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They built on learnings from a less clinical performance than expected against Sri Lanka and are looking unstoppable

Valkerie Baynes09-Oct-20243:16

Clinical Australia complicate NRR matters for others

Good teams learn quickly.So when Australia’s top order all found themselves set on a now notoriously difficult pitch in Sharjah, they set the blueprint for what was already shaping as a crucial match on Sunday for them and, even more so, India.Australia’s 60-run thumping of New Zealand was their second match at the ground while India will play their first and only group game in Sharjah against them. But it wasn’t all bad for India, who stand to gain from New Zealand’s net run rate sliding into negative territory as they prepare to play Sri Lanka in Dubai on Wednesday.India’s upset at the hands of New Zealand followed by their cautious approach in the chase against Pakistan, whom they beat by six wickets with seven balls to spare, leaves them fourth in Group A with a net run rate of -1.217.ESPNcricinfo LtdIf India bat first and score 130 on Wednesday, they need to restrict Sri Lanka to 84 to go ahead of New Zealand’s NRR and to 81 to convert their NRR into the positive. If Sri Lanka score 100 batting first, India need to chase it down in 12.4 overs or less to go ahead of New Zealand’s NRR and in 12.1 overs or less to turn their NRR positive.Australia’s latest victory was built on learnings from a less clinical performance than expected from them when they defeated a struggling Sri Lanka by six wickets with 34 balls to spare at the same venue on Saturday. Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 43 from 38 balls was then the standout performance of an innings where no other batter passed 17.On this occasion, against New Zealand, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry and Mooney – again the top-scorer with 40 off 32 balls – all got themselves in and found the boundary with greater authority to take Australia to 148 for 8, comfortably eclipsing the previous best total in Sharjah during this tournament: England’s 125 for 3 the previous evening.This too was a night game and the Australians looked more comfortable than they had in the searing afternoon heat of the Sri Lanka game. With New Zealand’s spinners offering more pace than the Sri Lankans, Australia’s top-order batters capitalised.Healy signalled her intent, repeatedly clearing extra cover to make the vast outfield look manageable for arguably the first time in six games at the ground en route to 26 in 20 balls and helping her side to 43 for 1 in the powerplay.More was to come, with Perry skipping down the pitch to despatch Eden Carson into the fence at long-on and muscling the next ball through square leg for four.Mooney managed just two fours but her knock was crucial in an innings where Phoebe Litchfield’s run-a-ball 18 was the only other score in double figures after the top three.”We spoke this morning and yesterday that it looked a little bit better than the wicket we were on the other day, still very different to conditions to back home and a bit of a hard slog at times with the slow outfield and the big boundaries and the slow wicket itself,” Mooney said.”We know throughout this tournament we’re going to have to dig pretty deep with the bat and try and find a way to score runs and sometimes that’s going to look pretty ugly and sometimes it’s going to be okay. If we just find a way to make it work, that will hold us in good stead, which is what we did tonight.”Being able to get out there in that first game and get an understanding of the conditions was always good and to bank that sort of data is always helpful moving throughout the tournament. But I think the natural dialogue is that it’s going to be pretty tough and you’ve got to really be composed at the crease and make good decisions and be really clear on what options you have and where to hit what holes.”She also said the performance was “not far off” Australia’s best in recent times. In the lead-up to the tournament they hosted New Zealand and won their T20I series 3-0 but twice suffered batting collapses and were bowled out once, for only the second time since early 2020.”If we’re being really critical, we’ve probably missed out on a few with the bat towards the middle and the back-end there with a few wickets in a row, but certainly really pleasing with that we’ve got ourselves into at this tournament,” she said.That was in no small part down to the legspin of Amelia Kerr, who snared 4 for 26. Having removed Mooney and Perry, she took two more wickets, bowling the big-hitting Grace Harris for a first-ball duck and ending Georgia Wareham’s knock, caught by Lea Tahuhu.But Australia had also learned with the ball.Megan Schutt, Player of the Match with 3 for 12 against Sri Lanka, opened the bowling again and, with Healy standing up to the stumps, offered no width for New Zealand to work with and bowled Georgia Plimmer with a beauty dipping in, beating the attempted pull and rattling the woodwork.That made Schutt the leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20 World Cups with 46 but she wasn’t done. Returning in the 12th over, she had Kerr caught by Annabel Sutherland, running in from long-on, and then bowled Carson to complete the rout, and a miserly return of 3 for 3 from 3.2 overs as New Zealand were bowled out for 88 in the final over.For New Zealand, Kerr maintained that their destiny was still in their own hands: “First, you want to win the game, that’s the key. You don’t want to go out there thinking you’ve got to beat them by X amount of runs… if we win both [remaining games], we give ourselves the best chance to qualify.”Australia next play Pakistan on Friday in Dubai and New Zealand play Sri Lanka on Saturday, followed by Pakistan.

In today's baseball, throwing in the upper 90s is much more commonplace than it was even just a decade ago. Bullpens are stacked with fireballers and starters don't throw nearly as many innings as they used to, so there's no need to hold back on the mound.

Add in better training programs, breakthroughs in surgeries and recovery and new nutrition habits and it's no surprise that pitchers are throwing harder than ever.

That's not to say that there weren't incredibly powerful hurlers throughout the years. Nolan Ryan was clocked at 100 mph but was subject the old standard of radar tracking (at home plate). Many believe that if Ryan was clocked using today's standard (about 10 feet before home plate), his fastest pitches would come in somewhere around 108 mph.

And of course Randy Johnson exploded a bird while on the mound. We're not entirely sure how fast that ball was moving, but Johnson and his Diamondbacks catcher at the time (Rod Barajas) estimated it was around 100 mph.

Bob Feller participated in an early speed test where he threw a baseball against a racing motorcycle going 86 mph. Feller didn't release the ball until the motorcycle was already 10 feet or so ahead of him, but his pitch still crossed the finish line first. Early estimates suggested that ball was going over 100 mph. No wonder they called him 'Rapid Robert.'

Then there's Roger Clemens, who earned the nickname "The Rocket" for his 98 mph heater. Clemens maintained his high velocity well into his late 30s and won seven Cy Young awards.

However, these players were anomalies. Not the norm. Go back to just 2007 and you'll see a stark contrast on the mound. For example, in that 2007 season, the fastest average fastball speed was 97.6 mph (it belonged to Jonathan Broxton).

In 2025, Broxton and his 97.6 mph heater would be tied for 28th in MLB. Eight different pitchers currently average at least 99 mph on their fastballs. Three of them (Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran and Seth Halvorsen) average more than 100 mph.

So let's take a look back at the fastest pitches in MLB history, or perhaps more accurately, the fastest pitches of the statcast era.

The Fastest Pitches Ever Thrown in MLB History

Aroldis Chapman: Bringing the Heat Since 2010

Nicknamed the "Cuban Missile," Chapman made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 31, 2010. Just one month later, on Sept. 24, 2010, he threw the fastest recorded pitch in MLB history: a 105.8 mph fastball.

Since then, he's thrown nothing but gas for the Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox. Chapman is an eight-time All-Star, a two-time World Series winner and a Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year award winner.

And he doesn't appear to be slowing down (or losing any velocity) with age. Despite now being 37-years-old, Chapman still routinely throws 100+ mph and is currently the Red Sox's closer.

How Pitch Velocity Is Measured

In the 1940s, there were some efforts to clock pitch speed, mainly due to Feller's incredible fastball. His motorcycle-radar test was a pioneering effort at the time, but it doesn't really hold up today.

This is because the ball speed was measured by timing the ball as it hit a barrier 60 feet away, but this severely underreported velocity as the ball will lose anywhere between five and 10% of its speed from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand to when it crosses the plate.

By the 1970s, radar guns were pretty commonplace in baseball. They provided much more consistent readings of speed, but it all depended on where the ball was being tracked. More often than not, it was at home plate, where the pitch was at its slowest.

MLB implemented PITCHf/x in all ballparks by 2008, which used triangulation to track both pitch speed and break. At this point, all pitch speeds were normalized to the 50-foot release point as well, making all of them comparable.

Now, MLB uses Statcast. Statcast uses Doppler radar and Hawk-Eye to track pitches' speed, exit velocity, spin rate and more.

Every pitch is now measured at release, making Chapman's 105.8 mph pitch truly the fastest verified throw in MLB history.

Jose Mourinho was far from happy with his Benfica side, as they scraped through the fourth round of the Taca de Portugal with a 2-0 win over minnows Atletico CP. The Special One unleashed an explosive post-match rant against his starting eleven, claiming he would have made nine substitutions at half time, if allowed. He went on to call some of his players' attitudes "unacceptable".

• Benfica labour to cup win

  The fourth round tie pitted one of Portugal's most vaunted clubs against relative minnows; Atletico are currently plying their trade in the third tier of the country's league pyramid. Despite the gulf in stature, the minnows frustrated a lacklustre Benfica side for the opening 45 minutes, keeping the game scoreless going into the break. 

  That prompted Mourinho into a change of formation and four changes at the break. Benfica's superiority eventually told, with the record 26-time cup winners taking the spoils thanks to a 73rd minute header from Ricard Rios and a Vangelis Pavlidis penalty a few minutes later. 

  Despite their progress in the competition, Mourinho gave his players both barrels in his post-match interview, lambasting their first half performance and questioning their commitment. 

  The two-time Champions League winning manager, who started his second spell as the Lisbon club's boss in September 2025, was frank in his response when questioned if his message was getting through to his players. While he did not shirk his responsibility in getting a tune out of the squad, he suggested his players were falling short in their duty towards him and the club's fanbase. 

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  Mourinho's sensational rant against his Benfica squad

  Mourinho said: "Atlético did an extraordinary job. I saw them play in Mafra in a league game, they played an extraordinary game and I realized they had the qualities to make the game difficult for us. But our first half was poor. And it was poor in the sense that it hurts me the most, which is the attitude. The attitude was poor. 

  "There were many players who weren't serious and didn't approach things as they should have. At halftime I made four substitutions, but I wanted to make nine. With the players at halftime, I told the two who were taking the game seriously that I wanted to keep on the field. The other nine weren't. 

  "In the second half we improved a lot, Atlético couldn't get out with the same quality anymore and it was only a matter of time before we scored. I was pleased with the second half because the attitude improved." 

  When asked how he changed things tactically to accomodate the switch in personnel, he commented: "One thing has nothing to do with the other. What didn't work was the players who were on the field. I didn't want to single anyone out because that's something that should be done internally, but to remove some of the players I wanted to remove, it was necessary to change the system. And we had players who, from the first minute, weren't there. And that, to me, is unacceptable. I've already told some of them not to come knocking on my door asking why they aren't playing."

  In response to questions about his message failing to reach his new charges, the ex-Chelsea coach said: "I think the message isn't just mine, it's a general one. From Benfica fans. In my case, I'm the coach and the one responsible. The players have a responsibility to me and to Benfica fans. And there are things regarding their attitude that are unacceptable." 

• Mourinho's difficult start to life with Benfica

  Mourinho took over at the Portuguese giants after the sacking of Bruno Lage. While Benfica have yet to lose a league game this season, a spate of draws, including three under Mourinho, have left them six points adrift of Porto in the Liga Portugal. 

  Lage's dismissal came after they opened their Champions League campaign with a chastening 3-2 home defeat to Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag. Mouinrho has failed to engender a turnaround in European competition, with Benfica losing all three of their league phase games, most recently falling to a 1-0 defeat to Leverkusen at the Estadio da Luz.

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  Crucial fixtures wait for Mourinho's Benfica

  Th ex-Real Madrid and Inter manager will hope his players react positively to his post-match comments, as they prepare for a crucial run of fixtures over the coming fortnight. Next Tuesday, the Eagles face off against Ajax in the Champions League. A Lisbon derby against Sporting on December 5 could determine who will mount a title challenge against Porto, while the arrival of Antonio Conte's Napoli on December 10 will present another stiff challenge in Europe. 

Allrounder also takes two wickets as concerted bowling display helps set up return to Finals Day

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Sep-2025Lancashire Lightning are through to Finals Day and – 10 years on from their first – will get the chance to win a second Vitality Blast title next Saturday having beaten Kent Spitfires by three wickets chasing 154 in an engaging Emirates Old Trafford quarter-final.England fringe fast bowler Luke Wood struck with the first ball of a contest which saw the Spitfires scramble to 153 all out in 20 overs, the left-armer finishing with an excellent 3 for 29.No Kent batter reached 30 and they were unable to deny a Lightning side also including star man Liam Livingstone, James Anderson and Phil Salt a 10th Finals Day appearance.Like Wood, fellow England international Livingstone was key to Lancashire’s victory in front of a 12,000-plus crowd. Having returned 2 for 21 from four overs of spin, he helped recover their chase from 5 for 2 with a brilliantly destructive 85 not out off 45 balls with seven sixes. The hosts won with nine balls remaining.Livingstone is the only member of this Lancashire team to have won the Blast in 2015.Lightning made the perfect start, as Wood had Tawanda Muyeye caught at mid-off with the first ball of the match. It was the second time he had struck with the first ball of an innings in this campaign.Kent then scored runs at a decent rate but lost wickets at key moments. Daniel Bell-Drummond miscued Anderson to backward point, Zak Crawley was caught behind having gloved a pull at Jack Blatherwick and Livingstone’s first ball ousted a sweeping Sam Billings caught at deep square leg, leaving the score at 71 for 4 in the ninth over.Joe Denly had started nicely, including lofting Blatherwick’s first ball for six over long-off. But he also fell – on 28 – to strengthen Lancashire’s grip at 81 for 5 after 10 overs, miscuing a similar shot to long-off against Tom Hartley’s left-arm spin.The trend continued. Joey Evison muscled sixes off the spinners but fell for 27 to a smart boundary catch at long-off from Wood off Livingstone with the score on 115 in the 15th.Grant Stewart also hit two sixes in a brisk 25 before playing on to Tom Aspinwall, who struck twice with his seamers. And Kent had to try and bat the overs out, which they did. Still, their total had the feeling of being well short after Wood struck twice in the last over to remove Fred Klaassen and Nathan Gilchrist caught at deep midwicket.But visiting hopes were raised as they reduced the Lightning to 5 for 2 inside two overs of the chase as Stewart’s seam had Salt caught at deep backward square leg pulling and Klaassen’s left-armers forced Luke Wells to play on off his thigh pad.Klaassen was superb for 3 for 14 from four overs.Livingstone, on 15, top-edged a pull at Gilchrist into the back of his neck shortly afterwards and underwent a concussion check but carried on.He lost captain Keaton Jennings caught on the scoop against the outstanding pace of Klaassen – 31 for 3 in the fifth over – before taking the sting out of the situation in dynamic fashion.He took on the legspin of former county colleague Matthew Parkinson, three times smashing him over long-on for six in the ninth over as he reached his first fifty of this season’s Blast off 25 balls and took the score to 84 for 3.Experienced Australian Ashton Turner holed out off Evison almost immediately afterwards, but Kent desperately needed Livingstone’s wicket.It didn’t arrive, and even Parkinson getting Michael Jones for 28 off 16 balls and Hartley in the 14th over, leaving Lancashire 118 for 6, wasn’t enough to turn the game.Livingstone hammered Parkinson over long-on – and over The Point conference building – for six more, and his knock confirmed that Lancashire will play Somerset or Birmingham Bears in the semi-final at Edgbaston.

Each year the Little League Classic gives those competing in Williamsport for youth sport's ultimate crown the opportunity to get up close and personal with Major League Baseball's superstars. It's a feel-good day on the calendar and Sunday night was no different as the New York Mets took down the Seattle Mariners in front of a youthful, particularly enthusiastic crowd.

Little Leaguers from Upper Uwchlan Township in Pennsylvania took advantage of their great seats to let members of the rival Mets know that this particular National League East rivalry takes zero days off even when the core value of sportsmanship is the center of all activities.

Here they are giving the business to Pete Alonso after the slugger struck out, as highlighted by the official MLB account with a crying laughing emoji.

Alonso, if interested in engaging with some tweens, could have the last laugh as the Mets enjoyed a victory and the Little Leaguers trolling him are 0-2 since stepping on the LLWS main stage as the Mid-Atlantic representatives.

An EFL expert has been left “pretty surprised” at a Southampton manager claim he has heard from St Mary’s.

Southampton manager latest on Tonda Eckert

After parting ways with Will Still at the beginning of November, Sport Republic have been on the hunt for a new permanent Saints boss.

However, no manager has arrived in the two weeks since Still’s sacking, with interim boss Tonda Eckert recording successive Championship wins over QPR and Sheffield Wednesday.

Eckert has already come in for praise from Southampton star Finn Azaz, and as time has gone on, there has been more speculation over the 32-year-old landing the job on a full-time basis.

There have been claims that Eckert is set to be given the Southampton job permanently, whereas reports elsewhere have claimed he will get the next three Championship fixtures to increase his chances of landing the role.

Meanwhile, Southampton fan pundit Ray Hunt stated that supporters “want to see an experienced manager” come in.

“Sport Republic have appointed five permanent mangers in their three full seasons in charge. During that period, they have overseen two relegations from the Premier League, and one promotion with their only success, Russell Martin, but failed to give him the tools needed to succeed in the top flight.

“Moving forward, fans will want to see an experienced manager, who’s widely respected with a clear structure. We cannot repeat mistakes from the past. It is a huge task they simply have to get right. Take your time, give Tonda time in that interim, but ultimately make the right decision. The fans won’t tolerate another failure.”

Sport Republic appointing Eckert on a full-time basis would get pundits and fans talking, and it has already done just that.

Expert reacts to Southampton claim on appointing Eckert

Reacting to reports of Southampton looking set to give Eckert the permanent job, EFL expert George Elek admitted to the Not The Top 20 Podcast that he would be “pretty surprised” if that materialises.

Eckert, who plays a 3-4-2-1 system, is on course to be in the dugout at The Valley unless something drastic happens, and he’s already surpassed Still in winning back-to-back second tier games.

Their own Clement: Southampton could hire "world-class" Eckert replacement

The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Thursday night at Target Field. Detroit took the lead in the top of the 11th inning on a sacrafice fly. Minnesota's Ryan Jeffers led off the bottom half of the inning and got punched out on a foul tip that home plate umpire John Bacon thought Detroit catcher Dillon Dinger caught.

Jeffers thought the ball hit the ground before finding its way into Dinger's mitt. Bacon disagreed and Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli ran out to argue on Jeffers's behalf. Within a few seconds and just two F-bombs he was ejected.

There was no need for a lip reader as microphones clearly picked up Baldelli shouting, "There's no f—— way. You f—— it up."

After he was tossed, Baldelli continued to argue, kicked some dirt and threw his hat before heading back to the dugout and into the locker room.

Upon review of the slow-motion replay… can you even tell if the call was correct? Dirt kicks up but it kind of looks like he caught it. Baldelli was most certainly going along with his player in this situation. In the end, it doesn't really matter if it was right or wrong. All that really matters is that this was an incredibly worthy ejection.

Kostas Tsimikas is keen to make a return to Merseyside when his season-long loan with Serie A side Roma comes to end, saying he’s a “Greek Scouser and always will be”. Tsimikas has had to battle for his place at Roma, but with Liverpool’s defensive frailties, he believes he can still make an impact at Anfield.

• Greek star struggles in Eternal City

  Tsimikas has made six appearances in Serie A and four in the Europa League, but has struggled to cement a regular place in the team and has fallen down the pecking order behind Angelino and other defenders. Roma only agreed to a straight loan deal with no obligation to buy, a decision the club is reportedly happy about given his limited impact and inconsistent performances. Operating primarily as a left wing-back in manager Gian Piero Gasperini's 3-4-3 formation, Tsimikas has struggled to nail down the left-back slot. Notably, during a Europa League match against Lille in October it was his crucial early error which led to the only goal of the game, and Tsimikas was substituted at half-time, with Italian media labeling his performance a "nightmare".

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  Tsimikas: 'I was the Greek Scouser'

  Tsimikas told : "I miss the city. I lived there for five years. I love everything in Liverpool. They have a special part of my heart. The people are very kind, some of the kindest I’ve ever met in football. They’d always try to support the team, in good, in bad, they would always do their best to try to help you. I want everything for this club, because from day one, I was fully committed there. I was the Greek Scouser and I always will be, I’ll keep it for my whole life."

  And when pressed on whether he’d like to return to Anfield, Tsimikas added: "You never know. The most important thing for me is to be healthy, to train hard, to play more games. Next year is a different story for me. I want to be successful, I want to win things. Only God knows what will happen in the next year."

• Three years, three very different managers

  Tsimikas joined Liverpool in Jurgen Klopp’s final year and then spent a season under Arne Slot before joining Roma under Gasperini, three managers with very different football ideals. But Tsimikas says he’s trying to learn something different from each one of them. He said: “I think Gasperini is more direct. Slot was more detailed about the game plan, whereas Gasperini is a lot more physical as well. At the moment, for me, it’s about getting used to the playing style, and it’s a little tougher for me. But I have to try to give my best every time the coach gives me the opportunity to play. The team comes first, and I want to be a big part of that, hopefully celebrating at the end of the season with a trophy.” 

  He added: "I remember going to Denmark (to play for Esbjerg). I was just a kid. Everything was dark because I went at Christmas time. It was the first time I left Greece. And it made me more physical, it made me into a man."

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  West Ham test facing struggling Reds

  The Greece international will be keeping a keen eye on Liverpool’s match with West Ham today and the line-up chosen by beleaguered Reds boss Slot, who is under pressure to ring the changes, particularly in defence. The Anfield side’s defence has been leaky this season, with a number of basic errors from defenders contributing to their demise on a regular basis, the recent 4-1 defeat by PSV Eindhoven was marked by a blatant handball from captain Virgil van Dijk to concede a penalty and Ibrahima Konate allowed the ball to bounce past him for PSV’s third goal.

Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli picked up five wickets between them, but couldn’t stop India A from hunting 412 down

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2025KL Rahul, who had retired when on 74 on the third evening, returned to the middle on the fourth morning at the fall of nightwatcher Manav Suthar’s wicket. Rahul batted till the job for his team was completed, ending unbeaten on 176 as India A hunted down 412 to beat Australia A by five wickets and take the two-match unofficial Test series 1-0 after the first match was drawn.By Rahul’s side when he walked out was B Sai Sudharsan, past the half-century mark at that stage, and then, Dhruv Jurel. Rahul and Sai Sudharsan added 78 runs in the morning, with Rahul first and then his partner getting to a century. Once Sai Sudharsan fell for 100, Rahul and Jurel added 115 in quick time as their stand required just under 19 overs.Those partnerships, between members of the senior India Test side, was too much to handle for the Australians, whose bowling attack boasted the experience of just eight Tests between them – seven for Todd Murphy, and one for Cooper Connolly. Murphy lived up to his status, adding the wicket of Suthar to the two he had on the third evening – N Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal, both part of India’s Test squad for the games against West Indies next month. Corey Rocchiccioli, tipped to make the Test team in the not-too-distant future, removed Sai Sudharsan and Jurel.Corey Rocchiccioli picked up the wickets of B Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel•Tanuj/ Ekana Cricket Stadium

But those were the rare lapses on the part of the Indian batters, who started the day on 169 for 2, still 243 runs behind the target, with eight wickets in hand. Sai Sudharsan did the early scoring, not allowing Australia A from snatching the initiative away, and once Rahul came in, it became one-way traffic. After Sai Sudharsan became Rocchiccioli’s first victim, Jurel walked out and got going immediately. Rahul, though, was slower only in comparison. Jurel hit five fours and three sixes in his knock of 56 in 66 balls, going at a strike rate of 84.85, before falling with India A just 30 runs away from the target.Rahul, already past 150 by then, finished the job in the company of Nitish Kumar Reddy, hitting 16 fours and four sixes in his 210-ball innings. He finished with a strike rate of 83.81, underscoring the dominance of the Indian batters when the game was in the balance after a below-par show in the first innings. Reddy, meanwhile, hit three boundaries, and scored 16* at better than a run a ball.Australia were left to rue missed opportunities after they failed to defend 411. “I think that at the start of the day, anytime you’re defending over 400 in these conditions, you’re pretty confident that you can apply enough pressure,” Murphy said after the end of the game. “I think we stuck at it really well. We did create a lot of chances and probably just off the back of our homework, we let ourselves down a little bit by not taking them.”But I thought we applied ourselves pretty well out there. It was a tough grind. Rahul and Sudharsan batted really well, but I thought we stuck at it pretty well and it’s rid of a couple of missed opportunities.”Murphy also said that adapting to the Indian conditions was difficult. “I think the biggest challenge for us was probably dealing with the heat and the humidity,” he said. “Bloody, tough work and even personally just trying to figure out different ways to hold the ball when your hands were slippery with so much sweat. It was a big challenge for me and I think of fronting up day in, day out and still trying to put really good performances on the board.”The action between India A and Australia A now moves from Lucknow to Kanpur, in roughly the same part of India, for the three-match one-day series, with the first game to be played on September 30.

Australia have more questions than answers ahead of their next Test assignment in the Ashes later this year despite trouncing West Indies 3-0 in the Carribbean

Andrew McGlashan16-Jul-2025Australia completed a 3-0 sweep over West Indies in dramatic fashion at Sabina Park in a low-scoring series dominated by the quick bowlers. They don’t play Test cricket again until the Ashes, while England are in the midst of an epic tussle against India with two matches remaining.There is now a diet of white-ball cricket for Australia – a plethora of T20Is will shape plans for the World Cup early next year – before four rounds of Sheffield Shield ahead of the first Test in Perth, three of which will likely be key in nailing down the batting order. In late September, there is an Australia A tour of India that, while probably less relevant given the conditions, will be a chance for players to leave an impression both for now and the future.So how are Pat Cummins’ team placed ahead of facing England in November?Related

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Open season

This was a good series to miss if you are an opening batter. Australia had hoped the three Tests would provide some clarity ahead of the Ashes, but instead, the domestic season will start with another selection race – great for the hype, not so good if you are Sam Konstas. He won’t remember the cricket aspect of this tour too fondly, walking away with an average of 8.33 and a sense that he may need to do more than those outside of the XI to keep his place for the first Ashes Test in Perth.Usman Khawaja isn’t flying high either, but barring any calamities early in the season, he is secure of his spot for what could be a swansong. Since the start of 2024, he is averaging 31.28 from 16 Tests with his 232 in Sri Lanka doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Quick bowlers are almost exclusively operating around the wicket to him and England’s attack will fancy their chances. However, Khawaja was one of only three batters to face more than 300 deliveries in the West Indies.Who he opens with in Perth will likely come down to three rounds of Sheffield Shield matches. Familiar names will be in the mix: Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw. Jake Weatherald could also come into consideration as the in-form domestic opener last season, and is currently playing for Australia A. But it may also end up being Marnus Labuschagne’s route back into the side.Cameron Green played superbly in the second and third Tests•Associated Press

Green shoots

That is partly because Cameron Green has got a foothold at No. 3 after an excellent second half to the series against West Indies with scores of 52, 46, and 42 – the latter two at Sabina Park could easily have made him Player of the Match had it not been for Mitchell Starc’s stunning display.It still may not prove Green’s long-term home at Test level, but after a tough start against South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and a lean outing in Barbados, he comes away as one of the biggest gains from this tour for Australia. England will likely see his slightly hard-handed technique early in an innings as an area to attack him.”I think, after a couple of light games, you can go and chase your previous innings and change something,” Cummins said. “He made some minor adjustments, was pretty positive, and kept trying to turn over the strike, but I just loved that he had a simple game plan and he backed that. Coming into that [WTC final], he was coming off a bulk of runs, so we felt really confident, and really happy that he stuck to that. This Test but also last Test, he made some key contributions on tough wickets.”It will be interesting how the selectors manage Green when the season starts. There is white-ball cricket against India ahead of the Ashes – he is a key part of the future in those formats – but it may be that this summer there is more value in Shield outings.Green, though, did suggest he would be facing India when he talked about his return to bowling, which has been earmarked for the start of the season. That’s the other key aspect to his role in the side and could yet have a bearing on the next player.

No. 6 tied in a Beau?

Beau Webster could hardly have done more much early in his Test career. Four half-centuries in his first six matches, all coming at pressure moments in games in challenging conditions on four different continents against a variety of ball types. He has also chipped in with handy wickets and caught securely in the cordon where he is among the best in Australian cricket.In contrast to the Konstas scenario, Webster has shown the value of picking experienced domestic players. It doesn’t guarantee they will perform as Webster has, but the step up potentially comes with a little less fear. There is a sense, too, that he is enjoying the ride of a Test career that he may have thought wouldn’t come.Barring a form slump for Tasmania early season, it would be very harsh on Webster if he wasn’t lining up in Perth. But there is a world where, if Green is back bowling and, for example, Labuschagne and an opener churn out early season runs, that the selectors opt to shuffle the order again.Scott Boland celebrates a Test hat-trick•AFP/Getty Images

Another awesome foursome?

Australia saved their biggest selection call until the final match of the tour, leaving out Nathan Lyon for the first time since 2013. They said the data had persuaded them and the way the Test played out supported that view, although Australia would surely have won with Lyon in the side.Has it opened the door for it to happen again? In Australia that feels unlikely given the pink Kookaburra can go soft unlike the Dukes and Lyon has found considerable success with the bounce he can obtain at home. It will no doubt be a question posed when the Ashes reaches Brisbane (with Adelaide a day Test this time) and, for the first time in his career, Lyon may be sitting a little uneasily.But Scott Boland, who replaced Lyon and added to his storied career with a hat-trick, is expecting to return to his role as super sub for the big three. Whether they all get through the Ashes, particularly Josh Hazlewood, will be a factor. There is every chance Boland will be needed.”I’m playing with three of the best fast bowlers Australia’s ever had, so I’m happy to be in behind them,” he said. “I think it’s going to extend all of our careers if we can all stay on the park and keep bowling really well. Even from my point of view, I think having those guys, where I know I’m not going to play every game, I can sort of be really specific with my training, and then when I get to the Test match I’m going to play, I’m ready to go and my body’s feeling really good.”Unlike the opening batting situation, this fits into the good-problem-to-have category.