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She’s been one of the world’s best allrounders since her return from long-term injury, and she’s now embracing a leadership role in the Australia side

S Sudarshanan07-Dec-20223:46

McGrath: Stripping everything back to basics has been the secret to my success

Tahlia McGrath is your quintessential fast-bowling allrounder. The one you would want to be as an aspiring cricketer. The one you would love for your favourite team to have. She is tall, and can hit the deck hard as well as get the ball to swerve. And she can bat in the top or middle order. Allrounder in the truest sense of the word.But Australia Women have had even better. Ellyse Perry needs very little introduction; T20 World Cups, 50-over World Cups, Women’s Ashes – she’s stamped her mark everywhere and has won it all. She’s done it with the bat, the ball, and even with the skills that made her a football international. All in a career longer than you would dream of.Related

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Most teams would be content at having one such player and Australia have flaunted two. Having gotten an ODI cap in 2016 and a Test debut a year later, McGrath was in the mix before stress fractures of the back kept her out of the national side. The way back was arduous. And finally, after Australia won the Women’s T20 World Cup at home in 2020, she was handed her first full-time national contract. She was already seen to be a future leader and McGrath is now in India for a five-match T20I series as vice-captain of Australia, ready to “have a crack at it with Midge [captain Alyssa Healy]”.”In my early stages of cricket it was not something… I was sort of a shy kid that never had leadership on my radar,” McGrath tells ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai. “My coaches saw the quality I didn’t see in myself. [I] had a little early taste of it, worked with Belinda Clark and did some leadership mentoring stuff. We engaged on a lot of Zoom calls where we chatted all things leadership. We talked through scenarios and [I] got some homework tasks. What took my leadership to another level was working with her.”The way she puts things is so simple. She’d often set me tasks, things to do, and I’d be so daunted, so nervous about doing them and then when I actually got around to doing them… ‘ah it’s not too bad!’ and it sort of became second nature. That was definitely the turning point for me.”I have absolutely loved every bit of leadership opportunity I get. It’s made me get out of my comfort zone and do a lot of things I’ve not necessarily thought I would have done.”Since her T20I debut, McGrath has the best average and second-best strike rate of all batters who’ve scored at least 100 runs•Getty ImagesOne of the biggest signs of McGrath taking centre stage was at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. She scored 128 runs – second-most for Australia behind Beth Mooney – at an average of 42.66 and a strike rate of 148.83, and picked up eight wickets – joint second-most in the competition – at an average of 12.12 and an economy rate a shade under seven. All this while keeping Perry out of the XI throughout the tournament.That McGrath had an early taste of international cricket – at 21 – meant she was hungry for more of it. And since that second chance came, last year at home against India, there has been no looking back.”[Time outside the national side] made me pretty hungry to get back and work pretty hard on the sidelines on my game, understanding what my strengths are,” McGrath, now 27, says. “When I got my second opportunity it was about enjoying it and making the most of it. I made everything as simple as possible and just really wanted to enjoy it. That’s pretty much been the secret to my success.”I love every chance to put my Aussie shirt on and never take that for granted.”Since McGrath’s T20I debut in October 2021, no batter has a better average than her 93.75, and only Chloe Tryon has a strike rate better than McGrath’s 153.68 among batters with at least 100 runs. In eight T20I innings so far, she has scored 375 runs and has been not out four times. A key aspect to her run-making has been her ability to pick line and length early irrespective of the stage of the match.”A trap that I fell into earlier in my career was I tried to over-complicate things,” she says. “There was a lot going through my mind about what shot I was to play, what was going on… there was so much going on in my mind.”I just basically tried to – it sounds very simple but it was really hard for me to do – think about nothing when the bowler is running in and when the bowler is bowling. [It was about] being calm and relaxed and go from there. When I am in that state, and I am keeping things simple, I pick up the line and length a lot easier. I was a chronic overthinker and overcomplicater. It sounds really simple but stripping everything back has worked best for me.”McGrath kept Ellyse Perry out of Australia’s XI through the Commonwealth Games, and beat her team in the WBBL final•Getty Images for Cricket AustraliaMcGrath’s run this year has included, apart from the gold-medal finish at the Commonwealth Games, the Women’s World Cup win and victory in the Women’s Ashes. She also led Adelaide Strikers to their maiden WBBL title last month after they had finished runners-up twice in the last three seasons. However, in a bid to manage her workload, she only bowled 14 overs in the tournament. She admits to working harder to get to a stage where she can bowl more regularly.”I love the bowling aspect of it. Any time I am not bowling – there’s been a few times with injuries, niggles – I miss it so much,” she says. “I started as a bowling allrounder and I flipped that now into a batting allrounder. But I’d love to get to a stage where it’s 50-50 and I can basically contribute as much with the bat as I can with the ball.”With Australia’s defence of the Women’s T20 World Cup nearing, McGrath is clear about wanting to be in South Africa and experiencing it all.”I have never been part of a T20 World Cup, I have never travelled to South Africa,” she says. “World Cups are the events you want to be a part of. This one’s been on our radar for a while. Everyone’s really excited about it. A very heavy T20 focus until then and this is a first step for that.”India are a world-class opposition and they are coming hard for us. This will give us a very good test to see where we are at and will give us confidence leading into a crucial World Cup.”From the cool climes of Adelaide to hot and humid Mumbai, McGrath will have to adapt quickly. And while she does that, you can be assured that she’ll inspire a few more to follow her path.

Like every year, the team’s fortunes appear to be sinking and swimming with the form of Kohli and de Villiers

Saurabh Somani01-Nov-2020On October 21, the world looked rosy for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. They had seven wins from 10 matches in IPL 2020, were jointly at the top of the points table with Delhi Capitals, and a place in the playoffs seemed a formality.Like the teenager who suddenly finds pocket money running dry at month end though, the Royal Challengers are now scrambling. They are still second on the points table, but haven’t added to their points tally while suffering three consecutive defeats. Their net run-rate has swan-dived from a positive 0.182 to a negative 0.145 in the space of three games.And yet, having sunk to three defeats, if they can string together three wins now, they’ll be IPL champions. Win against the Delhi Capitals in their final league match, win the first qualifier against Mumbai, win the final.”It’s a terrible feeling to lose three in a row, you never want to do that,” AB de Villiers said after their latest defeat, to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. “But that is the nature of this tournament, anything can happen. If you lose three in a row, you can win three in a row as well.”There has been a pattern to the Royal Challengers wins and losses though, one which they’ll want to examine to achieve that three-game winning streak.In each of the seven games they have won, including the Super Over win against the Mumbai Indians, at least one of Virat Kohli or de Villiers have hit a half-century. The only exception is their most-recent win, when the Kolkata Knight Riders could muster only 84 for 8 batting first, not leaving an opportunity for a half-century from either man.While Devdutt Padikkal has also scored runs in the Royal Challengers’ wins, his contributions have been more support acts. In wins this season, Kohli averages 91.00 at a strike rate of 132.52. For de Villiers, those figures are 123.00 at 203.00. In losses, Kohli’s average drops to 26.33 and his strike rate to 107.48. The fall is steeper for de Villiers, with 19.50 and 115.84.In contrast, Padikkal’s figures in victories – 42.57 at 125.21 – don’t fall as drastically in defeats, 20.66 and 131.91. That lower strike rate in victories is an indicator of Padikkal’s role in holding one end up while Kohli and de Villiers have led the charge.In spite of having attempted to plug that gap at nearly every auction for the last four years, the fortunes of the Royal Challengers are sinking and swimming with the form of their two star batsmen. When they perform spectacularly, it leads to victories. When they fail, there seems to be no one to pick up that slack.BCCIThey seemed to have got that covered this year, having bought Aaron Finch, having invested in the promising young Josh Philippe, and with Moeen Ali already in the ranks. None of the three has had any great success in the limited, and not-so-limited chances they’ve had.Loss of form, especially in T20 cricket, is sometimes as ephemeral as a qualifying spot in your sights. Batsmen see failure more often than success in the format. But given their continued dependence on Kohli and de Villiers, the choices the Royal Challengers made against the Sunrisers were curious.Their previous loss, to Mumbai, had come about when the middle order failed to launch from an excellent start. The response against the Sunrisers was to cut the batting further and strengthen the bowling.Sharjah has already shown ample evidence of its pitches slowing down as IPL 2020 has gone on, with the 200-plus totals of its initial days not being achieved any longer. And yet, the Royal Challengers went in with four seamers. A fit-again Navdeep Saini was a natural part of their best XI, but they also brought in Isuru Udana, while leaving Ali on the bench.It meant the batting after de Villers, who came in at No.4, read: Washington Sundar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Chris Morris and Udana. That’s arguably among the weakest middle orders a team has had this season. Morris is the only one with a T20 strike rate over 130, and none of them average over 25.For a team that needs a bit of middle order heft, it was a surprising choice. The middle overs have been a period of struggle for the Royal Challengers, and with all teams having played 13 matches, their batsmen’s strike rate in that period (overs 7 to 16) is the worst in the league at 113.29. They have been lifted at the death by de Villiers, but the sluggishness in the middle has contributed to more than one defeat.Kohli would later say that he thought the team “weren’t brave enough with the bat throughout the innings” – but bravery with the bat is a natural consequence of skillsets. A Moeen Ali might be capable of being braver than an Isuru Udana because he has greater range, a greater ability to negotiate top bowling, a quicker eye, surer footwork.De Villiers pointed to the dismissals of Philippe and himself, five balls apart, as the turning point, though he maintained that the team was well balanced.”The turning point was probably when Josh and I got out back to back, which cost us about 20 to 30 runs,” de Villiers said. “That put a lot of pressure on our middle order.”We had a very good balanced team. We felt that was the right balance to go with. We had two frontline spinners, four seamers, lots of options with the ball. We have a very good batting line-up which didn’t score enough runs today, that’s what it comes down to.”That pressure was felt more keenly with the particular batting line-up the Royal Challengers chose to go with.They could still win three in a row – who would bet against a hot streak from Kohli or de Villiers, or both? But a selection that gives an opportunity for greater middle order support will increase their chances of doing that.

Both teams picked four seam options with Nortje returning for his first international game since last year’s T20 World Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2025

India went back to losing the toss under a new captain in the first T20I against South Africa, after winning the toss in the series decider in the ODIs. As expected, Aiden Markram chose to chase with dew expected to play a role in the night. Suryakumar Yadav wasn’t too fussed, expecting having to bowl with the wet ball.India welcomed back Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya to the XI after injury-forced breaks. “The body feels perfectly fine physically, I spent some time at the COE [BCCI’s Centre of Excellence],” Gill said. “Perfectly fine physically and mentally feeling ready. I had a disc bulge in my neck which was hitting the nerves. When I went there [to bat in the Kolkata Test], I had a bit of a spasm before the start of play in the morning. And when I played the game, I got a bulge which hit the nerve and had to go the hospital for a couple of days but recovered well after that.”Japsrit Bumrah, who was rested for the ODIs, also returned to the XI for the first T20I, along with the format’s specialists – Suryakumar, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, Jitesh Sharma. India decided they needed two quicks in the XI, which meant Kuldeep Yadav was left out. They went for Arshdeep Singh ahead of Harshit Rana as the second fast bowler, which meant India had batting depth till No. 8 and not No. 9. Axar Patel, left out for the ODIs, was listed at No. 8. Varun, Arshdeep and Bumrah were nine, ten and eleven.South Africa welcomed back Anrich Nortje, David Miller and Donovan Ferreira into the XI. Lutho Sipamla and Lungi Ngidi were the other two fast bowlers to go with Nortje and Marco Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj the lone frontline spinner.India: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 8 Axar Patel, 9 Varun Chakravarthy, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Jasprit BumrahSouth Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Aiden Markram (capt), 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 David Miller, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Lutho Sipamla, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Tottenham Hotspur have undergone a series of changes this year, ending their interminable drought on the trophy front before dismissing the manager who won the Europa League, Ange Postecoglou.

It was a polarising decision, but it did make sense. Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League, after all, and Ange’s tactics lacked the stability needed to complete and flourish both domestically and abroad.

Thomas Frank is in the process of recoding the Tottenham first team, and the Danish coach has overseen some exciting summer signings, Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons standing out, while cutting ties with some flotsam too.

Now, ENIC Group and Frank are in concert: further refinements are needed. In midfield, much is to be desired, and with Yves Bissouma having been made surplus to requirements ahead of the January transfer window, don’t be surprised to see the Londoners add a new star to their engine room.

Spurs searching for new midfielder

Bissouma, without question, is one of the most gifted midfielders in the Premier League. But his gifts have gone to waste, with a host of disciplinary issues plaguing him since joining Tottenham over three years ago.

Bissouma has not made a single appearance under Frank’s wing, and following his latest transgression, a decision has been made by the hierarchy to part ways with the 29-year-old this winter.

This opens the door for an exciting addition, and the Lilywhites have one in mind.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham are interested in signing Nicolas Raskin, and Rangers are ‘likely to accept’ any bid, as they would find it difficult to turn down a compelling offer this January.

Though new coach Danny Rohl values the 24-year-old highly, the pull of Premier League and Champions League football would allow Spurs to complete a deal somewhere in the region of £25m, a figure touted when Wolves came calling earlier in the year.

What Raskin would bring to Spurs

Raskin may need to take a step up from the Scottish Premiership to prove his talent one the grandest stage, but his qualities have already been recognised by the Belgium national set-up, and he has earned nine caps for his country.

This is an “utterly sensational” player, as he has been described by UEFA coach John Walker, combative in his deep-lying berth while progressing play and making intelligent contributions throughout, finding the right pass, making a well-timed tackle.

With this in mind, Raskin could prove to be Tottenham’s next version of Mousa Dembele, whose performances down N17 have left him remembered as one of the club’s most talented players of the modern age.

Belgian teammate Kevin De Bruyne actually described Dembele “the best in the world” when in his Spurs prime, with his wicked blend of athleticism and technical grace setting him apart from his positional rivals.

Raskin, in a Rangers side that have left much to be desired this season, has established a similarly surpassing level. Can he carry that form into the Premier League? Could he become a focal point for Frank’s central system?

He is active in the duel, creative on the ball, incredibly athletic. Dubbed a “pitbull” of a midfielder by Dutch journalist Bob Faesen in the past, this could be a player cut from a similar cloth when considering his countrymen.

That pitbull-like presence may also see Raskin bring a bit of Victor Wanyama back to north London, the midfield powerhouse having cut his teeth with Southampton before moving to Tottenham and playing a significant role throughout 2016/17, arguably the apotheosis of the Mauricio Pochettino era.

Like Raskin too, however, the Kenyan sensation had honed his craft at one of the two Glasgow giants, Celtic, prior to moving south of the border, having effortlessly made that transition into life in the Premier League.

With the strength of Wanyama and the artful ball skills of Dembele, this could be a significant addition for a Tottenham team who have lacked dynamism and flair in the middle of the park.

Frank's answer to Declan Rice: Spurs have found a "future £100m" superstar

Tottenham’s long-term vision is among the most ambitious in all of Europe.

By
Angus Sinclair

4 days ago

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O meia atacante Lázaro viveu uma semana especial no Palmeiras após marcar o seu primeiro gol com a camisa alviverde e ser muito importante para a virada histórica do time de Abel Ferreira sobre o Independiente Del Valle.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Após a partida, ainda no vestiário do Estádio Banco Guayaquil, o camisa 17 falou sobre a emoção de celebrar o primeiro gol pelo Verdão.

– Meu primeiro gol, que seja o primeiro de muitos, fazer logo o primeiro gol assim em uma Libertadores com o Palmeiras, fico muito feliz, esse grupo é maravilhoso, muito trabalhador. Mesmo com o placar de 2 a 0 a gente não se entregou, lutou até o final, fico feliz pelo gol do Luís Guilherme também, que a gente possa seguir trabalhando, esse grupo merece muitas coisas boas – disse a cria do Flamengo.

Dedicado no dia a dia, Lázaro vai crescendo de importância dentro do elenco do Palmeiras e há quem acredite que o camisa 17 irá se transformar em titular naturalmente do time de Abel Ferreira.

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Lázaro chegou por empréstimo ao Palmeiras no início desta temporada e fica no clube até o final de 2024, porém existe uma cláusula de renovação de empréstimo até a metade de 2025, mediante ao pagamento de 500 mil euros (R$ 2,6 milhões).

Caso queira comprar o jogador em definitivo após o ‘Super Mundial’, o Verdão terá que desembolsar 12 milhões de euros (R$ 63,6 milhões) por 80% dos direitos do jogador de 22 anos.

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As has been widely reported, Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy is now the overwhelming favourite to become the new Celtic manager.

The Frenchman has held talks with the Celtic board over the weekend, as the Scottish champions continue to search for a replacement for Brendan Rodgers, who surprisingly resigned last month.

Nancy has won MLS Cup and Leagues Cup in charge of the Crew, also leading the Black and Gold to a first-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup Final, and could be appointed Celtic manager sooner rather than later, after Columbus’ season came to an end in the first round of the MLS play-offs, ousted by cross-state rivals FC Cincinnati.

Across all 136 matches in charge of Columbus, as well as 79 as CF Montréal head coach beforehand, Nancy has always deployed a back three, usually a 3-4-2-1 shape, so it’ll be interesting to see if he sticks with that, in a Rúben Amorim-esque fashion, or is more adaptable, given the depleted squad at his disposal.

Currently seven points adrift Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, irrespective of who the new manager is, expect Celtic to be busy in the January transfer window, so here is the dream XI they could build should Nancy take over.

1 GK – Kasper Schmeichel

Despite the fact he’s now 39 years old, Kasper Schmeichel remains a consistent performer in the Celtic goal.

To date, the Danish veteran has kept 33 clean sheets in 67 appearances for the Celts, conceding only 63 goals, seven of these shutouts coming in 11 Premiership outings so far this year.

On top of this, according to Squawka, he boasts a save percentage of 75.35% in the Premiership across this season and last, which does drop slightly to 69.57% when looking at the Europa League, albeit only Jari De Busser of Go Ahead Eagles and Ștefan Târnovanu of Steaua București have made more than his 16 saves in this season’s league phase.

Thus, with Schmeichel’s contract expiring next summer, following the World Cup, who knows what his future holds but, for now, Nancy can rely on the Great Dane.

2 RB – Alistair Johnston

Right now, Alistair Johnston is one of numerous key Celtic players sidelined due to injury, seeing just 26 minutes of action since suffering a serious hamstring tear against Kairat in mid-August, but, once fit again, will be a key figure in Nancy’s side, as he was in Québec three years ago.

3 CB – Cameron Carter-Vickers

Another major absentee right now is Cameron Carter-Vickers.

In the same match Johnston reaggravated his hamstring issue, the 2-1 Europa League victory over Sturm Graz, Carter-Vickers suffered a ruptured achilles tendon which will see him sidelined for around six months, all but ending his hopes of representing the United States on home soil next summer.

Since arriving under Ange Postecoglou in the summer of 2021, Carter-Vickers has been one of the first names on the team sheet at Parkhead, racking up 172 appearances in hoops, in the opinion of many, Celtic’s best centre-back since Virgil van Dijk, so Nancy will surely make him a central pillar, even if he’ll have to wait to do so.

4 CB – Axel Disasi: new signing

In the absence of Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Auston Trusty and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey​​​​​​​ are Celtic’s current central defensive options, hence why they’re expected to target a reinforcement or two in January.

Well, according to reports, Celtic have been offered the chance to sign a trio of Chelsea exiles this winter, namely Raheem Sterling, Deivid Washington and, the one likely to be of the most interest, Alex Disasi.

The France international signed for the Blues for £38.5m from Monaco in the summer of 2023, putting pen to paper on a six-year contract, but has been completely frozen out by Enzo Maresca.

After spending the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, Disasi did not find a new club before the summer transfer window slammed shut, thereby in the proverbial wilderness at Cobham, so could be available on loan in January, and the arrival of his compatriot Nancy could tempt him north of the border.

5 LB – Kieran Tierney

​​​​​​​

Back at the very start of the summer transfer window, when Celtic supporters were optimistic and loving life, Kieran Tierney’s return was celebrated like a title triumph.

Since rejoining, the left-back’s minutes have been carefully managed, albeit a long-term injury suffered by deputy Marcelo Saracchi means that won’t be quite so straightforward.

Nevertheless, regardless of whether Nancy wants to play a back three or a four, he’ll surely relish working with Tierney.

6 CDM – Callum McGregor

Celtic managers come and go but no matter who is in charge, Callum McGregor is an omnipresent figure.

The 32-year-old has now made 538 appearances in hoops, winning 24 major honours, looking to add to his haul in December when he will lead the side out in the League Cup Final against St Mirren, having scored this thunderbolt against Rangers in the semis.

McGregor’s in-possession quality, off-the-ball work-rate and leadership skills will be invaluable for any incoming manager, so his name will continue to be written in permanent marker on the team sheet.

7 CAM – Benjamin Nygren

While many of Celtic’s summer signings have been underwhelming, Benjamin Nygren has been very impressive.

Many believed the Swede had been signed to replace Nicolas Kühn on the right-wing, but instead he has established himself as a first-choice member of the midfield trio, scoring six times already, including this winner against Sturm Graz, securing the Celts’ sole Europa League victory to date.

The 24-year-old then increased his stock further this weekend, bagging his third goal for Sweden as they were beaten by Switzerland at Stade de Genève. Thus, Nancy, or any other manager, will surely be impressed by what he’s seen.

8 CAM – Reo Hatate

There are plenty of candidates to complete Celtic’s midfield trio, with Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan among those vying for this spot, but Reo Hatate is still the Celts’ best option.

Since arriving in January 2022, the Japanese midfield maestro has scored 29 goals and registered 29 assists for the club, including this thunderous strike at Pittodrie in August.

Hatate’s form has been a bit up and down in recent times, but his quality remains undeniable, so he’ll be hoping to get back to his best under Nancy.

9 RW – Jota

​​​​​​​ We’ve already mentioned Carter-Vickers and Johnston, but the other Celtic star on the sidelines long-term is Jota.

Similar to Tierney, Jota returned to Celtic to a huge amount of fanfare in January, but suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury at Tannadice in April, so is expected to return around Christmas time, which will be a timely mid-season boost.

The Portuguese winger remains the Celts’ joint-record sale, moving to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia for £25m two years ago, but back in Glasgow, he will look to further enhance his reputation among the fan base.

10 LW – Diego Rossi: new signing

According to a report by Give Me Sport, Daizen Maeda will push to leave Celtic in January, having been denied the opportunity to depart during the summer, looking to cement his spot in Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan squad ahead of the World Cup; numerous Premier League clubs are reportedly interested.

Maeda would leave a huge void, but could Nancy replace him with a player he knows rather well?

Having starred at LAFC before an unsuccessful stint at Fenerbahçe, Nancy brought forward Diego Rossi to Columbus Crew, worth every penny of the $6.63m transfer fee paid, considering the Uruguayan international scored 45 goals in 101 games for the Black and Gold, including 16 in MLS last season.

Now, according to the Daily Record, he is top of Nancy’s shopping list, should he move to Glasgow.

A diminutive, versatile forward, Rossi has a similar profile to Maeda and has just a year to go on his contract in Columbus, so everything suggests he would be a shrewd addition. That said, they may have to pay a pretty penny considering he is worth £7.5m, as per Transfermarkt.

Joe Buck is coming back to baseball. Well, at least for one day.

reported on Tuesday morning that Buck will call the Baltimore Orioles-New York Yankees Opening Day game on ESPN on March 27. It will be his first time calling a national baseball game in four years.

Buck, who was the lead play-by-play voice for years at Fox before leaving for ESPN in 2022 to be the face of , said this will be a one-off assignment and it doesn't appear that it will lead to him calling more games for the network either during the season or in the playoffs.

He said calling the chance to call a Yankees game was a big reason why he jumped at this opportunity.

“It’s fun,” Buck said. “It is exciting to think about doing the game at Yankee Stadium, where I’ve called World Series. I’m not saying that if it wasn’t the Yankees, I probably wouldn’t have done it, but that might be true. It’s the Yankees at home on Opening Day against a division winner.”

Renshaw gets a chance against Sri Lanka A in three 50-over matches to press for inclusion in Australia’s new-look ODI team

Alex Malcolm04-Jul-2025

Matt Renshaw looms as a potential middle-order candidate in Australia’s ODI rebuild after being elevated to the captaincy of the Australia A 50-over team, while Jason Sangha’s stocks continue to rise after being named the four-day skipper for the upcoming matches against Sri Lanka A in Darwin.Australia A host Sri Lanka A in three 50-over matches, beginning on Friday at Marrara Oval, before the two teams play two four-day red-ball games starting on July 13 and July 20 to complete the series.Despite perennial Australia A captain and South Australia Sheffield Shield-winning captain Nathan McSweeney being in the squad, Australia’s selectors opted to give leadership opportunities to Renshaw and Sangha for this series. Chairman of selectors George Bailey said the decision was in line with recent Australia A series where the selectors have used matches to give players opportunities that they might not get in domestic cricket.Related

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Sangha repays South Australia's faith with Shield final heroics

Paine set to coach Australia A across three series this year

“Selectors’ acknowledged Nathan McSweeney’s excellent leadership qualities, noting he’s a natural leader who’s demonstrated this skill with Australia A, South Australia, and the Prime Minister’s XI,” Bailey said. “The Australia A programme is often used to provide development opportunities for players who haven’t had as much leadership experience. Nathan will continue to provide leadership within the series through his experience and assistance to Matt and Jason.”Renshaw, 29, has never captained Queensland and has only captained twice in 277 professional matches across all formats, leading Somerset in two matches in the Royal London Cup (one-day) competition in England in 2022. Sangha, 25, has quite a bit more captaincy experience by comparison, having led New South Wales in two Shield games and Sydney Thunder in six BBL games. He also led Australia at an Under-19 World Cup.Renshaw has often been thought of as a red-ball specialist having already played 14 Tests for Australia, after debuting aged 20, without ever being considered to play limited overs cricket at international level. But his white-ball domestic record is exceptional, particularly in the very challenging position of No. 4.He has scored six List A centuries, two at No. 3 and four at No. 4, and averages 40.04 striking at 93.10 overall. At No. 4, his average improves to 45.07 and strike rate lifts to 97.50. In his last ten List A matches for Queensland, he is striking at 112.69, including scores of 102 off 68 against Victoria and 122 off 99 against Tasmania.Australia are set to rebuild their ODI line-up over the next two years ahead of the 2027 World Cup following the retirements of Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell. Renshaw’s 360-degree game against pace and spin, as well as providing another left-hand option, makes him a strong candidate to get an opportunity in the near future, with Australia’s squad for a three-match ODI series against South Africa in August to be announced soon.Jason Sangha will captain Australia A’s red-ball team against Sri Lanka A•Getty Images

Sangha gets the chance to build on his phenomenal Shield season for South Australia, where he made 704 runs at 78.22 with three centuries, including a match-winning 126 not out in the final against Queensland.Australia’s selectors are desperately searching for quality top three options in their Test XI, particularly in Sangha’s age bracket. Sangha did score one of his Shield centuries last summer at No. 3 but only averages 36.78 in that position across 33 innings at the first-class level. Like so many of Australia’s batting options, his record is far superior at No. 4, where he averages 45.25 from 36 innings with five centuries and seven half-centuries.There are several other players that have a chance to impress across the Australia A series including McSweeney. Two-Test batter Kurtis Patterson and domestic veteran Jake Weatherald have both been rewarded for outstanding Shield summers and have the chance to build a case for a top-three spot in the Test team given their experience in those positions.Victorian youngsters Campbell Kellaway, 22, and Oliver Peake, 18, will also get a chance to impress across the series with former Australia captain Tim Paine coaching Australia A for the first time.Australia A one-day squad: Sam Elliott, Matt Gilkes, Bryce Jackson, Zanden Jeh, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney, Ollie Peake, Josh Philippe, Jack Nisbet, Matt Renshaw (capt), Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Billy Stanlake, Henry ThorntonSri Lanka A one-day squad: Kamil Mishara, Lahiru Udara (capt), Lasith Croospulle, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Sonal Dinusha, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Shiran Fernando, Isitha Wijesundara, Pramod Madushan, Mohamed Shiraz, Dushan Hemantha, Wanuja Sahan

“I think three separate captains will be difficult for the team to deal with,” he said after losing the second Test in Colombo

Mohammad Isam28-Jun-2025

Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down as Bangladesh Test captain following the 1-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka on Saturday.Shanto said he had already informed the BCB of his decision, which he took to reduce the number of captains within the Bangladesh set-up (they had one for each format), before bringing it to the public during the post-match press conference in Colombo after the second Test.”I have an announcement to make,” Shanto told reporters after Bangladesh were beaten by an innings and 78 runs. “I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy. I don’t want to continue as captain in this format, and I want to give a clear message to everyone: this is not a personal matter. It is entirely for the betterment of the team, and I believe this will help the team. If the cricket board feels they will continue with three captains in three formats, that will be their decision.”Related

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The BCB said that they were surprised by Shanto’s decision. “We have been discussing the matter for some time, but I had no idea that he would announce it today,” Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said. “It would have been good if this hadn’t happened – not just because he was a successful captain, but because I have seen his leadership qualities from very close. He has done well as a captain and he is a good leader. If he had continued, it would have been very good for us. But since he has made this decision, I respect that.”Shanto had been Bangladesh’s all-format captain but, earlier this year, quit the T20I role. Then, at a press conference before the team departed for Sri Lanka, he highlighted the importance of having a long-term ODI captain. This press conference happened on the same day as a meeting between the BCB directors, the outcome of which was Shanto being replaced as ODI captain by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. It is reported that Shanto was slighted by this sequence of events, but he avoided commenting on the matter.”I just hope people don’t see this as a personal issue or think I did this because I felt bad about the ODI captaincy snub,” he said. “I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here. I already informed the cricket operations department a few days back.”Under Shanto, Bangladesh won four out of 14 Tests. They started by beating New Zealand in Sylhet in November 2023 and peaked with a series win over Pakistan in August 2024. In Sri Lanka, Shanto became the first Bangladesh captain to hit two centuries in a Test match. He averaged 36.24 during his time leading the team which was a marked improvement from when he was just part of the ranks (29.83).Shanto was first made a stop-gap captain in November 2023 following an injury to Shakib Al Hasan. He took over full-time in early 2024, the BCB giving him the reins across all formats for 12 months.Bangladesh do not play Test cricket again until October, when they host Ireland, which gives the board some time to figure out who their new captain will be. Mehidy leads them in ODIs, Litton Das does so in T20Is. It is likely one of them will be tapped to perform the role in Tests too.

John Terry is one of the most iconic Premier League players of the modern era and was a ferocious competitor on the pitch, and he appears to still have plenty of that fighting spirit judging by his recent comments in a bizarre spat with a former England international.

Claiming five top-flight titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups alongside the Champions League and Europa League, there are few men who boast such a powerful CV and degree of influence at the elite level over such a lengthy span of time.

Nevertheless, players retire and legacies are rewritten by some, including former professionals who have a wealth of stars to pit ex-opponents against by order of who they think was the most talented.

On this occasion, Terry has taken exception to a former Three Lions man sharing his opinion and not for the first time, making for intriguing reading as an unexpected feud has now been reignited.

John Terry reignites spat with Carlton Palmer

Terry has previously taken issue with former Leeds United man Carlton Palmer after the latter placed him fifth in a ranking of the Premier League’s top five defenders, claiming Ricardo Carvalho and Marcel Desailly were better than him, as was Rio Ferdinand.

Palmer said: “There’d be an argument that the two players he played with, Desailly and Carvalho, were better than him. But I wouldn’t argue with him going in the top five. I don’t believe he was better than Rio Ferdinand, that’s for sure.”

Replying at the time, Terry made a mockery of a previous clip showing Palmer mistakenly stating that he played against the Stamford Bridge icon in 1991 – when he was actually only 11 years old: “Please repost Carlton Palmer’s video saying ‘I remember back in 1991 we played against Chelsea and the team talk was to target John Terry,’ I was 11 and at school, and you’re still getting him on your show.”

Now, a fresh video from Karel Prince, who has become a social media sensation for pointing out false storytelling from ex-footballers on podcasts, has prompted another jab from Terry.

Bringing the story back up, Terry had a fresh pop at Palmer, writing on his personal story: “I was 11 years old and I was still better than this clown.”

Will John Terry return to full-time coaching?

Surprisingly, Terry admitted earlier this year that he is done with trying to break through in full-time management, and he is enjoying life working within Chelsea’s academy set-up.

He told The Sun: “I’m done in terms of coaching. I’m enjoying my life, I’m working in the Chelsea academy. I don’t really coach at the moment, I’m a mentor, ambassador. I went for a couple of jobs and those days are gone for me. I’m enjoying my life a little bit, I’ve got my time to myself, I play a bit of golf, I’m in the academy and I have some family time as well. It’s a really good balance for me.”

Previously, Terry was assistant manager at Aston Villa, and he also coached the 26ers in the UK Baller League, though any chance of witnessing the Englishman in the dugout professionally again appears to be off the table for now.