Pakistan were hurt by dot balls while batting and in managing the fifth-bowling options while bowling

Danyal Rasool10-Aug-2025

Jayden Seales flew high in a match-winning three-for•AFP/Getty Images

West Indies overcame Pakistan’s spinners as well as the weather to power home by five wickets to level the ODI series 1-1. In a chase which ebbed and flowed, a blitz from Sherfane Rutherford and a controlled innings at the death by Roston Chase saw them home with ten balls to spare.Their task was made significantly harder than it might have been when Jayden Seales’ standout fast-bowling performance had restricted Pakistan to 171 for 7 in 37 overs. The target was slightly upwards (181 in 35 overs) of what was scored owing to multiple rain delays in the first innings.Pakistan were put in to bat first and played stodgy cricket inconsistent with the decade they were playing in. Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub found the occasional powerplay boundary but interspersed it with strings of dot deliveries; the first ten overs had just five singles taken. When Seales’ extra pace and Shai Hope’s canny field placement extracted an outside edge from Ayub in the ninth over, it was the ninth successive ball the left-hand batter had faced that had not produced a run.Mohammad Rizwan couldn’t make up for a slow start•AFP/Getty Images

Three balls later, Babar Azam was cleaned up by a Seales special that burst through the gate and made a mess of his stumps, and put West Indies firmly on top.It brought Mohammad Rizwan out, but he appeared to have left positivity behind in the dressing room – he scored just 4 off his first 23 deliveries. A shower that delayed play by 90 minutes did not help Pakistan find their rhythm. Jediah Blades took his maiden ODI wicket by drawing an edge from Shafique that ended his battle of an innings the over after play resumed.As run-scoring increasingly became a struggle, West Indies’ bowlers – spinners and seamers alike – kept making inroads. Gudakesh Motie trapped the Pakistan captain in front. Chase got a ball to keep low and produce an under edge off Hussain Talat’s bat to conclude his comparatively brighter innings. Salman Agha struggled to see any scoring area beside the little dab to deep third, and when Shamar Joseph surprised him with the straighter bouncer, a top edge sent him packing.Multiple rain breaks curtailed Pakistan’s innings•AFP/Getty Images

A further rain delay truncated the game to Pakistan’s benefit with the innings winding down, allowing Hasan Nawaz to go for broke in what became seven death overs. Cruelly for Pakistan, though, that stubborn cloud unloaded its contents upon the Brian Lara Stadium once more just as he had begun to get going. That little passage of play saw 32 scored in 3.1 overs, but Pakistan were denied a big finish with their final three overs wiped out.West Indies were set an entirely manageable target, though Hasan Ali’s opening salvo soon cast that expectation into jeopardy. Wickets in each of his first two overs sent the openers back, and the hosts found themselves stuck in the same mire that had dogged Pakistan. Rizwan, sensing an opportunity to strangle, brought the spinners on after six overs, with Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed producing the desired results.The scoring rate briefly slowed to a trickle, particularly as far as Keacy Carty was concerned. His first 26 balls produced just three singles, piling the pressure on his captain at the other end. An intriguing plot point concerned Pakistan’s fifth bowling option; the one over Ayub had bowled leaked 10, and another from Salman shed another 11.Sherfane Rutherford took Shaheen Afridi down in the 17th over•AFP/Getty Images

With a newly arrived Rutherford at the crease and the asking rate over six, Rizwan made the fateful decision of turning to Shaheen Afridi, and the batter picked his moment. Two fours and a six saw him plunder 17 that over, and with Rizwan turning immediately to the part-timer Salman, another 20 were lopped off the target.It bought West Indies the cushion to see off the primary spinners Abrar and Mohammad Nawaz more respectfully, but the pair wasn’t content with containment. Nawaz found extra turn to have Hope stumped before, in what felt like a game-turning moment, he induced Rutherford into a smear that found square leg. It was part of an eight-over period that saw just 17 scored, but just as significantly, Pakistan had bowled out Nawaz.Chase slapped a couple of sixes the following Ayub over to wrench the asking rate below six once more, and it was there that it would stay for the rest of the game.The returning fast bowlers never packed the same threat, and West Indies began to milk them in addition to finding the odd boundary that took the game further out of the visitors’ reach. Justin Greaves had looked uncertain against the turn, but was impressively assured now, a wristy flick over mid-on for six off Hasan perhaps the shot of the innings. By now, the equation was purely mathematical, With Chase’s crisp drive through the off side sealing a topsy-turvy win on a day that promised each outcome at certain points, before settling on the one the Trinidad crowd had come to witness.

أوضح بايرن ميونخ موقفه بشأن مستقبل الثنائي هاري كين ومانويل نوير، حيث تتردد الكثير من التكهنات حول مصيرهما في صفوف البافاري.

وبحسب صحيفة “بيلد” الألمانية فإن بايرن ميونخ يخطط لتمديد عقد هاري كين والذي يرتبط بالانضمام لصفوف برشلونة الموسم المقبل، حيث يمتد عقد المهاجم الإنجليزي الدولي مع البافاري حتى عام 2027 ويرغب النادي في حسم مصير اللاعب قبل الموعد المحدد.

وكشف ماكس إيبرل المدير الرياضي لبايرن ميونيخ عن مستقبل هاري كين: “سنلتقي مع هاري كين في بداية 2026، ونناقش مستقبله، جميعنا نشعر بالراحة التي يشعر بها في بايرن ميونخ”.

ويستعد نادي بايرن ميونخ لاتخاذ الخطوة التالية في مستقبل هاري كين، حيث من المقرر أن تبدأ مفاوضات تجديد عقد النجم الإنجليزي في يناير، وينتهي بند فسخ عقد اللاعب الذي يتيح له الرحيل في الصيف بنهاية يناير.

أما عن مانويل نوير، فقد أصبحت الأنظار مسلطة عليه حيث لم يكن محظوظاً في الأهداف التي استقبلتها شباكه أمام آرسنال خلال المباراة التي انتهت بفوز الجانرز بثلاثية لهدف واحد.

أقرأ أيضاً.. رونالد أراوخو يدرس قرارًا بعد انتقاده في هزيمة برشلونة أمام تشيلسي

وعلى الرغم من أنه تمت مناقشة إمكانية عودة مانويل نوير لحراسة مرمى منتخب ألمانيا في كأس العالم 2026 بسبب مستواه الرائع هذا الموسم، إلا أنه عاد ليرتكب أخطاء قد تؤثر على حظوظه.

ولا يشعر بايرن ميونخ بأي ضغط في مفاوضات تجديد عقد نوير، ويبقى الوضع هادئاً ويخضع مستواه لتحليل دقيق، ومن المتوقع أن تبدأ المحادثات في مارس مع اقتراب عيد ميلاد الحارس المخضرم الأربعين.

ويحصل نوير على راتب إجمالي 20 مليون يورو سنوياً ويعد من بين أعلى اللاعبين دخلاً في النادي، ويعمل بايرن جاهداً لخفض فاتورة رواتب اللاعبين وسيضطر على الأرجح لقبول تخفيض راتبه في حال تجديد عقده.

ويرغب مانويل نوير في حال استمراره لموسم آخر مع بايرن ميونخ ببقاء يوناس أوربيج كمدرب حراس مرمى للنادي على المدى الطويل.

The Pacific Northwest is Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh's world—and the team's fans are all just living in it.

Tuesday wasn't the Mariners' evening, as the team lost 10–3 to the New York Yankees in the Bronx. However, Raleigh made history by crushing his 36th home run of the year. That gave him Seattle's all-time record for home runs before the All-Star break—a mark previously held by Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

Raleigh has already eclipsed his home run total from last season—a then-career-high 34. He is on pace to bash 63 home runs, which would be an American League record and the most in Major League Baseball since 2001.

Thanks to Raleigh's otherworldly '25, the Mariners are the current owners of the AL's final wild-card spot. They lead the Boston Red Sox by one game in that race.

More broadly, he's given Seattle fans hope—a quality that has been in short supply there for much of this century.

West Indies have made three changes to their T20I squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan after the 5-0 defeat to Australia: Shamar Joseph, Alick Athanaze and Johnson Charles have come in for Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer. The three-T20I series against Pakistan starts on Thursday at Lauderdale.Evin Lewis is still out injured while Keacy Carty, who was called in as cover during the series against Australia, retained his spot. King and Hetmyer were in good form against Australia but picked up side strains in the final T20I in Basseterre. Alzarri, meanwhile, was rested.Related

• Afridi back for T20Is, Nawaz earns maiden ODI call-up for West Indies series

• Struggling Pakistan and West Indies look to bounce back in the USA

The injuries to King and Hetmyer are a concern for West Indies. They were the only batters in the side apart from captain Shai Hope to score more than 100 runs in the five matches against Australia.Charles, 36, will likely slot in for King at the top of the order. Athanaze, meanwhile, is likely to fill in for Hetmyer in the middle. Shamar is expected to be a like-for-like replacement for Alzarri.

West Indies squad for Pakistan T20Is

Shai Hope (capt), Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Jediah Blades, Keacy Carty, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

Although he understands why the decision was made, Lyon said he “can play a role in any conditions”

Alex Malcolm29-Jul-2025Nathan Lyon says he was disappointed with being left out of Australia’s final Test of the recent Caribbean tour, but he understood why the selectors made the decision, and that in hindsight, it was the right call.Lyon had not been left out of Australia’s Test XI for any reason other than injury since 2013, but the selectors made the bold decision to leave him out for the third pink-ball Test at Sabina Park. They picked four fast bowlers instead, because the conditions were set to be so extreme.Lyon spoke for the first time since missing the Test on Tuesday in Melbourne, during an appearance with a corporate partner of his BBL club Melbourne Renegades. He did not hide his disappointment, revealing that much of it was driven by missing out on playing in close friend Mitchell Starc’s 100th Test.”There’s no point hiding behind it, I was disappointed with the decision, but I totally understood it,” he said. “Disappointed on a number of levels that: One, I believe I can play a role in any conditions, and I still honestly believe that. And then honestly, the other one was not to walk out on the field with Starcy. I’ve played 90-odd Test matches with Starcy, so to be able to walk out there with him in his 100th would have been amazing. But I was still there, running the drinks, and still part of it.Related

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“I want to play every game for Australia, and I’ve just got that belief that I can play a role in any conditions, as every cricketer should have that belief.”But at the end of the day, we can sit here and say hats off to them, they made the right call. And if I’m going to miss a game, Scott Boland is probably the guy you want to see go out there and perform. And for him to go out there and bowl like he did, like we always know he does, to take a hat-trick, was pretty special. And to witness the guys bowl them out for 27 that was pretty amazing.”The decision to leave Lyon out – and the dominance of Australia’s quicks as a quartet – has naturally led to discussion about whether it could happen again in the Ashes this summer, if similarly extreme conditions presented themselves.Part of the reasoning for Lyon’s omission was that he did not bowl a single over in the 2022 Ashes pink-ball Test in Hobart. He also bowled just one over in last year’s pink-ball Test in Adelaide against India.He did not play a part in Starc’s 100th Test•ICC via Getty ImagesBut Lyon was adamant he would be a lock for all five Ashes Tests, particularly given his record at the first three Test venues: Perth’s Optus Stadium, the Gabba and Adelaide Oval.”I’m definitely not thinking about my place in the team,” Lyon said. “I know my role in the side, and the conditions really was the reason why I missed that Test match. But I’m fully focused on making sure that fitness levels are high, skill levels are high, leading into the first three Shield games and then into the Perth Test match. I love bowling in Perth. Love bowling all around Australia if I’m being honest with you, so no, I’ve got no doubts there.”There are doubts, however, about who will be Australia’s opener for the Perth Test alongside Usman Khawaja, after Sam Konstas endured a nightmare tour of the Caribbean. But Lyon, who has been a big supporter of Konstas in his brief time around the Australian team – including inviting him to a private training camp in Brisbane prior to the WTC final – implored the critics not to be too hard on the 19-year-old.”I think it’s been a massive learning curve for Sam,” Lyon said. “I don’t think we need to be so hard on him. I think he’s obviously young, and he’s still learning his game. And I think we’ve all, as Test cricketers, been through those periods throughout our career. It’s about, especially our senior players, making sure that we’re getting around him and making sure that he knows he’s got full support.”I’m not a selector but I’d be surprised if he didn’t go on the [Australia A] tour to India. So, I think he’s going to have some cricket there, but then he’s obviously got Shield cricket as well. And like everyone, we want to go out there and perform for our states and make sure that we’re putting our hands up for national selection. No one’s got a given right to be picked for Australia. And so, it’s about us putting our arms around him, making sure that he goes out there and backs his skill and finds a method that he wants to bat with.”Lyon expects to feature in all the Ashes Tests•AFP/Getty ImagesLyon also expected Marnus Labuschagne to bounce back from his axing during the Caribbean tour.”Marn’s upbeat, and so he should be,” Lyon said. “His Test record speaks volumes. He absolutely put a couple of coaches into the ground over there with the amount of training that he was doing. But that’s Marn. That’s the way he prepares. And he’s still a class player, and he will be for a long period of time. So I’m still expecting bigger and better things from Marnus.”Lyon will now do a two-month pre-season with New South Wales ahead of the summer and expects to play at least three of the four Sheffield Shield games before the first Test, although his workloads will be managed by Cricket Australia in conjunction with NSW.He is also hopeful of finally making his BBL debut for Renegades in his third year on the list as Renegades have four games, plus finals if they get there, after the Ashes series is completed. One of those games is at Adelaide Oval against Adelaide Strikers, where he started his professional and BBL career. He said he is looking forward to bowling to close friends Travis Head and Alex Carey.”We’ve already spoken about that, but that’s all in good fun,” Lyon said. “I’ve obviously got a massive summer ahead of that. But if we get the opportunity to play each other in the Big Bash I’ll have to put all my notes in the back of the memory.”

Heading into Liverpool’s highly anticipated clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday night, one obvious player was stealing all the headlines.

Indeed, it was billed as the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Anfield in the Champions League, but the former Reds prodigy turned Los Blancos star only came on for the final exchanges.

Thankfully, Arne Slot’s resurgent side backed up a 2-0 win over Aston Villa with a superb showing against Xabi Alonso’s challengers, as a full team effort guided the Reds to a memorable 1-0 win on Europe’s grandest stage.

It was a phenomenal performance but there was perhaps an even better display post-game from skipper Virgil van Dijk. Keen to dismiss Trent as a talking point, he simply responded to being asked whether he was going to speak to the right-back with one word: “No.”

So, any talk of a meltdown has subsided now, as Liverpool look to be slowly returning to the polished machine they were last season when the Premier League title was triumphantly lifted.

How Liverpool downed Madrid

There must be something in the water on Merseyside that sees Liverpool raise their game whenever the LaLiga giants stroll into town.

In 2024, the Reds cruised to a 2-0 victory over the Spanish titans, with Alexis Mac Allister on the score sheet that night.

Deja vu occurred on Tuesday evening; therefore, as another comfortable victory saw the former Brighton and Hove Albion star pop up with the decisive match-winner.

Mac Allister headed home Dominik Szoboszlai’s inch-perfect delivery, with the South American also managing to come off at the end of the clash with 100% of his tackles won.

Szoboszlai offered far more than just being a classy operator from set-pieces, with a total of five shots registered by the Hungarian, only for Thibaut Courtois to have another unbelievable night against Slot’s men.

Come the end of the contest, journalist Bence Bocsak even boldly stated that the classy number eight was the “best midfielder on the pitch”.

That’s high praise, indeed, considering the visitors boasted Jude Bellingham in their ranks, but there was no fear in Liverpool’s game, coming up against some of these world-class talents, as evidenced in Conor Bradley’s ice-cold display.

Bradley – who noted that he wasn’t “fazed at all” after the match – came up against 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius Junior, and had him in his pocket all night long, heroically winning seven duels and three tackles.

Yet, there is one more Liverpool hero who could be turning into Slot’s very own Philippe Coutinho in front of our eyes.

Slot has found Liverpool's new Coutinho

Coutinho is remembered for being an exceptional midfield talent at Anfield, capable of lighting up Champions League occasions with his trickery and skill.

His final season for the Reds saw the Brazilian fire home a ridiculous five strikes from five Champions League clashes, with ex-Liverpool midfielder Craig Johnston once stating that Coutinho was the “absolute jewel” in their crown.

LW

106

37 + 26

AM

84

15 + 18

Johnston also stated that he provided Liverpool with “the best of both worlds” in terms of his audacious tricks and flicks, but also his hard work and adaptability for the cause, having often been moved to the left wing during his Anfield career.

That worked a treat, too, with 37 of his 54 career strikes for the red half of Merseyside coming from the left flank.

Florian Wirtz very much put in a Coutinho-like shift against Alonso’s men on Wednesday evening, as the easily scapegoated German was equal parts skill and equal parts grit down the left channel, to ensure a 1-0 win was secured.

Only eight of his 197 games for Bayer Leverkusen would come down this channel, but he looked a natural from this spot against Madrid, with a whopping five key passes amassed come the end of the tie and completing his one and only tackle.

The big-money summer signing has not been at his best in Liverpool colours just yet but this certainly provided hope for the future. There is a player in there, for sure.

Moreover, Wirtz completed all 100% of his dribbles as a constant Coutinho-esque threat for the visitors from Spain to keep tabs on.

He also covered a staggering 11.37km of the pitch just from energetic runs alone, with the aforementioned Johnston also once praising Coutinho for his ability to “keep running.”

In an ideal world, Wirtz would want to play in that preferred number 10 position for Slot and Co week in, week out.

But, with an “outrageous” performance now under his belt on the left – as Liverpool-based account Anfield Wrap described it – the £116m summer buy could slowly be morphing into a Coutinho-like presence, with the goals and assists hopefully flowing soon.

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ByAngus Sinclair Nov 5, 2025

Combining consistency with destructiveness, he wrote a new template for T20 batting

Sampath Bandarupalli16-Sep-2024The England series is likely to be the last T20I assignment for Travis Head in 2024, a year that marked his resurgence in the format. Here’s a look at the numbers that show how he combined consistency with destructiveness.182.07 Head’s strike rate across all T20s in 2024, the second-highest among batters with 1000-plus runs in a calendar year, marginally behind Andre Russell’s 182.12 in 2019.2 Players who scored 1000-plus runs in a calendar year in men’s T20s while averaging 40-plus and striking at 175-plus. Suryakumar Yadav in 2022 is the other one.