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This has not been a good week for Chelsea Football Club.

Down to ten men against league leaders Arsenal, they did at least salvage some pride from that game. To hold one of the best sides in Europe, if not the best side in Europe this season to a 1-1 draw with fewer players is certainly reason to celebrate.

However, a week on from defeating Barcelona in the Champions League, this midweek was a great deal more frustrating for Enzo Maresca and Co.

A game against Leeds United should have been easy, right? Think again. The Blues lost 3-1 and slipped further behind the Gunners in the race for the title. That dream looks over for another year, but according to Maresca, there is one big reason to remain positive.

Maresca shares good news for Chelsea

Maresca has admitted that Cole Palmer’s return to action at Elland Road was the only positive.

The attacking midfielder has been absent for a large portion of the season but has been back among the matchday squad across the last two games.

Palmer came off the bench in the 61st minute for his first outing since late September after toes and groin problems and understandably, that was the only consolation Chelsea’s Italian gaffer could extract from such a horror night on the road.

Maresca said: “Probably it’s the only good news of the night. I’m happy for him, he’s back, now he needs to build a little bit the physical condition and he will be important for us, for sure.

“He’s getting better, but he needs to play minutes. He had more-or-less half-an-hour, hopefully we can give him more in the next game.”

Palmer has been a breathtaking signing at Stamford Bridge, notably bagging 18 goals and registering 14 assists in all competitions for his club last season.

Well, Maresca will certainly need his talisman to rediscover that form after dropping points in consecutive fixtures.

Speaking about the result, the former Leicester City manager stated: “When you play the last two games against Barcelona and Arsenal, you expect a better performance, no doubt.

“But, for many reasons, it’s not going to be possible for every game again, because we change players, because we have players that we said many times it’s not possible to play every two, three days. When you change players, also the level drops, that is the reality, because they are important players for us. Moises, Reece (James), with these kind of players, we cannot use them every game. It’s impossible, because otherwise they can get injury again and be out for months.”

Chelsea are now fourth in the table after Aston Villa defeated Brighton in midweek. While the Blues looked in something of a title race last week, they are now nine points off top spot.

For the World Champions, you would expect that their hopes now rest on the cup competitions for the rest of the ongoing season.

As bad as Tosin: Maresca's 4/10 flop must never start for Chelsea again

Chelsea’s title hopes seemingly went up in smoke away at Leeds United.

By
Robbie Walls

Dec 4, 2025

Another week, and there are another three initiates of the 100-mph club. Zach “Big Sugar” Maxwell, 24, of the Reds, made his debut at 275 pounds and with an average fastball velocity of 100.7 mph. Joel Peguero, 28, averaged 101.1 mph for the Giants, and Bubba Chandler, 22, twice hit 100 mph in his debut for the Pirates.

You might think such big-arm pitchers were can’t-miss amateurs. But the universe of 100-mph throwers has expanded so far that Maxwell was a sixth-round pick, Peguero is pitching for his fifth organization in 10 years after signing his first pro contract and Chandler was a third-round pick.

With 20% of the season left to play, already we’ve seen more pitchers hit 100 mph (76) than in any complete season in baseball history (the record was 64 in 2022 and ’23).

This is the first generation of pitchers who have grown up under Velocity Inc., a catchall to describe the growth business of leveraging technology to teach velocity throughout the amateur market (colleges, private coaches, throwing labs, etc).

Compared to the same date of previous seasons, the number of pitchers who have hit 100 mph in the major leagues is up 38% from last year and from 2019, the last full season before the velocity revolution began on the other side of the COVID-19-impacted campaign.

From 2008 to ’19, the 100-mph club held relatively steady, with gradual increases. But you can see the classic “hockey stick” growth pattern since ’21, including the huge spike this year:

The Guardians did it. Somehow, they actually did it.

With a 5–2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night, Cleveland completed an improbable comeback and tied Detroit atop the American League Central. A team that was eight games under .500 and 15.5 games out of the division race in early July now has a 56.3% chance of winning it.

Conversely, the Tigers, who held baseball's best record on July 8, have fumbled it. An epic collapse has seen them fall into a deep slump that’s snowballed into a complete September collapse.

How did this happen? Let's go inside the numbers to get a better look.

40 — Wins for Cleveland on July 6, 88 games into the season. They fell eight games below .500 on that date after being swept at home by the Tigers.

45 — Wins for Cleveland since July 7, a 45–24 record (.652), second best in baseball behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

15.5 — Games the Guardians trailed the Tigers by on July 8.

10.5 — Games the Guardians trailed the Tigers by on Sept. 1.

9.5 — Games behind the Tigers on Sept. 10.

3.96 — Team ERA for the Guardians on July 6, 18th in baseball.

3.30 — Team ERA for the Guardians since July 6, best in baseball.

2.9 — fWAR for Jose Ramirez since July 6, tied with Cal Raleigh for fifth in the American League. Ramirez is slashing .264/.358/.528 over that span with 16 home runs, 43 RBIs, 57 runs scored and 18 stolen bases, with a wRC+ of 136.

1.3 — fWAR for rookie starting pitcher Parker Messick since his debut on Aug. 20. That ranks fifth in baseball during that time. He's 3–0 with a 2.08 ERA and 31 strikeouts against five walks in 34 2/3 innings.

2.39 — ERA for starter Gavin Williams since July 6. He's 7–1 since then.

1.25 — ERA for starter Tanner Bibee in three September starts. He's 2–0, with a 0.65 WHIP and 21 strikeouts against three walks in 21 2/3 innings. That includes a complete game shutout two-hitter against the White Sox on Sept. 12.

Manchester United have now gone four games undefeated in the Premier League, which is perhaps a sign of things changing for Ruben Amorim’s side. His first year in charge at the club has been underwhelming to say the least, and it has taken time to adapt to his infamous 3-4-2-1 system.

Well, one of the most important positions in Amorim’s system are the two number 10s. It took him some time to find the right solution in those roles. Bruno Fernandes has been operating in the pivot, with Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount two key options.

Bryan Mbeumo has also made a fast start to life at United.

Mbeumo’s exceptional October

October felt like the month where Mbeumo truly arrived at United. He had played well in the weeks before that, scoring against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup and Burnley in the Premier League, but it was last month that he began to shine truly.

Mbeumo played three games in October for United, chipping in with at least one goal or assist in each of them. In total, he contributed four goal involvements in three games last month for the Red Devils.

It is perhaps easy for United fans to pinpoint which was the most important. Mbeumo’s strike at Anfield against Liverpool just seconds into the match summed him up.

Their number 19 managed to run in behind the Reds’ defence and fire home first time on his weaker right foot.

After grabbing an assist for Mount against Sunderland at the start of the month and scoring twice against Brighton and Hove Albion, Mbeumo was nominated for Premier League player of the month.

Club legend Wayne Rooney said the Cameroonian star is “by far United’s best player of the season.”

It is certainly exciting that United are brewing the new version of Mbeumo in the academy.

United’s homegrown Mbeumo

For decades, United have produced some exceptional players in their academy. In the current crop of youngsters, there are some exciting talents. JJ Gabriel is a player who has a lot of hype surrounding him.

Another young talent United fans can get excited about is 18-year-old Shea Lacey. After overcoming injury issues in recent seasons, the Liverpool-born attacker has shown exactly how good he is this season.

In nine games across all competitions, Lacey has found the back of the net on three occasions and assisted two other goals for teammates.

They have come in just 507 minutes, leaving him with an average of a goal involvement every 101 minutes.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

One of the best examples of Lacey’s talent came in the under-21s’ recent 2-0 EFL Trophy victory away to Notts County. Operating on the right-hand side, the 18-year-old scored one and created one chance.

The “wing wizard” – as hailed by the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler – was a handful for defenders all night, completing three from five dribbles and winning two fouls

Touches

72

Pass accuracy

80%

Passes completed in opposition half

24/32

Ground duels won

8/14

Ball recoveries

7

Dribbles completed

3/5

Chances created

1

Goals

1

One of the striking things about Lacey is his technical ability. He thieves in tight spaces in the right half-space, which could certainly make him suitable for Amorim’s system, playing in the right 10 role just like Mbeumo does now.

The England under-20 star was described as a “creative talisman” by Academy Scoop on X, a page dedicated to the Red Devils academy sides. That is easy to understand, with the 18-year-old having passes like this in his locker.

It is certainly easy to see how Lacey can be United’s own Mbeumo. The talented youngster is comfortable on the right wing or as a number 10, just like the Red Devils’ number 19.

Both are left-footed attackers, too.

It remains to be seen when Lacey will get his first-team debut at United, but it is bound to happen sooner or later. He is a superb talent who has even trained with England’s first team this season. United have another gem on their hands.

Man Utd have a "deadly" academy star who's another Fernandes in the making

Man Utd might not have to look far to replace Bruno

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 6, 2025

In the MLB postseason, teams have to be ready to adjust on the fly. This is doubly true for do-or-die elimination games, such as Friday night’s decisive Game 5 between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers.

In a game where one run might decide the difference between your season ending and your quest for the World Series carrying on, a team might have to pinch run for a better player than you normally would, or bring in a starting pitcher out of the bullpen to keep the game going, or any number of other bold strategies we only see in the playoffs.

And sometimes, in extreme circumstances, you have to let the loser fish win the mascot race.

The Mariners have hosted the Salmon Run—a mascot race around the warning track—at every home game at T-Mobile Park since the start of the 2024 season. Like many mascot races, the Salmon Run includes a lovable loser, who earns their status as a crowd favorite despite never coming in first. In Seattle, that’s Humpy.

As Friday’s game carried into the 14th inning, someone high atop the production team made a call—there would be a second “Salmon Run.” And this time, Humpy would win.

With the initial Salmon Run taking place before the game went to extras, it was decided that a second race would be run in the middle of the 15th inning, at which point the game was still tied 2–2 with the Mariners up to bat.

Despite falling behind early, the other salmon contenders ran into each other late, and Humpy was able to sneak through for their first ever victory. The crowd was electric.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Mariners would finally score the walk-off run that sent them to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2001.

Obviously, it’s the players on the field that deserve the most credit for the win, but I do think it’s worth shouting out Humpy and whatever production staff was behind the decision to run a second race.

Before Humpy’s victory, things at T-Mobile Park were . The Mariners had gotten runners in scoring position several times in extra innings, but never able to bring them home. The ballpark was still packed despite the game nearly entering its sixth hour.

When you have a loser in the mascot race and you want them to win, you can only fire that bullet once, but given the circumstances, there was simply no better time for the Mariners’ stadium ops team to pull the trigger. The result was an explosion of joy across the tens of thousands of fans at T-Mobile Park, which also served as a collective exhale after two hours of baseball that were as edge-of-your-seat as the sport can get.

The gambit worked. Humpy and the Mariners left Friday’s game as winners. Who doesn’t love an underdog story?

Australia have been inconsistent in ODIs since the last World Cup and are missing some key players for this series

Tristan Lavalette18-Oct-2025

Garbed in Australia’s bright new yellow ODI kit, as he leads the team on their first steps towards a title defence at the 2027 World Cup in the absence of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh could not avoid a question he has started to be increasingly asked.Given his outstanding form in white-ball cricket, and injury concerns mounting for the Australia Test team, is Marsh starting to think about the possibility of an unlikely Ashes call-up?”I’ve got tickets to day one and two. Haven’t asked the wife yet, so that’s about as much thought as I’ve given it,” a smirking Marsh said to reporters in his trademark style of completely playing down his chances of resurrecting a Test career that looked over after he was dropped last summer.Related

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While it was a humorous way to end the press conference on the eve of Australia’s three-match ODI series against India, it did underline that the Ashes is hovering over basically everything in Australian cricket right now.It has overshadowed the build-up of this series, no mean feat given India’s heft in the sport. While these ODIs and T20Is against India are widely viewed as the entrée ahead of the Ashes, they do have longer-term implications given that there are World Cups in each format over the next couple of years.We’re at the halfway mark in the ODI World Cup cycle, meaning it’s time for teams to start strategising. Australia are in transition in the 50-over format, with several unknowns over their batting order after the retirements of Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.Australia’s batting-order has been weakened further with Josh Inglis, Alex Carey and Cameron Green not playing in the first ODI in Perth. While Carey is currently on Shield duties, Inglis is on the sidelines due a nagging calf injury and Green has been pulled out of the series after suffering a side strain.The developments, of course, have Ashes implications. “He’s okay, it’s on the very, very minor end. It’s a cautious take on it but he’s all good,” Marsh said of his WA team-mate Green.This series is an important opportunity for Matt Short after a run of injuries•AFP/Getty Images

It does mean Australia have an opportunity to experiment with batter Matt Renshaw and batting allrounder Mitchell Owen set to make their ODI debuts, while Josh Philippe will take the gloves and play his first ODI in more than four years.After his recent hot run of form at the domestic level, Marnus Labuschagne has been recalled as Green’s replacement but won’t play in the first ODI even though he is making the long journey to Perth to link up with the group.”Across the board in our white-ball teams over the last 12 month, we’ve seen a lot of guys get opportunities, so it always brings excitement to those guys,” Marsh said. “We just have to be really clear on their role and they will enjoy playing cricket for Australia.”A golden opportunity is likely to be presented to Matt Short, who has been on the verge of Australia’s white-ball sides but inconsistencies and, of late, injuries have proven hurdles.Short has thrived at the top of the order in domestic white-ball cricket, but will likely have to settle at No. 3 with Marsh and Head having established such a dynamic opening partnership.”We know he opens for Victoria and Strikers and in T20 cricket around the world,” Marsh said of Short, who has opened the batting in 11 of his 13 ODI innings. “But we see no difference opening the batting and No.3. We’re comfortable with him batting there.”After missing the South Africa series with concussion, Mitch Owen will get a chance in ODIs•AFP/Getty Images

Australia’s form has been patchy since their 2023 World Cup triumph, having most recently lost to South Africa 2-1 in northern Queensland in August, a time of year where little attention is on cricket.There will be considerably more spotlight on this India series and it feels very much like Australia will now start ramping things up in cricket’s middle format.Australia will face a tough test against top-ranked India, similarly in transition under new captain Shubman Gill but still boasting Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.”Had the privilege of playing against them quite a lot over the journey,” Marsh said of Kohli and Rohit. “They’re obviously legends of the game, Virat is the greatest chaser ever in this format. I think you can see by the ticket sales that a lot of people want to come and watch them.”More than 50,000 fans are expected at Optus Stadium, a nod to the pulling power of India but also indicative of Ashes fever in the air in a city that will host the first Test in just five weeks.”To see the stadium packed out against India, it’s going to be a great experience for our group,” Marsh said. “I believe it’s going to be a high scoring affair, but getting through the first 10 overs for both teams will be a challenge and maybe where the game’s won and lost.”

The former England bowler talks about what spinners need to do in T20s, the problem with focusing too much on match-ups, and commentating on the league

Matt Roller08-May-2025It is Sunday night in Delhi, and Graeme Swann is about to commentate on his second IPL match in the space of 24 hours. “There are periods where it’s bonkers,” Swann says. “Finish at midnight, pack your bags, leave at 6am, fly to the next city – so long as there’s no delays – and do another game. But as far as commentary gigs go, this is still the one to do.”Swann has been covering the IPL for the best part of a decade. “I still love cricket,” he explains. “A lot of ex-players do it as a grind, but I love it: it’s the best game in the world. I genuinely do get excited when I see people ramping sixes, or Moeen [Ali] bowling someone through the gate. I’m still a fan, so I always try to get that across… I’m not a serious character, for the most part.”Danny Morrison, the ubiquitous voice of T20, has described Swann as the rare co-commentator who can match his energy behind the microphone. “That’s a massive compliment,” Swann says. “Danny makes me smile. He says things that make no sense whatsoever sometimes, but he’s been doing it 30-odd years and the enthusiasm he’s still got for it is infectious.”And yet, as a player, by his own admission, Swann didn’t much care about playing in the IPL: he entered three auctions – 2010, 2011 and 2012 – but never attracted a bid. “I would’ve loved it,” he reflects. “I’d have been bloody good at it as well… But I was a Test cricketer first and foremost, so I was never that bothered. I look back now and think it’s a real shame.Related

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“The ECB didn’t want us to [play in it]. They allowed people to come for half of it, and you gave 30% to your county, 10% to your agent… You ended up taking home about 400 quid from a $250,000 contract. I remember putting my name down in the top bracket possible, knowing that if someone was going to give me that, they’re bonkers, and I’d come blatantly for the money.”There were one or two English players that came over here and did well – people like Kev [Kevin Pietersen], who this was made for – but the rest of us, at the time, were so invested in the Test team. And, to be fair, we were getting good money for that with our central contracts. Back then, it wasn’t really financially worth it to miss the start of your season.”Swann’s T20 career was limited to the early days of the format, but there is enough evidence to suggest he could have been a success in the IPL. He was part of the England side that won the 2010 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, took 51 wickets in T20 internationals while maintaining an economy rate of 6.36, and even used to open the batting as a pinch-hitter for Nottinghamshire.”You’re right: I was a trailblazer,” Swann says with a grin. “I was ahead of my time. One of my greatest regrets – and I always have a go at Andy Flower for this, because he missed out massively – is that he didn’t let me open the batting at least once in one-day cricket. But when I played, we were still in the dark ages compared to other teams.”Swann with Alex Davies, captain of England Lions, on the team’s tour of Australia earlier this year•Mark Evans/ECB/Getty ImagesBut Swann’s art, right-arm offspin, is struggling in this year’s IPL. R Ashwin was dropped by Chennai Super Kings after an ineffective season, while Sunil Narine and Maheesh Theekshana are bowling mystery spin. Allrounders like Will Jacks, Moeen Ali and Aiden Markram have been used predominantly as match-up options against left-handers.”The reason there’s not that many offspinners playing is that there’s just not that many around at the minute in world cricket,” Swann says. “It’s not because offspinners haven’t got a job to do. Part of the problem for a lot of offspinners is this match-up thing that all teams buy into now – the idea that you can’t turn it into the batsman.”Actually, because people now only face the ball turning away from them, people have got used to it. I swear, if a good offspinner came in now… If they’d played Mo [Moeen Ali] all season at KKR, I reckon he’d kill it, because people have lost the ability to manoeuvre the ball as well. After a few years, it’ll revert, it’ll come back. But everyone is obsessed with wristspin.”Riyan Parag’s five consecutive sixes off Moeen on Sunday did not help, but Swann’s theory does have some credence: left-hand batters are scoring at a slower strike rate (145.89, down from 154.20) against left-arm orthodox spinners in this IPL than the last one, and are getting out to them once every 17.2 balls, down from once every 28.5 balls.Swann (back row, first from left) was part of England’s T20 World Cup-winning side in 2010•Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty ImagesOne franchise’s spin-bowling coach believes that the tide is already turning, and that the best captains are relying less on paint-by-numbers fingerspin match-ups – bowling offspin to left-handers and left-arm orthodox to right-handers – than they used to. Even so, there is a real dearth of frontline right-arm offspinners in the league.Swann believes this is, in part, because the modern offspinner is unwilling to attack. “People aren’t prepared to rip the ball. The way you deceive people is not through darting it in. You have to be brave and be willing to get hit for a six, but you’ve got to dip the ball. And the only way you get dip is by putting a lot of revolutions on the ball.”If you’re spinning it hard and getting it to dip, you’ll get wickets. You might get hit for the odd boundary, but you will get wickets – especially against new batsmen. And let’s face it, everyone gets hit for six now in T20. Expectations have changed. When I played, if you got 2 for 30, it was an abject failure, because you wanted to keep teams down at 140-150. Now, it’s great.”Swann’s influence has extended beyond the commentary box in the last three years. He is now regularly involved with England Lions in a coaching capacity, looking after young spinners and passing on his knowledge. “I’d sit there and see things spinners were doing wrong, or hear people talking about what they were doing, and think, ‘That’s wrong! I don’t agree with that.'”I’d always try to seek out the English spinners, talk to them about it and try to give them some advice. Robert Key and Mo Bobat at the ECB approached me. Keysy said, ‘We think you’re wasted: you’ve been our best spinner for a generation, and you’re up in the commentary box.’ That’s why I got back into it – and I have loved it.”

The deals are flowing as Major League Baseball creeps closer to the trade deadline, with teams angling to put themselves in position to make a run for a title.

Among those teams are the New York Mets, who overhauled their bullpen with two deals on Wednesday night, shipping away prospects to bring in submariner Tyler Rogers and 2024 NL Reliever of the Year Ryan Helsley.

On the field, the Mets were not quite as active, ultimately falling to the Padres 7–1, but the team’s goals are bigger than one Wednesday night game in late July, and the moves they made ahead of the deadline are a good step towards accomplishing them.

While his mood was a bit somber after the loss, Mets star Francisco Lindor still expressed excitement when asked about the team’s acquisition of Rogers.

“He’s a good arm. He’s been in the league for a long time,” Lindor said. “I’ve faced him many times and he’s gotten me out many times. I’ve heard around the league that he’s a really good guy, good person. Somebody that’s probably going to pitch in big situations. It’s going to help us.”

Rogers and Helsley join closer Edwin Diaz in the Mets bullpen, and will be charged with getting important outs for the Mets through the stretch run of the season, and hopefully, the playoffs.

The American League Championship Series comes down to one game to decide who will meet the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 World Series.

What follows is a look at the five players who will decide the outcome of Game 7 on Monday night.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladdy Jr. has been on fire in the postseason, hitting .462 with a franchise postseason record six home runs and 12 RBIs. He's posting a ridiculous OPS of 1.532 in October, but has hammered Mariners pitching in this series. In the last four games, he's 9-for-15 with three home runs, three walks and one strikeout. He has also done some crazy things. There isn't a baseball player on the planet hotter than Guerrero right now. He'll have his say on Monday night.

Cal Raleigh

Like Guerrero, Raleigh has been big in the playoffs. He's hitting .302 with four home runs and seven RBIs, and also boasts an OPS of 1.028. Aaron Judge's only challenger for the AL MVP award, Raleigh has been mostly bottled up in this series. The 60-homer man is 5-for-22 with two home runs against the Blue Jays. In his career against Toronto's Game 7 starter Shane Bieber, Raleigh is 2-for-8 with a pair of singles and a strikeout. Seattle needs him to break through against the righty. If he doesn't, Seattle's offense may not have the punch it needs to win.

Shane Bieber

Speaking of Bieber, who would have thought he'd be here? He spent most of the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, then the Guardians sent him to Toronto at the trade deadline before he'd pitched a big league game in his return. Now he's starting Game 7 of the ALCS. The former Cy Young winner has made two postseason starts and is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP and 10 striekouts against two walks in 8 2/3 innings. He took the win in Game 3 of the series, as he went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out eight. Toronto would take that performance again in a heartbeat.

George Kirby

Kirby took the loss in Game 3 and had the opposite performance of Bieber. He surrendered eight runs on eight its in four-plus innings and the Blue Jays hit three home runs on him. Before that, the 27-year-old righty had allowed three runs on nine hits in 10 postseason innings. His lone ALCS start ballooned his playoff ERA to 7.07. The Mariners need him to bounce back and put his Game 3 disaster behind him. If he can't, the season may end Monday night.

Josh Naylor

Naylor has made himself a lot of money in the postseason. The Mariners acquired the impending free agent from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline and he has been oustanding when it has mattered the post. His has three postseason home runs and is hitting .341 with a .974 OPS in October. He has hammered Toronto's pitching in this series as well. Naylor is 9-for-21 with all three of his postseason homers in the first six games of the series. In the last three games, he's 6-for-10 with two bombs. If Seattle is getting a big hit in Game 7, there's a good bet Naylor will be the one delivering it.

Suzie Bates is set to become the first woman to play 350 international games on Monday, when she faces South Africa in Indore in the 2025 women’s ODI World Cup.She has the chance to celebrate the landmark with fellow New Zealand stalwart and captain Sophie Devine, who will feature in her 300th international match on Monday.Bates had made her debut in an ODI against India in 2006 aged 19, just a few months before a 17-year-old Devine made her first appearance for the White Ferns on their tour of Australia. At the time, Bates was also an elite basketball player – she even represented New Zealand at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before switching her focus to cricket.Related

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• Devine to retire from ODIs after the World Cup

Bates said that she and Devine will put those milestones on the back burner for now, and that the focus is on their crucial World Cup fixture against South Africa after they had lost their opening game to Australia on October 1.”Yeah, there’s probably a little bit of embarrassment from both of us,” Bates said at her press conference on the eve of New Zealand’s clash against South Africa. “We just feel that when we celebrate these milestones, it’s just because we’re getting old. But yeah, it’s one of those things that maybe in the moment, you probably take for granted, and it’s a World Cup game, and we don’t want to get too carried away with that milestone.”But I know after the game, Sophie and I will sit and reminisce on how far we’ve come, not only as players together throughout this career, but as a team. I just think there’s been so much growth in New Zealand women’s cricket and those younger players coming through. So, yeah, we’ll be really proud. But in the morning, I think we’ll just be trying to get on with the cricket. And it’s something [in] ten years’ time when we’re both not playing, we might have a cup of coffee and think how cool it was to do it in Indore in India.”Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates – New Zealand’s two superstars•ICC/Getty Images

Devine had kicked off New Zealand’s campaign with a run-a-ball 112 – her ninth ODI hundred – but it was not enough to stop the Australia juggernaut on Wednesday. Despite the opening defeat, Craig McMillan, New Zealand’s assistant coach, was pleased with Devine’s form.”Well, I think the thing about whenever Sophie Devine’s at the crease, the game is never over,” McMillan said on Friday. “I think Australia felt that as well because she’s so powerful, can hit boundaries, and even though we were needing to go at nine or ten an over… for quite a while we were actually doing that, and she was the key to that. It was a class, a great way to start the tournament, really. She’s really put a stamp on this tournament right from the start, and that’s what you want from your captain, from your leader, and the other girls will follow her.”Devine will retire from ODI cricket at the conclusion of the ongoing World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, but will remain available for T20Is under a casual playing agreement with New Zealand Cricket [NZC]. Bates, who has had a front-row seat to Devine’s rise, delivered a glowing appraisal of her all-around ability and suggested that Devine is irreplaceable.”You’re not ever going to be able to replace Sophie Devine,” Bates said. “I think she’s changed the game through her power with the bat. I know every opposition fears the way she plays the game, and we haven’t had many players like that from New Zealand who can take the game away from an opposition.”And then with the ball, everyone talks about her batting, but the way she competes with the ball and the fact that she’s captain, it’s just going to be impossible to replace her. And I’m really glad that it’s just 50-over cricket that she’s talked about stepping away from. It probably feels right with the World Cup being four years away, but there’s plenty of 20-over cricket for her to contribute. And there’s going to be no other Sophie Devine that New Zealand cricket [will] produce. It’s going to be hard to find an allrounder as explosive as her in world cricket”Rosemary Mair bowled and batted on the eve of the match against South Africa•ICC via Getty Images

‘Still a little bit of work to do for Mair’

Seamer Rosemary Mair, who had missed New Zealand’s first match of the competition against Australia, with a side strain, is recovering well, according to McMillan. Bates also suggested that Mair is “getting close to full fitness,” but she is unlikely to be rushed back into action against South Africa on Monday.”She’s going well,” McMillan said on Friday. “Would have been nice for her to get a few more overs in tonight, that was the plan, but she’ll probably bowl tomorrow. She’s coming along nicely. There’s still a little bit of work to do, so not sure how she’ll be for the next match, but she’s not far off, and she’s certainly progressed a lot over the last week, which is encouraging to see.”