Man City in talks to beat Man Utd to gem who's been "magic at U17 World Cup"

Manchester City are expected to be active in the market over the near future and could now beat rivals Manchester United to sign a teenage sensation who has excelled at the Under-17 World Cup.

Pep Guardiola will hope his side can strike up a bid to claim the Premier League title this season. However, they suffered a setback on the road to potential glory after falling to a defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday evening.

Harvey Barnes’ double cancelled out Ruben Dias’ equaliser at St James’ Park, albeit the Citizens were off colour in front of goal and were made to rue their missed chances, something Guardiola pointed out when speaking after the match.

He said: “Newcastle is a top side, top players, top manager, so unfortunately tonight we could not make the momentum that we had. It was an entertaining game, we both had chances, and then there was a momentum shift, and ultimately we couldn’t win.”

Ultimately, there is plenty of football still to be played and twists will occur before the Premier League title race starts to take a clear course. Still, Manchester City are now sitting adrift of Arsenal and Chelsea, which is something that needs to give over the next few weeks.

Man City’s upcoming fixtures – all competitions

Bayer Leverkusen (H)

Champions League

Leeds United (H)

Premier League

Fulham (A)

Premier League

Sunderland (H)

Premier League

Real Madrid (A)

Champions League

Nico O’Reilly’s emergence into the Citizens’ first-team and Matheus Nunes slotting in at right-back show that solutions are there to be stumbled upon for Guardiola, though you get the feeling January will be an important month to conclude meaningful business.

While bringing in senior players will be the priority, there may also be a focus on acquiring stars of the future at the Etihad Stadium amid recent developments.

Man City keen to sign Under-17 World Cup star Mohamed Zongo

According to Africa Foot, Man City are keen to sign Tenakourou Academy star Mohamed Zongo, who is also on the radar of Manchester United, Villarreal and Anderlecht after giving an excellent account of himself at the Under-17 World Cup.

On the biggest stage within his age group, the 15-year-old registered two goals and three assists from an attacking midfield role, and the Citizens have now initiated talks alongside the trio mentioned.

Labelled “magic” by Under-23 football scout Antonio Mango, he may become the next exciting gem in a long line at Manchester City, though no club has reached an agreement after his exploits at the youth World Cup.

Either way, beating Manchester United to his signature would be a signal of intent by Manchester City as they build for the future at the Etihad Stadium.

Man City & Pep now keen on Real Madrid star with Erling Haaland swap possible

Pollard and Pooran fifties power Knight Riders to fifth straight win

Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran’s whirlwind half-centuries helped Trinbago Knight Riders extend their dominance at the top of the points table with a 12-run win against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Tarouba on Monday.Sent in, Knight Riders found themselves in early trouble, reduced to 27 for 2 in the fifth over and then 78 for 3 in the 11th. But Pollard and Pooran launched a massive counterattack, adding 90 runs in 8.1 overs to take them to 179 for 6. Patriots started the chase strongly, but soon withered away with seamer Nathan Edward picking up 3 for 30 in 3.2 overs and Mohammad Amir returning 2 for 29.

This was Knight Riders’ fifth straight win at CPL 2025, making it six out of seven victories for them so far this season. Patriots, meanwhile, suffered their third successive loss. They have now lost six of their last seven matches and are fifth on the points table.Knight Riders lost Colin Munro and Alex Hales inside the powerplay, with Jason Holder and left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd striking. Pooran wasn’t going to hang back, though. He thrashed Nedd for three sixes in his first five balls to wrest the momentum, and while Darren Bravo struggled at the other end, Pooran continued to charge.But even Pooran took a backseat when Pollard arrived. The allrounder smashed three sixes in a Navin Bidaisee over to get going. In the next over, he went after Waqar Salamkheil, pummelling him for four successive sixes to race to his fifty in 21 balls, which included eight sixes and no fours.Nicholas Pooran recorded a 38-ball 52•CPL T20/Getty Images

By the time Pollard fell, Knight Riders were closing in on 170. A five-run last over from Holder prevented TKR from breaching the 180-mark, but it was going to be an uphill task for Patriots.Evin Lewis and Andre Fletcher started briskly, adding 96 runs for the opening wicket in 10.4 overs. While Lewis scored a 25-ball 42, Fletcher scored 67 off 54 balls, but there were hardly any contributions from the rest of the batters after the two were dismissed.Amir got rid of Alick Athanaze and Holder, but limped off four balls into his fourth over – the 19th of this innings – clutching his groin and in visible pain. Edward, who had earlier dismissed Lewis, Kyle Mayers and Jyd Coolie, completed the over.Patriots required 27 off their last over and while offspinner Usman Tariq conceded a six off the first ball, he pulled things back as Knight Riders restricted Patriots to 167 for 6.

Scott, Lehmann tons help SA dominate Tasmania

Liam Scott made his maiden first-class century and Jake Lehmann also made a ton as South Australia dominate Tasmania

AAP06-Dec-2025Liam Scott had the finest day of his cricket career, scoring a maiden first-class century and helping South Australia to a commanding position over Tasmania.After team-mate Jake Lehmann also made a ton, Scott plundered 147 as the home side surged to 426 and a first-innings lead of 231 at Adelaide Oval.Tasmania then went to stumps at 73 for 3 in reply, still trailing by 158 runs at the end of day two after being all out for 195 on Friday.A win would be vital for South Australia, who entered this round in fourth spot on the ladder, just behind Tasmania.And their dominance was best summed up by Scott’s innings, with the bowling allrounder having shown talent with the bat since his debut in 2019-20.The 24-year-old fired from the moment he arrived at the crease, attacking Billy Stanlake and cutting him for five separate boundaries. He also took to the spinners, bringing up his century and pumping the air in joy after one of two slog-sweeps that went for six off Ruwantha Kellepotha.Another six came when he used his feet and hit Nivethan Radhakrishnan back down the ground, before he later took Jackson Bird and Gabe Bell over the legside boundary.Scott’s innings came with Lloyd Pope (36) offering support in a 76-run ninth-wicket stand that completely took the game away from Tasmania.It came after Lehmann reached his second century of the summer, continuing on a late-career resurgence that began at the end of last season.He reached 100 from 96 deliveries, before being bowled next ball when chopping onto his own stumps off Brad Hope.After being put to the sword in the field Tasmania then slumped to 42 for 3 early in their second innings, with Jordan Buckingham removing both Radhakrishnan and Hope.

'At first look, I thought it was out' – Knight on the catching reprieve

“Had the call gone our way, there was every chance the outcome of the match could have been different,” Fahima Khatun said

S Sudarshanan07-Oct-2025

Shorna Akter’s catching attempt wasn’t deemed good enough•Getty Images

Third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan’s decision to reprieve Heather Knight against Bangladesh came under the scanner after England escaped to a four-wicket win in their women’s World Cup 2025 match in Guwahati.In the 15th over of England’s chase of 179, Knight chipped legspinner Fahima Khatun to the covers, where Shorna Akter dived to her right and seemed to have taken a low catch. Knight started walking, but the on-field umpires referred it to the TV umpire, who felt that the fielder did not have her fingers under the ball and ruled it not out. Knight was on 13 at that point. She went on to finish unbeaten on 79 off 111 balls, taking her side home with 23 balls to spare.”At first look, I thought it was out,” Knight said after the match. “I thought it carried and thought it was a fair catch and walked off. But the TV umpire decided otherwise. I certainly had a bit of luck today. But probably with the year I have had, I deserved a little bit of luck. I tried to ride it and really make it count.”Related

TV umpiring slip-ups come under the scanner at Women's World Cup

Shining Knight sweeps in to rescue England

Knight scraps to help England overcome Bangladesh scare

The tricky bit about these non-dismissals was that the TV umpire gave her ruling while saying the replays available to her were “inconclusive”. In the first instance, of the caught behind, an on-field decision of out was overturned on “inconclusive” evidence, which might have gone against Bangladesh. In case of the “catch” in the covers, too, replays seemed to suggest that the fielder had her fingers under the ball, but the on-field umpires hadn’t really given the batter out to start with.But so convinced was Knight of the legality of the catch that she had reached the boundary line before walking all the way back.Fahima, who finished with 3 for 16 from her ten overs, certainly felt the catch-that-wasn’t affected the final result.”It was a disappointing decision for us,” she said. “Every player in our team felt it was a clear dismissal. The decision was overturned after being given out, which was disappointing. We all know how crucial that wicket was. Had the call gone our way, there was every chance the outcome of the match could have been different.”This was one of the three reprieves for Knight, who was batting for the first time in international cricket since her return from a hamstring injury. She was ruled out caught behind on the first ball she faced. But a review saved her, after replays showed that Marufa Akter’s inswinging delivery had missed her inside edge and brushed the front pad instead. The impact, as it turned out to be, was well outside the line of off too. Then, in the seventh over, she was given lbw but used the DRS successfully once again. Ball-tracking showed that this time, the ball would have bounced over the stumps.”It was the first time I was out three times in an innings and had them overturned, that’s for sure,” Knight said. “It was a case of refocusing. I knew I didn’t hit the ball, and it was tricky conditions as well. It was swinging quite a lot, [which] can make it tricky for the umpires as well. But that’s the joy of DRS, isn’t it? It’s great to have that in place.”

'The best of both worlds' – Tim Southee enjoying player/coach transition

New Zealand legend on novelty of coaching England’s men and trying to dismiss them in same summer

Matt Roller18-Aug-2025Tim Southee grinned as his team-mates engulfed him. After two-and-a-half months in England training gear in his role as bowling coach – or, officially, “specialist skills consultant” – he was back in playing kit for Birmingham Phoenix. More pertinently, he had just cleaned up Trent Rockets’ Joe Root with the first ball he had bowled to him, which crashed into his leg stump.It was a wicket that epitomised cricket’s gig economy. Southee, 36, retired from Test cricket after New Zealand’s home series against England last year and is still working out his next steps. He spent the start of the year at the ILT20 in the UAE, and is now juggling franchise contracts with his first steps into coaching in an arrangement he describes as “the best of both worlds”.It led to the unusual sight of Southee bowling long spells in the nets to England’s batters during their recent series against India to prepare himself physically. “A few opportunities presented themselves in the nets, especially the day before a game where bowlers don’t bowl a lot,” he explains. “I had to get through some overs at some stage, having not played since January.”Related

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Not retired, or dropped: Stoinis has unfinished T20 business for Australia

Livingstone leads from front to keep Birmingham Phoenix in hunt

Southee joins England set-up as 'special skills consultant'

Southee: 'It's exciting. It's sad … but life moves on'

The Hundred has been a challenge for him, with three expensive wickets in five appearances compared to 14 cheap ones in nine games last season. But he has enjoyed the “Kiwi flavour” at Phoenix, with head coach Daniel Vettori recruiting Southee’s long-term new-ball partner Trent Boult for the 2025 season, joining Adam Milne in an all-New Zealand fast-bowling attack.As the Hundred started, New Zealand’s next generation of fast bowlers were spearheading a dominant 2-0 Test series win in Zimbabwe, and Southee has helped to oversee a similar transition with England’s seamers in the world after James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Their depth and resilience was tested in the 2-2 draw with India, but Southee was impressed.”There’s a lot to be excited about,” he says. “You’ve got to also realise that the guys like Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue, they’re very new to Test cricket still. Someone like Brydon Carse feels like he’s played a lot of cricket – he has, across three formats in the last 12 months – but he’s still very, very new, very raw in his Test career.”Gus Atkinson has achieved so much in his first 10 [13] Test matches: a 10-for, a hundred, a hat-trick… Josh Tongue as well, you see how exciting he is when he gets it right: he’s got pace, bounce, skills. Combine that with the way that Ben Stokes is bowling… and throw in the likes of Mark Wood, Jofra Archer. It’s pretty hard not to get excited about that group of bowlers.”He was particularly impressed by Carse’s gruntwork, believing he bowled much better than a series haul of nine wickets at 60.88 might suggest. “He didn’t have a lot of success on some pretty tough surfaces… But [I loved] the way that he kept coming, his attitude towards it, his ability to reach 90mph at his peak but also operate in a pretty skilful way.”Southee believes that the dramatic final day of the series at The Oval will make England “a little bit hungrier” when they return to Test cricket in three months’ time: “It was a disappointing way to finish, but there’s still plenty of good things to take out of the series.” Does he believe they have the resources to take 20 wickets regularly in the Ashes this winter? “Yeah, I certainly do.”Southee and Brendon McCullum played together in 170 internationals for New Zealand•Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty ImagesClearly, Stokes’ recovery from his latest injury – a torn shoulder muscle – will be a key determinant. “He put a lot of hard work in to get himself back for such a big series… The more he does it, the more he believes in his body and knows that he can do extraordinary things… For him to have an impact with the ball is massive for the side. Hopefully, that can continue.”Incredibly, after a Test career spanning 17 years, this was the longest series that Southee had been involved in. “We looked forward to three-match series,” he recalls. “A lot of them were two-match series… It was awesome to experience. This is the first time I’ve been part of a five-match series, and I loved every second of it.”Southee’s role was primarily the result of a long-standing relationship with Brendon McCullum, his long-term New Zealand captain and now England’s coach. His short-term contract expired after the fifth Test at The Oval but he is “working through” the prospect of renewing down the line: “There’s a couple of leagues I’m still playing in, but this is an opportunity that I’ve loved.”He has been a long way from his home in Hamilton. His family visited for four weeks during the India series – “to escape the winter back home and enjoy what’s been a lovely summer over here” – but he has spent much of the summer racking up hotel loyalty points. “I’m used to living out of a suitcase. That’s nothing too new to me.”Southee is unlikely to be involved in England’s Ashes staff – he is due to return to the ILT20, which clashes – but has caught the coaching bug. “It’s probably come a little bit quicker than I would’ve expected… It’s a game I love and a game that has given me so much. If I’m able to give back and help other people enjoy the game as much as I did, then hopefully there’s that opportunity there.”But more immediately, he has another head-to-head with Root to worry about next week. “Sharing a dressing room with the English guys, and getting to know them, makes playing against them slightly different… He’s such a great player: any time you get him out, it’s always a nice feeling. Nothing’s been said backwards and forwards. We’ll wait for the rematch.”

As bad as Burn: Newcastle's "petrified" star is on borrowed time under Howe

Newcastle United just can’t string together a consistent run of results in the Premier League this season.

Three wins have been collected back on home turf at St James’ Park, but Eddie Howe’s up-and-down Magpies remain winless on their travels, with back-to-back defeats in London at the hands of West Ham United and Brentford very much souring the mood on Tyneside.

Howe is under severe pressure to turn the Toon’s fortunes around four years into his position as their boss, with journalist Jordan Cronin labelling the current situation as “unacceptable”, as Newcastle now loiter just two points above the relegation zone.

Journalist Luke Edwards further weighed in by saying there are “huge problems all over the pitch”, with the sad decline of Dan Burn an indictment of this.

How Dan Burn let Newcastle down vs Brentford

While it was a collective effort that saw Newcastle slip to their third away defeat of the season, the 6-foot-7 defender did, ultimately, gift Brentford a platform to win when he was sent off late on, which then handed Igor Thiago a penalty.

When he was still on the pitch, the calamitous number 33 was all over the shop, standing in as a left-back option again as the 33-year-old only completed 20 accurate passes and successfully won just one tackle.

He has been saved, somewhat, by being the hero who gave Newcastle a 1-0 lead in the Champions League against Athletic Club.

But, that was only a temporary respite from his awful form in the Premier League, with Burn also poor at the London Stadium when winning none of his ground duels.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Even when Newcastle were victorious versus Fulham to see out October, the Blyth-born warrior looked way off the pace, with only three of his 11 duels won during the 2-1 win. Thankfully, on that occasion, it didn’t cost his team dear.

But, with two horror shows on the road now in a row, and Burn finding himself suspended, it feels like the perfect opportunity to ditch the 33-year-old for Lewis Hall to come in.

Burn isn’t alone in looking like he’s on borrowed time as a Howe mainstay, however, with another waning first-teamer needing to be replaced if the Toon want to turn around their topsy-turvy campaign.

"Petrified" Newcastle man is also on borrowed time

Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes came out after the 3-1 defeat at Brentford to deliver a rallying cry, stating that “we need to stick together” to navigate the current choppy waters at St James’ Park.

While a sense of togetherness and a strong core have helped Howe to succeed at Newcastle in the past, it’s clear that Burn and his defensive teammate in Nick Pope, aren’t at the required standard anymore, and will soon need to be shelved from his starting XI.

Games played

110

Minutes played

9845 mins

Goals conceded

107

Clean sheets

43

This will be easier said than done for the under-fire Newcastle boss, though, with Pope 110 games down now on Tyneside under the former AFC Bournemouth manager’s reign, with the 33-year-old once even branded as “one of the best shot-stoppers” he has worked alongside.

Still, much like with Burn, the 6-foot-6 ‘keeper might well have overstayed his welcome now as a key part of the first-team jigsaw, having been described as “petrified” last season by journalist Adam Clery, when injuries had frustrated his campaign.

Now, he’s looking unsure and shaky with unconvincing displays in between the sticks, with Pope unable to put his towering frame to good use when Kevin Schade scrambled home his equaliser last time out from a long throw-in.

With the England international also, arguably at fault against West Ham when failing to palm away Lucas Paqueta’s stinging effort, it’s clear that Aaron Ramsdale should be handed more first-team chances shortly, over the declining number 1, with Pope further set to miss matches for the Three Lions in the international break through injury concerns.

If he remains out of action, Ramsdale is the easy choice to replace him, with one Newcastle-based social media account going as far as to state that Pope’s constant errors are “crucifying” Howe and Co. It’s a pity for somebody who has largely been so consistent during the Howe era. Such has been his reliability that it’s not too big a stretch to suggest he’s been one of the best signings of the present day.

That said, Newcastle desperately need to turn results around when the break is over, and the aforementioned duo of Pope and Burn simply have to be discarded to try and kickstart that positive sequence.

As bad as Botman: Howe must drop Newcastle dud who lost the ball 20x v Bees

Newcastle United had another away day to forget in the Premier League when losing 3-1 versus Brentford.

2 ByKelan Sarson Nov 10, 2025

Stokes: Bashir remains 'England's No.1 spinner' despite Brisbane omission

Ben Stokes has insisted that Shoaib Bashir and Mark Wood can still play roles for England in the rest of the Ashes series after missing out on selection for Thursday’s day-night Test at the Gabba.England have made a single change from the side that lost inside two days in Perth, with Wood ruled out and replaced by the allrounder Will Jacks. Wood has been wearing a brace over his strapped left knee in Brisbane this week but will remain with the squad, while Stokes said that Jacks’ inclusion ahead of Bashir was simply a “tactical” decision for a pink-ball Test.Bashir – along with Jacob Bethell – has been released to play for England Lions against Australia A in a four-day fixture at Allan Border Field, which starts on Friday, and Stokes stressed that he is still seen as England’s “best spinner” ahead of the final three Tests in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.”We tried to look at how we thought spin was going to be used, and there was a bit of a tactical element to it,” Stokes said on Wednesday evening, before England trained. “Obviously Jacksy’s ability with the bat, to have that down the order for us is useful as well. [But] if it ever comes down to picking our best, number one spinner, selection would go the other way.”Stokes and Brendon McCullum explained the decision to Bashir before England named their team publicly on Tuesday afternoon. “It was pretty much that we thought that was the best XI for the conditions and the circumstances of the game,” Stokes said. “But he knows that if it comes down to picking our best spinner, he’s the man.”Related

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Bashir has not played a first-class match since the second Test of England’s series against India in July, when he broke the little finger on his left hand attempting a return catch. He was expensive in England’s internal warm-up match in Perth and, after being named in a trimmed 12-man squad for the first Test, was left out in favour of an all-pace attack.England first picked Bashir for their tour to India in early 2024, when he had only taken 10 first-class wickets, and have backed him as their first-choice spinner for the last 18 months. He also now finds himself in the unusual position of having a contract with England but not with a county, after his Somerset deal expired at the end of last season.Wood’s setback after bowling only 11 overs in his first international appearance since knee surgery is a clear concern for England. At this stage, he appears unlikely to be fit in time for the third Test in Adelaide on December 17, but Stokes said that Wood will do “everything” possible to return later in the series.”It’s obviously a little bit of a setback,” he said. “But he’s doing everything that he can, and the medical group are doing everything they can to try to get him to potentially be available for selection in the last three [Tests]. But yeah, look, we’ve got a lot more time to go on this tour, and we’ll just see how things play out with that.”Stokes said that the “incredibly talented” Jacks has a chance to establish himself as a more regular Test cricketer three years after winning his first two caps in Pakistan, and said that he had performed impressively since arriving in Australia.”He’s turned himself into the cricketer I always thought he could be,” Stokes said. “He’s incredibly talented, and I think he’s gone from strength to strength since that Pakistan tour. He’s been playing so well in the nets and the time he’s been out here training. It’s great for us that we’ve got someone who’s looking in pretty good order coming into a big Test match.”England are 1-0 down heading into Thursday’s second Test and have not won any of their last nine Tests in Brisbane, a run which dates back to 1986.

Newcastle now offered chance to sign "incredible" UCL star in shock Livramento swap deal

Newcastle United have now reportedly been offered the opportunity to finally sign James Trafford in a deal that would see Tino Livramento head in the opposite direction to Manchester City.

The Magpies certainly have a lot to think about ahead of 2026. With new sporting director Ross Wilson in place, they’ll be hoping to avoid the chaos of missing out on top targets to hand Eddie Howe some much-needed reinforcements.

He'd revive Elanga: Newcastle could hire "one of the best managers in the PL"

There have been whispers of a potential managerial change at Newcastle after a poor start to the season.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 20, 2025

Howe’s side enter this weekend’s clash against Man City in desperate need of three points, having entered the international break off the back of a shock 3-1 defeat at the hands of Brentford. Currently sat as low as 14th in the Premier League, the Newcastle boss reiterated that he’s looking for a response from his players on Saturday night.

There would be no better way to get back on track than a victory against a side with Man City’s quality, but then it’s about consistency for the Magpies. On the pitch, they must turn things around in preparation for what could be a busy January transfer window.

Already, reports are claiming that they’re still interested in signing Trafford and could be handed an interesting opportunity to do so in 2026.

Newcastle offered chance to sign James Trafford

As reported by TeamTalk, Newcastle have now been offered the chance to sign Trafford by Man City, who are looking to strike a swap deal involving Livramento. The Citizens were interested in the versatile right-back in the summer, but were priced out of a move thanks to the Magpies’ eye-watering £80m price-tag.

Now, just months later, it looks as though City are once again interested in a move for the England international and are already willing to cut ties with Trafford to make a move happen.

James Trafford

The shot-stopper returned to the club with the hope of finally becoming their number one, only for Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival to bring an end to those plans. Left to watch on from the bench ever since, he could certainly do with another call from those in Tyneside.

That said, whilst Newcastle’s admiration for Trafford is clear, it remains to be seen whether he’s valued higher than Livramento in Tyneside. The goalkeeper has been described as “incredible” by Pep Guardiola, but even that may not be enough to convince Newcastle to sacrifice their star defender.

Bigger talent than Anderson: Newcastle have 'one of the world's best teens'

Why MLB's ABS Challenge System is Long Overdue

Welcome to 'Ask Jimmy,' where SI Media writer Jimmy Traina will answer one question about a burning topic from the sports media world.

A balls and strikes challenge system is finally coming to Major League Baseball. After being used for several years in the minor leagues, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System will be featured in the big leagues beginning next season. Each team will get two challenges per game when it comes to balls and strikes, which will be retained if successful.

This is nothing but a positive for the sport. You can’t have games decided on missed calls by the home plate umpire and this is a way to fix that.

The only downside is that I wish teams were allotted more than two challenges per game from the start. I’d give teams four or five challenges per game. Even if you think home plate umpires do a great job, they’re still going to miss a handful of calls in each game. Why not implement a system in order to rectify that?

If your argument against the ABS challenge system is that it will slow down the game, think again. 

Baseball has done a great job of speeding up the game by instituting the pitch clock. The challenge system won’t have a significant effect on the length of games.

Via MLB: In 288 games with the ABS Challenge System during Spring Training 2025, there were an average of 4.1 challenges per game. Those challenges took an average of 13.8 seconds. 

Adding on a minute to each game to get important calls correct is a no-brainer. 

Baseball already has instant replay, so adding another layer to have balls and strikes challenged seems like a natural progression. 

Think about how history would have changed if ABS was around in 1998 when the Yankees got this gift from the home plate umpire.

You just can’t miss a call like that in a World Series game.

The only downside in my view is that this will limit the number of player explosions when a home plate umpire gets a call wrong. Now, instead of throwing their helmet or slamming their bats, a batter will simply tap his head to call for replay. 

Small margins bring contrasting outcomes for Jadeja and Ashwin

On a day when one of them ran through New Zealand, the other endured 14 overs of wicketless toil

Alagappan Muthu01-Nov-20241:31

Manjrekar: ‘This pitch was tailor-made for Jadeja’

Mumbai was really pretty for Diwali. The high-rises were all lit up. The roadside had pop-ups selling garlands. The sky had trouble holding onto the night. There was colour everywhere. Then the sun came up.Daryl Mitchell spent a little over three hours under it. On occasion, he tried to hide from it. At 1.28pm, with temperatures hitting 37C, he crumpled into a heap and toppled clean over onto his back. This was a small window where he could relax. Will Young had just been dismissed and there were precious seconds before the new man would make his way out to the middle. He wasn’t the only one in discomfort.R Ashwin had figured out what to do on this pitch. He needed to bowl straight. He did that. He needed to put revs. He did that. He needed to be quick. He did that. But the wickets just would not come. It was only the ninth time in 126 innings at home that he’s returned to the dressing room without any success. Even when he thought he had something, the umpire raising his finger to adjudge Mitchell lbw on the reverse sweep, Ashwin already knew there was bat on it.Related

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Ajaz triggers late India slide after Jadeja five-for keeps New Zealand to 235

India shelve intra-squad match in favour of training, centre-wicket

The funny thing is, he was bowling from the other end when New Zealand were made to part with four of the their top five. He was helping build the pressure that paid out at the other end because it was being manned by bowlers who were a little more naturally suited to bowling those 90kph darts.Ravindra Jadeja bagged his 14th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. But even he seemed to have trouble operating at the pace that India seemed to have collectively decided upon. He offered a lot of easy drive balls after lunch, New Zealand scoring 24 off 34 deliveries in the full-length area, which was weird because, before lunch, 17 of Jadeja’s first 18 deliveries had been full, but had only led to nine runs. Before the break, he was better at bringing the batter forward and then stranding them there, denied the opportunity to really get to the pitch of the ball.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin created similar uncertainty, but as many boxes as he ticked, there was just one more that let the batter off the hook. In the 19th over, Rachin Ravindra faced an offbreak at 91kph. It drew him onto the front foot. It squared him up. All of this was good. But the menace in this ball was doused all too easily because it pitched just that little bit too close to the batter. Ravindra pressed down with his hands so that his mis-hit went straight to ground right by his own feet. This outcome was still an improvement from Ashwin’s first spell, where he was being played off the back foot.None of these things made him seem like a weak link. New Zealand still couldn’t relax while he was there at the top of his mark. His bowling led to 20 false shots, which was only seven fewer than the guy who ended up running through the opposition.”Sometimes it happens that you don’t even get a wicket on a turning track,” Jadeja said. He was speaking about himself here but the point he made applied to Ashwin too.”Sometimes it happens. Sometimes you don’t even need a lot of turn, a little turn is enough for the slip and keeper to come into play. Sometimes when the pitch is turning a lot, it becomes a matter of luck. I haven’t got a wicket on a lot of such pitches. I haven’t got a wicket in a lot of such matches. And sometimes it happens that I get a wicket with a little turn. That’s why I would say that it is important to have some luck.”Ravindra Jadeja acknowledges the cheers after his five-for•BCCIJadeja bowled unchanged in the middle session in the kind of heat that was trying to melt people’s faces off. The wicket of Young kicked off a period where his control of length, line and pace was as close to perfect as can be. No more easy drives. Forty-seven full-length deliveries from the 44th over onwards could only be converted to 13 runs and they came at the cost of two wickets.The Glenn Phillips dismissal highlighted the agony that Jadeja can put a batter through in conditions like these. He had walked in to bat after seeing Tom Blundell play for the straight ball – badly, he closed the face, suckered in by the angle Jadeja was creating from wide of the crease – and get bowled. That ball pitched outside leg stump and took out off stump.Phillips was bowled by the one that went straight on. It landed on the fuller side of a good length, which meant he had to go forward even though he knew he was never going to reach the ball on the half-volley, and it came at him at a speed of 94.3 kph. He played for the turn. There wasn’t any. And at that pace, he had no hope of coping with the natural variation.These were the kinds of wickets Ashwin was looking for too, but he was just missing his marks. When the pace was right, the length was not quite right, when the length was right, the pace was a touch off. That’s partly why, even though he was the first spinner that India turned to, the other two outbowled him just in terms of overs.0:57

Manjrekar: ‘Unfair to say Ashwin’s skills are waning after one series’

Could a line be drawn from Ashwin’s outcomes in this series – six wickets in five innings at an average of 51.33 – to India finally being beaten at home? His figures are startlingly similar to when the last time that happened, against England in 2012-13 – 14 wickets from eight innings at an average of 52.64.That seems way too simple.”Sometimes we lose a couple of matches. But it’s okay,” Jadeja said. “As a player, we [he and Ashwin] never had a discussion in the dressing room about who played badly. We lost two matches, but no one pointed out to each other that you played badly, he played badly. Okay, if we win, we all play together. If we lose the series, 15 people from each team still play together.”India didn’t get enough first-innings runs in Bengaluru and Pune. That’s why they’ve lost their fortress. Though Jadeja has a different theory. “I was afraid of this. I had personally thought that [as long as] I played in India, I didn’t want to lose a single series. But this happened. So, now I haven’t thought in my mind that I don’t want to do this. Whatever I think about, it happens suddenly.”That’s all gone now. It’s time to build again and Ashwin definitely remains a part of that process, though it isn’t often that a plan he puts together doesn’t come off, and it is even rarer that he gets outbowled by someone practicing the same discipline he does. Washington Sundar’s arrival has added an unexpected chapter to this story.

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