Liverpool are keen to see an upturn in performances under Arne Slot, and they could be set to target a free agent manager familiar to supporters if they fail to improve over the coming weeks.

Arne Slot looks to revive Liverpool's Premier League season

Credit in the bank goes a long way, and the Anfield hierarchy won’t forget Slot’s exploits last season as he took the Reds to a second title of the Premier League era. However, they have failed to claim the desired results in recent times, causing anxiety among their support.

Regardless, the Dutchman has vowed to fight for his future at Liverpool and appears uncompromising in his vision to help the club rediscover their form, claiming that his side will find the answers to their problems before too long.

He said before his side took on West Ham United: “We’ve had the same conversations we’ve had since I am here. We fight on. We will try to improve. You try to find the answers of what is needed to win a game of football but in the end it is about doing what this club is about.

“We have to keep fighting, fight together. But it would also be nice if we rewarded ourselves in the moments we play well. People are focused correctly on the parts where we don’t play well.”

However, Liverpool appear to be in the process of profiling potential alternatives to Slot, with Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique high on FSG’s radar should they eventually decide to make a change.

Nevertheless, the Reds could be about to go in a totally different direction, one that will surprise supporters if recent developments do indeed come to fruition.

Liverpool cast attention to Brendan Rodgers and Andoni Iraola

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool could replace Slot with former boss Brendan Rodgers or Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, as the Dutchman’s future on Merseyside becomes increasingly unclear.

A return for Rodgers would be remarkable considering he previously served as manager of the English giants between 2012 and 2014, coming incredibly close to delivering their first Premier League title before leaving the season after. Described as “world-class” by Gabriel Agbonlahor, he has since won multiple league titles with Celtic.

Meanwhile, Iraola’s stint at Bournemouth has won plenty of plaudits across the nation, and both coaches are willing to listen to Liverpool should they be approached over taking on the potential vacancy.

He'd unlock Wirtz: Liverpool considering Klopp 2.0 who's “best coach in PL”

Arne Slot is under intense pressure after Liverpool lost a ninth time from 12 matches.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 28, 2025

FSG aren’t in a rush to make a decision, suggesting Slot will be given time to revive the Reds’ fortunes as they look towards a heavy period of festive fixtures.

Either way, there is pressure on the Dutchman, and it may be a telling sign that they already have replacements in their eyeline should their patchy form continue.

Parent company of Major League Cricket takes legal action over termination of commercial agreement

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2025There has been a power struggle at the heart of cricket in the USA for over a month now and it escalated on Tuesday, with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the parent company of Major League Cricket (MLC), taking USA Cricket (USAC) to court for “improper termination” of their contract.The two parties had been commercial partners since May 2019 but a few weeks ago USAC ended it saying ACE had failed to “fulfill its contractual and fiduciary obligations”, including payments due to the national team and support staff. ACE disputed this, claiming it had actually offered more than the agreed amount.An ACE press release said on Wednesday: “USAC’s handling of the ACE agreement has been chaotic and reckless. It is emblematic of USAC’s bad faith. A small group of USAC directors have chosen to prioritize politics rather than preparing teams that can build on their recent successes.”These actions have jeopardized ACE’s significant investments into U.S. cricket over the last six years, as well as the continued success of cricket in the U.S.”USAC’s wrongful conduct cannot go unanswered, so today, ACE filed legal proceedings against USAC regarding its improper termination of the ACE agreement.”This situation has caused unease among the USA players. ACE runs the highest profile cricket tournament in the country – MLC – and the development league associated with it – Minor League Cricket. It also owns the ground that houses the High Performance Centre at Grand Prairie in Dallas, Texas and operates other facilities in Morrisville, Florida and California.At the time of USAC terminating its deal with ACE, on August 21, it said it was open to renegotiations. Seven days later, it even suspended the decision to cut ties. On September 16, however, “USAC then unilaterally reinstated its original termination, effective today, without holding any meaningful discussions directly with ACE”.Johnny Grave ACE chief executive, said, “We’re disappointed with the actions of USA Cricket. For the last six years, ACE has been focused on the athletes, fans, and partners who have helped develop US cricket. We have commenced legal proceedings against USAC to prevent the irreparable harm caused by its wrongful termination of the ACE agreement and to protect the thriving cricket community that ACE has cultivated in America.”This standoff is taking place two months after the successful staging of the 2025 MLC season and less than six months out from the men’s T20 World Cup. USA are due to participate in that tournament in India and Sri Lanka and ACE had planned a training camp for 35 top men’s players with trial matches – three 50-over games and three T20s – in Morrisville against West Indies A.”Is that all still taking place or not? These camps have to take place for the players to get ready for those things,” USA allrounder Corey Anderson said recently. “All of those things are very much in a big question mark at the moment, which again just creates more uncertainty around the players.”

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

England batter’s stamina and endurance to the fore during record-breaking triple-hundred

Matt Roller10-Oct-20240:57

England rewrite the record books vs. Pakistan

It was like watching Eliud Kipchoge run: the pace was remarkable enough in itself, but the ability to sustain it across such a long period of time defied logic. Harry Brook batted for seven hours, spending 97.4 overs in the stifling heat and facing 322 balls – all while scoring at a run a ball. This was Brook’s Multan marathon, an epic feat of endurance and stamina.Brook is 25 years old, and this was the first time in his lifetime that an England batter had scored a triple-century; his 317 was the fifth-highest score in England’s Test history. This pitch was desperately flat, offering nothing to Pakistan’s weary bowlers, but Brook put on a batting clinic which laid bare both his singular focus and his hunger for runs.This was not an innings that Brook could have played 12 months ago. He missed England’s tour to India at the start of the year to be with his grandmother, who was on her deathbed, and spent the time away from cricket “trying to lose a bit of weight and trying to get leaner”. It has reaped rewards, allowing him to withstand the physical challenge of batting in these conditions.Related

• Joe Root: Harry Brook's 317 is just the first of his 'monster' scores

• Joe Root: 'Earning the right to win' was England's motivation in historic batting display

• Stats – England's mammoth total, Brook and Root pile on records

• Root and Brook hit big centuries to make Pakistan's 556 look inadequate

• England seize opportunity after Brook triple, Root double flatten Pakistan

“That three-month period I had at the start of the year was massive for me,” Brook said. “I obviously lost a bit of weight, and tried to get as fit as possible by eating well, running and gymming. If I hadn’t done that, I’d have probably got to 150 and just slogged one up in the air. It’s made a difference, for sure.”Brook ran and ran and ran. During Brook’s time in the middle, the vast majority spent alongside Joe Root in a mammoth 454-run partnership, England scored 199 singles, 55 twos and 11 threes: he covered more than four miles running between the wickets alone. He looked utterly exhausted when celebrating his double-hundred, after batting through the first session.Yet after a nutrition shake, some food and plenty of fluids at the interval, Brook found another gear after lunch. He scored 99 runs off 65 balls in the afternoon session as he laid into the occasional spin of Salman Agha and Saim Ayub, whom he swatted disdainfully down the ground to reach 300. It was outrageous batting, and his scoring rate enabled a declaration before tea.Until he miscued a sweep to backward square leg on 317, Brook looked as though he had a realistic opportunity not only to break England’s record score, Len Hutton’s 364, but to overtake Brian Lara’s world-record 401 not out too. He did not offer a genuine chance at any stage in his innings, or even have a review to worry about.ESPNcricinfo LtdHis one scare came on the third evening. On 75, Brook defended a ball from Aamer Jamal into the crease, only for it to bounce up and hit him on the chin. It dribbled past his attempt to kick it away and into the stumps, but was moving so slowly that it did not dislodge the bails. Having seen both Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett give hundreds away, Brook resolved not to.It was only a month ago that Brook was bored out by Sri Lanka’s seamers at The Oval, letting his frustrations get the better of him as they hung the ball wide outside his off stump. His character and mentality were called into question: this innings was an unequivocal response to that criticism.Perhaps Pakistan should have borrowed the same template. “Our plan was to bowl pretty straight – and when we did that, we did quite well,” Jason Gillespie, their coach, said on the third evening. “But on reflection I would’ve just liked us to just sit in a bit longer, be a little bit more patient and just a little bit more disciplined.”They occasionally tested out the perception that Brook has a weakness against the short ball, and proved that the theory is not watertight. When Shaheen Shah Afridi slammed the ball in halfway down, Brook simply ran down the pitch, gave himself room and flat-batted him away for four.Brook at his best reduces batting to its first principles, hitting the ball where the fielders aren’t. It was the theme of how he played on the fourth day: charging down to launch Jamal over cover; standing dead-still to uppercut Naseem Shah’s short ball over third man, and falling over to the off side to scoop over his left shoulder.Harry Brook became the first England batter in 34 years to score a triple-century•Getty ImagesThis innings also extended Brook’s scarcely believable record in Pakistan, the country where he has felt “at home” since playing for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL two-and-a-half years ago. In fact, he has been significantly better there than when actually playing at home: Brook has now scored more Test runs in Pakistan (785 in six innings) than in England (761 in 21).Root was on 82 when Brook came in at No. 5 on the third afternoon; by the time he was dismissed for 262 on the fourth, Brook had 260. Their partnership was the biggest in England’s history and a combination between the two Yorkshiremen who fuse the past and the future of their Test team with the present.After overtaking Alastair Cook on Wednesday, Root will likely put the England record for Test runs out of reach in the next few years. If there is anyone who can catch him from their current batch of young batters, it is surely Brook: this was his first double-hundred in first-class cricket, let alone triple, but he has a rare blend of talent and temperament.Brook will face new challenges next year: his first full series against India, whom he has only played once, and his first tour to Australia. It remains to be seen how he will fare against two of the world’s best attacks on pitches that will pose more issues than this one, but the evidence of his career so far suggests that he should be up to the task.

Garrett Crochet had a pretty nice night against the Yankees on Sunday. The Red Sox starter went six full innings and struck out 12 batters to help Boston snap a three-game losing streak and salvage the final game of a weekend series against New York.

He also fell down on a play that probably terrified fans.

Facing Jose Caballero with two outs and a runner on first, Crochet went to deliver the 0-1 pitch and completely lost his footing. His left foot turned towards second and he slipped. His right foot came down and then he threw the ball away as he took a seat.

Jazz Chisholm advanced to second while Red Sox fans held their breath. Luckily, Crochet was able to get up, dig back in at the rubber and strike out Caballero a few pitches later.

Crochet would give up a home run to Aaron Judge the next inning, but still escaped with the incredibly important win. Boston is currently in position for the second AL wild card with 12 games remaining in the season.

يخوض فريق الاتحاد السعودي مواجهة قوية أمام نظيره الدحيل القطري، مساء اليوم الإثنين، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا.

وتقام المباراة بين الاتحاد والدحيل على أرضية ملعب عبد الله بن خليفة بالعاصمة القطرية الدوحة، في إطار منافسات مرحلة المجموعة من دوري أبطال آسيا.

يدخل الاتحاد السعودي مواجهة الدحيل وهو يحتل المركز السادس في ترتيب مجموعته بدوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة برصيد 6 نقاط جمعها من انتصارين وخسارتين بعد مرور أربع جولات.

ويطمح الاتحاد إلى تحقيق الفوز ورفع رصيده إلى 9 نقاط، لتعزيز فرصه في المنافسة على التأهل، خصوصًا بعد النتائج المتقلبة التي شهدها خلال الفترة الماضية في البطولة القارية.​

طالع.. فيديو | الهلال يفوز على الغرافة بثنائية ويواصل تصدر دوري أبطال آسيا

أما الدحيل القطري فيدخل اللقاء محتلاً المركز السابع بالمجموعة برصيد 4 نقاط فقط، وذلك بعد فوزه في مباراة واحدة وتعادله مرة وخسارته في مباراتين، ويأمل الدحيل في الاستفادة من اللعب على أرضه وبين جماهيره. موعد مباراة الاتحاد والدحيل في دوري أبطال آسيا

تقام المباراة بين الاتحاد والدحيل، اليوم الإثنين في تمام السادسة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، الساعة السابعة مساء بتوقيت مكة المكرمة والدوحة. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة الاتحاد والدحيل في دوري أبطال آسيا

تنقل مباراة الاتحاد والدحيل عبر قنوات ” beIN SPORTS 2 HD “، وقناة “الكأس 5”. معلقو مباراة الاتحاد والدحيل في دوري أبطال آسيا

ويتولى الثنائي المعلق حفيظ دراجي، وخالد الحدي، مهمة التعليق على أحداث المباراة.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا

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

Editor's pick

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

$40

Get Sling TVEditor's pick

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

$40

Get Sling TVEditor's pick

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

$40

Get Sling TV

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?

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

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.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras fechou 2023 com R$ 839 milhões em receita, valor acima do previsto pelo clube, mas terminou a última temporada com superávit de R$ 8.525 milhões, abaixo do que a diretoria havia orçado.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPortuguesa x Palmeiras: onde assistir ao vivo, escalações e horário do jogo pelo PaulistãoPalmeiras28/02/2024NotíciasSem vantagem? Confira o placar mais comum entre Palmeiras e PortuguesaNotícias27/02/2024PalmeirasPalmeiras emite nota e defende Abel Ferreira de ataques de ex-presidente do CorinthiansPalmeiras27/02/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Os números do balancete financeiro de dezembro ainda não foram auditados, mas a previsão de receita feita pelo clube para 2023 era de R$ 704 milhões. Porém, o Palmeiras recebeu R$ 187 milhões acima do previsto com direitos de transmissão, arrecadação de jogos e negociações de atletas.

No caso do superávit, a expectativa era fechar o último ano com R$ 13.845 milhões, mas o dinheiro que “sobrou” nas contas após o pagamento das despesas foi de R$ 8.525 milhões.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

A diretoria alviverde costuma adotar postura conservadora ao orçar as metas de premiação, por isso a previsão era de R$ 40 milhões. Contudo, o Palmeiras obteve R$ 79 milhões em premiações na última temporada, turbinado pelas conquistas da Supercopa, Paulistão e Brasileirão.

Tudo sobre

Palmeiras

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

'He'll push through' – Carey confident Starc won't let back issue keep him out of SCG Test

India, and Bumrah, fall short in compelling push for perfection

Bumrah gets to 200 wickets with the best average in Test cricket

Lyon, Boland frustrate India after Bumrah rips through middle-order

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.