Fanning, Bancroft and Cartwright all made half-centuries in WA’s 298 for 9 before the quicks cleaned up SA for 232, with Harvey making 76 in the losing chase
AAP24-Sep-2025
Joel Paris starred with the ball taking 5 for 42•Getty Images
Western Australia opener Sam Fanning has top-scored before teammate Joel Paris claimed five wickets in a 66-run one-day win against South Australia in Adelaide.Fanning’s 75 from 91 balls and half-centuries from Cameron Bancroft (63) and Hilton Cartwright (55) steered WA to 298 for 9 from 50 overs on Wednesday.SA were bowled out for 232 from 44.3 overs in reply at Karen Rolton Oval with the left-arm seamer Paris taking a career best 5 for 42 to claim player of the match honours.SA’s defence of the Dean Jones Trophy is in early strife with consecutive losses, while WA banked their first win from two outings. WA, led by Paris and 19-year-old quick Albert Esterhuysen (3-42), who was on debut, prevailed after weathering an early onslaught from SA’s Mackenzie Harvey (76 from 65 balls).The aggressive opener struck 11 fours and one six after the early loss of his partner Jake Fraser-McGurk, who smacked three fours but was dismissed for 14 from 10 balls.SA’s top order failed to fire with second-gamer Harry Manenti (39 from 49 balls), Jake Lehmann (33 from 42) and acting captain Jason Sangha (18 from 24) unable to cash in on promising starts.Cameron Bancroft and Sam Fanning posted half-centuries•Getty Images
Earlier, WA openers Fanning and Joel Curtis made a brisk start with an 86-run partnership in less than 13 overs. The stand was broken when Curtis (44 from 33 balls) edged to wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen from the bowling of Manenti (1-51).Fanning and Bancroft combined for a 92-run partnership, taking the visitors to a position of power at 174 for 1 in the 29th over.But the dismissal of Fanning, who struck three sixes and four fours from 91 balls, allowed SA to stifle momentum as WA lost 4 for 49 in the next 10 overs. Sam Whiteman, Ashton Turner and Ashton Agar all fell cheaply.And when Bancroft was out lbw to legspinner Lloyd Pope, WA were 223 for 5 in the 38th over and could only muster 75 more runs from the next dozen overs.Pope finished with 2 for 51 from 10 overs, Hanno Jacobs took 2 for 61 from nine on debut for SA while pacer Jordan Buckingham was the pick of the bowlers with a miserly 2 for 33 from 10 overs.
Tottenham Hotspur have only won one of their last four matches in all competitions after a last-gasp goal meant that they had to settle for a point against Manchester United on Saturday.
The Lilywhites turned the game around from 1-0 down to lead 2-1, but they were unable to get the three points over the line, as they were napping in stoppage time to allow Matthijs de Ligt to head in at the back post.
Spurs have only won one of their last four matches in the Premier League after that result, which has seen them drop out of the top four in the division.
Thomas Frank will surely be disappointed with the nature of the two goals that were conceded, because they were both unmarked headers inside the box that should have been dealt with.
The former Brentford head coach should look at his full-backs and demand more from them defensively, as Destiny Udogie was on the scene for the second goal and Pedro Porro was caught out for Bryan Mbeumo’s header.
In fact, Porro is one player who may be on borrowed time in the starting line-up under Frank, because his defending has come into question on multiple occasions.
Why Pedro Porro should be dropped
The Spanish right-back’s marking, or lack thereof, for Mbeumo’s goal was simply not good enough. He was not aware of arguably the biggest United threat in the box, and allowed him to have a free header to score past Guglielmo Vicario.
To his credit, though, the former Manchester City youngster did react to a comment from a supporter after the match and acknowledged that he was not at his best against the Red Devils.
This is not the first time that Porro’s defensive qualities have been called into question. Last year, former Ireland international Keith Treacy said: “Pedro Porro is a good footballer, obviously, he plays in the Premier League, he’s a decent footballer, but he’s not a good right-back, he can’t defend.”
The former Blackburn star added: “If I was a coach going up against Spurs I would say to isolate him, run at him all day long.”
Back in 2023, former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood said that Porro was “all over the place” because he “just wants to run forward” and play as a winger. The Tottenham defender later reacted to those comments by saying that he is not a “machine” who could integrate straight away, as he had only just joined the club from Sporting.
On top of the long-standing question marks over his defensive capabilities, the 26-year-old full-back has also been incredibly wasteful with the ball at his feet in the last two Premier League matches.
Pedro Porro
Vs Chelsea
Vs Man Utd
Minutes
73
67
Tackles won
0
1
Duels won
3
3
Error led to shot
2
0
Key passes
0
0
Crosses completed
0/5
1/12
Possession lost
24x
29x
Pass accuracy
58%
64%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Porro has lost possession of the ball a staggering 53 times in the last two league games, without creating a single chance for his teammates, and creating two chances for the opposition with errors that led to shots.
This shows that the Spaniard has been dismal defensively and offensively of late for the Lilywhites, which is why Frank should ruthlessly ditch him from the starting XI after the international break for the North London derby.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The obvious solution in the short-term would be for Udogie, who assisted Mathys Tel’s goal on Saturday, to come in at left-back and Djed Spence to move over to right-back.
However, the long-term plan that could put an end to Porro’s career in North London could be for Archie Gray to eventually nail down a place in the team as a right-back.
Why Archie Gray can end Pedro Porro's Spurs career
The England U21 international is currently sidelined with a calf injury that he sustained at the end of last month, and he is expected to be back in action around the end of this month or at the start of December.
Gray signed for the Lilywhites from Leeds United for a fee of £40m in the summer of 2024, with Joe Rodon heading back the other way, but he has failed to establish himself in one position since his move to the club.
The English youngster had to fill in at centre-back far too many times under Ange Postecoglou because of the injury crisis in that position, with the likes of Radu Dragusin, Micky van de Ven, and Cristian Romero all picking up injuries last term.
Archie Gray’s Tottenham career
Position
Starts
Centre-back
20
Right-back
9
Defensive midfield
8
Left-back
6
Central midfield
3
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Gray’s second-most played in position at Spurs has been right-back, which is where he played the majority of his first-team football with Leeds, despite coming up through the academy set-up in West Yorkshire as a central midfielder.
The young defender played 44 out of 46 league matches for Leeds in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign, mainly as a right-back, and earned the Championship Young Player of the Year award.
Gray, who was hailed as “ridiculous” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, showcased his defensive quality as a right-back in that second tier season with the Whites, winning 92 tackles and 186 duels in total.
Per FotMob, he ranked within the top 7% of full-backs for tackles won and the top 14% for duels won, whilst also ranking in the top 7% for ball recoveries (196), which shows that he was one of the best defensive full-backs in the division, for a team that finished third in the league.
Frank must never start £130k-per-week Spurs duo together ever again
Tottenham ended up drawing a frenetic Premier League clash against Manchester United this weekend.
ByAngus Sinclair Nov 9, 2025
These statistics suggest that he has the defensive resolve to eventually nail down a place at right-back as a reliable defender for Spurs in the future, which is why he could end Porro’s career at the club by offering Frank a steadier presence than the Spaniard, who has struggled on and off the ball.
It is now down to Gray, though, to return from injury and deliver quality performances when called upon to show that he can be better than Porro defensively week-in-week-out, which would leave Spence free to compete with Udogie at left-back.
The Sri Lanka captain is likely to take the vacant No. 4 slot following Angelo Mathews’ retirement
Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Jun-2025Sri Lanka might be facing an 11-month Test hiatus after the second match against Bangladesh, but that won’t stop Dhananjaya de Silva from putting his mark on this team. This is the first World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for which Dhananjaya has the reins from the outset, and he’s doubling down on some of his strategies.Through the last two years, he’s been insistent that Sri Lanka have to blood seamers at home, so they are prepared for overseas assignments. In the second Test, they may even play three seamers.Related
Sri Lanka begin post-Angelo Mathews era with crucial WTC points at stake
Milan ruled out of second Test
“We’ve got 12 in the squad, and we’ve got options, because our weather is changing from time to time as well,” he said on the eve of the Test. “We were hoping to go with three seamers, but it’s hard to tell exactly – the pitch also looks flat.”Part of Sri Lanka’s thinking seems to be that Bangladesh are more likely to lose wickets to their seam bowlers than spinners. In the last series these two teams played, for example, their top three seamers (Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, and Kasun Rajitha) took 29 wickets between them, placing first, second and third on the series wicket-takers’ list.For this match, Asitha Fernando is almost certain to play, while Rajitha and Vishwa may also enter the XI. Isitha Wijesundara, an uncapped right-armer, is in the squad as well.”Not just in the last series in Bangladesh, even in the previous one it was pace that got a lot of wickets,” Dhananjaya said. “We talked a lot about how the seamers got about 70% of their wickets. But it’s not easy to play seamers on these pitches, but we’re trying to play three. Let’s see what the pitch is like tomorrow morning.”Dhananjaya de Silva averages 43.95 from No. 6 but 20.33 from No. 4•AFP/Getty ImagesThere is also the question of who will play in place of the retired Angelo Mathews at the newly-vacant No. 4 position. Dhananjaya himself will leap up the order to second drop. Though he’s clearly been effective at No. 6, averaging 43.95 in that position, a move up the order is something of a risk. In six innings at No. 4, Dhananjaya averages 20.33 so far.”If you think I’m good enough, I’m ready to bat at four,” Dhananjaya joked when asked who’d fill the gap. “I’m set to bat there.” He had also batted at No. 3 between 2017 and 2018 with mixed results. He played an impressive match-saving, second-innings hundred against India from that position, but over 18 innings there, he averaged 32.88 with two hundreds and two fifties.He’s been an improved batter in the last several years, however. Since 2020, Dhananjaya has averaged 43.85, compared with a pre-2020 average of 34.47. Which leaves the question of who replaces him at No. 6?Another of Dhananjaya’s hallmarks has been to blood young players, with both Lahiru Udara and Tharindu Ratnayake having made their debuts in the first Test. In this game, Sonal Dinusha, the left-arm spin allrounder with 99 first-class wickets and seven first-class tons, seems set to play his first match.”With the wicket the way it is and if we need a spinner, I think Sonal is the best option,” Dhananjaya said. “For now there’s a big chance he will play.”
Leeds-born allrounder turned down contract extension and will move at end of season
Matt Roller17-Jun-2025Jordan Thompson, the combative Yorkshire allrounder, will make a shock move to Warwickshire at the end of the 2025 season after turning down a contract extension at his boyhood club.Thompson, 28, was born and bred in Leeds and has played for Yorkshire since Under-13s level, graduating from their academy and into the first team. But he has signed an all-format contract with Warwickshire for the next three seasons and said the move will represent a “new chapter” after making the “tough decision” to leave Yorkshire.”I’m incredibly excited to be joining Warwickshire and starting this new chapter,” Thompson said. “While it was a really tough decision to leave my home county of Yorkshire, the clear vision for the club and the opportunity to play alongside a number of familiar faces make this a truly exciting move for me.”Related
Potts takes five as Durham trounce Yorkshire
Yorkshire sign Abdullah Shafique for Championship, T20 Blast
Thompson took 32 wickets as Yorkshire won promotion to Division One of the County Championship last summer but his finest moments for them came in T20 cricket. In the Blast in 2022, he held his nerve with a brilliant 20th over to sneak past Surrey in the quarter-finals at The Oval, then hit an 18-ball 50 in defeat to rivals Lancashire at Finals Day.”The club would have loved to have kept him, but were unable to agree contract terms,” Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s general manager, said. “Whilst it’s obviously disappointing to lose Jordan, we understand his reasons and would like to take this opportunity to wish him all of the best for the future.”Ian Westwood, Warwickshire’s coach, said: “Jordan is a three-dimensional, multi-format player who will be a great addition to our squad both on and off the field. He’s a quality performer who I believe still has his best days in front of him. He’s known for his competitiveness and thrives on being involved in big moments on the field. We can’t wait to welcome him to the Bears.”Yorkshire have struggled in the first half of this season: they are second-bottom in Division One after winning one of their first seven Championship matches and are propping up the North Group in the T20 Blast. Thompson has only featured once in their T20 season due to a side strain but returned in their defeat to Durham on Sunday.Warwickshire also recently announced that Danny Briggs, their left-arm spinner, will rejoin Sussex at the end of the season on a white-ball contract that will see him involved in coaching the club’s young spinners.
Liverpool are interested in completing the signing of an “amazing” player compared to N’Golo Kante, with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal also in the mix.
Wharton in and Konate out at Liverpool?
The Reds continue to be linked with new signings in between the summer and January transfer windows, with Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton emerging as a strong option of late, and earlier this year for that matter.
The 21-year-old has stood out as one of the most exciting English talents around, displaying maturity beyond his years in a deep-lying role for Palace, and Liverpool could consider him an ideal person to add depth and class in the middle of the park.
While Wharton could be a future addition at Anfield, Ibrahima Konate is still being mentioned as a target for Real Madrid, with the Frenchman not yet signing a contract extension with the Reds.
It has been claimed recently that the European giants are confident of enticing the 26-year-old to the club by next summer, at which point he will be able to leave the Premier League champions on a free transfer.
Liverpool batting Man Utd to sign "amazing" Ajax ace
According to a new report from TEAMtalk, Liverpool are “keeping tabs” on Ajax youngster Jorthy Mokio, with the 17-year-old one of the Dutch club’s most exciting youth products in years.
The Belgian is also wanted by all of the other so-called ‘big six’ clubs – Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham – and he is capable of shining as both a defensive midfielder and a centre-back. It is claimed that he is “already a name reverberating across European football”, such is his potential.
Mokio feels like such a huge prospect, having already made 21 appearances for Ajax at the age of just 17, also being capped once for Belgium at senior level and representing them in five different youth age groups.
Jorthy Mokio’s international stats
Caps
Goals
Belgium
1
0
Belgium Under-21s
2
1
Belgium Under-19s
3
0
Belgium Under-17s
4
0
Belgium Under-16s
3
0
Belgium Under-15s
5
2
The midfield ace is described as a cross between N’Golo Kante and Declan Rice in the report, who also say his robust style is “built for the Premier League”, which is enormous praise, and scout Jacek Kulig has described him as an “amazing” player.
Liverpool always need to be looking at the most exciting talent around, ensuring that the club continue to head in a positive direction and not rest on their laurels, with United a prime example of how not to build on past success over the last decade or so.
FSG have already sold Liverpool's homegrown Zubimendi for just £15m
Former Liverpool player is now starring as a deep-lying playmaker reminiscent of Zubimendi.
By
Will Miller
Sep 12, 2025
If the Reds were able to sign Mokio from Ajax in the near future, it would be another statement of intent by the club, showing their rivals that they are the most appealing proposition to the best young players in the game currently.
Those of a Celtic persuasion are in mutinous mood right now, and rightly so, having been forced to witness a calamitous summer of transfer activity.
An unbeaten start to the new domestic season has also been overshadowed by last month’s grim Champions League exit, with the failure to properly enhance Brendan Rodgers’ ranks leading up to that tie having undoubtedly backfired.
In the Premiership, away from the chaos, things appear to have gone a little bit stale, with the current crop producing displays that are a far cry from the scintillating style of the glorious Ange Postecoglou era.
The recent drab Glasgow derby was an obvious case in point, with that 0-0 stalemate at odds with Postecoglou’s outfit at their pomp. Just look back to such performances as the 3-0 win over the Ibrox side in February 2022.
Parkhead was at its buoyant best that night, and the football was simply stunning, with the men in green and white almost playing a different game to their beleaguered opponents.
That magic, that ferocious approach, has since been lost.
From plucking bargains from afar under the Aussie, the Hoops have resorted to paying over the odds during the Rodgers regime, with far too many transfer dealings having gone south of late.
Celtic's recruitment record post-Ange
As noted by former Celtic skipper Scott Brown, the club’s recruitment record under Postecoglou was simply “fantastic”, with the experienced coach simply a master at acquiring a hidden gem on the cheap.
Take Matt O’Riley, a player signed for just £1.5m from EFL side MK Dons back in January 2022, before ultimately being sold to Brighton and Hove Albion on a £25m deal in the summer of 2024 – marking a sensational profit.
Such success stories have been few and far between since then, however, with the 2023 summer window proving particularly disastrous. Indeed, of those signed amid Rodgers’ return, only Paulo Bernardo and Hyun-jun Yang are still at the club – albeit with even the Korean having come close to departing for Birmingham City before the recent deadline.
The likes of Gustav Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, Luis Palma and Marco Tilio have all come and gone without so much as leaving a trace, having looked destined to fail from the off amid their limited roles under Rodgers.
While it is too early to judge this summer’s transfer dealings, the recruitment of 12 months ago is also worthy of scrutiny. Adam Idah, for instance, has already been shipped off to Swansea City, while Arne Engels – signed for £11m – has yet to truly establish himself as a regular starter in Glasgow.
Described as “nowhere near the finished article” by his manager, the young Belgian appears to be burdened by such a lofty price tag, with that expensive outlay a constant source of debate among supporters and pundits alike.
The 22-year-old may well still come good, although the race is on to live up to the weight of his transfer fee.
Market Movers
Would the Hoops not have been better off seeking out a bargain instead, in the mould of say Reo Hatate?
How Hatate's value compares to Arne Engels
Reflecting back on that night in the winter of 2022, the rout of Rangers proved a breakout moment for that man Hatate, with the Japanese genius netting two stunning efforts to properly announce himself to the Parkhead faithful.
As per reporter Michael Bridges, Hatate and his compatriots simply “ripped the league to shreds” following their arrival.
Having been signed from Kawasaki Frontale just a few weeks prior, the all-action midfielder quickly made a mockery of his meagre £1.1m price tag, having been a mainstay under both Postecoglou and Rodgers since then.
After chalking up 13 goals and 14 assists in 66 games under the new Nottingham Forest boss, as per Transfermarkt, Hatate has enjoyed a rather similar record under his successor, with 15 goals and 14 assists under his belt from 81 outings.
While Rodgers did hint at the 27-year-old’s “inconsistency” during their first year working together, he did go on to flourish last term, having also got off the mark in 2025/26 with an outrageous effort away at Aberdeen.
That thumping strike emphasises just why the diminutive playmaker is such a “big talent” – in the words of Rodgers – with his overall record of 56 goal involvements in 147 games in all competitions ensuring he has more than made his mark in Glasgow.
Hatate – 24/25 Premiership stats
Stat (*per game)
Record
Games
37
Goals
10
Assists
4
Big chances created
14
Key passes*
1.2
Pass accuracy*
82%
Tackles*
0.9
Interceptions*
0.2
Total duels won*
44%
Stats via Sofascore
Such a stellar impact can also be felt when considering his soaring market value, with Hatate deemed to be worth as much as €13m (£11m), according to Transfermarkt. For comparison, Engels’ value is now said to be around €12m (£10m).
The subject of interest from Serie A side Udinese back in May, before ultimately staying put at Celtic, the 11-cap international looks like a player who will soon rake in a sizeable profit for the club, should he move on in the near future.
In the meantime, however, the hope will be that Hatate can play a central role in trying to revive this limp season for Rodgers and co, with the Hoops in very real danger of merely letting things drift.
Celtic may have their biggest talent since Doak in "lightning" 19-year-old
While Ben Doak continues to shine away from Celtic, the Hoops could have their own rising star to enjoy
كشف كايل ووكر لاعب بيرنلي، عن مشاعره تجاه قرار رحيله عن صفوف مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي، بعد سبع سنوات ونصف قضاها في ملعب “الاتحاد”.
ووكر غادر مانشستر سيتي في يناير الماضي، ولعب معارًا إلى ميلان لنهاية الموسم، وغادر وانتقل بعد ذلك لصفوف بيرنلي، الفريق الذي يكافح للابتعاد عن مراكز الهبوط.
وأجرى ووكر مقابلة مع “سكاي سبورتس”، وتحدث قائلاً: “هل كان عليّ مغادرة مانشستر سيتي؟ كنت قائد الفريق، ودائمًا ما يكون الشخص أول من يتحمل اللوم عندما لا تسير الأمور على ما يرام”.
وأضاف: “في تلك المرحلة من الموسم، هل كان عليّ الرحيل؟ بالنظر إلى الماضي الآن، على الأرجح لا”.
وأشار: “كان عليّ البقاء مع زملائي وأصدقائي، الذين أعتبرهم عائلتي، لكن ربما لأول مرة في مسيرتي، كنت أنانيًا، كنت أفكر في نفسي وفي رغبتي بلعب كرة القدم”.
اقرأ أيضًا | بين محمد صلاح وهالاند.. “بي بي سي” تتكهن بهداف الدوري الإنجليزي 2025/26
وأردف: “لم أكن سعيدًا بالجلوس على مقاعد البدلاء، ولعب بعض المباريات هنا وهناك، شعرت أنه لا يزال عليّ إثبات قدرتي على الأداء على أعلى مستوى”.
وأستطرد ووكر: “عندما يطلب مني نادٍ مثل ميلان الانتقال لصفوفه، يصعب عليّ الرفض، عندما عدت في الصيف، كان لديّ وقت للتفكير في الأمر، لا أندم على ذلك، لطالما رغبت في تجربة كرة القدم خارج إنجلترا، أنا سعيد لأنني فعلت ذلك لمدة ستة أشهر، مع أنني ربما كان بإمكاني تقديم أداء أفضل قليلاً”.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has accused the Premier League of inflating the players' salaries and transfer fees. According to the 63-year-old, this affects the global market and other leagues including the Spanish top flight as well as he stressed the importance of "sustainability" across Europe's leagues.
Premier League punching above their weight?
The 2025 summer window saw around 12,000 international transfers, and the spending, as per FIFA, was a whopping $9.7 billion. This was 50% more than last season, with Premier League clubs alone spending $3.19 billion on high profile such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, who all joined Liverpool, and new Manchester United forward Benjamin Sesko. This was more than the cumulative figure of Spain ($666m), Italy ($950m), France ($730m) and Germany ($980m), prompting Tebas to warning of a destructive outcome if such spending continues.
Advertisement
Getty Images Sport
Tebas explains his point with an example
While speaking at the third edition of the Expansion & Marca Business Sport Forum, he said: "We always compare ourselves to the Premier League, but we should see how we are doing compared to the Bundesliga. I want to point out how the Premier League's numbers are not correct. The turnover of La Liga and the Bundesliga is very similar; we're around €4 billion in revenue. The Premier League earns not double, but 1.8 million more, but we're going to say double. The logical thing is that if La Liga spends €700 million, the Premier League would spend €1.4 billion. But in the last seven seasons, the Premier League has always spent much more than double, which is what it should have. This year, it should have spent €1.4 billion, but it spent €4 billion. Where do those €2.5 billion come from? Losses. What happens? Inflation. If you pay more than you should have spent, you'll lose. Your turnover, what happens? If someone pays much more, it inflates salaries and affects us all because the market today is global."
He also touched on the UK government's interventions, referring to the establishment of an independent regulator, adding: "Today, the Premier League is being intervened by the government because they are worried about what is happening to English football. Last year, it lost €1.2 billion; La Liga isn't going to lose money, nor is the Bundesliga. I no longer talk about Italy and France because they are much worse off. We always go to the Premier League, but I am careful about the state of the Premier League, which has reached the point of being invested in by the government. Companies are competitive and economically sustainable. What we are doing in Spanish football is very important."
Tebas approached UEFA
Tebas wants to curb the Premier League's spending, and to get it incorporated, he has approached UEFA multiple times.
"The rules need to be made much more uniform because they're different," he said. "What's allowed in the Premier League isn't allowed in Spain, and UEFA should take an interventionist stance there. We've had a few meetings with UEFA, and we'll see if we continue along those lines, which is what everyone wants, including many Premier League teams."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
AFP
La Liga more like Bundesliga than Premier League
La Liga introduced their economic control over the teams in 2013, after being inspired by UEFA's Financial Fair Play model. The president says comparisons to the Premier League are not helpful, preferring to put La Liga on a par with the Bundesliga instead.
Australia captain Pat Cummins has defended the output of his top-three batters – particularly makeshift opener Nathan McSweeney – in difficult batting conditions, as Australia’s selectors mull their options for the final two Tests of the series.Australia’s selectors are due to meet on Thursday morning to select the sides for Melbourne and Sydney after a rain-affected draw in Brisbane left the Border-Gavaskar Trophy poised on a knife’s edge at 1-1.Top of the selectors’ agenda will be extra bowling cover for the injured Josh Hazlewood with Scott Boland the obvious man to come back into the XI. But it would be hard for them not to at least discuss the top three, and in particular their openers, after another difficult week in Brisbane.Related
India and Australia take a moment to recalibrate as Gabba stalemate leaves everything up for grabs
Hazlewood likely to miss rest of India series with calf strain
Usman Khawaja, who turned 38 on Wednesday, was undone by Jasprit Bumrah for the second time in the Test match and the fourth time in the series. His partner, McSweeney, escaped Bumrah’s clutches for the first time in the series but instead nicked a wide delivery from Akash Deep. Marnus Labuschagne nicked one of Bumrah’s most innocuous deliveries of the series for just 1 as Australia slumped to 16 for 3 on their way to a bizarre third innings of 89 for 7 declared as they tried fruitlessly to set up a result before rain ended the game.Labuschagne averages 16.40 across five innings in the series, with 64 of his 82 runs coming in one hit in Adelaide. McSweeney averages 14.40 with a highest score of 39. Khawaja is averaging just 12.60, having been arguably Australia’s most reliable batter in 2022 and 2023.It appears unlikely that any change will be made despite the lean returns.Calls from the public for 19-year-old phenom Sam Konstas are growing louder following his stunning 20-ball half-century on BBL debut for Sydney Thunder on Tuesday night. That followed his century against an India attack that featured all of the Test bowlers bar Bumrah.But Cummins defended the contributions of his top three in the context of Travis Head’s two magical centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane, which according to the skipper were set up by the top three ensuring he didn’t walk out to face the new ball.”Everyone’s always hoping to score more runs,” Cummins said after rain ended the third Test. “I think the trend in world cricket pretty much all around the world is the top three is a really hard place to bat at the moment. Particularly here in Australia, the wickets are tough. I think there’s little snippets that have been important. Again, that first innings, Trav walks in 35 overs into the game, I think that makes a big difference, the same in Adelaide. Obviously they [the top three] would be hoping to score more runs, we’d like them to score more runs, but I think they have made some important contributions that others have benefited from.”Usman Khawaja has been cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah four times this series•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
By that measure, Australia’s top three are doing their jobs given Head’s two centuries, plus Steven Smith’s century and Alex Carey’s 70 in Brisbane put Australia in commanding positions in both games. It is clear that Australia are content, given the quality of Bumrah and the difficulty of new-ball batting, to simply ask their top three to absorb pressure and buy Head time to come in and play the way he does.”The trend is, it seems like, five, six, seven is sometimes where a bulk of the runs are scored in Test cricket all around the world,” Cummins said. “I spoke ahead of this summer when there was all the talk about batting orders, we didn’t really want to move our five, six, seven – they’ve been so important to many of our wins over the last couple of years. We’re not beholden to stats, we know there are certain roles, there are easier times to bat, harder times to bat, just like bowlers, so you are always looking at the best seven batters who will function as a unit and place them as best you can.”McSweeney and Khawaja’s numbers look extremely lean compared to that of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who are averaging 47 and 38.60 respectively in the same conditions against Australia’s attack. But Rahul’s 84 in Brisbane could have been 30 had Smith held a straightforward chance at slip on day four, while Jaiswal has made just 32 runs in five innings outside of his match-winning 161 in Perth.Cummins was particularly supportive of the job McSweeney has done in his first three Tests, having been asked to debut as an opener with no prior experience at Sheffield Shield level and just two brief innings in the role for Australia A.”It’s been really hard for the opening batters for both sides really,” Cummins said. “I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s gone about it. Even today, someone starting out his career still being selfless enough to go out there and try to play shots rather than try and preserve and get a score. Really impressed with him, again probably hasn’t scored the runs he would have liked, but he has played some important knocks that have set up a win in Adelaide and a really good result here.”
أعلن النادي الأهلي، تقديم بلاغ إلى النائب العام وكذلك شكوى لـ المجلس الأعلى لتنظيم الإعلام ضد مدحت شلبي مقدم البرامج الرياضية.
ويأتي هذا التصعيد بعد حالة الجدل التي أثارتها تصريحات مدحت شلبي، والتي اعتبرها مسؤولو القلعة الحمراء مسيئة وغير صحيحة بحق رئيس النادي محمود الخطيب.
طالع | بالدليل.. أسامة حسني يرد على مدحت شلبي: الخطيب لا يدعي المرض
وكان مدحت شلبي قد أدلى بتصريحات في الساعات الماضية أثارت حالة واسعة من الجدل، بعدما أكد أن سبب غياب الخطيب عن السفر إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية مع بعثة الأهلي في كأس العالم هو عدم حصوله على التأشيرة وليس المرض كما قيل وقتها. بيان الأهلي بشأن مدحت شلبي
قررت إدارة النادي تكليف محمد عثمان، المستشار القانوني للأهلي باتخاذ كافة الإجراءات القانونية ضد مدحت شلبي، وما جاء على لسانه بشأن الكابتن محمود الخطيب، رئيس النادي، من كلام ينافي الحقيقة في برنامجه الذي تبثه قناة MBC Masr 2، وتقديم بلاغ للنائب العام، وشكوى عاجلة للمجلس الأعلى لتنظيم الإعلام”.