Stats highlights from MI’s fifth win in a row in IPL 2025, against Lucknow Super Giants

Sampath Bandarupalli27-Apr-20253:25

Rapid Fire: Can MI finish in top 2?

2714 Number of balls taken by Suryakumar Yadav to complete 4000 runs in the IPL – the third quickest to the milestone after Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, both of whom took 2658 balls.10 Consecutive scores of 25-plus for Suryakumar in IPL 2025, after his 54 off 28 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai. He’s only the second batter to achieve such a streak after Robin Uthappa had ten consecutive 40-plus scores in IPL 2014.174 Wickets for Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL after his spell of 4 for 22 against LSG. He is now Mumbai Indians’ leading wicket-taker, surpassing Lasith Malinga’s tally of 170.ESPNcricinfo Ltd16-0 MI’s win-loss record while defending targets of 200-plus in the IPL. They are the only team to defend all their 200-plus totals in the IPL.150 Number of matches MI have won in the IPL, including two via a Super Over. They are the first team to register 150 wins in the IPL.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 Consecutive matches won by MI in IPL 2025 after starting the season with only one victory in their first five games. The previous instance of MI winning five consecutive IPL matches was in 2020.5 Number of LSG bowlers to concede more than 40 runs against MI at the Wankhede – only the third such instance in IPL history, after Rajasthan Royals against Sunrisers Hyderabad and SRH against Punjab Kings earlier this season.

England read Jaiswal like a book, quickly catching on to his weakness and setting up the perfect trap

Sidharth Monga02-Jul-20250:53

Aaron: Marked improvement by the English bowling unit

Stop the press. Yashasvi Jaiswal has a weakness, y’all. It’s the filthy short and wide ball.Bazballing Ben Stokes is a genius. You won’t get it.In his short but illustrious career, Jaiswal has tried to cut fast bowlers 94 times. He has mis-hit or completely missed 42 of those. Since Jaiswal’s debut, 12 batters have attempted cutting fast bowlers 50 or more times. Nobody’s control percentage is worse than Jaiswal’s.Jaiswal has just been lucky to have got out only twice when cutting a fast bowler. Until today. And Stokes should know. Since 2020, he has played 61 false shots on the cut to the fast bowler and has got out only once. So let it be said that we are not accusing England of following data. This is their feel for the game. From personal experience. You study data. They data. You won’t get it.Related

Record-breaking Gill puts India in complete command

Gill walks the talk even as India stumble to unforced errors

Gill holds India together with second hundred as captain

Gill wants top order to take 'more responsibility'

How long can Jaiswal be lucky, eh? He thinks he can keep throwing the kitchen sink at it in the false belief that there is no way an edge off such hard hits is going to go to hand. He doesn’t know the power of stringing together good balls. In this series alone, fast bowlers have made Jaiswal cut 24 times. That edge was the result you saw, the previous 23 were the hard work you didn’t.Not to forget the bluff. After any century with just ten runs on the on side, you will naturally expect the bowlers to bowl straight and make you play into the leg side. Jaiswal would have spent hours in the nets working on his leg-side game. Only to be tested on his real weakness: the short and wide delivery.Wash your mouth with soap already if you think you are going to tell me Shoaib Bashir gets only boundary catches as dismissals. There is word going around India are not ruthless enough. In Hyderabad, it is said, all of the top-five India batters got out in non-traditional ways, giving up a chance of batting England out of the game.Tradition is not what you think tradition is. Tradition is what they do out in the middle. Once you do it long enough, it becomes tradition. Do you think Stokes has forgotten Hyderabad? No amount of data can give you this instinctive feel for the game.2:06

‘Frustrating’ – Woakes on the DRS decisions that went India’s way

Boundary riders are catching fielders. Especially if they are right behind the umpire or another fielder where the human in the foreground can hide the one behind him. How many times is Rishabh Pant supposed to keep tabs on field changes and funky fielders? There was a time when Stokes was moving them around every ball. Like chess pieces. Without apparent rhyme or reason to the undiscerning eye. His endgame was overs away. When he settled on the long-on exactly behind the mid-on, and retained him for more than one ball.Pant had so many reasons to not be aware of the deep fielder. He could have assumed Stokes is so fickle he would have moved him by now. He could have not seen him. The fielder might have moved so wide that he would have got out of his eyeline.And then Bashir bowled the sucker ball. Stokes even bowled Bashir with the wind so this hit could get caught in the wind. It is not called lucky boundary catches; it is called bowling to your field, which the batter possibly doesn’t even know.By now India should be saying, “How do we even compete with these guys?”

Brave’s elder stateswoman hopes to bow out on a high, just as 18-year-old challenger comes of age

Valkerie Baynes31-Aug-2025Sophie Devine has kept very few secrets about where she’s at.A month before New Zealand launched their ultimately victorious campaign at last year’s T20 World Cup, Devine – who turns 36 on Monday – announced she would step down as their captain at the end of the tournament.In June, Devine revealed that the upcoming 50-over World Cup would comprise the last ODIs of her career.Then she goes and produces a body of allround work across this year’s Hundred that has twisted all that clarity about a player in the twilight of her career out of shape, to lead an undefeated Southern Brave directly into Sunday’s Final at Lord’s.”I wish I would’ve done it at the start of my career,” Devine says with typical dry, self-deprecating humour.Speaking on a call set up by KP Snacks, who are celebrating the achievement of installing over 100 grass root community pitches in England and Wales, Devine continued: “I’m just really enjoying my time down at the Southern Brave.”I’m just really enjoying my time and contributing. That’s the biggest thing for me, especially, I guess, at this phase of my career, it’s about passing on my knowledge and helping out whoever I can.”The fact that we’ve managed to get a fair few wins on the board is nice, but we all know that it doesn’t really mean too much unless you bring the trophy home at the end, so there’s still a lot to go.”Davina Perrin celebrates her 42-ball century•Philip Brown/Getty ImagesFortunately for New Zealand – and for cricket – Devine plans to keep playing T20Is and franchise cricket for “probably how long people can handle me and put up with me”.There’s that humour again from a player who has earned the right to call the shots on her career in her own time.With 12 wickets at 14.08 and an economy rate of 6.54, she is the third-highest wicket-taker in the Hundred women’s competition. Her 3 for 15 against Northern Superchargers was one of four Player-of-the-Match performances in the space of five games for Devine. Brave team-mate and England seamer Lauren Bell is the leading wicket-taker with 19 at 7.47 and an economy of 5.35.Devine scored an unbeaten 41 off 42 balls at No. 4 against Trent Rockets in the other game during that stretch. While that remains the best of her eight innings so far with an average of 28.40 and strike rate of 109.23, having an even bigger impact with the bat in the final would ice an outstanding tournament for her.So it was with beautiful symmetry that, in the Eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday, the 18-year-old Davina Perrin announced she was coming for Devine and her Brave team-mates with the second-fastest century across the history of the men’s and women’s competitions.Perrin tees off during her matchwinning innings•Philip Brown/Getty ImagesPerrin’s 42-ball ton was just one ball short of Harry Brook’s record, set in 2023, and propelled Northern Superchargers into the title decider via an emphatic 42-run win over last year’s champions, London Spirit.Her 101 runs led Superchargers to 214 for 5, the highest total in the women’s competition to date – there has been just one total higher in the men’s – and ultimately sealed a second final for her team.Superchargers lost to Southern Brave in the final of the 2023 women’s competition after Brave had been runners-up to Oval Invincibles in the first two editions.Beyond a “bloody belter of a deck” at The Oval on Saturday, Perrin credited a lap round the outfield on match eve with Lisa Keightley, the former England Women’s head coach now guiding Superchargers, and a net session with assistant Liam Simpson for the best innings of her young career. Chiefly it was their advice to “puff your chest out, take the helmet off, let it flow” that was on her mind as she struck five sixes and 15 fours in a remarkable show of power and poise.”For me, I’ve got to back that up, for the team, we’ve got to back that up tomorrow,” Perrin said. “We’ve got a big game coming up and that’s where our minds are at now.Related

• Sophie Devine stars as Brave maintain perfect start

• Perfect Southern Brave inflict record run defeat on Oval Invincibles

• Brave scrape home to seal top-three finish

• Southern Brave make history with 100% league record

• Brilliant Perrin century powers Superchargers into Women's Hundred final

“Whatever’s happened today, we take the token of confidence but we also park it, we move on. New game, new ground, new conditions, different team. We’re going to take whatever’s thrown at us… I guess I have made some sort of impact but a bigger impact will be the job that we do tomorrow.”Perrin’s knock impressed all who saw it, including London Spirit wicketkeeper Georgia Redmayne, who had tried to get in the youngster’s head by drawing her attention to her looming century, before scoring an unbeaten fifty in a losing cause herself.”She didn’t get too distracted,” Redmayne said. “It was very impressive and I’m excited to see how she goes in the future. It’s going to be tough for her to back it up tomorrow but I’d love to see some more striking like that in the future… hopefully not against us!”But in terms of potentially catching the eye of England Women’s head coach Charlotte Edwards, Perrin was happy to let her “bat do the talking”.”I just look to go out there and have fun,” Perrin said. “I don’t think about the rest of the stuff, that’s just noise. It’s all noise and the only noise I’m listening to when I’m batting is the sound of the ball flying off the bat – when it’s a good day!” KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, are celebrating the installation of over 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales. To find out more and search for your nearest pitch, visit: www.everyonein.co.uk/pitchfinder

As they prepare to lead India and England in a crucial clash, their shared legacy at Mumbai Indians adds intrigue to the contest

S Sudarshanan17-Oct-2025The difference is stark as you get off the main road and enter the bylane to reach the media gate at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. It’s distinctly quiet, free of the honking and the bustle of vehicles. Quite the contrast. Much like Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur at training on Friday, ahead of the crucial game between India and England.Sciver-Brunt was everywhere. She was partaking in catching and fielding drills one moment. And the next, she was spot-bowling in one of the two training nets. Then she was bowling to Tammy Beaumont and Sophia Dunkley, before batting in the adjacent net against throwdowns and the England bowlers. Not long after, she changed out of her training kit to fulfill broadcast commitments. It was a packed schedule for the England captain on a hot afternoon in Indore.By the time Harmanpreet and her team strode in, the sun had given way to a dark, cloudy sky. The floodlights came on almost right on cue. There was a drizzle just before India’s arrival and so they chose to train in the enclosed Amay Khuraysia practice arena just behind one of the east stands. Harmanpreet was a picture of focus. She batted in pairs with Jemimah Rodrigues and faced a variety of India bowlers. India used two pitches in the facility – a red-soil surface and a black-soil one. She batted on both of them for close to 90 minutes. After that, she bowled to Deepti Sharma for a bit.Related

• Edwards 'disappointed' but not 'concerned' by England's batting

• India vs England – A World Cup game with plenty of jeopardy

• India need to fix flaws ahead of tougher challenges in World Cup

• Ticket sales begin for World Cup semi-finals

• 'For Theo' – a century for Sciver-Brunt, a celebration for the Sciver-Brunts

Harmanpreet and Sciver-Brunt have had many match-winning partnerships in the WPL for Mumbai Indians (MI), who have won two titles in three seasons. As MI captain and vice-captain, they have plotted the downfall of many of Harmanpreet’s India team-mates, including Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues. But come Sunday at the Women’s World Cup, the duo will be in opposite camps, plotting to take the other down. England, with seven points, are yet to lose a game in the tournament; India have only four points in four matches after suffering losses in their two previous games.Harmanpreet will also be up against Charlotte Edwards, who left her job as MI coach after three years to take charge of England. India and England played a bilateral series in July with the MI leadership split across both teams, but this next game is the one that matters most. A full house is expected in Indore.”In my 15-16 years of coaching, whenever I have had a chance to work as an assistant coach, my best experience was under Anju [Jain] at Bangladesh. After that, I would definitely take Charlotte’s name,” MI batting coach Devika Palshikar tells ESPNcricinfo. “She is tactically brilliant. She gave us a free hand, our roles were quite clear. In a short tournament like the WPL, it is important to keep the players in a good space mentally. Charlotte is really good at that.”Edwards seems to have had a similar impact on England’s players. Linsey Smith, who has opened the bowling several times in T20Is, was asked to do the role in ODIs for the first time, and she delivered. Emma Lamb had not batted outside the top order in domestic cricket, but she was backed to do a middle-order role, partly because England also need batters who can bowl spin.Harmanpreet Kaur hugs then-MI head coach Charlotte Edwards after WPL title win•BCCI”Charlotte doesn’t put pressure on the results,” Palshikar, who helped bridge the language barrier at MI, said. “It is always about the process. She gives small, specific targets to players. For example at MI, [openers] Hayley [Matthews] and Yastika [Bhatia] have to take care of the powerplay. After that Nat is there, and she and Harman [Harmanpreet] can have a good partnership.”Apart from Edwards and Sciver-Brunt aside, England also have another person from the MI support staff in their camp – Benji Hoppitt, the performance analyst. Palshikar calls him “a mastermind who helps us trick opponents”. Edwards and Hoppitt also worked together at Sydney Sixers in the WBBL and Southern Brave in the Hundred.”Benji has very good insights. He is thorough. He is the best analyst I have worked with so far. We now know why Charlotte and Benji work together everywhere!”All this is not to say England have the inside track on India. Harmanpreet has been on the international circuit for over 16 years. Perhaps no one moved the needle as much as she did with her 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 World Cup. And even at 36, few can match her for power with the bat.”Harman is very experienced,” Palshikar says. “She’s played on Indian soil for close to 20 years. So she knows about the grounds and other things. And she is tactically sound and assured.”Palshikar and Edwards also worked together to help Harmanpreet play attacking cricket from an earlier point in T20 cricket, a move that helped MI lift a second title earlier this year. “Her consistency at the WPL is unmatched,” Palshikar says. “The way she plays freely, I actually see a different Harman with us. She has been given a free hand and the confidence reflects.”Her routines also help her a great deal. She knows how to keep herself mentally and physically fit. She is very professional. She knows to cut off from the outside world, she is thorough in keeping a minimum screen time ahead of games. That is something for youngsters to see and learn.”A sub-plot to this great MI divide is a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) duel. Luke Williams and Smriti Mandhana, head coach and captain of the title-winning team in WPL 2024, are also in opposite camps. Williams is Edwards’ assistant while Mandhana is India’s vice-captain.Palshikar was India’s assistant coach when Mandhana played her first T20 World Cup in 2014. The pair also worked together at Ratnagiri Jets in the Women’s Maharashtra Premier League (WMPL) earlier this year.”I was lucky to work with Smriti at WMPL,” Palshikar says. “I last worked with her in 2014. The Smriti of 2014 and now the Smriti of 2025 – oh, I was so impressed with her. I have worked with so many players. But [Harmanpreet and Mandhana] are true legends. After Mithali [Raj] and Jhulan [Goswami], India will forever have these two legends.”

South Africa had plans for Virat Kohli, but they unravelled as he raced to a 52nd ODI century

Alagappan Muthu30-Nov-20254:46

Takeaways – Kohli in comfort zone; Jansen, Kuldeep and Rana sparkle

It’s there. He builds it every time he gets up to bat. The bubble. Inside it, he’s king.South Africa had a plan to break into it. In the first 10 overs, they had their fielders right up. Mid-on, mid-off and cover were 10 yards in from the 30 yard circle. The idea was to cut off the singles that fuel his risk-free run-scoring.It fell apart. Because reality inside Virat Kohli’s bubble and reality outside it are often different. From inside, he could see that the pitch had the pace to hit through the line. From inside, he could see the bowlers were spraying it around. From inside, he could see other options to score runs.Sixes. He had two of them as part of his first 10 scoring shots.An entire career’s worth of information went straight down the drain for South Africa with less than an hour on the clock. Kohli was playing his 294th innings in ODIs. Only twice has his sixes count risen as high as two inside the first 25 balls. And never when batting first.Related

'They are brilliant, and they are performing' – Kotak on Ro-Ko at 2027 World Cup

South Africa find reason for ODI optimism despite top-order tangles

Stats – Kohli and Rohit smash records in Ranchi run-fest

Kohli: 'If I'm arriving somewhere I'll arrive at 120%'

Kohli, Harshit, Kuldeep star to give India 1-0 lead

Ranchi 2025 joined Jaipur 2013 and Pune 2017. The other two were chases. Australia and England had put on 350-plus and he ran them down with a vengeance. South Africa dared him in other ways. At least their fielders did. The bowlers were out of sync.In the first 10 overs, when Marco Jansen, Nandre Burger, Corbin Bosch and Ottneil Baartman hit a good length, they gave up only 29 runs at a strike rate of 66. When they missed it, they were thrashed for 51 at a strike rate of 243.Kohli made a play. He got India ahead of the game. From there, the reality inside his bubble dictated the reality outside of it. The only accommodation he made was for his batting partner.In the 14th over, Kohli nudged one to midwicket, waited for the ball to pass the fielder, then knowing it was a slower delivery that he had hit softly to one of the longer boundaries, he began sprinting. He believed there was three. Rohit Sharma knew he believed there was three too. That’s why he had his hand up even as he brought his bat down to complete the second run. Sunday marked the 20th time they put on a hundred-run partnership. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have more.Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shared a 136-run stand•AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Africa began to pull the run rate back in the middle overs. They found their lengths against Ruturaj Gaikwad and Washington Sundar and by doing that they managed to starve the set batter of strike. The third and fourth-wicket stands were 55 balls long. Kohli faced only 22 of them and hit just one four. The other end managed one six. The crowd got antsy. They were here to watch Kohli at home in India blue for the first time since February. They wanted the century.Kohli didn’t bat an eyelid. He did other things. Run between the wickets so hard the picture seemed incomplete without smoke flying off his heels. Practice chopping an imaginary short ball down onto the pitch so that the next time he faced one, it bounced over Dewald Brevis still close in at point. Note the gaps in the field and expend only the energy needed to find them.That’s how he moved from 94 to 98. Midwicket was up. Square leg was back. The ball was dug in and though it didn’t climb it was cramping him for room. Kohli was now so cozy inside his bubble that he arranged his body for a short-arm jab with a horizontal bat, knowing the outfield would take care of the rest.On 99, he took his guard again. Stretched his back out – finally a sign of what this innings against quality opposition was taking out of him. Recognised the ball wasn’t there. And just kept it out. By now the crowd was going wild… because everyone was blocking everyone else’s shot. Eventually, the glide to the deep third boundary, the jump, the punch, the scream, the kiss of his wedding ring and the raise of his bat all began to flood social media.It was a beautiful moment. No. 52. The only one Kohli spent outside his bubble. It is sacred to him. Especially now. He wants to make the 2027 World Cup. But he’s 37. That number – as much as any other from his legendary ODI career – looms large enough that every innings he plays from now until the squad is picked could be scrutinised. Even though the selectors have said otherwise.The surest way Kohli can realise his goal is to prove over and over that even in the twilight of his career he is twice the player anybody else is. He ticked that box on Sunday evening. And it will need ticking again. The pressure that must bring feels unimaginable. The way he ignores it and just goes about his business is incredible.

His astonishing assault in a low-scoring Ashes Test proved he never ceases to amaze

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-20253:17

Smith: Travis Head’s batting incredible to witness

“I’ll do it.”With three words, Travis Head set in motion a chain of events that had to be seen to be believed.There had long been a thought bubble floating around within Australia’s brains trust. What if Usman Khawaja opened in the first innings, when the pitch was fresh and at it’s most challenging in Australian conditions, and then swapped with Travis Head in the second when the surface was flatter and quick runs were needed?Related

Khawaja's back issues to be examined as Australia float flexible batting order

Stats – Perth serves up a short and spicy Test

Head's 69-ball ton secures remarkable win for Australia

Smith given out after Real Time Snicko confusion

Head: 'It's not going to get much bigger than this'

Khawaja’s back spasms in Perth made that thought bubble a reality. After Australia fudged the order to replace Khawaja in the first innings without success, Head volunteered to do it in the second. And he delivered with an astonishing assault on England to win Australia a Test match they appeared to have no right to win only four-and-a-half hours earlier.It was mind-blowing batting, even by the standards of the man who has produced a career catalogue of crazy match-winning innings on the biggest stage. He was already an Ashes star thanks to his performances in 2021-22. He has already singlehandedly ripped a World Test Championship, an ODI World Cup and a Border-Gavaskar Trophy out of India hands.Now he has the second-fastest century in Ashes history, off 69 balls, to rip another opening Ashes Test in Australia from England’s grasp.Ben Stokes looked like he had seen a ghost when he was asked to sum up his feelings shortly after the winning runs were struck.”I mean, at the moment, I’m still in a little bit of wow phase, after what Travis Head has just done to us,” Stokes said. “That was a pretty incredible, special knock from Travis.”Head didn’t think so. Steven Smith, who was sitting next to Head at the press conference, was asked whether it was the best knock he had ever seen.”No it’s not. Not even close,” Head mumbled under his breath.Smith laughed before politely disagreeing with his vice-captain. “It’s got to be right up there,” Smith said. “Wow. That was incredible to witness. Trav took it on and played one of the great Ashes knocks.”There was a buzz around the ground when Head’s name was announced as he walked out to bat alongside Jake Weatherald, with Australia needing to score the highest total of the match to chase down 205.ESPNcricinfo LtdEveryone knew what Head was going to attempt to do, including England. But Head never ceases to amaze.He was three off 14 balls to start. He was beaten by a cracker from Jofra Archer second ball. His only runs were a clip off the toes behind square and a squeeze past gully. But credit to Head, there were no other loose shots in the 14. No flashing with hard hands like England’s batters had done earlier in the day. No attempts to hit the bowlers off their lengths as Stokes had believed was required on the Perth pitch.He waited, and waited, and then unleashed fury. The first genuine half-volley he got was whipped through midwicket. The next was driven through cover. For the first venomous short ball he leaned back and ramped it over the slips for six. On 22 he finally flayed one on the rise through cover. Another full wide ball was sliced over wide deep third to bring up Australia’s 50 in 9.3 overs.Pitching up wasn’t working, so England went short. Head went large. Mark Wood went at the body, Head stepped inside the line and flicked him over fine leg. The next was short and wide, Head thrashed it through point. The field started to spread. He tucked a single to deep square to bring up a 36-ball 50.But then he lost Weatherald after a crucial 75-run stand. The door was ajar for England to walk back into a game that had seesawed violently over two days. It coincided with drinks and Head hit pause, scoring a single off his next eight deliveries.Stokes seized the moment and took the ball. Mano-a-mano.Ben Stokes couldn’t find any answers•Getty ImagesThe talisman to trump all talismans, with his new-found mane, his ripped physique after swearing off alcohol, who trains like a beast and plays with unparalleled intensity against Australia’s everyman, father of two, with his bogan haircut, unkempt moustache and unashamed beer belly.Head struck four boundaries in five balls. Game over. He then flat-batted a 139.9kph Archer short ball over the sightscreen for the most jawdropping shot of the match to completely demoralise England.All that was left was for Head to receive two standing ovations from 49,983 that had a ticket to the show of a lifetime. The first when he reached his century off 69 balls. The second when he finally mis-hit one to deep square leg for 123 off 83.”It was obvious to us as a group, when Travis came out the top of the order there with Jake, that they’d sent Travis out there to play the role in which he was so successful at doing,” Stokes said. “And it was so hard to be able to continue with plans which we tried to implement, because he had an answer for everything. We went through three, four, five different modes to try and get the wicket of Travis, because when he was going, we knew that he was going to be the big one. But he just had an answer to absolutely everything. It was some knock.”Head said there were “no surprises” with what England came up with. What did surprise him was his form. He revealed he had some doubts. Head had been a quiet concern for Australia heading into the series after an extremely lean run of form in white-ball cricket which forced him to play a Sheffield Shield game that he hadn’t initially planned for. He duly failed in both innings, with scores of 9 and 15.”Conditions down there were pretty tough,” Head said. “But I had four or five days leading to that game. I hit during the game a fair bit with Stubbo (South Australia batting coach Steve Stubbings) and then here I trained all four days, which is unheard of.”Just to find a bit of rhythm and getting into things and once you walk out into this atmosphere, I was more worried about, am I capable of doing it still?”We had such a big lay off a Test cricket, your mind takes you to, okay, facing probably one of the better attacks I’ve ever faced, high quality, high pace, high speed, am I still cut out for this on a wicket that can be pretty intimidating at times.”He was more than cut out for it. He was head and shoulders above every other batter in the game. There will be calls for him to open permanently. Head said he had floated the idea with Australia’s hierarchy if needed after David Warner retired but has understood why he had been left at No. 5 in home conditions, where he has authored so many match-winning knocks for his country.The fear has been what they might lose in the middle order. But given the fear he has struck in England and Stokes, they may well utter three more words.”Let’s do it.”

Somerset wicketkeeper-batter is tipped for Test career and already has impressive body of work to call on

Matt Roller11-Dec-2025It is an inescapable fact that England defeats in Australia tend to prompt significant turnover. Just ask Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan: having started the 2021-22 series as England’s top three in Brisbane, all three players were dropped for the subsequent tour to West Indies, and none of them has played another Test match since.It is too soon to say for sure if the 2025-26 series will go the same way but at 2-0 down after six days’ cricket, the early signs are not promising. A fourth successive heavy defeat in Australia would doubtless prompt change and, in Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, England are carrying two top-order batters who would be unlikely to survive an overhaul. Jacob Bethell is the next man in line, but close behind him is a player with a far more substantial body of work.At 21, James Rew has already scored 11 first-class hundreds – 11 more than Bethell, his former England Under-19 team-mate – and has long been seen as a future international player. He also holds the unique distinction of scoring the winning run for an English team against an Australian one on this Ashes tour, making 92 not out against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra last week.Related

• Rehan, Cox and Fisher in England Lions squad for Australia

• Kellaway enhances his credentials with top score for Prime Minister's XI

• Bethell misses out as Rew 92* leads England to victory

• 'Gutted' Wood out of the remainder of the Ashes, Fisher named replacement

Rew was dismissed cheaply in both innings of England Lions’ heavy defeat against Australia A at the weekend but has already come close to playing Test cricket. He was called up to England’s squad to face Zimbabwe in May, and ran the drinks as 12th man on the second day of the first Test in Perth last month.”It does feel good to be around that group,” Rew tells ESPNcricinfo. “It’s obviously an incredible group, a really nice bunch of lads, and they’re all very welcoming… If there is ever an opportunity, I’d love to be able to play Test cricket for England.”To be honest, I don’t see that happening anytime soon, so I’m just trying to go about my own game as well as I can, and just keep trying to get better day to day. If anything ever does come about in the future, I’ll try to take the opportunity.”By his own admission, Rew is something of a throwback: alongside citing fellow King’s College Taunton alumnus and Somerset academy graduate Jos Buttler as one of his idols, he mentions the name of Alastair Cook. He travels to Dubai this week to play for Sharjah Warriorz in the ILT20 after England opted against keeping him on as Ashes cover but, unusually for a young English batter, has only played seven T20s.

“While keeping, No. 4 is a pretty good spot; higher than that with the gloves could be quite challenging. But if I don’t keep, I would happily move up. If I do end up having to open the batting at some point, I’d try to do as best I can”

“I’d say I build an innings pretty well,” Rew says. “That’s probably the thing that I think is my strength: once I get in, trying to make it really hard for them to get me out. I’m not necessarily as destructive as a lot of modern-day players, but I like to try to keep the scoreboard moving along and just make it really hard for the opposition to get me out once I’m in.”His strike rate has gradually increased in first-class cricket since his breakthrough season in 2023, though without him making a conscious change. “Some of that might be just me getting slightly better as a player, being able to score off more balls,” Rew suggests. “I feel like I can up the tempo if I need to, and it helps when Somerset are in good positions in games.”Rew was promoted from No. 6 to No. 4 this season and was Somerset’s leading run-scorer, all while keeping wicket. “I enjoyed it a lot,” he says. “I feel like at No. 4, you can get in earlier in the game, so you can have more impact as to where the game goes.”He believes that he could yet move further up the order, though likely as a specialist batter. “While keeping, No. 4 is a pretty good spot; higher than that with the gloves could be quite challenging. But if I don’t keep, I would happily move up if it fits with the Somerset line-up… If I do end up having to open the batting at some point, I’d try to do as best I can.”James and younger brother Thomas were both on the England Lions tour•Getty ImagesIt is a move that could be prompted by the emergence of his younger brother, Thomas, who has kept wicket for the Lions throughout their Australia tour and turned 18 during the PM’s XI fixture. “We had a couple of beers after the game,” James says. “It was nice to be with him for his 18th and be able to celebrate a little bit… We’re obviously here together and it’s really, really surreal.”Thomas was picked ahead of James – who is in his third consecutive winter with the Lions – at the start of the Australia tour, prompting reports that he had been told to work on his fitness. “I saw that, and that’s the first I’d ever heard of it,” he insists. “That’s not the reason Fred [Lions coach Andrew Flintoff] gave me, so I have no idea where that came from.”We’ve worked hard as a group on gym and running and just trying to all be prepared for Test cricket, if it does happen to any of us. That’s Fred’s goal for us: to be fit as a unit for international cricket, and obviously playing in Australia with the heat. We’ve all worked hard on our physical abilities… I was just preparing in the nets, and managed to get a couple of runs in Canberra.”Rew worked closely with the former South Africa batter Neil McKenzie throughout the tour, with a focus on countering extra bounce: “I’ve worked on a couple of things with my set-up position, trying to be more on top of the ball when it’s bouncing more – setting up for a back-of-a-length ball, rather than in England where you have to watch your front shin every ball.”It is a change that should serve Rew well for the demands of Test cricket as and when his opportunity arises – and with the way that England’s tour appears to be heading, that may be sooner rather than later.

A look at a few iconic matches between these two much-loved teams in the IPL

Omkar Mankame21-Mar-2025Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) met in the first ever IPL match. Seventeen years later, they meet in the season opener for the first time since. Here is a look at some of the iconic matches between these two much-loved teams.2008, Match 1, BengaluruKKR won by 140 runsThe IPL couldn’t have asked for a better launchpad. On the tournament’s opening night, Brendon McCullum lit up the league with an electrifying 158 not out. His onslaught powered KKR to a towering 222 for 3, leaving RCB shell-shocked. The chase never took off, as RCB crumbled for 82, handing KKR a resounding 140-run victory.2009, Match 41, CenturionRCB won by six wicketsNow leading KKR, McCullum delivered another statement at the top, anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 84 to set RCB a target of 174. The chase looked wobbly at 74 for 3 in 11 overs, but Ross Taylor had other ideas. Capitalising on some erratic death bowling, he tore into the KKR seamers, smashing an unbeaten 81 off just 33 balls to power RCB home with four deliveries to spare.Ross Taylor and Mark Boucher embrace after sealing a tense six-wicket win•Associated Press2013, Match 12, BengaluruRCB won by eight wicketsThe contest itself was a no contest, as Chris Gayle steamrolled his way to an unbeaten 85 in a chase of 155. But what made headlines was the fiery exchange between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. After Kohli sliced a catch to deep point, Gambhir did not hold back with his celebrations. Words were exchanged, tempers flared, and the two had a go at each other before their former Delhi team-mate Rajat Bhatia stepped in to defuse the tension.2016, Match 30, BengaluruKKR won by five wicketsKKR had RCB on a leash for 17 overs, only for a late flourish to push the home side to 185. In response, KKR struggled to keep pace, slipping to a position where they needed 93 off the last seven overs. Enter Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan. The duo turned the game on its head, with Pathan taking apart Shane Watson in the 17th over, plundering 24 runs to shift the momentum. His unbeaten 60 off 29 balls sealed a dramatic win for KKR, capping off a stunning comeback.Related

• An IPL soaked in soap-opera intrigue

• Chetan Sakariya replaces the injured Umran Malik at KKR

• KKR trust in continuity in bid to defend 2024 title

• RCB hope 18 is the charm as hunt for IPL glory continues

2017, Match 27, KolkataKKR won by 82 runsAt the halfway mark, KKR were at least 50 runs short. Sunil Narine’s blistering 17-ball 34 had given them a quick start at 65 for 1 in the powerplay, but they still stumbled to 131 all out. What followed, however, was historic. The most star-studded batting line-up in T20 cricket crumbled in a heap – RCB skittled for a mere 49, still the lowest total in IPL history. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Woakes, and Colin de Grandhomme shared three wickets apiece as not a single RCB batter reached double digits.2017, Match 46, BengaluruKKR won by six wicketsIn the return fixture, KKR turned the tables with the bat. RCB’s superstar trio of Gayle, Kohli, and AB de Villiers managed just 15 runs between them, but Mandeep Singh’s 52 and Travis Head’s unbeaten 75 lifted them to a modest 158. That total looked woefully inadequate once Narine and Chris Lynn unleashed mayhem. The duo blasted 105 runs in the powerplay, with Narine smashing the fastest IPL fifty at the time – off just 15 balls. KKR barely broke a sweat in a commanding victory.Andre Russell goes big•BCCI2019, Match 17, BengaluruKKR won by five wicketsDesperate to snap a four-match losing streak, RCB seemed on course for a much-needed win, having set KKR a daunting 206 and leaving them needing 66 off the last four overs. Kohli and de Villiers had struck fluent half-centuries, and it was now up to the bowlers to keep Russell quiet. But Dre Russ had other plans. In yet another display of brute force, he hammered an unbeaten 48 off just 13 balls, making a mockery of the chase as KKR stormed home with five deliveries to spare.2024, Match 36, KolkataKKR won by one runMitchell Starc had 20 runs to defend off the final over against Karn Sharma – and it almost wasn’t enough. Karn smashed three sixes in the first four balls to bring RCB to the brink. But his dismissal on the fifth ball, followed by Lockie Ferguson’s run-out while pushing for a second, sealed a dramatic one-run win for KKR in a game that saw over 440 runs in 40 overs. Earlier, RCB seemed on course in their chase of 223 before Russell’s double strike in the 12th over halted their momentum, setting up a thrilling finish.

Fifties from Bens Compton and Dawkins provide platform before home side stumble

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay08-Sep-2025Lancashire bowled Kent out for 293 on day one of their Rothesay County Championship match at Canterbury, before reaching 19 for 0 at stumps, to trail by 274.Ben Compton hit 77 and Ben Dawkins 60 but Kent lurched from 217 for 2 to 274 for 5, before the next four wickets fell for four runs. Mitch Stanley took 5 for 80 and Tom Hartley 3 for 68, although the bowling was marred by 37 extras, including 26 no-balls.Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings then survived eight overs to reach stumps on 3 and 10 respectively.James Anderson travelled with Lancashire but was left out of the starting XI, while Kent handed a first-class debut to Mo Rizvi and Michael Cohen made his first red-ball appearance for the hosts.Stanley struck in the sixth over to get Jaydn Denly caught behind for 8, but it was an otherwise joyless morning for Lancashire, with Kent reaching 122 for 1 at lunch.Dawkins crunched Stanley through point to bring up his maiden first-class fifty and Compton then eased to the same milestone with two off the same bowler.When Stanley then appealed for caught behind against Dawkins, for a delivery that seemed to flick his shirt, it was turned down, to a chorus of catcalls from the Nackington Road Grumblers, although Dawkins soon perished when he flicked Stanley to Michael Jones at midwicket, ending a stand of 136.Tawanda Muyeye, out for a golden duck in the Vitality Blast quarter-final between these two sides on Saturday, cracked Tom Hartley back over his head for six and even Compton charged down the wicket on a couple of occasions but their partnership was interrupted when they collided with such force while attempting a second run that Muyeye’s helmet flew off.Compton stayed down in the middle, while Muyeye staggered to his feet before collapsing after making his ground. The ball was ruled dead in accordance with the ECB’s concussion guidelines and both batters needed treatment. After an 11-minute delay both were able to continue.Muyeye was then hit on the upper arm and dropped by Matty Hurst off Stanley when he was on 29, but any doubts about how well he was seeing it were banished when he dumped Hartley for six over midwicket.He then produced an outstanding upper cut to hit Stanley for six over point, only to play on to Hartley in the next over, bowled for 48.From here on, everything went south for the hosts. Stanley had Compton caught behind and Hartley bowled Ekansh Singh for 4, leaving Kent on 248 for 5 at tea.Harry Finch and Joey Evison seemed to have stabilised things until three wickets fell in seven deliveries. Finch was unlucky to be given caught behind to Wells and Rizvi lasted just two balls before he chopped on to the same bowler. Hartley then had Evison caught at first slip for 22.Stanley finished Kent off, bowling Matt Quinn for 1 with the new ball and getting Matt Parkinson caught behind for 12.The closest Kent came to a wicket was when Corey Flintoff, on as sub for Muyeye, missed a difficult chance to catch Wells off Evison in the final over.

Liverpool turned a corner at the weekend, professionally defeating West Ham United at the London Stadium to arrest the shocking slump that has sent Arne Slot’s project into a spin.

However, it’s important for those of a Red persuasion not to get too excited. West Ham are hardly in good form, teetering on the edge of the Premier League relegation zone.

But there were some positives to be taken after that industrious win. Particularly, Liverpool looked sharp in attack, with Alexander Isak netting his first league goal for the Reds and Cody Gakpo notching a goal and an assist. Florian Wirtz sparkled in his creative role.

There has been talk of FSG and sporting director Richard Hughes dipping into the transfer market for a new forward in January, but if anything, the win over the Hammers and Liverpool’s abject form highlight a different area that needs attention.

Liverpool's winter transfer plans

It’s clear that Liverpool need a centre-back. Top sources have also linked the Premier League champions to prolific Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause valid from January.

However, the centre of the park appears to have been overlooked. Certainly, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have not formed a convincing partnership this season, and a tough-tackling and dynamic option could be worthwhile for a Liverpool side looking to bounce back.

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool are expected to table a €60m (£53m at current exchange rates) bid for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, with the French midfielder no longer considered untouchable at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It’s understood that Los Blancos have held informal discussions about the 23-year-old’s future after an injury-affected few years, but Camavinga is one of the best in the business, and Liverpool could hit the jackpot by signing him for a comparatively affordable fee.

Why Liverpool want Eduardo Camavinga

Camavinga has been at Real Madrid for most of his professional career, having left France and Rennes and joined the Spanish giants in a €40m (£34m) package back in 2021.

He’s won the full gamut, and, on an individual level, been hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig as “a real war machine in midfield”. One of the sternest criticisms Slot’s side have faced pertains to their lack of physicality and bite in midfield this season, outduelled in most of their defeats – and there have been a whole host of losses.

Camavinga would fix that, settling into the six berth. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 12% for successful take-ons, and the top 1% for tackles won per 90, emphasising his ball-playing quality and the gritty defensive acumen that would stabilise Slot’s sinking system.

Looking at those metrics – and more – in a different format, see how Camavinga could add more defensive solidity to the engine room when assessing his data against that of Mac Allister, whose form has plummeted this season.

Goals

0.11

0.18

Assists

0.11

0.20

Touches

76.18

63.79

Pass completion (%)

90.8

83.3

Shot-creating actions

2.44

3.80

Progressive passes

4.76

5.76

Progressive carries

1.93

1.46

Successful take-ons

1.13

0.67

Recoveries

5.72

4.65

Tackles won

2.72

1.46

Interceptions

1.25

0.91

Aerials won

1.30

0.56

But those metrics are taking across a year-long stretch, and the Argentine was among the creme-de-la-creme last year as Slot’s Reds romped their way to the title.

Semenyo might be a stellar addition to a Liverpool side who opted against a direct Luis Diaz replacement this summer, but Gakpo has held down the fort measurably well, and Rio Ngumoha, 17, was entrusted with a regular first-team role after an impressive emergence season.

Real Madrid are in a state of upheaval right now, and signing a player of Camavinga’s ilk for a decent figure won’t come around too often. Wataru Endo is scarcely used by Slot and Gravenberch and Mac Allister need proper competition.

Should Liverpool instil some French flair into their midfield in the form of Camainga, they would be sure to level up, adding the joie de vivre that has been lacking this term, and a tough-tackling presence that would ease the defence’s burden and free up the forwards to reach new heights.

Gakpo upgrade: Liverpool open surprise talks to sign "magic" £70m PL star

Liverpool are planning to strengthen their flanks after a tough start to the season.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Dec 1, 2025