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The allrounder admits white-ball cricket has taken a backseat in the last 12 months but believes he can shine in the format

Andrew McGlashan15-Sep-2025Beau Webster is keen to push his credentials as a one-day cricketer ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup although concedes the white-ball formats have taken a backseat in recent times amid his rise to Test cricket.Webster will feature at the start of the One-Day Cup for Tasmania this week when they begin their campaign against New South Wales in Sydney on Tuesday before facing Victoria in Brisbane on Friday ahead of the Sheffield Shield early next month.Webster’s List A record with the bat is middling – an average of 30.31 and strike rate of 77.10 – with his only century coming back in 2017 for a Cricket Australia XI when they fielded a development side in the one-day competition.Related

• Maxwell named for 50-over return for Victoria despite ODI retirement

• Webster happy to scrap for Ashes spot with Green's return to bowling on track

• Doggett 'definitely ready' if Ashes reinforcements needed

Having made 315 runs at 52.50 in the 2023-24 season he managed just 31 in three innings last summer, although impressed with the ball as he claimed 16 wickets at 9.56 including a career-best 6 for 17 against Western Australia at the WACA when the home side suffered an astonishing collapse of 8 for 1.”I’d love to play white-ball cricket for Australia,” Webster told ESPNcricinfo. “Probably more so one-day cricket than T20 at this stage. It just feels a bit like I haven’t played it for a long time.”The last 12 months I’ve been solely focused on red-ball cricket and that’s in county cricket, Shield cricket and Test cricket. It feels like I’ve hardly hit a white ball and the things that go along with training for white-ball is a lot different than they are for red-ball.”I feel like my red-ball game’s in a really good place and I’ve got my preparation down to a tee. I suppose that I haven’t really thought too much about it [white-ball cricket] but obviously if the opportunity came and they needed what I do, I’d absolutely jump at it and love to represent the country in the colours.”The next men’s 50-over tournament is the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia which will be held in October and November of that year. Webster’s brisk medium pace and batting strength against pace bowling could be suited to conditions in Southern Africa.Australia’s 50-over side is going through something of a transition, especially in the batting, following the retirements of Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell. Aaron Hardie struggled in the No. 7 role in his recent opportunities against South Africa. Webster’s Tasmania team-mate Mitchell Owen had been due to feature in the series before suffering concussion.”I hope I’m in the conversation if I can continue to score runs in the One-Day Cup for Tasmania and Test level”•AFP/Getty Images

“I think if you’re scoring runs and taking wickets in Test cricket, you’re always going to be seen as an option,” Webster said. “If you’re doing it at that level…there are a lot of transferable skills across from Test cricket to one-day cricket. So I hope I’m in the conversation if I can continue to score runs in the One-Day Cup for Tasmania and Test level. I hope my name gets thrown around for a potential debut.”Webster plans to play most, if not all, of Tasmania’s cricket before the start of the Ashes – where he potentially faces a selection squeeze depending on how the team is balanced – although may have his bowling workload managed as the first part of the season progresses.”I think I’ll try and definitely play all four of them [the Shield matches] and try and get Tassie off to a good start and get us to the top end of the table,” he said. “Then the bowling side of things we just might have to manage a little bit if we end up bowling a little bit too much. Those last two games might be managed a little bit, but I’ll be at all four.”On the theme of white-ball cricket, Webster has moved home to defending champions Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL although if he is part of the Ashes series he may not feature until after the final Test and he’s realistic that it will be a challenge to get into the line-up.”I think it’s going to be a hard-fought top six to get into,” he said. “We’ve kept the majority of the list from the title-winning team there and everyone wants to bat at Bellerive. It’s a great place to bat and we’ve got some world-class batters in that XI. Hopefully I can be with the Ashes series for all five Tests and then come back to the Hurricanes and play a role if they need me.”

The league has morphed into a mature, austere version that suits it better than the glamour and grandeur it initially aimed for

Danyal Rasool09-Apr-2025A decade is never not a milestone, but it can also be an awkward period of time to draw any conclusions from. It’s probably a bit too late to begin evaluating whether you have made the right career choice, and hopefully too early to determine if you have got enough by way of retirement savings. It’s often best looked at through the softened sepia tint of hindsight, which has its own gentle way of smoothing out the roughest edges of circumstance, superimposing melancholy contentment where raw pain once existed. That might make any objective assessment difficult, but it’s always deeply personal.As Pakistan’s own T20 competition hits that milestone, what to make of it remains elusive, and personal. The Pakistan Super League launched its own official song for the tournament a few days out from its start, predictably drawing strong opinions on ultimately inconsequential promotional filler. The slogan it came up with – X – could perhaps be characterised the same way, though, corny pun aside, it gets something fundamental about this tournament right. This is an X to be interpreted rather than solved, with the PSL choosing to focus on the sense of belonging and connection with Pakistan, not the glamour or any delusions of grandeur that, at present, are hard to seriously keep up in Pakistan cricket.Much as the PSL would like to stand out as an independent entity, its fanbase is primarily Pakistan cricket’s fanbase, and the league starts at a time when Pakistan’s worn-down supporters have flitted from hope to disappointment and heartbreak in six months of non-stop international cricket. It’s impossible to say this is the nadir, but it does feel Pakistan appear to have left no stone unturned in their search. Stop-gap solutions for structural problems, the hounding out of high-profile coaching staff they had spent a fortune chasing, the appointments and sackings of captains on an almost monthly basis all culminated in an embarrassing early exit in a Champions Trophy they hosted before three weeks of humbling defeats in New Zealand rubbed salt into their wounds.Related

• Warner to lead Karachi Kings in PSL 2025

• Can Karachi end playoffs jinx, and will spin issues cost Lahore?

That is the backdrop to the tenth anniversary of a league that deserves better. It has become a financial lifeline for the PCB over the years, one of the few brands associated with Pakistan that has actually appreciated in value. It laid the groundwork for Pakistan’s international isolation to end, and has inculcated a sense of regional identity that was never possible in the domestic first-class structure due to perpetual rejigging. Now, perhaps, it is also an escape if you want to watch Pakistan cricket without the sadness that watching Pakistan cricket evokes in so many.The danger of stagnation, though, is ever-present, and, with all six franchises up for rebidding at the end of its tenth year, potentially existential. The most dominant theme in the build-up week of the tournament, tellingly, has been a constantly escalating attack on the management of the PSL by one of the franchise owners. Multan Sultans’ Ali Tareen accused the PCB of letting the league embrace mediocrity, sparking a contretemps with Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal, who accused Tareen of “ridiculing and disrespecting” the league. They would later de-escalate, but it has shone a spotlight on how insecurities and fears about the future of the PSL run right to the top.No cricketer possibly did as much for the PSL – and Pakistan cricket – as Darren Sammy did•AFP via Getty ImagesThe PSL appears to have accepted that days of the league attracting the hottest properties in franchise cricket are behind them. The first pick for the first two seasons of the draft were Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum; this year it was Daryl Mitchell, last year David Willey. The glut of T20 leagues in a window the PSL believed it had to itself saw it constricted from either side when the UAE’s ILT20 and South Africa’s IPL-owners-backed SA20 popped up in the January-February window, drawing talent away. At the other end, the ever-expanding IPL began to spread into March, further reducing the PSL’s breathing space.As a result, the PSL made official what had been a de facto reality for several seasons, accepting its status as a second-tier league and moving directly into the IPL window. This change may not be permanent, and it divided opinion among the franchise owners, but operating in the IPL’s slipstream all but ended any issues around international clashes. While past seasons involved multiple late withdrawals, the replacement draft this time around comprised just two new picks, as just about every player who went unpicked at the IPL was available to the PSL.In its second season at the launch ceremony, the then PCB chairman unveiled the Spirit Trophy for the PSL, which, the official claim went, included 50,000 double-pointed Swarovski crystals. It took, the PCB’s website said, “inspiration from the brilliance of the universe”.Lahore Qalandars winning back-to-back PSL titles buoyed the city•AFP/Getty ImagesThat sort of vapid optimism of the early seasons has dulled, and, as the league bids farewell to its first decade, the pragmatism of middle age has replaced it. The aspiration for the PSL to become a global glamour brand never seemed tenable, but it has carved its way into Pakistan’s cultural identity. No one is pretending it will compete for international eyeballs while games clash directly with the IPL, but there is a recognition Pakistan was never doing this for anyone else, just for Pakistan.And a decade leaves memories Pakistan fans may cling to as a crutch in these unhappy times. Lahore’s overwhelming gratitude when Daren Sammy’s million-dollar smile lit up the Gaddafi Stadium for the first time in 2017 remains one of cricket’s most iconic recent days. So were Kings’ dismantling of arch-nemesis Lahore Qalandars at the National Stadium, Lahore’s emotions overflowing when they went back-to-back after years of propping up the table.It is perhaps the purest and least problematic fun to be had in Pakistan, something cricket fans may want more of, not less, as the international side recedes in relevance at the top end of the global game. Qalandars will take on Islamabad United – two sides as diametrically opposed as you’ll find anywhere in the franchise game – on the opening day. Perhaps, Kings have finally got it right this time under David Warner. Maybe Sultans will stop losing finals. None of it will make a cosmic difference large enough to suggest any inspiration from the brilliance of the universe. It is, after all, everyone’s ” X”. Not a bad way to end a decade.

Pep Guardiola says his Manchester City side "have to score more goals" after a frustrating 2-1 loss to Newcastle United on Saturday. Although City are the Premier League's top scorers, Guardiola's players were wasteful in front of goal at St James' Park. Now, the former Barcelona boss wants his players to be more clinical in the final third of the pitch.

• Man City rue missed opportunities

  City had 68 per cent possession and 17 shots to Newcastle's nine but only had four efforts on target. They created an Expected Goals (xG) tally of 1.88 but other than Ruben Dias' deflected effort, they couldn't get on the scoresheet again. At the other end, a double from Harvey Barnes ensured the Magpies claimed all three points. In the contest, top scorer Erling Haaland and Phil Foden missed gilt-edged chances but as a team, Guardiola wanted more from his players.

  He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Tight game. Entertaining game. They had chances. We had chances. In the end they scored one more goal.

  "Two or three chances that he [Haaland] always have because he is the best. And yeah, go to the next. Two or three chances that he always have because he is the best. And yeah, go to the next.

  "The second half we started rally well and had the momentum, we were arriving and finding players in the positions. But after we scored a goal, they scored a goal. After it was more difficult because [Sven] Botman was in the pitch, the defence was deep, so yes more difficult."

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  Guardiola wants Man City to share around the goals

  Haaland has scored a whopping 14 goals in the Premier League this season, with City netting 24 in total. But none of his team-mates have notched more than a goal each, leading many to conclude that City rely too much on the Norwegian international. Now, Guardiola has urged his team to take their chances more often.

  "Yes [the chances] were clear, but we have to score more goals. Our players have the ability and quality to do it," he said.

  City still have the sixth-best away record in the division but this is the third time they have lost on the road in the English top-flight this term.

  When asked about another away loss, Guardiola said: "I'm pretty sure all of the teams prefer to play at home than away, we are not the exception for that. Always Newcastle have been difficult, even where they are low in the table and after two defeats in a row. After they clean the head and the mind and have ten days off, we can hit the good moments. We fought, the players were there, but we could not find the result. The season is so long."

• Man City can't always rely on Haaland

  Former City defender Micah Richards believes that Haaland's team-mates need to pull their finger out and contribute more goals going forward. He name-checked Foden and Jeremy Doku but every player needs to pull their weight in a Premier League title bid. 

  He said on Sky Sports: "It's going to chop and change all season. I think Man City though, if you look at the goal scorers, Haaland's scoring all the goals. There's not a player scoring more than one in a game, and that would be a concern because they're too reliant on Haaland. And defensively, I think organisation, if you look, go through the games. Wolves, everyone thought Man City was back. Back to their best. Then they lose against Spurs and Brighton. Good win against United. Arsenal could have gone either way. Burnley, Brentford, Everton. Games you're supposed to win. You go away to Aston Villa and you lose the game. Bournemouth. And then Liverpool was like, okay, Man City are back. When you asked me before the show started, are Man City back? They are in spells, not for the full 90 minutes. They're playing different football. They've not got the energy. They're not pressing the same, but they're still getting over the line. And that big game against Liverpool, you think, okay, that's the turning call. And then today, they had chances. Haaland misses chances. Who else is going to step up? Foden's been in good form. Doku's been playing really well as well. But when you need them to step up in a big moment, today was a big moment to put pressure on Arsenal. They just couldn't do it. Now, it gives Arsenal all the confidence going into the north London derby tomorrow. "

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  Pressure now on Arsenal?

  Former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp believes that if Arsenal don't win the league this season, this group of players under Mikel Arteta will never end their long wait for that piece of silverware. Moreover, the Gunners could go seven points clear of third-placed City and six ahead of second-placed Chelsea if they beat Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday.

  He said: "Arsenal are by far the best team. They've got the best squad, [are the] best organised. And they've been the best over the last four or five years. What Manchester City have done previously, where they go on 12, 13, 14 game winning runs, is this team capable of doing it? I don't think so. They're probably ahead of where I thought they would be this year because of the changes they've had. Obviously, people like Kevin De Bruyne have left the club. So they're in a really strong position. But I think this year, if Arsenal don't win it from here, that team won't win it. They won't. It's as simple as that. They're in such a strong position."

The Premier League wound down for the November international break, and Unai Emery seemed content. After all, his side had just given Bournemouth a four-goal hiding, and that marked five wins from six in the top flight.

The Spanish tactician believes he has stopped the early-season rot that had crawled across the Villa Park surface and threatened the stability of the project. Villa have found form, and they believe they can go all the way in the Europa League.

However, there are wrinkles that need to be smoothed out as the January transfer window draws closer.

The changes Emery needs to make at Villa

Aston Villa are well-positioned for the months ahead. However, Emery has several issues to contend with. Chief of which is the future of Harvey Elliott, who is on loan from Liverpool but playing the bittiest of roles at Villa Park. It is anticipated he will return to Merseyside in January.

And what to do with Ollie Watkins? The centre-forward has been his side’s talisman for years now, and yet he’s been horribly out of sorts this season, raising questions as to whether the board need to dig into their purses this winter.

The Three Lions striker has only scored once in the Premier League this season despite starting ten of 11 fixtures. His instinctiveness has deserted him, with Sofascore revealing he has missed four big chances.

Likewise, Evann Guessand has struggled since moving to England this summer, having started only five times in the Premier League and without registering a goal or assist.

There’s a player in there, for sure, but Leon Bailey out of the squad, Emery could package a few more stars to bring Villa’s chances of a grand-slam season to the fore.

The dream XI Emery could build in January

Aston Villa are in a good position, even having completed a quiet summer transfer window this year. Even so, some more depth could be beneficial up front.

As per FBref, the club’s 9.1 xG total this term puts them above only newly-promoted Burnley for that metric.

That’s why a move is being explored for Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo, with the £26m-rated Japan star looking to leave the La Liga side and Villa among the frontrunners, according to reports from a few weeks ago.

Kubo is as pacy as they come and ranks among the top 3% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions per 90, so in theory, he could help Villa in their bid to become a more fluent attacking outfit.

But for all that Villa aren’t creating much, Watkins is letting them down with his profligacy in the final third. That’s why fans will be attentive to the news that a number of unspecified Premier League clubs are considering moves for Ivan Toney, who left Brentford for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli in 2024.

Regarded as a “monster” of a striker by his former Bees boss Thomas Frank, Toney, 29, has enjoyed prolific returns in the Gulf region but would be open to returning to his homeland ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

To cap off a prospectively wonderful transfer window, V Sports are understood to be interested in bringing right-back Guela Doue from Strasbourg to the club, looking to hijack Chelsea’s bid for the 23-year-old.

More progressive on the ball than Cash, the Ivorian would serve as a perfect counterpoint, adding the dimension required to wade deep into the European campaign while maintaining the push for top four in the Premier League too.

This is not the finished article. Lucas Digne, for example, turns 33 at the end of the season, and a left-back will be coveted in the Villan offices.

But such signings would take Villa’s winter spending to the £75m ballpark, and you have to be realistic about parameters.

It’s more than a start, a flourish on a canvas already bursting with colour. Emery’s Aston Villa are many things, but they are nothing if not progressive.

Not Martinez or Konsa: Aston Villa star is now "among the best in the league"

Aston Villa produced a show-stopping performance to defeat Bournemouth in the Premier League.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 10, 2025

“Playing the long game” to keep the India bowlers on the field for as long as possible might work best for Australia, says Marnus Labuschagne

Alex Malcolm19-Nov-2024Doubts surround the quality of both batting line-ups ahead of this Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, but runs might not be the only winning currency from a batting perspective.Marnus Labuschagne knows that better than most. He was the leading run-scorer across sides in the 2020-21 series in Australia, but his team didn’t win. There was a man who made 155 runs fewer than Labuschagne across eight innings but faced 78 more deliveries and was arguably the most valuable player in India’s famous win.Just as he did in 2018-19, when he made three centuries and faced 1258 balls in seven innings, Cheteshwar Pujara’s ability to absorb pressure for long periods and grind an unchanged Australian bowling line-up into the ground over a four-Test series paid handsome dividends on the final day at the Gabba, when they finally ran out of steam.Related

• Perth pitch prep: 'Big-snake cracks' unlikely after unseasonal rain

• McSweeney prepares for baptism of fire

• Carey enters Test summer with plenty of promise

• Why Australia vs India is Test cricket's premier rivalry

• BGT: What India and Australia can expect at the five venues

Labuschagne is looking at this five-Test series through that same lens, with an aim to ask a relatively inexperienced India seam attack, Jasprit Bumrah aside, to keep backing up over a six-week tour.”It’s going to be important for all of us,” Labuschagne said on Tuesday. “I think the way we play, we’re at our best when we’re playing the long game. We understand that getting them back for their second and third spells, putting them under pressure and letting them come to us and us putting pressure back on them through overs in the field and time in the game, especially over a five-Test series, that’s really important.”Because as you get into the third, fourth, fifth Test, if they’re trying to play the same team, and those bowlers are rolling into 100, 150, 200 overs by the third Test, it’s going to make a big difference in the series.”The question will be whether this Australian top order can execute that plan to set the game up for their explosive middle-order. Batting was extremely challenging in Australia last summer. Just two players managed to score centuries in five home Tests and one of them, David Warner, is no longer in the team. The only player to score a century in Australia’s most recent series in New Zealand, Cameron Green, is also not available for this series.There will be plenty of attention on Labuschagne. He made 90 in his last Test match in Christchurch. But that 90 came after five scores of 10 or below. He also fell for 6 in the second innings in Christchurch.

“I think for me, probably just getting away from the process of what makes me a good player, and just making sure I stay consistent to that process and really trusting the system”Marnus Labuschagne on returning to what worked for him

Labuschagne’s form at the start of this summer has been far from prolific. He made a sublime 77 not out in his first ODI in England in September, but then returned scores 19, 0, 4, 16 and 6 in ODI cricket. In the midst of those scores he made 77 and 35 not out in his first Sheffield Shield game at the WACA ground in October and then followed that with returns of 11, 22 and 10 for Queensland.There has been a familiarity to his dismissals in recent times. Having overcome a period in international cricket where teams were attacking his front pad, suddenly he has found himself being opened up outside off stump and nicking balls he has not played at in the past. He’s aware of how India will attack him in Perth.”I think there might be areas that they’ll attack first this time around, bowling that channel and try and nick you off,” Labuschagne said. “I think especially in Perth, with the bouncy wicket.”Perth Stadium is a place Labuschagne loves. He has an extraordinary record there in just three Test matches, scoring three centuries and averaging 103.80. He loves it because it plays so similarly to his home ground of the Gabba. And the hallmark of his success in Perth has been his ability to leave well early on. He has trusted the bounce and made the bowlers bowl at him, using the pace and bounce to his advantage.It is those things, he noted, that he has perhaps strayed away from in the past 18 months. “I think for me, probably just getting away from the process of what makes me a good player, and just making sure I stay consistent to that process and really trusting the system.”Marnus Labuschagne has been in patchy form in the Sheffield Shield•Getty ImagesHis batting is not the only area where he will relish Perth’s pace and bounce. Eyebrows have been raised within Australia’s camp about the amount of medium-pace bowling he had done in the early part of the Shield season while captaining Queensland.There was much ribbing from the coaching staff and team-mates at the start of the ODI series when he immediately returned to bowling legspin in the nets, with captain Pat Cummins stating he much preferred Labuschagne’s legbreaks to his medium pace.But Labuschagne had no hesitation steaming in off the long run at the WACA centre wicket on Monday and delivering a bouncer barrage to Cummins and Mitchell Starc. He wants to dish more out in the Test match in the absence of Green.”I bowled one bouncer and I think Mitchell Starc said, ‘We’ve got short memories’. And I said, ‘Well, I’m going to get them anyway, so I might as well dish them out’,” Labuschagne said. “There’s nothing more enjoyable than bowling bouncers. I love it.”There was a bit worry. When I bowled I think about 28 overs of pace in a Shield game, and my workloads were zero before then, so some would say that’s a big spike. But my body’s pretty durable.”It’s something that I’ve done from a young age. I’ve always bowled pace.”

Neymar was left in utter shock during Santos' 3-2 defeat to Flamengo as his teammates appeared to completely ignore his instructions in a bizarre second-half moment that summed up the club’s chaotic season. The veteran forward, visibly frustrated, later stormed off after being substituted, capping off a night of confusion and controversy for the struggling Brazilian giants.

• Neymar left completely ignored by Santos team-mates

  The strange incident unfolded in the 66th minute of Santos' clash with Flamengo at the Maracana, as Neymar's frustrations boiled over. With his side trailing 2-0, the 33-year-old forward demanded that Santos abandon their ineffective long-ball approach and instead play short, controlled passes out from the back. When his request was ignored, Neymar – normally stationed in attack – dropped deep to take the goal kick himself, attempting to initiate the build-up play he wanted to see.

  But his efforts quickly went unrewarded as moments later, centre-back Luan Peres launched another long ball straight up the field, which was easily intercepted by Flamengo and handed possession right back to the home side. Neymar could be seen stopping in his tracks, arms raised in exasperation, before shaking his head in disbelief.

  The moment perfectly encapsulated the disconnect between Neymar and his team-mates during a season of turmoil at Vila Belmiro. For a player who rose through the ranks at Santos and then built his career on creative, possession-based football at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, the lack of tactical cohesion since his return has been glaring. The clip's viral spread online – with fans calling it "the most Neymar thing ever" – only intensified scrutiny on the team's communication and morale.

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• Video shows Neymar's tactical demand being blanked..

• Neymar throws tantrum after substitution

  Later in the game, Neymar was substituted by head coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda, an act that only deepened his frustration. With Santos trailing 3-0 in the 85th minute, Vojvoda replaced Neymar with Argentine midfielder Benjamin Rollheiser. Cameras caught the 33-year-old visibly questioning the decision, mouthing, "Are you going to take me out?" toward the bench before walking straight off the pitch and heading to the dressing room without waiting for the final whistle.

  Santos went on to score two late consolation goals but ultimately fell short, losing 3-2, a result that kept them mired in the relegation zone with only six matches remaining in the season. In his post-match comments, coach Vojvoda sought to downplay the tension, insisting Neymar's reaction was "normal for a player who wants to help the team". Yet the Brazilian's departure highlighted growing frustration within the Santos camp, as the club continues to battle relegation. The loss to Flamengo kept them two points adrift of safety with just 33 points from 32 games, leaving the eight-time Brazilian champions in real danger of dropping to Serie B.

  Neymar's personal struggles have mirrored those of the club. After returning to Santos from Al-Hilal in January, he has managed just three goals and six assists in 15 appearances amid recurring injury setbacks.

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  What does this mean for Neymar's World Cup dreams?

  Neymar's uncertain situation at Santos is drawing attention from across the football world. Club president Marcelo Teixeira confirmed that contract renewal talks are ongoing but admitted financial limitations could force a separation at the end of the year. "Santos has a limit," he told . "Neymar's project is the 2026 World Cup. If we find common ground, his continuity will be confirmed."

  That World Cup dream remains central to Neymar's career decisions. Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has not selected him since taking charge in mid-2025, citing the forward's lack of fitness and intensity. The former Real Madrid coach suggested Neymar's future lies in a more central role: "I think he needs to play more centrally, not as a winger, because wingers in today's football need to work defensively as well."

He achieved this wish on his 35th birthday, helping India seal a dominant win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-20251:13

Wahab: Kuldeep always one step ahead of batters

Three spinners, and just the one frontline quick. This has been India’s way at this Asia Cup, and their captain Suryakumar Yadav said the template had been set earlier this year during their run to the Champions Trophy title. That was an ODI tournament, but India played all their matches in the UAE, which is also hosting this Asia Cup.The spinners played a crucial role in India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan on Sunday, with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy sharing six wickets between them. In all, India’s spinners conceded just 65 runs in 13 overs, including one from part-timer Abhishek Sharma.Related

• Suryakumar: Spinners come well prepared so things move 'on autopilot'

• Kuldeep makes it worth the wait

• Kuldeep, Axar and Abhishek lead India to thumping win

“That’s what happened a few months back – our team that won the Champions Trophy, they set the tone,” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation. “But I am always a fan of spinners, because they control the game in the middle and post-powerplay [overs], and I think all the spinners were amazing.”India’s victory was particularly sweet for Suryakumar since it came on the day he turned 35. He celebrated his birthday by scoring an unbeaten 47 and hitting the winning six as India chased down their target of 128 with 25 balls to spare.”It’s a great feeling and it’s a perfect return gift for India,” Suryakumar said. “This is one box I always wanted to tick, stay there till the end, and it was the need of the hour today. And love to stay not out till the end.”The win left India with a 11-3 T20I head-to-head over their arch-rivals. Asked about this, Suryakumar said India don’t treat games against Pakistan any differently to other matches.”For me, and for my boys, and for the whole team, I feel it’s just another game,” he said. “We come on the ground, we prepare for all the oppositions, and that’s how we go about it.”Kuldeep Yadav sent Mohammad Nawaz back first ball•Associated Press

Kuldeep won his second Player-of-the-Match award in a row, returning figures of 3 for 18 to follow up on his four-wicket haul against UAE.”You just have to think who is batting on the crease and react to what they are doing, what their strength is and what they like to play,” Kuldeep said when asked about his plans. “Just follow that, and obviously I had my plans and just executed them.”As he did against UAE, Kuldeep struck with back-to-back deliveries against Pakistan. Having bagged two ODI hat-tricks in his career so far, Kuldeep said he wants his first ball to any batter to be a wicket-taking delivery.”First ball is always wicket-taking ball, you know, you just have to go with that mindset and try to execute that wicket-taking ball,” Kuldeep said. “Because whoever is batting is obviously new on the crease or maybe set, but yeah, he’s facing you the first time in the game and probably you have the chance to get on top of him.”Despite being in terrific form, and leading the tournament’s wicket charts, Kuldeep said he still had areas of improvement in his game.”I still think I need to really work on my bowling as well. Sometimes I feel that I try too many variations, but I have to learn day by day and game by game. I still think there’s a lot of room to improve in.”

Thomas Tuchel believes England's 2026 World Cup draw is "tough" and claimed that the group stage is "always the most difficult". The German coach, who will lead the Three Lions into a major tournament for the first time next summer, stressed that Group L – featuring Croatia, Ghana and Panama – provides no margin for complacency.

• England learn their WC group stage opponents

  England discovered their opponents during the draw ceremony in Washington D.C. on Friday, fronted by Rio Ferdinand and featuring sporting icons Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal and Wayne Gretzky. What emerged for Tuchel is a trio of opponents carrying very different histories and styles, but each demanding full respect. England’s first assignment will be a rematch with Croatia, the very nation that shattered their World Cup dreams in 2018 in that agonising semi-final defeat in Moscow. Luka Modric and Co. will form the most formidable obstacle in the group, but Tuchel stressed that his focus must go wider than the headline fixture.

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  What did Tuchel make of the WC draw?

  Tuchel wants to emerge as group toppers but warned his troops that it will not be an easy task. "We have Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups, and we have Panama," he explained. "I don’t know much about Panama, but we will know everything about them when the tournament starts. For me personally, even in the Champions League, you have to focus on the group – the group is always the most difficult, and we want to escape, and we want to win the group. It’s a tough one."

  "No one should be underestimated," continued Tuchel. "Of course, Croatia is the standout name [and] the highest-ranked team from Pot 2 that we got into our group. It’s a difficult opener against Croatia. We take it from here."

  While Ghana may not carry the global star power of Croatia, Tuchel made clear that the country's football heritage cannot be taken for granted. "Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise, and has a big history in World Cup football," he said. "Also, Panama will try to make the most of the underdog role. No one can be underestimated – everyone deserves the fullest respect, and we will show that."

• Group stage is 'always difficult'

  Tuchel repeatedly returned to a theme that has defined his career in European competition, insisting the group stage can often be the most mentally demanding part of any tournament.

  "For me, I’ve only experienced group football in Champions League formats," said Tuchel. "The way to approach it was always to give the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult, like our group now but we’re confident."

  England will begin the World Cup later than many others, after they were drawn in Group L, and Tuchel believes that provides both an advantage and a challenge.

  "We know now our opponents, we know that we will start late in the tournament which gives us a bit of time," he said. "I know that if you start late in the tournament, the schedule becomes more condensed. The focus will be totally on the group. It’s always a challenge with four ambitious teams together to come out on top. This is where all the energy will go."

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  England’s projected KO Route: Senegal, Mexico and Spain loom large

  If England top Group L, their route through the early knockout rounds is already taking shape. A meeting with Senegal, likely to qualify in third place from Group I, could await in the round of 32. Survival at that stage would set up a daunting round-of-16 showdown against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City, a high-altitude cauldron that has historically challenged visiting teams. Should England navigate those obstacles, a potential meeting with Brazil in the quarter-final would be a blockbuster fixture. Then they might face Lionel Messi's Argentina in a Dallas semi-final, whereas in the final, they would probably lock horns against Spain, if La Roja make it to the World Cup final.

It was another chapter in the rivalry where the suspense thrived, but the surprise never really came

Danyal Rasool29-Sep-20253:23

‘Clueless batting from Pakistan’

After all these years, it is remarkable that an India-Pakistan contest somehow manages to retain both its jeopardy and its inevitability. Long after India has cemented its status as cricket’s shepherd that corals its flock and drives it any way it might want it to go, Pakistan still manage to run off into a rogue field and cause brief mayhem. That order will eventually be restored, though, has never been in doubt, and in a final that never revealed its hand until the end, the people have played this game long enough to know the cards it concealed. And they knew it well before Tilak Varma’s arcing swipe found the midwicket stands rather than the fielder stationed just in front.That Pakistan came as close as they did, though, must have plenty more to do with this rivalry, still very much alive despite the lopsided win count of late or the Indian captain’s attempt to dismiss it as one. It is often said in football that local derbies fling form out of the window, and those games are impossible to learn anything from or read much into. That principle is all that looks to have tipped Sunday’s final into a thriller. Because, on the balance of what Pakistan had to offer against an Indian side that last lost a T20I in the Bronze Age or how much Pakistan even appeared to understands their own side’s capabilities and limitations, their proximity to glory – 11 days after they had to scrap to avoid elimination against the UAE – stretches credulity.Related

• Salman Agha: India are 'disrespecting cricket' with their conduct

• India refuse to accept Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

• Stats – India 9-0 in chases against Pakistan

• Tilak seals thriller to give India ninth Asia Cup title

It must be a strange thing to be Saim Ayub, a man who looks like he perpetually just woke up after his mother shooed him out of the house and funnelled him straight into the Pakistan team. He is both in the worst form of his life, but his dismissal also appears to act as his side’s trigger for absolute implosion. For the second Sunday in a row, Sahibzada Farhan – who had never played India a fortnight ago and has now scored more than a quarter of his international runs against them – got Pakistan off to the start of their dreams, before Saim popped in and tried to play himself into a bit of form.He lost his wicket shortly after, but Pakistan were still in almost the precise desirable position they found themselves in the previous week, given a precious do-over in the final. On that occasion, they’d sent in Hussain Talat, a player whose T20 game carries about the same excitement as a robot with a sore throat reading War and Peace. This time around, in the Mohammad Haris sweepstakes, this was the moment he was sent in – three wildly different uses of the same player on three different Sundays. The first time around, he was batting in the first over; last Sunday, he did not bat at all. In the final, with India’s torturously relentless spinners beginning to find their groove, out strode Haris.3:35

Pakistan’s shot selection, understanding of situation need to be better – Urooj

Haris is what might happen if a box of firecrackers were accidentally set off all at the same time: dazzling brief drama with bleak nothingness to follow. He opted – off just his second ball – to play the only inside out drive of the game, trying to caress Axar Patel on a surface that was stopping. Pakistan had lost two in four balls, and were rushing to fill in the lines in the pattern they had carved out last Sunday.Having had a week to ruminate on this precise scenario, Pakistan demonstrated they still had little idea how to deal with it. Fair play if you can accurately recall the Pakistani order in the wake of that Haris wicket, because it might as well just have been anyone at any time. It was, for the record, Salman Agha, who showed up next, a player Babar Azam could be compared to if he chewed gum and lost his cover drive. And of course, in a lot of ways, it really is all about Salman Agha.There’s little to dislike about Salman Agha the man, who has worked his way into international cricket at a relatively advanced age after toiling through the domestic circuit for a decade. He’s generally affable in his post-match interactions, and there’s a real sincerity to his everyman image and the seemingly informal elocution which media training has mercifully not yet modulated.”There have been ups and downs,” Agha said, in an assessment that might put a fortune cookie to shame. “There have been lots of positives and lots of things to work on. The good thing is we know what we did well and what we didn’t. We’ll try to do better with the things we did wrong, and to keep doing the things we did right.”But watching him walk out in the final began to feel like one of those things that Pakistan appeared to be doing wrong, and a moment when the emperor’s lack of clothes become impossible to ignore. This tournament has seen 28 batters score more runs than the Pakistan captain, all at over a run a ball. Agha’s strike rate in the Asia Cup is less than 81, and 110 over his career, dropping every time he seems to play an opposition of note. Against India and Australia, he has scored a combined 33 runs in 44 balls, averaging just over six. Even against the UAE on spinning tracks – his supposed strength, three games produced 32 runs at a strike rate of 78.09.It was off his seventh ball that he decided he wanted to launch Kuldeep Yadav out of the ground. Like a toddler biting off more chocolate than they can chew ability didn’t seem to come into it. He sputtered at the ball with the ungainliness of a wedding dancer thrust into the Bolshoi Ballet. It fizzed straight up and Sanju Samson was happy to collect.A dejected Pakistan side after the loss in the final•AFP/Getty ImagesFour balls earlier, Talat, also at the crease because the fall of wickets was no longer an event as much as an inevitability, had also taken his leave in similar circumstances, power-hitting with no power and offering the wicketkeeper catching practice. The two anchors had made little headway to Pakistan’s total, and hadn’t done much anchoring, either. A few overs later, Pakistan were bowled out for 146, nine wickets falling for 33 runs. 113 now is the highest total in T20I history upon which a side lost their second wicket and found themselves bowled out under 150.Perhaps there is a more charitable explanation for it all; that Pakistan simply have no tools to take India on when in full flow. An intentional slowdown the previous week, precisely to guard against a capitulation last night saw them fall well short anyway. In the final, they kept trying to hack at the spinners; they played aggressive shots to 40% of the balls they faced to India’s slower bowlers, and yet that trio allowed just 86 in 12 overs, picking up eight of Pakistan’s wickets. There is pain and misery whichever way you twist.But Pakistan are not setting this T20 side up, for now, anyway, to compete with India. No matter how close they felt to that mirage of an Asia Cup trophy, the chasm between the two sides remains tremendously large. Just flip the roles and picture Pakistan chasing last night, and see if there are any points in the chase you’d back them as favourites. Pakistan have set themselves a longer-term project that may involve short term pain for a side set up to reap longer term rewards. It is why Babar and Rizwan are out in the cold even if, as has been pointed out, they may ironically have been perfectly suited for the conditions this tournament offered up, and with whom Pakistan have a 2-1 winning T20I record against India in Dubai.Haris Rauf and Salman Agha plot a surprise•Associated PressWhile doing away with those two, though, Pakistan appear to have replaced them, simply further down the order, with decisively inferior options. After praising Hasan Nawaz as a generational power hitter whose non-Powerplay strike rate this year is inferior only to Dewald Brevis and Tim David, they turned once more to Talat, very much not in the mould that coach Mike Hesson has insisted Pakistan will look to relentlessly pursue. With the uncertainty of Haris’ role, or indeed Shaheen Afridi’s with the bat, Pakistan have spent the last month showing they may be willing to wound, but at the moments that usually matter, they have been afraid to strike.And that sounds very much like the side that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan used to lead. Against India where they somehow both overperformed and underperformed, it is anyone’s guess what lessons Pakistan will take as they continue on with what they still consider to be a revolution. But, as far as jeopardy and inevitability go, this is, after all, that most characteristic way of Pakistani revolutions, one where the establishment structure doesn’t quite seem to change.

He has moved around the batting order of late, but being a finisher looks like Maxwell’s role in India and Sri Lanka next year

Andrew McGlashan17-Aug-2025

Glenn Maxwell reverse sweeps over short third•Getty Images

Ahead of the deciding T20I against South Africa in Cairns, Glenn Maxwell was asked whether having retired from ODIs had given him pause to consider an overall end date for his international career. The answer, delivered in good spirits, was a succinct “No.”If he so desires, next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka would be a fitting stepping-off point for one of the format’s great players. It’s difficult to believe he could go for two more years even though the 2028 edition will be co-hosted by Australia, alongside New Zealand.Related

• The Carey question: Will Australia need wicketkeeping back-up for the T20 World Cup?

• Magnificent Maxwell sinks South Africa in nail-biting T20I series decider

• 'Show off more' – Conrad tells his players after last-over defeat in final T20I

On Saturday evening he showed what he can still bring with the bat, expertly guiding an uncertain chase over the line with a masterful unbeaten 62 off 36 balls, having earlier snaffled a match-changing catch at long-on to cut off Dewald Brevis’ destructive innings. When calling time on ODIs, Maxwell cited being unable to sustain 50 overs on the field but, as a couple of recent parried boundary catches have reinforced, he remains capable of spectacular moments.Australia are shaping up well ahead of the World Cup and Maxwell will be a vital component of their bid to win the title for just the second time, in all three facets of the game. His offspin is a crucial cog in the balance of the side and could well be a powerplay option at the World Cup.With Australia tweaking their batting order in the last two series against South Africa and West Indies, Maxwell has moved around the line-up. He made 47 off 18 balls opening in St Kitts last month and was used in three different spots in this latest series. There will likely always be a degree of situational flexibility, but No. 6 and 7 looks like his home for the World Cup tilt.There are times with the bat when Maxwell looks uncomfortable and there will, as ever, continue to be moments that exasperate: the “oh, why did you do that, Maxi?” shot. But then there are the times, such as the decider against South Africa, when he gets it spot on and everything comes off.Glenn Maxwell has produced some spectacular pieces of fielding in the last few weeks•AFP/Getty ImagesThe way he backed himself to finish the chase was a window into a brilliant mind. Declining singles – even, briefly, when a very capable No. 8 in Ben Dwarshuis was with him – and trying to read what Lungi Ngidi would bowl in the final over as he won the game by reversing a full toss over short third having turned down runs off the previous two deliveries to leave four from needed two.”I was thinking about doing it probably the ball before,” Maxwell said. “[But] I just felt like he was going to bowl a slower ball the ball before so I could knock it into midwicket for two. As soon as it was pace on, I realised I’d probably made a mistake in not going. I hit it too well to get back for two so I was like, that’s fine, I’ll hit one of the last two balls, hopefully for four. I just felt like he wasn’t going to go to the slower ball.”Even though I was able to get one off him earlier, I didn’t think it was going to be as easy. I think the point was just a little bit finer. I thought I needed pace on to get it there. As soon as I saw it coming out of his hand, I was just like, get any bat on it and it’s going to travel. Got the ball I wanted and was able to execute.”Explaining his tactics when Dwarshuis came in during the 14th over, with Australia needing 51 off 37 balls, Maxwell said it was so he could take advantage of the shorter boundary with the wind.”I wanted to control that over as well as I could and then trust [Dwarshuis] from the other end where he had a few more options,” he said. “I think if I had taken a single the first ball [with him] just starting his innings, it might have been tough for him to get going or get off strike straight away.”I thought it might have been a bit of a risk if I was at the non-striker’s end for five balls of that over hitting to the shorter side as a right-hander. In the end, I think I got 11 off it, which is a win. It kept the momentum going. From then on, I trusted him basically [at] both ends.”When Maxwell took 15 off Kagiso Rabada’s final over – launching a six from a free hit after a huge beamer had slipped out of Rabada’s grip – the game looked decided with Australia needing 12 off 12. However, Corbin Bosch provided a twist with a double-wicket maiden in the 19th over. But Adam Zampa had done his part by surviving two deliveries and Maxwell had the strike. He knew exactly what he needed to do.