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Could he be more productive? Should he be more selfish? Beauty of Test cricket is there’s always room for more of both

Vithushan Ehantharajah24-Jun-20253:26

Harmison: Not sure India believed they could get Duckett out

As a batter, the beauty of Test cricket is that it is a code of the sport where individual success has a greater onus on the team’s success.Such traits do exist in white-ball cricket. But the way line-ups are pieced together, with precise skillsets required for clearly defined roles, batters can bat too long, too short, and face strike too little or too much to knock whole plans out of joint. In the red-ball game, however, when you are, let’s say, faced with a chase of 371, greediness is welcome. Where Test history is concerned, the one with themselves in mind can be king.And so there was Ben Duckett, about half-an-hour after the 6.29pm finish, metaphorical crown on his head, very real magnum of bubbly in his hands. A sixth Test hundred – 149, his third-highest score – had him as Player of the Match after England’s second-highest successful chase. Greed had served him well, siphoning off almost 40% of the runs for himself, and standing out in a Test with five other centurions, one of whom had two.Related

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• Gill must lay down the law after India lose the unlosable Test

• Stokes has the last laugh as England's have-a-chase ethos wins big

• Duckett 149 lays the foundation as England hunt down 371

England were cruising while Duckett was at the crease. The initial contrast with his opening partner Zak Crawley was clear. A stand of 188 in which Crawley, the one with the license to thrill, provided just 65, having posted his slowest half-century from 111 deliveries while Duckett had taken just 55 for the second half of his full one.The sketchiness when he departed, however, underlined his bombast and brilliance, having left just 118 for the rest to clear. As he watched on from the balcony, it was akin to the sporting equivalent of earwigging your own funeral. The situations beyond his innings confirmed the scale of its quality.Ben Stokes’ approach to playing the reverse sweep against Ravindra Jadeja – half of his 16 shots botched, just eight runs from the shot – highlighted just how good Duckett had to be to score 31 from 12 attempts. There were six boundaries among them, including the four that took him to three figures from 121 deliveries, and a ludicrous flat six over cover point. Tuesday was the seventh time Stokes has been dismissed by Jadeja. Duckett has not only avoided such a fate but boasts the highest strike rate of anyone to have faced the left-arm spinner.The reverse sweeps might not have come through for Stokes, as he scuffed one to opposition skipper Shubman Gill at short third. But it was more effective than his neither forward nor back approach before tea, which produced the odd pop up to keep the close fielders interested. As it happens, the shift in method came after seeking inspiration from Duckett, who by now had showered, got into his training gear and was settling in to enjoy the culmination of a chase he never lost faith in. This was Stokes’ manor in 2019 and here he was six years later, asking someone else for directions.Ben Duckett rolls out a reverse-sweep•Getty Images”I actually spoke to him when we came off for that tea break,” revealed Stokes later. “He’s one of the best in the world at reverse sweeps, sweeps, a fantastic player of spin, particularly on really tricky surfaces. I had a little word with him about what he thought I could potentially look at doing a little bit better, to give myself a better chance.”Part of Stokes’ desired hurry-up was related to the eventual return of Jasprit Bumrah, with 102 still to get in the final session. Duckett was the only one to not just sit on him, though he blocked – and even left – some of the 33 dots of the 49 deliveries exchanged. But among the other 16 was a four punched down the ground – something which no one else had done. Partly it was because the Indian great thought pushing for the stumps was a tactic, because other avenues had been exhausted. So came a flick through midwicket. A retaliation bumper, pulled off the nose, all-but ended Bumrah’s threat with the first ball.The 31-year-old bowled three more overs with it after Duckett had chipped Shardul Thakur to cover. Stokes and Joe Root bunkered down, taking just two singles. Part of that was down to lacking the hold Duckett seems to have over Bumrah, which, since the start of 2024, amounts to scoring more runs against him – 110, off 170 deliveries, for three dismissals – than any other batter.But the lack of intent to Bumrah was also because England were ahead of the game, and risks were unnecessary. Duckett had taken them all for himself. His dismissal as the third wicket came midway through the 55th over with 253 on the board. It meant India needed snookers to protect as much of the remaining 118 to ensure they could make the second new ball count.3:52

Stokes: Always try and keep everyone calm in chases

In the end, it was used for just two overs, bowled by Mohammed Siraj and Jadeja. As Jamie Smith blitzed the stands to confirm the win with Bumrah left grazing on the leg-side boundary, England’s joy was enhanced. The three “Bumrah Tests” were always going to be that little bit more important. This opening victory came with a welcome sense that the next two may not be as treacherous as first feared after a wicketless 19 overs when he was needed most.There’s a strong argument that Duckett is the best multi-format batter in the world right now. The problem is such debates tend to elicit the kind of tedious back and forth that last long enough for a drop in form.But fresh from what ranks as his greatest knock, in one of England’s best wins, let’s lay a few things down. Like the fact that, since his return to the Test side for 2022’s tour of Pakistan, only Root has been more productive. And yes, while England do play a lot of Test cricket, Duckett’s average in that time – 47.37 – is higher than both Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja, who have played as many as his 30 matches.There’s also the fact that he is now averaging more as an opener (44.98) than Alastair Cook (44.86). One of Brendon McCullum’s favourite lines is that opening the batting in England is so hard that the last two to do it well – Cook and Andrew Strauss – were knighted.1:53

Did we see a refined version of Bazball?

From another Sir dumping a drink over his head on the 2017-18 Ashes tour (James Anderson), to sword-on-the-shoulder numbers, Duckett’s journey to this point has not been straightforward. Time coming back from a chastening first go in Tests, time on the naughty step, time under the knife for a ring-finger injury in 2018, and time reworking a grip corrupted by an early return to action have been drivers towards this incredible purple patch. If ever there was someone who was not going to take any of this for granted and make up for what he might have lost, it is him.Which brings us to the drop on 97. A genuinely hair-raising moment for English observers when Siraj was hooked out to Yashasvi Jaiswal at deep square-leg, it signified that Duckett may not be greedy enough.Even with 167 on the board, the focus was on building a bigger platform and further demoralising an India attack for his team-mates’ benefit. An attack that was gradually realising the consequences of its own errors with the bat in the first and second innings.Could he be more productive? Should he be more selfish? The beauty of Test cricket is that there is always room for more of both, hand in hand. Right now, though, Duckett is not just doing more than most, he’s doing it better than some of the best, and on the path to joining them outright.

Rohit is at that point now where a small set of results could be decisive, and the fourth Test against Australia is the first step towards that

Karthik Krishnaswamy08-Mar-20239:27

Rohit on India’s use of DRS: ‘That’s where I have to step in and calm things down’

Pakistan could have been eliminated in the round-robin stage of the 1992 World Cup, but rain saved their campaign after England had bowled them out for 74 in Adelaide. New Zealand only reached the 2021 World Test Championship final because Australia copped an over-rate penalty.You know what happened next, in both cases, and unless you’re being wilfully pedantic, you probably don’t put an asterisk next to the world titles those two teams won.India can get to the WTC final without winning the Ahmedabad Test against Australia. They will have to rely on other teams helping them, but the odds are in their favour even if it comes to that. They may even lose heavily in Ahmedabad, sneak into the WTC final with only rain denying Sri Lanka a 2-0 win in New Zealand, and go on to beat Australia at The Oval and get their hands on the Test mace.Related

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All that could happen, but a loss in Ahmedabad would still be shattering to India. They only rarely lose Test matches at home. To lose two in a row?Think back to the last time that happened, in Mumbai and Kolkata back in 2012-13. A decade on, that 2-1 series-loss to England looks like the midpoint of a full-on transition. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had retired a few months before the series, and Sachin Tendulkar followed them a year after it. Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir only played a handful of Tests after that series.In the lead-up to this Border-Gavaskar series, ESPNcricinfo had noted that India could be on course for a similar sort of transition, with R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami all in the 32-37 age range, and with Ishant Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane having possibly played their last Test matches already.This generation has been India’s greatest Test-match collective, but as good as the players still are, they aren’t getting younger. Time is what it is.2:06

What is the blueprint for playing on rank turners?

Ahmedabad, then, could be pivotal to their legacies, and those of Rohit and Rahul Dravid as India’s captain and coach, the last lap of a series that’s been high-pressure for India from start to finish. The pressure has intensified now, after the loss in Indore, but it’s been there throughout: at 0-0, 1-0 and 2-0.Winning at home is India’s default setting, and India win so often, and by margins so thumping, that it’s easy to underestimate how hard they have to work to get those results. It’s easy to underestimate the pressure to win when winning looks so simple. And when you begin a four-Test series needing at least three wins to guarantee qualification for the WTC final, that pressure only heightens.It’s why India have rolled out turning tracks in each Test so far, and put themselves in situations where winning and losing were the only possible options. Losing at home has seldom seemed like a realistic prospect for India over this last decade, but only for those watching from outside. India have always known that results like Indore are possible. It’s happened now, and Ahmedabad is a tenser occasion than most will have foreseen before the series.Through it all, Rohit has been, well, Rohit. His speech patterns and manner are the closest thing in international cricket to those of thousands of suburban Mumbai boys who play tennis-ball cricket in apartment parking lots. He speaks with a lazy drawl, his accent and vocabulary remain more or less unaffected by media training, and he seems not so much immune to pressure as unaware of the concept. There have been moments through this series, though, when that facade has cracked a little.When Pujara was out attempting a rarely-seen sweep in Nagpur, Rohit jumped at the non-striker’s end and slapped his bat against his pad. He showed similar, though less outwardly expressive, frustration when India burned two reviews early in Australia’s first innings in Indore, and failed to take another that could have brought them the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne. Later, Rohit was seen gesticulating on the dressing-room balcony, in what seemed like annoyance, as if to tell Pujara to get a move on against Nathan Lyon’s constricting lines and lengths.5:23

Will Ahmedabad give the best batting pitch of the series?

Everyone feels these emotions, of course, but Rohit has shown them far more frequently since taking over the India captaincy. It’s natural. It comes with the job.And a series as high-profile and competitive as this one magnifies the significance of every gesture and tic. The matches themselves have been brief, low-scoring, and intense, and every on-field decision has seemed to come with immediate consequences. It’s why Steven Smith looked like a genius when his field changes worked like a charm on day two of the Indore Test, and why Rohit looked both desperate and unimaginative when he plugged away with Ashwin and Jadeja for over after over, ignoring his other options.But the same wait-and-see style had worked beautifully in the previous Test in Delhi, where Rohit had felt his spinners tried too many things while letting Australia get away to a quick start in the third innings. On the third morning, Rohit told them to stop messing about with their fields, and to bowl in good areas and wait for the pitch to do the rest. He bowled Ashwin from one end, Jadeja from the other, and made no bowling changes. Australia collapsed.Australia didn’t collapse – or collapsed a little too late for India – in Indore, and there’s no way of telling if another approach may have brought another outcome. It’s how captaincy works. There’s only so much a captain can control.But it’s part of the job to take the plaudits and the blame. Rohit is at that point now where a small set of results could separate him from the extremes of one or the other, and Ahmedabad is the first step to either fate.

The England and Sussex captain had aura, flair, majestic batting, and impossible glamour – and that was just on the field

Mark Nicholas27-Aug-2021I don’t know when the Ted Dexter affectation started but I can guess. The last thing my father did with me before he died so young was to take me to see the 1968 Gillette Cup final at Lord’s. This was during Ted’s short comeback and when the great man strode to the wicket, I leapt about in excitement, cheering his name for all I was worth. He didn’t get many but no matter, I had seen him live. That evening Dad bowled to me in the garden as I imitated every Dexter mannerism and stroke I had seen just a few hours before.

“There is about Dexter, when he chooses to face fast bowling with determination, a sort of air of command that lifts him above ordinary players. He seems to find time to play the fastest bowling and still retain dignity, something near majesty, as he does it.”
–

I fell for the aura, and for the flair in those back-foot assaults on fast bowlers. Not for a minute do I think I saw the 70 in 75 balls against Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith at Lord’s in 1963 but I feel as if I did – the power, the poise, the sheer gall of it. Nothing, not even the Beatles, could drag me from the television screen when he walked to the wicket, seemingly changing the picture from black-and-white to glorious technicolor as he took guard. Frankly, much of the Test cricket of the time was pretty dull but there was a frisson, an expectation, with Ted, just as there is when Ben Stokes is on his way today. It was all too brief, he had retired for good before I started proper school.Related

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Ted Dexter, the old-fashioned modernist

Former England captain Ted Dexter dies aged 86

The West Indians of the day – Conrad Hunte, Garry Sobers, Wes Hall – thought that innings the best played against them by anybody, though Dexter himself would modestly say it was just one of those days where everything came together and the bat swung freely in just about the right arc. He was well miffed to be given out lbw, however, insisting later that the DRS would have saved him. Who knows how many careers might have been changed by the sliding doors of the DRS.The word majesty sits well with Dexter’s batting, primarily because of the way in which he attacked through the off side off his back foot. This is a stroke so difficult to master that more prosaic batters choose to ignore it. It is no great surprise that Dexter thought Gordon Greenidge and Martin Crowe the two most technically correct right-hand players that he saw, citing their ability to stay sideways-on and to play the ball alongside their body as the prime reason for the accolade.He was a huge fan of Joe Root and became near apoplectic during the England captain’s relatively lean spell a while ago, when he became square-on to the bowler and was playing in front of his body. This niggled so much that he wrote to Root without mincing his words. Though at first put out, Root soon saw the kindness in a man of Dexter’s age and knowledge who bothered to write, and therefore returned an email of thanks with the observation that he took the point. Who knows to what degree? It is enough to say that this year Root has batted about as well as any man could have done, and no one has enjoyed each of these innings in Sri Lanka, India, and now at home as much as Dexter.One final appeal: Dexter (fourth from left) watches as umpire Charlie Elliot gives John Inverarity out off Derek Underwood, The Oval, 1968•Getty ImagesFor the best part of a year now, Ted has been banging on about Dawid Malan: simply couldn’t understand why England didn’t pick him to bat at three. He cited the hundred in Perth in 2017 and this year’s big scores for Yorkshire before predicting near-certain success with the method that brought those runs. It is sad, indeed, that he didn’t live to see the fulfillment of his prophecy in Malan’s fine innings yesterday. He liked the look of James Vince and Zak Crawley too, cricketers who stand tall and play with freedom. He got a lot right, this man of Radley, Cambridge, Sussex and England.Tall himself, strong, handsome and impossibly glamorous, Edward Ralph Dexter caught everyone’s eye. With the golden Susan Longfield on his arm, they cut quite a dash and cared little for the sniping that came from those less blessed. The enigma in him – and how! – was often confused with indifference, and though cricket has remained his other great love, it was never the be-all and end-all for him – a fact that made his appearances all the more cherished and his company all the more engaging. It is remarkable to think that he first retired as far back as 1965, before returning briefly in 1968 to make a double-hundred at Hastings against Kent and be immediately recalled to the England team for the Ashes. In the brilliant photograph (above) of the moment when Derek Underwood claims the final wicket at The Oval, Ted is caught spinning to appeal for lbw with a face that smacks of a lifelong instinct for competition and achievement.

“Ted was a man of moods, often caught up in theories, keen when the action was hot, seemingly uninterested when the game was dull… a big-time player, one who responded to atmosphere, liked action and enjoyed the chase and gamble. Maybe this was the reason he was drawn to horse racing so that a dull day stalking the covers might be enlivened for him by thoughts of how his money was faring on the 3:15 at Ascot or Goodwood.”
– Richie Benaud and Dexter in Sydney during the 1963-64 Ashes•Frank Albert Charles Burke/Fairfax Media/Getty ImagesAnd Snow would know for he was not the type to rise above those grey days of county cricket when the stakes were so low. Snow and Dexter, my first heroes, along with Jimmy Greaves and George Best, Muhammad Ali, the Beatles and the Stones – all of them important figures at 29 Queensdale Road, where the young Nicholas grew up with vinyl records and cared-for willow, narrow-grained and well-oiled for the garden Test matches that England forever won.Much of the 1960s were about rebellion, revolution even, in response to the age of austerity. After the long and mainly drab post-war years, the young simply broke free and changed pretty much anything they could get their hands on. Music and fashion led the way, leaving sport’s establishment to stutter in their wake. Only a few precious players could transcend the inertia, using both their talent and expression to delight the crowds and influence the young. Cricket was my thing, Dexter and Snow were the wind beneath my wings.In Snow there truly was rebellion, against authority and the system it supported. This was not so in Dexter’s case, though his free spirit and somewhat cavalier approach to responsibility gave the impression of one determined to ruffle feathers. From the outset he adored sport, worked harder than some might think at his books, and embraced diversions with the enthusiasm of a man who had more to do than could ever be done.In many ways Ted was a contradiction: at once a conformist, as shaped by the early years of his life at home and school, and a modernist, whose lateral thinking did much to reform the structure of English cricket during his time as chairman of selectors. Richie Benaud observed that Ted’s imagination and drive “will be of great benefit to English cricket in years to come. Equally, I’m in no doubt that others will take the credit for it.” The rebellion in Ted was hardly radicalised but he loved to challenge conservative thinking, to take risks and to invest in his life as an adventure. Both on and off the field, this made for a terrific watch.The best of Ted: Dexter on his way to 70 against Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith at Lord’s, June 1963•PA PhotosHe thought the Hundred a good wheeze and admitted he would rather like to have played it himself. He was, of course, the original thinker about one-day cricket, supporting its conception as early as the late 1950s and then leading Sussex to the first two 60-over titles at Lord’s in the Gillette Cup. He paid close attention to the tactics and convinced his men that following them to the letter would do the trick. Which it did. He pushed for four-day county matches 27 years before they were incorporated and he founded the idea of central contracts for England players long before other teams caught the bug.He was proud of his part in the development of the spirit of cricket, applying golf’s moral high ground to the game that made his name. Through his own PR agency, he became a pioneer in cricket’s digital-technology revolution by inventing the system of Test match rankings that first announced itself under the banner of Deloitte and is now the ICC international rankings.On a Zoom call a couple of months back, with tongue firmly in cheek, he said, “Having a rather high opinion of myself, I can safely say that had the rankings been in place sometime around the mid part of the 1963 summer, I would have been the No. 1-rated batsman in the world.” We had special guests on these calls – Mike Atherton, Michael Vaughan, Ed Smith, Robin Marlar, Sir Tim Rice and more – all keen to share a drink, chew the cud and have a laugh with the game’s most original and forward-thinking mind.Champagne days: (from left) Fred Trueman, Dexter, David Sheppard and Colin Cowdrey celebrate after winning the Melbourne Test, January 1963•PA Photos/Getty ImagesWe cannot jump past golf without mentioning the game at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney when Ted partnered Norman Von Nida against Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. So enamoured of Ted’s golf were they that Nicklaus suggested Ted follow him back to the USA for a crack at the tour. Player has long said that Ted was the best amateur ball-striker he ever saw and Von Nida just thanked him for securing the one-up triumph that day. Eighteen months ago Player told me that in their one head to head with each other, Ted beat him up the last at Sunningdale, receiving only four shots. “Little so-and-so,” said Ted, “we played level!” They were due for a game last summer but Covid stood firmly between them. The last time I played with Ted, two summers ago now, he beat his age, shooting 83 round the Old Course at Sunningdale without breaking a sweat.This was a man of Jaguar cars, Norton motorbikes, greyhounds, race horses and an Aztec light airplane that, in 1970, he piloted to Australia with his young family beside him, to cover the Ashes as a journalist. They flew 12,000 miles and made about two dozen stops at British military bases along the way.Ted married the very beautiful Susan soon after returning from Australia and New Zealand in the spring of 1959. How she is hurting today. So too Genevieve, Tom and the grandchildren.There was an eccentricity in him that was occasionally misunderstood but otherwise immensely appealing and it is with that in mind, that I turn to the man himself for the final word. It comes from his blog, which is a splendid read and will remain a platform for the family to share their thoughts about this husband, father and grandfather who brought us so much joy.Dexter and Frank Worrell at a BBC interview with Peter West, August 1963•Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images

It was in my last term at Radley College when I had a hard game of rackets in the morning, scored 3 tries with two conversions for the 1st XV in the afternoon, was heard listening to operatic voices in the early evening, before repairing to the Grand Piano in the Mansion and knocking off a couple of Chopin preludes. “Quite the Renaissance man it seems” said my Social Tutor and I admit I liked the sound of it, if not quite knowing what it meant.

The Encyclopaedia Brittanica description of Renaissance man (or polymath) is as follows: one who seeks to develop skills in all areas of knowledge, in physical development and social accomplishment and in the arts. A point is made that you do not need to excel at any one activity. It is enough to tackle it seriously and see how far you get. I like the physical development bit obviously and I feel the social accomplishment bit is covered by my willingness to take on responsibilities all my life. Perhaps the arts bit is a bit shaky but a love for music, and particularly opera, and love of language – being fairly fluent in French, Italian, rudimentary German and Spanish – may be some modest qualifications.”

Some different cat, huh. What a man. What a cricketer. Goodbye Ted, and thank you.

MatériaMais Notícias

Finalista! Após três anos sem avançar da fase de grupos, o Santos venceu o Bragantino na semifinal do Paulistão, nesta quarta-feira (27), por 3 a 1. O Peixe disputou a partida na Neo Química Arena, estádio do Corinthians, e está na grande decisão do Estadual.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

Os gols do Alvinegro Praiano foram marcados por Joaquim, Guilherme e Giuliano. Eduardo Sasha descontou para o Massa Bruta.

⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA?

O Santos sufocou o Bragantino no primeiro tempo e abriu 2 a 0 no placar. Logo no início, Joaquim fez golaço de cabeça, e Guilherme ampliou com outro bonito gol. No segundo tempo, o Massa Bruta ainda não incomodava tanto, mas Eduardo Sasha aplicou a lei do ex, acertou chutaço de longe e diminuiu. Giuliano tranquilizou o Peixe e fez 3 a 1.

Na reta final, o árbitro Matheus Candançan expulsou Hayner, e o Bragantino pressionou o Santos, mas não levou perigo ao gol de João Paulo.

➡️ O QUE VEM POR AÍ?

O primeiro jogo da final do Paulistão acontece no domingo (31), e o Santos aguarda o vencedor de Palmeiras e Novorizontino.

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
Santos 3 x 1 RB Bragantino
Paulistão – Semifinal

🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 27 de março de 2024, às 20h30 (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Neo Química Arena, em São Paulo (SP)
🟨 Arbitragem: Matheus Delgado Candançan (árbitro); Miguel Cataneo Ribeiro da Costa e Evandro de Melo Lima (assistentes)
🟨 Cartões amarelos: Matheus Fernandes e Eduardo Sasha (RB Bragantino)
🟥 Cartões vermelhos: Hayner (Santos)

⚽ Gols: Joaquim, Guilherme e Giuliano (Santos); Eduardo Sasha (Bragantino)

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES

🐋 SANTOS
João Paulo; Hayner, Gil, Joaquim e Felipe Jonatan; João Schmidt, Diego Pituca (Rincón), e Giuliano (Cazares); Pedrinho (Patati), Guilherme (JP Chermont) e Julio Furch (Morelos). Técnico: Fábio Carille

🐂 RB BRAGANTINO
Cleiton; Nathan, Lucas Cunha (Bruninho), Luan Cândido, Juninho Capixaba; Jadsom, Ramires (Gustavinho), Matheus Fernandes (Mosquera); Eduardo Sasha, Helinho (Talisson) e Vitinho (Thiago Borbas). Técnico: Pedro Caixinha

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Tudo sobre

BragantinoPaulistãoPaulistão 2024Santos

Sunderland have now reportedly made contact in the race to sign a teenage sensation, who is on course to leave his current club as a free agent next summer.

Le Bris praises "demanding" Premier League ahead of Liverpool clash

Sunderland just do not know when they’re beaten in the Premier League. They are writing a blueprint that every newly-promoted side must follow to secure survival and their comeback victory against Bournemouth followed that plan to perfection.

The Black Cats came from two goals behind to secure a dramatic victory and keep hold of their place in the top six after 13 games. With Liverpool at Anfield up next, things don’t get any easier, but Sunderland have relished the challenge of upsetting the odds so far this season.

Regis Le Bris was full of praise for both his side and the Premier League itself following Sunderland’s victory over Bournemouth, telling reporters: “This league is really demanding. You make two mistakes and are punished.

“With the ball, we are good, so just keep pushing. We are able to hit their defence, and it was important to be clinical in the box. I think here we have a great energy in the stands. If we give a lot on the pitch, then they will react. We deserved to win in the end.

“It’s important to play game after game. We went to Fulham last week and we lost. We were dominated. We go again. It’s positive to start this week with three points. It’s an exciting league with tough challenges but we want those challenges.”

Survival, which almost looks guaranteed already, would be a major achievement on the pitch, but it would also make an impact away from the action. The Black Cats are already thinking about the future on that front, targeting Rangers teenager Bailey Rice.

Sunderland make contact to sign Bailey Rice

According to the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones, Sunderland have now made checks on Rice, who is on course to leave Rangers as a free agent next summer after rejecting the Gers’ contract offers.

The 19-year-old became the club’s youngest post-war player to make a Scottish Premiership appearance in 2023, but now looks destined to leave Ibrox with Sunderland, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City all queueing for his signature.

Manchester City were also tracking the young midfielder when he decided to leave Kilmarnock, only for Rangers to jump in and secure his arrival.

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For Sunderland, it would therefore be a major coup to land a player of Rice’s potential. Man City’s initial interest highlights how highly he’s rated in England and praise from Rio Ferdinand echoed that earlier this year.

The Manchester United legend said on commentary when Rangers squared off against Manchester United last year: “I tell you what, I’m liking Rice by the way, he’s come on and looked composed, the kid’s got something about him, he’s got a lovely left foot on him.”

Sunderland star who Speakman was "excited" to sign is the new Jermain Lens

The Cincinnati Reds lost to the Atlanta Braves in 11 innings Thursday night off a walk-off single from Drake Baldwin that drove in Ozzie Albies. Just a few batters before the walk-off, the Reds had their final chance at the plate, and if you ask them, they had their opportunity cut short.

Designated hitter Blake Dunn attempted to steal second base and was called out on the field. Cincinnati challenged the call, hoping to have it overturned as they seemed to feel that either Dunn was safe and/or that Braves infielder Albies was blocking the bag.

Albies's knee appeared to overlap the first-base edge of second base as he went to apply the tag. Meanwhile, it looked like Dunn may have overslid and lost contact with the bag at some point. Dunn's helmet flew off, making replay footage somewhat difficult to review with any certainty. To overturn a call, clear and conclusive video evidence is needed.

Reds coaches started dropping like flies after the play. First was the first base coach, Collin Cowgill, who let his displeasure be known after the call. Then, the Reds challenged the call, and upon news of the call standing, manager Terry Francona came out and expressed his negative feelings as well.

See videos of what led to those ejections here:

Francona was ejected, but not after a slightly confusing moment where he didn't actually realize he had been ejected, and the umpire had to walk to the dugout to ask him to leave:

With the loss, Cincinnati fell just below .500 at 19–20, 3.5 games back in the tight NL Central. Atlanta, meanwhile, is 18–19 and 5.5 games back in the NL East.

Leeds United are currently one point above the relegation zone in the Premier League after picking up 11 points from their first 11 matches of the 2025/26 campaign.

Whilst it has not been a disastrous start for the Championship champions, there are already some eyes wandering to the January transfer window with a view to the club bolstering the squad with new recruits.

Adding more goals to the team may be one of the priorities for the 49ers ahead of the window, as Daniel Farke’s side have only scored 11 goals in their 11 league matches.

Noah Okafor, Joe Rodon, and Lukas Nmecha are all currently tied on two goals in the Premier League this season, making them the club’s joint-top scorers.

25/26

Noah Okafor

Joe Rodon

Lukas Nmecha

2

22/23

Rodrigo

13

21/22

Raphinha

11

20/21

Patrick Bamford

17

As you can see in the table above, Leeds look to be on course for their first top-flight campaign without a player in double figures for goals for the first time since they were promoted under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020.

What the Whites would give to have Raphinha back at Elland Road for a second spell, as the Brazil international was a sensational signing by Victor Orta and Bielsa.

Where Raphinha ranks among Leeds signings since 2020

The left-footed forward was signed from Rennes for a fee of £18m in the summer of 2020 after Leeds had won the Championship title in the 2019/20 campaign.

It is hard to argue against Raphinha being the best signing that the club have made since their promotion in 2020, as he was a superstar for the Whites and earned them a significant profit upon his eventual departure.

The Brazilian phenomenon ranked first in the squad for ‘big chances’ created in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaign, with 12 in the first and ten in the second, per Sofascore, which speaks to how important he was as a creative force.

Appearances

30

35

Goals

6

11

Big chances missed

4

6

Big chances created

12

10

Key passes per game

2.1

1.9

Assists

9

3

Dribbles completed per game

1.9

1.8

Raphinha, as shown in the statistics above, also provided a big threat as a scorer of goals, with a return of 17 strikes in 65 Premier League games for the Whites in total.

Leeds were relegated the season after he left the club and no players in the squad hit double figures for ‘big chances’ created, per Sofascore, which speaks to the impact that his exit had on the team.

His £55m move to Barcelona in 2022 was also a club-record sale for Leeds, which remains the case today, and this is another reason why he must be considered their best signing since 2020, due to his undeniable impact on the pitch and the money that his sale generated.

He was an exciting signing at the time of his arrival in 2020, as a technically brilliant Brazilian forward coming in from Ligue 1, and the club could recapture that level of excitement with one of their targets for the next window.

Leeds lining up move for Premier League star

According to MOTLeedsNews, Leeds United are lining up a potential swoop to sign Manchester United central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in the upcoming January transfer window.

The report claims that the Whites were interested in a move for the England international in the summer window, but the Red Devils were unwilling to sanction an exit at the time.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It states that ‘all signs’ point to a January exit from Old Trafford for Mainoo, due to his lack of game time this season, and that Leeds are keeping tabs on his situation with a view to a move for his signature.

However, MOTLeedsNews reveals that the main priority for the Whites is to sign a new number nine to bolster their attack, with any deal for the United midfielder on the back burner until they get that done.

If Leeds do land a new striker and go on to sign Mainoo on loan for the second half of the 2025/26 campaign, the central midfielder could be the most exciting signing since Raphinha.

Why Leeds should sign Kobbie Mainoo

In September, it was reported that a £79m price tag had been placed on the English starlet amid interest from Real Madrid, as United looked to scare teams off an attempt to sign him on a permanent basis.

£79m is £43.5m more than Leeds have ever spent on a player and £24m more than the club have ever sold a player for, which shows that Mainoo may be the most valuable player in the club’s history, even if he only joins on loan.

It would be an incredibly exciting signing for supporters and surely viewed as an ambitious move by neutrals, because the midfield star has made 80 appearances for Manchester United and been capped ten times by England, per Transfermarkt, despite not turning 21 until next April.

Mainoo, as explained by Ruben Amorim in the comments above, is in an unfortunate situation at Old Trafford because he has found himself behind club captain and Portuguese star Bruno Fernandes in his position because of the manager’s 3-4-2-1 system.

Before Amorim’s time at United, the English midfielder excelled in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system under Erik ten Hag in the 2023/24 campaign, which bodes well for a potential move to Leeds, as they are Farke’s two preferred formations at Elland Road.

Take-ons attempted

2.71

Top 20%

Take-ons completed

1.42

Top 18%

Take-on success rate

53.4%

Top 28%

Goal-creating actions (take-ons)

0.09

Top 4%

Goal-creating actions (shot)

0.09

Top 2%

Goal-creating actions (fouls drawn)

0.05

Top 9%

As you can see in the table above, Mainoo earned his place in the England team and as a regular starter for United thanks to his impressive play in possession under the Dutch coach.

The 20-year-old midfield star, who was dubbed “generational” by teammate Rasmus Hojlund, was among the best midfielders in the Premier League at creating chances and carrying his side up the pitch with his ball control and mobility, which could helpd Leeds to improve their dismal goal tally of 11 goals from 11 games.

Mainoo, as shown in the clips above, also provided quality defensively, tracking back to make vital challenges, and showed potential as a goalscorer with five goals in all competitions, per Sofascore.

Therefore, the England international should not be judged by his failure to get into the current United team, as that is almost purely down to the manager’s preferred tactics.

Bamford 2.0: Leeds chase ST with 15 goals in 25/26, he'd save Farke's job

Leeds United are interested in signing a striker who could save Daniel Farke’s job at Elland Road.

ByDan Emery Nov 15, 2025

Overall, Leeds fans should be incredibly excited by the prospect of signing the young star, as he could be just as exciting a signing as Raphinha was, for different reasons, despite the fact that it would only be a loan deal.

Worcestershire 298 for 5 (Jones 110*, Libby 77) beat Glamorgan 297 for 7 (Tribe 122*, Hurle 56) by five wicketsA career-best List A score of 110 not out from Rob Jones guided Worcestershire Rapids to an important five-wicket win over Glamorgan which keeps them on track for a quarter-final place in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.Asa Tribe had earlier batted through Glamorgan’s innings for 122 in his side’s impressive total of 297 and the visitors looked to be in control early in the reply as they reduced the hosts to 78 for 3.A staggering fourth-wicket partnership of 172 between Jake Libby (77) and Jones anchored the run chase for Worcestershire, as they swung the momentum back in their favour. Jones hit the winning runs in the 49th over.Glamorgan’s bright start in the sunshine was only blemished by the loss of Eddie Byrom for 41.Youngster Henry Hurle caught the eye with some expansive shots, scoring 14 off one Ethan Brookes over as the side bottom of Group A passed 100 in the 20th over.Hurle and Tribe took a liking to a lacklustre Rapids bowling seam attack, as the pair brought up their respective half-centuries in consecutive overs, with Tribe showing his particular disdain towards any short pitched bowling, thrashing the ball through midwicket with frequency.The second-wicket stand of 104 was ended by Brett D’Oliveira, who bowled Hurle for an impressive 56, as Worcestershire seized the initiative, taking three more wickets for just 26 runs.Kieran Carlson was the first in a cluster of three wickets to fall, as he succumbed to Ben Allison, before D’Oliveira (2 for 46) picked up his second wicket of an instrumental spell.Waite’s metronomical afternoon with the ball saw him rewarded when Billy Root feathered a full ball behind to Henry Cullen, as the medium-pacer ended his spell shortly after with outstanding figures of 10-2-23-1.Dan Douthwaite joined the not-out opener, and upped the ante from the get-go, taking Glamorgan beyond the 250 mark, before Tribe notched his maiden List A century with the final ball of the 46th over.Douthwaite’s cameo of 37 from 26 balls was cut short at the death, but Tribe was unbeaten on 122 to see his side finish on an above par 297 for 7.Despite losing D’Oliveira in the first over, the hosts made an otherwise positive start to the chase, largely due to a composed knock for 19-year-old Dan Lategan, that took Worcestershire past fifty without further damage.The 17th over of the proved costly however, as the home side lost both set batters – with Carlson taking a stunning one-handed catch at extra cover to remove Kashif for 22, before a catastrophic mix-up involving Jake Libby saw Lategan run-out four short of a maiden List A fifty.The onus fell on Libby and new man Jones to guide the home side out of their troubling position at 78 for 3, with Glamorgan looking to take advantage of their early wickets.Both batters shouldered the responsibility in fine style, with Jones returning to form and Libby making his way to a fourth fifty of the competition.Their 172-run partnership was ended when Andy Gorvin took a fine catch running back over his head to dismiss Libby for 77, with the departing skipper’s side still requiring 48 from the final six overs.Jones brought up a sensational 101-ball hundred with the chase nearing its climax, but even the departure of Ethan Brookes in the dying stages did not deter the home side, as Cullen batted through with Jones to see the Rapids to a crucial five-wicket victory.

EXCLUSIVE: GOAL sat down with the 20-year-old fullback to discuss his career trajectory and World Cup ambitions

Alex Freeman can acknowledge it: there have been plenty of occastions throughout the last seven months in which he's felt like a young player. His first MLS start in the spring? Scary as can be, especially knowing his parents happened to be in attendance. 

His U.S. men's national team debut against a loaded Turkey squad? Butterflies before, during and after. His appearance with the MLS All-Stars? All he could do was look around and wonder what he did to belong on that field with those players.

The thing is, though, that despite his relative youth and inexperience, Freeman routinely proved that he did, in fact, belong. It's why those moments kept happening. And it's why, in a culmination of everything that has happened prior, he was recognized for them this week.

On Thursday, Freeman was named MLS Young Player of the Year, beating out Diego Luna and Obed Vargas for this year's award. The voting was largely one-sided, with Freeman winning the players, coaches and media blocks as well as, the overall vote.

American soccer had seen what they needed to see from the Orlando City fullback to determine that, this season, he was the young player to watch. That isn't lost on Freeman. Despite all he's accomplished this year, this all still feels surreal. He can remember the nerves that came with the big moments and now, reflecting on them alongside this award, it's easy to acknowledge just how much the last few months have changed him for the better.

"It's just been such a crazy seven months for me," Freeman told GOAL. "Obviously, in March, having my first start to now being able to win this award, it just shows the kind of year I've had. I'm grateful for winning this award, but also just to be able to continue playing. I feel like this award isn't going to stop me from trying to improve every day.

"But I think just looking at where I was in March to now in October, it's something that shows why it was such a memorable season for me."

Freeman is able to reflect, but he's also able to project forward, too, as he builds on his latest moment in the spotlight.

• Getty Images
  

  'The summer was a lot for me'

  The exact point at which Freeman actually realized his life was changing is unclear. But it happened over the summer, when everything sped up.  After emerging as one of the top stars in MLS throughout the spring, Freeman was named to Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT squad ahead of this summer's Gold Cup.

  Prior to the tournament, he started against Turkey, facing off with rising stars like Kenan Yildiz and Arda Guler. Then, as the summer wore on, Freeman remained the team's first-choice right-back right on through the final loss to Mexico.

  "It's amazing, and it's priceless for us," Pochettino said of Freeman this summer. "He's a player who can work and play for us. In his debut, it was important to provide a very specific and simple concept for him to play, to grow and evolve in the direction we expect. We are so happy, and the most important thing is that he feels comfortable and, from there, he can start to grow."

  Freeman has grown. Against Australia earlier this month, he was given more license to roam than he had previously. The attacking skillset he has so often shown on the club level, where he provided six goals and three assists from the right-back position, has begun to translate to the international level.

  "I think the summer was a lot for me," Freeman says. "I had to adjust to Mauricio's system. I had a lot of times where I was staying back and there were times when I did go forward, too. For me, it was just about being able to get into these camps again and again with him, and learn what he wants from me and what I can do well for him. I feel like, as a coach, he expresses a lot to the players. He tells us what he wants, what he needs. And, as a player, it's very good to understand that. 

  "It just gives me confidence as well, knowing that you have a coach like that in the national team and here in Orlando [Oscar Pareja] who trusts you so much. I feel like that gives me confidence to be able to go up and down, like I have been trying to do all season."

  Off the field, Freeman has grown, too. He's developed close bonds with his USMNT teammates throughout his 11 caps and, with a World Cup on the horizon, he's feeling more comfortable as part of the national squad.

  "The U.S. group is incredible," he says. "We're all so together. There are no egos. There are no people who think they're above anyone else. We're all so together, and I think people can see that in games with how we stick up for each other. I think, as people, everyone is amazing.

  "Everyone treated me so good when I first came in. We go to dinners, do activities, work hard, and I feel like, as a group, it makes us better on the field. The players are phenomenal and every time I go in there, I'm just so excited to be with the guys."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Oh God, I'm actually here'

  Shortly after his Gold Cup run, Freeman was recognized with another honor. He was named an MLS All-Star. It seemed almost unfathomable ahead of his first start just a few months prior. 

  On July 23, he took the field in Austin alongside some of the league's very best. He made sure to soak up the moment, participating in the Skills Challenge. The Orlando City star ended up coming off the bench, playing 29 minutes in a 3-1 MLS win over the Liga MX All-Stars. For Freeman, though, everything leading up that appearance seemed unreal.

  "It's gone so quickly, but it's hard not to think about all of the stuff going on, even as it is happening," he says. "You're gonna have days where you finish training and you're just like, 'Oh my God, I'm actually here.' I feel like one experience, for me, that was surreal was the All-Star Game. Just meeting all of the guys and being able to be recognized as one of the best in MLS, doing that in such a short amount of time, was a dream come true.

  "I couldn't imagine doing that and I was just so grateful and so happy to even meet the other guys who had been named All-Stars. The whole thing, the skills challenge, the games, the media, everything, it all felt surreal. Knowing that MLS, my coaches, my teammates, everyone had gotten me to that spot, it was such an honor and a moment that I look back on and say, 'Wow, that really happened'."

• Getty
  

  'Going to make me grow up quicker'

  When you win Young Player of the Year, you effectively cease being a young player. You have accomplished all you can under that label. Now, you're held to a different standard. Freeman, to a degree, sees it that way. With a full MLS season under his belt and double-digit USMNT caps to his name, he is now graded on the same curve as everyone else.

  Any future accolades or achievements will come because he's earned them, not just because he's young. Of course, he recognizes that he's not a finished product. This award is just a step, in many ways, albeit one that will force him to take another and another.

  "I think here in Orlando, the guys make me feel like the young guy, and it's good to have that feeling around the national team as well," he says. "I'm one of the youngest guys there, so it's good to feel like that with the guys. But I also feel that this award is going to make me mature as a person and as a player. It's going to make me grow up quicker, and that's what I need to do. 

  "Maybe I do feel a little older now. Maybe I will feel more experienced in certain types of ways."

  Now, following Orlando City's play-in loss to the Chicago Fire, Freeman is staring down some time off the field and a long MLS offseason.

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• Getty
  

  'A person people can rely on'

  The USMNT's November camp is coming, and they will face two big tests. Up first is Paraguay, and then Uruguay, the team that effectively knocked them out of the Copa America in 2024. Freeman is hoping to be involved in that camp but nothing is guaranteed.

  Whether he plays in those games or not, though, he's facing at least three-and-a-half months off before MLS resumes.

  "I'm going to be training here in Orlando and hoping to make that November camp that's coming up," he says. "I want to be fit for that. After that, I think everyone knows I probably need a reset, and maybe not even a reset, but a rest. I want to see family, maybe travel a little. Maybe even go visit my national team teammates in different countries.

  "For me, it's going to be a reset. I'm going to train and be fit as well. But it's been a long year for me, and I want to share this time with he people that have been supporting me."

  The work continues this offseason, though. A World Cup is around the corner. This summer, transfer speculation began to swirl, and will almost certainly return. And Freeman will be eager to seal more awards and accolades – and appreciate it all.

  "My goal is to be a better person and a better player," he says. "I'm trying to improve every day to be both. I want to help people around me who maybe aren't as fortunate. I want to link up with people I haven't seen in a while to help my community in a better way. I feel like that's the type of person I want to be. I just want to be a good person.

  "When people talk about me, I want them to talk about me in a positive way. I want them to be like, 'Oh, he's a good guy. He's a good player, but he's a better guy.' I just want to show everyone that I'm a player and a person that people can rely on."

Ryan Mason is now experiencing his first sticky patch of form in the West Bromwich Albion hot seat.

Indeed, after a fast-paced start from the Baggies saw Mason’s new side collect three league wins from a possible four, they have now tasted the bitterness of defeat two games on the spin to fall out of the very early Championship playoff race.

The stars Mason knew he could rely on in the opening few games have suddenly gone quiet, with Isaac Price one notable underperformer across West Brom’s last two games that had shone extremely bright during that patch of promising wins.

Still, the Northern Ireland international has shown more than enough already to appear ready for a promotion run-in, with the former Everton youth product already a favourite among the Hawthorns masses.

How Price compares to past West Brom stars

West Brom were in dire need of a fresh and exciting talent to take over from Tom Fellows after it was announced that the homegrown star was moving to Southampton in the summer.

While Price is nowhere near Fellows’ best just yet, with the rapid 22-year-old collecting a mammoth 14 assists last season, it’s clear that the “outstanding” number 21 – as he has been labelled by scout Jacek Kulig – is cut out for the challenges of the Championship, with a stunning five goal contributions already next to his name this season in all competitions.

Price’s ability to conjure up a moment of magic from nothing could soon see him reach the unbelievable heights of Mateus Pereira, too, if he keeps plugging along, with the beloved Brazilian once collecting an absurd 28 goal contributions at the Hawthorns to seal a passage up to the Premier League.

Of course, at just 21 years of age, the ex-Toffees starlet isn’t the finished product just yet. But, with his heroics for his nation also sticking out, it’s not the wildest shout that Price could soon make waves in the top-flight as well, much like ex-Baggies winger Grady Diangana was capable of before his time in the West Midlands fizzled out.

Arguably, the promotion-chasers once had an asset on their books who was even more talented than Price, but he would – unfortunately – never live up to his immense hype.

The West Brom star who never lived up to his hype

West Brom aren’t strangers when it comes to going after hotly-tipped starlets who have had a previous much-talked-about education.

Of course, in the here and now, Price benefited from an early education at Everton, with Oliver Burke also arriving at the Baggies in 2017, having shone briefly at boyhood club Nottingham Forest.

More impressively than Price on Merseyside, however – who never went on to enter the senior fray for the Toffees – Burke would go on to collect six goals and three assists in the men’s set-up at the City Ground, leading to Tony Pulis declaring that the Scotsman had “enormous” potential to be a top-flight success when arriving at the Premier League outfit in 2017.

In reality, in much the opposing fashion to Price, the 6-foot-2 forward would struggle to live up to his lavish praise, with just a weak one goal and three assists falling into his lap in the West Midlands. Amazingly, his 21-year-old counterpart has already bettered that meagre amount.

Games played

192

Clubs

7

Goals scored

22

Assists

13

Value at West Brom

£15m

Value now

£2m

Since his misstep at the Baggies, which cost the then top-flight club a whopping £15m, the well-travelled attacker has at least managed to repair his playing days, with a recent hat-trick in the Bundesliga for current employers Union Berlin placing his name back in plenty of headlines.

However, having never quite lived up to his potential, Burke’s valuation has now fallen all the way to a meagre £2m, as per Football Transfers.

This will be a cautionary tale for Price to consider, with a big hope on West Brom’s end that the 21-year-old can only get better, even with the daunting Premier League potentially coming his way.

0 duels won, 0 dribbles: West Brom star is now on borrowed time under Mason

This West Bromwich Albion ace could now be on borrowed time under Ryan Mason.

ByKelan Sarson Sep 20, 2025