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The three quicks shared seven wickets for India A, while KL Rahul was unbeaten at stumps

Shashank Kishore07-Nov-2025

A few days after being left out of the Test squad to face South Africa, Prasidh Krishna stung South Africa A in a terrific spell of seam bowling to help India A open up a sizeable lead by stumps on Day 2 of the second four-day fixture at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.Prasidh picked up three, while Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep picked up two apiece as South Africa A folded for 221, giving the hosts a 34-run lead. They converted this into a 112-run lead by stumps, albeit for the loss of three wickets.KL Rahul was unbeaten on 26, unhurried and composed, after Abhimanyu Easwaran bagged a pair and B Sai Sudharsan was pinned lbw yet again after playing around his front pad to a nip-backer from left-arm seamer Tiaan van Vuuren. Devdutt Padikkal, also part of the Test squad, appeared to have steadied the innings after two early wickets, but fell for 24 at the stroke of stumps as South Africa A ensured the hosts were still within touching distance.Related

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After warming the bench during the two Tests against West Indies, Prasidh reveled in conditions he would love to take with him everywhere. He troubled batters with bounce, had batters awkwardly fend at deliveries and consistently beat the outside edge with seam movement.Siraj, meanwhile, was a bit more blockbuster. Barring one solitary over where he was taken for 24 – courtesy three fours and two sixes by centurion Marques Ackerman – Siraj breathed fire with the new and semi-new ball. He swung it both ways, troubled batters with the late tail, celebrappealed after pinning Zubayr Hamza plumb and shattered Kyle Simmonds’ stumps with a terrific in-swinger.It started with Akash Deep’s pearler to Lesego Senokwane in the very first over – easily the ball of the day – angling in and straightening to beat the outside edge and hit top of off. While he couldn’t quite top that – anyone would’ve found its hard to – there were plenty of moments in that first spell where he could’ve picked a few more wickets. He eventually finished with 2 for 28 in 10 overs.For Akash Deep, this outing was massive from a confidence standpoint after suffering a series of niggles since returning from a breakout Test tour of England. It was also a timely boost ahead of the South Africa Tests, where he could line up to be the third seamer in home conditions at Eden Gardens.India A’s lead could’ve been a lot bigger, but for a superb fourth first-class century by Ackerman, the South Africa A captain, who held a crumbling middle order together and fought through periods of prodigious swing and seam movement early in the session on a green surface that still had plenty in it for the fast bowlers.Marques Ackerman celebrates his century•PTI

Ackerman is very Dean Elgar-like in his setup. As the day progressed, he showed it wasn’t just in the aesthetics that was Elgar-like, but in his fight too. He seemed intent on crease occupation, but the only problem was he had to shift gears quickly as the middle order caved in. And once he crossed a half-century, he went into overdrive, with some help from No. 9 Prenelan Subrayen.He stepped out to loft Kuldeep Yadav for six over long-off and rocked back to cut him. He also played a neat, little reverse-sweep off Kuldeep when he drifted the ball away. The real aggression came when Siraj went after him with a few verbal volleys, seemingly frustrated after beating the outside edge a number of times in the middle session.Ackerman drove him imperiously for two boundaries and flicked a leg-stump half-volley for a third when Prasidh misfielded at fine leg. With more steam coming off his ears as he knocked the stumps down at the bowler’s end in frustration, Siraj returned to bang in two short balls that got picked away for sixes. The first – a ramp over the slips, and the second a hook over fine leg.Ackerman brought up his century off 99 balls, and raced away to 134. He took a liking to left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who was introduced late and bowled just three overs, before becoming the ninth batter to fall. Ackerman was Dubey’s only wicket. Prasidh, who had picked up two in two in the first session, then cleaned up the last batter to finish with 3 for 35 off 11.3 overs.

Ben Stokes waiting for final look at pitch before making call on all-pace attack

Matt Roller20-Nov-2025England have deferred a final decision on their team for the first Ashes Test until Friday morning as they weigh up the merits of picking a spinner in Perth.Ben Stokes has often named an XI two full days out from Tests since taking over as captain, but on this occasion England announced they had trimmed their 16-man squad down to 12 names on Wednesday. Stokes said before England’s training session on Thursday afternoon that they would “probably” have a final team later in the day, but has instead opted for a final look at the pitch on the first morning.England’s biggest decision surrounds the possible inclusion of Shoaib Bashir on a pitch expected to offer pace and bounce for their fast bowlers. Australia’s Nathan Lyon has a formidable record at Perth Stadium, with 29 wickets at 20.86, but visiting spinners have a combined record of eight wickets at 87.50 at the venue.Related

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Bashir has not played competitively since taking the final wicket in England’s fifth-day win over India at Lord’s in July, having broken the little finger on his left hand earlier in the match. He was expensive in England’s warm-up match last week, returning figures of 2 for 151 off 24 overs, but Stokes backed him to play a role at some stage in the series.”Team sport takes all 11 [players] to influence a game at some point,” Stokes said. “All 11 guys who get the honour of being selected in the next five games will be just as important as each other. He was always going to be in the 12-man [squad]. Seeing the way the game at Lilac Hill went, it felt like we could just get him as many opportunities to bowl as possible.”It leaves open the possibility that England will field an all-seam attack for only the third time since Stokes took over as captain three years ago, which would see Jofra Archer and Mark Wood paired together for only the second time in Tests. They have lost on both previous occasions, against Australia at Lord’s in 2023 and against India at The Oval in August.Wood appeared to be a major doubt after hamstring soreness in England’s warm-up game, but Stokes was bullish about his prospects on Thursday. “He’s flying,” Stokes said. “I know you guys say he only bowled eight overs in the game, but he’s been bowling for a long, long time. He has always been someone who can just hit the ground running in a game, and he’s bowling rapid.”Some of England’s unused squad members may feature for England Lions in their four-day match against a Cricket Australia XI at Lilac Hill, which also starts on Friday. Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks and Matthew Potts are all in contention to play.England XII: Ben Stokes (capt), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has advised Blues wonderkid Estevao Willian to "relax" amid comparisons with legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian teenager is off to a bright start in his maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge, with his latest stellar display coming in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League.

• Getty
  

  Estevao outshined Yamal in battle of wonderkids

  Comparisons were also being drawn between Blaugrana sensation Lamine Yamal and Estevao ahead of the clash as two of the brightest prospects in European football came face to face.

  As the match ended at Stamford Bridge, Estevao emerged as the clear winner as he starred with a goal in the Premier League giants' massive 3-0 win over the La Liga club. The Brazilian teenager doubled his team's lead at the start of the second half after Jule Kounde's own goal handed them the lead. Liam Delap then scored a third to seal a memorable win for Maresca's team. Estevao had a terrific outing on the night as Yamal was kept silent. 

  The 18-year-old also matched Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe's record in Europe as he became the third teenager to score in each of his first three Champions League starts.

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  'Estevao needs to relax'

  The 18-year-old's mesmerising form for club and country has already prompted comparisons to football legends Messi and Ronaldo, but Maresca has issued a warning to the youngster. After the Barcelona clash, the Italian coach told reporters: "Estevao needs to relax. He needs to enjoy, he needs [training] sessions. He needs to play football. Him, Lamine, they are so young, 18, that if you start to talk about Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I think it is too much pressure for young boys like them. They need to enjoy, arrive at the training ground, happy, session. When you start to compare with Messi or Ronaldo, I think it is too much for them."

  Reacting to his own performance, Estevao said: "I don't really have any words to sum up how I am feeling. It was all very quick for me. I found some space and wiggled my way through. I hope I keep scoring for many more years. It really was the perfect night. [My goal] was such a special moment for me in my career. From the moment I arrived here, I felt such a connection with the fans. I'm just so happy I could score for them and make them happy."

• 'Most important thing' for Estevao

  Maresca also shared some valuable advice for Estevao before the game, as he said: "Estevao is already playing a high level, starting already with Brazil. For sure, he is very young, for sure, he can do many things better, but we are very happy with him. Now, for me, it's more or less the same thing I said about Pedri, it is nice for people who love football to watch players like Estevao, Lamine Yamal, Pedri – this is the beauty of football. We are happy Estevao is with us and for sure he is going to do well. He is going to be an important player for sure for this club, no doubt. The most important thing for Estevao is that he has to enjoy fully, he has to be happy, and not think about being better than this player or another player, but only think about himself and try to be a better than himself day by day, try to work hard, improve and for sure he is going to be a top player for this club."

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  Arsenal challenge in front of Blues

  Chelsea cannot afford to be complacent after the dominating performance in Europe as they next face Arsenal in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash. After City dropped points in their last game against Newcastle, Maresca's side climbed to second in the table. They will now aim to beat the Gunners at home to reduce their gap to the leaders to just three points.

Tottenham Hotspur now know how much they’ll have to pay to sign Iliman Ndiaye from Everton as they look to add an extra spark to Thomas Frank’s attack.

The Lilywhites went through all the emotions against Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, having initially come from behind to take the lead late on before Matthijs de Ligt’s last-gasp equaliser.

With the North London derby up next, Tottenham have now picked up just one win in their last four games in all competitions and problems are beginning to emerge for Thomas Frank’s side.

That said, Frank chose to take the positives from the draw in a game that saw his side fall behind in the first-half. He told reporters: “Of course, the emotions inside me are high, but I take the positives out of this game. That’s what I believe and how I believe in building a good team and keep adding layers to it.

“Overall, a fine/good performance against a good Man United team which is definitely in flow. We are talking a bit about our, how can you say, level of defensive, attacking threats and to play against a Man United team that play with confidence with Cunha, Amad, Mbeumo and Sesko coming on and we kept them to five shots.

“It’s just another example on the other way around that it’s not that easy to create in the Premier League even though they had all their big boys out there. Second half, I was extremely happy with our response.“

Frank thinks two Tottenham stars are "expendable" with January exit on the cards

The Spurs boss has made his feelings known behind-the-scenes.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 8, 2025

It was a particularly disappointing afternoon for Randal Kolo Muani, who spurned several chances against Copenhagen in midweek before failing to make his mark against Man United.

The forward’s goalscoring struggles are beginning to become a problem for Spurs, who had been looking at Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers to add an attacking spark before he penned a new deal in the Midlands – forcing the Lilywites to pivot towards Merseyside.

Tottenham learn record Iliman Ndiaye price

As reported by TeamTalk, Tottenham have now been told that Ndiaye will cost them over £70m if they want to secure the winger’s signature from Everton in 2026. This means that the North London club will have to break their transfer record, which was previously set by Dominic Solanke’s £65m move, to add yet another attacking spark.

TeamTalk revealed that Everton have set a premium price in an attempt to keep their star man, saying: “Recent reports have floated a potential £30m price tag for Ndiaye, but TEAMtalk sources close to Everton have dismissed these figures as ‘laughable’.

“Drawing financial parallels to defender Jarrad Branthwaite, whom Everton value at over £70 million, the club has set a premium on the Senegalese international that aligns with market trends for similar profiles.”

That price tag shouldn’t come as a big shock for Tottenham, however, following the impressive start that Ndiaye has made to the current campaign. His skillset was on full show last weekend against Sunderland when he scored a stunning individual goal.

Dubbed “outstanding” by David Moyes after his effort against Sunderland last week, Ndiaye is the type of player that could get Tottenham’s frontline firing on all cylinders under Frank.

Frank must never start £130k-per-week duo together ever again

Superchargers captain hails form of fellow batters, and stays upbeat after unfortunate Eliminator exit

Matt Roller31-Aug-2025

Harry Brook has challenged Zak Crawley and Jordan Cox to back up their performances in the Hundred in order to break into his England white-ball set-up.Brook, whose Northern Superchargers were knocked out of the Hundred on Saturday night after their Eliminator against Trent Rockets was abandoned, took over from Jos Buttler as England’s limited-overs captain in April. He now faces a tight turnaround before the first of their three ODIs against South Africa starts on Tuesday at Headingley, followed by three T20Is against the same opposition.He has spent the last three years playing Test cricket alongside Crawley, and is understood to have pushed hard for Superchargers to sign him on a lucrative £120,000 deal in March’s draft. Brook’s advocacy was rewarded by Crawley’s 280-run season, which left him third in the men’s run charts ahead of Sunday’s final, behind only Cox (327) and Buttler (283).Crawley has played 59 Tests but only eight ODIs – most recently in December 2023 – and is uncapped in T20Is. Cox, meanwhile, won three ODI and two T20I caps last year and was a surprising omission from next month’s squads after his recent form – not least for England’s three T20Is in Ireland, from which Brook, Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith have all been rested.Related

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“Everybody’s in the mix: whoever does well,” Brook said on Saturday night. “He [Crawley] obviously has the attributes that we’re talking about: putting pressure on the bowlers with their good and bad balls; he can manipulate the field really well; he’s good against fast bowling and he’s good against spin. He’s got all the attributes to play white-ball [cricket] for England.”It’s the same with everybody. Everybody’s been talking about Jordan Cox: he’s obviously an unbelievable player, alongside Creeps. You’ve just got to keep on doing it, and be as consistent as you can for a long period of time… It’s good to have competition [for places].”Brook has hardly had a day off since the start of England’s international summer in May but said that he has managed his time well during the Hundred: “I’ve said a million times that England cricket gets my priority. I’ve been trying my best throughout this competition to stay as fresh as I can for England.”Northern Superchargers had never previously qualified for the knockout stages of the men’s Hundred, missing out on Net Run Rate last year, and were denied the chance to reach the final for the first time by the rain on Saturday night. Brook has now won 10 out of 14 completed matches as captain since taking over ahead of last season, and remained upbeat.”It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get through – but that’s cricket,” he said after Rockets progressed to Sunday’s final by virtue of a higher group-stage finish. “We’ve had an unbelievable season. This comp’s been so much fun, playing with some really good lads and alongside Fred [head coach Andrew Flintoff] who is an absolute legend, so I’ve had a lot of fun.”

And which visiting bowler has taken the most Test wickets at one single ground?

Steven Lynch23-Sep-2025I was sorry to hear of the death of John Jameson. In the 1971 Oval Test he was run-out in both innings, how often has this happened? asked James Hamilton from England
John Jameson, who died last week, was a hard-hitting top-order batter for Warwickshire, who also played four Tests for England. In the second of those, against India at The Oval in August 1971, he was run-out in both innings. He’d made 82 in the first, which remained his highest Test score, before failing to beat Ajit Wadekar’s return to wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer, and added 16 in the second before bowler Bhagwath Chandrasekhar deflected a Brian Luckhurst straight-drive into the stumps with non-striker Jameson stranded.Jameson was – and still is – the only England player to be run-out in both innings of a Test. There have been 26 such instances in all: it happened to Australian team-mates Ian Healy and Mark Taylor twice. It has also happened 11 times in women’s Tests.Jameson had also been run-out in the second innings of his debut, at Old Trafford a fortnight earlier. He remains the only man to be run-out in three successive Test innings: Zimbabwe’s Guy Whittall had three consecutive run-out dismissals in 1997 and 1998, but that sequence was interrupted by an innings of 203 not out. Three women have been run out three times in a row in Tests: Betty Wilson of Australia in 1948-49, New Zealand’s Debbie Hockley in 1984, and Jill Kennare of Australia in 1984-85.In Test matches, which team has the highest team total if you add up each player’s career average, and then their highest score? asked William Lee from South Africa
To answer the second part first, the highest theoretical total if everyone in a particular team equalled their highest Test score would be 2367, by the World XI in the one and only “Super Series” Test against Australia in Sydney in October 2005. That side included Brian Lara (highest score 400 not out), Inzamam-ul-Haq (329), Virender Sehwag (319), Graeme Smith (277) and Rahul Dravid (270). It didn’t do them much good, as Australia won by 210 runs!The highest by a national XI would be 2231 by Sri Lanka against Australia in Galle in March 2004. That side included Mahela Jayawardene (374), Sanath Jayasuriya (340), Kumar Sangakkara (319) and Marvan Atapattu (249).The Australian team that beat England in Don Bradman’s final Test, at The Oval in August 1948, had a combined average of 450.46 if you add up their end-of-career figures. This is obviously helped by Bradman’s own 99.94! The largely similar Australian team that defeated India in Adelaide earlier in 1948 had an aggregate average of 448.15. Next comes the West Indian team against England in Port-of-Spain in February 1948, with a combined average of 445.55. That side included the unfortunate opener Andy Ganteaume, who scored a century in his only Test innings so finished with an average of 112.New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel has taken 25 Test wickets at the Wankhede Stadium – is this the most by a visiting bowler on any ground? asked Karan Singh Rathod from India
The New Zealand slow left-armer Ajaz Patel has taken 25 wickets in just two Tests at Bombay’s Wankhede Stadium, including his 10 for 119 in an innings against India there in December 2021.He’s a little way down the list of most wickets on a ground by visiting bowlers, although those above him played more Tests. Three men have taken 35 wickets on a single Test ground away from home: the 19th-century England seamer George Lohmann in four Tests in Sydney, another English bowling genius in Sydney Barnes took 35 in five matches in Melbourne, while the Australian offspinner Nathan Lyon has so far taken 35 in six Tests in Galle.This excludes wickets taken in Tests on neutral grounds: Yasir Shah took 55 wickets in Dubai and 46 in Abu Dhabi in what were designated as home Tests for Pakistan, while Saeed Ajmal picked up 37 in Dubai.Nathan Lyon has 35 wickets in six Tests in Galle, the most for any visiting bowler this century at one venue (not including neutral grounds)•AFPWarwickshire made 190 in the T20 Blast quarter-final without a single six. Was this the highest T20 innings not to feature a single six? asked Dave Henbery from England
You’re right that the total of 190 for 6 by Warwickshire (or Birmingham Bears as I think we’re supposed to call them) against Somerset in the Vitality Blast quarter-final in Taunton earlier this month did not contain a single six. We managed to unearth one higher total from the very first season of T20 cricket, also against Somerset: Glamorgan’s 193 for 7 in Cardiff in June 2003 had no sixes either. We don’t have ball-by-ball details for all T20 matches, but I’d be surprised if there is a higher total without a six.The Bears no doubt wished they’d managed to hit a couple over the ropes, as Somerset ended up winning that quarter-final in the last over, and went on to win the competition, beating Hampshire in an exciting final at Edgbaston a few days ago.Chris Martin is aptly described in his ESPNcricinfo bio as “hard-working with the ball and outrageously feeble with the bat”. He finished with 110 more Test wickets than runs: is this the highest such difference? asked Siddiqui Saleem from the United States
The short answer is yes: the New Zealand seamer Chris Martin finished his 71-Test career with 233 wickets and just 123 runs, a difference of 110. In all he was out 52 times (he also had 52 not-outs), which included 36 ducks – only Courtney Walsh (43) and Stuart Broad (39), who played many more Tests, bagged more ducks in Tests. Martin was also dismissed for a pair on seven occasions, easily the Test record.Martin took the run-difference record from India’s Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, who in 58 Tests amassed 242 wickets and 167 runs, or minus 75. Two other bowlers who took 100 Test wickets ended up with fewer runs than wickets: Bruce Reid of Australia had 113 wickets and 93 runs, while India’s Pragyan Ojha ended up with 113 and 89.Brett Schultz of South Africa took 37 wickets but made only nine runs, while Australia’s mystery spinner Jack Iverson took 21 Test wickets but made only three runs. Pride of place perhaps has to go to the Pakistan seamer Aizaz Cheema, who played seven Tests for Pakistan in 2011 and 2012, and took 20 wickets – but managed just a solitary run with the bat. (Actually he had five innings, and was never dismissed.)Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

There has now been a new update on Crystal Palace’s pursuit of a “true warrior”, with it being revealed a “good value” January deal is possible.

Palace on course to push for Europe

Palace remain in a strong position to push for European qualification, having taken 20 points from their opening 13 Premier League games this season, although they will be frustrated about Manchester United coming from behind to win at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

The Eagles fell to a 2-1 defeat against Ruben Amorim’s side, but they will have the opportunity to put things right tonight, when they travel to Turf Moor to take on an out-of-form Burnley side, who have lost their last four Premier League matches.

However, with the likes of Sunderland, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion all in European contention after impressive starts to the campaign, it is getting congested at the top of the table, and Oliver Glasner’s side are now looking at new additions for the January window.

Last week, it was revealed that a concrete offer had been made for Bayern Munich’s Sacha Boey, who Glasner is a big fan of, according to a new update on their pursuit of the defender from TEAMtalk.

In an interview, journalist Dean Jones said: “Palace have been made aware that there could be a possibility for this one on a permanent deal and it actually could be a good value one. I’m told that is the preference at the moment.

“They [Bayern] don’t have much interest in letting him out on a loan. In the case of a loan offer they may well just hold on to him until the summer instead.

The journalist also went on to clarify that negotiations aren’t currently at an advanced stage, saying: “At this stage I think Palace are just feeling out the terms and understanding the player’s situation.”

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Posts ByHenry Jackson Nov 25, 2025 "True warrior" Boey could be exciting addition for Palace

The right-back certainly caught the eye during his time with Galatasaray, having been hailed as a “true warrior” by members of the Turkish media, and he is very assured in possession of the ball, as displayed by his performance across some key metrics over the past year.

Sacha Boey’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Passes attempted

73.18 (97th percentile)

Pass completion %

90% (99th percentile)

Progressive passes

6.31 (95th percentile)

That said, the 25-year-old, who rakes in £80k-a-week should probably seek a move this winter, given that he has fallen down the pecking order considerably, being benched for the last three Bundesliga games.

With Palace competing in Europe this season, it would be a smart move to bring in additional strength in depth at right-back this January, and a long-term replacement for Daniel Munoz may be needed regardless, amid interest from Chelsea and Barcelona.

As such, Glasner’s side should make a move for Boey, and it is promising news that a deal could be possible for a reasonable price.

The first Test went England’s way as India squandered their chances at Headingley. Alan Gardner hears from Andrew Miller and Sid Monga about another fourth-innings classic

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2025England pulled off another memorable fourth-innings run chase at Headingley to take a 1-0 lead in the series against India. But how good were they? And how unlucky were the visitors? On the pod, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Miller and Sidharth Monga to discuss Ben Duckett’s brilliant innings, Shubman Gill’s fiery baptism as captain and whether Jofra Archer should come straight into the England XI for Edgbaston.