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We knew he could strike the ball 100m relentlessly. What we hadn’t seen was the prodding before the power

Cameron Ponsonby03-Nov-2024Liam Livingstone asked for more responsibility. Got it. And delivered.Six weeks ago, Livingstone got a call saying he was dropped. The conversation was 30 seconds long, but preceded a chat with managing director Rob Key where cards were laid on the table. Livingstone understood why he had been left out. His returns over the past two years, by his own admission, weren’t good enough.But something rankled. His one complaint was that he felt that time that he hadn’t been given the chance to dictate games. He had been the bit-part player England called when they wanted him, but never when they needed him. In 30 ODIs, he had batted above No. 6 twice, and bowled his full allocation only twice as well.Related

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One Jos Buttler calf setback later, though, and he got another call saying they wanted him back for the Australia series, and they needed him back for the West Indies series. As captain.”It’s a bit like a relationship,” Livingstone had joked before the first ODI against West Indies.Across his last five ODI innings, Livingstone averages 133.50 with a strike rate of 145. A dramatic surge in form that he dates back to a single ball he faced in the Hundred against Luke Wood. Facing a hat-trick ball, Livingstone told himself to relax and just react to whatever comes. The ball is bowled into his ribs, and he tucks it away for one. Watching it back, it is entirely unremarkable.”Jesus,” Livingstone remembers recalling to himself at the time. “I think I’m back here.”Livingstone further said after the second ODI against West Indies, “It’s really weird because it’s one ball in the middle of the summer,” when he smashed an unbeaten 124 off just 85 balls in a successful chase of 329. “But I spent two years trying so hard to work it all out.”Livingstone is one of few players on this tour playing with real jeopardy. Interim head coach Marcus Trescothick had said after the first ODI that the message being framed to the group was to enjoy their “free-hit” opportunity with a mountain of players to come back in. But Livingstone isn’t in that boat. His ultimatum with Key had been agreed, and these matches were his opportunity “to not only say what I thought, but [also] for me to show people I mean what I say”.When he arrived at the crease in the second ODI, England needed another 222 runs in 29.5 overs. A required run rate of 7.50 that climbed all the way to ten an over the moment the 39th over came to an end. England required exactly 100 runs off the final 60 balls. They did it in 45.Of Livingstone’s nine sixes, eight came in the final 25 balls of his innings. His second 50 arrived in just 17 deliveries. He hit consecutive sixes on three occasions, and took two overs for north of 20.Combining the clubspeed of Byson DeChambeau with the biceps of Mike Tyson, Livingstone peppered all sides of the ground. Gudakesh Motie was bludgeoned out to the leg side, Jayden Seales was slapped over extra cover, and Shamar Joseph was lucky to survive when a straight drive flew back past his face.”I see my ability as being able to hit more than a couple of sixes”•Getty ImagesIt wasn’t a one-man effort, with all of Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran contributing with half-centuries of their own, but it was a one-man show. After the 35th over, every England boundary was off the bat of Livingstone.Counterintuitively, despite the fireworks that got England over the line. The first 50 of his runs arguably proved the point Livingstone was trying to make more than the final 74.We knew he could strike the ball 100m relentlessly. He hit the ball over the football stand at Headingley, which was the type of shot that you only hear about from the 1800s when Sir.What’sHisChops apparently cleared the pavilion at Lord’s using a toothpick. That is to say, when people are lying. But Livingstone actually did it. We saw it.What we hadn’t seen was the prodding that came before the power. His 50 off 60 balls took the game deep, and put it on his shoulders. He had struck only three boundaries. England’s team selection, swapping Jamie Overton for Saqib Mahmood, meant that the tail was long, and Adil Rashid was at No. 8, just two wickets away.”People see me as this guy who can go in and smack a few sixes in a T20 innings,” Livingstone said. “But I see my ability as being able to hit more than a couple of sixes – being able to do things like I’ve done today.”Liam Livingstone reaches a maiden ODI century•Getty ImagesIt was a remarkable innings that more than saved what had otherwise threatened to be an ordinary day for the new captain. For the second time in history, England used nine bowlers across an ODI innings, with the only time before coming in 1987 when all of Bill Athey, Allan Lamb and Chris Broad bowled the only over of their ODI careers in a dead run chase.It encapsulated the other end of Livingstone’s desperation to do well on this tour. Muddled thinking in the guise of proactiveness, that resulted in Jofra Archer having an over left in the tank when Will Jacks, Dan Mousley and Bethell had sent down seven between them.”No,” Livingstone said. “It wasn’t the plan.”But where clarity was absent in the field, it was present in abundance with the bat. Livingstone admitted himself that despite his showing, “I don’t think I’m ever going to bat [at No.] 5 for England when we’ve got a full squad”.But regardless of the tangible long-term results of his performance, the intangible can matter just as much. He had proved to himself, and others, that he was capable of something he had always believed he could do, but until Saturday never had.”It’s amazing,” he concluded. “The last time I was here, I lost my grandad. I’m looking forward to speaking to some family back home. He’ll be looking down pretty proud.”

With multiple languages, accents and dialects in the mix, players, coaches and captains often have to find innovative ways to communicate

Matt Roller04-Apr-2025The start of any IPL season sees old friendships rekindled and new relationships formed – particularly in the first year after a mega auction. All ten franchises have undergone major transformations and each dressing room will have already seen interactions between players and staff who have never previously crossed paths, let alone spoken to one another.Those meetings are easier for some than others. For those who have been around the IPL for years and are fluent in several languages, fitting into a new environment is no issue. But for some, joining a team – or the league itself – for the first time may bring a sinking realisation that communicating over the following two months will be a major challenge.”I wouldn’t call it a language barrier; barrier isn’t the right word. It’s the beauty of this country,” says Piyush Chawla, the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. “There are so many different languages – and even in Hindi, there are so many different accents or dialects.” Chawla himself speaks Hindi and English, and can understand Punjabi and some Tamil.India does not have a single national language: Hindi, the most widely spoken, is considered one of two official languages of the country’s government alongside English, but there are 22 different “recognised languages” across the country. The IPL itself is beamed around the world in English, but the Indian broadcaster JioStar has feeds in 12 different languages, including the Bhojpuri and Haryanvi dialects.Related

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Mustafizur at home in an unfamiliar land (2016)

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English is taught widely in Indian schools in metropolitan cities, but – inevitably, in a country of 1.4 billion people – cricketers’ ability to speak it fluently can vary wildly when they reach the IPL for the first time. Chawla, who grew up in Uttar Pradesh, was 19 when the league launched in 2008: he could understand English, but recalls: “I couldn’t speak naturally in it. What if I say the wrong thing?”The first dressing room he joined, Kings XI Punjab, featured a strong Australian contingent, including Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, and head coach Tom Moody. “English wasn’t the problem. The accent was the problem,” Chawla says, laughing. He relied on team-mates – like captain Yuvraj Singh – to act as translators: “I used to ask Yuvi all the time: ‘What did he just say?'”David Warner once joked that he needed to use Google Translate to communicate with Mustafizur Rahman, the only Bangladeshi at Sunrisers Hyderabad•BCCIMoody arrived in India knowing that language could be an issue, after two years as Sri Lanka coach. “I would talk to players one-on-one about their development and tactical messages,” he recalls. “Three months in, Mahela Jayawardene came up to me and said, ‘Coach, the guys are really enjoying it. But Mali [Lasith Malinga] can’t understand a word you’re saying!'”In many cases, multilingual players and support staff find themselves acting as translators. “Whenever new domestic players come into the IPL, you have to be aware of it,” says Mike Hesson, who spent five years working at Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bengaluru after coaching his native New Zealand. “You might need to deliver a message across a number of different mediums.”You’re conscious of speaking slowly around players where English isn’t their first language. You might bring another coach along to a one-on-two meeting, just to reaffirm that the player understands the message you’re delivering – especially for the newcomers to a squad. It’s up to us as coaches to make sure that players can express themselves to us.”Later in his IPL career, when he had become a fluent English speaker, Chawla helped mentor a young Rinku Singh when he joined Kolkata Knight Riders: “We had Jacques Kallis and Simon Katich as coaches. Rinku would ask me to translate. [When that happens] you feel good on the inside. My job at that time was not only on the field, but to guide him off it: he is like a younger brother.”It is not only domestic players who struggle to communicate with English-speaking coaches. In 2016, Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman joined Moody’s Sunrisers Hyderabad and found that only one other player in the squad – the young batter Ricky Bhui – spoke his mother tongue of Bengali. “We had a real challenge there in the early stages,” Moody recalled.ESPNcricinfo LtdDavid Warner, Sunrisers’ captain, would converse with Mustafizur primarily using body language, and once described pointing to his head at mid-off in an attempt to tell his young fast bowler to use his head. Mustafizur appeared to take it on board, but then ran in and bowled a bouncer: he had interpreted the message to mean he should aim at the head.”That’s where you have to be careful,” Moody says. “You might think you are getting a message across, but the player you’re talking to might be taking something completely different away with them. But it is part of the charm of the IPL: it tests your ability to communicate. It’s not always as easy as speaking to a fellow countryman that totally gets your sense of humour or sarcasm.”Mustafizur overcame the challenge, taking 17 wickets as Sunrisers won the 2016 title. It made Moody and Warner one of three overseas captain-coach combinations to win the IPL, and the first since 2009. Surprisingly, it took until 2022 for an Indian head coach to lift the trophy: an Indian captain and a foreign coach is by far the most common combination for a winning team.Gradually, most franchises have employed more local backroom and support staff. “It was quite organic,” Moody says. “We found that our staff covered a number of different areas organically, and between us could speak English, Hindi, Tamil… It became a bit of a melting pot of players and staff that could all contribute to the central cause.”When Moody signed a teenaged Rashid Khan in the 2017 auction, he made sure to recruit a fellow Afghan alongside him. “We needed [Mohammad] Nabi’s skill set, but on another level, it made sure Rashid wouldn’t be isolated in that squad.” In 2022, Rashid was the senior partner in a similar relationship with Noor Ahmad at Gujarat Titans: “I can translate things into Pashto for him,” he said.Rashid Khan paid forward Mohammad Nabi’s mentorship by taking Noor Ahmad under his wing in an otherwise unfamiliar environment for the youngster•BCCIBut language divides extend beyond lines of nationality – and can be turned into a strength. A curiosity of the IPL is that squads often bear minimal resemblance to the regions they represent: Chennai Super Kings, for example, rarely pick players from the state of Tamil Nadu. In 2020, a stump microphone even picked up Kolkata Knight Riders’ Dinesh Karthik communicating with Varun Chakravarthy in their native Tamil while playing CSK.This season, nine out of ten franchises have Indian captains: Pat Cummins, at Sunrisers, is the only exception. But communication and language remain a pressing issue: before Delhi Capitals’ first match of the season, against Lucknow Super Giants, captain Axar Patel handed over to Faf du Plessis in the team huddle, who delivered a pre-match speech in English.Hesson is a rare example of a native English speaker who went out of his way to pick up some Hindi during his time at the IPL. “I wouldn’t say I’m brilliant, but I can understand a fair bit,” he explains. “My speaking is more pidgin than full sentences… It’s a bit of a respect thing, isn’t it? I don’t think it’s right if someone doesn’t feel comfortable expressing themselves in their own country.”Yet even as the IPL is in its 18th season, the expectation that Indian players should learn English prevails, rather than the other way around. Perhaps, in a decade or two, it might become common for foreign players to learn to communicate with Indian players in their own native tongue: as Hesson puts it, “It is the Indian Premier League, after all.”

A lot can change over the next two years, but as Australia and South Africa return to ODI cricket, these are some of key questions that will need answering

Andrew McGlashan and Firdose Moonda18-Aug-2025

Cameron Green will be a key figure in Australia’s ODI side for the next World Cup•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

The halfway point between ODI World Cups is approaching with the next edition to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in late 2027. In Cairns on Tuesday, Australia and South Africa play their first matches in the format since the Champions Trophy, when they both exited in the semi-finals.Following that tournament, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Heinrich Klaasen have announced their retirements from ODIs – the latter from all white-ball internationals – and, as is often the case during World Cup cycles, there is a sense of renewal and rebuilding ahead of the next edition, where Australia will be the defending champions after their triumph in India.Since the 2023 World Cup, these two sides are at the lower end of the table in terms of ODIs played, and Australia in particular have rarely put their strongest side on the park, either because of workload management or injuries. Pat Cummins, who remains the official ODI captain, has only played two matches since that memorable day in Ahmedabad and will miss this series.A lot can change over the next two years – there is definitely a chance some players available now don’t make it all the way to 2027 – but with an eye on the future, here are some key questions from both sides.Head’s opening partner; Smith’s spotRelated

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Travis Head, the hero of Ahmedabad, should still be in his prime in 2027 but who will be alongside him at the top of the order is more of a question. Matt Short has had the early running and has shown glimpses, particularly his 63 against England in the Champions Trophy, but will miss this series due to a side injury, which has been worryingly slow to heal.Mitchell Marsh, who will captain against South Africa in Cummins’ absence, enjoyed considerable success opening in the lead-up to, and at, the last World Cup but there is always the lingering question over what his body will allow him to do in the years to come.In the middle order, Smith’s retirement has created a permanent vacancy, which will likely be taken by Cameron Green, who missed the Champions Trophy through injury. Green had a fill-in role at the 2023 World Cup but, providing he has no further setbacks, should be a central figure with bat and ball in 2027.Temba Bavuma has had to defy injury of late•Associated PressCan Bavuma reach 2027?South Africa’s regular ODI captain Temba Bavuma has made no secret of his desire to get to the home World Cup in two years’ time, but often caveats that with a clause about what his body will allow. Bavuma has suffered a spate of injuries in the last three years, mostly involving his elbow and his hamstrings, and was hampered by the latter during the recent World Test Championship final and the last ODI World Cup.He battled through both but continues to bat with heavily strapped elbows and at the age of 35 now, faces the real possibility of not physically being able to get to the 2027 tournament. That could mean his role over the next 12 months or so is a transitional but crucial one. Of South Africa’s squad in Australia, Bavuma has the highest ODI average and while he is not known as a quick run-scorer, he provides stability upfront and will be key to their build-up to the next World Cup.Aaron Hardie is among a group of allrounders in the mix for Australia•AFP/Getty ImagesHow do you replace Maxwell?You don’t find many cricketers like Maxwell, so this is an interesting one for the selectors. There is the loss of his dynamic, match-changing batting but there is also the vital balance he brought to the side with his offspin. In 2023, he was the second spinner alongside Adam Zampa (having been the lone spinner at the 2015 edition) and finding those overs will be important. It makes Short, who is a handy offspinner, a valuable player while the selectors are clearly keen to develop Cooper Connolly’s left-arm spin – he was a late addition to this squad after Mitchell Owen’s concussion. Head’s offspin remains a useful option while Marnus Labuschagne’s legspin has claimed useful wickets in the past year.Owen and Aaron Hardie, another injury replacement against South Africa, will be vying for an allrounder’s position over the next couple of years, while among those outside the current squad, Jack Edwards and Will Sutherland could also come into the mix. They provide seam bowling rather than spin although conditions in southern Africa may work in their favour.The next superstar?•Getty ImagesLife after KlaasenKlaasen’s international retirement leaves a power-hitting hole in South Africa’s middle order, not least because he has the highest strike rate for the team in ODIs and was named their ODI Player of the Year at the most recent Cricket South Africa awards.Though David Miller, who is second to Klaasen on the strike-rate charts, remains available, South Africa need to find someone else with six-hitting skills in the middle order and they may be looking to Dewald Brevis as the next big deal. Brevis was the leading run-scorer in the T20I series and, with only ten caps to his name, already holds the record for the highest individual score by a South Africa batter in the shortest format.His 125 not out in Darwin included 96 runs in boundaries and demonstrated a fearlessness South Africa’s coach Shukri Conrad wants his players to live by. The Miller-Brevis combination will not be on show at this series as Miller is currently playing in the Hundred, but the Australia matches are a good opportunity for Brevis, who is uncapped in ODIs, to show what he can do. To date, Brevis has played 25 List A matches, averages 48.40 in the format with a strike rate of 112.10, and was the second-highest run-scorer in the most recent domestic one-day cup, so there’s plenty to suggest he has what it takes to make the step up.Will it be one more time for this great trio?•ICC/Getty ImagesWill Australia’s big three all be there?Mitchell Starc will be 37 by the next ODI World Cup and Josh Hazlewood, who will play this series, 36. Starc has always said Test cricket will be the format he puts first and Australia have a huge period of that prior to the 2027 tournament. Cummins has tentatively indicated he has eyes on captaining again to defend the title but he, too, will be a key figure in a heavy Test run.Australia’s pace stocks are strong, although Lance Morris’ withdrawal from the South Africa series with another back problem is a concern and Jhye Richardson is still a long way off a potential return.However, Xavier Bartlett has made a very promising start and Nathan Ellis will have the chance to build on his T20 pedigree. It was eye-catching to see the inclusion of Tom Straker and Callum Vidler, recent members of the Under-19 set-up, in the Australia A one-day squad for the India tour next month and it’s possible that generation, which also includes Mahli Beardman, starts to emerge in time for 2027, although the following cycle is perhaps more realistic.South Africa need to fine-tune their bowling combination•AFP/Getty Images Specialist bowlers or allrounders for South Africa?Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi were not part of the T20I series as South Africa placed a premium on allrounders, but Maharaj is back for the ODIs, alongside Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrayen, which suggests there is still some experimentation on the go.Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch make up the seam-bowling allrounder contingent and will likely compete for one spot in the absence of Marco Jansen, who is recovering from a thumb surgery and is not part of this squad.Jansen’s return will crowd the field even more, which leaves South Africa with a problem of plenty and a question of how to find the best combination. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka and Nandre Burger are the specialist seamers, so there is a lot to work with and getting it right will be key before the title tilt at home.

South Africa’s all-right-hand batting lineup faces a growing test against left-arm spin, a tactic opponents are exploiting early in the tournament

Vishal Dikshit08-Oct-20254:32

Preview: Left-arm spin to the fore in Vizag?

Around the time Pakistan’s Nashra Sandhu was running through the Australia middle order in Colombo with her left-arm spin on Wednesday, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was taking left-arm spin throwdowns in Visakhapatnam to prep for their next clash. That match is against South Africa, who had dramatically crumbled to the left-arm spin of Linsey Smith in their opening game.The theme of left-arm spin kicked off this World Cup especially after South Africa had rolled over for 69 in Guwahati, that too against the new ball, when Smith struck in each of her first three overs with deceptive use of her drift and natural variations. If Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits hardly moved their feet, Marizanne Kapp tried to reach the pitch of the ball and still saw the ball go through the gate, making the top order look clueless against left-arm spin.But do South Africa really have a problem against left-arm spin?Related

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Wolvaardt had been prepping with batting coach Baakier Abrahams on match eve for England’s left-arm spinning duo of Smith and Sophie Ecclestone, and the use of Smith with the new ball turned out to be key for England. It was, however, no surprise that Wolvaardt dismissed any similarities between that and how South Africa lost six wickets to Sandhu – four by the 17th over – in the third ODI against Pakistan just before the World Cup, because in the series before that, South Africa didn’t look troubled while facing left-arm spin against West Indies and in the tri-series involving India and Sri Lanka earlier this year. In fact, since the start of 2024, the South Africa batters average a solid 42.50 against left-arm spin, which ranks third among Full Member teams, after England and Australia.But it’s for a reason that England handed the new ball to Smith as soon as they opted to field. South Africa’s scoring troubles against left-arm spin appear more prominent when the ball is new: since the start of 2024 and until that match against England, South Africa had been scoring at just 4.03 an over in the powerplay against left-arm spin – much slower than England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and India – even if they weren’t losing as many wickets (just three in 192 balls).1:33

De Klerk: ‘We do expect to be spin-heavy for game against India’

England were also not the first ones to use the left-arm spin threat against South Africa, who have faced the most such deliveries since the start of 2024 (192 in 11 innings), while India have had to face just 120 such balls in 10 innings. Even if England employed Smith early on to put the brakes on South Africa, the Guwahati pitch that had turn and grip on offer worked wonders for her, while the South Africa batters played the wrong lines.It obviously doesn’t help South Africa that their entire line-up is stacked with only right-hand batters, which gives the opposition the luxury of attacking or strangling them with left-arm spinners. It’s a tactic New Zealand, South Africa’s next opponents, could not employ as their only left-arm spinner – the uncapped Flora Devonshire – was ruled out of the World Cup just before their clash, and South Africa had no issues in tackling the New Zealand’s offspinner or legspinner on a much flatter track in Indore.But why are left-arm spinners tougher to face for right-hand batters than offspinners or legspinners?”…Especially with the conditions that we’ve got in Guwahati and in Sri Lanka with the ball gripping and turning a bit, it’s always an advantage for a [left-arm] fingerspinner,” India’s Jemimah Rodrigues said on Wednesday. “And if someone has that good quality who can mix it up with bowling in (angling it in) and bowling out (turning it away), I think that’s where the challenge comes. I think it’s always great to have a good left-arm spinner on your team.”Laura Wolvaardt will be key for South Africa against India’s spin threat•ICC/Getty ImagesCome Thursday, South Africa will be up against a team who have two left-arm spinners in the squad, even though only Shree Charani has played the two India games so far while Radha Yadav has sat out. Whatever the conditions in Visakhapatnam, if India pick the more experienced Radha as well, it will surely plant a seed of doubt in South Africa’s mind of how to go about their approach against them.It’s not all doom and gloom for them though. Even if South Africa have the third-worst powerplay scoring rate (2.60) and the most wickets lost (three) against left-arm spinners in the early stages of this World Cup, they can take confidence from the fact that their captain Wolvaardt, who opens the innings, doesn’t fall too often to left-arm spinners and has largely picked up her scoring rate against them since her debut in 2016, averaging 67 and 51 while facing them in 2024 and 2025 respectively. South Africa will hope she leads them from the front on Thursday and then against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan as well, who can all slot a few left-arm spinners in their XIs.

Three promising players, and an umpire, made their Test debuts in Sylhet

Mohammad Isam11-Nov-2025It was the day of the debutants in Sylhet. Cade Carmichael, 23, and Jordan Neill, 19, provided a glimpse into Ireland’s future while 24-year-old Hasan Murad showed why he’s a highly-rated left-arm spinner in Bangladesh domestic cricket. Australian umpire Sam Nogajski also made a sound start to his Test career as an umpire.At the end of the first day’s play, there was no discussion about Nogajski, which should serve as good news for the debuting umpire. The three rookie players headlined the day with their strong first impressions.Carmichael scored 59 off 129 balls from No.3 while Neill made 30 off 60 balls from No.8. Murad, meanwhile, returned 2 for 47 in his 20 overs.Carmichael proved the perfect foil for the aggressive Paul Stirling during their 96-run partnership. He struck the ball sweetly to go with some flourish in his followthrough. Ireland then suffered a middle-order slump but despite wickets falling at the other end, Neill batted confidently.Gary Wilson, the Ireland batting coach, said that both Carmichael and Neill earned their places in the Test side.”I think they’re both very, very exciting talents,” Wilson said. “I think that they both performed well. They acquitted themselves very well in Test-match cricket and showed good method at times. They dealt with some pretty good bowling upfront from Bangladesh. I think they can be relatively pleased with their Test debuts.”Carmichael was born in South Africa where he attended Kearsney College, known for producing international cricketers like Andrew Hudson, Kyle Abott and Chad Bowes. Carmichael, however, played most of his formative cricket in Ireland. He was impressive in his lead-up to the ODI debut in May this year, before he made many others sit up and take notice of his talent in his first foray into Test cricket in Sylhet.Like Carmichael, Neill was born in South Africa but played most of his formative cricket in Ireland.”I think they’re the future, but I also think that they’re the now. They are playing on their own merit,” Wilson said. “Cade has come off the back of heavy scoring in domestic. He has good attributes that we like. He looked very accomplished on his ODI debut against West Indies earlier in the year.”[Carmichael] is someone that we have high hopes for. He looks like a very good player. He is only 23. Jordan is only 20 [19]. They are both players for the future and hopefully they can go and have long careers, but they’re also players for the right now.”Related

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As for Murad, he showcased his accuracy and flight, skills that have fetched him a bagful of domestic wickets, when he dismissed Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker. Murad is one of only three bowlers to take 150 first-class wickets in Bangladesh since 2021, the others being the Test bowlers Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan.”I thought [the Bangladesh spinners] bowled accurately,” Wilson said. “It didn’t spin a huge amount in the first couple of sessions and then we began to see more spin towards the end of the day. They made us play if we wanted to take an attacking option. There wasn’t many freebies on board. They made us work for our runs.”Murad faces stiff competition from Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz who are Bangladesh’s first choice spinners in home Tests while Nayeem has been their designated understudy since 2018. There’s also hope that wristspinner Rishad Hossain will make the step-up to Test cricket soon while the likes of Nasum Ahmed and Tanvir Islam are white-ball regulars.Bangladesh, though, need to prepare for life after Taijul, who will turn 34 next February. They are already without Shakib Al Hasan for more than a year, so now it’s time to look into the future and groom Murad.

Leeds United had a standout away record to thank for Championship promotion last season, with only three losses picked up all campaign long on the road.

Worryingly, this season, the Whites have already lost four games on their travels in the unnerving environment of the Premier League, despite only being away from Elland Road a slim total of five times.

The well-oiled machine Daniel Farke had at his disposal in the second tier is now nowhere to be found, with Leeds fortunate to only lose 3-0 at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion last time out.

Some of Leeds’ summer pick-ups have still impressed, though, as Farke hopes the blistering exploits of Noah Okafor down the wings can be one overwhelming positive that steers the West Yorkshire outfit to safety.

Okafor's impressive Leeds start

There would have been a lot of pressure on Okafor’s shoulders to instantly impress, too, having come in as Leeds’ most expensive capture this summer at the £18m mark.

Thankfully, even if the collective hasn’t always clicked, the Swiss has managed to stand out as a bright, forward-thinking spark on the left wing.

Two goals have already come the forward’s way, with his front-foot approach – which saw him complete a tricky five dribbles versus Brighton – also earning him various plaudits, while other Leeds attackers have receded into their shells, trying to valiantly compete in the daunting division.

Indeed, ex-Leeds defender Aidy White has singled out Okafor for praise for being “so direct” in his style, which – in tow – has gifted the Elland Road side a “massive threat” going forward, according to the Irishman.

Of course, the £18m winger can’t do everything on his own, with his risky style of play sometimes backfiring.

But, he could be crucial in the long run, especially if Leeds need a moment of split-second magic to unlock a tiring defence in a basement battle clash.

Chalkboard

The U21 ranks in West Yorkshire could even be brewing another Okafor-like ace in an exciting 18-year-old sensation.

Leeds' next Noah Okafor

Leeds has a rich recent history when it comes to unearthing some exceptionally talented young gems, with Farke directly responsible for Archie Gray’s crazy ascent to first-team greatness.

While Archie’s brother, Harry, looks like the most exciting prospect in the Thorp Arch academy right now, another teenager by the name of Harvey Vincent will hope he’s the next off the homegrown conveyor belt to make an instant impression in the senior ranks when he’s handed an eventual chance.

He has already been described as an “unpredictable” attacker to keep tabs on – much like Okafor – by Pure Football writer Trent Gaffney and looks like a genuinely exciting young talent.

Lining up in the same set-up as the highly-rated Gray regularly this season, Vincent has still managed to stick out as a talent noted for being able to “tear you apart in seconds” as Gaffney further elaborates, with his late effort (video above) last time out against Brighton U21s securing a 2-2 draw.

In total, now, lining up for both the U18s and U21s, Vincent has 14 goals and eight assists next to his name, with his tricks and flicks thankfully backed up by some impressive output, much like Okafor has managed in the senior Leeds ranks, since moving to England.

LW

15

5 + 1

RW

12

2 + 1

RM

12

5 + 1

CF

2

0

LM

2

0

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1

0

Vincent could also be useful to Farke in the near future when studying his adaptability for the cause, with the two-time England U16 international even lining up as a defensive midfielder and a striker on occasion.

Okafor can also be equally as malleable, having lined up across all of the forward positions for former employers AC Milan, from slotting in as a second striker or coming into the side down the alternate right wing.

The electric Leeds number 19 even stated, while still at the San Siro, that he is at “the coach’s disposal” as to where he can line up.

Having recently penned a professional deal to keep him at Leeds until 2027, too, the future certainly looks bright for Vincent in West Yorkshire.

It will now rest on Vincent being able to live up to his potential, with Leeds potentially gaining another Okafor-like menace in the process.

Leeds star was "indispensable" to Farke, now he's as droppable as Aaronson

This Leeds United star who was once dubbed as a necessary cog is now struggling in the Premier League.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 5, 2025

Babar and Rizwan have been named in the ODI squad while Afridi is part of both the limited-over squads

Danyal Rasool25-Jul-2025Uncapped batter Hasan Nawaz has been handed his maiden ODI call-up as Pakistan announced a 16-member squad for their upcoming three-match series against West Indies. Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi has also returned to the T20I squad; the fast bowler has also been named in the ODI squad.The 22-year-old Nawaz has had an eventful, contrasting start to his international career, scoring consecutive ducks in his first two T20Is against New Zealand in March. He followed it up with the fastest T20I hundred by a Pakistani in his third international outing. Those wild oscillations in fortunes have continued, though the explosiveness of his highs has made him an integral part of Pakistan’s T20I side. Runs against Bangladesh in each of the three T20Is at home were followed up by two ducks in the corresponding series that ended earlier this week.Hasan Ali, meanwhile, returns to the T20I squad. He did not feature in Pakistan’s series in Bangladesh after a successful home series against the side, with the fast bowler playing in the T20 Blast with the Birmingham Bears. He has also been included in the ODI squad, putting him in line for a first appearance in the format since the 2023 World Cup. Meanwhile, Salman Mirza and Abbas Afridi are among the players who played in Bangladesh axed, though Mohammad Nawaz and Hussain Talat keep their places in both squads.The ODI series will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago on August 8, 10, and 12.Pakistan will also feature in a three-match T20I series against West Indies, set to take place on July 31, August 2 and 3 at the Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, USA.ESPNcricinfoPakistan have, of late, found themselves deprioritising the ODI format in favour of T20I cricket. With the T20 World Cup just over six months away, the PCB has moved to ensure Pakistan play as much T20I cricket as possible as the team enters a new, transitional phase with their recently appointed white-ball coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha. In May, they scrapped the ODI leg of the home series against Bangladesh in favour of two additional T20Is, before scheduling issues meant those extra T20Is were scrapped after all. Last week, it was reported Pakistan favoured additional T20Is in place of the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, though the PCB did not officially confirm this.As such, this series is the first time Hesson takes charge of Pakistan’s ODI side. The side sees the return of Pakistan’s most marketable cricketers, with Babar Azam, captain Mohammad Rizwan, and fast bowlers Afridi and Naseem Shah returning. Among them, only Afridi, who was one of the standout performers in the recently-concluded PSL – where he led his side Lahore Qalandars to their third title – forces his way back into the T20 squad.The team will arrive in the USA on July 27, following the conclusion of their T20I series in Bangladesh.T20I squad: Salman Ali Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan MoqimODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim

A complete guide to the United States' year, including fixtures in qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup

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Peacock

Peacock are the home of all USWNT friendlies including their upcoming games against Brazil.

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Sling TV

Sling offers customers access to both truTV (Sling Blue) and TNT (Sling Blue & Sling Orange) as well as Telemundo for Spanish commentary coverage.

DVR capabilities: 50hrs – Unlimited

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Peacock

Peacock are the home of all USWNT friendlies including their upcoming games against Brazil.

DVR capabilities: No

Simultaneous streams: 3

Free trial: No

Monthly from

$7.99

Get PeacockBest flexibility

Sling TV

Sling offers customers access to both truTV (Sling Blue) and TNT (Sling Blue & Sling Orange) as well as Telemundo for Spanish commentary coverage.

DVR capabilities: 50hrs – Unlimited

Simultaneous streams: 1 – 3

Free trial: No

Monthly from

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Peacock

Peacock are the home of all USWNT friendlies including their upcoming games against Brazil.

DVR capabilities: No

Simultaneous streams: 3

Free trial: No

Monthly from

$7.99

Get PeacockBest flexibility

Sling TV

Sling offers customers access to both truTV (Sling Blue) and TNT (Sling Blue & Sling Orange) as well as Telemundo for Spanish commentary coverage.

DVR capabilities: 50hrs – Unlimited

Simultaneous streams: 1 – 3

Free trial: No

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The United States women's national team entered a new era in 2024, with Emma Hayes making an immediate impact on a group in need of exactly that. Within weeks of starting her new job, the former Chelsea boss guided the U.S. to Olympic gold, sending a message to the rest of the women's game as a new World Cup cycle begins.

The four-time world champion suffered its earliest Women's World Cup exit in Australia in 2023 and Vlatko Andonovski left his role as head coach as a result. It's been a delight for the nation to see the team return to a title-winning level so soon, then. Now, with plenty of time until the next major tournament, the 2027 Women's World Cup, Hayes can focus on developing this exciting young generation of players, ensuring they are ready to challenge for the World Cup.

GOAL has everything you need to know about the USWNT's schedule, its fixtures and results and how to watch the team in 2026…

ImagnWhat fixtures has the USWNT had in 2025?

The USWNT's first fixtures of 2025 came at the SheBelieves Cup, where it won twice but was ultimately beaten to the trophy by an impressive Japan team in a tournament that also featured Australia and Colombia. In April, Hayes' side took on another top international side when it welcomed Brazil for a double-header and two rematches of the 2024 Olympic final. The wins were split, there.

The U.S. continued has continued its winning into the summer months, with China, Jamaica, Ireland and Canada all beaten in recent outings.

AdvertisementWhat is on the USWNT's schedule in 2025?

The USWNT has five fixtures on its schedule for the remainder of the year, with a double-header against Portugal set to take place in late October before a clash with New Zealand follows. Hayes' side will then take on Italy in two friendlies in the last international break of 2025.

How to watch the USWNT in 2025

The rights to broadcast the USWNT are the same as the men’s team and are split across several networks. For English-speaking viewers, the rights are held by Warner Bros and Discovery Sports, with every game live on Peacock and Max (formerly HBO Max). Approximately 50 per cent of games are also shown live across the TNT Sports channels.

Turner channels are available through streaming services like Sling TV and DirecTV Stream.

For Spanish-speaking viewers, the rights are currently with Telemundo Deportes, which streams games on Peacock, Telemundo and Universo.

Find out more about the best packages to watch the USWNT here.

Watch the USWNT live on PeacockSubscribe todayENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesWhat is on the USWNT's schedule in 2026?

U.S. Soccer has already announced one fixture for the USWNT in 2026, that which will see the reigning Olympic champion take on Paraguay during its January training camp. Five official international breaks will follow that fixture, including the November window in which the U.S. will participate in the CONCACAF W Championship. The top four teams in that tournament will qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup, with two more places in the intercontinental play-off tournament also up for grabs.

Australia were on the brink on the fourth morning before Marnus Labuschagne absorbed pressure and paved the way for the lower order

Alex Malcolm29-Dec-2024Nathan Lyon has never heard a bigger roar for runs off his bat. For the first time since midway through day three, the Australian fans drowned out India’s supporters at the MCG.There was a heavy sigh of relief too, it seems. The two through midwicket in the last over of the day pushed Australia’s lead to 329, past the 328 India had chased down at the Gabba four years ago. It brought up an extraordinary half-century stand between Lyon and Scott Boland. Lyon added four more off the last ball of the day to equal his second-highest Test score of 41.Australia will sleep easier tonight than they might have otherwise. One wonders how their batters are sleeping at all due to Jasprit Bumrah, who once again dragged India back into the game with another extraordinary spell of bowling.Related

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Boxing Day Test 2024-25 – a match to remember for the lower order

But Marnus Labuschagne’s 70, and his half-century stand with Pat Cummins, before Lyon and Boland’s sit in, took the wind out of Bumrah and India late in the day.”There was a time there where [the lead] could have been 250, 270, maybe even less there for a bit,” Labuschagne said. “I think we navigated that really well and the lower order deserve a lot of credit for how they managed that last part.”Labuschagne also deserves enormous credit for one of his toughest Test innings. Having been under intense pressure for his place earlier in the series, he produced his second half-century of the match on a surface that was offering more seam and variable bounce on day four than it had done all Test match.He did so by taking India’s biggest threat all on his own after Bumrah had ripped the heart out of Australia’s top and middle-order with some help from Mohammed Siraj, who dismissed Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith playing loose strokes trying to profit while not trying to survive Bumrah.Marnus Labuschagne survived a fiery first session at the MCG•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesHe was nearly unplayable for most of his 24 overs. Bumrah snaked two balls back through the gate to Sam Konstas and Alex Carey to knock back middle stump, having tested them repeatedly with away-swingers in the lead-up.”I’m pretty sure the young guy got under his skin a bit,” Labuschagne said of Bumrah’s reaction to dismissing Konstas. “I’d say that had a bit of fair bit to do with it.”In between, he knocked over Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh in the same over as Australia lost 4 for 11 and were on the brink of trying to defend a total well under 250. Head chipped a catch to forward square before a ball from the same length bounced 40 centimetres higher to Marsh, who gloved it behind. Bumrah has bagged them twice each in this Test match for a total of five runs, the lowest-ever by an Australian five-six combination in a Test and Marsh is averaging 10.42 for the series and 8.33 in his Test career against Bumrah.That’s still better than Cummins, who had a career record of 8 for 51 against Bumrah when he walked to the crease. It led to an extraordinary situation of Labuschagne turning down singles to keep Australia’s captain away from Bumrah.”There would have been a lot [said about the fact] we weren’t taking all the ones,” Labuschagne said. “When Pat came out, I said to Sean Abbott, who is the 12th man, I think I should just face Bumrah here, because obviously I’d been batting for maybe 90 balls or something and I had a fair feeling lining him up, and he was hot.”He got three wickets in two overs. I just said to Pat when he came out, what do you think? I’ll just take Bumrah and we can run on the other guys but let’s just make sure that I’m at the non-striker’s end at the end of each over to make sure that if Bumrah bowls it I can just face as many overs as we can. And we kind of stuck to that process.”Pat Cummins helped Australia stretch their lead past the 250-mark•Getty ImagesMuch was made of Labuschagne’s approach to Bumrah in Perth where he barely offered a shot. That approach still had question marks leading into this Test as Nathan McSweeney paid a price for having too similar a style to Labuschagne. Konstas was picked to throw something different at Bumrah which he did so successfully in the first innings.But Labuschagne’s methods have stood up. Only three players in Test cricket have faced more than 300 deliveries from Bumrah and Labuschagne has the highest average of 42 and has only been dismissed twice. Only five players have a higher average against Bumrah overall and Aiden Markram is the only right-hander among them. The only other Australian aside from Labuschagne and Konstas to average more than 26 against Bumrah is Marcus Harris, who was not selected in this series. He averaged 35 against him in 2018-19, but Bumrah had just 28 Test wickets at 25.57 back then, compared to 202 at 19.51 now.Labuschagne’s method works against the master, despite the optics. He was beaten 12 times today but played the line and never once nicked him. It was pure grit and determination as opposed to Konstas’ flight and flash. Labuschagne had luck at the other end, dropped off Akash Deep on 46 playing a flirty late cut that had also brought him undone earlier in the series.He eventually fell lbw to Siraj to a ball that kept low and hit the stumps from a length of 8.1 metres. But his job was done. Cummins made the most runs he’s ever made in a Test match thanks to Labuschagne’s protection and Lyon and Boland added an extra layer of insurance to their fourth-innings defence.

“The way the wicket played and the way India bowled and came out and put us under pressure in that first 40 to 50 overs, that [declaration] wasn’t an option for us, and it became let’s get as many runs as we can”Marnus Labuschagne

There will be questions as to why Australia didn’t declare.”We obviously had the perfect outcome for us and that probably looked like having a bowl tonight and putting them under pressure,” Labuschagne said. “But the way the wicket played and the way India bowled and came out and put us under pressure in that first 40 to 50 overs, that [declaration] wasn’t an option for us, and it became let’s get as many runs as we can.”In the past India’s middle to lower order have been very good. Obviously we want to make sure we get enough runs, but I think we also need to back ourselves and trust that we can bowl India out.”Both Bumrah and the ghosts of the Gabba continue to haunt Australia. But Labuschagne, Cummins, Lyon and Boland found a way to give them a decent night’s rest ahead of an enthralling final day.

Unlike in the National League, where Shohei Ohtani was unanimously voted as the league MVP, the result of the American League MVP award was always going to be more heavily disputed. There were two very worthy finalists in Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, both of whom enjoyed fantastic seasons.

In the end, Judge won. It’s hard to argue that he wasn’t deserving, even if there’s a laundry list of reasons Raleigh was deserving. The decision from the Baseball Writers Association of America to select Judge was a narrow one. The Yankees outfielder took home 17 of the 30 first-place votes, with Raleigh claiming the other 13. Neither player received a single vote below second place. Judge had 13 second-place votes, and Raleigh had 17. Judge won by 20 points, 355–335, in what was an incredibly close race.

Judge’s second straight AL MVP win led to plenty of discussion on social media among MLB fans. There were mixed feelings about the result, with some supportive of the decision to name Judge MVP, due to his prolific hitting numbers, while others were upset, feeling that Raleigh was robbed after a historic season.