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Their young Indian batting core needs support from the bowlers and middle order

Alagappan Muthu20-May-20253:08

Chopra: Suryavanshi has already shown maturity

There is a feeling that Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been terrible chasers in IPL 2025. Until the very last game of their season, they were able to run down a target only once in eight attempts. And that needed a 14-year-old to perform a miracle.On that basis, there is a temptation to say that RR kept betting against themselves this season. They won the toss seven times and chose to bat second each time. There are much more private ways to explore masochism. Sanju Samson admitted to second thoughts at the toss in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) game.”To be very honest, we were thinking, should we set a score and try and defend because that’s what was not happening,” he said on the broadcast. “And then I felt like there’s no hiding in this game. Let’s go out and face it and prove that we can still chase down a score.”Related

• Chopra on Suryavanshi: 'There is some amount of maturity already'

• Madhwal leads bowlers' show as RR end the season by beating CSK

• Remaining IPL 2025 league games to have extra 120 minutes

• IPL playoffs to be in New Chandigarh and Ahmedabad

A franchise that made it to the final in 2022 and fell just one step short of that in 2024 isn’t in the business of making mistakes. Least of all the same one over and over. Over this three-year period, RR had a win-loss ratio of 1.63 as a chasing unit, the second-best of all the teams in the IPL.They could have improved on that this year. Three of those seven defeats were looking a lot like wins. Two of them saw inspired performances from their young Indian batting core that had totals in excess of 200 well within their grasp. One run. Two runs. Ten. Eleven. A Super Over. So slim were the margins. Most royals are defined by excess. These guys were left forever reaching for parity. Reverse-swing played a big part in their undoing. No other team suffered as badly as RR did to the old ball’s whims.Mitchell Starc. Josh Hazlewood. Avesh Khan. Andre Russell. These were the impediments they ran into and couldn’t overcome. When those bowlers were able to execute their plans to as close to perfection as possible, all RR’s batters could do was hold on. Shimron Hetmyer found himself in the thick of this unforgiving cycle. He finished with a strike rate of 158.53, the seventh-lowest among 46 batters who were a frequent presence in the death overs (minimum 30 runs scored). RR set aside INR 11 crore to retain him. He had earned that payday. Between 2022 and 2024, his strike rate in the death overs was 200.2:16

Bangar: Jurel has skills and temperament to be a prime finisher

RR made another big call ahead of the auction. Samson had become a regular member of the India T20I side now. He was opening the batting and was having considerable success. With that in mind, perhaps, they let go of Jos Buttler. He is the quality of player who could have helped problem-solve many of the situations they found themselves in. He hit a hundred against KKR in 2024 that gets better with every viewing. He had Nos. 9 and 10 for company. RR were 46 runs away. There were only 19 balls left. Buttler scored every single run to bring victory.Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag make up a solid batting group but they all play high-risk cricket. Asking them to do anything else will diminish their match-winning ability. RR could get the best out of them if they could bolster their middle order. Bringing in someone who can stay calm and reassess the situation when it starts to turn the wrong way. Their arrival becomes all the more essential because Vaibhav Suryavanshi has added to their top-order riches. The promising Indian batting talent RR have could do even more damage – which is startling to say when Jaiswal and Suryavanshi put on an opening stand of 76 where 74 runs came in boundaries – if they had a safety net.There are options on the market. Sikandar Raza has done it before, although only briefly in the IPL. RR have previously tried and been burned by David Miller, Rovman Powell and Daryl Mitchell. But this time they don’t have to do much heavy lifting. There’s maybe a chance it clicks. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that most of them offer a second skill.

“We need to sit back after the season, I think after a couple of weeks, we need to do a proper review and understand where we went wrong. Definitely we could have done much better”Sanju Samson

Rahul Dravid finally won a senior World Cup going in on all-round talent. India’s championship-winning side had four of them and the one that he fought for – Axar Patel – surprised South Africa with the bat. Only just back in charge of RR, Dravid kept putting out sides that seemed to lack in batting depth; they have had Wanindu Hasaranga bat as high as No. 5 and 6 even in this Impact Player era. They backed Sandeep Sharma over Jofra Archer for the Super Over against DC. Their fast bowlers ended the season with the highest combined average (42.95) and the second-highest economy rate (10.60). RR were knocked out of the playoffs race on May 1. At that point, they had only managed three powerplays where they picked up more than one wicket. They were constantly falling behind in games because of their bowling attack. It highlights the value of someone else that they let go. Trent Boult.Franchises only get to keep six players whenever a mega auction comes along. Invariably, some of these hard calls come back to bite you. It’s the nature of the IPL. It’s how the tournament avoids monopoly. The onus then shifts to how well a team can paper over newly-formed cracks. RR need a dependable opening bowler and possibly a bankable Indian spinner so that they can stop conceding 200-plus totals. They gave up seven of those this season, equalling the IPL record set last year by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).0:47

Chopra: Madhwal has looked the part since his inclusion

CSK were trending towards that mark on Tuesday too. At the end of the 17th over, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster had them getting to 205. Akash Madhwal and Tushar Deshpande dragged it back, showing that success in a chase isn’t all about the runs scored but the runs saved as well. It gave them the cushion to absorb the early loss of their top run-scorer and a mini collapse. There was a karmic kindness in Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel being the batters securing victory in a blaze of fours and sixes. That was the partnership that kept crumbling earlier in the season.Samson knows some introspection needs to be done. But he was happy for the happy ending. Nearly everybody on the field wanted a picture with Suryavanshi. And this was a game with MS Dhoni in it.”The game is changing, the way people are coming on, the way people are looking at powerplay, the batsmen, the quality of bowling, the quality of teams,” Samson said. “I don’t think there is much difference in the quality of line-up of the teams. The combinations are almost similar.”But I think the margin of error between winning and losing is so less that it’s very hard to find out why did we have a bad season actually. So I think, to be very honest, we need to sit back after the season, I think after a couple of weeks, we need to do a proper review and understand where we went wrong. Definitely we could have done much better. There are some mistakes we have done. We have to accept it and move on with it and come back with a better positive mindset next season.”

Head coach believes 50-over struggles are in a category of their own as attention shifts to Perth

Cameron Ponsonby01-Nov-2025

Brendon McCullum conceded that England “clearly need to improve” in one-day cricket after they fell to a 3-0 clean sweep against New Zealand. ‘Go harder’ has been the mantra of this England team, with Harry Brook imploring his side to double down in their efforts with the bat after his side’s first collapse in Mount Maunganui a week ago. Two matches and two further batting failures later, however, McCullum has reset the party line and called for England to adopt a more considered approach.”Harry’s said before that we need to put pressure back on the bowlers, and there are times when we do need to be a little braver and put some pressure on the bowlers,” McCullum said following the defeat in Wellington. “And then there are other times where we’ve got to adjust to their lengths and lines.”Not necessarily in a high-risk sort of way but just by being brave enough – whether that’s coming down the wicket or moving around the crease – just get things going a little bit more and bounce off one another.”Across the series, England lost 11 wickets in the opening 10 overs of the innings, compared to New Zealand’s four, and were bowled out in all three matches. Their innings in Wellington was their longest of the trip, batting for 40.2 overs before they were all out.”I think when we’re confronted with good, flat wickets, we’re a very, very good cricket team,” McCullum said. “I think we play a high-octane style of cricket and those conditions suit us. When the wickets have a little bit in them and they’re a bit more challenging, whether that be spin or seam or swing, we probably can’t quite adapt our tempo quick enough.Fewest runs by a team’s top four•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We’ve got some talented players but, unfortunately, our performances at the moment in this form of the game aren’t quite up to scratch and we need to rectify that.”England’s top order combined for an historically poor series, managing just 84 runs between the top four, the lowest tally in one-day international history. Of the top six, only Brook, Joe Root and Jos Buttler made a score of 20 across the three matches.McCullum, however, does not believe it is a concern heading towards the Ashes, where Australia are expected to serve up similar styles of wickets. In the longer format, he argues that England have been able to counter different conditions well.”I like to separate it,” McCullum explained. “I think in T20 cricket we’re going really well and in Test cricket we have a pretty decent idea of where we’re at – and I think we’ve performed reasonably well, albeit we have a huge challenge ahead of us.Related

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“One-day cricket is clearly the area we need to improve, and my comments are more directed at one-day cricket. I think when we do come across the trickier conditions in Australia and Test cricket, we have a pretty good understanding of how we’re going to go about it. It doesn’t guarantee us anything but it gives us a level of confidence going into that series.”He also believes that, despite a number of players experiencing a poor run of scores, the likes of Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett and Root will be “better for the run” after getting a number of games under their belt.”They’ve marked centre a few times and gone through the process and I’m sure they’ll be better for it. With the prep that we’ve had with the other Test guys who’ve been here for a while too, we’ll have no excuses come Australia.”McCullum identified Jamie Overton as England’s “huge win” for the tour, after the bowling allrounder contributed with the bat in all three matches and put together his finest performance in ODI cricket in Wellington, scoring 68 runs and taking two for 32 with the ball.”I think there’s times when we think he’s a better player than he does,” McCullum said. “And on this tour he’s fully believed in the player he can be at this level. There’s not too many players around the world who can bowl 140kph, field the way he does and hit the ball as cleanly. It’s been a huge series for Jamie…he’s incredibly well liked within the group and we’re all delighted for him.”England’s next competitive fixture will now be in Perth, with the long-awaited Ashes series finally around the corner after years of build-up.”I’m proper excited,” McCullum concluded. “We’re incredibly respectful of the challenge Australia is going to present us and we know how hard that tour is going to be.”It’s going to require a team to stay together right throughout, to be as strong as we can to try and block out any of the outside noise. But we’re very respectful of who we’re coming up against, we’re so excited to get over there and we can’t wait to get started.”

تمكن فريق الجيش الملكي، من تسجيل الهدف الأول أمام الأهلي، في اللقاء الجاري الآن، ضمن بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويحل الأهلي ضيفًا على الجيش الملكي في المغرب، ضمن مواجهات الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، اليوم، الجمعة.

طالع.. تشكيل الأهلي أمام الجيش الملكي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. زيزو وتريزيجيه أساسيان

وجاء الهدف في الدقيقة 37 من عمر المباراة عن طريق محسن بوريجة بعدما ارتدت الكرة له عقب ركلة جزاء سددها محمد حريمات وتصدى لها مصطفى شوبير.

وشهدت ركلة الجزاء اعتراضات قوية من جانب لاعبي الأهلي حيث ارتطمت الكرة في يد أليو ديانج والتي كانت في وضعها الطبيعي.

ويتواجد الأهلي في المجموعة الثانية من دوري أبطال إفريقيا، مع الجيش الملكي وشبيبة القبائل الجزائري ويانج أفريكانز التنزاني.

وكان الأهلي حقق الفوز في لقاء الجولة الأولى على شبيبة القبائل الجزائري، بنتيجة 4-1، في اللقاء الذي أقيم بالقاهرة يوم السبت الماضي.

بينما الجيش الملكي كان قد خسر في مباراة الجولة الأولى أمام يانج أفريكانز التنزاني بهدف دون رد. هدف الجيش الملكي الأول أمام الأهلي

Tottenham are ready to ramp up their interest in Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo as the north London club prepare to rival both Liverpool and Manchester City for the winger in January. Semenyo has a release clause worth £65 million ($86m) in his contract, something his suitors are acutely aware of ahead of the reopening of the market.

• Semenyo in demand

  Semenyo is a wanted man ahead of the January window. Not only have reports suggested that Liverpool are preparing a move to trigger his release clause in January, which is made up of a £60m ($79m) fee and £5m ($7m) in bonuses, there is also reported interest from City, who view him as the kind of explosive attacking player who can slot into Pep Guardiola's frontline. Semenyo has enjoyed a fantastic season on the south coast, contributing six goals and three assists in 12 Premier League games. 

  Now, Sky Sports report that Spurs are intensifying their interest in the Ghana international ahead of the window. The club attempted to land two marquee wide players in the summer but were only successful in persuading Mohammed Kudus to move to north London, as Savinho stayed at City. It appears they remain interested in the profile, but would prefer to sign Semenyo to the Brazilian. 

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  Can Spurs land him?

  Spurs have endured a difficult season under manager Thomas Frank, and while they are more ready to pay what is required to sign Semenyo, it is unclear if they will be able to qualify for Europe. Ahead of the midweek fixtures, Spurs had won just one home game all season, and sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table. A turnaround is, of course, possible, but reports suggest that Frank is under severe pressure, and could well lose his job before the January window swings open. It is unclear if that would impact Spurs' pursuit of Semenyo. They were interested in signing him in the summer but ultimately baulked at his £70m ($92m) asking price.

• Semenyo supports Arsenal

  Semenyo has been very open about the fact that he is an Arsenal fan, which may well put the brakes on any potential move to Spurs. Having already seen Gunners fan Eberechi Eze slip through their fingers, repeating that mistake would be very costly, but Semenyo insists he pays no attention to rumours. 

  Speaking to The Athletic in October of last year, he said: “I do hear it. But I try not to take too much notice. It is so early in the season and that can all fade away in a split second. It is great to hear they are interested — I don’t know how true that is — but I just want to focus on my game, continue doing what I’m doing, causing problems, scoring goals, getting assists. That’s the main thing. If that does come we will deal with that then but at this moment in time it is just about staying focused on what the goal and the plan is this year.”

  “I am an Arsenal fan,” he says. “I don’t conflict the two with my job. It is great to play against Arsenal, a team I have watched all my life and I want to play for the top clubs as well. In order for that to happen I need to prove it.”

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  Semenyo's next move?

  Semenyo will have his next opportunity to prove his worth when Bournemouth play Chelsea this weekend. They then take on Manchester United, and it's almost certain that scouts will be keeping a close eye on the Ghanaian's performances.

  He has confirmed that he wants to play in Europe, adding in his interview with The Athletic: “Yeah, any team that plays Champions League, Europa (League) — that’s the aim. I know that’s not going to come with a click of my fingers, it’s going to take some time. It’s going to take goals. It’s going to take a lot of consistent performances. But I’ve worked all my life for that and I’m just going to continue working hard. That’s my mentality.”

Shai Hope’s fifty rescued WI from 43 for 3, while Roston Chase starred with an all-round show

Tristan Lavalette05-Nov-2025

Quick Matthew Forde provided a spark in his return from injury before West Indies overcame a late whirlwind from skipper Mitchell Santner to defeat New Zealand in the T20I series-opener. West Indies did eventually clinch the lowest total successfully defended at Eden Park in a T20I, but they were made to work hard after Santner clubbed 55 not out from 28 balls to almost power New Zealand to an incredible victory.Romario Shepherd, however, held his nerve with the ball in the final over to ensure West Indies drew first blood in the five-match series. Roston Chase produced a fine display of spin bowling on a small ground, picking up 3 for 26 to go with the hand he played in West Indies’ two biggest partnerships earlier in the day. He was named Player of the Match.Having been restricted in good batting conditions less than a week after clean-sweeping a T20I series in Bangladesh, West Indies appeared set for a tough start to a tour that comprises all three formats. But Forde was menacing in his return from a shoulder injury as West Indies tore through a meek New Zealand batting effort. It was a disappointing start for New Zealand in their first match since the retirement of Kane Williamson from T20I cricket.It was a major turnaround after West Indies’ batting order had earlier struggled on a surface with much more bounce than in Bangladesh. Captain Shai Hope overcame a slow start in the powerplay to top score with 53 off 39 balls to lead West Indies’ recovery from 43 for 3.This series is seen as important preparation for the short-handed teams as they build towards a T20 World Cup that is just three months away. Meanwhile, there was an old-school feel to the game with DRS not in place due to technical issues.Matthew Forde got 1 for 9 off his first three overs•Getty Images

Forde sparks WI in comeback gameForde hadn’t played any competitive cricket since July, but showed no signs of rust in a brilliant opening burst. He bowled beautifully with the new ball, especially from around the wicket to trouble Devon Conway with deadly swing.Forde was finally rewarded when he clean-bowled Conway with an inswinger that hit top of off stump. He continued to be all over New Zealand’s top order, finishing with 1 for 9 off his first three overs – marked by 14 dot balls – in the powerplay. But his performance was soured slightly after conceding 23 runs to a rampaging Santner in the 18th over.Santner’s near miraculous heistAfter a horrific collapse of 7 for 37 from 70 for 2 in the tenth over, New Zealand appeared set for a crushing defeat at 107 for 9 in the 17th. But Santner turned the chase on its head by smashing seven boundaries and a six in a nine-ball flurry as the sparse crowd started to find its voice.With New Zealand needing 20 runs off the final over, Santner could not score off the first two deliveries bowled by Shepherd – although the second ball should have been called a wide due to height – before clubbing a six to give New Zealand hope. But it ultimately proved too tough a task despite a record tenth-wicket partnership for New Zealand in T20Is.Shai Hope rebuilt with a half-century after three early wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Hope fires after slow startHaving come off tours of Bangladesh and India, West Indies had the tough task of quickly acclimatising to the different conditions in New Zealand. Their top order made a rough start, struggling to handle the extra bounce as Brandon King, Alick Athanaze and Ackeem Auguste holed out after miscues.Hope had to steady the innings, and he entered the match after solid performances across formats in south Asia. But he was sluggish to begin with, unable to find timing much to his frustration on a true surface. Hope scored only 11 off 17 balls in the powerplay, with West Indies making just 32 runs off the first six overs. He finally decided to go for broke against Jimmy Neesham in the seventh over as the run rate finally lifted over six an over.It got him going, with Hope starting to clatter the smaller boundaries and bringing up his half-century in style by clubbing Zakary Foulkes for six over long-off. But Hope was clean bowled on the next delivery, undone by Foulkes’ variation as he missed an attempted swipe over the leg side.West Indies’ innings never truly got rolling, but it did receive a lift from Rovman Powell, who smashed a couple of huge sixes after being dropped twice in the outfield by Michael Bracewell.Jacob Duffy struck in the first over•AFP/Getty Images

Duffy shines in NZ’s disciplined attackNew Zealand are assembling a deep and talented pace pack, with competition for spots hotting up as the T20 World Cup looms. With Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke and Lockie Ferguson on the sidelines, New Zealand didn’t miss a beat, with Jacob Duffy the standout of an attack that kept a powerful West Indies batting order in check.Duffy was outstanding in the powerplay, removing King in the first over to start an opening burst that yielded figures of 1 for 10 off three overs. He later bowled Chase with a superb yorker after coming back at the death.Duffy showcased his variety, bowling a mixture of length and full deliveries to concede just one boundary in four overs. Kyle Jamieson bowled well in his return from a side strain, while Foulkes had a mixed bag but did claim two wickets.

The tournament is not perfect, but it’s not the disaster England have often tried to paint it as being

Matt Roller19-Jun-2025The World Test Championship might be fundamentally flawed but after three missed attempts to reach the final on home soil, it is time for England to take it seriously. Ben Stokes believes it is “utterly confusing” but he must have looked on with envy as Temba Bavuma lifted the golden mace at Lord’s last week, capping a comeback victory that was celebrated throughout South Africa.The third WTC final was the best yet, one that underlined the significance of a concept that has added plenty to Test cricket despite its flaws. The quality of cricket was incredibly high, embodied in the performances of Pat Cummins, Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada, and the occasion was clearly enhanced by the jeopardy created by a one-off final.But England’s attitude towards the WTC has been ambivalent. The ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket believes it is “hard to understand”, the chairman has called for it to be “fairer and more competitive”, and the chief executive said last week that it is “not the be-all and end-all” when compared to the results of five-Test series against India and Australia.Related

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These are not just sour grapes from a team that has finished fourth, fourth and fifth in the first three cycles. Even the WTC’s most vocal proponents would accept that it is a long way from perfect: no sporting league with any competitive integrity should be superimposed onto a fixture list decided between individual boards, as this one effectively is.The uneven, unequal fixture list has been a clear frustration for England: the percentage-point system effectively penalises them for playing longer series against high-quality opponents. Still, Australia and India have overcome similar scheduling to reach two finals each out of three; England, by contrast, have never come close.But the reality is that for all its flaws, the WTC has been a success: it has created a showpiece final for the Test format, which in turn has provided context and incentives that did not previously exist for smaller nations. For New Zealand’s and South Africa’s players, winning the WTC was a bigger achievement than any single series win of their careers.England must accept that they will have to adapt accordingly. The ECB has made the case that the over-rate penalties they have faced have been outsized, considering that they have only drawn one of their last 36 Tests, but every other team has been able to get through their overs more quickly. Their complaints will be taken more seriously from a position of strength.They have also developed a bad habit of ending series poorly: in four of their last five series, they have won the first Test but lost the last. Stokes has attributed that to mental and physical fatigue, but there have been hints of complacency too, not least against Sri Lanka at The Oval last year.England have been the perfect hosts for the first three WTC finals, but as a team they have been ambivalent towards the tournament•Gareth Copley / GettyIt was a series that England needed to win 3-0 to retain realistic ambitions of reaching the final, but their performance suggested a team who considered the match to be a dead rubber: they handed a debut to an incredibly raw fast bowler, and were bowled out in 34 overs in a frenetic second innings. It was anything but ruthless.The great curiosity of England’s position is that they appear to have taken a sudden interest in the ICC’s Test rankings, despite the WTC rendering them almost irrelevant. Stokes texted Brendon McCullum and Rob Key to say, “One more place to go,” when England briefly rose to second last month, and Key has publicly targeted the No. 1 spot.It is a strange focus as a new WTC cycle starts, akin to an international football team talking about the FIFA rankings at the start of a World Cup. England’s public stance is that they focus on winning every Test match they play in, and that winning enough will get them into the final: “As a group, we’re probably not looking that far ahead,” Brydon Carse said on Wednesday.England’s fixture list in the 2025-27 cycle is frontloaded. If they emerge from their next ten Tests – five against India, five in Australia – with a winning record, then they should be well positioned for their four remaining series: three Tests apiece against Pakistan and New Zealand at home, three in South Africa, and two in Bangladesh.The ECB is keen to retain hosting rights for the WTC final, and the indications are that it will do so at next month’s ICC conference in Singapore. If that happens, it will provide their side with yet another prime opportunity to reach the final in home conditions; to do so, they must engage with the WTC’s oddities rather than fighting against them.

MatériaMais Notícias

Atlético-MG e Cruzeiro estão classificados para a final do Campeonato Mineiro 2024. Os rivais farão a grande decisão do estadual após superarem América e Tombense, respectivamente, nas semifinais da competição. No entanto, os confrontos de Galo e Raposa tiveram enredos bem diferentes para conseguirem suas vagas.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

As partidas de volta do Mineiro foram disputadas nete fim de semana. O Atlético-MG enfrentou o Coelho neste domingo (17), na Arena Independência, e saiu derrotado por 2 a 1. Contudo, como havia vencido por 2 a 0 na ida, o Galo garantiu seu lugar na final. Do outro lado, o Cruzeiro encarou o Tombense no Mineirão, no sábado (16), e venceu por 3 a 1. Com o empate em 0 a 0 no primeiro jogo, a Raposa volta à decisão do estadual. Confira abaixo como foram as partidas.

AMÉRICA 2 x 1 ATLÉTICO-MG (2 x 3 no agregado)

O América entrou em campo precisando reverter de 2 a 0 conquistado pelo Atlético-MG na ida, e foi para cima logo de cara. Assim, o Coelho abriu o placar com Brenner, aos seis minutos de partida. O Galo chegou ao empate pouco depois do intervalo, com Paulinho aproveitando sobra dentro da área. Os donos da casa ainda marcaram com Vitor Jacaré para vencer o jogo, mas não foi suficiente para tirar a vaga do adversário.

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CRUZEIRO 3 x 1 TOMBENSE (3 x 1 no agregado)

Cruzeiro e Tombense voltaram a se enfrentar após o zero a zero da partida de ida, na última semana. Arthur gomes marcou o primeiro da Raposa logo no primeiro tempo, após linda assistência de Matheus Pereira. Já na segunda etapa, a defesa do Gavião Carcará se atrapalhou e Zé Victor jogou contra o próprio gol e ampliou para os mandantes. Dez minutos depois, o zagueiro compensou a lambança e balançou as redes, dessa vez a favor. Já nos acréscimos, Matheus Pereira deixou o dele para consagrar ótima atuação e dar números finais ao duelo.

Agora, Atlético-MG e Cruzeiro se enfrentam em duas partidas na grande decisão do Campeonato Mineiro, disputadas em 30 de abril e 6 de março. O jogo de ida será na Arena MRV, e a volta será no Mineirão, com mando da Raposa, que terminou a primeira fase com a melhor campanha da competição.

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That will open up fresh possibilities for Sri Lankan cricket with day-night Tests becoming more viable in the country

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Nov-2025The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in Colombo will get floodlights and other upgrades in preparation for the Men’s T20 World Cup, which Sri Lanka co-hosts with India in February and March next year. Although the SSC has occasionally hosted daytime limited-overs internationals – especially women’s games – Colombo’s day-night games have all been played at Khettarama (R Premadasa Stadium), which in any case is the highest-capacity stadium in the country.SSC’s first match that will require lights will be the T20 World Cup Group B game between Oman and Zimbabwe, scheduled to start at 3pm local time on February 9. It is one of five matches the SSC is due to host at this World Cup. The first of those – between Netherlands and Pakistan on February 7 – will begin at 11am local time whereas the third fixture – between Pakistan and USA on February 10 – is the only match there to start at 7pm local time. Khettarama is set to host at least eight matches, and possibly the first semi-final and the final if Pakistan make it that far. Pallekele, the only Sri Lanka World Cup venue not in Colombo, will host seven games.Building floodlights at the SSC will open up fresh possibilities for Sri Lankan cricket with day-night Tests becoming more viable in the country. Although Khettarama is the preferred limited-overs venue in Colombo, the SSC and the P Sara Oval are still preferred for Tests, owing partly to their reputation for being boutique Test venues.Related

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Sri Lanka has never hosted a day-night Test, but Sri Lanka’s Test captains have also asked their board to arrange such a fixture, over the years.SLC confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that floodlights construction were already under way at the SSC.The ICC announced the schedule for the T20 World Cup on Tuesday, with the tournament set to run from February 7 to March 8 across five venues in India and three in Sri Lanka.

Sunderland returned to Premier League action after the international break with a whimper, instead of a bang.

Indeed, Regis Le Bris’ men lost 1-0 away at Fulham, which doesn’t seem like the demoralising result on first glance. But, on another day, Marco Silva’s hosts could have run away with the clash as resounding winners, having notched up a colossal 23 shots, to the Black Cats’ meagre five.

Le Bris will hope his side can return to winning ways in the top-flight when AFC Bournemouth come to Wearside next, before December kicks into gear, which sees huge contests such as the Tyne-Wear Derby arrive on the jam-packed calendar.

Before you know it, the January transfer window will also reopen to give Sunderland an apt opportunity to improve their ranks, ahead of a tough second part of the season, with some high-profile names already being linked to the Stadium of Light.

Transfer latest at Sunderland

Sunderland were very busy in the summer before jumping up to the big time in the Premier League, with a whopping £162m forked out on the likes of Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs.

Therefore, it isn’t the wildest shout to suggest they could break the bank again if a tempting move comes their way in January, with recent reports from Spain suggesting that the Black Cats could boost their forward line with the acquisition of Real Madrid hotshot Gonzalo Garcia.

The biggest rumour of them all comes in the form of Matteo Guendouzi, the former Arsenal midfielder who worked under Le Bris at Lorient.

Keith Downie reported last week that the Mackems boss has not ruled out a move for the Frenchman as they potentially go about bringing another former ex-Gunner to the Stadium of Light.

He isn’t the only Lazio midfielder catching the eye, with concrete rumours emerging involving the Premier League newcomers being in the hunt for Lazio outcast Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

As per reports from Italy, Sunderland are named as one suitor taking a look at the ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder this January, with the centre of the park a clear priority position to improve.

Sunderland will hope, even if a move for Guendouzi isn’t forthcoming, that they can still clinch a deal for Dele-Bashiru to leave Serie A behind, as Le Bris potentially works his magic on another diamond in the rough, much like he did with Wilson Isidor.

How Dele-Bashiru can be Le Bris' next Isidor

Isidor hasn’t had the smoothest career up to this point, even if he is now four Premier League goals down in Sunderland red and white.

Unfortunately, the 25-year-old attacker has had to bounce back from a lot of adversity already, so early into his playing days, with the Rennes-born striker never going on to score a senior goal for AS Monaco, before many loan moves to the likes of Lokomotiv Moscow came to fruition.

Thankfully, the nomadic marksman has now found a home that suits him in Wearside, after such a well-travelled career, with Dele-Bashiru’s career path looking very similar.

Like Isidor, the “special” midfielder as he’s been labelled in Nigeria, is well-travelled, having already played in countries such as Turkey and Italy, after failing to make the grade at Manchester City at youth level.

Much like Isidor, though, he has shone in the EFL previously – which is where the 6-foot-1 striker bagged 13 goals to seal Sunderland’s promotion out of the Championship – with seven goal contributions coming his way on the books of the Owls in League One, as a rising youngster in South Yorkshire.

The nine-time Nigeria international has also shone in spurts for Lazio, even if only four appearances have come his way this season, with five goals and three assists from 33 appearances perhaps standing him in good stead to acclimatise to the Premier League effortlessly, as Isidor has managed.

Away from possessing a similar eye for a goal and assist like his Rennes-born counterpart, Dele-Bashiru would also be a useful buy when you consider his versatility across his up-and-down career to date, with his Lazio teammate in Boulaye Dia even hailing him as a talent who “can do everything”, whether that be from a central role, down the flanks, or even as an unorthodox defender.

Dele-Bashiru’s career by position

Position

Games

Goals + Assists

CM

99

14 + 9

AM

41

7 + 6

RW

7

1 + 0

LW

7

2 + 1

RM

2

0

DM

2

0

RB

2

0

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Valued at around the £4.7m mark, which is the amount he officially joined Lazio for, this is a deal that would be really worth exploring, with Dele-Bashiru lining up across seven different positions during his bumpy career to date.

Isidor only cost around the £5m price range, as well, and in January, another Isidor-style deal could soon be wrapped up.

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Posts ByTom Cunningham Nov 21, 2025

San Diego Padres reliever Mason Miller achieved one of the rarest feats in baseball on Wednesday, as the flamethrowing 27-year-old recorded the 119th immaculate inning in league history.

Even more impressive, Miller did it all using the same pitch; his devastating slider, and didn't have a single Orioles hitter make contact, even a foul ball, with any of his nine sliders in the inning.

Miller benefitted from a called strike on the very first pitch of the inning, and he followed up by throwing eight devastating sliders in a row, attacking various parts of the plate.

There have been more than twice as many no-hitters as immaculate innings in MLB history, some evidence as to just how rare the feat is. Even more rare is an immaculate inning in which every pitch is a slider and there wasn't a single foul ball, making Miller's accomplishment even more impressive.

Miller has been fantastic since joining the Padres at the trade deadline in a deal with the Athletics. He's logged a 1.64 ERA with 19 strikeouts and five walks in 11 innings.