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Plays of the day from the first ODI between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney

Brydon Coverdale in Sydney04-Dec-2016The stunner
When you’re hot, you’re hot. Steven Smith followed up his 164 with a catch at slip to get rid of Kane Williamson, and then a truly special take at backward point to end BJ Watling’s innings. Watling slashed hard at a short, wide ball from Mitchell Marsh, and Smith, with barely any time to react, dived to his left to pluck a remarkable catch. When he got up off the turf, even Smith looked surprised at his achievement.The sitter
Occasionally in international cricket – very occasionally – you see a fielder fluff a chance so easy that it looks almost harder to drop than to catch. Such was the case when Travis Head tried to drive James Neesham over mid-off, but failed to gain the necessary elevation. The ball came straight to Matt Henry, who only had to lift his hands to head height to take the straightforward catch. He got his hands there all right, but the ball inexplicably slipped straight through them. Head was on 7 at the time, and went on to make 52.The 13th man
It’s been a big few days for Glenn Maxwell. On Thursday, he caused controversy with his comments about batting behind Matthew Wade at Victoria. On Saturday, Smith announced that Maxwell had been fined by the team leadership group for the comments, but was available for selection in this match. But Maxwell was left out of the XI, and was not even listed as 12th man, with James Faulkner officially nominated instead. And yet, when Maxwell made an appearance on the field during New Zealand’s chase, he took a potentially match-defining catch. Martin Guptill, already on 114, pulled Adam Zampa to midwicket, where Maxwell parried the ball up and caught it on the second take. Not surprisingly, he was all smiles – and so were his team-mates.The run-out
It has been a tough month for Marsh. Dropped from the Test side after the opening match against South Africa in Perth, he now faces an uncertain future in the baggy green. But he remains a first-choice one-day player for the time being, and was chosen ahead of Faulkner, Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright in Sydney. When he walked out to bat at No.5, with Australia on 3 for 89, the opportunity was there to build a big innings. But Marsh had faced only three balls when he backed up too far – so far that Neesham could have mankaded him – and was caught short when Smith’s straight drive rocketed through Neesham’s hands and onto the stumps.The quick impact
All week in the lead-up to this series, Lockie Ferguson has been the subject of discussion. After all, a fast bowler who can top 150 kph is a rare beast indeed. Would he live up to the hype? His first ball was 146.8 kph and was slammed down the ground for four by David Warner. His second ball cracked 150.4 kph, and then a 149.6 kph third delivery beat the bat. Then came 148.5 kph, then a short ball at 147.1 kph that was pulled for four. But off last ball of the over, Ferguson got some bounce at 148.5 kph and Warner chopped on, giving Ferguson his first international wicket, in his first over.

For more than a decade, Sana Mir has been at the forefront of Pakistan women’s quest for self-improvement. This month they tour England with hopes of a notable upset

Adam Collins17-Jun-2016Playing for the Pakistan women’s cricket team would not rank among the easier assignments in world sport. In existence for less than 20 years, their initial foray into international ranks included a maze of legal challenges, brutal newspaper editorials and even death threats.It’s an environment hard to comprehend; a nation too often marred with violence and terrorism and everything that goes with it. A place not deemed safe enough to host men’s international cricket for the better part of a decade. For all this, we’re conditioned to think a certain way about what must be the lot in the life for a woman playing there. Right?Yet this is not Sana Mir’s story. Not in the slightest. The veteran captain has another tale to tell altogether. One of inspiring generations of her countrywomen to reach their potential. Of daring to dream of what might be possible a decade from now, as opposed to her entry to the Pakistan team in 2005, fresh from a decade of administrative division.Of course Mir acknowledges the unpleasant past and respects the challenges of the present, but she is principally focused on the opportunities of the future. The lure of the possible.”Parents are now encouraging their daughters to play sport because they have seen the success of the women’s cricket team; that’s the hope we need for our country,” she tells ESPNcricinfo with pride. “Because of our team’s success we see the nation celebrate female mountaineers, female football players, female hockey players; all the female sports have got a boost.”

“The cultural set-up is quite different in Pakistan; most of us still live with our parents, so with the kind of money we earn, we are able to basically do our training and manage”

Their progress, notably accelerated over the last five years, is the product of a virtuous cycle. Greater investment coupled with much better on-field results, alongside the ICC’s commitment to bilateral series between all teams as qualification for the 2017 World Cup.This year’s World T20 brought the transformation to light in front of a global audience. It was only three years ago at the ODI World Cup that Pakistan were not just winless but thrashed. In March this year, they came within one victory of the final four. Actually, four more runs against the eventual winners, West Indies, would have been enough.A bad loss to England in the final group game ended their run, but a pair of wins against India and Bangladesh reinforced the view that they can no longer be routinely dismissed.This approach to Pakistan as a lesser opponent was on display the last time they toured England in 2013. In a double-header T20 series at Loughborough, the hosts won the opener convincingly with usual suspects Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor doing the bulk of the damage. In the second game the former retreated down the order to No. 9 and the latter was rested. The visitors won the game and tied the series in a colossal upset.It’s hard to imagine a similar play being called this time around against a far more potent Pakistan. In saying that, however, new coach Mark Robinson did state that he expected that Edwards – who he moved on as captain – would have “filled her boots” in the forthcoming series, had she played. His point was to praise Edwards’ evergreen talent rather than to talk down Pakistan, but nevertheless, it’s the sort of quote that can come back to bite.Not that the visitors need much motivation. For Mir’s part, she made her international debut in the midst of an internal shake-up, the Pakistan Cricket Board taking full control of the women’s game. She’s seen the team “almost grow from scratch” to something that could not have existed then. A team quickly earning universal respect.”The kind of passion I see in girls now wanting to be a part of this team is absolutely brilliant”•IDI/Getty Images”The way the girls have progressed, the way the board is now supporting us, everything is moving forward, we can call it one of the most popular women’s sports,” she says, adding that it is now also a semi-professional enterprise, central contracts awarded to 22 players.”The kind of passion I see in girls now wanting to be a part of this team – and the type of fan following we enjoy – it’s absolutely brilliant.” This helped further again by live television coverage of a T20 tournament named after the former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto.”It has come a long way,” says Mir of pay and conditions. “Five or six years back only one department used to sponsor us and now we have four. That covers around 60 or 70 girls outside of the Pakistan team who can earn something from playing.”Mir points out that the tradition of women living at home until they are married helps create a setting where national players are exclusively committed to cricket.”The cultural set-up is quite different in Pakistan; most of us still live with our parents, so with the kind of money we earn, we are able to basically do our training and manage,” she explains.”It’s supportive to the women’s team in that sense, so the contracts we get at the moment we are basically able to do just one job: play cricket.”

“Parents are now encouraging their daughters to play sport because they have seen the success of the women’s cricket team; that’s the hope we need for our country”

Discussing the culture of Pakistan more broadly as it relates to her team, Mir’s answers are consistent in their theme, especially when asked if the challenges experienced by her trailblazing forerunners in the mid-1990s are prevalent now.Has she ever felt under threat for playing the game she loves because she’s a woman? “Not at all,” Mir says firmly. “It is about being culturally sensitive,” she adds diplomatically.”I have played cricket on the street, in grounds and in schools,” Mir goes on. “We have to be culturally and politically sensitive, and that’s something women’s cricket coming under the PCB has done; we have had that shelter around us and that’s why my experience is quite different to what they experienced in the 1990s.”Mir acknowledges the still-serious security considerations, her side playing often behind closed doors in Pakistan. It’s a reminder that for all the progress, the challenges in Pakistan remain unlike those most participants in the game will ever experience.”The kind of security you need to have in a public gathering is quite different from the rest of the world because of the kind of situation Pakistan is in at the moment.” Mir points out that this is “not only for female cricketers” but any kind of assembly.There have been flashpoints. Especially the 2013 World Cup in India, when they were forced to stay in the stadium at Cuttack as their security could not be guaranteed in a hotel.Mir, in understated fashion, says the episode was “a bit tough”, noting the most frustrating thing was that her young team weren’t able to mix and learn from opposing players off the field. Her bold response at the time was instructive: “We don’t mind the accommodation. We are not here to stay in five-star hotels. We are here to play cricket.””If I thought like that I think I would not have continued this long,” she says when asked if security concerns are scary. Then, in keeping with her theme, she pivots to explain how she prefers to view her career as an “opportunity to make a difference” as a leader for her country.”I have been very warmly supported by the whole of Pakistan, whether it’s a small town like Quetta, or big cities like Lahore or Karachi, and every individual says they are proud of me and my team.”In 2013, Pakistan beat England by one run to square the T20 series after being hammered in the opening game•Getty ImagesMir concludes her point purposefully: “Sometimes the perceptions that we make out of small bits of news do not reflect the reality.”Despite being an active member of the team, Mir plays the dual role as an elder as well, in the absence of any former players to draw on (“We do not enjoy senior players like Clare Connor or Belinda Clark in our set-up.”). In turn, she doesn’t hesitate to state administrators “definitely need to improve” their facilities, citing a single ground women cricketers have in Lahore.Mir also advocates strongly for Pakistan’s involvement in domestic competition like the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia and England’s inaugural Women’s Super League later this summer. “Players from all the countries are getting that exposure and I don’t think the Pakistan girls should be missing out,” she says, citing left arm-spinner Anam Amin as one who could excite.Amin is part of the cohort of Pakistan players on their first England tour, leaping to third in the ICC T20 bowler rankings after a superb World T20 at age 23.She leads a spin-heavy attack benefiting from Mir’s experienced offbreaks, Bismah Maroof’s wristspin, (also promoted to succeed Mir as T20 captain), and Nida Dar’s finger spin that accounted for three England wickets in their World T20 fixture.With the bat, the seventh-ranked Pakistanis are bolstered by the return of in-form opener Javeria Khan (who has too graduated to the leadership team) and Sidra Ameen, who established her credentials in Javeria’s absence.Mir is very respectful of her hosts and knows their depth isn’t to be underestimated, but believes her side can beat anyone. Underdogs no doubt, but unquestionably about to face a transitional England team at a good time.Whether or not they take home the trophies on offer this time around, Mir is eloquent in explaining what her team now means to Pakistan, stating simply: “They appreciate us for living our dreams.”Thanks to the leadership of Mir and her ever-improving team, many more will now go on to do exactly that.

Stats highlights from the fourth day’s play in Antigua where Ashwin’s maiden five-wicket haul outside Asia bowled India to an innings victory

Bharath Seervi25-Jul-20160 Bigger Test wins for India outside Asia. Their previous biggest win outside Asia was by an innings-and-90 runs against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2005-06. The innings-and-92-run win in Antigua was only their fourth innings-victory outside Asia and the first in West Indies.0 Number of times West Indies have lost by a bigger margin at home. Their previous biggest loss at home was by an innings-and-86 runs against South Africa in Barbados in 2005. This was their fifth loss by an innings at home.2 Wins for India in their last 24 Tests outside Asia since their win in Jamaica in 2011. Their only other win in this period had come against England at Lord’s in 2014.7/83 R Ashwin’s figures in the second innings, which are the best by an Indian bowler in West Indies. He bettered Subhash Gupte’s figures of 7 for 162 at Port of Spain in 1952-53. Ashwin’s is the first seven-wicket haul for India in an away Test when the opposition were asked to follow-on. His figures are the third-best by an India spinner in Tests outside Asia.3 Number of players, including Ashwin, to have scored a century and taken a seven-wicket haul in the same Test. Jack Gregory against England at MCG in 1920-21 and Ian Botham against Pakistan at Lord’s in 1978 and against India at Wankhede in 1979-80 were the first two to achieve this feat. Ashwin is the first Indian to score a century and take a five-wicket haul in the same Test twice.5 Number of Man of the Match awards for Ashwin in Tests, which are the most by any Indian since his debut in November 2011. This was his first such award in Tests outside Asia. Only two other Indians have got a Man of the Match award in Tests outside Asia since his debut.17 Number of five-wicket hauls for Ashwin in 33 Tests so far – the most by a spinner at this point in career. Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett had taken 16 such hauls in his first 33 Tests. Among fast bowlers, only Waqar Younis has taken more five-wicket hauls (19) in the same number of matches. Ashwin’s 183 wickets at this point of time are second only to Waqar’s 190. He needs 17 wickets in next three Tests to equal Grimmett’s record of fastest to 200 Test wickets in 36 matches.2 Number of away Tests for India where there have been an double-century and a seven-wicket haul. The only such instance for India prior to Antigua 2016 came at Sydney in 2004 where Sachin Tendulkar scored 241 not out and Anil Kumble took 8 for 141.95 Runs added by Devendra Bishoo and Carlos Brathwaite for the ninth-wicket, which is the second-highest partnership for that wicket for a team when following-on. This was also West Indies’ highest partnership of the match.

With an application rarely seen in their batting performances overseas and a constant willingness to believe, Pakistan made history, and yet didn’t quite make it

Jarrod Kimber at the Gabba19-Dec-2016The local cafes have been packed for days, but on the fifth day, there is no queue to get your ten-dollar lunch specials. There is no police outside the ground making sure cricket fans don’t get run over. Neroli Meadows and Merv Hughes have almost the entire Woolloongabba Place Park to themselves for some TV work. Only a handful watch Pakistan in the nets. Most of the people walking around the ground are not fans but Cricket Australia, Queensland Cricket or Brisbane Lions employees. The plastic bollards to give the crowd extra walking space are being taken down even as a few spectators walk past them.That is because no one really believes Pakistan can win.Off the second ball of the day, Asad Shafiq plays and misses. Yasir Shah plays a flash uppercut soon after, and you can feel Australia will just get one right, and the lack of crowd will be justified by a quick finish. But Australia don’t get many right.A single guided to deep point is just one of the 490 needed, but it brings the target to under a hundred and cricket makes that a noteworthy occurrence. Shafiq is farming the strike, making sure that Yasir doesn’t have to face too many balls. Apparently, he hasn’t watched Yasir in the nets over the last two days, because he has looked more assured than Younis, more in-form than Misbah and technically superior to Sarfraz Ahmed. Shafiq plays and misses again at one; that may have hit a crack. Will this heroic defiance be ended by simple day-five deterioration?But as Yasir plays some effortless cover drives, and Shafiq stops playing and missing, the first signs of tension start to show on Australian faces. A graceful push through cover compels David Warner to throw every part of himself at stopping the ball. Instead, it eludes him and gently nudges the boundary triangle. The total crosses 400, another pointless landmark, another moral victory for Pakistan. More belief.Yasir plays an offside waft, not even a real shot; the field is up, and he was sucked into the wrong shot. The ball is passed to Steven Smith who sighs for what seems like seven seconds. Yasir backs up his weak shot with an ordinary stroke that misses the ball by about a foot, and instead hits the ground. Matthew Wade and Smith show some excitement, but it’s not a real appeal, it’s just the hope of a real appeal. It’s now half an hour, and the game is different than before: there are two set batsmen, one frustrated captain, two tiring strike bowlers and one ever-softening ball.A section of the crowd made the Gabba Test feel like a home game for Pakistan•Getty ImagesIan Healy talks to the Pakistani fans, of which there are few, but they are loud enough for it to feel like a home game. One fan claims they will win, not only this Test, but all the Tests. It is different from the passionate pessimism of regular Pakistan fans, but even gung-ho patriotism aside, you can see his point.Australia seems to have no definite plan, no grip on the contest, and now Jackson Bird is warming up. Bird has bowled well and has earned his spot by taking wickets, but he’s at his best with a new ball, winkling out top-order batsmen. His first ball seems gentle and apologetic, and is guided with grace and no effort by Shafiq, who happily lets Yasir face Bird, in a way he never did for Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood. Nathan Lyon comes on and Shafiq pushes him away effortlessly as well, and has no qualms about Yasir facing him either – this despite the fact that Yasir is almost dismissed from an excellent Lyon ball straightaway.During a Bird over, Warner comes excitedly to talk to Smith at slip. Next ball, Bird hits a crack; it’s probably not true, but I like to think that Warner said, ‘all we need to do is hit that crack a lot’. The ball flies past the one floating slip, and Smith reacts by putting out a fly slip, who is so square he’s almost a fly gully. Yasir responds with a push through the covers for two. Warner chases after it like no man has ever chased after a two in the covers. There is such power in his running, such desperation, and yet it was always going to be two. It was as if Warner thought that by running fast, he could change Australia’s new fate, of being on the wrong side of the biggest chase in cricket.At the one-hour mark, our stats team point out that only once in Pakistan’s Test history before this have their numbers 7 to 10 scored over 20 in the same innings.Smith tries something new: a short leg, a short midwicket; fly gully goes back to standard gully and Bird tries to go straight. On a morning of almost no obvious plans or proactive calls, this one is quite clear. Yasir reacts by drop-kicking the straight ball over square leg’s head like he’s operating Viv Richards in a computer game. Forget belief, Yasir now has swag.Lyon beats Yasir and appeals for a caught behind; Wade takes the bails off, and he asks for a stumping. Half the team appeal to one umpire, half to the other, some for a catch, some for a stumping, and probably a few for lbw. It’s not an appeal for a wicket; it is not out in any of cricket’s ten dismissal laws. It’s an appeal for help.After a memorable ton, it needed something even more special from Mitchell Starc to remove Asad Shafiq•AFPIt is then, with what might be thousands but could be just hundreds of people in the ground, I suddenly realise; I could be at one of the single most amazing days of cricket in history. Pakistan still need heaps, Australia still only need two balls, but it doesn’t feel like that. All my cricket background is saying, this will stop, that they’ll get a good ball in, or Pakistan will struggle when the overwhelming nature of chasing 490 gets down to a handful of runs. But I don’t care. Now I believe.When a strong drive from Shafiq crashes into the non-striker’s stumps, there is a sudden panic, as Yasir doesn’t have his bat down. But when you see the replay you see a ball heading for Bird’s hand, only to take an exaggerated dip. Now it might have been spin on the ball that made it do that, or the game now deciding that Pakistan must win. I decide the dip existed, and that it was a sign of a supernatural presence – Mother Cricket – guiding it away.Starc comes back on, Yasir flays, and Shafiq goes down to tell him not to. Yasir pushes Starc through cover; Starc looks at Smith, and Smith shrugs back at Starc. Everyone is talking to someone, every ball. Ian Gould talks to Yasir about something, and suddenly I need to know what is going on: why are they talking, what does it mean, why can’t I hear them? Every single small moment, a lingering look at cover and point, or a back pat between the batsmen is now the single most important thing I have ever seen.

Shafiq’s bat has become something extraordinary, like it was made from a willow tree that was struck by lightning, crafted by Hattori Hanzo and one that he, and only he, could pull out of an enchanted stone

And Asad Shafiq. I mean what is happening there? He was supposed to be in poor form, still hiding down at six and not taking up his rightful place at three or four. He was barely involved in the first innings and now look at him. He seems to have worked out the exact mathematical dimensions of this ground to find every single or two he needs. He’s batting with Misbah’s mind and Younis’ self-determination, and prettier than either. Shafiq’s bat has become something extraordinary, like it was made from a willow tree that was struck by lightning, crafted by Hattori Hanzo and one that he, and only he, could pull out of an enchanted stone. With it, he calmly guides another ball away to the boundary, calmly like this isn’t the chance for perhaps the most incredible victory, but just a club game with some mates.Yasir slashes at point. Lyon launches himself as best he can without the athletic gifts that some of his team-mates have, gets a finger to it – just one which you can see bend as the ball crashes through. The other fielders clean up beyond him, the batsmen run three, the ball’s returned to Wade, who throws it up to mid-off, and Lyon is still on the ground. Shafiq takes a single next ball, and Yasir is back on strike. He leaves a ball after a shuffle down the wicket; it hits his back leg and on commentary, Mark Nicholas says, “They ask, they ask, they get it, they get it, they get it”. But just to prove that Yasir’s judgment all morning has been on song, he reviews instantaneously, and it’s overturned almost as quick.But the reviews show up something else, something which will be far more important: reverse swing. It’s not clear, until another one crashes into the pads, and yes, that’s what it is. Oh Pakistan, it had to be that, didn’t it?Starc’s next over has him around the wicket going at the batsmen. He gets one down the legside and Yasir moves across and it takes something as it goes through to Wade. Starc goes up to appeal, but the ball is trickling along the ground and Wade is desperately trying to pick it up, like he can make up for what has just happened. He gets up and seems to say to everyone, ‘it’s just pad’, or that it didn’t carry, but essentially, ‘it’s all cool guys’. The replays show there was bat, but the replays that needed to show whether the catch carried, never comes. Wade finishes the over by fumbling another ball and they don’t take the run. Wade walks down pitch trying to spin the helmet on his hand casually. It doesn’t spin well, it doesn’t look casual. It is barely repressed panic.Steven Smith’s deadly accuracy allowed Australia to breathe again•Getty ImagesThe panic shifts though with Shafiq’s first play and miss in an age. There is no doubt now, the ball is moving, the spell is breaking.Next over, Starc is around the wicket again, and a good yorker is just squeezed away by Yasir. Now it is Starc v Shafiq. Starc, like a chum-baited shark, isn’t the same bowler as earlier. The ball jumps up at Shafiq, fast and mean. The man who has been a Zen batting master is suddenly everywhere at once, in the air, facing the wrong way, each limb doing a different thing. But the ball has somehow ignored the chaos to find the leading edge, and it balloons up.It’s not that high, it’s not a tough catch, but it goes to Warner – the man who earlier tried to beat fate by running fast – on a platter with a champagne flute beside it. After the false dawns and optimistic cries of hope, the Australians wait for the catch to be completed, and when it is, they scream, the way you do when you have just realised you aren’t about to become the laughing stock of the world. Not Starc, he barely raises a hand.Shafiq is even more emotionless. Shafiq was stoic all innings, and his face is the same now as he takes his gloves off and starts heading off. That is until Yasir walks over and embraces him. Then it hits him, and it becomes obvious that up until that very moment, he believed. He believed more than Misbah, more than the loud Pakistan fan on Channel Nine, more than anyone could, or should. He takes his helmet off, and at first he isn’t even walking towards the dressing rooms, just drifting off the ground. Of all the things he had allowed himself to dream, the walk off the ground as a loser wasn’t one.Rahat Ali’s reputation as an entertaining batsman, for almost none of the right reasons, means that Yasir decides to hit out. He tries to slog Starc with no luck, and then he tries to hit a yorker. He makes contact, but he doesn’t know where, so he takes off, before realising it has gone behind him, and he turns. Smith at first just gently takes the dribbling ball, but then, like a gunfighter who sees a man drop his weapon, he goes for the kill. It was Smith who allowed Pakistan to dream, for Shafiq to be the hero, and now it is the same hands that end the match.Maybe it was reverse swing, Pakistan’s most dramatic superpower, that changed the balance, but it was quality fielding, their one eternal weakness, that finished them. It was 40 runs those who weren’t watching will say, not even that close. They won’t get it. Just like how those who didn’t believe in Pakistan didn’t get that they believed in the first place. And they may have lost, but after all that, you know they still believe.

Andre Onana has downplayed his miraculous double save against Crystal Palace, because Manchester United failed to win the game.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Onana made sensational double stop
• Earned United a point in a 0-0 draw
• Disappointed not to win the game

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Onana made an absolutely brilliant double save to deny first Eddie Nketiah and then Ismaila Sarr on the follow-up, as United drew 0-0 at Selhurst Park. The goalkeeper's stop was world-class but he insists it means little to him because Erik ten Hag's side failed to win the game.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Red Devils created multiple chances throughout the game, as Alejandro Garnacho missed a trio of presentable opportunities, and Bruno Fernandes hit the crossbar. Matthijs De Ligt was also denied from close-range by the impressive Dean Henderson, and Onana insists he and his team-mates were "way better" than the Eagles.

• WHAT ONANA SAID

  Onana said to : "I don’t think it is so important because we didn’t win. We are such a big club. When we move somewhere, we have the ambition to try to win. We didn’t win but I’m happy for the work, the sacrifice of my team-mates because I think we were better than them. We had so many chances but unfortunately, we didn’t score. It’s difficult to come back with one point when we deserved to win.

  "To be honest, yes. I thought [we would score]. Football sometimes, you can’t control everything. We were coming in, we had more chances and I had faith always in my guys. Today, we hit the crossbar twice and hopefully in the coming games, we will score a lot.

  "I think we were better than them, I think we were way better than them. We had more chances than them. We had the best chances during the game. Of course, they are a very good team, but we were way better than them."

• WHAT TEN HAG SAID

  Ten Hag told BBC Match of the Day: "Unbelievable save, Andre is so explosive. He’s such a great stopper. It’s twice in one action."

  He added: "We all see now how good he is. His reactions are so good, he’s so quick and we saw that with the save in the second half."

Tottenham Hotspur were condemned to another miserable Premier League defeat against David Moyes’ Everton, with Ange Postecoglou watching in horror as his side lost 3-2 and were dismantled across the opening half hour.

Iliman Ndiaye wreaked havoc with a feathered dribble into the danger area, making a beeline toward goal and rifling a strike past new Spurs ‘keeper Antonin Kinsky.

But the hard truth is that Tottenham weren’t even undone by blips and lapses, instead culpable of long stretches of abject football. Postecoglou will feel bitterly aggrieved after a season laden with injuries, but the performance put in at Goodison Park was inexcusable.

Aside from a spirited late effort (in vain), it was pretty grim viewing, with inquiries sure to be held in the wake of a damaging defeat that has left Tottenham in 15th place. Radu Dragusin, once again, was at the epicentre of the drama.

Radu Dragusin struggles again

Defensively, Tottenham were shambolic. Dragusin has been dealt a tough hand at times this season, thrown into the deep end, but it’s hard to look past the 22-year-old’s lack of authority and resistance.

Football.london’s Alasdair Gold could only hand Dragusin a 3/10 match rating, criticising his role in Ndiaye’s goal for 2-0 where he was turned inside out and left in the Toffees forward’s dust. The Romanian was hesitant and uninspiring. Tottenham desperately need Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to return from respective injuries.

Play was halted before half-time as Dragusin was treated for a cut after Dominic Calvert-Lewin accidentally elbowed him. He eventually returned to the field but did not make it back out, replaced by Richarlison.

Having made four errors across his 15 Premier League appearances this season, Dragusin is clearly struggling to succeed in this Spurs system – or lack thereof. However, he’s not the only one, with the supposedly high-class Pedro Porro looking bleakly out of sorts over the past few months.

Why Ange must drop Pedro Porro

Porro is one of Tottenham’s most talented players but he’s certainly suffered from patchy form this season, with his performance at Goodison Park emblematic of Tottenham’s wider problems.

The threadbare nature of the Lilywhite squad has left the Spain international shouldering a heavy burden indeed, and while he looked flimsy and unconvincing against the likes of Ndiaye and Calvert-Lewin, it’s clear that the 25-year-old needs a rest.

Porro avoided a lowly 3/10 match rating, but he still had to settle for something not to be desired, with Gold branding the rounded right-back with a 4/10 score and writing: ‘Spurs just look so vulnerable down his side. He’s played more minutes than anyone and it shows.’

With Romero and Van de Ven both slated for comebacks in the next two weeks, you could argue that Gray is worthy of taking Porro’s place at right-back, especially when considering that he’s played more football than any other Spurs player in 2024/25 (2,467 minutes).

It was a shoddy day at the office yet again, having been exposed even against lowly Tamworth a week ago. This time it wasn’t great either, failing to accomplish a dribble, losing four of his six duels and ceding possession a whopping 19 times.

Frankly, Tottenham might just have to endure over the next few weeks and hope that things will come together when players begin to trickle back in from the infirmary. One thing’s for certain though: something needs to change, and dropping Porro for the younger and more robust Gray could be the tactical tweak to send Spurs back toward something promising.

Their answer to Saliba: Spurs enter race for "phenomenal" £21m titan

The incredible international would make Spurs far harder to break down.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jan 18, 2025

Newcastle United sent a high-ranking scout to watch an “unplayable” Premier League player in action earlier this week, according to a promising transfer update.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies are absolutely flying at the moment, finding themselves in their most imperious run of form during Eddie Howe’s entire tenure as manager.

That’s not to say that new signings wouldn’t be welcomed at Newcastle in the January transfer window, however, with Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo continuing to be linked with a move to St James’ Park. He scored in his side’s 2-2 draw away to Chelsea in midweek, taking his tally to six goals in the Premier League this season.

Zion Suzuki is also reportedly considered a transfer target for the Magpies, with the Parma goalkeeper seen as an alternative option to James Trafford between the sticks. Only 22 years of age, the Japanese youngster has made 19 Serie A starts for his current club this season.

Newcastle have even been linked with an audacious move for Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, although a move to Paris Saint-Germain now looks highly likely this month, with a medical at the Ligue 1 giants even thought to be taking place.

Newcastle send Nickson to watch "unplayable" ace

According to The Chronicle‘s Lee Ryder, Newcastle sent chief scout Steve Nickson to watch Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo in action against Manchester City on Tuesday night, as they drew 2-2 at home to the Premier League champions.

Ryder says that the fact that he was present in midweek is a “positive sign ahead of the summer”, with the wide man potentially considered a primary target, as they look to sign a top-quality right-sided player. The Bees want £50m for his services, but they aren’t entertaining offers in January.

At this point, it really does feel like Mbeumo is a major target for Newcastle in the summer, and it’s no shock that they seemingly rate him so highly. The £45,000-a-week Cameroonian is enjoying a fantastic season for Brentford, scoring 13 goals in 21 appearances in the league, with Thomas Frank describing him as “unplayable”.

His manager has been an admirer for some time, also saying of him back in 2022: “It’s brilliant I must say. He’s been brilliant for us this year in the Premier League. He came back from a minor injury, we knew that he wanted to play ready for Tuesday. And three quality finishes, very composed.”

Newcastle feel so close to having such a complete team under Howe, with the midfield perfectly balanced and the likes of Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak excelling in attack. While Jacob Murphy is also in superb form on the right flank, a superior replacement to him needs to be found moving forward, filling the void left by the departing Miguel Almiron at the same time.

Howe could sign right-sided Gordon at Newcastle in £50m "unreal talent"

Newcastle are prepared to spend this winter as Eddie Howe targets greatness.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jan 17, 2025

Semenyo is a great option for Newcastle, but Mbeumo should be seen as the standout choice, providing such consistent end product from his right wing role, and at 25, he still has many years ahead of him.

Tottenham Hotspur managed to pick up a much-needed and hard-fought win in the Europa League on Thursday night, but any hope of an uptick in form was quickly squashed on Sunday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou’s side played out a dismal 2-1 defeat to the relegation-threatened Leicester City in the Premier League, and it’s starting to look like the club could genuinely be pulled into a relegation battle.

In the manager’s defence, he has been forced to play a makeshift backline consisting of a young midfielder in Archie Gray, an ageing full-back in Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin, who is now clearly below the standard required to even be a backup for the Lilywhites.

Fortunately, recent reports have touted a far more accomplished centre-back for a move to the club, a centre-back who could send the Romanian international packing.

Tottenham target defensive titan

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several teams to have registered their interest in Feyenoord star David Hancko.

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that fellow Premier League side Chelsea have also asked the Dutch side for information on the Slovakian, while Juventus and Atlético Madrid are also mooted as potential suitors.

However, the report explains that the Eredivisie outfit are adamant that their defender is not for sale this month but is expected to have an asking price of around €50m for him in the summer, which is about £42m.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given how well Hancko has played in recent seasons and the dismal form of Dragusin, it’s one well worth pursuing.

How Hancko compares to Dragusin

So, the first thing to say is that, when fit, the starting centre-back pairing for Tottenham next season will almost certainly still be Cristan Romero and Micky van de Ven, as the nous and leadership of the former and the breathtaking speed and athleticism of the latter make them a truly formidable partnership.

However, with both of them being somewhat injury-prone and playing an incredibly intense style of football under Postecoglou, the need for a reliable and skilful backup who does not drop the level too much is a necessity, and we have seen over the last year or so that Dragusin is most certainly not that.

Therefore, should Daniel Levy and Co sanction the signing of Hancko in the summer, he’d initially come in to challenge and hopefully usurp the Romanian as that first-choice backup, but how do the two centre-backs stack up when we take a look under the hood and compare their underlying numbers?

Unsurprisingly, it’s the Feyenoord star who comes out victorious and, unfortunately for the Spurs man, it’s not even close.

For example, the Slovakian titan comes out ahead in almost every metric, including, but not limited to, actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, passing accuracy, key passes, passes into the penalty area and final third, shot and goal-creating actions, tackles won, interceptions, clearances and more, all per 90.

Moreover, while the 27-year-old has the height to be a central defender, coming in at 6 foot 2, he’s no slouch with the ball at his feet, with respected analyst Ben Mattinson describing him as a “freak technician” who’s no stranger to “carrying the ball from deep,” “interchanging with midfielders,” and “driving into the box,” which makes him sound like the perfect player for Postecoglou.

Finally, he has worn the captain’s armband a number of times for Feyenoord this season, and with 48 senior caps to his name as well, he’s no stranger to the biggest stages.

Ultimately, while Dragusin has put in some reasonable performances for Spurs over the last year, they have been far and few between, and if the club want to progress, they’ll need stronger options at the back.

Therefore, while it would represent a significant investment, Levy and Co should do what they can to sign Hancko this year.

Better than Solanke in 23/24: Spurs move close to signing £25m "powerhouse"

The international striker might be just what Spurs need this season.

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jan 27, 2025

Australia A chased down rain-reduced target of 160 in 16.4 overs after Tilak Varma’s 94 guided India A

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2025Mackenzie Harvey and Cooper Connolly added 103 runs in just 59 deliveries for the second wicket to blow India A away in the second one-dayer in Kanpur. As a result, Australia A levelled the three-match series 1-1.After opting to bat first, India A were bowled out for 246, with Tilak Varma top-scoring with 94. But rain arrived 5.5 overs into Australia A’s chase, and caused a lengthy delay. The chase resumed after a long wait, with their target reduced to 160 in 25 overs. Australia A achieved that in just 16.4 overs as Harvey cracked 70 not out off 49 balls while Connolly bashed 50 not out off 31.But the tone had been set by Harvey’s opening partner Jake Fraser-McGurk, who smashed 36 in 20 balls in an opening stand of 57. Nishant Sindhu ended Fraser-McGurk’s stay by having him caught in the seventh over, but Harvey and Connolly ensured Australia A didn’t lose momentum.In all, the three thumped 22 fours and six sixes, a performance which was in complete contrast to that of India A. Halfway into the sixth over, Jack Edwards had removed Abhishek Sharma for a duck and Shreyas Iyer for 8, while Will Sutherland had got Prabhsimran Singh for 1.From 17 for 3, India A were rescued by Tilak and Riyan Parag. They added 101 at almost a run a ball in a stand that was dominated by Parag. He hit 58 in 54 balls, but when Sutherland had him caught, it started another collapse which saw India A lose 3 for 18.From 136 for 6, it was time for a rebuild again, and this time Tilak had the lower order for company. While Tilak took his time, Harshit Rana played a cameo of 21 in 13 balls in a stand of 33. Yudhvir Singh fell for 4 soon after, before Ravi Bishnoi gave Tilak good company. Bishnoi scored 26 while No. 11 Arshdeep Singh contributed 10.All this while, Tilak patiently kept ticking over. He was the last man out as Edwards got his fourth wicket, and India A were bowled out with more than four overs to spare. Harvey, Connolly and Fraser-McGurk then stole the show for the rest of the game.The series decider, on Sunday, will also be played in Kanpur.

Three years after breaking India’s schoolboy record, Prithvi Shaw, still only 17, has piloted Mumbai into the Ranji Trophy final with an astonishingly mature debut hundred

Arun Venugopal05-Jan-2017Ahead of the semi-final clash against Tamil Nadu, Mumbai’s chairman of selectors Milind Rege was “at his wits’ end” after his committee’s latest attempt at finding an opener had failed. Following Akhil Herwadkar’s injury midway through the season, Mumbai gave Kaustubh Pawar and Jay Bista a decent run, but neither of them did enough to hold down a spot. Now, with Kevin Almeida failing in the quarter-final against Hyderabad, they were back to the drawing board again.Rege wanted to punt on Prithvi Shaw, who first hit headlines in 2013 for smashing 546 runs in a Harris Shield match in Mumbai, then the highest score by an Indian batsman in minor cricket. Two things made Rege gravitate towards Shaw – firstly, he was running out of options, and secondly, Shaw played with a vertical bat. But Rege was in two minds; after all, it was a huge step to play a 17-year-old in a knockout game. Rege decided to ring up a man who had seen a lot of Shaw, and indeed several young cricketers, in recent times – Rahul Dravid.Shaw was under Dravid’s tutelage at the Under-19 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka last month, and had contributed scores of 89, 5, 36, 22 and 39 in India’s title victory. According to Rege, Dravid’s first impression of Shaw was he played fairly straight and had a “good punch.” And then came the words Rege based his decision on: “Of course, you should consider him. He is not a bad choice.” “If Rahul Dravid endorses something, then it is the gospel truth as far as I am concerned,” Rege tells ESPNcricinfo. “Had Dravid said Shaw wasn’t ready, then maybe we would have not [picked him].”And thus began Shaw’s first-class journey. His first day as Mumbai cricketer was spent chasing leather, but his turn to bat came before lunch the following day. Shaw’s first runs came off the third ball he faced – a crunching whip to the midwicket fence. But his innings ended two balls later as he edged a loose drive outside off. The on-drive, though, had done the trick for Rege -“he was right behind the ball” – who announced Shaw was going to score a hundred in his next innings.

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The fifth day’s play in Rajkot wasn’t turning out to be the thriller it promised to be after Tamil Nadu set Mumbai a target of 251. With the pitch not playing any tricks, Mumbai were cruising. Then, about an hour into the second session, there arrived the kind of moment television loves to milk. Shaw pushed at Vijay Shankar’s delivery outside off stump, and B Indrajith, at gully, completed a simple catch. Shankar let out a yelp of delight, Shaw was devastated. He was on 99.Shaw looked up, and then down, in despair; he had taken off his helmet, but didn’t want to leave the crease. He turned around reluctantly and trudged back before the umpires asked him to hang on. They were checking for a no-ball, but with the benefit of doubt going to the bowlers, you can never be too hopeful. Suryakumar Yadav, the non-striker, had by now walked down the pitch to calm Shaw’s nerves.Suddenly, there was clapping and cheering from the Mumbai dressing room, which had remained a tranquil place for most of the match. The noisy Tamil Nadu camp, on the other hand, looked dejected. Both dressing rooms had seen the replays; Shankar had overstepped. Shaw was going to have another crack at a maiden hundred. Should he get there he would become the first Mumbai batsman since 1993-94 to score a hundred on Ranji Trophy debut.Four balls later, Shaw once again bunted the ball to gully, but played it along the ground, and Suryakumar had already hared towards the striker’s end. Shaw completed the run and the helmet came off again, this time in relief and jubilation. What nobody knew then was that Shaw was blissfully unaware of being on 99 when he was caught off the no-ball. Had he known his score, he would have not attempted the shot. (I didn’t know I was on 99),” he said after the match. “Surya came and said I need three runs more to get to the hundred, and I wanted to take only a single with that shot. That was what I was trying. I absolutely had no clue I was on 99, otherwise I wouldn’t have played that shot.”Suryakumar then gave him a piece of advice to settle him down: “He told me you have worked hard all day from last evening, so take it right till the end.”At 14, Shaw made what was then the highest score by an Indian in any form of cricket – 546•ESPNcricinfo LtdAfter Shaw had got out early in the first innings, he spent the better part of the second and third days sitting with coach Chandrakant Pandit in the dressing room. Pandit handed him a notepad and pen, and asked Shaw to record his observations of how senior batsmen like Abhishek Nayar, Aditya Tare, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav played in different situations. Shaw says he wrote a lot – “I haven’t counted how many pages” – and observed several things. “I learnt a lot about how to react to tough, pressure situations. It’s a higher level and it is my first match, so that’s what I was learning.”One of the things he learnt was to not throw it away when he was within striking distance of the finishing line. When Shaw was dismissed miscuing a slog, Mumbai needed only 10 runs to win.This was also the first time Shaw had to contend with sledging, especially in a language he couldn’t understand. He is aware, however, that it comes with the territory of playing for Mumbai. “The first time I couldn’t understand what they were saying [in Tamil],” he said with a chuckle. “Then, they said something about bouncers, but it didn’t make a difference to me.”Shaw celebrated his hundred by pointing to the lion’s emblem on the chest of his jersey. He said the sheer pride of playing for Mumbai gave him confidence. (when you have the lion on your chest, you are inspired by positive thoughts). A hundred for Mumbai feels good, and it doesn’t get bigger than MCA for me because they are the people who have helped me get to where I have. It’s been a long journey from school cricket to here.”

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When you meet Shaw, you notice that his appearance has changed considerably from the time he made the quintuple hundred four years ago. And yet, the tenderness of his age is unmistakable: there is the faintest sign of fuzz above his lip and a couple of strands of hair that have sprouted on his chin. At five feet, four inches, he is the shortest player in the team. Despite everything, there is something adult-like about him, be it his decisive thinking on the field – it came through in the calculated use of the sweep to unsettle Tamil Nadu’s spinners – or his measured responses off it.Shaw lost his mother when he was three and has barely any recollections of her. His father, Pankaj Shaw, used to run a garment business, but not anymore. Pankaj has been his son’s co-passenger in every step of his cricketing journey. For years, both the Shaws would make the 65km long trip from Virar, a Mumbai suburb, to central Bandra to practice at the MIG club. Luckily for them, a local politician’s support meant the two could stay in Santa Cruz East, which is closer to the club.Shaw is understandably tight with his father, but says he didn’t think about their shared struggles during the time he was at the crease. (If I get emotional I wouldn’t be able to concentrate),” he said. “So I had to keep my emotions aside at that point. But, of course, I am happy and I am sure my father is too. My gratitude also goes to all my coaches who have taught me something.”Shaw does betray emotion when asked who he would dedicate his hundred to. Mumbai realtor Abis Rizvi, who was instrumental in promoting sports activities in Rizvi Springfield, the school Prithvi went to, was a mentor of sorts. On New Year’s day, Rizvi was killed during the attack on an Istanbul nightclub. “He cared for me a lot, and gave me plenty of things which I didn’t have.”The mention of Rizvi Springfield lights up Shaw’s face. He was part of the school’s famed troika – Armaan Jaffer and Sarfaraz Khan being the other two – that smashed records in schools cricket. “I have played for Rizvi since childhood,” he said. “I have led Rizvi myself for six years, and we continuously won the Harris Shield and Giles Shield. It’s a lot of fun to play for your school with friends. Now, I definitely will have to give them a treat.”Does he aspire to play in the IPL like his seniors, Jaffer and Sarfaraz? “I think Ranji Trophy [multiple] days cricket is bigger than IPL, so I will keep focusing on it and the other things will take care of themselves.”Despite his remarkable beginning in Rajkot, Shaw has one minor quibble: there wasn’t any non-vegetarian food he could gorge on at the hotel. “I will celebrate with my team-mates and have a nice dinner, but (I am upset I don’t get non-veg here),” he says in mock annoyance. (I will manage with vegetarian food today).”