Australia’s Mitchell Starc, meanwhile, lamented the state of the old pink ball and his team-mates’ lack of situational awareness
Matt Roller04-Dec-2025
Jofra Archer played a valuable hand batting at No. 11 for only the second time in Test cricket•Darrian Traynor/CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images
England believe that the chaotic final half-hour at the Gabba swung the opening day of the second Ashes Test in their favour, after Joe Root and Jofra Archer’s unbroken tenth-wicket stand of 61 took them to 325 for 9 under lights.At the scheduled 9pm close, England were 269 for 9 after 68 overs, with Root unbeaten on 111. It was a remarkably similar situation to the opening day of the 2023 series between these teams in Edgbaston, when Ben Stokes declared with Root on 118 to give England four overs to bowl at Australia before the close.The added element of the pink ball – and the opportunity to bowl at Australia under floodlights – strengthened the case for a declaration, prompting David Warner on Fox commentary to say he was “absolutely baffled” that Stokes had not pulled the plug on England’s innings.Related
Root ton, Starc six as England reach 325 for 9 on opening day in Brisbane
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Starc on left-arm wickets record: Wasim still the GOAT
Steven Smith, who had floated the prospect of opening the batting with two nightwatchers in such a scenario, was at pains to slow the game down as much as possible, and Root remonstrated with umpire Sharfuddoula at Australia’s apparent time-wasting when Travis Head got padded up to spend a single ball under the helmet at short leg.But Root and Archer seized the opportunity to tee off, adding 56 runs in the final six overs of the day in a partnership that Zak Crawley said had changed the mood of the day for England’s players, who watched on from the viewing gallery outside the away dressing room. “We definitely won that last hour,” Crawley said. “We’re positive going into tomorrow.”Joe Root and Jofra Archer added an unbeaten 61 off 44 balls before stumps•Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Archer, batting at No. 11 for only the second time in Test cricket, started the carnage by charging Scott Boland and swiping him over square leg for the first six of the day off the first ball of an over that cost 19 runs. He then swung Mitchell Starc’s full toss over the sprawling Brendan Doggett at long-on, and Root reverse-scooped Boland over deep third in the following over.By stumps, Archer had registered a new Test best of 32 not out, while Root reached 135 overnight. Their stand was England’s first half-century partnership for the tenth wicket since Jonny Bairstow and James Anderson added 66 in the drawn Old Trafford Test in the 2023 Ashes, and their first in Australia since Norman Cowans and Derek Pringle in 1982.Starc, whose six wickets had put Australia firmly on top, was exasperated not only with the state of the old pink ball, but with his team-mates’ lack of situational awareness. “If you have a look at that ball, it’s basically bowling with a tennis ball,” he told SEN radio. “They chanced their arm, there were a few that dropped short. I think there’s a little bit of tactical nous in there as well.
“Hopefully, we take that tenth one early tomorrow and get batting with the sun out. We saw that it [the ball] didn’t do a whole lot, and day two is generally a good day to bat on. If we can get stuck into batting early tomorrow when there’s sun on the wicket – and their balls go soft as well – it could be a good day’s cricket.”Crawley, who had briefly changed back into his whites in anticipation of fielding, said that the situation had been “perfect” for England. “There was no talk of a declaration,” he said. “We were just saying, ‘Go really hard,’ and it was a win-win: if it comes off, then we’ll get 50 runs like we did, or if you got out, then we could have a crack at them under lights.”They’re valuable runs and it would’ve worked out either way… We were pretty happy with [being bowled out for] 260 and having an hour at them at that point, to be honest. We were quite optimistic about that last hour, and then it turned out we batted for all of it. It felt like it was a great chance for us either way – with bat or ball – to seize that last hour.”Australia only bowled 74 overs out of the scheduled 90 on the first day, which Simon Katich described as “an absolute joke”. They risk being docked World Test Championship points if they fail to bowl England out inside 80 overs. “The over rates are what they are,” Starc said. “If we keep taking the wickets, they won’t worry about it.”
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has opened up about why he believes England have all the necessary “ingredients” to win the 2026 World Cup. Joining host Adebayo Akinfenwa for the latest episode of GOAL’s Beast Mode On Podcast, the Selecao manager predicts the Three Lions will go far at next summer’s showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Expectations high in England as Kane hails 'world class' Tuchel
After topping Group K by winning all eight of their qualifying fixtures, expectations are high in England ahead of the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel’s men booked their place in North America following an impressive campaign which saw them score 22 goals and concede none in clashes against Albania, Serbia, Latvia and Andorra.
And as a result, there is strong belief within the England camp that they can go all the way in their quest to add to their sole World Cup success in 1966, with captain Harry Kane singling out “world class” Tuchel as someone who could make the all-important difference.
“He's done a really good job,” Kane said in November. “Coming in to being England manager is never easy, especially after Gareth who was one of our most successful managers. He's [Tuchel] tried to stamp his own feel into training, into meetings.
“He comes with a lot of enthusiasm. Tactically we are really precise going into every game. He's been building different ideas leading up to next summer. Form now until then there will be more he would like to add. Tactically he has been fantastic.
“He brings a personality, he brings an aura that represents an England manager. Going into a major tournament that is important as well. Other teams know he is one of the best managers in the world and that brings weight as well.”
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Portugal boss Martinez gives his thoughts on Three Lions' chances
One man who also believes England have what it takes to lift the World Cup is Portugal boss Martinez, who is well-accustomed to English football having also managed Everton and Wigan Athletic in the Premier League.
Sitting down for a chat with GOAL’s Beast Mode On presenter Akinfenwa, Martinez agreed with Bayern Munich striker Kane that the very presence of Tuchel means England should be considered as one of the “favourites” to win the competition.
The 52-year-old said: “You’ve got a manager [Tuchel] that’s got a neutral way, that’s won the Champions League [with Chelsea], he’s managed at the highest level.
“I always feel that the club competitions prepare the players individually to represent the national teams.
“The players England have, they get the benefits of the competitive aspect of the Premier League and what they do in the Champions League, these clubs.
“The product is there, the ingredients are there. So I do feel that England are part of that ‘favourites’ group.”
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Ex-Everton and Wigan manager predicts England's World Cup rivals
Speaking of a ‘favourites group’, Martinez believes there are several countries who could cause England problems at the World Cup, including one national team that are yet to secure their place at the tournament.
“Argentina, Brazil are two teams that are competitive, they always find a way,” Martinez continued. “Germany, for me in Europe, they are making huge progress under their coach, [Julian] Nagelsmann.
“Obviously Italy, they are in the playoffs but if they qualify, they will be a team that can go all the way. They’ve got these extremes, they won the Euros [in 2021], then they don’t qualify in either of the World Cups [in 2018 and 2022], either side of the Euros.
"And you have to accept that teams like France and probably Spain now, they are number one in the [FIFA] world rankings, they should probably be the favourites out of anybody just because of their historic past, the belief that their national teams have, the players that have won every single tournament at youth level, and they just won the Euros [in 2024] with quite a distinctive superiority.”
England – alongside Martinez’s Portugal – will find out who they will play at the World Cup when the draw takes place on Friday, 5 December in the United States, with the ceremony starting at 17:00 GMT (12:00 local time).
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The World Cup 2026 draw has been made, with England set to face Croatia in the group stages, and the USMNT to take on Australia. Brazil have been drawn with Morocco, while France will play Senegal and Argentina must face Austria.
England into Group L
Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, drew his nation into Group B as the first pick, while Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum drew her nation into Group A. United States president Donald Trump then drew the United States National Team into Group D.
Brazil were the first non-host team drawn by Birmingham shareholder Tom Brady, and were drawn into Group C, while Germany were drawn into Group E, the Netherlands into Group F, Belgium into Group G, Spain into Group H, Argentina into Group J (because they cannot meet Spain in their pathway), France into Group I, Portugal into Group K and England, the final team out of the pot, into Group L.
Thomas Tuchel's side will subsequently be playing their first game in either Toronto or Dallas, their second in Toronto or Boston, and their third in New York or Philadelphia.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe draw in full
Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA legend, drew from Pot 2, before NFL star Aaron Judge drew from Pot 3, and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky drew from Pot 4.
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, Denmark / North Macedonia / Czechia / Republic of Ireland.
Group B: Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, Italy/ Northern Ireland / Wales / Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland.
Group D: USMNT, Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye / Romania / Slovakia / Kosovo.
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Cote D'Ivoire, Ecuador.
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Ukraine / Sweden / Poland / Albania.
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand.
Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq / Bolivia / Suriname
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan.
Group K: Portugal, Congo DR / Jamaica / New Caledonia, Uzbekistan, Colombia.
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama.
Familiar opponents for England
The 2026 World Cup will begin with the clash between Mexico and South Africa in Group A. The game will take place on Thursday June 11, 2026, and from there, the tournament will begin. England will face Croatia in a rerun of the 2018 World Cup semi-final and will also meet familiar opponents in Panama, having played them at the same tournament. That game ended in a 6-1 win for the Three Lions, a Harry Kane scored a hat-trick. Tuchel's side will also face Ghana, but have only played them once before, doing so in a friendly in 2011. That game resulted in a 1-1 draw.
England's first game will take place on June 17 against Croatia, before their second game on June 23 against Ghana, and they then round out the initial phase of the tournament on June 27, with their clash against minnows Panama.
Pundit Dion Dublin said on BBC Sport: "Regarding England, I think the African nations always give England a hard game. I'm expecting England to do what they need to do against Panama. Ghana and Croatia I'm a little bit worried about."
Scottish pundit Scott Brown added on their draw: "We've got to look to beat Haiti, it will be a huge game for us. Morocco, we'll be underdogs from looking at the world rankings, it's a hard game. Brazil is the big one. Everyone will want to be at that Scotland v Brazil game. Seeing that yellow shirt, they've got top quality players. As do Morocco. We've got to beat Haiti and try to pick up points somewhere else. There is hope for us."
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Getty Images SportWhat next?
The tournament will kick off soon enough next year but first, come the playoffs, with the competition's field set to be rounded out. The semi-finals will take place on Thursday March 26 and the finals on Tuesday March 31 with kick-off times of 5pm or 7.45pm.
The winners of the four play-off finals qualify for the World Cup and complete the field of 16 European participants.
The January transfer window is on the horizon and Celtic may be in the market to do some deals once they have Wilfried Nancy in place as their new head coach.
Whilst the Hoops may look to bolster their squad with incoming signings, due to the centre-forward situation and the long-term injury to central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, there may also be an eye on outgoings.
Kyogo Furuhashi was sold to Rennes for £10m in January at the start of this year, and the Scottish Premiership giants may lose another impressive Japan international in the upcoming window.
The latest on Daizen Maeda's future at Celtic
Earlier this month, the Daily Record reported that Daizen Maeda is ‘poised’ to complete a move away from Parkhead when the January transfer window officially opens for business.
The outlet revealed that sources close to the player have confirmed that there is still plenty of interest in the Japanese star after he failed to land a transfer in the summer.
Celtic were unable to allow him to leave in the summer window because they did not get a replacement, amid interest from Brentford and teams in Germany.
Losing Maeda in January would be a blow for Celtic, because he has scored 37 goals in all competitions for the club since the start of last season, per Transfermarkt, including four this term.
However, the Hoops did sign a player in the most recent summer window who has shown that he can carry the goalscoring burden for the next manager, Benjamin Nygren.
How much Benjamin Nygren's value has grown at Celtic
Celtic signed the attacking midfielder for a reported fee of £1.3m from Nordsjælland to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ options out wide and in the middle of the park.
Despite being a frustrating player at times, there is no questioning that he has made an immediate impact in his first few months at the club.
Nygren scored his seventh goal of the season in the 3-1 win over Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday night, which now means that he has scored at least two more goals than any other player in the squad, per Transfermarkt.
This is why there is no denying his usefulness to the Hoops. Goals win games and, at the moment, no one is better at scoring goals for Celtic than the Sweden international, who was once dubbed “fearless” by teammate Alexander Isak.
Ranking Celtic’s summer signings
Rank
Player
1
Benjamin Nygren
2
Kieran Tierney
3
Sebastian Tounekti
4
Marcelo Saracchi
5
Kelechi Iheanacho
6
Callum Osmand
7
Michel-Ange Balikwisha
8
Shin Yamada
9
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey
10
Hayato Inamura
11
Ross Doohan
We, as shown in the table above, have ranked Nygren at the top of the club’s summer signings both for his goal output this season, as well as for his soaring market value.
Per CIES, the left-footed star is valued at between £12m and £14m. That is a staggering increase on the £1.3m that they signed him for in the summer, and is more than they paid for club-record signing Arne Engels.
Celtic paid £11m to sign Engels from Bundesliga side Augsburg in the summer of 2024, and Nygren’s impressive form this season means that he is now valued at even more than that.
The Belgium international has only scored two non-penalty goals, with 11 goals in total, whilst the Swedish ace has soared to seven goals for the Scottish giants in his first few months in Glasgow.
Nygren has been incredibly effective in front of goal, particularly in comparison to his teammates, and that has played a part in his CIES valuation soaring through the roof, from the £1.3m that the Hoops paid for him.
This shows that Celtic hit the jackpot with the 24-year-old star because it suggests that they would be able to cash in on him for a substantial profit if they were to decide to part ways with the attacker.
Celtic man was finished under Rodgers, now he can be undroppable for Nancy
Celtic’s wait for a European away win is over, beating Feyenoord 3-1, with a star Brendan Rodgers once labelled “sloppy” playing like an £100m man.
By
Ben Gray
Nov 28, 2025
For now, though, it does not look like he will be going anywhere any time soon, and Celtic’s new boss may need him more than ever to carry the goalscoring load if Maeda leaves in January.
While the results this season might suggest otherwise, West Ham United do have a fair amount of talent in their squad.
For example, when he’s not getting himself sent off, Lucas Paqueta can be a magician on the ball, and while he’s still raw, summer signing El Hadji Malick Diouf has an unreal cross on him.
Furthermore, Nuno Espírito Santo seems to be getting more out of Mateus Fernandes and has finally given Freddie Potts a proper run in the team, as fans have been calling for.
Finally, there is the club captain, Jarrod Bowen, who remains one of the best attackers in the Premier League, and therefore, fans should be excited about a young Potts-esque academy prospect who could well be the next Bowen.
Bowen's start to the season
Considering they finished down in 14th place, it would be fair to say that last season wasn’t exactly a great one for West Ham.
Yet, even though those around him were letting him down, Bowen once again proved he was one of the best attackers in the country by racking up a sensational tally of 14 goals and ten assists in 36 appearances, totalling 3148 minutes.
That comes out to a world-class average of a goal involvement every 1.5 games, or every 131.16 minutes.
So, with numbers like those, fans and pundits alike were expecting the former Hull City star to have another stellar personal campaign this season.
However, so far anyway, it hasn’t quite worked out that way.
Appearances
36
14
Minutes
3148′
1260′
Goals
14
3
Assists
10
2
In his 14 appearances, totalling 1260 minutes, the Hammers’ captain has scored three goals and provided two assists, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.8 games, or every 252 minutes.
With that said, it’s still early, and the start of the season was such a car crash that it feels almost unfair to judge him.
Moreover, Bowen has proved himself time and time again in claret and blue, so it’s likely just a matter of when and not if he rediscovers his best form and therefore, fans should be very excited about an academy product who could be West Ham’s next version of the Englishman.
West Ham's next Bowen
The good news for West Ham is that they have more than a few seriously exciting young prospects coming up through the academy at the moment.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
The likes of Preston Fearon, Josh Landers and Emeka Adiele, for example, could all get their chance with the first team in the coming years.
However, when it comes to a Potts-esque youngster who could go on to be the club’s next Bowen, it’s impossible to ignore Andre Dike.
The 17-year-old gem signed scholarship terms with the club in July 2024, and while he had a good 24/25, he has reached another level entirely this year.
For example, in 12 appearances, totalling 987 minutes, he has already scored six goals and provided one assist, which comes out to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.71 games, or every 141 minutes.
This ability to reliably produce goal involvements for his team is one of the reasons he could become the club’s next Bowen, and another is that he does so primarily from the right wing.
Moreover, like the first-team captain, he is more than just an output machine, as he’s got brilliant close control and an ability to create something from nothing, stemming from what Academy Manager Kenny Brown described as his “great technical ability.”
Finally, what makes him a Potts-esque prospect, you may ask.
Well, that is partly due to his impressive output, partly down to him being highly rated within the academy from people like Brown, and then partly due to him already making an appearance with the u21s despite being just 17.
Ultimately, there is still a long way to go for Dike, but West Ham look like they have a real talent in him and someone who could one day replace Bowen.
Nuno could solve big Lucas Paqueta blow by unleashing West Ham academy star
The incredible talent could be the perfect answer to Nuno and West Ham’s Paqueta problem.
Arsenal are a club with a proud history of developing and promoting young talent into the first team.
Mikel Arteta has carried that tradition on during his time, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and now Max Dowman all getting chances under him.
However, when it comes to the most successful Hale End product under the Spaniard’s stewardship, it’s hard to ignore Bukayo Saka, who has become a world-class superstar in recent years.
So, fans should be very excited about another young prospect making his way through the academy, who has been likened to a young version of the England international.
Saka's academy journey
Saka joined Hale End as a seven-year-old, with him later revealing that it was his father who pushed for him to join the club over others.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
The Ealing-born gem made his debut for the club’s U18 against Fulham in August 2017, a game the Gunners would lose 4-1.
The youngster would end that season with a respectable haul of eight goals and four assists in 22 games.
The following year, he made just six appearances for the U18S and 24 for the U23S, scoring six goals and providing nine assists for the latter.
However, that was also the season in which he made his first-team debut, away to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League group stage, under Unai Emery.
At this point, the exciting prospect was still very much seen as a left-sided attacker and had made just a single appearance on the right across both campaigns.
The 19/20 season brought the end of Saka’s time in the academy setup, as he made just one appearance for the U23s in a Premier League 2 game against Everton, which they drew.
Appearances
28
25
Goals
16
6
Assists
6
9
In all, the now 24-year-old made 28 appearances for Arsenal’s U18s, in which he produced 22 goal involvements and 25 appearances for the U23s, in which he produced 15.
Everyone now knows how the rest of the story goes, and so fans should be excited that there is another Hale End talent currently being compared to Saka.
Arsenal's next Saka
With the likes of Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly and now Dowman, it feels like Hale End can’t stop producing incredible talents, and the next one off the line might just be Brando Bailey-Joseph.
The 17-year-old has been so impressive in recent months that, despite only signing scholarship terms with the club a few months ago, he has already put pen to paper on a professional deal.
Moreover, according to one analyst, he is currently looking “very reminiscent of a young Saka.”
The argument he puts forward is that, like the Gunners’ talisman, there has been a lot more talk around other youngsters in the academy over him, and he is just quietly plugging away in the background.
Appearances
16
Minutes
1098′
Goals
4
Assists
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.5
Minutes per Goal Involvement
137.25′
For example, in 16 appearances this term, totalling 1098 minutes, he has scored four goals and provided four assists.
That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game, or every 137.25 minutes, which would be pretty good for a striker, let alone a winger who has been moved between both sides over and over again.
In addition to the output, the analyst also points out that, like Arteta’s mercurial number seven, he has shown an “incredible technical” ability in the academy.
This is an opinion shared by Hale End expert Will Balsam, who claims that the youngster’s “fire feet, chopping into the grass constantly, make it impossible for defenders to know what’s coming.”
Ultimately, while it’s so early in his journey, Bailey-Joseph looks like he could be the next Hale End star to make it in the first team and follow in Saka’s footsteps on the wing.
Rice was fuming with him: Arsenal's "future captain" has regressed big time
It has been a season to forget for the Arsenal star so far this year.
Gannon took 5 for 47 but Macdonald made 79 and Short 62 to give Victoria a crucial lead
AAP05-Dec-2025
Cameron Gannon took 5 for 47•Getty Images
Victoria’s Sheffield Shield dominance is continuing, taking a stranglehold of their clash with Western Australia at the MCG.Holding a 61-run first-innings lead after making 255 in reply to WA’s 194, Victoria delivered another blow just before stumps on day two on Friday.Mitchell Perry trapped former Australia opener Cameron Bancroft on the final ball of the third over to leave WA reeling at 4 for 1. Instead of Australia’s white-ball star Mitch Marsh arriving at the crease, spinner Corey Rocchiccioli was sent in as a nightwatcher.Rocchiccioli survived five overs with captain Sam Whiteman to get WA to stumps at 5 for 1, still trailing Victoria by 56 runs. Whiteman made just two from 24 balls, but did his job by getting to the end of the day without falling to the charging Victorian attack.On a tricky wicket, opener Blake Macdonald thrived for Victoria with 79, while Matthew Short compiled 62.Victoria took their time building a lead, going at a run-rate of just 2.68 and batting for 96 overs. WA veteran Cameron Gannon bowled tirelessly, sending down 23 overs for figures of 5 for 47.Rocchiccioli ended Victoria’s innings with his second wicket, finishing with 2 for 61.Despite struggling in the One-Day Cup and suffering a heavy loss to WA on Tuesday, Victoria have been dominating the Shield this season. Another win here would take them into the Big Bash League break with five wins from six matches, putting them in the box seat to host this season’s final. WA are on the bottom of the Shield table, having secured just one win this campaign.
At home, India have not lost both the Test and ODI series of a tour since 1986-87
Sidharth Monga05-Dec-20253:38
ten Doeschate: A different start time could bring down dew effect
Big picture – Can India end rotten luck with the toss?The last time India lost both the Test and ODI series as part of the same bilateral tour was in South Africa in 2021-22. At home, though, India haven’t lost both the series of a tour since Pakistan beat them 1-0 in Tests and 5-1 in ODIs in 1986-87.South Africa go into Vishakapatnam with a chance of achieving that rare double. It is evident by now that it could well come down to the toss. The dew anyway plays a big part in ODIs in India, which is now getting accentuated by use of only one ball from overs 34 to 50. The side bowling in the afternoon gets the advantage of using an older, softer ball, which gets nullified in the dew in the night. South Africa won the last ODI despite being 35 behind India at the 34-over mark, which is when the fielding side gets to choose one of the two balls to bowl the rest of the innings with.Given such a premium on the toss, India will be desperate that they finally win one after 20 straight losses. The last time India won a toss in ODIs was in the semi-final of the last World Cup, and we are already talking about combinations for the next World Cup.The teams will have no option but to maximise the new ball in the afternoon and go for an above-par total for the conditions they are batting in. And then maximise the new ball in the evening before it stops moving. India managed to do both of those things in Ranchi, but only one in Raipur. It will be interesting to see if South Africa have capability to do both, but for that India will have to win the toss.Form guideIndia: LWWLL South Africa: WLLWLMarco Jansen is staking claims to becoming a genuine allrounder•Associated PressIn the spotlight: Virat Kohli and Marco JansenVirat Kohli has gone back to back with centuries 11 times in his career. He has converted one of those into a hat-trick. Three centuries in one week. One of them came at his favourite venue, Vishakapatnam, where he comes back with four ODI hundreds and one Test ton to his name. He averages 97.83 there in ODIs at better than a run a ball. He has also scored 299 Test runs there for three dismissals. The form that he seems to have hit, you won’t want to bet against another hat-trick of ODI hundreds.Marco Jansen, who is staking claims to becoming a genuine allrounder, will still want to do more in his core discipline of bowling than four wickets at an average of 34.75 and an economy rate of 6.95. If Nandre Burger doesn’t recover in time, he could get the new ball and look to play a role in controlling Kohli and Rohit Sharma.Related
Shadowing the king: When Gaikwad matched Kohli shot for shot
When South Africa and India went off the scale
Gaikwad: 'I was pretty much confident' of batting at No. 4
Team news: Eyes on Burger, de ZorziIndia will have no reason to make any changes in the XI that has won one and narrowly lost the second despite losing both tosses. Especially after Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a hundred that almost matched Kohli shot for shot. Prasidh Krishna is going at 8.48 an over, but India don’t have a replacement bowler in the squad. And they won’t replace a specialist bowler with an allrounder.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 5 KL Rahul (capt. & wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harshit Rana, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Prasidh KrishnaSouth Africa had two players go down with hamstring injuries in the second ODI. Neither of them played any further role in the match. Hamstrings don’t heal this quickly so expect Burger and Tony de Zorzi to be replaced by Ottneil Baartman and Ryan Rickelton.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt.), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Ryan Rickelton, 6 Dewald Brevis, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Ottneil BaartmanPitch and conditionsThe last two ODIs represent the extreme of the conditions in Vishakapatnam. India went from scoring 387 against West Indies in December 2019 to being bowled out for 117 against Australia in March 2023. With no weather challenges in the pitch preparation, expect more of the former. The temperature should be warmer than Ranchi and Raipur, but still pleasant for cricket.Stats and trivia Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for more centuries in consecutive ODI innings: four. A host of others, including Kohli, have managed three in a row. The last team to beat India in India despite losing the toss was South Africa in October 2022.
LOS ANGELES — The digital clock on the wall of the Dodgers’ clubhouse read 12:10 a.m., only 20 minutes after the most exhausting World Series game ever played, and Shohei Ohtani, hair tousled and uncombed from a quick towel dry, clad in shorts and a T-shirt, hurried out a back door. His first World Series start on the mound was approaching later the same day, just 17 hours away.
Maybe Ohtani was headed toward a phone booth to restore his superpowers. Or maybe he is the modern Chiron, the centaur whom the ancient Greeks believed when wounded by Hercules invented modern medicine to heal himself.
We know not how he does it. All we know is that those 17 hours, like the eye of a hurricane, define the sheer wonder of Ohtani as definitively as the whirlwind of what he does on the field. Somehow after reaching base nine times in the 18 innings of madness that was Game 3—three more times than anybody ever did in a postseason game—and refusing to leave the game as cramps wracked his legs, Ohtani planned to take the ball as the starting pitcher in Game 4.
The Dodgers outlasted the Blue Jays, 6-5, on a merciful home run by Freddie Freeman that put an immediate stop to 18 innings, 19 pitchers, 31 hits, 399 minutes, 595 pitches and innumerable thrills, many of which were the consequences of awful baserunning and shaky fielding interspersed with moments of grandeur. It was a night you needed the organist to sign off with Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” the way Fenway Park’s John Kiley did 50 years and six days previous when Carlton Fisk presaged Freeman. But nothing rose above the sublime and the ridiculous like the industriousness and unique greatness of Ohtani.
When I asked him on the field immediately after the game how he felt, he said quietly, “I need to go to bed.” The most active game anybody ever played in the World Series was played by the next day’s starting pitcher. Just the idea of that, like most everything Ohtani does, was unfathomable until he came along.
“I mean, I threw two innings, and I feel like I’m dead,” Dodgers reliever Emmet Sheehan said. “So, it’s really just a testament to everything he does behind the scenes, like taking care of his body. He’s one of a kind. And yeah, if anybody can do it, play a game like that and pitch the next day, it’s him.”
Shohei Ohtani’s Record-Setting Night
Running a depleted staff, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has little choice but to stick with Ohtani on the mound for Game 4. Given how exhausted and hobbled Ohtani looked over the back half of Game 3, maybe Roberts would do well to allow him to pitch only—and give him some rest while somebody else takes his DH spot. But such an impact hitter is Ohtani that giving his four or five—or nine—plate appearances to anybody else is doing the Toronto Blue Jays a favor.
How is this for spending the day before your start on the mound:
First player to reach base nine times in a postseason game.
First player in 119 years to swat four extra-base hits in a World Series game.
First player with a third multi-homer game in one postseason.
First player with four intentional walks in one postseason game.
By the 11th inning, so worn out was Ohtani that Roberts, upon seeing him dead-legged hobble from first to second, offered to take him out of the game to rest for his Game 4 start on the mound. Ohtani told him he wasn’t going anywhere.
“It’s really crazy to put it in words what he did,” said Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas, “but the biggest thing is he didn’t want to come out of the game. He got the opportunity to. When he was cramping and he was feeling discomfort on his legs, he got the opportunity to come out of the game knowing that he needs to pitch tomorrow.
“But he talks a lot about like the commitment and the effort that everybody’s doing. Like he’s seeing his teammates out there and the pitchers going extra mileage, like a guy [pitcher Will Klein] who maybe never threw more than 25 pitches or 30 pitches in a game in his life. With Shohei, that’s kind of like his aura and who he is. He will never come out of the game because he wanted to win today. And regardless of what happened tomorrow, we got this one. And that’s the most important part.”
Right there in the gallantry department with Ohtani, Klein, Freeman and exhausted catcher Will Smith, who caught all 18 innings and blocked more pitches than a Hollywood show-runner, was Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Only two days earlier, the 5-foot-10 Yamamoto became the smallest pitcher to post a World Series complete game win since Billy Pierce of the 1962 Giants. Yet around the 16th inning, just after Roberts told me he would have to use a position player after Klein, Yamamoto, still with his sneakers on, approached pitching coach Mark Prior in the dugout with the interpreter Will Ireton. He volunteered to pitch in relief.
Ohtani elected to stay in the game after suffering a cramp in extra innings. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Indeed, Yamamoto put his spikes on and reported to the bullpen to warm. He was only one pitch away from entering the game in the 18th as a spent Klein went to a 3-and-1 count on Tyler Heineman with runners at second and third and two outs. Suddenly from the dugout, Kershaw, who had left the bases loaded in the 12th by getting a third-out grounder, yelled for time from home plate umpire Mark Wegner. Roberts heard Kershaw and doubled down on the request.
Klein, they claimed, needed to have the mud cleaned from his spikes. The timeout seemed to be designed to give Yamamoto more time to get ready and/or provide a breather to Klein after Smith already had visited the mound. Not so, Kershaw said.
“It wasn’t a gambit,” Kershaw said. “I saw he was slipping on the mound. I didn’t want him to slip while throwing a pitch.”
In any case, Klein, given his break, fanned Heineman. If Klein throws Ball 4 there, Yamamoto is in the game and channeling Orel Hershiser, vintage 1988. In the 1988 NLCS, Hershiser saved Game 4 the day after starting Game 3, in which he threw seven innings on three days of rest after throwing 8 1/3 innings in Game 1. (He would throw a shutout in Game 7 on three days of rest, pitching four times in nine days.)
Blue Jays’ Questionable Moves Cost Them
The Dodgers outlasted the Blue Jays as much as they beat them. Toronto hurt itself with unforgivable mistakes. There was Isiah Kiner-Falefa tryng to go from first to third with one out in the ninth on a ball that caromed off the glove of Freeman and into short right field. Kiner-Falefa, with the ball behind him, never picked up the third base coach and decided wrong-headedly to just keep booking toward third. Second baseman Tommy Edman threw him out.
There was manager John Schneider replacing Addison Barger and Alejandro Kirk for pinch-runners, which, after an injury to George Springer and the removal of Bo Bichette to save his sore left knee, left a lineup nearly half full of bench players. Sending Myles Straw to run for Barger in the eighth was particularly baffling. The upgrade was miniscule. Both are plus runners. The downgrade in offense in a one-run game was huge. The game seemed continually to wheel toward Straw, Heineman and Kiner-Falefa, who went a combined 0-for-11 off the bench.
Most egregiously of all was the one pitch that reliever Seranthony Domínguez threw to Ohtani in the seventh when the Blue Jays were up 5–4 with two outs to go before turning to Jeff Hoffman for a six-out save. Such a dangerous hitter is Ohtani that pitching coach Pete Walker ran to the mound to warn Domínguez to give Ohtani nothing to hit with the bases empty. No sooner had Walker returned to the dugout than Domínguez threw a fastball right down the middle. Ohtani clocked it for a game-tying home run.
Schneider walked him intentionally four times after that homer, five if you count a pitch-around walk. Ohtani has not been swinging the bat well as he tried mostly for pull-side fly balls. He had not had an opposite field hit in 37 days.
But in the sixth, Mason Fluharty did him the favor of throwing him six straight sweepers—10 straight since they met in Game 1. The left-handed break of the pitch forced Ohtani to let the ball travel and to keep his front shoulder tucked on the ball longer. He smashed the 10th straight sweeper into left-center for a ringing double. It was exactly the kind of swing Roberts had been waiting for all month. It was the swing that locked in Ohtani, who after that looked like transformed, confident hitter not to be messed with.
Freeman won the game but Ohtani, fully dangerous again, swung the series. Schneider can no longer have his pitchers challenge him in any meaningful spot.
It wasn’t just that no game like the one Ohtani forged had never happened before. Four extra-base hits and nine times on base by the next day’s starting pitcher? Come on, folks. It is also stunning that no one even would think such a thing were possible.
Ohtani kept ducking into the clubhouse between at-bats to make sure he was hydrated and to treat his fatigue. At one point so haggard was Ohtani that he returned to the dugout wearing an alternate cap, one with a script “D” rather than the interlocking “LA.” A coach whispered in his ear, “Dude, you’ve got the wrong hat.” Ohtani spun on his heels and returned to his locker to get the proper one.
However, so restored was Ohtani as a hitting force that the Blue Jays did not allow him to swing the bat for the next three hours, 56 minutes after his home run off Domínguez. They put him on base five straight times with walks.
Ohtani did not reach full exhaustion. That was evident in a touching coda to his night. After celebrating with teammates greeting Freeman at home plate after the home run, Ohtani turned and began sprinting toward left field. Where was he going? Who was out there that would make him leave the mosh pit at home plate?
Ohtani remembered the sacrifice of Yamamoto, who did not get into the game but was willing to risk his health to make sure the Dodgers won this game. Yamamoto was jogging in from the bullpen when Ohtani, racing at near full speed, met him in the outfield. The two Japanese stars, the richest player and richest pitcher in history, playing under contracts worth $1.025 billion dollars, embraced like brothers on the grass in what was now the cool of the approaching midnight.
“Yama, he has like four or five championships already and counting, including Japan,” Rojas said. “He knows how to do it and what to do to get it done. So. I feel like he knows that a week from now we're going to be home and we're going to be resting. And he actually was ready to go and Doc was ready to put him in the game. And, I mean, I'm glad that Klein finished that inning and we’re here celebrating.”
Freddie Freeman hit a home run in the 18th inning to win Game 3 for the Dodgers. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Rojas spoke at a locker near to the one of Ohtani, who left only his vapor trail. Ohtani somehow had to recover in time from playing 18 innings to pitch 17 hours later. Said one Dodgers source, “People talk about elbow injuries to pitchers. With Shohei, what you worry most about is the wear and tear from what he is doing. People don’t appreciate the physical strain. Pitching alone is hard enough—the strain of it, the recovery it demands. And while he’s doing that, he’s playing every day. It’s the coast-to-coast travel. It’s the game after game. It’s everything. It’s constant.”
Babe Ruth found two-way duty so demanding he dropped it after two partial seasons of it. This is Ohtani’s sixth season doing it. He is doing so with extraordinary power more so than finesse and guile. Nobody has hit more balls 100 mph or more (220, including three more in Game 3). Only three starters have thrown more pitches 100 mph or more (46). If he takes his usual DH leadoff spot in Game 4, he will become the first pitcher to bat higher than sixth in the World Series, where the Babe hit in 1918.
Ohtani has had his elbow surgically repaired twice. There is an enormous physical toll he pays to pursue his love and to honor the gifts that make him the best player who ever lived. Enjoy every day of this wonder, especially the stupefying resolve of these back-to-back World Series games.
George Springer's dramatic three-run home run in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night will never be forgotten by Blue Jays fans, and rightfully so. It proved to be the difference in the game and pushed Toronto into the World Series for the first time since 1993.
The Blue Jays were trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh when Springer came up to the plate with two runners on base. Tensions were off the charts at Rogers Centre, with the sold-out crowd knowing that they could be witnessing a pivotal moment in the team's season with one of their most clutch hitters at the plate.
Springer didn't disappoint as he crushed a 1-0 pitch well over the wall in left field that sent the place into hysterics.
This view of the dramatic home run with just the sound in the stadium is too good:
Here are some more awesome looks at Springer's home run
This is another great crowd-only angle of the blast:
Here is Springer's complete at-bat with just the crowd noise.
This view from right field is cinema, too:
Here's what it looked like on the Fox broadcast:
What's next for the Blue Jays
Springer's home run proved to be the difference in Toronto's 4-3 win. Now the Blue Jays will face a powerful Dodgers team in what should be a very fun World Series. Game 1 is Friday night in Toronto, which will give Blue Jays fans a few days to recover from what was an emotional Game 7 on Monday night.
The Blue Jays' last trip to the World Series ended in dramatic fashion with Joe Carter hitting a walk-off home run in Game 6 to beat the Phillies. That was their second straight title as they beat the Braves, 4-2, in 1992.
Get your popcorn ready, because it feels like this World Series should be a lot of fun.