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Jordan became the first England player to take a men’s T20I hat-trick, as USA slipped from 115 for 5 to 115 all out

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Jun-20241:17

What makes Adil Rashid so hard to get away at his best?

England have booked their place in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024 with a commanding 10-wicket win over USA in their final Super Eight match. Using just 9.4 overs to chase down 116, thanks to Jos Buttler’s 83 not out from 38 deliveries, the defending champions have boosted their net run rate (NRR) to 1.992 for good measure.Such a dominant win was set-up by Chris Jordan, who became the first England player to take a men’s T20I hat-trick. Jordan, brought back into the XI for Mark Wood, took four wickets from his final five deliveries – joining Ireland’s Curtis Campher as the only other bowler to achieve that feat at a T20 World Cup – as the USA collapsed from 115 for 5 to 115 all out.The co-hosts had started well enough in Bridgetown, reaching 48 for 2 in their first six overs. But Adil Rashid continued a stellar campaign with a miserly 2 for 13 from his four overs. Aaron Jones, one of the USA’s stronger players of spin, and top-scorer Nitish Kumar were bowled by Rashid, who equalled Stuart Broad’s tally of 30 dismissals in T20 World Cups. Both Rashid and Livingstone ensured only 25 runs were scored in the six overs after the powerplay.The target of 116 needed to be chased down in 18.4 overs to ensure England’s NRR would go ahead of South Africa’s and ensure they had a firm grasp on second-place in the group. Buttler, however, was aiming higher.After a quiet start, Buttler raced to 44 from 26 deliveries at the end of the powerplay – in which England scored 60 – which included cracking a solar panel with the first of two consecutive sixes off Saurabh Netravalkar.

He saved his most brutal assault for Harmeet Singh’s second over – the ninth – getting the strike for the second ball and striking five sixes. The first took him to his first half-century of the tournament, from 32 deliveries. An over later, Buttler’s late cut took England over the line with 62 balls to spare.It means England will finish top of the group if West Indies beat South Africa in Group 2’s final fixture by a margin fewer than 52 runs. A South Africa win, taking them to six points, will see England finish second.Jordan gets his momentChris Jordan did not expect to be at this World Cup. A back injury to Jamie Overton handed him what is probably one last shot on the biggest stage. Today in Barbados, he seized it with both hands with that hat-trick and overall figures of 4 for 10 that took him to 105 T20I wickets.The crescendo of the hat-trick was dripping with emotion. Jordan is not exactly the biggest celebrator, but who could begrudge him this moment? The Bajan-born cricketer grew up watching plenty of cricket at the Kensington Oval before making the move to the UK on a scholarship to Dulwich College. The locals in the stadium cheered him as one of their own.Chris Jordan is welcomed back into the dressing room after his four-wicket 19th over•ICC/Getty Images

Jordan was actually at home in Barbados when he heard of his call-up to the provisional squad at the end of April. Later that day, he was training in the nets with Jofra Archer, who initially put the session live on Instagram before taking it down.Having started in the XI for the washout against Scotland and loss to Australia – both in Bridgetown – Jordan returned for the final Group B match against Namibia before sitting back on the bench for the start of the Super Eights.Even after this display, he may find himself sidelined once more if Buttler opts for Mark Wood’s extra pace, depending on England’s opponents and semi-final venue. Either way, Jordan’s place in history has been secured.Rashid’s wrong ‘un so rightLike Lionel Messi shifting onto his left foot and Steph Curry pulling up from long range, everyone knows Adil Rashid has a googly. The problem with all three is doing something about it.Aaron Jones and Nitish Kumar were both felled by the legspinner’s delivery that goes the other way. The former tried to combat it with his trusty slog sweep. The latter opted to blaze up and over extra cover. Both had their stumps rearranged.

That’s now five of Rashid’s nine wickets that have come from googlies at this World Cup. Their menace is disguised by full lengths and outside-off-stump lines, similar to where he looks to land his leggies.Rashid has been England’s standout white-ball bowler for some time, and, aged 36, has been at his best throughout this tournament despite coming into the summer with little competitive cricket.Here in Bridgetown, he was unplayable, with just 10 runs conceded from his four boundary-less overs. It was hard not to feel sorry for USA’s batting line-up as he tied them in knots. If it’s any comfort, more seasoned batters, with plenty more exposure to Rashid, have been made to look just as clueless.Underwhelming Corey AndersonA lot was expected from Corey Anderson. Having made his debut for the USA in April, the former New Zealand international was meant to bring nous and X-factor to the team after 93 caps and three World Cups as a Blackcap. Things have not panned out as such.It is as much a credit to the rest of the squad that their highest-profile cricketer coming into this tournament has been a footnote on a valiant campaign.Anderson was averaging 13 coming into this final fixture. With six overs to go, he looked relatively set on 24, especially after breaking a boundary-less run of 34 deliveries in the previous by heaving Liam Livingstone for six over gully with a reverse-sweep. Now was his time to show why he was once one of the most sort-after allrounders on the circuit.While there was a hurry-up, it came at the end other end as Harmeet Singh struck 21 in a 27-run stand between them, with a couple of fours and a six of his own.Corey Anderson could not find his rhythm on the day•Getty Images

Singh would fall at the end of the 18th over, leaving Anderson on strike for the penultimate over. Jordan bowled a full toss, and Anderson swung for the hills. Alas, he could only find Harry Brook, who did not have to move an inch from his position a good 10 yards in front of the sponge at long-on.Off he walked for 29, his highest score of the competition, taking his overall tally to 66 from 72 deliveries. A tournament to remember for the USA is perhaps one to forget for Anderson.Buttler peaking at the right time for England?It has been an odd tournament for the England captain. Barring one or two tactical errors – the costliest being his gut decision to bowl Will Jacks in the second over against Australia – his captaincy has been sound. Behind the stumps, he has been immaculate. In front of them, however, he hadn’t quite launched.A 28-ball 42 in the defeat to Australia and 24 off eight deliveries in the shellacking of Oman was tempered by a duck against Namibia. Across the first Super Eight matches against West Indies and South Africa, he managed just 42 from as many balls.1:18

Buttler’s innings will give England faith in this team combination – Dasgupta

As such, you could attribute this unbeaten 83 – Buttler’s second-highest score in T20 World Cups – to a release of frustration. That’s certainly how it seemed by the end, even if Buttler attributed the boundary bloodlust as merely the pursuit of a surer path to the knockout stages. His takedown of Harmeet Singh saw him become the second player in a T20I World Cup to strike five sixes in an over after Yuvraj Singh lit up the Durban skies against Stuart Broad in 2007.Having started the month in a foul mood, fed up of addressing the 50-over shambles in India last winter, Buttler looks far more at ease. And why not – after a few bumps, this title defence remains on track.

Leeds United are now reportedly pushing to sign a midfield star after already announcing the arrival of Lukas Nmecha and reportedly agreeing a deal to sign Udinese’s Jaka Bijol.

Leeds set to sign Bijol after Nmecha

Following a quiet few weeks, Leeds’ summer transfer window has suddenly burst into life. First through the door has been Nmecha on a free transfer from Wolfsburg. The Manchester City graduate has returned to English football for the first time since leaving the Citizens and will be on the hunt to finally make his mark on Premier League football.

Set to join the forward at Elland Road is Bijol. The central defender enjoyed a solid season in Serie A with Udinese and is now reportedly set to join the Whites in a deal worth €22m (£19m).

The 49ers have wasted little time on the transfer front and they may just be getting started. Like Burnley and Sunderland, Leeds will be well aware of the importance of getting things right in the transfer window if they are to stand any chance of avoiding instant relegation back to the Championship.

All three sides will be desperate to end a worrying trend which has seen all of the last six promoted sides suffer instant relegation from the Premier League. Having so far backed Daniel Farke and his side, however, it seems as though the 49ers are particularly ready to interrupt that trend.

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Only adding to that belief, the American owners have already reportedly turned their attention towards another summer target after Nmecha and Bijol.

Leeds pushing to sign Noah Sadiki with £8.5m bid

Noah Sadiki has been a name at the centre of headlines this week. According to Sacha Tavolieri, Leeds have submitted an initial offer worth €10m (£8.5m) to sign Sadiki and have made contact with Union Saint-Gilloise about a potential deal.

In a contrasting report, however, reporter Joe Donnohue has claimed that a bid is yet to take place, but Sadiki is a name on Leeds’ radar this summer. Tavolieri, who reports for Sky Sports, has insisted that an offer has been made to only add to the headlines and belief that the 20-year-old midfielder could be on his way to Elland Road sooner or later.

Praised for an “excellent” performance against Ajax by U23 scout Antonio Mango last season, Sadiki is certainly one to watch this summer. Whether Leeds reported move is successful remains to be seen, however.

Celtic appear set to conclude yet another very successful season in style.

On Wednesday night, despite the fact Brendan Rodgers made wholesale changes, the Hoops won 5-1 at Pittodrie, thanks to goals from Maik Nawrocki, Yang Hyun-jun, Luke McCowan, young striker Johnny Kenny and then Adam Idah.

Idah’s goal was his 20th of the campaign across all competitions and, given that Nicolas Kühn and Daizen Maeda had already reached this milestone, this is the first time since 1969/70 Celtic have had a trio of players register 20+ goals.

The Hoops will be presented with a record-equalling 55th Premiership trophy on Saturday, before seeking to complete a sixth treble in just nine seasons when they meet Aberdeen again in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden a week later.

However, Rodgers is never satisfied, so he is targeting a new winger, in a deal reminiscent of, arguably, the best player he’s ever had across his two stints as Celtic manager.

Scott Sinclair's Celtic career in numbers

When Scott Sinclair arrived at Celtic from Aston Villa for a reported fee of £3m in the summer of 2016, his career was at a bit of a crossroads, looking to rediscover his best form, joining to link up with Rodgers, who’d previously been his manager at Swansea.

Well, few could’ve forecast how good the Englishman would prove to be, scoring 25 goals during his first season in Glasgow, named Celtic Player of the Year, both the Players’ and Supporters’ awards, PFA Players’ Player of the Year as well as SFWA Footballer of the Year, a clean-sweep of all the individual accolades.

In total, Sinclair scored 62 times in 167 appearances for Celtic, averaging a goal every 185 minutes, and he remains the highest-scoring player at the club under Rodgers across both his tenures as boss.

Scott Sinclair

148

60

Moussa Dembélé

94

51

James Forrest

207

45

Daizen Maeda

85

43

Callum McGregor

246

37

Leigh Griffiths

87

37

Kyōgo Furuhashi

82

31

Adam Idah

70

29

Odsonne Édouard

68

27

As the table outlines, Sinclair is still clear by quite some distance at the top of this ranking although, if Maeda continues to score at this season’s rate next time round, who knows, he could overtake the Englishman by Christmas.

Fast-forward to the present day, with Jota sidelined for up to nine months, Celtic are in the market for a new wide attacker this summer, so they could go into the market to land a replacement

Celtic could sign their new Sinclair

According to a report by Stephen McGowan of the Herald, Celtic are ‘monitoring’ winger Tyrhys Dolan, who is expected to leave EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers following the expiration of his contract, thereby becoming available for a ‘minimal compensation fee’.

Blackburn manager Valérien Ismaël was desperate to keep the 23-year-old at Ewood Park, labelling him an “important player”, adding that “he’s at a really good age… but [has] a lot of experience already”, however, Rovers were unable to convince Dolan to sign a new contract.

Elliott Jackson of the Lancashire Telegraph believes Dolan is “absolutely terrific”, while writer Kai Watson describes him as “quick” and a “direct… goal threat”, assertions that are supported by the table below.

Minutes

3,175

86th

Goals

7

42nd

Assists

6

18th

Shots

50

61st

Shots on target %

44%

20th

Shot-creating actions

99

41st

Goal-creating actions

17

7th

Attempted take-ons

152

7th

Progressive carries

94

27th

Carries into the final third

72

15th

As the table outlines, Dolan’s primary strength is his dribbling, with only six players registering more attempted take-ons, despite the fact he only featured in 77% of Blackburn’s total minutes.

Just like Sinclair, Dolan has shown plenty of promise at Championship level.

Before joining Celtic, Sinclair’s most productive campaign came during Swansea’s promotion season under Rodgers of 2010/11, scoring 27 times across all competitions, including a hat-trick in the play-off final victory over Reading at Wembley.

The duo share many of the same attributes: explosive pace, high-quality dribbling skills and an eye for goal.

Thus, if Celtic are able to get this deal over the line, especially considering Dolan is set to become a free agent on 1 July, they’d get their hands on a fantastic new wide attacker.

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Stepping up their summer plans, Manchester United are now reportedly expected to submit an opening offer to sign a Serie A midfielder who dominated former Old Trafford star Scott McTominay this season.

INEOS preparing for big summer

Ahead of Ruben Amorim’s first full season in charge, in which he will be forced to operate underneath an even greater spotlight, it’s fair to say that INEOS must get things right on the transfer front.

The Red Devils desperately need to show the door to several stars and are even more desperate for fresh faces to arrive and make their mark at Old Trafford.

Amorim is keen to ensure that his side waste no time before finally turning things around at the club, despite questions around a long-term task.

The former Sporting CP boss told reporters earlier this month: “I understand, but I’m not naïve. I don’t want to think we need a lot of years to be competitive. I can’t think like that, I cannot manage that, it’s not in me. That’s why I’m putting pressure on myself.

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“I know we won’t be the biggest challengers in the next year or two years. We are changing a lot of things inside the club and we know it will take a lot of time, but I will not say I need a lot of years. Next year is our goal. I’m not saying we’re going to win the title in the next year, I’m not crazy.”

What would certainly help accelerate Manchester United’s turnaround is an impressive transfer window – something that INEOS are seemingly planning for.

Already, names such as Liam Delap and James Trafford have been mentioned among those who could yet be on their way to Amorim’s side, but it’s a Serie A midfielder who may well be most likely.

Man Utd expected to submit offer for Ederson

According to TuttomercatoWeb, Manchester United are now expected to submit an official offer to sign Ederson from Atalanta in the coming weeks. The Serie A side reportedly value their midfielder at around €60m (£52m), but it remains to be seen whether United’s pending offer will reach that mark and satisfy the Italians’ requirements.

It should come as no surprise that Atalanta are demanding such a high price, however. If Manchester United kept an eye on academy graduate, turned Napoli star, Scott McTominay, they would have seen Ederson’s quality for themselves earlier this season. The Brazilian dominated the Napoli midfielder in a resounding 3-0 victory.

By the end of the 3-0 thrashing, the Atalanta star had made eight passes into the final third, won 100% of his tackles and completed as many as 10 recoveries. McTominay, meanwhile, was limited to the least amount of touches of any outfield player on the day and won just 50% of his tackles, according to FotMob.

Described as “strong” by South American football expert Tim Vickery, Ederson is exactly the type of combative midfielder that Amorim needs alongside Manuel Ugarte if he is to turn Manchester United around once and for all.

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Why the squad for the Perth Test is an opportunity missed

Greg Chappell09-Nov-20253:09

Australia’s Ashes squad: No Konstas, Labuschagne to open?

“A ship is safe in harbour, but that is not what ships are for.” This timeless wisdom speaks to a core dilemma of human endeavour: the choice between safety and potential reward. A ship anchored indefinitely in a quiet port avoids the tempest, but it sacrifices its purpose – slowly decaying into irrelevance.Cricket is fundamentally a game of risk-management. To make runs, a batter must risk playing shots; to take wickets, a bowler must risk getting hit for four. How you manage that risk decides your fate and the team’s on the field.The Australian selectors have taken a safety-first approach to the selection of the squad for the first Test of the Ashes in Perth. The make-up of the squad is not unexpected but I was hoping that they would be bolder and choose a team that would risk surprising the opposition and throw down the gauntlet for one of the most anticipated Ashes contests for many years.Related

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I do have some sympathy for the selectors as this is not entirely a problem of their making. The traditional supply line of youngsters has been interrupted by professional cricket, meaning that players stay in the domestic system longer, playing for the states, who prioritise winning domestic competitions over producing Australian players.So here we are in Australian cricket. The oldest international team fielded in 90-plus years will take the field in a fortnight. Thirty-five may be the new 30, but I believe that unless a handful of under 25s are going to be debuting in the next six to 12 months, we are going to have a painful regeneration problem when Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon leave.Domestic competitions don’t produce Test-ready players; they only identify those with the skills to make it at the top level, so CA must prioritise giving the next generation as much international cricket at the Australia A level as possible to bridge the gap.Now to the series ahead. Perth Stadium is a venue unlike any other in Test cricket. It will be fast and will bounce more than anything that the England players usually play on. This Test will have a big bearing on the outcome of the series, so the team that performs well here will take a big psychological advantage to Brisbane. The first two Tests – at Perth’s pace cauldron and Brisbane’s pink-ball furnace under lights – could decide the urn. Now was a time to be bold.Despite selecting a specialist opener, Jake Weatherald, in the squad, I believe the intention is to send Marnus Labuschagne out to open with Khawaja. This will allow Cameron Green and Beau Webster to play, giving the best balance of batting and bowling in the squad – especially as Green has hardly bowled a ball in anger since his recent back surgery.

Being risk-averse is not being risk-free. By anchoring in the harbour of familiarity, Australia’s selectors may have invited the very storm they sought to avoid

Opening with Labuschagne is extremely risky. He should bat at three, as that is his specialist spot, where he has delivered prolifically. The fact that he is being considered as an opener suggests that the selectors do not have a specialist they trust, and that one or both of Green and Webster are well short of the bowling loads required to get through a Test match.Ian Chappell and Ricky Ponting were exceptional No. 3 batters for Australia in their time. That doesn’t mean that they would have been as successful had they been press-ganged into opening. They were often batting early in the innings but the mindset to walk out to open the innings is subtly different.Marnus has reinvented himself this summer with a return to the intent that he showed early in his Test career. For the past few seasons he has looked like someone who was batting to not get out. This risk-averse attitude to batting actually increases the risk of getting out. In this state of mind, the feet do not move and the runs dry up. Even if one succeeds in not getting out, one doesn’t make many runs because the number of deliveries that you can attack becomes limited. It would be a shame to risk short-circuiting his return to Test cricket by batting him out of position.Mitch Marsh is the choice I would have preferred. It would have been a left-field choice, but this is a venue where he has an advantage over all other candidates. He grew up in Perth so the bounce would not worry him; he is one of the best players of pace in the country, and he could have bowled some meaningful overs to support the frontline quicks.If they do go with Labuschagne at the top of the order that will mean Green will be forced to bat at No. 3 again. It is a position for which he is not suited, so all of a sudden, the Australian batting order is dangerously unbalanced.Usman Khawaja will be in the hot seat against the pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer•Getty ImagesIn time, I expect Green to slot into the No. 4 position he is eminently more suited for. The other reason that I would not send him in early is that, if fit, he will be expected to bowl important overs, so he will need time to prepare to bat rather than put the pads straight on.England have put nearly all their eggs in the pace basket, bringing a septet of fast bowlers with whom to challenge what they believe to be a fragile batting line-up. They have prioritised the fitness of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood for this series, so I expect them both to play in Perth and in Brisbane, and then they will rotate the rest of the pace squad through the remaining Tests.If Archer and Wood are both fit for purpose, England could surprise the Australians on a surface that will favour pace. Very few people enjoy batting against real pace. We would all rather bat against medium-pacers and spinners, but at this level, it has to be done. Normally it is one or two really quick bowlers in the line-up and then the pace drops off. Very few teams in history have three or four in the ranks who get it through at over 140kph. That will get your attention and it will require reflexes and concentration of the highest order. The ageing Australian line-up might be put under the pump if the England attack clicks.Khawaja is the oldest opener to play a Test for Australia since Lindsay Hassett did it in his final Test at The Oval, in 1953. Hassett scored 53 in the first innings of a Test that England won by eight wickets. England had Fred Trueman, who was a genuine quick, in their attack, but Alec Bedser and Trevor Bailey were medium-fast at best. Ussie turns 39 during the series, so he will be tested by a procession of fast bowlers. His potential partner is a 31-year-old debutant or a makeshift opener also in his 30s. England will take a huge advantage if they can make early inroads in the Australia batting regularly in the series.The selectors have boxed themselves into a corner. Over the past year or so they have shied away from bold calls, leaving themselves no real option now but the conservative line. They were risk-averse in picking the team. They missed an opportunity to lay down the gauntlet at one of the world’s unique venues. And they are actually taking a huge risk by playing batters out of position.Being risk-averse is not being risk-free. By anchoring in the harbour of familiarity, Australia’s selectors may have invited the very storm they sought to avoid. Perth demanded courage. The Ashes demand it. A ship is safe in harbour, but that is not what ships are for.

They haven’t played together often but seeing them operating in tandem on a famously spin-friendly pitch was nothing short of spectacular

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Jul-2023Shaheen Shah Afridi surges in for his first Test-match spell in a year, nips it away from the right-handers, zips it into the leftie, beating edges, eliciting jittery prods. If there is a first over you don’t want to miss in world cricket, he is most-often the one bowling them.Naseem Shah doesn’t quite have Afridi’s record, doesn’t quite have his height, or his control. But he does have that action. He doesn’t just run to the crease, he races. At the crease he is a throwback delight, the back unloading like a slingshot.They haven’t been seen together much over the past three years, in this format at least. Afridi hasn’t played in whites since tearing a ligament in his knee at the same venue he is currently playing at, in July last year.Largely owing to injury, Naseem bowled in only the single Test innings in 2021. All up, they’ve bowled in 19 Test innings together. Even in those, Naseem has often been used first-change, where Afridi operates with the new ball.Related

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But this being Galle, the world’s leading venue for ritual shaming of batters at the hands of spin bowlers, no one dares play more than two seamers. And so, you get Afridi and Naseem tearing in, in tandem. For most of two hours, split by a long rain break, they were a fast-bowling spectacle – the kind that greater Pakistan teams than this one had made the pillar of their identity.Afridi didn’t quite send an opener packing in his first over, but it didn’t take much longer – his seventh ball of the day nipping away, effectively setting up the wicket he claimed on the eighth. Nishan Madushka was first beaten, then edged one feeling for it away from the body, to become Afridi’s 100th Test victim.ESPNcricinfo LtdKusal Mendis should have been out first ball of Afridi’s fourth over, only Pakistan had not installed a third slip, who would have swallowed the edge off the bat. When an extra slip comes in after a potential catch goes through a vacant area, the commentary cliche is to suggest that there is no point shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted. But such was the quality of this over from Afridi, he re-caught the horse and put the padlock on the door himself. Fourth ball, pitching just outside leg, darting it away with the angle, Afridi collected Mendis’ edge.Naseem would not make a breakthrough until later, but right through their opening spells (which the rain break helped extend), they fed off each other’s menace, Afridi roughing up a batter with a short ball, before Naseem tested him with a yorker, the Galle pitch offering some semblance of pace and carry for once.Between them, they decked Sri Lanka’s top order, Afridi getting three, as Sri Lanka slid to 54 for 4 before lunch, having chosen to bat.”They were very nippy,” Angelo Mathews said after play. “They were seaming and swinging the ball both. It was high-quality bowling. They were landing the ball on the seam, and most of the time you saw the wicketkeeper take the ball above the waist.”Shaheen showed his quality. To bowl like that on a deck like this – I haven’t seen too many fast bowlers do that.”Pakistan’s effort deflated after that, the spinners unable to match the tension created by the riveting new-ball spells. Mathews got past fifty; Dhananjaya de Silva moved into the nineties by the end of a rain-hit day.There is no telling if we are in the early days of an Afridi-Naseem dynasty, because cricket doesn’t work like that for fast bowlers who bowl at this pace. Pakistan cricket careers especially are wild, winding, capricious things, players headed for the stratosphere one moment, plummeting spectacularly the next.So let’s just live in the moment and say that on a morning in which Pakistan had lost the toss, and with an inexperienced spin attack in their ranks, Afridi and Naseem put their side in the match. With the new-ball, they were intense together.

Not one of the young players in whom so much time and money has been invested has thrived under Silverwood’s watch

Matt Roller29-Dec-2021It was a comment that stuck in the craw. “I think there are positives coming out of this,” Chris Silverwood said in an interview to , after his England side lost by an innings and 14 runs at the MCG to give Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Ashes. “I’ve got to give our boys credit for the way they pushed back yesterday.”If Silverwood’s intentions were sound – defending his bowlers’ efforts after they had come in for heavy criticism after the Adelaide Test – then his response still betrayed a coach whose outlook seems increasingly out of touch with reality. His side has lost nine of their last 12 Tests, including six consecutive thrashings away from home: this was the time for honesty and introspection, not empty cliché.Those results mean Silverwood should be well-versed in fronting up after a defeat but his words have suggested otherwise. He has referred to a batting line-up containing “youngsters that are learning on the job constantly”, when five of the top seven in all three Tests have been aged 30-plus. He has described the dressing-room debrief after the thrashing in Adelaide as “a good, honest chat” and evidence that the players respond to him, despite the manner of the defeat. Most bizarrely, he insisted that England know what their best XI is, despite the very notion being outdated in this squad-based era of Test cricket.But Silverwood has a history of making a rod for his own back. He has stressed the importance of preparing his side for this series ever since his appointment 26 months ago to the extent that everything had been geared towards it: why focus on winning the series at hand or making qualification for the World Test Championship final a priority when you can talk in vagaries about long-term Ashes preparation?The nadir came at the start of the English summer. “Playing the top two teams in the world, in New Zealand and India, is perfect preparation for us as we continue to improve and progress towards an Ashes series in Australia at the back end of the year,” Silverwood was quoted as saying in a press release before his side went on to win one out of six Tests across their home season. Under his predecessor, Trevor Bayliss, England were dominant at home but struggled away; under Silverwood, England sacrificed their stellar home record to prepare for the Ashes, but results overseas have been just as bad.

When Silverwood was unveiled as England coach, he had said his “job number one” was to improve the Test side so that they could “make a real impact” in Australia in 2021-22. Perhaps circumstances and a creaking system have let him down but he has clearly failed to achieve his primary goal

“Our gameplan is not rocket science – we need big first-innings runs,” Silverwood wrote in his programme notes at the start of the India series in August, like a football manager revealing that his team’s strategic masterplan was to try and score goals in the first half. In their seven Tests since then, England have been bowled out for 236 or under in the first innings four times and have made 400 only once. Silverwood highlighted old-school virtues of batting time but has been unable to implement that philosophy.Their failure to do simple things well has been a damning reflection on Silverwood’s training sessions: dropped catches, missed run-outs and wickets off no-balls have added to a wider sense that a focus on small details has caused England to lose sight of the basics. Jofra Archer’s absence is a mitigating factor – but his excessive workload in Silverwood’s first Test and beyond doubtless contributed to his injury.Asked about England’s response to Rory Burns’ first-ball dismissal in Brisbane, Silverwood spoke about the management’s wargaming and their attempts to think: “Okay, we expected this – let’s move forward.” Combined with his insistence that they picked the right team for the first two Tests in spite of all evidence, it has become clear that he lacks the humility to admit his own mistakes.In a winning team, that might be framed as a positive, demonstrating strength in his own convictions. But it has jarred badly with an unassuming public persona and either an inability or an unwillingness to explain England’s decision-making after defeats, and has been out of kilter with an understated defiance about his own future. “I do feel like I am capable of leading this team to winning things and that’s what I’m going to stay focused on,” he insisted after the MCG defeat.The response to a third consecutive drubbing in an Ashes series in Australia has been to look for systemic issues within the English game, to blame the rotation policy which saw first-choice players rested in India, to criticise the domestic schedule and to focus on the prioritisation of white-ball cricket. Covid, too, has contributed to a meagre warm-up period, a brutal schedule and an intense team environment.Silverwood is under growing pressure after his side conceded an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Ashes•Getty ImagesAll have contributed to this defeat, but Silverwood must shoulder some of the blame. Right now, his position appears untenable. Not one of the young players in whom so much time and money has been invested has thrived under his watch – in fact, most appear to have regressed – and two years of planning has unravelled within 12 days of cricket. Clearly, the players he has worked with have been limited, but it is damning on the management team he leads that aside from Joe Root, the only batter to emerge from the first three Tests with any credit – Dawid Malan – is the one who has spent the least time training with the Test squad in the last two years.Another defining feature of the Silverwood era has been his mistrust of spin, which has seen England go into seven out of his 27 Tests without a frontline spinner. Ironically, his primary qualification for the job was his Championship win with Essex in 2017 – a title underpinned by Simon Harmer, the outstanding spinner in county cricket, who took 72 wickets at 19.19. He clearly does not rate Jack Leach, who has not played a home Test under him, yet opted to throw him to the wolves on a green-top at the Gabba.Not since Ray Illingworth has an England coach had as much power as Silverwood, after Ashley Giles, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, opted to give him lead selectorial duties and dismiss Ed Smith earlier this year. Yet that power has manifested itself in theory alone: after the T20 World Cup, Silverwood admitted he would not even consider removing the out-of-form Eoin Morgan as captain: “He’s got to make that decision himself… the longer he is there, the better,” he said.Giles’ own position must also be in question after the decisions to promote Silverwood twice: first from bowling coach to head coach, beating Gary Kirsten to the job, and later from head coach to overarching supremo. “His head is on the block,” he said when Smith was axed. “If we lose in Australia, the pressure will be on all of us. You might as well have a free run at it: it’s your team.”Giles hoped Silverwood could be cricket’s Gareth Southgate: a best-of-British choice who has used the knowledge and experience he gained in a junior role to galvanise a team that had lacked a clear identity. Instead, he has resembled Steve McClaren: hopelessly out of his depth after an overpromotion, as reflected by results.Related

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The recruitment process appeared flawed, with reports highlighting the strength of Silverwood’s presentation. Kirsten himself has revealed a disconnect between what he had been led to believe heading to his interview at Lord’s in 2019 and the reality of the situation: “It was a very weird process,” he said last year. “I think they wanted Chris to do the job but if I arrived and I was convincing enough they might have offered it to me; but I was thinking they were going to offer me the job.”The refusal to split the head coach’s role in two was an obvious mistake, exacerbated by the pandemic further squeezing the international schedule. Silverwood has regularly missed white-ball series in order to take time off and contributes little to the limited-overs set-up; he was appointed due to his credentials as a red-ball coach after leading Essex to promotion and then the title, but had a losing record overall in the T20 Blast.Kirsten is already indirectly on the ECB’s payroll as Welsh Fire’s head coach and has at least some knowledge of England’s talent pool through his role in the Hundred. If his family commitments allow, he would be the standout candidate as a Test coach, with Paul Collingwood – already a regular and popular stand-in for Silverwood – well-placed for the white-ball job.Graham Ford, who left his job as Ireland head coach after growing increasingly frustrated with their lack of facilities and fixtures, would be another strong candidate for the Test job, but many of the world’s best coaches will justifiably have limited interest in spending hundreds of nights a year away on tour when they can earn just as much from two months at the IPL.When Silverwood was unveiled as England coach in 2019, he had said that his “job number one” was to improve the Test side so that they could “make a real impact” in Australia in 2021-22. Perhaps circumstances and a creaking system have let him down but he has clearly failed to achieve his primary goal.

The SNY television mics continue to be a gift to baseball fans.

During the bottom of the fifth inning of the Atlanta Braves' 7-4 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night, the station's mics picked up an interaction between Braves pitcher Spencer Strider and Mets star slugger Juan Soto, the latter of whom didn't like the umpire's call on a strikeout looking.

Soto, after walking in each of his first two at-bats against Strider, worked the count full in his third trip to the batter's box against the Braves ace. Strider then delivered a four-seam fastball on the lower inside corner of the plate, a pitch that home-plate umpire Adam Hamari called strike three.

Soto, started heading up the first-base line thinking it was ball four, then hopped in the air in frustration as he headed towards Hamari to express his displeasure with the call.

As he did so, Strider let Soto know what he thought of the call.

"It's right down the middle," Strider said three times to Soto.

The pitch was not an obvious third strike, but did appear to catch the outside part of the plate. Plus, Hamari earned the benefit of the doubt with his performance on Tuesday night, as Umpire Scorecards gave him a 96% accuracy rating for the contest.

For Soto and the Mets, the frustration goes beyond just the disagreement with an umpire's call. The club has dropped nine of its last 10 games and fallen out of first place in the National League East in a worrisome stretch of play. Meanwhile, Atlanta, after an abysmal start to the season, is now just four games under .500 and 7-3 in its last 10 contests.

Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa has been left out of the DR Congo squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, which is slated to commence on December 21. Although the decision will be a shock for the forward, it should benefit the Magpies, who are still waiting to see their £55 million summer signing in action. The 29-year-old has not featured for the Premier League club since arriving from Brentford due to a knee injury suffered on international duty just days after completing his move.

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  Injury strikes days after his Newcastle arrival

  Wissa’s start to life in the North East has been shaped entirely by misfortune. After signing on deadline day, he immediately joined DR Congo for the September international break. He starred in a 4-1 win over South Sudan on September 5 and showed why Newcastle paid a premium for him as he racked up a goal and an assist. But in the following fixture, a narrow 3-2 defeat to Senegal, Wissa sustained the knee injury that has sidelined him ever since. Initial fears centred around possible ACL damage, but Newcastle quickly moved to reassure supporters that the forward had avoided a catastrophic setback. His recovery has been slower than first anticipated, with it reported that the striker suffered a minor setback during rehabilitation.

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• International snub helps Newcastle’s festive plans

  Wissa was recruited as a Premier League-ready replacement for Alexander Isak following the Swede’s high-profile exit to Liverpool. His arrival was part of a broader attacking rebuild, and Newcastle believed his work rate and finishing ability made him a perfect fit for Howe’s system. In his absence, fellow summer arrival Nick Woltemade has stepped up impressively with seven goals in 14 starts across all competitions.

  Had Wissa been selected for AFCON, Premier League regulations would have prohibited Newcastle from using him during the tournament window, even if he regained fitness earlier than expected. DR Congo’s decision to leave him out means that once he recovers, he is free to feature in every match of Newcastle’s congested festive schedule. If he continues to progress and avoids setbacks, he could finally be named in a matchday squad within the next two weeks, marking the end of a lengthy wait for his debut. 

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  Howe doesn't want to rush Wissa into action

  Speaking ahead of Newcastle’s Premier League meeting with Tottenham this week, head coach Eddie Howe struck a cautious but optimistic tone.

  "He (Wissa) had an 11 vs. 11 game this week while we were at Everton. He will have another one this week, and we will see where he is," he said.

  "There has been no change. He is working back, and he is doing well; everything is positive, but he will be back involved when we think he is able to contribute to the group and has a minimal chance of reinjury."

  Wissa has been progressing through a tightly managed individual training programme, with Newcastle’s medical staff taking a long-term view of his recovery. Howe has been impressed with the forward’s determination and professionalism, particularly given the psychological blow of joining a new club only to be immediately sidelined.

  "He has a very strong character and that comes across," Howe continued. "He’s good with the players, he’s very positive. He’s a leader. You can see that already. He’s trying to inspire and help the players, which is sometimes very difficult when you come to a new club and you’re injured straight away. That’s a real tough mental challenge for him to take on, especially with his transfer fee. There’ll be a lot of emotions going through him, but all he can focus on is trying to get fit and trying to make a difference on the pitch."

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• What comes next?

  With DR Congo choosing not to gamble on his fitness, Wissa’s pathway back now lies entirely within Newcastle’s hands. If his recovery continues smoothly, the forward could soon begin the Premier League chapter that was put on hold before it even started. 

  DR Congo’s AFCON squad in full: 

  Goalkeepers: Timothy Fayulu (FC Noah), Lionel Mpasi (Le Havre), Matthieu Epolo (Standard Liege)

  Defenders: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United), Gedeon Kalulu (Lorient), Arthur Masuaku (Sunderland), Joris Kayembe (Genk), Rocky Bushiri, Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley), Chancel Mbemba (Lille), Steve Kapuadi (Legia Warsaw)

  Midfielders: Noah Sadiki (Sunderland), Edo Kayembe (Watford), Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos), Charles Pickel (Espanyol),  Ngal’ayel Mukau (Lille), Mario Stroeykens (Anderlecht), Theo Bondgonda (Spartak Moscow), Michael-Ange Balikwisha (Celtic), Nathanael Mbuku (Montpellier), Brian Cipenga (Castellon)

  Forwards: Simon Banza (Al Jazira), Ibrahim Mayele (Pyramids), Samuel Essende (Augsburg), Meschak Elia (Alanyaspor), Cedric Bakumbu (Real Betis).

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is under “serious” pressure as a result of his comments following the 4-1 defeat against Arsenal in the North London derby.

Tottenham were the underdogs heading to the Emirates Stadium, and a defeat was always going to be the most likely outcome, but Frank was left unhappy with the overall performance, so much so that he issued an apology to fans after the match.

The Dane said: “Very difficult afternoon. Bad performance. It’s extremely painful to stand here after that game. We can only apologise to the fans for not performing better. I was very confident we could be competitive today. We weren’t.”

The 52-year-old also tried to put things into perspective by reminding fans that Spurs are still a work in progress, having amassed just 38 points in the Premier League during the 2024-25 campaign.

However, it would be fair to say those comments haven’t gone down too well, with an insider now claiming the manager is playing a risky game by speaking out like that in the press…

Frank under serious pressure after post-Arsenal comments

Football Insider’s well-connected Mick Brown told the outlet: “At some stage, he has got to take some accountability and he can’t keep avoiding the issues and pushing the blame on to what happened last season. That’s happened now, it’s done, and the focus should be on what they’re doing now.”

Brown also added: “The thing is, that’s only going to add to the pressure on him, and he won’t want to alienate the fans because when that happens things can only get worse.

“Obviously, after a game like that, serious questions are going to be asked but I still think there’s time for him to turn things around, he just needs to focus on the here and now.”

As Spurs are currently sitting just three points off the top four, Frank should be given more time to put things right, but things undoubtedly have to improve, off the back of what Jamie O’Hara branded a “disgusting” defeat.

It was not the first time the north Londoners have seriously struggled to create chances this season either, recording an xG of just 0.05, the fourth-lowest since records began in the Premier League, against Chelsea earlier this month.

After the trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Tottenham will be looking to pick up just their second home league win of the season against Fulham on Saturday, with Frank hopefully implementing a much more expansive style of play.

Tottenham players disagree with Spurs hierarchy on Thomas Frank's future