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Sometimes, small gaps and weaknesses in personnel and strategy can add up to disproportionately bad results

Karthik Krishnaswamy26-Nov-20254:53

Gautam Gambhir: This side is ‘learning on the job’

Things surely can’t get any worse. The only way from here, surely, is up.These are thoughts India’s fans must have consoled themselves with at various points over the last year and a bit of home Tests. Each time, they’ve only discovered that things can certainly get worse, and that directions other than up are always in play.From Bengaluru to Pune to Mumbai. And from there, after the brief lull of Ahmedabad and Delhi, to Kolkata and Guwahati. A journey that took India all over the map while mostly going south.Zero-three against New Zealand. Zero-two against South Africa.You have to go back as far as 0-3 against West Indies in 1983-84 followed by 1-2 against England in 1984-85 for the last time India suffered two Test-series defeats at home within such a short span of time. And before that, all the way back to the late 50s.This, for India and their fans, is not normal. It feels especially abnormal because these results have come so close on the heels of an era of unimaginable dominance.It’s hard to process. The air around Indian cricket crackles with anger. It must have felt this way when Kapil Dev launched Pat Pocock high over the Feroz Shah Kotla and into long-off’s hands, having hit the previous ball for six, during a final-day collapse that gave England a route to a series-turning victory in a match that seemed to have been heading towards a draw. India dropped Kapil for the next Test.Related

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A move like that seems unthinkable today, but history, in other ways, always seems to repeat itself. For Kapil, substitute Rishabh Pant and his day-three charge at Marco Jansen in Guwahati, in the middle of a similarly match-turning collapse.Great players do daft things sometimes. But what lapse of reason led India, in home conditions, from near-invincibility to abject fallibility at such dizzying speed? Do their results paint an accurate picture of their quality? Are they really this bad? Is this a blip, or does it point to a deeper malaise in the country’s red-ball ecosystem?Quality in sport, first of all, is a relative thing. Apart from everything else 0-3 and 0-2 tell us, they tell us that New Zealand and South Africa were exceptional touring teams, purpose-built for Indian conditions with wisdom derived from, among other things, India’s many years of home success. These were teams built to compete, and to pounce on any bits of luck that went their way.And luck kept going their way, not least the luck of the toss. And if New Zealand caught India at one point of a transition, with ageing players beginning to show signs of decline, South Africa caught them at another, with inexperienced players still finding their feet.With those caveats out of the way, it still feels surreal that India didn’t win or draw even one of these five Tests. Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal played all five of them. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj played four each, and KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav (and Gill, sort of) three each. These are experienced, established Test cricketers.Sometimes, though, small gaps and weaknesses in personnel and strategy can add up and coalesce into disproportionately bad results.5:55

Saba Karim: India have fallen behind in Test cricket

Consider India’s selection of multiple allrounders through this South Africa series. As individual players, all of them merited selection. Washington Sundar returned to Test cricket last year as a vastly improved bowler, and performed excellently with ball and bat in England. Axar Patel hadn’t played Test cricket for a year, but his bowling has always seemed tailormade for Indian pitches, and he is capable of batting in a wide range of lower-order situations.Dhruv Jurel had been in such a rich vein of form, for India A and during the Tests against West Indies, that he gave India no option but to pick him even after regular keeper Pant’s return from injury. Even Nitish Kumar Reddy, the most debatable of these selections in home Tests, had shown enough evidence of belonging at Test level, particularly with the bat, even if he wasn’t anything like the finished article yet.And given that India were in transition, none of them was coming in ahead of established specialists. It wasn’t even clear which specialist batters and bowlers they were keeping out.But because of this, India came into this series with areas of vulnerability that they probably should have foreseen. One was exposed in their very first turn with the bat, when Shubman Gill went out of the series having faced just three balls.It hurt India badly that they played with ten men for all of that Test, and it continued to hurt them in the second Test, when they ended up without a plausible replacement who was both a specialist batter and batted right-handed. In selecting Reddy in their squad, India had left themselves open to this circumstance.Two, in picking Washington and Axar as their fingerspinners behind Jadeja, they had wilfully picked a trio of players with roughly similar strengths. All allrounders, all quick, accurate fingerspinners best suited to pitches offering sharp, early turn.India were outbowled and outbatted in Guwahati•Associated PressThere was every chance they could have won India the Kolkata Test on a pitch that suited their strengths. Guwahati, however, exposed their limitations severely.And in Gill’s absence, India’s middle order in Guwahati ended up looking unsuited to the conditions. We often speak of bowlers’ suitability to conditions, but sometimes it’s true of batters too. A line-up like India’s in Guwahati, with plenty of depth and notional flexibility, could be extremely handy in low-scoring conditions like Kolkata’s. The circumstances of India’s first innings in Guwahati, however, called for batters with the experience of scoring big hundreds, frequently, over multiple first-class seasons.India couldn’t call up the Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli of 2016-17 to bat at Nos. 3 and 4, but their squad didn’t contain anyone in that mould, forget with that level of quality or experience. Jurel could become that player in the future, but he’s definitely better served batting at No. 5 or 6 at present, while Sai Sudharsan and Padikkal, for all their potential, have first-class averages in the high 30s and early 40s respectively.And so, for all the proven quality of India’s senior players, the potential of their younger players, and the individual merits of their allrounders, the parts added up to a jumbled whole. That whole could have still beaten a weaker opposition even with all their ill-luck with the toss and injuries. Against a quality South Africa side that had just won a WTC final and drawn a series in Pakistan, however, the whole was just too full of holes.

Fast bowler proud to seal Headingley Test in partnership with travel buddy Chris Woakes

Vithushan Ehantharajah10-Jul-20231:53

Ehantharajah: Wood was close to perfect in Leeds

When England travel overseas, their seating plans are done in alphabetical order. As such, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood end up sitting next to each other.Wood is an incredibly nervous flyer. So much so that, on internal flights on smaller planes, Woakes has often held his hand during take-offs and landings to keep his mate at ease.They also bring treats for each other on tour. Wood makes sure to pack Woakes’ favourite chocolate digestives, and Woakes returns the favour with Ferrero Rochers. It’s worth pointing out that the exchange of treats does not happen immediately, only when one senses the other needs some home comforts.During the Headingley Test – each man’s first appearance of this Ashes series – they drove into the ground together all week. And on Sunday, these two best of friends reinforced their bond with a stand of 24 from 14 balls in the contest’s fraught closing moments. Together they hauled England over the line by three wickets to leave the scoreline 2-1 in Australia’s favour with two Tests to play.Both have their own individual joys to take from a gripping third Test. Woakes’ 32 not out in the chase after taking six for 141 across the two innings marked a stellar comeback, having played what he feared might have been his last Test on the tour of the Caribbean in March 2022.For Wood, it was as close as he has come in 28 caps to the perfect performance. A sentiment made official when he was given the player-of-the-match award for the first time in a home Test.The Durham quick took five for 34 on day one, including a blistering four-over spell in which he did not drop under 91mph, the fastest delivery registering at 96.5mph and Usman Khawaja’s leg stump taken out with one at 95mph. An eight-ball cameo for 24 after lunch on day two reignited England’s first innings – and got Ben Stokes’ juices pumping in the process – to ensure Australia only led by 26 going into their second innings, having at one stage looked good for a 100-plus advantage.In the end, that lead was only extended to 250 partly due to Wood’s second-innings two for 66. He capped it all off with a similarly thrilling 16 off eight deliveries, including a momentum-shifting six off Pat Cummins – his fourth of the game – to help England home.Even with all that to himself, the Durham quick (or should that be allrounder?) could not help bring Woakes into the frame when discussing his emotions.”One of the best feelings I’ve had,” Wood said of being out there at the end for victory. “I’ve been in that position a lot where I’ve lost the game, that’s the first time I’ve been able to bat to win the game.”Especially being there with Woakesy. We’ve car-shared all week, we’ve got a lucky car [parking] space, we’ve promised that we’d get runs and wickets. I think we will park in the same place every time we turn up here.”Wood’s thunderbolts with the ball exceeded expectations, particularly given he missed Lord’s because of an issue with a right elbow that was operated on twice last summer. But it was the batting that stole the show. His 40 runs across the match came at a strike-rate of 250. The first of the 16 balls he faced, at the start of the second session on day two, was a bouncer from Mitchell Starc. He hooked it into the stands at midwicket.Wood’s express pace will be a key weapon going into the series climax•Getty ImagesEagled-eyed viewers will have spotted Wood using a new set of bats this summer, having swapped brands from New Balance to SG. Though he was happy with the initial batch delivered to him, he found them slightly too heavy. When the replacements arrived he thought they were too light. It turns out they were just right.It’s worth noting, Wood’s six boundaries were not fortuitous swings of a wispier blade. Prior to that first ball from Starc, he had spent the lunch interval in the indoor nets with Paul Collingwood, bracing himself for a short-pitch assault. It has been a common tactic this series and Wood himself had indulged it to nab a fourth-career five-for the day before. He rightly figured Australia’s quicks would be eager to take their revenge. The preparation, both during and in the lead-up to this match, has paid off handsomely.”All I’ve done is practise bouncers for two weeks,” he revealed. “I haven’t practised anything pitched up – that’s genuine. Colly has been slinging those yellow balls. They sting but don’t hurt. You get used to playing the shot, getting in strong positions, and waiting as much as I can to do well.”It fills me with great pride to say I can do well against Australia. Look at facing Cummins and Starc. One, it’s not easy. Two, it’s really intimidating. They’re bowling fast, they get good bounce. More often than not they come out on top. Luckily this time, it’s the one out of 100 I’ve managed to get through.”Related

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Whether Wood will be able to go again for the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford remains to be seen. Though he has stitched consecutive matches together recently, with two back-to-back in Pakistan last winter and three on the bounce at the end of the 2021-22 Ashes, England will be understandably cautious, even though a nine-day gap offers a grace period.Having sent down 28.4 overs after subsisting primarily on four-over bursts – his previous match before this one had been on April 15 for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL – much will depend how Wood’s body, and especially the elbow, react. There are also wounds on his forearms from repeatedly falling over in his follow-through, but those are less of a concern.Ben Stokes will be desperate to utilise him for the two remaining matches given how instrumental his pace has been in keeping the Ashes alive. The man himself is unsure.”I will speak to the physio, but I imagine I will bowl once or twice, a couple of gym sessions, maybe some running, but it won’t be too drastic. I have to let the body recover. It’s my first game in a very, very long time, especially in Test cricket. Off the back of bowling four overs, and I didn’t do too much of that either. I will let the body recover, get myself in a good space, let the wounds recover, and get myself up for the next one. “As ever, there is willing. Asked if he could crank it up once more and test the limits of the speed gun, Woodanswered unequivocally.”Absolutely. Lightning strikes twice, eh?”

They might not make it to the knockouts, but this generation of Namibia cricketers can certainly leave behind a legacy to be proud of

Peter Della Penna23-Oct-2021Big pictureIf making their first appearance in a T20 World Cup wasn’t enough of an achievement, Namibia have gone not just one but two better: a first victory over a Test-playing nation, and qualification to the Super 12s. At this stage, Namibia are playing with house money.Nobody will expect them to win three games to be in with a shot at qualifying for the semi-finals, at least not with group matches against Afghanistan, New Zealand, India and Pakistan, not to mention Scotland, the fellow Associates. Not having that burden of expectation just might give them the license to throw their chips on the table and let it ride.Players such as Gerhard Erasmus and Stephan Baard, both of whom have served as captains for Namibia at the Under-19 and senior levels, have been quoted in interviews saying how they were inspired as young boys growing up in Namibia by the deeds of Namibia’s 2003 50-over World Cup squad. It didn’t matter that they lost every game. What mattered was that they took the field to stand shoulder to shoulder, toe to toe, against the likes of Andy Flower, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar.Related

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But whereas the 2003 Namibia squad was made up of players who were doctors and policemen, and held various other nine-to-five jobs, these players are full-time professionals. Securing ODI status in 2019 has opened the door for Erasmus to commit himself full-time to cricket, and delay a career putting his law school degree to use. Cricket Namibia is now reaping the rewards of that extra funding that could be invested in player development.The success against Ireland to vault into the Super 12s has instilled new-found belief into the likes of Erasmus and the rest of his charges. If he was inspired simply by seeing the likes of Rudi van Vuuren and Deon Kotze stand on the field against such illustrious names of the 2000s, one can only imagine what it may do for the next generation in Namibia if Erasmus’s men not only take the field against some of the Full Member heavyweights, but actually trump a team led by Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Babar Azam or Virat Kohli.Recent formFor anyone sleeping under a rock for the last week, Namibia are riding high after taking two wins out of three in the opening round of the tournament. But that is just a continuation of their outstanding form in 2021. Namibia have won eight of nine T20Is in the calendar year, including three matches earlier in October against UAE, PNG and Scotland, the last of which was a dominant five-wicket win chasing a target of 138 with 14 balls to spare. Even though Scotland won their qualifying group, which included a win over Bangladesh, Namibia are arguably favourites in that Super 12 encounter before they square off against their Full Member slate.Gerhard Erasmus and David Wiese have been part of many good things for Namibia of late•ICC via GettyBattingThis is the stronger side of Namibia’s game. One of the fascinating parts of Namibia’s win over Ireland to end the opening round was the on-air television commentary discussion centered on who should be promoted in the order to give the innings a spark after a slow powerplay. The main argument was that JJ Smit should have been sent in to crack a few boundaries and get the innings in gear. He wound up not even being needed after the tremendous partnership between Erasmus and David Wiese took Namibia home. Just as remarkably, Baard – who is their third-highest scorer in T20Is and second-highest in all T20s – was left out of the XI after a string of low scores throughout October. But when in form, Baard can be devastating, as can the versatile Craig Williams, who is one of just two Namibians – along with Louis van der Westhuizen – to have multiple centuries in their T20 career. The point is, this is not just a two-man band with Erasmus and Wiese.BowlingThere isn’t anybody who would be characterized as express on the bowling side, but T20 has brought out their clever bag of tricks. The left-arm trio of Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann and Jan Frylinck can hit their cutters and yorkers when called upon and Wiese’s arrival has added a level of experience to take the pressure off some of the younger men in that group when sticky situational match-ups arise. Though Frylinck’s 3 for 21 was lost in the shuffle of the heroics produced by Wiese and Erasmus in the chase, it was no less pivotal in the win over Ireland. On the spin-bowling side, Bernard Scholtz was the leading spin bowler at the global qualifier two years ago in the UAE and resumed his quietly tidy and efficient spells in the opening round. Against sides packed with left-handers, the option to select Pikky Ya France as an offspinner is also open for Namibia to maintain balance in the side.Player to watchMost people might call on Wiese as Namibia’s trump card, but he himself said upon accepting the Player of the Match award in the win over Ireland that it should have gone to captain Erasmus. Groomed as a future captain from the time he made his senior team debut as a lanky 16-year-old against Ireland in Belfast in the 2011 Intercontinental Cup, Erasmus is the heartbeat of the squad. He bats with intelligence – no better evidence than his constant pursuit of pinching low-risk twos rather than slogging for boundaries on a tricky Sharjah surface against Ireland – but can ramp up the intensity when required as demonstrated by a memorable sequence of four sixes in a row against Singapore during the 2019 global qualifier. He’s their best player of spin, their best all-round fielder, and though he only bowled one over in the opening round, his handy part-time offspin could become an increasingly key factor in the Super 12s.Key questionHow to get the best out of Craig Williams?The 37-year-old stalwart was in red-hot form entering the tournament with four consecutive T20I fifties, and also top-scored with 29 against Sri Lanka. Prior to 2021, he spent his entire T20I career batting in the middle-order, but post-pandemic has shifted between opening and coming in at No. 3. He started off the tournament at No. 3, but due to Baard’s struggles was promoted to open against Ireland and made 15 off 16. If he does end up staying at the top, his success or failure will also depend on the ability of his partner to get Williams on strike. The few times Williams struck boundaries against Ireland, he struggled to stay in rhythm because Zane Green was blocking, leaving and chewing up dot balls at the opposite end. Whoever is batting with Williams needs to focus on singles and get off strike to let the old pro work his magic.Likely XI: 1 Stephan Baard, 2 Zane Green (wk), 3 Craig Williams, 4 Gerhard Erasmus (capt), 5 David Wiese, 6 JJ Smit, 7 Jan Frylinck, 8 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, 9 Pikky Ya France, 10 Ruben Trumpelmann, 11 Bernard Scholtz

The Dodgers’ plan to slow play Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher, back to top form is working to perfection. Ohtani looked so good throwing six shutout innings against the Diamondbacks Tuesday night that he is a full-bore Game 1 option for manager Dave Roberts when the National League wild-card series begins Tuesday.

And when Ohtani does make his first career postseason start on the mound while taking his usual spot as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter, he will replace Babe Ruth as the starting pitcher to hit from the highest spot in the batting order in a postseason game. Ruth hit sixth for the Red Sox in Game 4 of the 1918 World Series.

Three other postseason starting pitchers have batted in a spot other than ninth, all in the eighth spot: Zack Greinke in the 2021 World Series for the Astros and Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammel twice each in the ‘16 postseason for the Cubs.

In his 14th game on the mound since a second elbow procedure, Ohtani reached season highs against Arizona in innings (six), pitches (91) and batters faced (22). Most impressively, Ohtani pitched off his fastball, which was electric, and held his stuff deep into his start. Here are the key numbers:

Inside Ohtani’s Tuesday start vs. Diamondbacks

Stat

Amount

Rank

Whiffs

16

Most since June 27, 2023

Whiffs on four-seam fastball

9

2nd most of career

Sixth inning fastball velocity

99.1

4th highest of career; highest since 2022

Max Velocity

101.2

4th pitch this month above 101 mph (career-high)

Roberts likely won’t announce his Game 1 starter until playoff matchups are set, but Ohtani has made 11 straight starts on at least six days of rest and if (and when) he starts NLWC Game 1 he will have … six days of rest.

The start Tuesday was the 100th pitching appearance for Ohtani in MLB. His 670 strikeouts through 100 games are the 11th most in history.

That’s impressive enough. But know this: that same all-time pitching talent also this year became the first player in history with 50 homers, 100 walks and 19 stolen bases in a season. Amazing.

And one more note about the incredible two-way talent of Ohtani:

The Two-Way Power of Shohei Ohtani in 2025

Stat

Amount

Rank

Balls Hit 100+ MPH

196

Most in MLB (Tied with Yandy Díaz)

Pitchers Thrown 100+ MPH

39

3rd most by starter since his return on June 16

The Dodgers’ plan to slow-play not just Ohtani but also all their top starters appears to have worked well. Los Angeles pitchers have made only 19 starts this year on four days of rest or fewer, the fewest in MLB (Houston is next at 23) and the seventh fewest in any full season. Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are all throwing well, giving Roberts good choices about how he wants to line up his postseason rotation.

Now he must fix his bullpen, and Roki Sasaki may be the answer. Sasaki, who is expected to be activated Wednesday, hasn’t pitched in MLB since May 9 because of a right shoulder impingement. After making five rehab starts in the minors, Sasaki made his past two appearances out of the bullpen for Oklahoma City. Each time he threw one shutout inning. He hit 100 mph with his fastball.

Roberts is expected to give Sasaki two relief outings this week as further trials for a high-leverage postseason role, which could include anything up to closing games.

MatériaMais Notícias

Calleri aproveitou bela jogada coletiva e marcou de cabeça o segundo gol do São Paulo na vitória por 2 a 0 sobre o Cruzeiro, neste domingo (2), no Morumbis, pela sétima rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

Com isso, o atacante argentino chegou aos 37 tentos anotados e se transformou no maior artilheiro estrangeiro do Tricolor na competição. Na temporada, Calleri é o líder da equipe em participações em gols, com 10, e vice-artilheiro do time, atrás apenas de Luciano.

Aos 5 minutos de jogo, Lucas arrancou pelo meio de campo, driblou dois adversários e contou com um desvio na zaga para abrir o placar para o São Paulo, que jogou toda a segunda etapa em vantagem numérica após Marlon receber cartão vermelho por acertar o tornozelo de Calleri com as travas da chuteira.

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No início do segundo tempo, Calleri marcou de cabeça e deu números finais ao duelo. Com o resultado, o Tricolor segue invicto sob comando de Zubeldía e entra no G4 do Campeonato Brasileiro.

O São Paulo volta a campo apenas no dia 13 de junho. Após a Data Fifa, a equipe paulista encara o Internacional, fora de casa, às 20h (de Brasília).

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Birmingham City have now reportedly joined Crystal Palace in the race to sign an impressive AFCON winger who would be an instant upgrade on Kyogo Furuhashi.

Chris Davies: "Difficult defeat to take" against QPR

Birmingham couldn’t have asked for a more frustrating night if they tried against Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday. The Blues clawed their way back to level terms thanks to Patrick Roberts in the 93rd minute, only for Kieran Morgan to snatch all three points for the hosts in cruel fashion three minutes later.

Chris Davies admitted that the defeat was “difficult to take” when reflecting at full-time, telling reporters: “It was a very difficult defeat to take. To get ourselves back in the game at 1-1 and with a minute to go, you think that’s it’s going to be a point to take away but it wasn’t to be.

“Working towards half time and getting in at 0-0 would have been a reasonable start for us in the first half, but again we’ve conceded the first goal, and it’s given ourselves a big job.

“We’ve got a lot to do, we did get going in the second half, we were pushing and pushing. I was really pleased we could get that goal and then at the end it was a strike that went through a lot of bodies through into the goal.

“At half time I wasn’t happy with the performance. I thought it was well below par what we can do, I thought we were making a simple game look a lot harder than it needed to be.”

That one defeat has dropped the Blues down to 11th and three points behind Hull City in sixth. If they are to gain a Championship playoff place by the time that May arrives, then a January move for a player of Philip Otele’s calibre should be Birmingham’s priority.

Birmingham join race to sign Philip Otele

According to GiveMeSport’s Ben Jacobs, Birmingham have now joined the race to sign Otele and are rivalling Premier League side Crystal Palace for the winger’s signature in 2026.

The 26-year-old has been included in Nigeria’s preliminary squad for the Africa Cup of Nations and could secure a place in Eric Chelle’s final squad before starring at the tournament.

Ahead of the tournament, Otele has already been in fine form for Basel in Switzerland, scoring eight goals and assisting another three in 26 games this season. By contrast, Kyogo has surprisingly struggled since arriving at Birmingham.

Many expected the former Celtic man to be among the signings of the season, but he’s yet to score a single Championship goal and was recently guilty of a glaring miss with the net wide open. It has simply been a nightmare spell for the summer arrival. A move for Otele could cost Kyogo his place, too.

The winger has had plenty of admirers throughout his career, with former CFR Cluj manager Adrian Mutu, who worked with Otele, telling reporters last year: “He possesses impressive physical strength, speed and technical skills. Although he can still work on his finishing, the interest doesn’t surprise me at all.”

Birmingham scouts spotted keeping tabs on exciting star alongside Wrexham

تحدث آرني سلوت، مدرب نادي ليفربول، مرة أخرى عن مستقبله وذلك قبل أيام من مواجهة الريدز ضد وست هام يونايتد بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ليفربول يلتقي مع نظيره وست هام يوم الأحد المقبل، لحساب منافسات الجولة الـ13 من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز على ملعب لندن الأوليمبي.

ويسعى ليفربول إلى الفوز على وست هام، في ظل النتائج الصعبة التي عاشها الريدز خلال الفترة الأخيرة هذا الموسم.

وخسر ليفربول هذا الأسبوع أمام نوتينجهام فورست في البداية 3-0 بالدوري الإنجليزي، ثم تبعها هزيمة قاسية أخرى أمس الأربعاء ضد بي إس في آيندهوفن 4-1 بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وورد أن ليفربول قد يفكر في إقالة سلوت من منصبه كمدرب لليفربول، مما يضع المدير الفني الهولندا تحت ضغط كبير.

وقال سلوت خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص باللقاء، والذي نقلته شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” حول إمكانية إقالته من تدريب الريدز: “لقد أجرينا نفس المحادثات التي أجريناها منذ أن وصلت إلى هنا، نواصل القتال ونحاول التحسين، هذا ما نحاول جميعًا القيام به، المحادثات كانت كما كانت خلال الثمانية عشر شهرًا الماضية”.

وأضاف: “خيبة أمل من اللاعبين؟ لا إطلاقًا، مع أنني أتفق على أن معاييرنا كفريق لم تكن بالمستوى الذي اعتدنا عليه، نعتقد أننا نستطيع اللعب بشكل أفضل، التركيز منصب على الفريق لا على اللاعبين، إذا حدث العكس فنحن ننظر إلى الفريق لا إلى اللاعبين”.

وأوضح: “ليس من السهل قول ما يمكنني فعله بشكل مختلف، إذا فزت أو خسرت أو تعادلت فإنك تفكر في القرارات التي تتخذها خلال الأسبوع وربما تفعل ذلك أكثر إذا خسرت”.

وأردف: ”نحاول إيجاد الحل الذي نحتاجه للفوز بالمباراة، وفي النهاية الأمر يتعلق بفعل ما يقوم عليه هذا النادي وهو الاستمرار في القتال، علينا أن نقاتل معًا”.

وتابع: ”سيكون من الجيد أيضًا أن نكافئ أنفسنا في اللحظات التي نلعب فيها بشكل جيد، لأن هناك جوانب مهمة عندما نلعب بشكل جيد، كل خطأ صغير يؤدي إلى استقبال هدف”.

واستكمل: ”هناك ضغط كبير عندما تعمل في نادي كبير ويزداد الأمر سوءًا إذا خسرت أكثر مما اعتاد عليه هذا النادي”.

وقال: ”هناك دائمًا ضغط، ففي العام الماضي فزنا بالدوري، لكن الآن أصبح الضغط مختلفًا، ربما أصبحت مهمتي أسهل لأنني لست مضطرًا للعب”.

وأضاف: ”الأمر صعب على كل لاعب، فعندما نخسر بعد 5 دقائق ونلعب بشكل جيد في الشوط الأول ثم نستقبل هدفًا في الشوط الثاني، فنتلقى ضربة تلو الأخرى لذلك نواصل القتال، هذا ما قدمناه بشكل رائع العام الماضي وهو الحد الأدنى الذي نتوقعه خلال 90 دقيقة”.

وعن الإصابات بين لاعبي ليفربول، أوضح سلوت: ”تدرب أليسون مع الفريق، ونأمل ونتوقع أن يكون لائقًا للقاء وست هام، سيخضع فلوريان ليومه الأخير في مرحلة التأهيل غدًا، لذا قد يتدرب يوم السبت إذا سارت الأمور على ما يرام”.

وضع هوجو إيكتيكي: ”بالنسبة لهوجو، فاليوم كان فترة تعافي للاعبين، لكننا لا نتوقع أنه يعاني من مشكلة كبيرة لنرى، المباريات تأتي بسرعة لكن لا ينبغي أن تكون مشكلة له”.

ونونو سانتو، مدرب وست هام: ”يؤثر على نتائج وست هام بالإيجاب، لقد قدم أداءً جيدًا في إنجلترا مع نوتينجهام فورست، ووست هام مجددًا، لذا يثبت أنه مدرب يصعب اللعب ضده”.

وقال: ”من الصعب الفوز على وست هام الآن ولهذا السبب نحتاج بالتأكيد إلى الاستعداد للتحدي، الأمر مختلف بالنسبة لهم للعب ضدنا الآن عما كان عليه قبل ثلاثة أشهر”.

وعن إحصائية الأهداف المتوقع تسجيلها بالنسبة لليفربول: ”أشعر بالإحباط منها، فهذه الإحصائية لا تخبرك دائمًا بالقصة الصحيحة، إذًا متى تحصل على تلك الفرص؟ أنت دائمًا أكثر انفتاحًا عندما تستقبل أهدافًا، فضد أستون فيلا وريال مدريد نادرًا ما استقبلنا فرصًا، لكن عندما نطارد المباريات نستقبل فرصًا”.

وأوضح: “لا نكافئ أنفسنا عندما نلعب بشكل جيد في المباريات، وهذا يتضح جليًا في تقديرات الأهداف المتوقعة وهو أمر مثير للسخرية، لم أكن بحاجة إلى هذا التقدير لأعرف أننا أهدرنا الكثير من الفرص”.

وتصريحات كيرتس جونز، لاعب ليفربول، وانتقاده لمستوى الفريق ضد آيندهوفن أردف: ”هل تفترض أنني سمعت ما قاله وهو ما لم أفعله؟”.

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وتابع: “قال إننا بحاجة إلى أن نكون أكثر صرامة؟ من الجيد أن نظهر ذلك في المباريات وهذا ما يحاول اللاعبون فعله، أفضل الأرقام الشخصية اليوم وإحصائيات الجري، لذا يبذل اللاعبون جهدًا كبيرًا، الحد الأدنى الذي أتوقعه من الفريق هو أننا سنقاتل”.

ومتى تعود الثقة: ”لا أعتقد أنها ستكون منخفضة عندما نبدأ لعب المباريات، ولا حتى إذا كنا متأخرين 1-0، ولكن بعدما يسجل في مرماك الهدف الرابع أو الخامس فترى صعوبة لمدة 5 أو 10 دقائق”.

وأضاف: ”حتى عندما كانت النتيجة 2-1 ضد آيندهوفن كانت خيبة أمل، لكننا تمكنا من خلق فرص كافية لجعل النتيجة 2-2، لكن عندما باتت النتيجة 3-1 رأيت أن ذلك أثر على اللاعبين، ولم تكن الروح القتالية في أفضل حالاتها”.

وأوضح: ”من الصعب إيصال رسالتي إلى لاعبي ليفربول بعد الهزيمة بتلك النتيجة، لكن قبل وخلال الشوط الأول رأيت كيف نصنع الفرص،  لكنها لا تؤدي إلى أهداف، الأمر صعب علينا جميعًا لكن الرسالة تصل بوضوح تام، أرى كيف نخلق الفرص وهذا واضح”.

ومدافع ليفربول، جو جوميز: ”إنه قريب من المشاركة وقد يشارك لدقائق أمام وست هام، لكن عندما نكون متأخرين بفارق هدفين أو ثلاثة أهداف، أميل لإجراء تبديلات هجومية، لذا فإن مشاركته بشكل أساسي واردة بالتأكيد”.

وتابع: ”لم يتدرب كوناتي قبل يومين وكان يشكل عائقًا لنا قبل المباراة ضد آيندهوف، لذا كانت مخاطرة أن نلعب به، لذلك قررت إبقاء جوميز في خططي في التشكيلة الأساسية ضد آيندهوفن تحسبًا لإصابة إيبو”.

وواصل: ”لم أكن على ما يرام بعد الليلة الماضية وفي النهاية نمت جيدًا، ليس وكأنني أسهر طوال الليل، لكن إذا فزنا لن أنام جيدًا، الأدرينالين والأفكار مرهقة، لكنني نمت ساعات كافية”.

ومدرب آيندهوفن، بيتر بوش: “لم أتناول مشروبًا مع بيتر بوش، لأن لدي الكثير من العمل أمام الإعلام، سألته لكن الوقت كان متأخرًا جدًا لذا سأهنئه في رسالة”.

وأضاف: “هناك الكثير من الأشخاص الذين يمكنني الاتصال بهم للحصول على النصيحة، لكن هناك الكثير من الأشخاص في ليفربول أيضًا يمكنني الاتصال بهم للحصول على النصيحة”.

وأوضح سلوت: ”نتذكر دائمًا المباراتين الأخيرتين أكثر من أي شيء آخر، كان الشوط الثاني ضد السيتي أفضل بكثير بينما مباراة كريستال بالاس في سبتمبر، كان الشوط الثاني لنا أفضل بكثير من الأول، لذا فإن جميع الخسائر كانت لها قصة مختلفة”.

وأردف: ”لم يكن الشوط الثاني في آخر مباراتين جيدًا، كما ذكرت، برأيي واصل اللاعبون القتال ضد آيندهوفن عندما كانت النتيجة 2-1، لذلك تمكنا من خلق فرص كافية، فرصة جاكبو عادةً ما تكون هدفًا لكنها لم تدخل”.

وعن ما إذا كان ليفربول بحاجة إلى دفعة معنوية: ”أعتقد أنك تفكر في كل شيء، ولكن حتى الآن اتخذت قرارًا مختلفًا، لكن لاعبين آخرين أظهروا أنهم بحاجة إلى هذه الدفعة في بعض لحظات التدريب”.

وأتم: ”يعتقد البعض أنني يجب أن أجري تغييرات أكثر على التشكيل، لكنني أجريت تغييرات وخسرنا مباراة ضد كريستال بالاس في كأس كاراباو، بالطبع أفكر كثيرًا”.

Yorkshire 314 for 5 (Agarwal 175, Lyth 69) trail Durham 346 (Raine 101, White 5-69) by 32 runsYorkshire had the better of day two of their final-round Rothesay County Championship clash with Durham at Headingley to boost their hopes of avoiding relegation, with Mayank Agarwal’s superb 175 in turn increasing their visitors’ fear of the drop.This was a batter’s day in sunny Leeds, where two men posted centuries. Durham allrounder Ben Raine was the first, advancing from 87 not out overnight to a superb 101. Unfortunately for him, though, Durham could only convert a 322 for 7 score into 346 all out, with new-ball seamer Jack White completing an impressive 5 for 69.Indian overseas batter Agarwal – 20 fours and five sixes in 195 balls – followed Raine to three figures as the hosts then replied with a commanding 314 for 5 from 86 overs. He shared a second-wicket 127 either side of lunch with opener Adam Lyth, whose 69 came on his 38th birthday.Yorkshire started this week seventh in Division One on 146 points, six clear of second-bottom Durham but with a better most-wins tiebreaker record. They needed 10 points to survive. Five of those have been accrued, and a draw will be enough from here.For Durham, although it’s not yet certain, they will likely have to win this game to stay up. Should Hampshire lose to Surrey, a draw would be enough. Hampshire have the advantage in Southampton.Durham’s innings was wrapped up inside an eventful first eight overs of the day which saw White claim all three wickets and Raine reach his second career first-class century.White bowled Matthew Potts and Daniel Hogg in the 100th over, his second of the day. Potts, bowled through the gate, lost his middle stump and Hogg was beaten on the outside edge and lost off. Raine and Potts had shared 87 for the eighth wicket from late evening onwards on day one, aggressively advancing Durham from 245 for 7.Raine reached his hundred off 101 balls as he took the majority of the strike away from last man Shafiqullah Ghafari before top-edging a swish at White to third-man to end the innings.Raine’s influence on the contest was extended amidst a tight start to Yorkshire’s reply, him trapping Fin Bean lbw stuck on the crease as the score slipped to 9 for 1 after seven overs. Potts and Raine started with three successive maidens before the latter’s strike.So, despite good batting conditions, Lyth and Agarwal had to be watchful. They were, but not so much that the runs didn’t come. Lyth was strong through the off side and Agarwal full of touch as he recovered from two ducks in three previous innings for Yorkshire.Touch, yes. But there was also increasing power. Both he and Lyth reached afternoon fifties, the latter first off 102 balls. Agarwal’s came off 84 balls with a six down the ground off Afghan Ghafari’s legspin.Shortly afterwards, Ghafari had Lyth caught at slip by Potts via a deflection off wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson – 136 for 2 in the 41st over. But Durham needed more.Agarwal then took on Ghafari, hitting him for three more sixes before tea – two down the ground in an over and another pulled over midwicket to get him to a 122-ball century.Yorkshire reached the break at 198 for 2. But shortly afterwards, Raine bowled James Wharton and then had Jonny Bairstow caught behind with 203 on the board.Agarwal’s presence was a calming influence, however, and went on to 150 off 176 balls. He pulled Potts for another six. Ghafari did gain revenge for the earlier sixes when the 34-year-old right-hander miscued to long-on at 281 for 5 in the 75th over, Yorkshire’s deficit now 65.Matthew Revis and George Hill whittled that down further to 32 through to close and will begin day three on 28 and 23 respectively.

Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a record-breaking 2024 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers that wiped away any lingering doubt that he may not be worth the historic, record-breaking contract he signed in free agency last offseason. Recording the first 50 home run, 50 stolen base season in baseball history will do that.

But this time of year is the reason the Dodgers wanted Ohtani, and why Ohtani chose the Dodgers: Playoff baseball. The Japanese mega-star had never played in the postseason heading into 2024, and Los Angeles kept falling short after a 2020 World Series title.

On Saturday, Ohtani suited up for his postseason debut and the Dodgers were immediately in need of his services. The visiting San Diego Padres jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the opening frame. Then Ohtani came up in the bottom of the second inning with two men on base. He delivered, mashing a huge game-tying home run for his very first postseason trip around the bases.

And he celebrated in emphatic fashion, flinging his bat to the side as he let loose a joyous yell.

Shohei Ohtani playing October baseball. What a majestic sight. For anyone other than Padres fans, anyway.

A very cool moment for one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

Jediah Blades briefly threatened to be the hero with an outstanding spell of 3 for 29 but West Indies’ fielding once again let them down

Alex Malcolm26-Jul-2025

Another composed unbeaten half-century from Cameron Green and some stunning hitting and catching from Glenn Maxwell helped Australia post a fourth straight win over a deflated West Indies in Basseterre.Green made an unbeaten 55 from 35 to steer Australia home to a target of 206 with three wickets and four balls to spare following a middle-order collapse. The chase had earlier been set up by 51 off 30 from Josh Inglis while Player-of-the-Match Maxwell smashed 47 off 18 at the top of the order. Second-gamer Jediah Blades briefly threatened to be the hero with an outstanding spell of 3 for 29 but West Indies’ fielding once again let them down.Related

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Australia, by contrast, were flawless in the field with Maxwell taking two catches and combining with Green to complete a stunning catch on the rope to back up an excellent bowling performance. With Ben Dwarshuis and Tim David rested, Aaron Hardie and Xavier Bartlett grabbed their chance, taking 2 for 24 and 2 for 39 respectively, including three powerplay wickets to restrict West Indies. Nathan Ellis was sensational again bowling four overs for 21 runs while Adam Zampa and Sean Abbott also took five wickets between them.West Indies became the first team in T20I history to score 200 without anyone scoring more than 34, with Sherfane Rutherford top-scoring with 31.Bartlett and Hardie take powerplay wicketsAs well as Australia have bowled in this series, they had only taken one powerplay wicket in the first three games. The selection of Bartlett and Hardie changed that. Both men had success with hard lengths rather than swing up front. Bartlett cramped both Brandon King and Shai Hope on consecutive deliveries in different overs while Hardie benefitted from Maxwell’s superb catching at mid-on. Having caught Hope diving forward on the circle, he casually stretched up with the one hand to pluck a Roston Chase drive off Hardie.Jediah Blades struck crucial blows•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

West Indies kept hitting despite the regular loss of wickets. Rutherford, Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer clubbed six sixes and seven fours between them. But none of them passed 31 as they all holed out with miscues. Mitchell Owen continued Australia’s fine catching with a brilliant diving effort running in from deep backward point to remove Hetmyer. When Powell holed out to hand Hardie his second, West Indies were 119 for 6 after 11.1.Mind-blowing Maxwell changes the gameShepherd and Jason Holder were unperturbed by the scoreboard. Shepherd’s hitting showed he could well be used as a full-fledged allrounder in this West Indies line-up. He mixed power and touch to maul Abbott. He lifted West Indies beyond 150 before the end of the 15th over but his dismissal summed up the difference between the two sides.Maxwell not only robbed Shepherd of a certain six but he ended his innings with the same stunning act. Shepherd clubbed Zampa flat to long-on and it looked to have easily cleared Maxwell. But he defied gravity and logic to jump as high as he could at full stretch to catch it with two hands and land on his left leg, which is still full of hardware from his fracture in 2022, before flicking it back to the waiting Green while momentum carried him over the rope. Maxwell’s two catches on the scorecard will be an unjust historical record of his contribution to the match.Australia’s death bowling was superb again, conceding just 41 from the final five overs which took an additional 55 minutes to complete due to a long rain delay between Ellis’ second ball of the final over and his third.Inglis and Maxwell cause déjà vuThere was a brief moment when West Indies’ fortunes defending a total might have taken a different turn. Blades found swing first up and pinned Mitchell Marsh lbw second ball. Marsh’s decision not to review it despite ball-tracking showing it pitched outside leg might have been the luck West Indies needed.Early swing for Blades and Holder saw a circumspect Australia score just 12 off the first two overs. But as soon as the swing disappeared, déjà vu set in. Inglis smashed seven boundaries in the next 11 balls. He added a four and a six off Matthew Forde’s first over of the series to raise a 50-run stand with Maxwell who contributed one run. Inglis reached his 50 off 28 balls and ended up facing 29 balls in the powerplay before holing out to deep square off a full toss outside leg.The lack of strike did not concern Maxwell nor did the field spreading outside the powerplay. He launched six sixes in typical Maxwell style, including three in three balls, to put Australia miles ahead of the required rate and briefly threatened to match Tim David’s record for the fastest T20I fifty by an Australian less than 24 hours after it was set as Australia cruised to 129 for 2 after 10.It’s the hope that kills youA Maxwell miscue off Akeal Hosein sparked a collapse and gave West Indies a chance at victory. Blades loomed as the unlikely hero. He made Owen miscue to deep cover point and Cooper Connolly to mis-hit one to mid-off in the space of three balls. He then had Hardie dropped twice in two balls, with Shai Hope spilling a catch down the leg side before Blades failed to grasp a return offering himself.But Green held his nerve to post his third half-century of the series. Every time West Indies bowlers threatened to close out a boundary-free over, he cleared the rope to ease the pressure. He reached his 50 off 30 balls with the required rate well under a run-a-ball despite Australia being six down. He offered a chance late with 11 to win, but Rutherford dropped a catch at deep midwicket to continue West Indies’ nightmare series.