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And how often have three batters made hundreds on the first day of a Test?

Steven Lynch27-May-2025MS Dhoni recently made his 200th dismissal as a wicketkeeper in the IPL. Is he top of this list? asked Abhishek Kapadia from India

Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper to reach 200 dismissals in the Indian Premier League during Chennai Super Kings’ recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, when he caught Angkrish Raghuvanshi off the Afghanistan left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad.A couple of weeks later, Rishabh Pant made it to 100, during Lucknow Super Giants’ match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow. Two other keepers, who played what appear to be their final IPL games last year, also made more than 100 dismissals: Dinesh Karthik 174 and Wriddhiman Saha 113. For the full list, which will be updated, click here.Yuzvendra Chahal just took his second IPL hat-trick. Has anyone else got more than one? asked Suresh Moti from India

The Punjab Kings legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal took a hat-trick towards the end of CSK’s innings in Chennai at the end of April. It was his second in the IPL, after a hat-trick for Rajasthan Royals against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in April 2022.Chahal’s recent hat-trick was the 23rd in the IPL, and he’s the third bowler to have taken more than one. The first man to double up is perhaps a bit of a surprise: Yuvraj Singh picked up two hat-tricks with his slow left-armers during the 2009 IPL in South Africa, for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Durban, and against Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg. These were the only six wickets Yuvraj picked up in 14 matches in that tournament.Another legspinner, Amit Mishra, actually took three IPL hat-tricks, all for different teams: for Delhi Daredevils against Deccan Chargers in Delhi in 2008, for Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab in Dharamsala in 2011, and for Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Pune Warriors in Pune in 2013.We were watching Ben Duckett bat against Zimbabwe, and were wondering what the highest Test score by an England batter on his home ground was? asked Giles King from England

Ben Duckett did look in imperious form on the first day of the Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last week, and it was something of a surprise when he holed out for 140.This particular England record is held by Geoff Boycott, with 246 not out against India on Yorkshire’s home ground of Headingley in 1967 . That was a famous – or possibly infamous – innings, as he batted for 573 minutes in all, and was dropped from the next Test for slow scoring. The only other England batter to score a Test double-century on his county’s home ground was Denis Compton, with 208 against South Africa at Lord’s in 1947.The highest Test score by anyone on their home ground is 374, by Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene against South Africa at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo in 2006 .Geoff Boycott’s infamous crawl to 246 at Headingley in 1967 is the also the highest score by a batter at his home ground•Daily MirrorBefore his hundred against Zimbabwe, Zak Crawley had scored seven half-centuries since his previous three-figure score in Tests. What’s the record for this? asked Gerry Watson from England

Zak Crawley’s 124 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last week broke a century drought that stretched back to his superb 189 against Australia at Old Trafford in July 2023.Since then, you’re right that Crawley had reached 50 seven times in Tests without going on to a hundred (all seven scores were between 60 and 79). The record for England is 14 half-centuries between hundreds, by another Kent player in Alan Knott, between July 1971 and January 1975. Alastair Cook had two spells of 11 half-centuries without a hundred, while Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root have both had one.They’re all quite a way short of the overall record: the Australian captain Allan Border had no fewer than 21 half-centuries between Test tons in October 1988 and February 1992, while Temba Bavuma of South Africa collected 19 half-centuries between his first two Test hundreds, in January 2016 and March 2023. The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella has so far made 22 half-centuries in Tests – but no hundreds at all.Three England players scored centuries on the first day at Trent Bridge. How often has this happened in a Test? asked Frank Donaldson from England

England’s 498 for 3 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge was the fourth-highest total by one side on the first day of a Test, and was also only the fourth time three different men had scored centuries on the first day: the same England trio (Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope) also did it against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2022.The other instances were both by Australia, against England at The Oval in 1884 (Percy McDonnell, Billy Murdoch and Tup Scott) and South Africa in Adelaide in 2012 (David Warner, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

He made his fourth century of the season, and his second in consecutive Sheffield Shield innings, to all-but guarantee a recall

AAP16-Oct-2025Marnus Labuschagne appears certain to return to Australia’s team for the Ashes, his fourth century in five innings making a compelling case to selectors.Fresh off posting 160 in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield, Labuschagne struck 159 for Queensland at Adelaide Oval on Thursday.His innings helped them to 319 for 6 when bad light forced an early stumps on day two, well ahead of South Australia’s first-innings score of 228.Related

• Konstas' Test hopes fade with a duck on 13-wicket day

• O'Neill bags five but late Victoria collapse in the gloom keeps NSW in touch

• Weatherald's aggression opens route to Ashes selection

Dumped from Australia’s Test team back in June after a long run of outs, Labuschagne now has four tons across all formats to start the summer. And while two of those were in 50-over games, his overall returns stand at 556 runs at 111.2.Labuschagne played with ease and control all around the wicket on Thursday, hitting 18 boundaries and one big six off Lloyd Pope in the first two sessions.A week after Australia coach Andrew McDonald declared the 31-year-old was looking back near his best, Labuschagne certainly looked it in Adelaide. He drove the quicks down the ground and through the covers with confidence, and was back hitting spinners to the mid-on and mid-wicket boundaries.There is little doubt this was the Labuschagne whose meteoric rise saw him become the world’s No.1-ranked Test batter for large periods between late 2021 and early 2023.He got off the mark with a thick outside edge from Nathan McAndrew after having dust caught in his eye before he took strike. And while another ball dropped marginally in front of second slip when he was on 31, that was still played with soft hands in an innings where false shots were incredibly rare. Labuschagne brought up his century when he clipped Liam Scott to the boundary on the 129th ball he faced, earning congratulations from Test keeper Alex Carey.Carey eventually had Labuschagne caught behind late in the day, playing at a ball outside off stump from Wes Agar.Labuschagne now appears almost certain to be in Australia’s Test team for the series opener in Perth on November 21. The only question for selectors will be where to bat him.Labuschagne’s preferred position is No. 3, where he is batting for Queensland and has spent most of his Test career. The likes of David Warner and Matthew Hayden have urged against moving Labuschagne to open, but Australia’s options to partner Usman Khawaja are limited.Sam Konstas is yet to fire a shot for NSW, while Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft are also yet to impress. Jake Weatherald did hit 94 for Tasmania against Western Australia on Thursday, with the left-hander the only other opener in real form.If Labuschagne was to open, it would allow Cameron Green to stay at No. 3 and Beau Webster to remain in the side at No. 6 if he overcomes an ankle injury.Putting Labuschagne back in at No. 3 would likely force a squeeze on Webster, who hopes to be fit to return for Tasmania for the next Shield round this month.Khawaja hit a solid 46 on Thursday before he was caught behind off, while youngster Lachlan Hearne was unbeaten on 66 at the close.

The Yankees' slide continued on Sunday in the form of a 7-1 loss to the visiting Astros. New York has now lost 7 of its last 10 games and each loss feels progressively more painful. But for manager Aaron Boone, there's optimisim. Bleak optimism, for sure. But optimism nonetheless.

Speaking to media after Sunday's defeat (from which he was ejected in the third inning), Boone insisted that despite their struggles, the Yankees are still well-positioned to make a run. Once they start playing consistent baseball, that is.

"The game is littered with dead and buried teams," Boone said, per Chris Kirschner of . "We're in playoff position right now. We've been through two bad months where we haven't performed at a level we need to. Go back the year before, the year before, you can pick out a number of teams that are sitting in a worse position than we are right now that go on a run. We have the people to do that, no doubt in my mind. It's just sitting here as talk right now.

"We haven't been good enough the last two months. This is different than '23 where I didn't think we were necessarily capable of that run that we needed to really get hot. We were out of it at that point. This is different. We're in a position right now where we're in control of things. We're in a playoff spot, technically. I believe we have the people to get it done. We got to play consistent baseball, period."

Boone isn't wrong to an extent. Even after the defeat to Houston, the pinstripes own a half-game lead on the Cleveland Guardians for the last wild-card spot in the American League. If they manage to keep hold of that spot and make it to the postseason, anything can happen.

Right now it's hard to see Boone's vision. It's up to his players to make it reality. And time is starting to run short.

Things are looking up for Chelsea.

Despite a couple of poor results earlier in the season, Enzo Maresca’s side are second in the Premier League, with a chance to cut Arsenal’s lead to just three points on Sunday.

Then on Tuesday night, they showed the continent just how dangerous they are by beating Spanish champions Barcelona 3-0.

One of the stars of that game, and of Chelsea’s season, was Estevao, and so fans should be excited about reports linking them to someone who could be seen as the original version of the wonderkid.

Chelsea target the original Estevao

The transfer window is still over a month away from opening, but that has not stopped Chelsea from being linked with a host of potentially game-changing signings.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, Nottingham Forest’s man-mountain Murillo has been touted for a £79m move to Stamford Bridge, as has Athletic Bilbao’s £62m Nico Williams.

However, as talented as those two are, neither one can accurately be described as the original Estevao, unlike Vinícius Júnior.

Yes, according to a recent report from Football Insider, Chelsea are one of a couple of teams interested in signing the Real Madrid superstar.

In fact, the report goes further, revealing that should the Brazilian be up for sale in the summer, the Blues will be one of the frontrunners for his signature, alongside Manchester City.

However, the report has confirmed that, even though he’d have just a year left on his deal, Los Blancos would demand a fee of around £80m.

Even so, Vini Jr is a genuinely world-class player and someone Chelsea should be happy to break the bank on, especially as he’s the original Estevao.

Why Vini Jr is the original Estevao

Now, when it comes to the similarities between Vini Jr and Estevao, there are a few that are quite obvious and somewhat surface-level.

For example, they’re both exciting wide players, they’re both Brazilian, and now they’ve both played for the national team.

However, what makes the Madrid star the original version of the Chelsea star is how they were both spoken about prior to their big-money moves to Europe.

The Blues ace, for example, was labelled a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by respected analyst Ben Mattinson a few months before his deal was agreed.

Likewise, when the 25-year-old arrived in Spain over seven years ago, president Florentino Perez said: “He’s a player who is already considered one of the great hopes of Brazilian and world football.

In short, the West Londoners’ new prospect looks to be following in the footsteps of the former Flamengo ace, and they’ll certainly hope he continues.

After all, despite having a slow start to life in the Spanish capital, the São Gonçalo-born monster has now amassed 340 appearances for the biggest club in the world, during which he has scored 111 goals and provided 89 assists.

Moreover, he’s helped the club win everything there is to win in the game, including two Champions Leagues, three La Ligas and one Copa del Rey.

Finally, he also has some sensational underlying numbers to his name, with FBref ranking him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries, the top 3% for successful take-ons, the top 6% for shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, with all that in mind, it’s hard to disagree with Ronaldo’s assertion that Vini Jr is “the best player in the world,” and therefore, Chelsea should be doing all they can to sign him next year, especially as he could help Estevao’s development.

Chelsea have already signed another exciting star who's "just like Estevao"

Chelsea have already signed another youngster who could become another Estevao for Enzo Maresca.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 26, 2025

Inter’s perfect Champions League run came to a sudden halt as Atletico Madrid secured a dramatic 93rd-minute winner through Jose Maria Gimenez. Still bruised from their derby loss to AC Milan, Inter faded late and paid the price, with Cristian Chivu admitting fatigue, failed substitutions and a game plan that “didn’t work” in a night that exposed deeper problems for the Nerazzurri.

• Atletico strike late to end Inter’s flawless run

  Inter entered the Metropolitano still carrying the emotional and physical weight of their 1-0 derby defeat to Milan and it showed. Despite arriving with four wins from four in Europe and a near-flawless defensive record, the Serie A side lacked sharpness in key moments, allowing Atletico to grow into a game that became increasingly frantic.

  The visitors did begin brightly. Federico Dimarco’s early free-kick forced Juan Musso into a save, while another driven shot skidded narrowly wide. The Nerazzurri controlled the rhythm during the first 20 minutes, yet Atleti stayed patient. The breakthrough came when Alex Baena’s accidental contact redirected the ball into the path of Julian Alvarez, who fired home his 10th Champions League goal in just 14 appearances. Inter responded well after half-time. Nicolo Barella hit the crossbar from close range, Dimarco was again denied by Musso, and the pressure eventually told when Ange-Yoan Bonny released Piotr Zielinski, who finished calmly to level the match. At that point, Inter looked the more likely winners.

  But Los Rojiblancos's substitutes, especially Antoine Griezmann and Marc Pubill, swung the momentum back. Inter’s back line began to retreat deeper, counters became harder to contain, and set-piece defending grew increasingly unstable. That vulnerability proved decisive in the 93rd minute, when Gimenez rose above the pack to nod in the winning goal, handing Chivu's side their second consecutive defeat in all competitions.

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  Chivu admits failures in plan and substitutions

  Chivu didn’t hide behind excuses and acknowledged that Inter were far from the level required in key phases. Before discussing tactical flaws, he highlighted the team’s improved intensity after the break but stressed that it wasn’t enough to manage the final moments.

  “In the second half, we responded and were effective in attacking the depth,” Chivu said after the match. “We had a game plan, and it didn't work. We reacted with anger and quality, in my opinion, but we weren't able to defend the result until the end. This defeat can hurt; it's the second in a row. We haven't gained anything, but we're aware of everything. We need to be more aggressive and understand the moments of the game.”

  He then pointed to the impact, or lack thereof from his bench, making it clear that the substitutions did not replicate Atletico’s energy. “We tried to plug the gap between the quality Atletico had. In the second half, new players came on, but despite that, we tried to get more. The new arrivals could have done a little more with the ball, added something more. We'll analyse everything. The derby sapped our energy. I can't fault them for anything.”

• Issues grow for Inter as big-game struggles continue

  The defeat fits a worrying pattern. the Nerazzurri's losses this season have almost all come against top-level opponents: Milan, Napoli and Juventus earlier in the campaign, and now Atletico. Each time, the team have created chances but failed to manage decisive moments. Chivu’s side have also shown repeated vulnerability to counter-attacks, with transitions from defence to midfield breaking down too easily.

  This match only reinforced those concerns. Simeone's punished Inter’s hesitation in wide areas, exploited space during late transitions and dominated the final 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Inter’s substitutes, normally a key strength, failed to provide the push needed. The contrast with Atletico’s bench, who immediately raised tempo and aggression, was stark.

  Despite the loss, Inter remain in a tightly packed group, level on 12 points with Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Atletico’s win takes them to nine points, keeping their hopes alive but still requiring a flawless finish. For Inter, the standings remain favourable but performance trends are becoming harder to ignore.

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  Chivu must reset quickly as fixtures pile up

  The Serie A giants now face a crucial stretch that will test their resilience. Their next league assignment sees them travel to Pisa on Sunday, where the priority will be stopping the losing streak before it spreads beyond Europe. Chivu needs fresh legs, sharper structure and immediate improvement in transition defence if Inter are to avoid slipping further.

  Atletico, meanwhile, take significant momentum into their La Liga clash against Real Oviedo on November 29. Gimenez’s late winner has reignited belief that a knockout-stage push is still possible, even if the pathway remains narrow.

Play was halted for 15 minutes while the field was fumigated but the effect seemed to be temporary

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Oct-2025

Bugs stopped play after 34 overs•ICC/Getty Images

The India v Pakistan fixture in Colombo was stopped for 15 minutes while the playing area at Khettarama was fumigated, to clear it of a swarm of insects. Play had been paused once before this, as less intensive insect-clearing methods were tried.The fumigation appeared to work only briefly. The insects – likely a variety of winged termite attracted to the stadium floodlights – seemed to return less than 10 minutes after play resumed. They continued to cause delays in play. Pakistan offspinner Rameen Shamim appeared to need to have an insect picked out of her eye in the 38th over.The bugs had begun to appear roughly 20 overs into India’s innings, just as the sun was setting. The insects were seen causing problems for the India batters and the Pakistan bowlers, with Nashra Sandhu particularly irked by the swarm. Five balls into the 28th over of the innings, Sandhu and captain Fatima Sana called for what appeared to be bug spray, and they applied it around the bowling crease, and on parts of their clothing.The drinks break was taken early during that first insect-related stop, but the insects continued to swarm near the centre of the playing area.After 34 overs, play was stopped, the cricketers left the field, and a man wearing a gas mask entered the playing area with a fumigation machine (fogging machine). Within minutes virtually the entire playing area was covered with anti-insect smoke. Play resumed after the smoke had cleared.”To be honest, you had to concentrate a lot more,” Jemimah Rodrigues said after India scored 247. “Couldn’t see much when the bugs were coming through.”Insect-related stoppages are uncommon in Sri Lanka, but are not unknown. Some species of termite swarm after rains, and during the wetter months of the year. This ground had seen rain on Saturday, when the Sri Lanka v Australia fixture had been washed out without a ball being bowled.

ECB confirms central contracts for 26 players, with four more on development deals

Matt Roller04-Nov-2025Ben Stokes has signed a fresh two-year England contract, providing the clearest indication yet that he intends to play in the 2027 Ashes series on home soil.Stokes, 34, has tapered his schedule significantly due to injury, to the extent that the only side he has represented in the past 12 months is England’s Test team. He has been sidelined with hamstring and shoulder issues this year and has not played a limited-overs international since November 2023, but his new contract suggests he has no plans to stop soon.Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, is under contract until the end of 2027 and Stokes’ new deal suggests that the coach-captain combination could continue for another two years. England have won 25 and lost 14 Tests since McCullum and Stokes took over in June 2022, but are yet to register a series win over a “Big Three” opponent ahead of the imminent Ashes tour to Australia.Related

• Treats amid the treadmills fuel England's white-ball hunger

• Overton has his window to prove the point of his selection

• England out of answers as ODI rot extends for another series

• Vaughan: 'Stokes will expect to win the Ashes, that is his mentality'

Stokes is one of 14 players to have signed a new two-year central contract, with a further 12 players under contract until October 2026 and four more signing development deals. The ECB announced the list on Tuesday, which director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, said reflected “the depth and strength of talent” in the English game.Five players have signed their first central contracts: Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Luke Wood. A further six players were not offered deals after their contracts expired: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, and Chris Woakes, who has retired from international cricket.Key said that multi-year contracts – which were introduced two years ago – were designed to help the ECB manage workloads of all-format players and to ensure that, in the case of players in high demand on the franchise circuit, “England remains their priority”.England central contracts 2025-2026•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

These include Adil Rashid, whose new deal implies that he will continue until at least the 2027 50-over World Cup, while Sam Curran’s two-year contract marks a return to favour after he spent the first half of this year outside England’s white-ball squads. Jos Buttler has also committed to a two-year deal despite stepping down as white-ball captain earlier this year.Notably, several members of England’s Test side have only signed one-year contracts, leaving open the possibility of a post-series clear-out in the event of a heavy defeat in the upcoming Ashes. These include Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Mark Wood, who is now in the final year of the three-year contract he signed in 2023.Four seamers in the England Lions squad to tour Australia have been awarded development contracts for 2025/26: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley. Hampshire’s John Turner, who missed most of the 2025 summer after a back stress fracture, has lost his development deal.”This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible,” Key said.The most notable omissions from the contracts list are Tom Banton, an ever-present in England’s T20I side since Brook took over as white-ball captain, and Jordan Cox, who has been a regular squad member across formats in the last year.

England men’s central contracts

Two-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2027) Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Josh TongueOne-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2026) Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, Luke Wood, Mark WoodDevelopment contracts: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes, Mitchell StanleyLapsed contracts: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, John Turner

West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo is a planning a serious overhaul of his squad as he makes ‘big plans’, according to a former Hammers employee.

West Ham battling relegation with January crucial

The Hammers find themselves embroiled in a desperate fight for Premier League survival following one of their most turbulent campaigns in recent memory, with the January transfer window representing a potential lifeline for Nuno’s struggling side.

Currently languishing in 18th with just 11 points, they’ve endured a nightmare start that saw Graham Potter dismissed after recording the second-worst win percentage of any West Ham boss in Premier League history.

Recent form under Nuno has offered some encouragement, but the Portuguese faces an uphill battle to drag his squad away from the relegation zone.

West Ham play Man United in a vital clash tonight, which has been made all the more important by Leeds United and Nottingham Forest’s victories this week, with Nuno desperate not to let the points gap at the bottom grow any further.

Securing a striker has also emerged as the club’s absolute priority ahead of the winter window.

Niclas Füllkrug’s disastrous spell appears destined to end after just 18 months, with the German international managing only three goals since his £27 million arrival from Borussia Dortmund.

His agent publicly admitted a January departure “makes sense,” and West Ham have already begun identifying replacements.

Union Saint-Gilloise forward Promise David is a very solid candidate in this regard.

West Ham hold talks with £20m star who has the same agent as Kyle Walker-Peters

The Hammers already have a productive relationship with his representatives.

By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 3, 2025

The imposing 6 foot 5 striker has notched 34 goals in 63 appearances for the Belgian champions and could be available for just £17.5 million, representing excellent value for the east Londoners, who are reportedly in pole position after making contact.

West Ham also want a new defender and midfielder, according to insiders like ExWHUemployee, and this has been backed up by another former worker of the club.

Nuno making 'big plans' at West Ham in transfer revelation

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-West Ham senior scout Mick Brown has claimed that Nuno is making ‘big plans’ for the transfer market and wants to bolster an array of key positions.

Brown went on to claim that West Ham also have their eyes on a centre-half, midfielder and a top goalscorer, so there is a lot of work for David Sullivan to contemplate if they manage to stay in the top flight.

In terms of the budget for January to pull off this overhaul, West Ham may not have much to play with, as reports suggest they’re set to operate with limited spending power.

For Nuno to realistically get his wish, it’ll likely be over multiple windows, but that will again be dependent on West Ham’s standing come May.

It’s wall-to-wall Cummins watch in the lead-up to the you know what. But there’s some other stuff here as well

Alan Gardner15-Oct-2025Worries abound down under that talismanic Australia captain Pat Cummins might not be fit for the Ashes. Such is the frenzy of speculation that Cricket Australia’s medical department is working around the clock to provide updates…CA spokesman: “It’s not ideal, but we know Patty’s such a trooper. It might be that he’s a bit underdone compared to how we like it, but that’s better than being overcooked. Probably medium-rare, should be fine with a little sriracha. Still pretty hopeful we’ll get him on the barbie in good time.”CA spokesman: “That’s to be expected. We know the timeline is tight. There are known knowns and known unknowns. The problem comes with unknown unknowns. The next step is to get some more variables into his training – some dog-walking, beach frisbee, maybe a little egg-and-spoon. We’ll give him all the time he needs.”CA spokesman: “This is certainly not the outcome we hoped from getting Patty back out on grass. In all likelihood, he’s unlikely to be in the likely XI, but we’ll have to wait and see. We’re confident he’ll still play a big part in the series. Just having him around the group is going to be a big plus for the boys.”CA spokesman: “Look, it’s in the hands of the medicos. Getting his workloads up is going to be the difficult thing, now that he’s been reduced to a greasy smear on the pavement. But Patty Cummins is a champion. Even if he’s only able to operate in the spirit realm, he’s going to be a real handful for Poms.”

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It is not so long since Cummins and his Australia team were being criticised by the local media for being too woke, and the Light Roller was reminded of this after David Warner popped up with his Ashes prediction – copyright all news organisations – the other day. “I think 4-0. There’s going to be a washout somewhere, generally Sydney… If the captain doesn’t play, they might win one game.” All typically bullish from the Bull, you might think, but hold on. What red-blooded former Aussie player worth his Pommie-baiting inner mongrel predicts anything other than a 5-0 whitewash? And as for England winning a Test if Cummins isn’t available… Eesh. Truly they have gone soft.

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Your move, BCCI. It’s not often that the richest, most powerful board in world cricket is stumped, but Mohsin Naqvi’s vigilante methods at the Asia Cup final have put them in a quandary. Neither India or Pakistan covered themselves in glory through the course of the tournament – but Naqvi raised (or lowered) the bar on pettiness by denying India their actual moment of glory. Or forcing India to deny themselves, as the case may be.Either way, India still haven’t got their hands on the cup, which is presumably minding its own business in a cupboard somewhere at the ACC headquarters in Dubai. Naqvi’s last communication on the subject came via X a few days after the final: “If they truly want it, they are welcome to come to the ACC office and collect it from me.” Straight from the schoolyard playbook, but you can’t knock it for effectiveness. At this point, there isn’t much the BCCI can do beyond putting pictures of the Asia Cup on milk cartons and sitting out the next couple of years until Naqvi is no longer president.

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To the Women’s World Cup, where we must discuss the depraved depths to which the ladies have descended. Of course, with the arrival of professionalism and greater scrutiny on the women’s game, we shouldn’t be surprised to see some unsavoury behaviours creeping in. The men are always effing and jeffing, arging and barging, and so we may to have to accept similar from our sisters – but transgressions can’t go unpunished. Which is why we were pleased to see the ICC cracking down after Nonkululeko Mlaba’s egregious send-off for Harleen Deol. Okay, yes, most people might not have even noticed Mlaba’s smile-and-wave-like-you-spotted-a-friend-in-the-queue-at-the-bakery if it hadn’t resulted in a disciplinary charge. But sometimes you have to make an example. Do we want our girls growing up knowing the genteel standards that cricket holds sacred, or not?

Chelsea have received a massive Liam Delap boost as the striker is set to make a swift recovery from his shoulder injury. Delap looked set for more time on the sidelines after being forced out of last weekend's game against Bournemouth in the Premier League at the Amex Stadium with a shoulder injury. The English forward landed heavily and looked to be in real pain in the first half of the game.

• Fresh injury setback for Delap

  After spending close to two months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury at the start of the season, Delap returned to action in November. He featured in Enzo Maresca's starting against Bournemouth last weekend but lasted less than half an hour due to injury. The Chelsea forward appeared to dislocate his shoulder after a heavy fall and was replaced immediately. Delap had caught the eye in the opening exchanges against Bournemouth for his physical approach and was perhaps fortunate not to have been booked for catching Marcos Senesi with a stray arm twice before he had to be taken off.

  After the game, Maresca sounded worried about Delap's fresh setback, as the Italian coach had said: "Unfortunately, he has already been out for two months and he has to be out again. We don't know for how long, but it looks quite bad, his shoulder. He has been unlucky. We are also a bit unlucky because we need that kind of a No.9."  

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  Chelsea's massive Delap boost

  According to , Delap did not fracture his shoulder and he is expected to recover from it in the next three or four weeks. This means that in the New Year, Delap will fully recover and will be ready to take the field for the Blues. However, the English forward is set to miss matches against Atalanta in the Champions League, Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup and then Everton, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth in the English top-flight. 

  Providing a positive update on Delap's condition, Maresca had said before the Atalanta clash: "Liam is fortunately not any fracture. We had Liam two months out [earlier in the season]. Joao Pedro plays as a No 9, Pedro Neto too, also Tyrique [George] as a number nine. We try to find solutions. We know Liam needs to play games to be fit and be better and better. Now, unfortunately, he is out again."

• Emegha to remain at Strasbourg

  Following Delap's injury, reports emerged that the Blues might fast-track Emmanuel Emegha’s arrival from Strasbourg. However, the later reported that Emegha won't be rushed to Stamford and the youngster would rather join the Premier League giants in the summer of 2026, as decided earlier. Now, with Delap's latest update, Emegha is sure to stay in France for six more months. 

  Chelsea opted to bring back Marc Guiu from his Sunderland loan back in August after Delap's earlier injury, and the plan is to stick with the former Barcelona star yet again to provide cover for Delap. Guiu replaced the injured Englishman against the Cherries, with Maresca explaining that the physical nature of the match suited the teenager more than using Joao Pedro as a makeshift centre-forward. 

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• AFP
  

  Palmer fails to make Champions League squad

  Despite starting in the Premier League last weekend, Palmer was not included in the Chelsea matchday squad for their Champions League fixture against Atalanta on Tuesday.

  Explaining his decision to omit the starting attacker, Maresca said: "[He] played half an hour the other day, played one hour today. So now it's important that he can build the physical condition."

  The Italian coach had earlier called for protecting Palmer as much as possible, as he had said: "We need to protect Cole for sure, 100%. Not only Cole in my personal view, because as I said now, because of the Club World Cup or because we never stop, we need to manage and protect different players. The solution with Cole, I don’t know, now we have a meeting with the medical staff, and we will decide the best solution for him. But it’s also a kind of injury that is not like black and white. It’s an injury that someday you can be better. It’s not that you have pain and tomorrow will disappear. Sometimes you can be better, sometimes you can be worse. That’s why we need to manage day by day."