All posts by n8rngtd.top

Sheffield Shield round-up: Openers stall, Smith frustrated, Carey flies

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia came away with victories as the selectors watched closely

Andrew McGlashan24-Oct-20240:56

Steven Smith: ‘Bumrah is the complete bowler’

Openers stall

You may have noticed, but Australia’s specialist openers are not banging down the door. Marcus Harris dug in for two hours at the MCG but was then undone by Mitchell Starc. Cameron Bancroft’s nightmare start to the season continued and his returns now read 0, 0, 8 and 2 – three times caught behind nibbling outside off then top-edging to fine leg. Matt Renshaw collected 2 and 21 against South Australia. Sam Konstas showed some promising signs in the second innings against Victoria before giving it away against Todd Murphy. It’s hard to know who, if anyone, is leading the race.Related

  • Victoria steamroll New South Wales but Starc primed for India

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Steven Smith’s lean outing

We know he’s moving back to No. 4, but Steven Smith cut a frustrated figure at the MCG. Caught down the leg side off Fergus O’Neill in the first innings he was then less-than-impressed by the lbw decision against Scott Boland although there didn’t seem much wrong with it. “I actually felt pretty good out there, to be honest, for the 3 that I scored,” he said with a hint of a smile after the first innings. It now seems likely that the rest of Smith’s build-up to India will be against the white-ball with a One-Day Cup match against Victoria then the ODI series against Pakistan.

The McSweeney solution

Nathan McSweeney has made an excellent start to the season – scores of 55, 127 not out, 37 and 72 – to build on his success of last summer when runs were hard to come. He is certainly in the mix for Test selection; beyond who opens there will also need to be a spare batter in the squad. Despite the quick abort of Smith opening, there is a world where the selectors again go down the route of non-specialist which could open a space for McSweeney in the XI. He captains Australia A next week against India A.Nathan McSweeney has started the season strongly•Getty Images

Keepers flying

Might Australia’s most in-form player heading into the Test summer be their No. 7? Alex Carey is churning out the runs following his successful return to the ODI side in England last month. He has now crunched two centuries and a 90 in four innings this season. Remember he also finished the New Zealand series in March with an unbeaten 98. Talk about his form feels a long time ago. But he’s not the only gloveman in fine fettle.Josh Inglis has played superbly for Western Australia and, like Carey, has two hundreds in two matches. If you were looking at the best six or seven batters on form, he’d be there. There is recent precedent for Australia playing two wicketkeepers in their Test side: Matthew Wade featured alongside Tim Paine from 2019 to 2021, including during India’s last visit when he also opened the batting for two Tests.Josh Philippe (45 not out and 88) also continued his impressive start to the season on a tricky MCG pitch after the move to New South Wales and Jimmy Peirson (94) led a Queensland fight back against South Australia. Both are in the Australia A squad.

Starc looking good

Now, this looked encouraging. Mitchell Starc hit his straps at the MCG, finding swing at high pace. He could easily have had more than one wicket in the first innings then collected six in the second, although it wasn’t enough to turn things around for NSW. However, he produced some crackerjack deliveries and was gliding smoothly to the crease in his first red-ball outing since March. “Wickets aside, I think the rhythm was there,” Starc said. “I felt probably the best I have felt for a while actually. Across the two innings, it feels like it’s in a good spot.” In the last series at home against India he averaged 40.72 so will hope to improve on those numbers.Alex Carey has been prolific early in the summer•Getty Images

The ones we aren’t talking about (much) – Khawaja, Labuschagne, Marsh, Lyon

It’s easy to forget, given all the chatter, that most of Australia’s squad for the first Test is locked in. It was a relatively lean week for Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne (who is bowling a lot of medium-pace bouncers) although the pair made runs in the opening round. Mitchell Marsh fell cheaply twice against Tasmania and didn’t return to the bowling crease as he had previously suggested he would. Nathan Lyon got through another 41 overs of work against Victoria. In the same game, Boland finished with the fewest wickets of the home side’s quicks (three) but was shaking off the early-season rust nicely. His around-the-wicket spell to Nic Maddinson was classy. His likely challenger as the back-up Test quick, Michael Neser, picked up four wickets against South Australia while Sean Abbott produced a reminder that he should remain in the conversation. Nathan McAndrew may not be a million miles away, either.

What’s next?

Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will feature for NSW in the One-Day Cup match against Victoria on Friday. Then the focus turns to the first Australia A vs India A match in Mackay which begins on October 31 and runs concurrently with the next round of Shield. Konstas, Harris, Bancroft and McSweeney are in the Australia A squad as is allrounder Beau Webster. Boland and Neser will also suit up in one of the matches. Of those left in Shield cricket, Renshaw and Maddinson will be in action in Sydney as NSW face Queensland. Lyon is expected to play that game, too, as his last outing before the Test series.

Heather Knight sees seeds of Ashes challenge in rare Test triumph

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

England’s range of standout players, and speed of turnaround from white-ball, augur well for Australia mission

Firdose Moonda17-Dec-20242:03

Heather Knight: SA Test win builds confidence for Ashes

No trees were ripped up but some seeds were planted, as England won their first Test in a decade before looking ahead to the women’s Ashes.Let’s be honest: while they’d never use the words warm-up, this multi-format series in South Africa was part of the preparation for next month’s Ashes, a series which England have not won for 10 years. Incidentally, that’s the same amount of time England had gone without a Test win until a memorable afternoon in Bloemfontein. So apart from cleaning up with series victories in the T20I and ODI contests (which included five out of six wins for England), the Test triumph tastes a little sweeter, because it shows England what they are capable of.”We take great confidence from it,” Knight said at the post-match press conference. “Whenever we play Test cricket, because we play it so scarcely, we’re always learning about how to go about the different tactics; the different periods of the game that you have to manage and how that varies as conditions change. We take a huge amount of learnings from it.”It was a brilliant Test match – the ebbs and flows. There were times where we had to really hang in there and control the rate and obviously jump in when we were in with a sniff. We take a huge amount from it.”England’s Ashes assignment will conclude with a pink-ball Test at the MCG, and Knight may only have been polite when she said it will be, “slightly different” to the Tests they’ve had so far. The teams will have four days between the end of the ODI series on January 25 and the start of the Test on January 30 and, if anything, Knight believes they can learn from the quick turnaround they had in South Africa.Lauren Bell was named player of the match for her eight wickets•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesThere were three days between the end of the ODI series on December 11 and the start of this Test, with travel further cramping their training in between. “The fact that we were able to play like we did with only two days’ preparation should be a thing of confidence for us because obviously that Test match in Australia is going to be exactly the same,” Knight said “That mentality to be able to flip between is a really hard thing to do, so getting more experience of doing that as players will hopefully stand us in good stead.”But Knight and her team will have learned about more than just time between games over the past few days – there’s also time in game, and that is undoubtedly where England were superior. There were two passages of play where England completely took the game away from South Africa: in the second session on day one when they scored 189 runs in 33 overs, at a rate of 5.7, and the third session on day two, when England took 7 for 56 to send South Africa freewheeling from 225 for 3 to 281 all out, to take a 114-run first-innings lead.In the first of those, Maia Bouchier, on debut, and Nat Sciver-Brunt both scored centuries, which underlines how inexperience and experience combined for England.”A couple of days out, Maia was a bit unsure about how she wanted to go about it, purely because of the unknown of not playing any multi-day cricket ever in her life really,” Knight said. “So for her to go out and do that and show the clarity of decision-making, the simpleness that she did, and to bat for long and really make hay in that middle session was a great period for us.Related

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“We were able to capitalise on some poor bowling and to really put the runs on the board and score at a good rate, and that allowed us to control the rest of the game. So kudos to her (Bouchier) and obviously Nat, who goes under the radar sometimes because you expect her to score runs, but a remarkable innings again from her.”In the second innings, another debutant Ryana MacDonald-Gay made important breakthroughs with the old ball which allowed Laurens Bell and Filer to use inswing and pace with the second new ball to unsettle the South African middle- and lower-order.These performances showed Knight the full range of their fast-bowling potential. “They both bring something different, the two Laurens,” she said. “Filer just seems to make things happen, which is amazing. But there’s a real temptation sometimes to want to bowl her longer because you always feel like she’s going to take a wicket when she’s on, but I think she’s at her best when she’s fresh and she bowls sharp spells.”Lauren Bell at the other end was outstanding, the way she was able to control things. It’s a really prime example of the work that she’s done to become a better cricketer and have different skills in her toolbox, and use those skills in different conditions when she needs them. And Ryana as well, special mention for her on debut. She was outstanding. I’m really impressed by her temperament and her character. It’s an exciting place to be, having lots of bowlers, particularly quicks, at our disposal with Australia to come.”Having the players is one thing, but having different ones perform all through a game is another, and Knight was among them. Her second-innings 90 prolonged the South African fielding effort and played its part in fatiguing them, as they were asked to score the highest fourth-innings total in women’s Test history.She knows she did her bit. “I loved contributing today,” she said. “I felt like there were still runs out there and I felt I really needed to stretch the lead a little bit and be in a position where we could dictate and control and attack at the right times, and have enough runs on the board to do that.Maia Bouchier and Nat Sciver-Brunt put on 174 for the third wicket in England’s first innings•ECB/Getty Images”Any time after you’ve fielded for a long time, going back mentally and physically is a really tough thing to do and even harder when you don’t do it very often. That’s why I wanted to score big today, to try and really push that lead up quite high, put a little bit more time into their legs, a little bit more mental fatigue, and also give our bowlers a little bit more of a rest,”In the end, England didn’t need the runs or the time. They finished off South Africa in less than 20 overs and bowled them out for their lowest Test score.”Obviously it happened quite quickly,” Knight said. “We got a bit lucky with a few things and our bowlers were hitting really hard. Once we picked up a few, we felt like we could really capitalise and jump in, and really attack and put them under the pump. It’s a really hard thing to do as a batter when you’re coming in under that sort of pressure.”South Africa know that and have to deal with the fall-out from a massive Test defeat, but it won’t be too harsh. They won’t have another red-ball game in 2025 and new coach Mandla Mashimbyi, contracted until 2027, has time to build his team. So far, he is saying all the right things, especially about the way it ended. “We competed nicely. If I had to take away this last session, the girls actually fought all the way. Maybe our breaking point was just a little bit earlier than the England breaking point. And that’s something that we’re going to have to work on because it’s a mental thing,” he said. “I can promise you now, what we’ve seen here today will never happen again.”But no trees will be ripped up, only seeds planted for a future in which South Africa will play six Tests in the next four years, two against England. Until they meet again…

Not all doom and gloom: India almost had England at Headingley

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

India have the batting to get into strong positions at Edgbaston, and their bowling is not much behind England in terms of quality and experience

Sidharth Monga26-Jun-20259:44

Batters, bowlers or fielders: Who cost India the Leeds Test?

Headingley was a weird Test. India dominated large chunks of it with bat and ball, but still lost. Despite the somewhat-deserved flak the Indian bowlers are getting, they consistently created more chances than England’s bowlers did. India lost ten wickets to just 108 false shots in the first innings and 92 in the second; England lost ten and five wickets in 137 and 113 false shots.Often such losses can be attributed to luck, but India weren’t unlucky either. At least not unlucky in the way their false shots went to hand at an inordinate rate as it did during the 36 all out in Adelaide.Headingley wasn’t a typical Bazball Test. The Bazball philosophy is to play more shots against good balls, trusting a combination of their batters’ attacking qualities and the new flat pitches in England that don’t deteriorate. The surfaces at Headingley just keep getting better for batting. Other teams bat conventionally and play fewer shots to good balls. England’s taller bowlers have tended to bash the good lengths and draw more out of the pitches than the opposition.Related

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During the Bazball era, England’s batting average and strike rate on false shots have usually been better than their opponents in that match. That wasn’t the case at Headingley, where India averaged more and scored quicker on false shots in the first innings. The difference would have been bigger if India had held even half of their catches.This is not to decry dropped catches, but to suggest India had England. They dragged England out of familiar territory largely because their attack lacked pace and experience. England’s bowlers were unable to, in Stuart Broad’s succinct words, hold length or bowl in disconcerting areas. In the first innings, their fast bowlers bowled just 197 balls in the 6-8m band in 86 overs; India put 203 balls there in 77.4 overs. India drew more average seam from good length than England, although at around 0.6 degrees it didn’t consistently trouble the batters.The England seamers did have better average and strike rate from these good-length balls, but it is not attributable to them getting more out of the pitch from there. The numbers are also influenced by the lopsided dropping of catches, which is not likely to repeat itself.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}}))}();

The one thing England were able to do better was draw more from the aggressive 5-6m length. They were able to swing the fuller ball more, even though the seam movement remained negligible for both sides.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}}))}();

India can certainly improve. With his height, Prasidh Krishna will want to hit the good-length zone more often than he did, but as a comparison, India bowled more good balls and created more opportunities than England did.The bad periods for India at Headingley, however, proved to be catastrophic. If they had been at regular efficiency in terms of lower-order runs or catches – six plus two quarter chances is the most any side has spilled in a Test in England in the last 20 years – the worst result for India would have been a draw.So while India should look at playing a wicket-taking bowler in place of Shardul Thakur – head coach Gautam Gambhir called him a bowling allrounder – in the second Test at Edgbaston, they need to tell themselves they were better for large portions of the first Test and that they can do it again. The England bowling attack was ordinary and adding an undercooked Jofra Archer is a gamble.India have to back themselves to get into good positions with the bat again, and be more ruthless if they do. The main job is to get into those positions again. In the Tests Jasprit Bumrah plays, the bowling will only get better. The inexperienced Prasidh showed significant improvement over five days at Headingley. Mohammed Siraj can’t continue being unlucky for too long. Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep or Arshdeep Singh will be an improvement over Thakur. The matches without Bumrah will be a challenge, but they should all individually get better by then, provided Bumrah plays the Edgbaston Test, which starts next Wednesday. One of the improvements they will need to make is to bowl better lines, according to the field, and keep England under 4.5 an over.The Headingley defeat was galling, the kind that can be difficult to recover from, but India have the batting to get back into positions they can dominate from. Their bowling is not much behind England in terms of quality and experience.

Does Pat Cummins have the best Test bowling figures of any captain?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

And how many visiting players have played their one and only Test at Lord’s?

Steven Lynch17-Jun-2025Both No. 1 openers in the WTC final were out for ducks. How often has this happened? asked Kirsty Grosvenor from Australia

You’re right that Usman Khawaja, No. 1 on the Australian scorecard, was out for 0 (from 20 balls) on the first day of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s last week, and he was followed later in the day by South Africa’s Aiden Markram (six balls; he did rather better in the second innings).This was only the tenth time in all Tests that the batters at the top of the order for both teams were out for 0 in the first innings of the same match (only considering the man who faced the first ball). There was no such double in the first 100 years of Test cricket: the first instance was in the match between Australia and India in Melbourne in 1977, when the rival No. 1s, Sunil Gavaskar and John Dyson, both fell for 0 in the first innings.The most recent occurrence before last week was in Hobart in the final Ashes Test in 2022, when David Warner and Rory Burns both collected ducks at the top of the order. Here’s the full list, of No. 1s being out for 0 in the first innings of a match.Does Pat Cummins now have the best bowling figures by an Australian captain (or any captain!) in a Test? asked Dane Kristoffer from Australia

Pat Cummins took 6 for 28 in South Africa’s first innings in the World Test Championship final. They were the best figures by a captain in the 147 Tests at Lord’s, beating Bob Willis’ 6 for 101 for England against India in June 1982.Cummins’ figures are the fourth-best by an Australia captain in a Test, behind the 7 for 44 of Ian Johnson against West Indies in Georgetown in 1955, Allan Border’s unlikely 7 for 46 vs West Indies in Sydney in 1989, and Monty Noble’s 7 for 100 against England in Sydney in 1904.The best bowling figures by any captain in a Test match are 9 for 83, by Kapil Dev for India against West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983. Here’s the full list of best bowling performances by Test captains.Apparently Australia had played South Africa at Lord’s in a Test before – when was this? asked Stephen Bashenga from South Africa

Last week’s World Test Championship final was indeed the second time Australia and South Africa had met in an official Test at Lord’s. The first one was in 1912, during an ambitious Triangular Test tournament that was rather spoiled by the weather. In the match between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s – the fifth of the tournament’s nine games – Charlie Kelleway and Warren Bardsley made centuries and the Australians won by ten wickets.Fionn Hand’s only Test to date came at Lord’s two years ago•AFP/Getty ImagesAustralia also played a Test against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, as security concerns at the time precluded playing in Pakistan. Steven Smith made his debut in that one, which means he’s played Tests at Lord’s against three different opponents, a record for an overseas player. He’s also the leading Test run-scorer among visitors to Lord’s.How many people have played their one and only Test at Lord’s? I mean visiting players – I imagine there have been lots of Englishmen… asked Matthew Rowell from South Africa

If you’re only going to play one Test match, it would be special to do it at Lord’s… and, rather to my surprise, there are currently only three overseas players who fit the bill. The first two did it for India: Lall Singh, the Malaysia-born batter (and superb fielder) who played in their inaugural Test, in 1932, and opening batter Ghulam Parkar, who made two single-figure scores in a defeat in 1982. The third man might yet play again: Fionn Hand won his only Test cap for Ireland so far at Lord’s in 2023.A total of 14 England players have won their only Test cap at Lord’s, the most recent being legspinner Matt Parkinson, who stepped in as a concussion substitute against New Zealand in 2022. For the record, the others are Stanley Christopherson (1884), Walter Mead (1899), John King (1909), Alf Dipper, Jack Durston and John Evans (all in 1921), Harry Smith (1928), Johnny Arnold (1931), Jim Parks senior (1937), Frank Smailes (1946), George Pope (1947), Alec Coxon (1948) and Simon Brown (1996).In last week’s question about players who had appeared in every edition of the IPL, did you miss out Ravi Jadeja? asked Brij Mohan Mahagaonkar from India

You worried me there – I knew that Ravindra Jadeja featured in the inaugural IPL, in 2008 – but actually he missed the third one, in 2010, after running into contractual problems. He therefore just failed to emulate MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey and Rohit Sharma in playing in them all so far.Jadeja is one of five players who have appeared in 17 of the 18 editions of the IPL. Three of the others featured in every season until the most recent one: Shikhar Dhawan, wicketkeeper-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik, and another keeper, Wriddhiman Saha. The other man is Ajinkya Rahane, who did not play in 2010. R Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Amit Mishra and Jaydev Unadkat have all appeared in 16 IPLs.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Stats – Narine joins Rashid, Bravo to become third member of 600-wicket club in T20s

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The globetrotter has a remarkable record with KKR, TKR and against Rohit Sharma

Namooh Shah04-Dec-2025

Best economy and 100-plus wickets for two teams

Across 568 T20 matches, Narine has maintained an economy rate of 6.16, the best among 117 bowlers with a minimum of 200 wickets in the format.Narine is one of only five bowlers in T20 history to take 100 or more wickets for two teams alongside Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan.

One-franchise IPL career with KKR

Narine is one of three players to play for a single IPL franchise alongside Virat Kohli and Kieron Pollard (minimum 150 matches). He has played all his IPL cricket for Kolkata Knight Riders, featuring in 189 matches, joint-most by an overseas player in the league with Pollard.With 192 wickets, he is the leading overseas wicket-taker in IPL history. Overall, 210 of his 600 T20 wickets have come for KKR, the most by any player for a single franchise, ahead of Lasith Malinga (195 for Mumbai Indians).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The ruler of Punjab Kings

Narine’s only T20 five-wicket haul came in the 2012 IPL against Kings XI Punjab [now Punjab Kings], making him the first overseas spinner in IPL history to take a five-for. Since then, only Adam Zampa (2017) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2022) have achieved the feat as overseas spinners.In 2013, Narine also took his only T20 hat-trick, again against Punjab Kings, against whom he has the most dismissals in the format (36).

Dominance against Rohit Sharma and at Eden Gardens

Narine has dismissed Rohit Sharma ten times in T20 cricket, the joint-most dismissals of a batter by a bowler, alongside Dwayne Bravo, who has dismissed Pollard ten times.Narine also has 72 wickets at Eden Gardens, the most by any bowler in Kolkata in T20s. His next best venue is the Shere Bangla Stadium, Mirpur, where he has 38 wickets.

CPL’s leading wicket-taker

Narine is currently the leading wicket-taker in the Caribbean Premier League, with 133 wickets, ahead of Imran Tahir (130). Out of the 133 wickets, 102 have come for Trinbago Knight Riders, making him one of the only three bowlers to take 100-plus wickets for a team in CPL.

Former county coach suspended over charges of sexual misconduct

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

He has been suspended for nine months after admitting to five breaches of professional conduct regulations

Valkerie Baynes06-Aug-2025An unnamed former county cricket coach has been suspended for nine months after admitting charges of sexual misconduct, including sending sexually explicit photos to two junior female colleagues.The independent Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP) issued the sanction after he admitted to five breaches of professional conduct regulations over incidents in 2023 and 2024, which included attempting to kiss one of the victims in a club changing room.The CDP cited “exceptional circumstances regarding the health of that coach and the serious risk of harm” for not naming him when publishing the report of its disciplinary tribunal on Wednesday.He was sacked as a result of his behaviour and hasn’t been employed in cricket since.The CDP issued the coach a nine-month suspension from cricket. Six months of the sanction were backdated to when he was charged and the remainder was suspended for a period of 12 months because he had accepted responsibility, shown remorse and undergone effective remedial education.He worked with a former professional sportswoman to understand the impact of unsolicited explicit messages, as well as completing courses on sexual harassment and professional boundaries, the CDP said.The tribunal heard evidence that the man “engaged in inappropriate and sexualised messaging” with one of the victims. He stopped when she asked him to but, some days later, sent “a further message of a sexualised and inappropriate nature”.The second victim, who was much younger than the man and had to interact with him as part of her work, also received sexually explicit pictures from him, to which she didn’t respond. Later, he asked her to check the changing rooms for rubbish and, whilst there, he “made an inappropriate attempt to kiss” the victim, who pulled away.In its decision, the CDP stated that although he was not in a formal position of trust with regard to either victim, he was considerably older than both of them and there was “a clear imbalance” between his position at the club and theirs.Chris Haward, managing director of the Cricket Regulator, described the misconduct as unacceptable and praised the “openness and courage of those who reported” it.”Removing sexual misconduct from the game is a priority for the Cricket Regulator,” Haward said. “We recognise that it takes a lot of courage for those impacted to come forward.”The CDP said that while the man made limited admissions to allegations initially put to him by the Cricket Regulator, it “was clear to the Disciplinary Tribunal that the Respondent was a different person to the one who was initially interviewed”.The panel heard that the man had undergone counselling over many months.”He hoped that now he was emerging as a better person,” the tribunal report said. “He had a greater understanding of workplace boundaries, the misuse of social media and what amounted to sexual harassment.”

White Sox Classily Lauded Clayton Kershaw for Strikeout Milestone After Loss

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

It has become somewhat of a custom for MLB teams to announce the final result of a game via social media, even if that result is a loss. The Chicago White Sox, who were bested 5-4 by the Los Angeles Dodgers via a walk-off on Wednesday night, put the result of the game to the side for a moment in light of the historic achievement by one Dodgers player. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw joined an exclusive club on Wednesday night in Los Angeles: the 3,000 strikeout club.

And the White Sox, instead of posting the result of the game on X, found a creative way to congratulate Kershaw.

Classy.

Kershaw notched strikeout No. 3000 with a sixth inning punch out of White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra. The Dodgers later won the game on a walk-off single by first baseman Freddie Freeman.

Chelsea hold talks about signing "big name" star with Bayern Munich "really worried"

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Chelsea have held talks about signing a “big name” player this month, with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich believed to be “really worried”, according to a new report.

Chelsea brought back down to Earth after Sunderland defeat

After a run of four straight wins in all competitions, Enzo Maresca would be forgiven for thinking they were on for a fifth when summer signing Alejandro Garnacho brilliantly opened the scoring against Sunderland with his first goal for the club.

However, much to the surprise of on-lookers, it was all downhill from that moment.

Sunderland, who have made one of the best starts to a Premier League campaign by a newly-promoted side in years, levelled the score just under 20 minutes later through Wilson Isidor — staying in the game before Chemsdine Talbi fired a glorious winner in added time.

For Regis Le Bris’ side, the fairytale start continues, but for Chelsea, it’s a stark reminder that they’re far from the finished article.

Chelsea haven’t been helped by injuries lately, but going by Maresca’s post-match verdict, he is still far from satisfied with the Blues’ defensive options.

Chelsea absentees

Problem

Potential return date

Cole Palmer

Groin

December

Benoit Badiashile

Muscle

December

Dario Essugo

Thigh

Early 2026

Liam Delap

Hamstring

October 29

Levi Colwill

ACL

Spring 2026

Malo Gusto

Suspended

October 29

Maresca publicly urged Chelsea to sign another centre-back in the summer window, and reports suggest that Chelsea are set to prioritise a defensive signing in the January transfer window.

It is also believed that Chelsea have held discussions with Marc Guehi’s camp about a cut-price winter move with his deal expiring next summer, but as per journalist Graeme Bailey, they’re considering another “big name” option for 2026 too.

Chelsea hold discussions this month about signing Dayot Upamecano

That man is apparently Bayern star Dayot Upamecano, who has seriously impressed at the heart of Vincent Kompany’s defence.

While the Bavarians are trying to tie him down with an extension, Upamecano is poised to leave on a free transfer as things stand with his current contract expiring at the end of the season, similar to Guehi.

Bailey, speaking to TBR Football, reports that Chelsea have held discussions this month about signing Upamecano on a free transfer next year — expanding on his point that Bayern are “really worried” he could leave.

The 27-year-old France international is a world-class defender on his day, but it is worth noting that Upamecano was limited to just 20 Bundesliga appearances last season due to a combination of various injury issues and suspension.

That being said, snapping up the former RB Leipzig star on a Bosman poses very little risk for Chelsea financially, even if they could be forced to make him one of Chelsea’s top five best-paid players — given Upamecano’s current terms of around £168,000-per-week.

'I have no reason to close the door' – Mexico's Javier Aguirre confirms plans to call up Álvaro Fidalgo for El Tri

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Álvaro Fidalgo’s chances of representing Mexico appear closer than ever, as Javier Aguirre confirmed he intends to call up the América midfielder once he becomes eligible in March 2026. The Spanish-born playmaker, who has spent nearly five years in Liga MX, is on track to join Mexico’s growing group of naturalized players.

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    Fidalgo will be considered

    Fidalgo’s path to the Mexican national team is taking shape. After months of speculation, Aguirre confirmed that he plans to consider the América midfielder for future call-ups, starting with the March 2026 FIFA window, when the player officially becomes eligible.

    “If he’s legally Mexican and meets all the requirements, I have no reason to close the door on him – or anyone else,” Aguirre told , referring to the 28-year-old Spaniard’s pending eligibility status.

    Fidalgo has been a cornerstone of Club América’s recent dominance under manager André Jardine, helping the club lift multiple titles and earn a reputation as one of Liga MX’s most technically gifted midfielders. His performances have caught the attention of the Mexican federation, which views him as a potential addition ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

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    Becomes eligible after five years in Mexico

    Aguirre compared Fidalgo’s situation to players who earned late World Cup call-ups in previous tournaments. 

    “In every World Cup cycle, there’s always someone who rises at the end. If he’s playing well, has the talent, and is Mexican-then he’s in,” the coach said.

    If selected, Fidalgo would join Germán Berterame and Julián Quiñones as the naturalized players currently integrated into Mexico’s national team setup. However, competition for a midfield spot will be fierce, with Edson Álvarez, Erik Lira, Orbelín Pineda, Érick Sánchez, Fidel Ambriz, Obed Vargas, Gilberto Mora, and Marcel Ruiz also in contention.

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    Could debut when Mexico reopen Estadio Azteca

    TUDN indicates that Fidalgo will be called to train with in January during a minicamp in Central America, before potentially making his official debut in March, when Mexico will reopen the Estadio Azteca in a friendly against Portugal.

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    Fellow players welcome his addition

    Several national team players have already voiced support for Fidalgo's inclusion. 

    “Competing with great players like Fidalgo helps us all grow,” said Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas, while Fidel Ambriz added, “If he comes to contribute, he’ll be one more Mexican in the team.”

Darke a shining light among the next generation of Australian women

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

WA keeper-batter is hoping to translate her stunning Australia A form into a big WBBL season

Tristan Lavalette04-Oct-2024A naturally aggressive batter and technician behind the stumps, Maddy Darke has for some time been touted as a potential successor to Australia captain Alyssa Healy.The symbolism was evident five years ago when Darke, only 18 at the time, made her WBBL debut for Sydney Sixers and received her cap from Healy, who she had modelled her attacking batting and glove work on.But it’s been a tough journey living up to those expectations and she moved to Western Australia in 2021 to ignite her career. Darke’s WA coaches have worked hard on building up her confidence and belief that she absolutely belongs at the professional level.Having shown glimpses over the years, Darke, 23, might be putting it all together after scoring eye-catching centuries recently for Australia A in the multi-format series against India A in Queensland.In tough batting conditions against the red ball on the Gold Coast, Darke lifted Australia out of trouble at 94 for 5 in their second innings of the four-day fixture with an unbeaten 105 off 197 balls from No.6.She took heed from the messaging from her WA batting coach Wes Robinson, a concise communicator, who implores her to “keep it really simple and let your technique do the talking”.

“If I could one day play for Australia, I’d absolutely love the chance. For me, not knowing when that opportunity would arise, it’s just about improving my wicketkeeping and batting while also trying to be a better teammate. Hopefully that takes care of things.”Maddy Darke

She batted superbly with the lower order, running hard between the wickets to frustrate India A. Darke unleashed several attractive strokes through the covers, but it was mostly a gritty innings that proved the difference in Australia’s eventual 45-run victory.”I was really pleased because four-day cricket is a real test of your mental capacity as well as your physical skill-set,” Darke told ESPNcricinfo. “Being able to grind through a few sessions with the tail is something that I’m not really accustomed to.”I’m really, really pleased with how the whole series went and to get as many runs as I did,” she added, having also scored 106 in the second one-dayer.Darke, nicknamed ‘Bondi’ due to her affinity with the famous Sydney beach, has not carried her momentum into the start of the domestic season having scored just 49 runs from three innings to start the Women’s National Cricket League.Self-doubt could once again creep in, but working closely with Robinson and WA coach Becky Grundy has helped her feel more at ease.”She [Grundy] tells me to just trust that my game is more than good enough to do well at any level,” Darke said. “I think that is something that I really try to keep in mind because she wouldn’t be telling me that if she didn’t actually believe in me.”I’m trusting my strengths and recognising when I’m doing things really well to keep trying to do them and not get distracted or caught up in what other players are doing.”To see a bit more evidence of that on the field with runs in the India series, really, really helps build my confidence.”Darke has also been working hard with the gloves as shown in her solid efforts behind the stumps against India A, where she admitted to feeling “exhausted” by the end of the four-day game. While adept at keeping to pace and spin, she’s more comfortable being up to the stumps.”It’s actually been a bit of a focus to make sure I’m not neglecting keeping back and working on being in really good positions to move laterally and dive,” Darke said.Maddy Darke drives through the offside•Getty ImagesShe’s learned “different techniques” from veteran Beth Mooney and England wicketkeeper Amy Jones, her Perth Scorchers teammates, while WA wicketkeeping coach Damon Rowan regularly puts her through the same drills as men’s counterparts Josh Inglis and Baxter Holt.Darke was left almost awestruck the first time she trained alongside Inglis, who has become Australia’s No.1 wicketkeeper in white-ball cricket. “He’s amazing, so quick, so powerful,” she gushed to Rowan at the time.Darke closely studied Inglis’ technique up at the stumps. “He moved so late, but he’s so quick to the ball. I was actually taken aback,” she recalled. “He’s so explosive and powerful. That’s what I want to get to, but I’ll have to chip away at that over the years.”He has played all over the world, so it’s a great opportunity to build my knowledge and learn from him.”It’s been a slow start to the domestic season for Darke and WA, who are winless after their opening three WNCL matches. But if Darke can rediscover her Australia A form, as a potential WBBL breakout looms, then talk of being Healy’s heir apparent will go into overdrive.”I’ve definitely got my eye on that spot whenever it would become available. If I could one day play for Australia, I’d absolutely love the chance,” she said.”For me, not knowing when that opportunity would arise, it’s just about improving my wicketkeeping and batting while also trying to be a better teammate. Hopefully that takes care of things.”

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