India lost four wickets for six runs before the England openers tore into the bowling

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2025

Akash Deep put his arms around Ben Duckett’s shoulder after dismissing him•Getty Images

Lunch England have grabbed the fifth Test with both hands. In the space of 21.4 overs on day two, Gus Atkinson’s fourth five-wicket haul snuffed out India’s first innings for 224, before a bombastic opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett propelled England to 109 for 1 at lunch, trailing by just 115.England’s openers were boundary happy, smoking 92 off just 77 deliveries, punishing India for every slight error in line or length. Duckett was the main driver, reverse-pulling Akash Deep over the cordon, then “conventionally” ramping Mohammed Siraj into the sponge for the first two sixes of the match.Duckett fell to Akash Deep attempting a third, departing for 43 with the bowler putting his arm around the left-hander, as much in jest as respect.Crawley was no slouch either, motoring on to a third half-century of the series in 42 deliveries, and second in a row after a tidy 84 in the fourth Test. His 24th score of fifty or more featured just four singles, with 12 fours, some along the ground, and three lifted serenely over cover.Zak Crawley raced to a fifty•PA Photos/Getty Images

Teeing up England’s speed run through to the break was Atkinson’s 5 for 33 upon his return to the side after two months out. He made light work of what remained of India’s first innings when they arrived on Friday morning on 204 for 6.It was all the more important after news this morning that Chris Woakes would play no further part in the match after a suspected dislocated shoulder sustained in the field last night. And the Surrey quick, on his home ground, took three of the remaining four wickets that India had up their sleeve.It was Josh Tongue who made the first key incision, albeit with a choatic approach that would get any surgeon struck off. His first over, opening from the Vauxhall End, went for nine, but he was able to remove Karun Nair for 57 in his second. A sharp delivery that nipped into the stumps – Nair no doubt expected something short and wide either side of them – pinned the right-hander on the back leg. Plumb in front, Nair took one of India’s three reviews with him.Washington Sundar should have assumed the responsibility at that point as an elongated tail became exposed, but he fell five deliveries later, waltzing into a short ball trap, heaving Atkinson to deep square leg, where Jamie Overton sprinted in to take a smart catch.Atkinson would then skittle Siraj before Prasidh Krishna felt for a delivery outside off, completing a collapse of four for six in 18 balls. It also leaves Atkinson with an average of 21, the fourth best for an England seamer with fifty or more dismissals, and the second best strike rate, ever, at 34.9, for those who have taken 60 wickets.

With the WPL auction, and before that retention day, coming up, some of these cricketers are likely to create interest following their World Cup performances

S Sudarshanan04-Nov-2025

Nadine de Klerk was at her absolute best in the league-phase win over India•ICC/Getty Images

Nadine de Klerk

A pace-bowling allrounder who can nail the yorkers and whack more than just a few at the death? Yes, please! De Klerk is one of those whose stocks would have risen big time ahead of the WPL auction. In Indian conditions, she put up quite a show with the bat – against India, no less – rescuing South Africa from a seemingly impossible situation in a chase in the league stage. Her strike rate of 131.64 in the World Cup was second only to Richa Ghosh’s 133.52 (minimum 20 balls faced). She also picked up nine wickets, the third-most for South Africa. That she can keep her calm at the death was evident in the final, where she gave away just six singles bowling the 50th. She was with Mumbai Indians (MI) in WPL 2025 but did not get a single game. If they retain her, it will be tough not to give her a spot in the XI?Amanjot Kaur made big contributions at crucial moments at the World Cup•Getty Images

Amanjot Kaur

The start of WPL 2025 and the recent World Cup was similar for Amanjot – she was returning from a stress fracture of the back earlier this year, for MI, and she was out with niggle for two months before the World Cup. Both the competitions ended with her team winning the trophy. The World Cup would have given a massive boost to MI, who can now retain her as the Indian seam-bowling allrounder ahead of Pooja Vastrakar, who has had a long injury layoff. Amanjot has shown she could be the second seamer, she can float in the batting order, and that she is a gun fielder is no secret.Annabel Sutherland emerged from a brief run of low scores•ICC/Getty Images

Annabel Sutherland and Marizanne Kapp

Even though Australia were knocked out in the semi-final, Sutherland had a memorable World Cup, outshining the likes of Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath. Only Deepti Sharma (22) had more wickets than Sutherland’s 17 in the competition. Her death-over exploits often helped Australia rein opponents in.Related

• WPL 2026: Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Rodrigues among players retained; Healy, Lanning released

• Team of the tournament: Mandhana, Wolvaardt, Gardner, Ecclestone and…?

Her Delhi Capitals (DC) team-mate Kapp had a relatively sedate World Cup, where she finished with 12 wickets but went wicketless in four of the nine outings including the final. Her five-wicket haul against England in the semi-final proved she still has it in her to deliver when the stakes are high.In WPL 2025, Sutherland was the third-highest wicket-taker for DC with nine wickets, one more than Kapp’s eight. This is why DC could face a tricky choice if they have to retain one of them. Both of them have shown at the World Cup that they can rescue their teams from tricky situations with the bat, too. Whoever finds themselves in the auction is likely to trigger a bidding war.N Shree Charani was the point of difference in the games against Australia•BCCI

N Shree Charani

She played only two games for DC in WPL 2025 but that was enough for India to get her into the World Cup squad. Her ability to vary her pace, get some drift as well as enough bite from the surface makes her stand out from some of the other left-arm spinners. That made India prefer her over the more experienced Radha Yadav, and she delivered with 14 wickets, the second-most for them. She was the best bowler on show in both of India’s matches against Australia, and a prime reason why the defending champions were kept to a lower-than-par total in the semi-final. If she is not retained by DC, expect her to make a splash at the auction.Laura Wolvaardt raised her game to a higher level at the World Cup•ICC/Getty Images

Laura Wolvaardt

For three World Cups in a row, across ODIs and T20Is, Wolvaardt has topped the run chart. In this tournament, her evolution and growth were visible. She opened up scoring areas that she hadn’t accessed before, batted at a higher gear and hit seven of her 18 ODI sixes in the last four weeks. No one doubts Wolvaardt’s ability to score runs even in T20 cricket. The fact she features in our list is because she played only three matches in WPL 2025, where her team Gujarat Giants (GG) used five opening combinations in nine matches. If GG do not retain her – but why wouldn’t they? – there are a few teams who could do with a versatile batter, and leader, like Wolvaardt.

Back injuries among Australian fast bowlers is nearing epidemic levels, with Queensland teenager Callum Vidler the latest in the list, ruled out of the Australia A white-ball tour of India and the start of the domestic summer with a partial stress fracture.Fresh off the news that Test captain Pat Cummins has a hot spot and Cricket Australia contracted quick Lance Morris is undergoing back surgery, there had been hopes of accelerating Vidler’s progression given the promise he showed in the Sheffield Shield final in March following his performances in Australia’s Under-19 World Cup victory last year.He was set to play in the white-ball portion of Australia A’s tour of India later this month and had been preparing by playing three T20 matches in the T20 Max in Queensland for his club side Valley.Related

• Hardie ruled out of Australia A tour with shoulder injury

• Cummins may 'take a few risks' to be able to play Ashes

• Who's in the Ashes mix if Cummins and Co run aground?

• Morris out for up to 12 months after opting for back surgery

• Cummins' Ashes build-up compromised due to back issue

But scans late last week detected a partial fracture in his L3 vertebrae. Queensland general manager of high performance Joe Dawes confirmed that Vidler has to now undergo a rehab process but there is no time frame on his return.”Callum experienced some back pain during training and promptly reported it,” Dawes said. “Unfortunately, the scans came back confirming a stress fracture so he will spend some time recovering and then start a rehab plan. He’s naturally very disappointed but accepts that injuries are part of the game. We’ll work closely with him to ensure he has the best recovery to get him ready for a return to cricket.”Australia A had already lost Morris and his replacement Brody Couch from the red-ball portion of the series with India. Couch had suffered a side strain but is expected to be right for the start of the Shield season with Western Australia while Morris is out for a year.South Australia’s Henry Thornton was called in as Couch’s replacement for the red-ball matches in India and will now remain on for the three white-ball matches as weekVidler, 19, impressed with his performance in the Shield final last March when he bagged 4 for 64 and 1 for 60 while showcasing impressive pace on a sluggish Karen Rolton Oval pitch. He is part of the quartet of quicks from his Under-19 group, which has Tom Straker, who was also selected for the Australia A white-ball team to tour India, Mahli Beardman and Charlie Anderson. Beardman is currently recovering from stress fractures while Anderson has had significant back issues in the recent past and is being carefully managed.The injury leaves Queensland thin in terms of their fast-bowling stocks just a week out from the start of the Dean Jones Trophy.

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has slammed the club's critics for constantly changing their opinion on the Premier League title race. Mikel Arteta's side have made a dream start to the 2025-26 campaign and they find themselves four points clear at the top of the table after 11 matches, but Saka has dismissed the favourites tag been placed upon the Gunners at this early stage.

• Arsenal eyeing first title in over two decades

  It has been 22 years since Arsenal last won the Premier League title under Arsene Wenger's tutelage. After decades of disappointment, Arteta is finally making the Gunners dream again to become the champions of England. The Spanish manager has transformed Arsenal back into title challengers over the last few seasons with three successive runners-up finishes.

  They looked well placed to go one better this term, having lost just just one out of their first 11 matches in the Premier League to move four points clear of Manchester City at the summit. Arsenal have remained unbeaten across all competitions since losing against Liverpool in August, and enjoyed a ten-game winning run before drawing 2-2 with Sunderland on Saturday.

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  Saka refuse to accept favourites tag

  Speaking to talkSPORT about Arsenal's chances of winning the league this season, Saka said: "That’s for other people to say. We just have to win every game, that’s the mentality we go into the games with. See where it leaves us, we can’t get carried away with what people are saying. Because one day they’ll say something, the next day they’ll say something different. It’s exactly what I said, people’s opinions and thoughts about us change like the weather. The most important thing is the changing room, how solid we are, the foundation we have, the belief we have in ourselves. How we stick together, through the good and bad, that’s the most important. We can’t pay attention to the external noise because it’s always fluctuating. We’re good, we’re in a good place, and now it’s time to focus on international duty."

• Neville backing Arsenal to win the league

  In October, after Arsenal's win over Crystal Palace, Manchester United legend and pundit Gary Neville said on the : "This has got to be them, hasn't it? This has got to be their year. This is the fourth season on the bounce that I've had them to win the league, but they're not necessarily miles better, they're repeating their levels of consistency, and that's all they're going to have to do this year to win the league. They're not going to have to go and get 100 points, they're not going to have to get even 90 or 95 points to win the league, mid-80s, high 80s will win them this title, and they can do that. I mentioned before about the other teams [being] inconsistent and unreliable, that's not this Arsenal team. They're very reliable. You can trust them. The way in which they defend is fantastic. 

  "They're all around each other. They don't concede goals. They've got a threat up front in multiple areas. They've not got a sensational centre-forward, but they've got a battering ram up there as honest as a day's long, and that can work for them. They've got [Eberechi] Eze, they've got so they've got [Noni] Madueke, [Gabriel] Martinelli, [Leandro] Trossard, lots of players who can contribute goals. They've got [Declan] Rice who can obviously deliver in set-pieces. They've got four fantastic full-backs and three excellent centre-backs."

  He added: "So there are a lot of very good things going for Arsenal. It's about making sure now they don't get carried away. It's about making sure they just keep doing the same things. They don't need to do anything spectacular here. Just keep doing your jobs. Keep doing what you do, and you will win this league. It's yours to win. This is your title, Arsenal. I've never really felt that sure before. It's so early in the season, it's madness for someone with the experience that I've got of winning titles to say that 'it's yours', but it really is. They must feel it themselves. The Arsenal fans must feel it. They must know that this is the moment that Arsenal can get back on top. This is a moment for Mikel Arteta, for these players, for Arsenal to represent themselves as being the best in the country. The chance and the opportunity is there for them, they've got to go and take it."

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  Is this finally Arsenal's year?

  It is too early to predict the outcome of a fiercely competitive competition like the Premier League, with a hectic festive period now looming large. However, Arsenal's squad depth and their consistency are giving hope to the fans that the club might finally get job done this season. Arteta's side will next face rivals Tottenham in the north London derby on November 23.

Coach Sammy doesn’t want to “let the pitch play on our minds” while his Bangladesh counterpart felt it looked like a “normal Mirpur wicket”

Mohammad Isam17-Oct-2025

Going by the reactions of both Phil Simmons and Darren Sammy, how exactly will the pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium play?The Bangladesh and West Indies coaches wore curious smiles when they were asked about the pitch ahead of the first ODI. West Indies coach Sammy said he had “never seen anything like it before,” while his Bangladesh counterpart called it a “normal Mirpur wicket.”A sneak peek of the pitch, captured by one journalist, revealed a black surface – typical for this venue. Sammy said the West Indies players would have to assess the conditions before deciding on how they are going to approach batting here.Related

Bangladesh, West Indies prepare to do battle with puzzles to solve

“I’m not sure if we can replicate it; we’ve never seen anything like that before,” Sammy said. “I don’t know how to describe it. However, we will not let the pitch play on our minds. Wherever we go, the mantra remains the same: you still have to assess the conditions that you are faced with. And then once you’ve assessed it, you’ve got to decide what skill set is required to be successful, and then you back yourself in your delivery. And that’s where you add something to your game: ADD (Assess, Decide, Deliver).”Simmons suggested the pitch would bring some turn into the contest. “It looks like a normal Mirpur wicket,” he said. “So, it usually has some sort of turn in it, which is good.”Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons felt the lack of form of the top order had forced Mehidy Hasan Miraz to curb his attacking style•Randy Brooks

West Indies have brought a group of young batters into the ODI setup for this tour of Bangladesh. Only captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase have played in these conditions previously. Hope said he was sharing his knowledge with the rest of the group.”I am trying to share as much experience as I can,” Hope said. “When you play in foreign conditions, it’s very important as an experienced player or as a senior player in the team to share all the knowledge that you possibly can. In this situation, we all have a desire to do well for the West Indies, and it’s very important as a cricketer, especially as a batter, to come into these conditions and perform well.”So all the little learning that I would have gained from my previous trip – it’s about having those conversations with the remaining batters and trying to get the best out of each and every one of us.”At least West Indies have played in India recently. The home side, on the other hand, have a lot to worry about, especially with their batting line-up. There are only one or two automatic picks, as the likes of Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, and Jaker Ali have all struggled for form recently. The promising opener Tanzid Hasan even lost his place in the ODI side during the series against Afghanistan last week.Because of the lack of form of the top order, Bangladesh coach Simmons felt captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz has had to curb his strokeplay to ensure wickets are conserved. “Because of the start we’ve had, that’s the way he’s had to play – especially the one with him and Towhid Hridoy in that partnership [in the first ODI against Afghanistan].” he said. “He had to build it back. And that’s been the pace that we have to look at. In that situation, he had to play like that, but I’m sure in a different situation, he will play accordingly.”

The Tigers are stumbling into the end of the regular season as they cling to a one-game lead over the Guardians in the race for the American League Central crown. Tight division races are common this time of year, but usually not when the leading team held a 14-game lead in the division and was up 15 1/2 games on the team in second place in July.

Detroit was swept by the Braves on Sunday for its sixth loss in a row and ninth over its last 10 games. Luckily for the Tigers, Cleveland lost to the Twins on Sunday, which snapped an incredible 10-game winning streak during which the Guardians won 15 of 16. A 10 1/2 game lead on the Guardians at the start of September suddenly evaporated to one with six games left.

The good news for Detroit is that it still controls its own destiny with a three-game series against the Guardians in Cleveland beginning Tuesday. With Tigers fans searching for something, anything to cheer for lately, manager A.J. Hinch seems to like where his team sits and is keeping the faith.

"I don't see our guys quitting, I don't see our guys down, I don't see our guys pouting, I don't see our guys conceding," Hinch said after the loss to Atlanta Sunday via FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. "And we shouldn't. I want to remind everybody that we're a first-place team, and right now it's hard for everybody to look at us that way because the last week went the way it did.

"We're going to wake up tomorrow in first place with our destiny controlled by us against the team that's been as hot as you can get in baseball, and we get to play them in a three-game series. Like, sign me up."

He's right, but it's certainly a uniquely optimistic outlook when you consider the troubling recent stretch for his team. You can't change the past, though, and Hinch's Tigers can either leave Cleveland with the division clinched or with their once large lead officially gone.

Their ace and AL Cy Young Award frontrunner, Tarik Skubal, is slated to get the ball in the series opener against the Guardians. We'll see if Detroit's luck can finally turn around against the hottest team in baseball.

It's been eight years, but the Houston Astros can't rid themselves from their sign-stealing scandal that swept across baseball.

The Astros mashed the Los Angeles Dodgers 18–1 on Friday at Dodger Stadium, tagging starter Ben Casparius for six runs on nine hits in three innings—and blowing up reliever Noah Davis's ERA with 10 runs in 1 1/3 innings of work.

In the third inning of that offensive masterclass, Astros rookie Cam Smith hammered a double off the wall in center field. At the time, the Astros led 4–1 and had been raking against Casparius all afternoon. SportsNet LA analyst Orel Hershiser couldn't help himself but mention the trash-banging scandal of 2017.

"I don't want to open an old wound," Hershiser said. "But in some ways, they're swinging at these breaking balls like they know what is coming."

Hershiser, of course, is referencing the Astros' scandal during their championship season in 2017 when the team was found to have illegally used video cameras to steal signs from opponents during games. Houston used a camera in center field to view the sign from the opposing catcher, and a player or team staffer would give an audio cue—like banging a trash can—to tell the batter which pitch was coming next.

Only two players remain on the Astros from that '17 squad—Jose Altuve and right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.

Since the news story broke in 2019 about Houston's cheating scandal, MLB has cracked down on video usage in dugouts. But the scars from that incident remain, especially among the Dodgers faithful, who watched their team lose the 2017 World Series to the Astros in seven games.

They had beaten Australia earlier this year. And with tactics and belief in place, they knew they could do it again

Firdose Moonda18-Oct-20243:30

Takeaways: How stunning South Africa ended Australia’s reign

“No DNA, Just RSA.”Welcome to another lesson in South African slangs.Just before the Men’s T20 World Cup final earlier this year, ESPNcricinfo introduced its readers to a short and sharp Afrikaans expression that has come to sum up South African sporting achievements. “Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie (They don’t know what we know),” is a rallying cry to remind South Africans of their difficult past, what differentiates them from people from elsewhere, and their determination, but it’s not the only national proverb.”No DNA, just RSA,” is a shorter, sharper phrase that also does the rounds on social media and is entirely apt for their semi-final win over Australia at the Women’s T20 World Cup. It tells a story of not having anything inherently special inbuilt in you or the systems around you, but channeling a champion mindset of overcoming adversity to come out on top. That is what the South African team did to register just their second T20I win over Australia in 11 attempts, their first at a World Cup and their most complete performance in a major semi-final.Related

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the South African sky

South Africa stun serial winners Australia to enter World Cup final

Stats – Australia's unbeaten run at Women's T20 World Cup ends

An eight-wicket victory with 16 balls to spare is as comprehensive as it sounds, and it came from a side that only first tasted victory over Australia earlier this year, after failing in eight attempts over 15 years. It also came from a side who made the right decisions against an opposition that has been tactically superior in the women’s game for decades, who had not been beaten in a T20 World Cup match in 15 games and had not lost a semi-final in 15 years.Laura Wolvaardt’s decision to bowl first went against conventional knockout game wisdom of putting runs on the board but was grounded in evidence. Seven of the 11 games played in Dubai at this tournament were won by chasing teams, no-one still really knows what a good score on these surfaces is. And of the five T20Is Australia have lost since the last World Cup, four were when they batted first. “We feel like runs on the board wouldn’t necessarily affect that (Australian) unit. It seems like they can chase whatever they want and are really up for a chase. So we just thought bowling first just suited us a bit better. Hopefully they didn’t know how hard to go, which ended up being the case,” Wolvaardt said afterwards.It wasn’t just a case of uncharacteristic Australian uncertainty, it was that South Africa made it tough for them, particularly in the powerplay. With some swing on offer, Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka were disciplined, and immediately afterwards their spinners backed them up by bowling slow and straight and their fielding was generally energetic. Boundary options were rare for Australia and by the end of the 16th over, they had only hit six fours. They finished with 11 fours and no sixes, and seemed to be “10 to 20 runs short,” on Wolvaardt’s assessment.Still, to watch South Africa chase in a knockout match of a World Cup is to ride an emotional rollercoaster that starts with hope, twists in anticipation, turns at panic and usually ends in disappointment. When Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits managed only four runs off the first two overs, a small but largely South African-supporting crowd grew restless and the boundaries that followed would have done little to decrease their stress levels.2:02

Anneke Bosch: ‘Hopefully leaving our best game for the final’

Brits’ first four was only thanks to a misfield from Annabel Sutherland at long-on and Wolvaardt’s came off an edge. Even when Brits cleared long-on for the first six of the match in the fourth over, hearts were in throats. Taking risks, however calculated they are, has historically also not ended well for South Africa. When Brits was bowled by a Sutherland jaffa, the familiar feelings of dread were resurrected, especially because of who was in next.Anneke Bosch, with a strike rate of 72.97 from three innings before this match, could easily have botched it. Instead, she bossed it.Seemingly out of nowhere, Bosch announced herself with a sweep off Sophie Molineux that beat deep midwicket and then danced down the track to send one over mid-off, and Australia had conceded their highest powerplay at this tournament of 43. But Bosch’s big-hitting did not surprise her own changeroom. Over the last two weeks, anyone from the South African camp who was asked maintained that she had been hitting the ball really well in the nets and that they were keeping her in the side because they believed she would come good. They also insisted she would stay at No. 3, ahead of Kapp, because it helped manage their premier allrounder’s workload. None of it seemed convincing because of Bosch’s record.With only one fifty from her last 14 T20I innings – including a 46 in Pakistan last month when she had to retire hurt – Australia were unlikely to have earmarked Bosch as the game-changer but Wolvaardt said her career-best was a long time in the making. “Anneke and Baakier (Abrahams), our batting coach, meet for coffee for like an hour every single day and just talk about batting,” Wolvaardt said. “He’s really been on her case, chasing her and making sure that she talks to him about her options.”Bosch described Abrahams, who has previously worked at men’s provincial sides in South Africa’s domestic system as having, “opened a whole new world of batting,” for her and boosted her confidence. “We spoke about all the different options and plans against different bowlers in different conditions. A lot of what happened today, we can give credit to him. He kept believing in us, or in me, even after a couple of bad games. He had my back and he believed in me. He told me a good innings is coming.”

“Tune in to watch. There could be something very special happening for a lot of South Africans in the next few days”South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt after making the second straight final

And so to the much-praised additions to the South African coaching staff, who were appointed in May. Abrahams is their first full-time batting coach and has made a noticeable difference to their approach and many of their strike rates but it’s the spin-bowling consultant and former international Paul Adams who has made the most impact on their mindset. As a player who rode the highs of expectation after becoming South Africa’s youngest Test cricketer at the age of 18 to one who suffered the lows of being dropped, going through coaching hiccups at Western Province and the emotional upheaval of the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings, Adams has seen it all. He has used that knowledge to bring a fresh, innovative mindset to the team and does something special and new before every match.This time it was meditation. “We all got in the huddle, he made us close our eyes, picture being here, listen to the sounds, listen to the noise and see ourselves doing well. It was like a guided visualisation,” Wolvaardt said.Happily for South Africa, they had some success they could picture in their mind after they beat Australia in Canberra earlier this year. Ten of the 11 players who were involved in that match were in this semi-final line-up and all of them had their own reasons to believe. “It made us realise that it is possible for us to beat them this time because we have done it before,” Bosch said.As tennis great Billie-Jean said, “If you can see it, you can be it,” and South Africa have done well to adopt that mantra too. The women’s team has always represented a diverse cross-section of society, not just across the racial spectrum but also the socio-economic one. Many of the players in this XI come from challenging backgrounds, where their basic needs were not being met, never mind their sporting ambitions nurtured. Through development programmes, small amounts of funding and a lot of blind faith, here they are. Compare that to Australia’s uber-professionalised system which is far ahead of anyone else’s, and the meaning of “No DNA, just RSA” might become clearer.And that is where the magic lies in what this South African side has already achieved. They have made a habit of delivering masterclasses in the art of possibility and they don’t intend to stop. “I try to make sure every day that I inspire,” Khaka, one of the greatest success stories of this side said. “Especially for the people that come from certain parts that I come from. I just want to send a message: it is possible. Anything that you want, you can do it.”In February 2023, South Africa’s women’s team became the first senior side to reach a World Cup final and now they have done it again. In between their two achievements, the men’s side also reached a World Cup final. Is the next step there for the taking? “Tune in to watch,” Wolvaardt said. “There could be something very special happening for a lot of South Africans in the next few days.”

Toronto Blue Jays lefthander Eric Lauer continued his breakout campaign, pitching eight innings of one-run ball to help power his club to an 11-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

And he did it while pitching with a fat lip.

Naturally, reporters wanted to know Lauer had a fat lip. The Blue Jays southpaw, tongue-in-cheek, had the perfect explanation after the game.

"So, there's kind of this known thing to not mess with [Max] Scherzer on his start days," Lauer said. "Especially when he has his headphones in. And I broke that rule. I tried to talk to him a little too early. So, he wasn't very happy about that. And six stitches is what you get for that."

Well played by Lauer. Not only did he absolutely nail the joke delivery with a straight face, but he couldn't have picked better subject matter as explanation for the souvenir on his face. Scherzer, a future Hall of Famer, is known as much for his intensity on and off the mound as he is for his pitching prowess, so much so that one former Texas Rangers teammate didn't dare invade his landing space before a postseason start in the fall of 2023.

Scherzer has enough of a reputation as a pregame grump that one would almost be led to believe that this is the reason for Lauer's fat lip. Alas, Lauer declined to elaborate anymore on the condition of his face.

When a club is rolling and the vibes are good, these are the kinds of things one can expect to emerge from the clubhouse. And the vibes are definitely good in Toronto.

The Blue Jays have the best record and run differential in MLB over the course of the last month.

In an apparent attempt to remake their bullpen midseason, the New York Mets have reportedly added a pitcher with an All-Star pedigree.

The Mets are acquiring relief pitcher Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to a Wednesday evening report from Jeff Passan of ESPN. They will reportedly send pitcher Frank Elissalt, pitcher Nate Dohm and infielder Jesus Baez to Missouri in return.

Helsley, 31, has spent his entire seven-year career with the Cardinals. He has 105 saves with the club, ranking sixth in the history of the franchise.

In 2024, he led MLB with 49 saves in a National League-best 62 games finished. In 2025, he has a 3.00 ERA, a 3-1 record, 21 saves and 41 strikeouts in 36 innings. His acquisition comes hours after New York traded for San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Rogers.

The Mets, after a protracted slump, have been playing much better of late. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games, though they remain an eyelash (.001 in winning percentage) back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race.