevertheless, a curious call that has added another layer of intrigue to the series – as well as an unexpected new chapter to Panesar’s colourful Ashes backstory.By coincidence, it is only a couple of weeks since Panesar popped up as a walk-on character in the story of Jake Weatherald’s maiden Test call-up. Weatherald – who described Panesar as “one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life” – played alongside the former England left-arm spinner during his time in the UK with Great Witchingham CC and took time to regale the Grade Cricketer podcast about what an “amazing experience” it was. Whether they were laughing with or at Monty is probably moot.Related

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This has often been the case, starting with Shane Warne’s infamous comment that Panesar hadn’t played 33 Tests, but the same Test 33 times. Panesar was an unlikely hero with the bat for England at Cardiff shortly after that, but was again reduced to a figure of fun on the 2013-14 tour, including when Cricket Australia apologised for causing offence with a tweet that pictured four men dressed as Teletubbies wearing turbans and the caption: “Will the real Monty Panesar please stand up?”Since the end of his playing career, Panesar has forged a number of different career paths – often with limited success. His blooper, which he put down to nerves, came during a period in which he tried to carve out a regular spot as a reality TV personality, while he has done more run-of-the-mill work as a cricket pundit for a number of organisations (including ESPNcricinfo). Last year, he made headlines after briefly promising to stand as candidate in the General Election for the Workers Party of Britain, before backtracking.He has also spoken about his struggles with mental health issues and, sadly, still seems to be casting around for a comfortable post-playing role. Whether Ashes bantermeister is the right fit remains to be seen – but Smith has fanned the flames, inadvertently or otherwise. Certainly Panesar’s zinger of a response, delivered on BBC radio a few hours later, then followed up in a Telegraph guest column, suggested he is rising to the occasion:”I’ve started, so I’ll finish,” Panesar wrote. “Those were the words I heard at the end of my Mastermind shocker six years ago. But if I’m guilty of anything, it is having bad general knowledge. And that is better than being a cheat.”We’ve both made mistakes. I made my mine on a quiz show. He made his on the cricket field.”And so the sideshow rumbles on, with Panesar also due to appear on Michael Clarke’s Beyond23 podcast later on Thursday. Wonder what they’ll talk about? Thankfully the cricket is about to begin, otherwise who knows what we’d wake up to tomorrow.

Sam Konstas’ bid to retain his Test place this summer will begin in India as he was named in the 14-man Australia A squad that will play India A in two red-ball four-day matches in Lucknow in September, albeit the squad has been selected with an eye towards Australia’s 2027 Test tour rather than the upcoming Ashes.Konstas was named alongside fellow Test opening candidate Nathan McSweeney and fellow teenager Oliver Peake in the squad. Promising Victoria opener Campbell Kellaway was also included among the batting group. Jake Weatherald, Jason Sangha and Kurtis Patterson, who all featured and performed well in the recent Australia A series against Sri Lanka A, were not included.Australian openers with previous Test experience, Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw, were also not included in the squad. Renshaw has been on two Test tours to India previously while Bancroft has previously toured India with Australia A including making 150 in an unofficial Test in Chennai in 2015 against an India A team that featured nine Indian Test players.Related

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It is highly unlikely that performances in India against India A in September will have any bearing on Ashes selection with the national selectors already on record saying that the first three Sheffield Shield rounds will be of most relevance. The squad has clearly been selected with a longer-term view of giving younger players experience in Indian conditions with Australia due to tour there for a five-match Test series in January-February of 2027, when the composition of Australia’s top six may look slightly different with Usman Khawaja very unlikely to still be playing by that point while Steven Smith turns 38 in June 2027.”The subcontinent provides many unique challenges and the opportunity to utilise different skills with bat and ball,” chairman of selectors George Bailey said.”We hope repeated experiences in these conditions will assist players in developing an effective method and understanding of their game for future sub-continent tours.”Test offspinner Todd Murphy was included in the squad having taken 14 wickets in four Tests in India in 2023, including a seven on Test debut in Nagpur. Fellow offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli will also get a chance to impress having been to the MRF Academy last year and played for Australia A previously. Both men missed the recent series against Sri Lanka A due to short-term stints in county cricket in England.Left-arm-spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly, who made his Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year, will get the chance to gain some valuable subcontinent experience. Seam-bowling allrounders Aaron Hardie, Liam Scott and Jack Edwards were all included with the latter set to play for Australia A for the first time.Cooper Connolly will gain further red-ball exposure on the subcontinent•Getty Images

CA contracted fast bowlers Lance Morris and Xavier Bartlett were picked as was the Shield’s leading wicket-taker in Fergus O’Neill. Josh Philippe was included as the sole wicketkeeper in the four-day squad.Connolly, Murphy, Hardie, Edwards and Scott will stay on for the three 50-over matches but Bartlett, Kellaway, Konstas, McSweeney, Morris, O’Neill, Peake, Philippe and Rocchiccioli will play in the four-day matches in Lucknow only before returning to Australia for the first Shield round that starts on October 4.”For many of these players we remain interested in the development of their short-form cricket as well, but balancing out priorities meant we wanted them back and available for the start of the Sheffield Shield season,” Bailey said.”This provides opportunities for Harry Dixon, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Tanveer Sangha, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland and Callum Vidler who will play the one-day matches in Kanpur.”Fraser-McGurk was included after losing his place in Australia’s ODI squad and he could well get the chance to keep wicket for the first time in his List A career with Shaw the only other wicketkeeper named in the white-ball squad. Fraser-McGurk is being developed as a back-up wicketkeeper for the T20I team having worked on his keeping with Australia’s fielding/keeping coach Andre Borovec on recent tours.Captains have yet to be named but there are a host of options given three state captains in McSweeney, Edwards and Sutherland will tour while Hardie has also previously led Australia A in a first-class game in New Zealand and captained Perth Scorchers.

Australia A four-day squad

Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Liam Scott

Australia A one-day squad

Cooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Mackenzie Harvey, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Callum Vidler

The Yankees will live to play another playoff game thanks to some clutch and perfectly-timed heroics from none other than slugger Aaron Judge, who turned the tides of Tuesday night's elimination contest with a three-run homer that tied things up.

From that point on, the pinstripes came alive to not only take the lead but hold it all the way to the end of the night, finishing with a 9-6 victory sponsored by the momentum Judge injected into his dugout.

Speaking after the fact, manager Aaron Boone shared a meaningful explanation as to why he believes Judge can pull this type of performance out of the team.

"Who he is day in and day out, how he treats you. How he leads this group. He's the real deal," Boone said, asked what makes Aaron's energy so "contagious."

"As beloved a player as I've ever been around by his teammates. They all admire him, look up to him, respect him, want his approval. And that's just a credit to who Aaron is and how he goes about things."

Skill-wise, the competitive advantage of having a player like Judge on your team is hard to overstate. But, to Boone's point, it's obvious that his leadership and energy come in clutch, as well. Heck, even the Yankee Stadium ghosts are fans.

No. 99 might be infamous for his struggles to perform in the postseason, but he put those concerns on hold with Tuesday's win. Now, as New York looks to hold on come Wednesday night, we'll see if both his influence and play can do it again.

Searching for a much-needed centre-back, Liverpool are now reportedly prepared to take a key step towards their attempt to sign Nico Schlotterbeck from Borussia Dortmund.

Their chase to sign the Bundesliga defender comes as no surprise. Arne Slot was left with little choice but to play Andy Robertson centre-back in an attempt to rest both Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate against Crystal Palace. The season-ending injury to Giovanni Leoni left the Reds with just three senior centre-backs and only compiled their current misery.

Things could have been so different had they signed Marc Guehi, of course, but those at Anfield now face a battle to land his signature for free next summer. Missing out on the Crystal Palace star a year on from coming within hours of securing his arrival would be an undeniable blow.

Six defeats in seven games have exposed Liverpool’s defensive problems so soon after missing out on Guehi in the summer and they must find a solution in 2026.

What certainly doesn’t help is the contract situation of Ibrahima Konate. The Frenchman is yet to sign a new deal and is on course to leave Anfield as a free agent in the summer. Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk will be into the final year of his deal at the same time – sparking a potential crisis for the Reds.

Preparations are seemingly underway for such a scenario, with names such as Dayot Upamecano recently mentioned as reported targets, but replacing both Konate and Van Dijk would almost be an impossible task.

One player who holds similar attributes to Van Dijk, however, is Schlotterbeck. The Dortmund defender has caught Liverpool’s eye and Michael Edwards is now ready to take a key step towards his signature.

Liverpool preparing to match Schlotterbeck demand

As reported by Bild in Germany and relayed by Sport Witness, Liverpool are now prepared to match Schlotterbeck’s wage demands.

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1

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The 25-year-old has reportedly rejected Dortmund’s €8m-a-year (£7m) contract offer and wants to earn in the region of €14m-a-year (£13m) instead, which would be up from his current €5m-a-year (£4m) deal.

That’s something that the German club are yet to match, but something that Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are ready to hand the defender.

Money talks on the European stage and Liverpool will hope that proves true in the summer as Schlotterbeck continues to impress.

Whilst there will be concerns over Schlotterbeck’s struggles in the air, his passing range more than makes up for that. Completing seven progressive passes per-90 so far this season, the Dortmund star would solve Liverpool’s build-up problem almost instantly.

Described as “underrated” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Liverpool should go all out for Schlotterbeck in 2025. Not only is he good enough to replace Konate, but he could even become their Van Dijk heir in the coming years.

Why Arne Slot was left stunned in Liverpool press conference before Aston Villa

أعلن الكرواتي كرونسلاف يورتشيتش، المدير الفني لنادي بيراميدز، التشكيل الرسمي لفريقه استعدادًا لمواجهة المقاولون العرب، اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ومن المقرر أن تُلعب المباراة على استاد الدفاع الجوي ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من الدوري المصري الممتاز لموسم 2025-2026.

ويدخل بيراميدز اللقاء محتلاً المركز الرابع في جدول الترتيب برصيد 20 نقطة، بعدما خاض 9 مباريات حقق خلالها 6 انتصارات وتعادلين وتعرض لهزيمة وحيدة.

في المقابل، يدخل المقاولون العرب المواجهة وهو في المركز الثامن عشر برصيد 10 نقاط، بعد خوض 13 مباراة حقق فيها فوزًا واحدًا وتعادل في 7 لقاءات وخسر 5 مباريات.

طالع أيضًا | يورتشيتش: بيراميدز واجه مشكلة قبل مواجهة ريفرز.. وهذا ما يحتاجه إيفرتون تشكيل بيراميدز أمام المقاولون العرب في الدوري

حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: أحمد سامي – محمود مرعي – محمد حمدي – محمد الشيبي.

خط الوسط: بلاتي توريه – وليد الكرتي – أحمد عاطف “قطة” – مصطفى زيكو – محمود زلاكة.

خط الهجوم: فيستون مايلي. بدلاء بيراميدز أمام المقاولون العرب في الدوري

محمود جاد – علي جبر – كريم حافظ – أحمد توفيق – محمود دونجا – مروان حمدي – إيفرتون داسيلفا – محمد رضا “بوبو” – عبد الرحمن مجدي

Liverpool aren’t doing so well this season. Last year’s indomitable air is a far cry from the tepid and toothless performances of the new campaign, with five defeats inflicted on Arne Slot’s side from six recent Premier League matches.

There is no way to sugarcoat it: that is so far below Anfield’s expectations that it beggars belief. Slot was so pained last season by that sole home defeat to Nottingham Forest, so frustrated by that stain on his copybook, even against the backdrop of a title-winning campaign.

But so many losses have become the norm for Liverpool this season, whose title defence is in tatters and whose focus is currently on establishing enough form and focus to recover a place in the Premier League’s top four.

Slot has got a lot to chew on before the November international break winds up and Liverpool host Forest in the top flight, a game they simply cannot afford to lose – again.

Aside from the lack of intensity and physicality in key areas and fragilities in defence, Liverpool’s widths have been well out of sorts this season, and this is something that needs fixing quickly.

Liverpool's struggles out wide

Mohamed Salah’s startling drop-off this season has been among the biggest concerns for Liverpool, but the Egyptian King has done it all before, and he will surely recover his potency in front of goal before his £400k-per-week contract expires in 2027.

More concerning, perhaps, is the form of Florian Wirtz, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m this summer but has yet to prove FSG have got bang for their buck.

The 22-year-old is clearly an incredible talent, but it hasn’t happened so far, with Liverpool’s wider tactical imbalances making it difficult for the playmaker to find a secure place in Slot’s line-up, flitting between the left flank and a creative berth from the centre.

Likewise, Cody Gakpo has struggled to impress. The left-sided forward has four goals and three assists across all competitions this term, but he’s lacked nuance in his expression.

It’s proving a tough ask for Slot to find a solution that will synergise this struggling frontline and restore Liverpool to their former level.

However, one Redman has enjoyed quite the impressive display for his nation in a World Cup qualifier this week, and in a position which could reshape his role at Liverpool over the coming months.

Slot may have his left wing solution

So much has gone wrong at Liverpool this season, but the form of Hugo Ekitike since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial £69m this summer cannot be counted among the negatives.

Ekitike is a striker, and was signed as such, but he played out on the left wing for France on Thursday evening as Didier Deschamps’ side defeated Ukraine 4-0 in their penultimate World Cup qualifier, with reporter Bence Bocsak praising his “very impressive” effort, having earlier noted that the star’s slickness and skill on the ball “reminds me of Bobby Firmino”.

Could it be that Liverpool have their left wing solution right here? This is hardly revelatory, but the dynamic forward has proved he has what it takes to produce a show-stopping performance from out wide here, and there’s a case to be made that he offers more than Gakpo does when in the role.

Indeed, were Ekitike to play from the left with regularity, it would only impede Gakpo in his hopes of stringing many minutes together across the season and beyond, especially as he will be competing with Wirtz.

But the one-time PSG prospect’s display demonstrated his potential in the position, a menace throughout after coming off the bench in the first half due to an injury to Bradley Barcola.

It was a spectacular goal, the 23-year-old collecting and driving forward from inside his own half, skating past defenders and entering the danger area before playing a neat connection with Kylian Mbappe and then striking true.

Minutes played

67′

Goals

1

Touches

22

Shots (on target)

4 (2)

Accurate passes

6/9 (67%)

Unsuccessful touches

3

Dribbles

2/2

Recoveries

1

Ground duels

4/5

Ekitike might not have enjoyed much success by way of passing, but he demonstrated how effective he can be with limited opportunities in possession. Not only accurate when carrying the ball forward, but he was fierce in the duel and clinical besides.

This economical approach showed something that has been lacking on Merseyside this season: an ability to make chances count even when presented intermittently.

That is, of course, barring one Liverpool forward. Ekitike. The Les Bleus star has scored six goals and posted an assist since joining the club this summer.

Development is never linear for those entering the Premier League from overseas, but the way in which Ekitike has slipped into life in Liverpool is remarkable, given the circumstances around the club right now.

Should Slot take note of the striker’s performance against Ukraine and begin to hand him more chances out wide, it could help Isak settle in after his record-breaking summer move while easing the fears that Isak and Ekitke cannot cohabit in Liverpool’s starting line-up.

Slot has already followed this train of thought, suggesting several weeks ago that Ekitike’s technical and physical qualities make him apt for a prolific role on the flank, and now it can be put into practice, albeit at Gakpo’s expense.

Without question, Liverpool’s head coach will have been attentive to Ekitike’s performance on the world stage, perhaps more inclined forward to trial Ekitike in a wider role going forward, thus opening the door to a partnership with Isak and a new dimension that could help restore the side’s attacking strength.

If this proves an effective and long-term solution, it may well come at the expense of Gakpo’s stay at Liverpool for the long run, but, as the opening months of the campaign have told us, it is crucial that Slot identifies a way of playing that matches the incredible amount of quality teeming across Anfield.

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