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Sunderland fans had waited a decade for this moment, as their beloved Black Cats finally faced off against their arch-rivals Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League.

The match didn’t disappoint, either, from a Sunderland perspective, as Regis Le Bris’ men secured the bragging rights when Nick Woltemade unexpectedly headed back Aaron Ramsdale, just as the second half got underway.

A real sickener for the Toon proved to be the fortuitous match-winner for the hosts, as the lofty German striker wanted the ground to swallow him up, after his connection from an inviting Sunderland delivery beat the ex-Arsenal goalkeeper.

While the ex-Stuttgart forward’s embarrassing lapse of judgment stole the headlines come the full-time whistle, many of Le Bris’ first teamers also stood out throughout, as Granit Xhaka cut an assured figure again, all across the 1-0 win.

Xhaka's performance in numbers

Come the end of the match, Sky Sports’ Micah Richards would rightly hail the Black Cats captain as an “absolute warrior”, as the ever-present midfield battler barely put a foot wrong again.

He did give away possession 16 times, but the Swiss would constantly recover and retrieve the ball, with all 100% of his tackles successfully won.

Le Bris would have known it was vital that Sunderland won the midfield battle to get the better of Eddie Howe’s visitors, as the likes of Sandro Tonali won no tackles, up against a far stronger Xhaka.

Moreover, the tenacious number 34 has the know-how of how to win these sorts of crunch affairs, having become well accustomed to the North London Derby at the Emirates, with Xhaka subsequently standing out from minute one. He would amass the most touches of any player in the first half at 50 touches, alongside calmly spraying the ball about at 43 passes.

Visibly cut at the full-time whistle, too, having given his all, it must be hard for Sunderland fans not to just constantly wax lyrical about their Swiss warrior. Yet, he wasn’t the only star showered with praise at the end.

Sunderland star was the "standout player"

Sunderland looked in control of the game from the minute Woltemade placed an effort past his own ‘keeper, as the rock-solid Black Cats defence stood firm once more this season, against a tired Magpies attack.

In particular, Reinildo shone down the left flank for Le Bris all match long, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley hailing him as Sunderland’s “standout player” in a lively first 45 minutes. Fellow journalist Andy Sixsmith also went out of his way to praise the ex-Atletico Madrid full-back by stating that he didn’t give a ropey Anthony Elanga a “sniff” when he was on the Stadium of Light turf.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

48

Accurate passes

27/32 (84%)

Successful dribbles

1/1

Tackles won

2/2

Interceptions

1

Clearances

4

Blocked shots

1

Ball recoveries

7

Total duels won

6/8

Away from completely nullifying the former Nottingham Forest attacker, Reinildo would also play with the same energy and determination that Xhaka displayed in spades, with the Brazilian even coming off at the end with the same amount of tackles won as the high-octane number 34.

He would even better Xhaka in terms of duels won, having won six compared to the ex-Arsenal man’s five, while also managing to complete all 100% of his dribbles as a force willing to push his side up the pitch, away from thwarting Newcastle forwards throughout.

Having arrived on a free transfer in the summer, Reinildo will surely now be seen as an unbelievable diamond that has been unearthed, with all 100% of his duels won against Liverpool, too, away at Anfield.

The celebrations at the end of the 1-0 victory will live long in the memory at Sunderland, as both Reinildo and Xhaka rightly jumped for joy, as their combined efforts ensured a tight three points were clinched.

Now sitting even prettier in seventh spot, five spots above their sworn enemy from Tyneside, it really was an all-round perfect day for Le Bris’ hosts, as Reinildo rubber-stamped why he should be the Frenchman’s starting left-back week in week out.

Not O’Nien: Sunderland have their new Kevin Ball in £110k-per-week star

Regis Le Bris now has Sunderland’s new Kevin Ball at his disposal ahead of the feisty Tyne-Wear Derby.

ByKelan Sarson 2 days ago

Morkel also said it was good to have Kohli and Rohit in the ODI team as India look to move on from the Test series loss against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2025Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are well on the road to recovery, with India bowling coach Morne Morkel looking forward to both players rejoining the team soon.Gill suffered a neck injury two weeks ago during the Kolkata Test, and Iyer has been missing since he lacerated his spleen on the tour to Australia last month.”I think the best is for the medical [team] to give that [update],” Morkel said in Ranchi on Friday. “I spoke to Shubman two days ago just to check in with him and he is recovering well. So, that is pleasing to hear.Related

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“Shreyas has also started his rehab, which is great. So, we are looking forward to welcoming them back into the squad. The good thing is that they are healthy and they are starting their preparation on their way back into the team.”Gill’s place in the ODI side will likely go to Yashasvi Jaiswal, but the identity of who might replace Iyer at No. 4 remains unclear, with Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma in contention.India are under severe pressure, having relinquished their air of invincibility at home. They come into this ODI series having lost five of the last seven Tests. Morkel said the team has had time to reflect on what went wrong and insisted that a switch to the white-ball format will help the team refocus.”Look, it’s a change of colour by clothing and it’s a change of ball which always brings a different energy,” Morkel said. “But I feel you know the South African team, they have that momentum with them and a confident Protea team is a dangerous team. It will be important to start well, for us to play good cricket over the next week or two, because they’re here to win.”Luckily, we have got some good experience ahead now in the team. For us, it is now focus for the next two days. Give ourselves the best opportunity to prepare well and go out there and put the last couple of weeks behind us and really focus on playing solid cricket.”Virat Kohli gets ready for a net session•PTI The good experience that Morkel mentioned comes from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who will play international cricket in India for the first time since they retired from Tests earlier this year. Their goal now appears to be making the 2027 ODI World Cup”I feel that their bodies can do that. It is still a long way away. The World Cup, by all means,” Morkel said. “I have played many games against them. I have had sleepless nights bowling to them. So, I know as a bowler what goes through your preparation playing against them. So, for me, definitely on board with that.”India’s training on Friday took place either side of two covered pitches at the centre of the ground. One of them will be used on match day. The practice wickets offered good pace and bounce, with the ball coming on nicely to the bat. So there may be a toss-up between fast bowling allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and spin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar.”I think we will have to look at the wicket,” Morkel said. “Honestly, I just walked past it now and it looked like a very good surface. Almost South African-like. So, I think the discussions will happen tonight in terms of what combination they look to start off with. So, we will have to wait and see after training.”

Liverpool are considering a January move for Real Madrid outcast Rodrygo as they eye up a replacement for Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian has been linked with a move away from Anfield in the New Year following a bombshell interview he gave in the wake of Saturday's 3-3 draw with Leeds. And the Brazilian forward has emerged as a potential target for the defending champions.

AFPSalah tipped to leave Liverpool in January

Salah has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League and to Turkish giants Galatasaray in the New Year, despite signing a two-year deal with Liverpool earlier in the year. The 33-year-old was instrumental as the Reds won the Premier League title in Arne Slot's debut season in charge of the Merseyside outfit as he scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists.

However, Salah has failed to match last season's exploits in front of goal and has scored just four goals and laid on two assists across 13 league outings for the Reds this season. And the Egyptian forward effectively signalled his intention to leave Liverpool next month as he claimed he'd been "thrown under the bus" having been relegated to the bench for the third game running.

"I can’t believe it, I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season," Salah said after Saturday's 3-3 draw at Leeds. "Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame."

AdvertisementBrighton game could be Salah's last for Liverpool

Salah has hinted that Liverpool's game against Brighton could be last for the Reds. Arne Slot's side welcome the Seagulls to Anfield following their midweek trip to take on Inter in the Champions League, with the home outing against the south coast Salah's last before the Africa Cup of Nations.

Salah will then link up with the Egypt national team and could miss up to six matches for Liverpool should the Pharaohs win a record-setting eighth AFCON title. Saudi outfit Al-Hilal supposedly lead the race for the forward, and a move to Simone Inzaghi's side would see Salah reunite with Darwin Nunez, who left Liverpool for the Blue Waves over the summer.

And according to Spanish publication Defensa Central, Liverpool have identified Rodrygo as the ideal replacement for Salah. The Brazilian was heavily linked with a move away from the Spanish capital earlier in the year, with Manchester City previously leading the race for the versatile forward.

However, City failed to agree a fee with Real Madrid for Rodrygo, who has since struggled for game time under Xabi Alonso, starting just three league games and registering 342 minutes of action. Los Blancos have reportedly slapped a €70m asking price on the 24-year-old.

Getty Images SportRodrygo not the only winger linked to the Reds

Rodrygo isn't the only winger that has been linked with a January move to Liverpool, with Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo a potential target for the Premier League champions. Despite penning a five-year deal at the Vitality Stadium earlier in the year, the Cherries forward has a £65m release clause that can be activated next month.

Liverpool aren't the only side linked with a move for Semenyo, whose Ghana side failed to qualify for AFCON, with Premier League rivals City and Tottenham both considering a move for the 25-year-old.

Additionally, PSG wideman Bradley Barcola is reportedly on the Reds' radar as the French side struggle to tie the former Lyon man down to a new deal. Bayern Munich sensation Michael Olise is another who is being courted by Liverpool, though Bayern Munich are keen to retain the France international's services.

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Liverpool's title defence in tatters

Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday means the Reds have now won only four of their last 15 matches in all competitions as pressure continues to mount on head coach Slot.

In addition, the Merseyside giants are now 10 points behind league leaders Arsenal, with their Premier League title defence in tatters.

The Blue Jays’ 11–4 blowout win over the Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series on Friday night turned into a laugher. Game 2 was anything but.

In a pitcher’s duel between Toronto veteran Kevin Gausman and Los Angeles ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers separated themselves with two big blasts by Will Smith and Max Muncy in the seventh inning. It was enough for Los Angeles to ride Yamamoto’s right arm the rest of the way for a 5–1 win to even up the World Series at one game apiece.

The World Series now shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3. But before it does, let’s take a look at what we learned from Game 2:

An October legend in the making

A star is born.

The last time Yamamoto took the hill in a playoff game, he allowed just one run in a complete game to lead the Dodgers to a 5–1 win over the Brewers in Game 2 of the NLCS. He did it again Saturday night on baseball’s biggest stage.

Yamamoto allowed just one run on four hits over nine innings with eight strikeouts against the Blue Jays in Game 2. He’s the first pitcher to log back-to-back complete games in the postseason since Curt Schilling did it for the Diamondbacks in 2001.

He’s also the first pitcher to log a complete game in the World Series since Royals righthander Johnny Cueto in 2015.

Yamamoto found himself in trouble early, allowing at least one baserunner in the first three innings, and the Blue Jays got one run across on a sacrifice fly in the third. But he was lights out the rest of the evening, retiring 20 straight batters from the third inning to when Daulton Varsho popped out to end the game.

In two career World Series starts, Yamamoto has surrendered just two total runs on five hits with 12 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings—adding up to a 1.17 ERA.

Gettin’ jiggy wit it

Entering Game 2, Dodgers catcher Will Smith had nine hits in this postseason run, but all nine were singles. He added another base knock in the first inning off Gausman—one that brought in the first run of the game—but Smith saved the biggest swing of the Dodgers’ postseason run for the seventh.

With one out in the inning, Smith squared up a 3–2 fastball and sent it 404 feet into the upper deck in left field for a 2–1 lead.

Smith’s timely hitting calmed concerns about the Dodgers’ offense. There’s not much to complain about Los Angeles’s 9–2 record this postseason, but it’s been on the backs of an elite pitching staff. The Dodgers are batting just .230 with runners in scoring position this postseason, and most of that damage was done in a two-game sweep over the Reds in the wild-card round.

The Dodgers’ offense woke up in Game 2. Bad news for Toronto.

Lights weren’t too bright for Gausman

Thirteen seasons and 373 career appearances in the big leagues later, 34-year-old Kevin Gausman toed the rubber in a World Series game for the first time Saturday night.

Gausman, in his fourth campaign with the Blue Jays, saw Toronto’s previous two playoff runs in 2022 and ‘23 end with a sweep in the wild-card round, and last year was a 74–88 dud—seasons he called “heartbreaking” and a “punch in the face,” according to Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal. Well, on Saturday night, Gausman punched back.

The veteran surrendered one run in the first inning on Will Smith’s RBI single before locking in and dominating for much of the night. Gausman didn’t allow a single baserunner until Smith and Max Muncy went yard in the seventh, retiring 17 consecutive batters in that span. In all, Gausman allowed three earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and no walks in 6 2/3 innings—his longest career postseason appearance.

Baseball has a funny way of bringing things full circle.

Cubs legend Anthony Rizzo was in attendance Saturday as he was honored in a ceremony at Wrigley Field Saturday and retired a Cub as he's set to become an ambassador for the team. He decided to take in some of the game against the Rays from the Wrigley Field bleachers. Unbeknownst to him, he picked the perfect spot.

Moisés Ballesteros, the 21-year-old Cubs designated hitter, smacked the first home run of his young MLB career on Rizzo's special day. In incredibly miraculous fashion, he hit the ball directly to the heart and soul of Chicago's 2016 World Series championship team.

Ballesteros took an inside fastball to the opposite field up and over the left-field wall. Rizzo saw the ball coming his way and stepped on top of the bleacher where he was sitting to try and make the play. The home-run ball hit him directly in the right hand and bounced two rows above where Rizzo was sitting.

He celebrated with the fan who ended up with the ball after the play as he appeared unable to believe what just happened, similar to the rest of us. Check out one of the most improbable baseball moments you'll ever see below:

"That's why I'm retired," he hilariously mouthed in the crowd after the play.

Maybe Rizzo can make an easy trade with the fan for Ballesteros to get the ball back.

The ice of Pujara and Rahane could be as big a test for Australia as the India captain’s fire

Daniel Brettig19-Nov-2020Eighty-five years ago an Australian team toured South Africa with Vic Richardson as captain while Sir Donald Bradman remained at home.Officially this was to continue his long recovery from illness suffered on the 1934 tour of England, but also to captain South Australia to the Sheffield Shield. Seldom since then can be found any sort of parallel with the news that Virat Kohli will be missing all but one of this summer’s Test matches between Australia and India due to the impending birth of his first child.Then, as now, the player in question is not just the pre-eminent batsman in the game, but also the biggest box-office draw of his or many other eras. Bradman was the unrivalled star of a much smaller cricket universe than the one that Kohli dominates now. Television broadcasting was still more than 20 years away in Australia when Bradman missed that tour, but it’s hard to think of another player who would have got the watermark treatment, his smiling face tattooed onto the top right corner of the television screen, as Kohli has been on Fox Cricket this week.That bit of branding, alongside plenty in News Corp’s newspapers, has a lot to do with the fact that the limited-overs portion of the tour, which Kohli is not missing, is exclusive to the pay TV service, leaving the free-to-air Seven Network with just one Test match from which to extract its pound of Kohli-hype. As far as the broadcasters are concerned, the early exit of India’s megastar captain is tantamount to losing Bradman, and Fox are taking every opportunity to ram home the discrepancy.What should also be remembered about the 1935-36 tour, however, is that in Bradman’s absence and after the retirement of the long-time captain Bill Woodfull, the Australians gelled impressively under the tactically astute and socially outgoing Richardson, winning the series 4-0 while playing an enterprising brand of cricket. The South Africans, though not having to face the batting giant of the age, were attacked from all sides.One advantage India have by comparison to the 1935-36 Australians is that they know far better the capabilities of their likely stand-in captain: Ajinkya Rahane. Through many matches for India A and a handful of occasions with the senior side, Rahane has shown himself to be a sharp and aggressive leader, even if in bearing and outward countenance he and Kohli could not be more different as personalities. In this, he provides some parallels with Kohli’s greatest top-order batting asset, Cheteshwar Pujara, who in 2018-19 simply bored the hosts into defeat.Virat Kohli is pumped up after India’s MCG Test win in 2018•Getty ImagesWhere Kohli brings instant theatre, combative moments and the drama of an elite athlete operating on the edge, Rahane as a captain and Pujara as a batsman offer an almost preternatural calm at times, and much less of an Alpha “contest” for the Australians to get into. For all of Kohli’s pre-eminence as a batsman, recent evidence suggests that Australia quite like locking horns with him, not only for the scope of the challenge but also for the fact they come out on top as often as not.In 2017 in India, Kohli made 46 runs in three Tests before Rahane took over for the deciding match in Dharamsala; two years later, Kohli produced arguably the innings of the summer on a fiery Perth pitch, but was otherwise more or less tamed while averaging 40.28 for the series. Certainly, the energy created by his arrival at the crease has focused the Australians more than it has detracted from their bowling and fielding. Pujara, meanwhile, has stretched Australian patience far more often.”Every batter’s a little bit different, but they’re probably polar opposites,” Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said. “For me it’s about not really seeing the batsman down the other end, it’s just about seeing the wickets and seeing where I want to pitch the ball and taking the batter out of the equation, whether that’s Virat or Pujara.”That’s the way I go about it, I know everyone’s different and they like to get in the fight with Virat and they think that brings out the best in them as a bowler, but I think it’s just about treating every batsman the same, whether they have a lot of energy or not, that’s the way I go about things.”Most intriguing on the batting front will be the fact that Pujara will be able to focus exclusively on his preparedness to bat for long periods, while Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc must adjust their focus after the suite of white-ball games that will also feature Kohli. All the quicks plus Nathan Lyon are seasoned enough to know that shifting gears from white ball to red requires a greater application of patience, but equally will realise that is easier said than done without the requisite match practice.”Patience is probably the big thing for me, moving from white ball to red ball,” Hazlewood said. “You’ve got 10 overs in a white-ball game ad you’re probably not always looking for wickets, but you know you’ve only got 10 overs and you’ve got to try and make an impact, so when we head back to that red ball it’ll be patience as the key for me and sticking those right areas all day. That’s probably the one thing I set my mind to in that change of format.”When we got [Pujara] at Perth he didn’t hurt us on a bit quicker, bouncier track, so his game’s obviously set up, he’s played the majority of his cricket in India on slower, lower wickets, and he’s hard work on those tracks to find a chink in the armour. The more pace and bounce we can get at a few of the grounds will be helpful, but I think it’s a patience game with him and it’s just about outlasting him and knowing he’s going to face a lot of balls, and not going away from our plan we’ve talked about. Keeping to that as best we can.”Josh Hazlewood on Cheteshwar Pujara: ‘It’s just about outlasting him and knowing he’s going to face a lot of balls’•Getty ImagesAs for Rahane, the likes of Cummins, Lyon, Steven Smith and David Warner will recall how he marshalled India brilliantly in that deciding 2017 Test, particularly in how the Australians were placed under pressure in the third innings when starting only 32 runs behind. Mentally tired at the end of a long and often spiteful series, they cracked for 137, leaving Rahane to help run down a modest fourth innings target and then gracefully allow Kohli the opportunity to lift the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Nonetheless, Rahane is nowhere near as transcendent a batting talent as Kohli, and the Australians will have the chance to corner him over successive matches on bouncier surfaces than those commonly produced in India. This applies both ways of course: Rather than a one-off with Kohli in the dressing room, Rahane will get three matches in which to assert himself as a leader.”India is very, very lucky to have a stand-in captain like Rahane,” Ian Chappell told ESPNcricinfo in 2017. “I thought he did a fantastic job and it’s not easy to do the job as a fill-in, because you know the full-time captain has got a certain style. What do I do, do I try and copy that style, do I try and captain the same way as him, or do I just be myself, and Rahane did the right thing – he captained in his own way and I thought he did a terrific job. Aggressive in his own quiet way.”You don’t have to be a gung-ho captain to have the whole team behind you, you just need to do a good job, and have the guys having faith in what you’re doing. If you’re making the right moves and the aggressive field-placing moves that Rahane was making, then that creates a belief in the team. The team are looking at your captain and they’re thinking ‘well, the captain thinks we’ve got a real chance here in this game, he thinks we’ve got a chance of getting a wicket’, so that brings the team behind the captain.”So yes, Kohli is a loss to the series, but his absence will not necessarily make Australia’s task an easier one. Well acquainted with Kohli’s fire, Tim Paine’s team will need to find better ways to cope with the ice of Pujara and Rahane.

On day one at the MCG, the Australians looked little better technically or tactically than they had in the uncertain summer of 2018-19

Daniel Brettig26-Dec-2020Perhaps it was the euphoria of bowling India out for 36. Perhaps it was the false impression created by a quick and comfortable fourth-innings chase of fewer than 100 to win that same sunny Adelaide afternoon. Or, perhaps, it was the confidence built up by last summer’s clean sweep of Pakistan and New Zealand, a confidence that looks increasingly misplaced.Australia entered Boxing Day at the MCG with very little sense of foreboding about what might occur should they bat first on another pitch that featured a liberal covering of grass to ensure it would not be too hostile to bowlers.Joe Burns groped, wafted and strained at Jasprit Bumrah before nicking one behind•Getty ImagesIn fact, Australia were so confident that Joe Burns’ second-innings 50 at Adelaide Oval had righted the numerous wrongs of the first innings, that Steven Smith’s rapid demise at the hands of R Ashwin was a blip, and that Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Cameron Green were all set for big innings, that the captain Tim Paine chose very happily to bat first on an MCG pitch that had 11mm of grass and early morning moisture.In fairness to Paine, there was plenty of history backing this decision. Since the dramatic first day of the 2010 Ashes Test in Melbourne, when England sent Ricky Ponting’s team in and promptly razed them for 98 to set up the retention of the urn, the average first-innings score was in the region of 389: more than enough, one would think, against an Indian side now minus Virat Kohli.But the evidence presented by Australia’s top six in front of a socially distanced MCG crowd of 27,615 offered rather more unsettling conclusions for Australia’s planners and selectors. Confronted, for the second time in as many Tests, with a sensibly marshalled bowling attack on a pitch that required hard graft rather than heavy hitting, the Australians looked little better in a technical or tactical sense than they had done during the uncertain summer of 2018-19.Related

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That this could be true with Smith present again was still more worrying for the hosts, who are now faced with the fact that, apart from his pair of stirring SCG centuries in the opening ODIs, Smith is playing much more like he did during a halting IPL campaign than at any stage of his otherworldly 2019 Ashes series in England.Believe it or not, Smith is now closing in on three full years without making a century in a Test match in Australia, the sort of figure that many would refuse to believe without actually consulting the calendar. Last summer, New Zealand constrained his scoring rate with short stuff from Neil Wagner; this time around, the wily Ashwin is continuing to build on some early uncertainties created when they crossed paths in the aforementioned IPL.By playing around neatly with lengths and paces on a highly disciplined, even slightly defensive, line of middle and off stumps, Ashwin has found Smith’s outside and inside edged in consecutive innings for the combined tally of just one run. He found enough purchase in Melbourne to achieve similar things against Paine, after Wade had gifted his wicket to Ashwin with an unsightly smear before lunch – the sort of shot selection that no career opener would have sat comfortably with.That Wade would have sallied forth in such a manner indicated a measure of overconfidence, a sense that may have arrived through the contrast in how he handled the opening exchanges when lined up against Burns, who groped, wafted and strained at Jasprit Bumrah over the course of ten torturous deliveries.Marnus Labuschagne got himself close to a major score again•Getty ImagesBurns had, at least, survived more than the single ball he managed against Trent Boult this day last year, but it was clear that the problems he has experienced so far this summer at all levels were not to be eradicated by a fourth innings cameo against a crestfallen India in Adelaide, after the game had been effectively decided.For a time, the best hope Australia had of a substantial first-innings score was carried through by Labuschagne and Head, who in a stand worth 86 vital runs either side of the lunch break demonstrated that a good degree of application, with the odd aggressive stroke thrown in, could bring about the results Australia desired.During this period, Rahane came close to looking like he was short of ideas, particularly after Bumrah was not called upon until midway through the afternoon session for reasons that were not entirely clear. Labuschagne left as many balls as he could, often on length, and was twice fortunate to have lbw shouts rebuked by ball-tracing on the grounds of height.His back leg will show a bruise or three from balls that thudded into it with the bat clearly raised, but the proof of Labuschagne’s judgment is in the fact he has got closer to a major score in each first innings than any other member of the home side’s top six.Contrast this with Head, who while playing soundly for the most part remains keener than most Test batsmen to feel the thud of the ball on the bat. Head leaves only around 15% of deliveries bowled to him, as against 29% for Labuschagne and 24% for Smith. It’s a set of numbers that could not be forgotten when, after his post-lunch sabbatical, Bumrah angled in from around the wicket to coax an edge and the breakthrough. Head’s average against balls whirring in at him from this point of release is around the 25-mark, and it was a surprise India did not opt for it sooner.Labuschagne’s handy occupation, and a shorter one from the sophomore Cameron Green, were then to be ended by the spiky, speedy work of the 26-year-old Mohammed Siraj, who deputised grandly for Mohammed Shami with spells of pace and direction. Labuschagne leaned too far across his stumps to avoid flicking a straight ball to leg gully – for once mimicking Smith in a fashion he would rather have avoided – and Green’s immobile front leg presented Siraj with too clear a target for an lbw verdict. And 124 for 3 quickly became 155 for 7, the advantage very much lost.R Ashwin takes off on a celebratory run after dismissing Steven Smith•Getty ImagesOne of the features of this match are a series of tributes for the late, great Dean Jones. His wife and daughters were accompanied to the middle by Allan Border during the tea break to place Jones’ baggy green cap, Kookaburra bat and groundbreaking sunglasses by the stumps. Both Jones and Border were part of one of Australia’s least happy Boxing Days of all, when they were bowled out by England for 141 in 1986 to set up an innings defeat. Undue haste had, at times, been a feature on both that day and this one.Watching all this, the coach Justin Langer would have ruefully recalled his pre-match words, which featured plenty of confidence but also included the truism of Test match first innings: big ones win games consistently, and anything else will leave a side scrambling for freakish things like the third afternoon in Adelaide.”If we’re going to become a great team we have to get better at winning after we win and people didn’t quite understand that, but really good teams keep winning and winning, particularly when they’re playing good cricket,” Langer said. “So it’s an area we’ve addressed, we’ll have to start well Boxing Day morning and then be consistent, because we know India will fight back as we saw in the first two days of the Test match in Adelaide.”We know that in first innings in Australia we are looking to score 400 in the first innings – there is no surprise there, that’s what we’ve based our best Test cricket on for years. So, when I said we have got areas where we can improve, that’s one I am talking about. We play our best cricket, as we saw all last summer, when we are scoring big first-innings totals, that’s what we aspire to and what we will be aspiring too in this game as well.”But having been fortunate to watch everything click for the pacemen in Adelaide at precisely the right moment, the Australians were only good enough to improve on their halting first innings of the series by the measly matter of four runs. Asking any bowling attack, even one as good as Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, to pull consecutive Tests out of the mire is more than any international top order should expect.India, as it happened, ended the day on 36 again. This time, though, for the loss of just one wicket. Reality was starting to catch up.

Knight Riders have not been their usual selves in 2021, but it’s not too late to fix things

Sreshth Shah03-May-20215:04

What’s ailing KKR’s batting this season?

Failing to set the tempo
Since the middle of last season, the Knight Riders have gone with a top-three which has plenty of potential but is the most inexperienced among all the teams. Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi are both uncapped and Shubman Gill is far from being a regular in India’s white-ball squads.Very few IPL teams in the tournament’s history have had a combined top three with only three games of international cricket between them, and the optimistic punt from the management has failed more than it has worked. Inconsistent scores from Rana, who has five innings of 22 and under, and Gill’s average of 18.85 at a strike rate of 117.85 have been the two biggest concerns.The alternatives – Karun Nair, Gurkeerat Singh, Venkatesh Iyer and Sheldon Jackson – are not too compelling either. Apart from Iyer, none of the others are regular openers in T20s, however, they may have the fire in their belly to show their worth. Perhaps, the Knight Riders could harness that.The other option is to bring in Tim Seifert, the New Zealand batter, but that would mean axing an overseas player. Although the issue of inexperience doesn’t get solved, at least a new thought process could bring in different results. After seven games for each side in IPL 2021, the Knight Riders have lost 12 powerplay wickets, the joint-most in the tournament. That along with a powerplay run-rate of 7.35 has hampered the side from setting the tempo early with the bat.Brendon McCullum, the coach, said in a press conference recently that he wants his top order to be aggressive, which they have failed to do. He said: “if you can’t , you change ” Expect a new top order for the rest of the season – the only question is what the personnel will be.Kolkata Knight Riders’ problems have started with the top this season•ESPNcricinfo LtdThe Morgan question
The ideal scenario for the Knight Riders was for their top three to set the base for eight to ten overs, following which a strong middle order of Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik could change gears to set a big total or complete a win.But with the top order eating nearly half the overs with very little on the board in most games, Morgan’s been forced to look for the big shots from the get-go. However, he has struggled with timing and when he hasn’t, he has fallen just before he could transition into his power-hitting mode. The lack of good scores from the top four has added more pressure on Russell and Karthik, who have also not been able to replicate their peak batting performances from 2019.On numbers alone, no one would bat an eyelid if Morgan was dropped after scoring only 92 runs in seven games, but when he is also wearing the captain’s armband, things get complicated, more so after the Knight Riders changed captains midway through last season. And with Karthik saying last year that captaincy hampers his own batting, the management will have to look beyond the obvious choice for a new leader. In any case – barring Rohit Sharma’s 2013 run with Mumbai Indians – changes in captaincy do not rescue teams from dire situations.McCullum has often stressed on role definition among the Knight Riders, so it’s unlikely Morgan will bat anywhere else either. The side likes Russell to come in at the 12-over mark and Karthik preferred at the death, and with both struggling against spinners who operate in the middle overs, the captain Morgan is set to stay at No. 4.4:01

McCullum: ‘I’ve asked time and again for us to be more aggressive’

The Narine conundrumWith a new bowling action that no longer has the sting of the Narine that lit up the IPL in his early days, does he merit a place in the XI when he no longer opens? Runs off the bat, as a floater, have been few and far in between. And with only three wickets in four games, there are others who can potentially have a greater impact.Although Narine isn’t a shabby opener option given the current struggles in the top order, the Knight Riders may still move to replace him with Shakib Al Hasan. Although Shakib may not replicate Narine’s batting strike rate, he is more consistent and there’s little to separate in the bowling.The other option is dropping Narine for Lockie Ferguson, who has the ability to be the enforcer in the bowling line-up by simply using his pace to trouble batters at any stage of the innings. That would also give the Knight Riders two express overseas quicks to torment oppositions, alongside Pat Cummins, and bring in one of Harbhajan Singh or Kuldeep Yadav as the second spinner. The third option is Seifert at the top for Narine, and add someone like Pawan Negi (or one of the two spinners) lower down.Sunil Narine’s new bowling action no longer has the sting of the old one•BCCIRethinking powerplay bowling plans
The original Moneyball team in the IPL, the Knight Riders have focused on match-ups. But that hasn’t worked out well with the ball.Take the example of Varun Chakravarthy against Royal Challenger Bangalore. With two wickets in the game’s second over, he had given the Knight Riders an early upper hand. Yet, next over, against the new batter Glen Maxwell, it was not Chakravarthy, but left-arm spinner Shakib bowling, who could potentially get the ball to turn away from the batter. Maxwell ended up hitting 78.Against the Delhi Capitals while defending a smaller total, it was Shivam Mavi opening the bowling – against the in-form pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw – and not Cummins, who arrived later to pick three wickets, an effort that came too late to have any impact on the match result.Against Chennai Super Kings, on a pitch where Deepak Chahar ended up taking four wickets in the Powerplay, the Knight Riders bowled three overs of spin. The Super Kings openers quietly compiled 54 for 0 to set a strong platform. They finished on 220 for 3.There is merit in their most experienced bowler Cummins taking the new ball in the hunt for early wickets, with Prasidh Krishna and/or Ferguson from the other end. Then bring in Shakib or Narine, leave Chakravarthy to control the middle overs, and once again use the Ferguson-Cummins combo alongside Russell at the death to close out the innings. It’s conventional, and yet propitious. But the Knight Riders – more often than not – prefer taking the path less travelled.

The RCB batter says his success this season is all down to batting at a more familiar position in the line-up

Hemant Brar03-Oct-20214:21

Manjrekar: Maxwell has changed the fortunes of RCB

Harpreet Brar had conceded only ten from his first three overs. And that includes two overs against a set Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal.Brar is not a mystery spinner. His method is simple and out there. He tries to hit good length with enough pace on the ball that the batter has no time to set himself up for a big shot. Such is his self-belief that whenever he is brought on and his captain asks him for the plan, he just replies, ” [You don’t worry, I won’t give runs]”.Watch the IPL on ESPN+

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Now he is up against Glenn Maxwell. In the previous game between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Brar had bowled Maxwell for a first-ball duck. The batter had played back to a delivery he probably should have gone forward to and was beaten on the outside edge. On Sunday, Brar nearly pulled off a repeat. Maxwell once again went back and pushed at the ball. This time he got an outside edge but KL Rahul failed to latch on to it.By the time Brar came for his final over – the 13th of the innings – Maxwell seemed to have adjusted to his pace and length. On the second ball of the over, Brar erred a little on the shorter side, and that was enough for Maxwell to go back and across and pull it for a six. Two balls later, Brar bowled on the fuller side and Maxwell sent it into orbit over deep midwicket.Then, it was Ravi Bishnoi in the firing line, with Maxwell hitting him for back-to-back sixes. The first was a googly, which bobbled right into Maxwell’s hitting arc and was deposited over cow corner. Bishnoi went full on the next ball, only to be walloped down the ground.During his 33-ball 57, Maxwell scored only 19 off 16 balls against seamers. But against spinners, he plundered 38 off 17. In comparison, all other Royal Challengers batters scored only 27 off 37 balls against spin. In fact, this whole season Maxwell has feasted on spinners, taking 216 runs off 137 balls at an average of 54.00 and a strike rate of 157.66. So that was a match-up he nailed.Name that shot – Glenn Maxwell batted in typical Maxwell fashion against Punjab Kings•BCCIEarlier this week, against Mumbai Indians, Maxwell had used switch hits and reverse hits – against both pace and spin – to target the shorter boundary and give his side what proved to be a winning total. But that was in Dubai. This was Sharjah, where the relaid pitches have made life difficult for batters, where the average first-innings total this season had been 134, where the chasing sides had won four out of five games.So, Kohli’s decision to bat first after winning the toss wasn’t a straightforward one. And even though Maxwell seems to be batting on a different level than anyone else, he too acknowledged this wasn’t an easy pitch.”I felt probably this one was the toughest to adjust to,” he said at the post-match presentation. “It skidded on a little bit more from the spinners, which means you’ve got to be a little bit sharper at the start of the innings. The other wickets held up just a tiny bit more and gave you a bit more time on the back foot.”The ball might have been skidding on, but when Maxwell connected those sixes, it seemed to stay on his bat just a fraction of a second longer, giving his wrists enough time to whip it away. His knock propelled Royal Challengers to 164, the highest total in Sharjah this season, and eventually into the playoffs.During IPL 2020, playing for the Punjab franchise and batting mostly at No. 5, Maxwell had managed only 108 runs in 11 innings. This time, in the same number of innings, he has 407. Maxwell attributed the revival to a familiarity with the role he’s been assigned.”In T20s, I have found a nice little rhythm batting at No. 4,” he said. “It’s something I probably had for Australia over a long period of time as well, which is probably why I have success over there. Coming to the RCB, they wanted me to do the exact same role. It’s been really enjoyable to actually come into the change room and actually have to change not too much.”Maxwell has now scored three half-centuries in the last three games. If he continues his form, it could well be a first IPL title for Royal Challengers.

The second-most overs faced, the second-best lead and other dizzying records

Sampath Bandarupalli04-Jan-2022176.2 – The number of overs Bangladesh batted in their first innings at the Bay Oval. These are the second-most they’ve batted in a Test innings, behind the 196 overs they batted out against Sri Lanka in Galle, 2013. This is also only the second instance of Bangladesh batting 150-plus overs in a Test innings outside Asia – 152.0 overs against New Zealand in Wellington in 2017.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2009 – The last time a visiting team batted for more than the 176.2 overs in a Test innings in New Zealand. Pakistan battled out 193.2 overs during their second dig to draw the series at the McLean Park.ESPNcricinfo Ltd130 – Bangladesh’s first-innings lead in this match, the highest New Zealand had conceded in a home Test since the start of 2017. England’s lead of 101 at the Seddon Park in 2019 was the only instance of a visiting team claiming a 100-run first-inning lead across the 22 home Tests against New Zealand in this period.1 – Only once before have Bangladesh bagged a higher first-innings lead than the 130 they did here, in an away Test. That was the 192-run first-innings lead they pocketed against Zimbabwe in Harare last year. It is also the second-highest first-innings lead for Bangladesh when batting second in a Test, behind the 295-run lead against Zimbabwe in 2020.8 – Each of Bangladesh’s top eight batters faced 50-plus deliveries in their first innings against New Zealand. It is the first instance for Bangladesh in Test cricket where their top eight batters survived 50 or more balls in the same innings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 – The number of times Bangladesh have posted scores of 400 or more in an innings in New Zealand. All of them have come since the start of 2010. No visiting team has had more such totals in New Zealand in this period. Australia also had four 400-plus total in New Zealand since 2010, including three totals over 500.890 – The number of balls bowled by New Zealand’s pacers in the first innings. These are the most by a team’s pacers while taking all ten wickets in a Test innings since 2000. The 890 balls they bowled were also the most by a team’s quicks in a Test innings since 2007.