Category Uncategorized

South Africa could have been in a better position had they not dropped four clear chances

Firdose Moonda20-Oct-2025The calendar has moved forward a week from the Lahore Test, but you’d be forgiven for thinking the clock has stopped. In an almost exact replica of day one at Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan established a position of control in Pindi, moving to 259 for 5, after choosing to bat on a surface that is already tough, and will get tougher.The major difficulty, at this stage, is the lifelessness of the track, which is not offering significant spin (yet) but there have been signs of deliveries keeping low. South Africa also benefited from reverse swing with the older ball. Pakistan’s top and middle order navigated the challenges well, albeit not quickly. Their scoring rate remained under three an over as they batted conservatively and will be happy to have only lost five wickets on a day where many more could have gone down.South Africa put down four clear chances: Abdullah Shafique on 0, 15 and 41, on his way to a sixth Test half-century, and Shan Masood on 71 but also created several others. They found the edge several times with balls falling short of the slips or short leg on at least seven other occasions and will know they could have Pakistan in a much tighter spot.Their innings was built largely on the 111-run second-wicket stand between Shafique and Masood, and Masood went on to top score on 87. Saud Shakeel added a handy 42 and remained unbeaten overnight.Keshav Maharaj was South Africa’s most effective bowler•AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Africa should have had a wicket in the first over when Kagiso Rabada found Shafique’s outside edge, but Tristan Stubbs at third slip dropped the chance. Shafique immediately got his revenge as he pushed the ball past point for the innings’ first boundary. Rabada then also found Imam-ul-Haq’s edge twice, but both fell short of the cordon.Left-armer Marco Jansen shared the new ball and beat Shafique’s inside edge as the ball touched the stumps but did not dislodge the bails. Another early opportunity went down when Shafique got a leading edge back to Keshav Maharaj, but he could not hold on to the return catch. In his next over, Maharaj spun the ball away from Shafique and found the edge, but the chance did not carry.Just as South Africa may have wondered if anything was going to go their way, Simon Harmer’s third delivery turned past Imam’s outside edge and bowled him. Harmer then almost had Masood caught at short-leg but the ball didn’t carry to Tony de Zorzi.With all that was happening, Pakistan’s progress was sedate for the first 16 overs, in which they only managed a scoring rate a shave about 2.5 runs an over. By the start of the 17th, Masood had enough – he charged down the track to hit Harmer for six at the start of his next two overs, and then meted out similar treatment to Senuran Muthusamy.Abdullah Shafique scored a half-century as well•AFP/Getty ImagesPakistan went to lunch on 95 for 1 and progressed slowly but steadily in the afternoon. Shafique continued to provide chances when he came forward to defend against Maharaj, and got an edge which deflected off Kyle Verreynne’s gloves to Aiden Markram at slip. Markram went left instead of right. By the time he readjusted, he was not able to hold on. Riding his luck, Shafique got to a patient fifty off 120 balls, but would only add seven more runs before he followed Harmer down leg and got a fine edge through to Verreynne.Babar Azam announced himself when he smashed Harmer through the covers but almost lost Masood the over later. The Pakistan captain was on 71 when he swept Maharaj to Muthusamy at short fine. He had to make some ground to his right and was in an awkward position trying to take a two-handed catch and put it down. With Babar spanking another two poor balls for fours, South Africa’s desperation grew and they decided to review a Maharaj lbw shout against him. Babar had come forward to defend and the ball seemed close to the bat, which was confirmed on UltraEdge.After four drops and four more that didn’t carry, South Africa’s moment of magic came. Babar lunged forward to defend the last ball of Maharaj’s over and the ball lobbed up in the air. De Zorzi, at silly mid-off, dived one-handed to his right and took the catch inches off the turf. Pakistan were 177 for 3 at tea.Markam bowled himself for an over before the break and three after, raising questions over why Muthusamy was being so sparingly used before Maharaj took over. The first ten overs after tea brought 31, largely untroubled runs, before Jansen was given a 72-over old ball and a license to see what it could do. He found reverse swing and beat Saud Shakeel several times and there was growing anxiousness among the batters. Masood, in search of his century, tried to sweep Maharaj over square leg but top-edged to Jansen.Jansen could have had Mohammad Rizwan three overs before the second new ball was due, but the edge fell short of Harmer at wide slip. Muthusamy finally returned in the 80th over and South Africa did not take the second new ball until the 85th, when it worked for them. Rabada, with his fifth ball, jagged one back in and hit Rizwan on the knee roll. Shakeel and Salman Agha took Pakistan to the close on a day when 91 overs were bowled in the scheduled time.

Chris Bassitt paid up for finishing last in his fantasy football league on Saturday.

The Toronto Blue Jays veteran pitcher was spotted sitting on the field as a ball boy during his team's spring training tilt against the New York Yankees at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. But that's not all.

Instead of wearing his normal No. 40 Blue Jays jersey, Bassitt was rocking a uniform featuring the numbers "4–10"—his record during his dud of a fantasy football season.

That's a tough way to celebrate a 36th birthday.

Bassitt took the last-place fantasy football crown from former Blue Jays pitcher Tim Mayza, who fulfilled his punishment by stepping in as Toronto's bat boy for three innings during a spring training game in 2024.

According to the Blue Jays' television broadcast, outfielder and catcher Daulton Varsho is the team's fantasy football league commissioner. Getting your last-place finisher to actually serve a punishment in back-to-back years is no small feat.

As for Bassitt, he enters the 2025 campaign on the third and final year of his contract he signed with the Blue Jays in December 2022. In 31 starts last year, Bassitt logged a 4.16 ERA, 1.462 WHIP and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Colin Ingram, Ben Kellaway score unbeaten fifties as Glamorgan look to reel in Gloucestershire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jun-2025

Glamorgan 228 for 4 (Kellaway 55*, Ingram 52*) trail Gloucestershire 380 (Bracey 133, van der Gugten 4-61, Crane 4-89) by 152 runsA day of recoveries, led by James Bracey and later by Glamorgan’s middle order left the Severnside derby in the balance in Cardiff.The Gloucestershire vice-captain continued his brilliant season-turning 57 overnight to 133, passing 6,000 First-Class runs in the process thanks to a 89-run final-wicket partnership with Archie Bailey, rescuing the visitors to 380 after an early morning wobble.A Bailey double-wicket spell restricted Glamorgan after their earlier woes of missing three chances to reduce Gloucestershire’s total before Colin Ingram and Ben Kellaway both passed 50 late in the day to combine for an unbeaten 107-run partnership to close out the day on 228 for 4.After a day of divide on day one, Gloucestershire resumed 279 for 7, Glamorgan having ended the evening breaking the biggest partnership of the innings (96) between Bracey and Zaman Akhter after a period of acceleration.Glamorgan thought they would’ve had the bat in hand within the first half-an-hour of the morning session, Timm van der Gugten dismissing Todd Murphy and Ajeet Singh Dale within the first five overs of the morning.The frustration that followed from Bracey reaching his century, together with Bailey scoring his first runs in First Class cricket in the 20-year-old’s fifth match, brought Gloucestershire to a fighting total despite fears on the previous afternoon of not taking advantage of the Kookaburra ball.A morning spent toiling in the field by a lacklustre Glamorgan can only have blame on themselves. Andy Gorvin dropping Bracey on 87, denying van der Gugten a five-for. James Harris missed a run-out from a scampering two, attempting to protect strike and Chris Cooke missed stumping Bailey in his valuable 56-ball knock.While Glamorgan failed to take their chances, their rivals controlled, the final-wicket partnership bringing back fond memories of a year prior in a last-ball thriller between these two sides at Cheltenham College. Bracey scored a double hundred on that occasion and a final-wicket partnership of 75 made Glamorgan’s pursuit of a target in excess of 500 more improbable. Today, they broke the record for the last wicket against Glamorgan once again.After negating one over before lunch from Singh Dale, the hosts resumed cautiously; battling the early pace and carry in the wicket with the new ball from a formidable England Lions opening pair.While Akhter struggled to hit his mark, Singh Dale was the opposite, bowling with sharp pace, generating more out of the harder ball than any of the Glamorgan bowlers could manage. An opening spell of 1 for 11 from seven overs, including the wicket of an unsettled Zain Ul Hassan piled pressure on after a dominating first session.Asa Tribe got in and looked as though he would continue his strong all-format form with pleasant drives and casual leg glances before fiddling at a ball outside off stump from a second Bailey spell. The youngster’s memorable day continued when Kiran Carlson flicked off his hip directly to fine-leg.Sam Northeast showed typical grit before a bizarre dismissal saw him bowled by van Buuren, taking leg-stump’s bail with a ball turning past his outside edge onto off-stump. Another bowling change working in Cameron Bancroft’s favour.With Glamorgan in bother at 121 for 4 and two relatively new batters at tea, the conditions naturally became easier in the sweltering sunshine. The aging Kookaburra had very few demons allowing for patience to prevail with some destruction and fluent driving later on to give the visitors their turn to toil in the field.

Chelsea are reportedly weighing up a sensational loan move for out-of-favour Barcelona goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The German has found himself frozen out after nearly a decade as the Catalans’ undisputed No.1. He has been pushed aside to make way for Joan Garcia, the former Espanyol star who was one of Europe’s standout performers last season. Barcelona’s decision to spend €25 million (£22m/$29m) on Garcia has caused internal friction as it is understood that Ter Stegen was livid at the signing, viewing it as a declaration that his era was over.

• Ter Stegen's rift with Barcelona

  After undergoing a back surgery earlier in the summer, Ter Stegen stunned club officials by posting his own injury update on social media, without notifying Barcelona’s medical department. It was seen as a lack of professionalism by the board. Moreover, tensions flared up again when Ter Stegen allegedly refused to sign a release form allowing the club to access his medical documents, delaying García’s registration just days before La Liga kicked off.

  Barca were furious with the goalkeeper, and legal action was reportedly discussed internally. They even stripped Ter Stegen of the captain’s armband, sending a clear message that no player was bigger than the institution. A fragile truce was eventually brokered, and the German was reinstated as captain weeks later. Wojciech Szczesny offered his support to the keeper and insisted that he believes in Ter Stegen's ability, and the keeper could still make a comeback. 

  Speaking to , Szczesny said: "I don't think it's a pleasant situation. I was in the same situation with Juventus and decided to retire from football. I don't advise the same thing to Marc, because he still has a lot to contribute to football, but I think sometimes, in this job, you have to accept that some decisions hurt you. The club decided to sign Joan and had the opportunity to bring in a world-class talent who can play for Barca for the next 15 years. It must be frustrating for him after being such an important player for so many years, but Marc is a very intelligent guy, and I think he understands. It's not just a decision for the club's present, but also for the future. We spoke a lot this summer, and I think he understands. The most important thing for him now is to get back into shape, because he missed the entire last year. He's currently dealing with an old injury, so as soon as he recovers, I'm sure he still has a lot to contribute to football."

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Chelsea could swoop for Ter Stegen

  According to , Chelsea are exploring a loan deal for the German shot-stopper as part of their desperate bid to strengthen between the sticks. The news comes amid continued uncertainty over Robert Sanchez's position as long-term No.1. The Blues are looking for experience and leadership in goal, believing Ter Stegen could be the calming presence they’ve lacked since the departure of Edouard Mendy. They view both Ter Stegen and Mike Maignan as elite-level options capable of restoring defensive confidence. The choice, however, may depend on timing. While a loan for Ter Stegen could be struck as early as January, Maignan remains Maresca’s long-term dream signing.

• Maignan remains an option on the table for Chelsea

  Chelsea have admired Maignan for over a year and came close to signing him during the mini transfer window before the Club World Cup. However, AC Milan’s valuation forced them to back off, knowing they’d get another chance when his contract runs out in 2026. It is understood that Chelsea remain confident that Maignan will walk away from Milan at the end of the season, leaving him available on a free transfer. His arrival could potentially turn Chelsea into genuine Premier League contenders again, especially under a manager like Maresca, who values ball-playing keepers capable of dictating from the back. But the Blues aren’t alone in the chase. Juventus and Bayern Munich are both reportedly preparing to enter the race for Maignan’s signature, setting the stage for a fierce tug-of-war next summer.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Chelsea weigh up their transfer options

  If Maignan proves unattainable before next summer, Chelsea’s hierarchy see Ter Stegen as the perfect stopgap. A short-term loan would allow them to secure world-class experience without committing to another big-money deal. Chelsea’s scouting department has reportedly also drawn up a third option in Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. However, any potential deal will be complex as the keeper has a contract until the summer of 2028. Still, Chelsea’s determination to fix their goalkeeper issue is clear. After years of uncertainty between the sticks, the club is willing to explore every possible avenue to bring stability back to the backline. 

The Nuno Espírito Santo era has well and truly begun at West Ham United.

Granted, the Portuguese coach didn’t win his first game in charge, but a spirited fightback saw his side share the points with Everton.

More importantly, there were several impressive performances from his new players, suggesting that better results could be around the corner.

One of the standouts was, of course, Jarrod Bowen, but another was someone who could be West Ham’s best signing since the Englishman.

Bowen's game vs Everton

Even when the rest of the team were flattering to deceive under Graham Potter last season and at the start of this one, Bowen was still putting in good performances.

The Englishman ended last season with a tally of 14 goals and ten assists in 36 appearances, and has already racked up a tally of three goals and an assist this season.

In fact, it was the former Hull City gem who got the Hammers back in the game on Monday, as he fired off a brilliant shot from the right of the penalty area that flew past Jordan Pickford.

Moreover, even though it wasn’t his best performance for the Irons, it was an overall strong showing from the 28-year-old.

Like Crysencio Summerville on the left, he was a threat throughout the game, getting up and down the pitch and causing problems for the Toffees.

However, there was another starter that night who was even more impressive than Bowen, someone who could end up being the club’s best signing since the Englishman.

The West Ham star who could be their best signing since Bowen

Encouragingly for Nuno, several players put in strong showings against Everton, including Summerville, Max Kilman, and even Soungoutou Magassa.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, when it comes to someone who has the potential to become West Ham’s best signing since Bowen, it’s impossible to ignore El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The former Slavia Prague gem played like a man possessed against the Toffees, fulfilling his defensive duties while also surging up and down the pitch with “explosive acceleration,” as one analyst put it.

More than that, though, he kept on firing incredible cross after incredible cross into extremely dangerous areas, and it was one of these that led to Bowen’s goal.

On another night, the 20-year-old could have racked up two or three assists, and from what he’s shown earlier this season, he’s going to end up getting plenty.

For example, in the five games leading up to Monday night, the Ziguinchor-born dynamo had already racked up three assists: one against Chelsea, one against Nottingham Forest, and one against Crystal Palace.

There is still plenty of the campaign to come, but the Senegalese ace is already making waves in England, so much so that one analyst has already made the bold claim that he’s “one of the best fullbacks in the league.”

With this in mind, it doesn’t feel too absurd to suggest that the incredibly exciting summer arrival could end up being the club’s best signing since Bowen.

After all, the others who could have that crown include Lucas Paqueta, who can be unreal when he’s on his day, and that’s not every game, or Mohammed Kudus, but he struggled in his second campaign and then ruined his reputation by joining Tottenham Hotspur.

Ultimately, things seem to be on the up for West Ham, and it looks like Diouf could end up being one of the signings of the season.

Like Ward-Prowse: West Ham dud is "nowhere near" good enough to play for Nuno

James Ward-Prowse isn’t the only player who should be given the boot by new West Ham manager, Nuno Santo.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 1, 2025

Former England keeper stars with bat again to take control for Surrey

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-May-2025

Ben Foakes maintained his fine form with the bat by hitting 86 to fashion a solid Surrey lead in their Rothesay County Championship encounter with Yorkshire at the Kia Oval.Foakes, who hit a career-high 174 not out against Warwickshire earlier this week, followed it up with another vital knock to guide the home side to 384 for seven at stumps on day two, 129 in front.Australian left-hander Kurtis Patterson also sparkled on his Surrey debut with 85 but after he and Dan Lawrence fell in rapid succession, they needed Foakes – aided by the lower-middle order – to cement their advantage.Medium-pacer George Hill, fresh from recording a nine-wicket match haul in Yorkshire’s previous game at Essex, was again the pick of the visitors’ bowlers with figures of four for 58.Rory Burns and Dom Sibley resumed in the morning with a deficit of 209 and shaved off just another 10 runs before the skipper departed, nudging a Jack White delivery that left him into the hands of slip.That brought Patterson to the crease for the first time in Surrey colours, taking a while to settle before he unveiled his ruthless cover drive and dispatched both White and Jordan Buckingham to the rope.Buckingham was expensive, conceding two boundaries in quick succession to Sibley – who appeared nicely set at 29 until he failed to get forward sufficiently to Hill and was trapped leg before.However, Patterson was into his stride by then and advanced to his half-century from the penultimate ball of the morning session, ably supported by some wristy leg-side strokeplay from Dan Lawrence.Yorkshire might have removed Patterson on 60 soon after lunch, when he miscued a hook off Buckingham – but James Wharton, moving in from long leg, was unable to cling onto the catch.After receiving treatment for a back problem just before the interval, Lawrence still looked uncomfortable in the middle, but he stuck around for almost two hours helping Patterson to add 112.However, Surrey’s momentum was dented when they lost both batters in the space of three deliveries, with Ben Coad returning for his second spell of the day to pin Lawrence in front of the stumps for 31.Hill’s impact was even more immediate, removing Patterson in the same manner with the first delivery of his stint from the Vauxhall End and that left Foakes and Jason Roy to regroup as they closed in on the visitors’ total.Foakes struck the ball cleanly and crisply, particularly on the leg side, while Roy employed a greater degree of brute force, punching Jordan Thompson off the back foot for four and slamming Adam Lyth into the pavilion to secure his side’s first batting bonus point.The final say went to Lyth, who had his fellow ex-England opener pouched at slip for 26 in the first over after tea, but Foakes progressed past 50 for the fifth time this season with one of his looser shots, slashing White just past the slips for two.Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow handed his wicketkeeper’s gloves to Jonny Tattersall for the final session, having sustained a finger injury, but continued to direct proceedings in an outfield role.It was Tattersall who snapped up an outside edge off Foakes late in the day to provide Hill with his fourth wicket, but Jordan Clark – having almost chopped on twice early in his innings – swung the bat to reach 41 not out with a clutch of boundaries.

B Sai Sudharsan and Prasidh Krishna once again stood up for Gujarat Titans (GT) as they beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 58 runs in Ahmedabad. This was GT’s fourth successive win in IPL 2025 and it took them to the top of the points table.After RR opted to bowl on a red-soil pitch, Sai Sudharsan’s 82 off 53 balls, his third half-century of the season, steered GT to 217 for 6. With no dew in the second innings, it proved way too steep for RR to chase down. Mohammed Siraj and Arshad Khan struck in the powerplay before Prasidh picked up 3 for 24 in the middle overs to keep RR on the back foot. Despite Shimron Hetmyer’s fighting fifty, RR were all out for 159 in 19.2 overs.Related

• Team combination continues to be a problem for Royals

• Prasidh, the silent superstar in Titans' mix-and-match attack

• Samson fined INR 24 lakh for RR's second over-rate offence

• Samson: 'We just went off the plan in the death overs'

Archer breathes fire again

Jofra Archer didn’t have a great start to IPL 2025. In his first two games, he conceded 109 from 6.3 wicketless overs. But he bounced back in his next two with a combined 4 for 38 from seven overs. He breathed fire tonight as well. In his first over, he rushed Sai Sudharsan with a 152.3kph bouncer. In his second, he got one to move in at 147.7kph and pegged back Shubman Gill’s off stump. His match-up against Gill in T20 cricket now reads: 15 balls, ten runs, three dismissals.For his former captain Jos Buttler, Archer had two slips, a short leg and a catching square leg, and welcomed him with a menacing bouncer that Buttler did well to evade. Buttler inside-edged the next ball just wide of short leg, and then pushed Archer through the covers for four.

Sai Sudharsan continues his dream run

Sai Sudharsan generally takes time to get going. Here, he attacked right from the start. He ramped, scooped, drove and cut, and took his side to 50 in 5.1 overs. By the end of the powerplay, he had 39 against his name, off 22 balls. Only Wriddhiman Saha (54 vs Lucknow Super Giants in 2023) has scored more runs in an innings for GT in that phase.Buttler was on 12 off 13 at one point but hit four fours in his next six balls to move to 31 off 19. He and Sai Sudharsan added 80 off 46 balls before Maheesh Theekshana trapped Buttler lbw. After a brief dip in the scoring rate, M Shahrukh Khan opened up and smashed 36 off 20 to re-inject momentum.Sudharsan was dropped on 81 by Shubham Dubey off Archer in the 18th over, but he only added one more to his tally. Then Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan ransacked 30 in the last two overs to take GT past 200.1:36

What’s working for Prasidh Krishna this season?

Siraj, Arshad strike early

RR did not have a great start. Yashasvi Jaiswal slashed Arshad to deep third in the second over of the chase and Nitish Rana did the same against Siraj in the next. Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag counter-attacked and added 48 off 26 balls for the third wicket. The stand was broken when Impact Sub Kulwant Khejroliya had Parag caught behind in the seventh over. Parag immediately reviewed the decision, confident that his bat had only hit the ground, but the third umpire thought otherwise, with Ultra Edge also bringing up a second spike when the ball passed the bat.

Rashid into the act

Coming into this game, Rashid had picked up just one wicket in four outings. Tonight, he struck in his first over. It was a shortish ball that didn’t bounce as much as Dhruv Jurel expected, and Sai Sudharsan at deep midwicket gobbled up the mistimed pull.Rashid enjoys a favourable match-up against Hetmyer, having dismissed him six times in 63 balls for 79 runs before this game. He almost had Hetmyer lbw for a first-ball duck but the ball had pitched fractionally outside leg stump. From there on, Hetmyer dominated Rashid and hit him for 26 runs off 12 balls with the help of two fours and two sixes. However, Rashid was too good for RR’s Impact Sub Shubham Dubey and had him lbw for 1.

Prasidh lands decisive blows

Prasidh is GT’s enforcer in the middle overs and he was at it once again. Just before Rashid snared Dubey, he had provided his side a crucial wicket. Samson and Hetmyer had taken RR to 115 for 4 in 12 overs, leaving them needing 103 off 48. Prasidh then dug one into the pitch. Samson went airborne to try and ride the bounce and steer it behind point, but ended up guiding it straight to short third.In his final over, the 16th over of the innings, Prasidh had Archer caught at mid-off and Hetmyer at deep-backward square-leg, both off short balls. With RR 145 for 8 after 16 overs, the result was sealed. They dragged their innings into the final over but that did little to reduce the margin of their defeat.

South Australia captain says Sheffield Shield final is the priority but he would be keen to play county cricket if an opportunity arose

Alex Malcolm07-Mar-2025

Nathan McSweeney would grab the opportunity to play county cricket if a chance arose as he pushes to try and win back a spot in Australia’s side with one of the opening slots still to be locked in for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.McSweeney, 25, began the summer debuting as Australia’s Test opener at the the start of the Border-Gavaskar series but was dropped after three Tests for Sam Konstas having run aground against Jasprit Bumrah, scoring just 72 runs in six innings.He was taken on the tour of Sri Lanka but ran the drinks as the spare batter ahead of Konstas who was also left out and sent home to play in the Sheffield Shield with Travis Head moving up to open and Josh Inglis sliding into the middle-order.Related

Green unlikely to play Shield cricket before county stint

O'Neill, Boland share nine as McSweeney shines in Junction arm wrestle

Neser's six-wicket burst leaves Queensland in command

Head will move back to No. 5 for the WTC final leaving a vacancy at the top of the order but Cameron Green’s impending return as batter means Australia’s selectors have a challenge in finding room for him while also finding an opener to partner Usman Khawaja.McSweeney made a gritty 60 off 199 balls for South Australia against a Victoria attack featuring Scott Boland, who took four wickets on a green pitch at the Junction Oval on Friday. Speaking at the end of play, McSweeney was asked whether he felt like the opening spot in the WTC final was a way back into the Test team.”I don’t know,” he said. “All I can do is make runs and get back to being a consistent run-scorer which is what got me the opportunity in the first place. So wherever my spot is, if the opportunity comes I’m happy to bat wherever. And I think my game is suited to that. All I can focus on now is trying to punch out some runs. Hopefully that means South Australia in a Shield final,”He will get a second innings in this game before South Australia host Queensland in the final round of the season. That game and a possible final will be his only playing opportunities before the WTC final unless an opportunity in England presented itself.Nathan McSweeney was dropped after three Tests against India•Getty Images

“I’d love to get over and play some county cricket but at this stage I’m just staying in Adelaide,” McSweeney said. “I haven’t looked too much past the next couple of weeks for us. It’s massive for South Australia. So hopefully we can nail the end of this game and the next couple of weeks leading into hopefully a Shield final. But post that I’d love to head overseas and keep working on my game.”McSweeney’s 60 was a welcome return to some run-scoring form. It was just his third first-class innings since being dropped from the Test side in mid-December having scored 20 and 7 in South Australia’s last game against Tasmania. But he had also registered scores of 28, 8 and 7 in South Australia’s final three 50-over games in the Dean Jones Trophy, which they won in emphatic style thanks in part to his role with the ball in the final.”It was nice to spend some time middle,” McSweeney said. “It’s been a little bit of a stop start season for me, I guess, and I haven’t played heaps of cricket. Not the score I would have liked. But it’s nice to spend some time out there and face plenty of balls and hopefully I can get make use of that in the second innings and really come out and hopefully score a bit more freely.”The selectors were pleased with what he showed technically and temperamentally in his first three Test matches but there were concerns over his scoring limitations, which ultimately was the reason why they opted to omit him. His innings at the Junction Oval perfectly incapsulated both the positives and the negatives of his game.He showed outstanding defensive skill and decision-making to withstand Test-quality spells from Boland but struggled to rotate the strike, particularly in the evening session on day one when he was 9 off 52 balls and the morning session on day two. He got busier and more proactive as the innings wore on before nicking a good delivery from Victoria seamer Fergus O’Neill who also probed with unerring accuracy all innings to claim five wickets.McSweeney’s brief taste of Test cricket has shown him that he needs to keep trusting the foundations of his game but add some different scoring options.”A little bit of both,” McSweeney said. “I think I know a method that works in Shield cricket for me, but you’re also trying to keep learning, keep getting better. And from my experiences in Test cricket, there’s definitely some learnings to try and add and scenarios where I can tinker with my game to hopefully be better for it.”I think it’s also important to know what worked for me leading into that and what makes me a good player. So it’s been an enjoyable last couple of months, a challenging one, no doubt, but I definitely like to think I’m better for it.”McSweeney confirmed that in-form wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey would return to South Australia’s line-up for the Shield final if they get there but confirmed that Head would be unavailable due to IPL duties.

At Tottenham Hotspur, there’s never a dull moment. The last year has been so chaotic that you could probably divide it up into a trilogy of films.

Spurs crashed and burned in the Premier League but they were red hot in Europe, winning the Europa League.

“Season three is always better than season two”, barked Ange Postecoglou during the trophy celebrations back in London. Sadly for the craggy-faced Aussie, he didn’t last long enough to see season three.

He was killed off, not literally, by the producers, in this case Daniel Levy. The Spurs boss sacked Postecoglou and replaced him with Thomas Frank who has enjoyed and endured a rollercoaster first transfer window at the helm.

Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White? No problem, the Lilywhites have landed one of Europe’s most exciting young playmakers in the form of Xavi Simons. Spurs also have six points from nine to start the new campaign too. Not bad indeed.

Yet, drama is never too far away when Tottenham Hotspur are involved; their Champions League squad list showcased that.

Spurs' Champions League squad list for the 2025 league phase

All the usual faces made Tottenham’s squad list for the league phase of their Champions League adventure.

New signings in the form of Simons and Mohammed Kudus made the cut but sadly for James Maddison, the club’s long-term injury absentee, there was no place.

The England international will be out for a long time and won’t be seen again until 2026 after damaging his ACL.

However, there were some notable absentees. Yves Bissouma, who was excluded from the UEFA Super Cup squad for being late by Frank, looks as though he’s set to leave the club in the not-too-distant future and his omission from the squad list only cemented that.

Also missing from the squad were Kota Takai, Radu Dragusin and Dejan Kulusevski, who joins Maddison on the treatment table currently.

The most high-profile exclusion was Mathys Tel. The Frenchman has long been seen as one of the most exciting young players in Europe. He’s only 20 and has the world at his feet, but it doesn’t look as though he’s impressed Frank a great deal.

Tel spent the back end of the 2024/25 campaign on loan in north London but only scored two goals in 13 Premier League outings. Still, that was enough to convince Levy and Co to splash out and sign the former Bayern Munich prodigy on a permanent deal.

Spurs spent £30m on the youngster and to think he won’t see a minute of Champions League football, at least during the league phase, is incredibly damning.

It remains to be seen how much action Tel sees domestically. He has only featured for a total of 19 minutes across the opening three games of the season and is alright fighting a battle to remain in Frank’s plans.

It looks like a big waste of £30m already, particularly when Spurs have a number of exciting starlets on their books.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The youngsters who could end Tel's Spurs career

The Hotspur Way academy has produced a number of supremely talented players in recent years, not least Mikey Moore.

The England youth international is currently on loan at Rangers, where he started the Old Firm derby last Sunday, and will look to get a season of regular senior football under his belt.

Moore has already played 21 times for the Spurs first team, scoring once, and was notably compared to Neymar by Maddison after a European tie last campaign.

With so much hype surrounding Moore, it’s easy to forget about Will Lankshear, a forward with immense potential, someone who played a hand in 2024/25’s Europa League success.

During that run to the final, Lankshear appeared in three games, even scoring in the 3-2 defeat against Galatasaray in November 2024.

Spurs U21

35

26

West Brom

11

0

Spurs first team

6

1

Oxford Utd

5

2

Spurs U18

5

4

Sheff Utd U18

2

0

While he later endured a pretty awful goalless 11 games on loan at West Brom, he’s in form early on at Oxford United in the Championship.

To date, Lankshear’s loan in the second tier has been a roaring success, scoring twice in his four league outings.

This is set to be a significant campaign for the 20-year-old who has a genuine chance of making it at Spurs if he has a good campaign in 2025/26.

Richarlison’s stay in the capital has been hit and miss, absent for a number of games through injury. £65m man Dominic Solanke hasn’t always enjoyed the best of times either. He’s not played a single minute this term, courtesy of injury.

Thus, an opening could emerge for Lankshear, one that could really hammer the final nail in Tel’s coffin.

A good season, one where he regularly scores goals, will surely earn him game time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and it could come further at the expense of Tel.

Described by one scout within the game as “a Harry Kane regen”, his playstyle and stature has already garnered similarities to the club’s top scorer.

The scorer of 26 goals in 35 games at U21 for Spurs, Lilywhites reporter Alasdair Gold is another to sing his praises, giving the young attacker a glowing endorsement back in February 2024: “He’s a very talented young player, he’s got a long way to go, but he’s got a little bit of the Kane physique about him.”

High praise indeed. Tel better watch out if Lankshear continues to develop at a quick rate.

Spurs signed their original Kolo Muani under Poch, now he's without a club

Tottenham Hotspur have already had their own version of Randal Kolo Muani in years gone by.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 2, 2025

Maharaj was set to be in the XI for the first ODI against Pakistan but limped off just before the toss

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2024South Africa have been left sweating over the fitness of Keshav Maharaj ahead of their last two Tests of the ongoing World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. Maharaj was seen limping off during warm-ups ahead of the first ODI against Pakistan on Tuesday because of a groin strain. It is understood that Maharaj was in the XI before he sustained the injury right before the toss and was replaced by Andile Phehlukwayo. He will have a scan on Wednesday.After the three-match ODI series, South Africa face Pakistan in two Tests, needing just one more win to be assured of a top-two finish to qualify for the WTC final next year. Maharaj is a key component of South Africa’s Test side, often their lone specialist spinner in the XI, with Aiden Markram offering support with his part-time offspin. Maharaj bowled them to a win against Sri Lanka in Gqeberha earlier this month, returning 5 for 76 on the last day to trigger a collapse.Related

WTC final scenarios – SA need one more win for guaranteed top-two finish

Fractured toe puts Anrich Nortje out of T20Is against Pakistan

While the severity of Maharaj’s injury is yet to be ascertained, this adds to the long list of injured South Africa bowlers. Anrich Nortje was ruled out with a fractured toe ahead of the T20Is against Pakistan; Gerald Coetzee and Lungi Ngidi are out until January with groin and hip issues respectively; Nandre Burger has been ruled out of the summer with a stress fracture of the lower back; Wiaan Mulder is in a race to be fit for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan after breaking a finger against Sri Lanka.Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy are the spinners in contention for the Boxing Day Test, if Maharaj is ruled out. Batting allrounder Neil Brand, who bowls left-arm spin, and legspinner Shaun von Berg also made Test appearances this year for South Africa. Left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who last played first-class cricket in 2021, could be in with an outside chance.