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South Africa’s Test captain, currently on an injury layoff, looks back at the team’s memorable draw in Pakistan

Temba Bavuma27-Oct-2025Professional cricketers get used to missing matches through injury but it’s never easy when you miss out on moments like our eight-wicket victory in the second Test, in Rawalpindi to level the series against Pakistan. You are obviously super-happy and proud of the guys and their achievements, but selfishly, as a player, you want to be there. You want to have contributed to the cause in some form.Being out of action with a grade-two calf tear is frustrating but the interval has been enjoyable in terms of readjusting and tinkering with my training programme. Over the last few weeks I have generally started my day with a session with the biokineticist in the morning, followed by a batting session. I have then done strength and conditioning sessions with my trainer based at the Wanderers Stadium.My rehab has been a collaborative effort between Lions and the national side. Ziyaad Mahomed, Lions’ physiotherapist, and Proteas’ physiotherapist Sizwe Hadebe have been administering my rehab and plenty of communication has flowed between them. Tumi Masakela, CSA high-performance strength and conditioning coach, took over from the physiotherapists once they were happy that I was able to train pain-free. I’m at that point now where everything I’m doing is pain-free whether it’s batting or running.Related

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In my absence, Aiden Markram has captained the side and led well, especially in the second Test. For us as South Africans, we are not super-accustomed to the subcontinent, so it will take us a little longer to adapt to the conditions and start getting the feel from a field-setting and bowling-changes point of view. I think Aiden had a stronger sense of that in the second Test, which was seen in the way he used his bowlers, found the balance between attack and defence, and placed fielders at the right angles. I thought his handling of the spinners, especially, which is never easy to get right, was good and they were a lot more effective for those conditions.Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer were superb. Kesh is doing Kesh things and is really cementing himself as one of the best spin bowlers we’ve produced as a country. He is a wily character and he knows how to read you as a batter and is able to adapt his skill to what the opponent is doing. When playing against him, I feel like you have to make the play.That is generally the case when facing good bowlers. They don’t often give you bad balls and you sometimes have to score off their good balls. Kesh gets the ball to drop and angle, utilises the crease, and he is always in the game.Simon, who took his 1000th first-class wicket during the second Test, is a silent warrior. He actually reached out to me after the Test Championship final and said that he’s still available to play South African cricket. He expressed that’s still his goal, and it was exciting to hear that. I then had a conversation with the coach, Shukri Conrad, to get him back involved. I’m glad he’s returned to the fold, and looking at the Tests we’re going to have on the subcontinent, it made a lot of sense. The partnership between Simon and Kesh will become a formidable one, especially in subcontinental conditions. I also like the competitiveness between them. We also have Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrayen to support them, and Aiden, who can turn his arm over as well.South Africa have an attack tailored for the subcontinent with Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer in their ranks•Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty ImagesSen was a well-deserved Man of the Series against Pakistan. He contributed with the ball in the first Test and the bat in the second. It would have been nice for him to get to the three-figure mark, but the way he’s come into the team, he’s really bolstered our resources from both a batting and bowling perspective. He took 11 wickets and scored 106 runs, but he’s an unassuming character; he’s not loud and gets his job done. Whenever the opportunity is there, he tries to grab it with both hands. I’m sure the guys would have celebrated hard for a bloke like Sen.What we have been able to do well and something which has served us, is selecting based on character rather than simply basing it on stats. Character is a big thing for us as a team and everything we do, we do it for each other. It’s knowing you have individuals, who on their day will make the play for the team.A great example of that came from Kagiso Rabada with the bat. We obviously all know him with the ball. But, for me, with him making a play like that, making 71 runs in the second Test, it was probably the defining moment in the game. I hear they call him “Brian Charles” Rabada now!KG killed all energy within the Pakistani team. It was always going to be tricky for them going into their second innings and trying to play with any great deal of confidence, having suffered that at the hands of Kagiso and his bat.

Williamson scored his fourth hundred in as many Tests but Taijul’s guile and perseverance kept the contest on an even keel

Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2023The first New Zealander to score centuries in four consecutive Tests. Level with Sir Don Bradman and Virat Kohli with 29 centuries. Kane Williamson is a modern-day giant, and arguably the greatest batter from his country. Into his thirteenth year in international cricket, Williamson continues to be his side’s batting linchpin, and it is often his battle with the opposition’s best bowler that decides the contest.On Wednesday, Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer, Shakib Al Hasan, got through his first day on the campaign trail in his hometown Magura. Shakib is contesting parliamentary elections, which are set to be held on January 7.Related

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Kane Williamson, Taijul Islam star on evenly-matched second day in Sylhet

Shakib is nursing a finger injury that has put him out of contention for the Test series, and so, in Sylhet, Taijul Islam is Bangladesh’s best bowler: on paper and in the field too. He certainly bowled like the top dog on day two, which he lit up with his 12th four-wicket haul in Test cricket.Taijul has, for years, played second fiddle to Shakib. Quite naturally. But whenever Shakib has been absent or unable to bowl, which has happened quite a lot in Tests, Taijul has been both Bangladesh’s workhorse and their biggest wicket-taking threat. New Zealand discovered the potency of Taijul and his spin colleagues on Wednesday, which they ended 44 runs behind Bangladesh’s first-innings total, with two wickets in hand.Williamson’s main contest was with Taijul. He scored 38 runs off the 91 balls he faced from the left-arm spinner. After Taijul conceded a four through midwicket off a full-toss, he tightened up his lines and lengths considerably. At times it was a slow grind with Williamson hitting a couple of classical off-drives and a square-cut. Nayeem Hasan also posed some difficulty for Williamson, and just when it looked like the New Zealand great was going to get his side close to the Bangladesh total, Taijul came up with the ball of the day.It was the fifth ball after Bangladesh had taken the second new ball. Taijul tossed it up, drawing Williamson onto the forward press. The trajectory, however, undid Williamson, who was beaten for line, the ball drifting in and continuing along that path after pitching, sneaking between his bat and pad. Williamson looked back in surprise as the ball dislodged his off bail. He had seemed to have it covered, but Taijul had found that tiny gap. He had been trying to get Williamson to come forward all day and leave that space for him, or at least beat his inside edge and hit his front pad, below the flap. It had finally worked, bringing a wide smile to Taijul’s face.Williamson later said New Zealand had faced tough questions from the Bangladesh spinners. “They are very familiar with these conditions. They are very accurate. They all ask different questions,” he said. “They were all outstanding today. They asked us a lot of questions. They taught a lot of lessons as well to play in this part of this world.”Kane Williamson was patient and sure-footed against Bangladesh’s spinners•AFP/Getty ImagesBangladesh’s spin bowling coach Rangana Herath reiterated that Taijul has grown into a bowling leader in Shakib’s absence. “Taijul is always helping the attack. He is our leading spinner,” Herath said. “He created a lot of pressure [on New Zealand]. He created a lot of angles.”He has great experience, knowledge and understanding. I am so happy that he took four wickets today. Taijul plays a big role for us regardless of Shakib playing or not. He plays both attacking and defensive role. He is always relying on his line and length.”Williamson’s century was an important contribution, and he felt his partnerships with Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Philips were crucial to New Zealand’s reply to Bangladesh’s 310 all out.”It is humbling [to get the consecutive centuries record for New Zealand] but at the same time the focus is about the team,” he said. “Trying to get it to the best possible position, and be a part of as many partnerships. That’s the goal. It was the pleasing thing today, but it would have been to still be out there.”Williamson’s wicket late in the day evened up the contest, perhaps turning it slightly in favour of the home side. That’s only if they can take the two remaining New Zealand wickets quickly on the third morning, of course.”It was a tough day,” Williamson said. “I thought the batters really tried to apply themselves. Put together some good partnerships. We have a couple of wickets left. It will be nice to get a few more, and then we will have our chance to bowl. The surface is showing signs of deteriorating quite a lot. It looks like a bit of a scrap in the next few days.”

England newbie says blaming white-ball focus is a “cop-out” as he targets prolonged run in side

Andrew Miller06-Apr-2022After a winter spent at close quarters with a modern England great in Joe Root, Dan Lawrence says he’ll be mining into the methods of another of his illustrious team-mates at Essex, Alastair Cook, as he returns to Chelmsford determined to build on the marginal gains of a “frustrating” first full year in Test cricket.Amid the doom and gloom of England’s slump to the bottom of the World Test Championship standings, and with a solitary victory in 17 attempts since February 2021, the insistence from within the England camp that there are “positives” to take from last month’s 1-0 loss in the Caribbean has come in for heavy criticism – not least from Cook himself, who has denounced the rhetoric as “deluded”.And yet, Lawrence’s sparky displays – at least in the first two Tests in Antigua and Barbados – were as uplifting as anything that England have produced all winter. Twice in as many games, his selfless second-innings batting took the attack to West Indies to set up a pair of final-day declarations, and though he admits he’s still “kicking himself” for the manner in which he gave away a maiden Test hundred at Bridgetown, the initial signs are promising as he seeks to make Root’s former No. 4 berth his own.”I’m happy [to have got my opportunity],” Lawrence said during Essex’s pre-season media day at Chelmsford. “It’s been quite a long winter. Obviously I didn’t play in Australia which was disappointing so it was then nice to get few games in the Caribbean. I felt like it went alright. I’m a bit disappointed about the last game, but that’s life. I feel like we’re improving a lot as an England team and I’m just excited to get going with the Essex boys now.”After 11 stop-start appearances since January last year, Lawrence’s record epitomises the erratic current state of England’s Test cricket. Four excellent and contrasting half-centuries – including a match-winning effort on debut in Sri Lanka and 96 defiant runs on a spinning deck in Ahmedabad – have been countered by five ducks in 21 innings, including a fateful leave-alone to his final ball of the winter in Grenada.But the potential is undeniable, and Lawrence’s annoyance at his failure to fully cement his credentials cannot distract from the sense that he’s emerged from the Caribbean with a clearer understanding of the player he needs to be within this rebuilding team.Dan Lawrence will be back in Essex colours at Chelmsford on Thursday•Getty Images”It’s been frustrating, to be honest,” Lawrence said. “Of the scores where I got in, I would love to have gone a little bit bigger, because all the best players do that. You’re always going to get low scores in international cricket. It’s bloody tough out there, there’s some serious bowlers out there.”It’s about trying to work out how to survive those early bits, which I’ve got to improve on. And then, when I get in, really go big. I’ve got to keep it literally as simple as that, and just keep enjoying it. It’s obviously a massive honour and privilege to play for England. So it’s something I desperately want to continue doing.”Lawrence perhaps will not get a better learning experience, however, than the circumstances of his 91 in Bridgetown. On a blameless first-day pitch, and with his captain Root at the other end in a hefty third-wicket stand, he had the match situation, and the wise counsel alongside him, to truly make his start count. But then, in the closing moments of the day, he allowed his blood to pump too freely as he lashed a catch to cover moments after back-to-back boundaries, and instead it would be Root and the next man in, Ben Stokes, who would cash in with three figures.”It’s massively gutting,” Lawrence said. “I would have taken 91 at the start of the day but it’s a funny game – no matter how well you do, you always walk away a bit disappointed with batting. If I had that moment again, obviously I’d do things differently, but there’s always stuff to learn from it and if I get that chance again, then hopefully I can rein myself in a little bit more.”That’s how I generally play my cricket anyway – to try and get the game moving and try and put the opposition on the back foot as much as possible,” he added. “Then it’s just about having the ability to go through the gears and go back down a couple of times. And my reflection from that is I wish I’d slowed down a little bit and then got a really big hundred. That’s what all the best players do – when they get a chance to go big, they go really big. And that’s my main reflection from the tour.”Few players in English history have gone much bigger than Root and Cook – with five double-centuries each, only Wally Hammond (7) has reached 200 more times. And having seen at close quarters how “relentless” Root can be when he gets his chance, Lawrence says he’ll be looking for tips from Cook about mastering the mindset of red-ball batting.”He’s someone I’m going to use quite a lot at the start of the year,” Lawrence said. “Not necessarily from a technical point of view, but trying to pick his brain with mentally how he went about it. Because it’s tough work, Test cricket. It’s obviously brilliant and great fun, but it is a massive step up, and mentally it can be quite tough. So I’m going to try and use him as much as I possibly can, pick his brains, and take whatever I can from the best players.”Part of that mental prep involves shutting out external factors – of which there are plenty swirling around at present, as English cricket grapples with an extended run of defeats that hasn’t been countenanced since the tough days of the 1990s. Already, however, Lawrence seems to be learning to filter out the noise and just focus on the job at hand.”I don’t try and listen to too much of what people say off the pitch,” he said. “I think people do generally enjoy being a bit more negative about the England side than may be needed.”But I think for us now, it’s completely irrelevant what’s happened in the last 12 months. It’s obviously not been an ideal 12 months for us as an England side. That’s quite obvious to anyone. But we’ve got a real opportunity now to really make the most of our home conditions and try and get some good series wins under our belt.”And I really think that the way the team’s going, if we do keep going like this and we all keep improving as players, I really think we’ll start getting some wins on the board and when everyone’s around and when we’ve got our perfect England XI out, I think we’re going to be very hard to beat.”Much of the blame for the Test team’s recent woes has been laid on the ECB’s explicitly white-ball focus of recent seasons – first with their run-in to the 2019 World Cup, and more recently with the establishment of the Hundred, and the absence of Championship cricket in last year’s prime summer months.Joe Root shared a lengthy stand with Dan Lawrence in Barbados•Getty ImagesLawrence, however, isn’t having any of it. “I think that’s a big cop-out that a lot of journalists use,” he said. “They blame white-ball cricket for the failings of red-ball cricket, but India have got an amazing white-ball team and their Test-match team is still incredible.”There’s a lot of people there who are desperate to do well in red-ball cricket, and we play as much as we can, and we do as much as we can, to try and do well, and it’s something that, I’m sure with the quality around, that it will turn. It will turn for us. I think the whole white-ball thing is a bit of a cop-out.”On the impact of the pandemic, however, Lawrence is rather more equivocal. His county coach, Anthony McGrath, believes that the lack of youth-team fixtures in recent seasons has stunted the development of Essex’s rising crop of players, and while the opportunities for the new faces in England’s set-up haven’t been quite so limited, Lawrence admits that his first experience of an Ashes tour – ordinarily a career highlight for any player – was “not great”.”We were allowed out for dinner and stuff but we could only sit outside, and it just wasn’t as good as an Australia trip away can be,” he said. “The training was very limited. At the practice game [in Queensland], it rained the whole time as well. It was one of those where I just think it wasn’t quite meant to be. And Australia are obviously a very, very good side as well. And they’re hard to beat even if you have the best prep in the world.”Related

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It was doubly frustrating for Lawrence given that, in the spring of 2020, he had returned from Australia as the stand-out performer on that year’s Lions tour, and in ordinary circumstances, would surely have warranted an opportunity to prove himself again in those conditions – especially once the series had been lost with two Tests to come.”I was disappointed, yes,” he said. “I mean, I can’t do anything about it – when you don’t get picked, you don’t get picked. And that’s fine. It was just a bit of a driving thing for me to try and do well whenever I did get a chance. And thankfully I did get my chance in the West Indies.”It can get a bit tedious after a little while, especially when you feel like you haven’t got a big chance of playing. But it’s just about trying to keep on top of everything – do what you can and try and stay as fit as possible and hit a lot of balls and hopefully when you do get a chance try and take it.””It’s not been ideal but still, when you go and play for the country, it’s just as special even if it is a Covid game. The Caribbean was the first real taste of a little bit of freedom for a lot of us. The rules weren’t quite as strict. We could go out for dinner, we could go and meet friends and stuff as long as it was in a controlled environment. It was a good tour and felt like the first sort of tour normality for a while.”Next stop then, for Lawrence, a probable green seamer against Kent at Chelmsford, and an encounter with a man whose name has cropped up with increasing frequency throughout the winter – including in last month’s third-Test collapse in Grenada, where Kyle Mayers wobbled the ball on a good length to claim seven match-wrecking wickets, and showcased precisely the probing attributes that the evergreen Darren Stevens has made his trademark.”It will probably be quite similar,” Lawrence admitted. “We’ll just see what happens when we get out there on Thursday. I’m sure on the seventh of April, with loads of rain around, it will do a little bit but I’m just going to play it by ear and see how it goes, and take each day as it comes. To start off this season, I’ve just got Essex on my mind.”

The Blue Jays host the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night, with a shot at taking down the reigning champions and winning their first title since 1993.

While this year’s Blue Jays have had their fair share of “team of destiny” moments already in the postseason, the challenge of the Dodgers is simply on a different level. Los Angeles sports a lineup that can go bat-for-bat with Toronto, and a pitching staff the likes of which the Jays have not yet faced in the postseason.

Taking the mound for the Dodgers in Game 1 is two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who so far this postseason has pitched 21 innings and given up just six hits and two runs while striking out 28. Will the Blue Jays be able to break through against Snell? Or will the lefty continue his dominant run with another great start on the road?

Below we take a look at how some of Toronto’s best bats match up against Snell.

All stats come with the help of StatHead.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the midst of one of the greatest postseason runs we have ever seen from a hitter, and looking worth every dollar of the $500 million contract extension he signed back in April. Vladdy is slashing an absolutely absurd .442/.510/.930 so far this postseason, with six home runs, 11 runs scored and 12 RBIs. He has struck out just three times.

The Blue Jays will need Guerrero to keep up his hot streak if they are going to take the title, but the slugger will have his work cut out for him against Snell on Friday night. Guerrero is just 2-for-9 in his career against Snell, with three walks and no strikeouts. He has not produced a hit against Snell since the 2020 season.

Obviously we are working with small sample sizes here, and it’s possible that Guerrero’s current hot streak is more indicative than any stats on previous plate appearances vs. Snell could be, but it’s worth noting that Toronto’s best hitter will be facing his toughest competition yet on the mound.

George Springer

Fernando Tatis Jr. thinks it’s obvious who the best player in Major League Baseball is, but that doesn’t mean he wants to admit it.

During his media availability at the MLB All-Star Game, Tatis was asked who he thought the league’s best player was. He had an answer but didn’t want to say the name.

“I feel like that’s a really obvious question,” the San Diego Padres right fielder said with a laugh. “But he’s my rival, I’m not gonna mention his name. You know it already, 17 for the blue team.”

Tatis is obviously referring to Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who has won three MVP awards. It’s pretty funny that the Padres-Dodgers rivalry has gotten so heated that one All-Star has to begrudgingly admit another is the best player in baseball.

So far this season, Ohtani is slashing .276/.382/.605, with a National League-best 32 home runs and 60 RBIs. It’s actually shocking to see his OPS below 1.000. He’s currently fifth in MLB with 4.7 fWAR, and his wRC+ (168) ranks fourth.

Obviously Tatis was joking around, but there are only two possible answers to that question. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has a legitimate claim to that title this season, but it’ll be tough for anyone to beat Ohtani in that contest. Especially now that he’s back pitching.

Former Tottenham star Gareth Bale has sent out a message to club legend Son Heung-min ahead of his return to Spurs on Tuesday. The South Korea international will make his first trip back to north London for the team's Champions League match against Slavia Prague where he will be given the chance to say a proper goodbye to fans following his summer exit.

• Son set for emotional Spurs visit

  Son left Tottenham in the summer after a decade with the club and joined MLS side LAFC on a free transfer. The popular star ended his stay on a high by captaining Spurs to a first trophy in 17 years by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final. The 33-year-old subsequently departed after the club's pre-season tour of Asia, meaning he is yet to say a proper farewell to Spurs supporters. That will all change on Tuesday night when Son will make his first return to the club for Tottenham's Champions League game against Slavia Prague. Son will be on the pitch before kick-off and will address the crowd in what promises to be an emotional occasion.

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  Bale has sent a special message to Son ahead of the fixture and hopes he enjoys what promises to be a very special occasion: "Hi Sonny, Just wanted to say a massive congratulations on your time here at Tottenham. Not many players get to bow out with their last game for their club with a trophy. You are a living legend here. Hopefully you will enjoy the evening. You deserve all the plaudits you get and good luck with my old club, LAFC, and hopefully you can bring home the title there as well."

• Spurs pay tribute to Son

  Tottenham have also unveiled a mural in tribute to Son ahead of the match. The artwork displayed on Tottenham High Road features Son's trademark celebration and the Spurs star with the Europa League trophy. Son paid a visit to the mural during his return to London and added his signature to the bottom.

  Son has also spoken about how important the trip back to his former club is for him, telling the club's media: "When I announced my difficult decision to leave Spurs in the summer, it was in Korea and I never got a proper chance to say goodbye to fans at the stadium. Now I am so happy because I am going to come back to London on 9th December, for the Champions League match, and be able to tell the Spurs fans in person just how much their support and love over 10 years has meant to me and my family. It will be emotional, but it's important for me and the club that this happens.”

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• Tottenham hoping to enjoy home comforts

  Son will no doubt be hoping to cheer Spurs to victory on Tuesday, with Spurs having been in good form at home in the Champions League. Head coach Thomas Frank is hoping his team can build on the weekend's win over Brentford and deliver another victory for fans. He told reporters: "It's always good to build momentum, to get more consistent performances. We will try to build on that tomorrow night, we have a good opportunity against a Slavia Prague side who are very direct and physical, man mark all over the pitch. That can particularly make it difficult for us. It is about us making sure we perform well, with forwardness and directness in attacking play."

The visitors bowled spin for all 50 overs of their innings in Dhaka, keeping Bangladesh to 213

Mohammad Isam21-Oct-2025

West Indies won the Super OverWest Indies prevailed over Bangladesh in the Super Over, beating the home side in Dhaka by one run. Akeal Hosein delivered an imperfect final over in extra time, defending ten runs, but he kept Bangladesh in check with several dots mixed with wides and no-balls. Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto couldn’t do the job for Bangladesh, and so, the series is now 1-1.West Indies had earlier scored ten runs in their Super Over, with captain Shai Hope getting a boundary off the last ball, after Mustafizur Rahman had removed Sherfane Rutherford with his second ball.This was Bangladesh’s first tie in 814 men’s international matches.Hope carried West Indies in regulation time, getting the only half-century of the game. West Indies needed five runs off the 50th over to complete a chase of 214. Saif Hassan bowled two dot balls before conceding a single. Hope got on strike and even though he only had Hosein at the other end – the No. 10 batter playing his first game on tour – he chose to take another single.Saif punished Hope for that, bowling Hosein between his legs. Khary Pierre, the last man in, needed to get three off the final ball, but his top edge spun towards square leg. Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan ran for the catch, but he dropped the chance. He also couldn’t pass the ball on in time to Mustafizur, who was stood by the stumps, as Pierre and Hope completed two runs, tying the match.West Indies became the first team to bowl spin for all 50 overs of an ODI. The visitors overhauled a record that had stood since 2004, when Sri Lanka plied Australia with 44 overs of slow bowling. Bangladesh topped that tally up with 42 overs from their own spinners, pushing the match aggregate to 92 overs of spin – another record in this format.Rishad Hossain came good with the bat again•AFP/Getty Images

When West Indies’ chase began, Nasum Ahmed removed Brandon King in the first over. Alick Athanaze and Keacy Carty batted solidly during the powerplay, with Athanaze hitting Mehidy Hasan Miraz over covers, followed by a straight drive off Nasum. He also struck two more fours, before Rishad Hossain trapped him lbw. Athanze missed with a sweep after connecting with one earlier in the over.Carty was Rishad’s next victim when he missed his reverse sweep, and the ball snuck through and hit his back leg. Debutant Ackeem Auguste swept Tanvir Islam straight to Rishad at square leg, falling for 17. Sherfane Rutherford was given out lbw next, in the 27th over, as West Indies lost half their side with 103 on the board.Gudakesh Motie and Hope tried to keep West Indies afloat, but they were separated six overs later. Rishad struck with a full ball that Motie went after with a wild slog, falling for 15. Roston Chase, batting at No. 8, followed soon after, caught behind off Nasum.From 133 for 7, Hope added 44 runs for the eighth wicket with Justin Greaves. The latter got run out trying to take a quick single, with Mehidy effecting a direct hit to get the crucial wicket. Hope handled most of the strike but Hosein struck a six, to take West Indies closer. Needing just 14 off 12 balls, it looked unlikely that they would let the game go into a Super Over.Earlier, Bangladesh struggled to get going for most of their innings after deciding to bat first. Saif was dismissed after hitting a six, while Towhid Hridoy and Shanto got out to poor shots. Hridoy top-edged a slog, while Shanto got caught at short midwicket, unable to time Athanaze’s long hop.Sarkar played some gorgeous shots in between a lot of dot balls. He made 45 off 89 balls with three fours and a six, before holing out in the deep in the 31st over. Bangladesh were 103 for 5, and looked in danger, until Nurul slammed a six and two fours for his 23, leaving Rishad to do the finishing. He struck three fours and as many sixes in his unbeaten 14-ball 39, all of which came in the last 2.1 overs of the Bangladesh innings.Athanaze was West Indies’ best bowler with figures of 2 for 14 from his ten overs, while Hosein, who flew into Dhaka on the day before the match, also picked up two wickets. Motie took 3 for 65, his figures spoiled by Rishad’s last burst of boundaries.

Tim David’s blitz in vain for St Lucia Kings, who went down by 27 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025

Captain Rovman Powell led the way, smashing an unbeaten 41 off 17 balls, as Barbados Royals secured their first win in CPL 2025. Despite that, Royals remained at the bottom of the points table and David Wiese’s St Lucia Kings remained at the top along with Nicholas Pooran’s Trinbago Knight Riders. Currently, only net run-rate separates Kings and TKR.After they were asked to bat first, Royals didn’t start well. They lost Quinton de Kock to left-arm fingerspinner Khary Pierre in the third over and by the end of the powerplay, they had managed only 39 for 1. Tabraiz Shamsi, the left-arm wristspinner from South Africa, then stifled Royals even further by taking out Brandon King (42), Kadeem Alleyne (39) and Sherfane Rutherford (16) in his four overs which cost Kings only 26 runs.When Powell joined Chris Green, Royals were 120 for 5 in the 16th over. Powell then teed off, lining up Alzarri Joseph for two sixes and a four in the 19th over. In the final over of the innings, bowled by rookie Delano Potgieter, Powell and Green combined to take three fours and a six.Green wasn’t done just yet. He struck with the new ball, dismissing Johnson Charles and Roston Chase. Wicketkeeper-opener Tim Seifert raced to 24 off 13 before he was bowled by Jomel Warrican. Tim David, one of the most dangerous finishers in the world, then threatened to take the game away from Royals until Daniel Sams interneved and cut his innings short on 44 off 28 balls.David’s dismissal left Kings at 94 for 6 in 12 overs, needing 98 off 48 balls. Cameos from Wiese and Joseph got Kings closer, but Royals finally wrapped up their first victory this season and kept their hopes of making the playoffs alive.

Puttick, Troughton and Lee also added in support staff reshuffle ahead of the ILT20 auction on September 30

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2025Gulf Giants, the ILT20 franchise, have appointed Jonathan Trott as head coach and Shane Bond as bowling coach for the upcoming season. They replace Andy Flower and Ottis Gibson, respectively.Apart from being Afghanistan’s head coach, Trott was also the head coach of Pretoria Capitals in SA20 and was replaced by Sourav Ganguly there. Bond’s recent stints have been with Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and with Paarl Royals in SA20.”The Gulf Giants have quickly become one of the ILT20’s most successful teams,” Trott said in a statement. “My goal is to empower players to excel and help shape a championship-winning squad through the first-ever ILT20 auction.”Related

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The ILT20 auction will be held on September 30 in Dubai for the fourth season which is set to run from December 2, 2025 to January 4, 2026.”The team’s ambition is clear,” Bond said. “I’m excited to sharpen our bowling attack and make a decisive impact this season.”Giants have also added Andrew Puttick as batting coach, Jim Troughton as fielding coach and Nick Lee as fitness coach.Their squad currently includes James Vince, Aayan Khan, Mark Adair, Blessing Muzarabani and Gerhard Erasmus as their retained players. Their new signings are Moeen Ali, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Giants had won the inaugural edition of ILT20 in 2023, were eliminated in Qualifier 2 in 2024, and finished second from bottom earlier this year.

Manchester City continued to build this season as they defeated Villarreal in Spain to stretch to seven points from three Champions League outings this season.

Pep Guardiola’s side still aren’t at their rip-roaring best, but considering they are now nine matches undefeated across all competitions, they will take plenty of positives back to the Etihad before heading to Aston Villa for a Premier League clash on Sunday.

While the Citizens as a whole are not firing on all cylinders, they are certainly getting there. And when Erling Haaland is in such unstoppable, undefinably brilliant form, it raises the level of the unit and then some.

Erling Haaland's incredible Man City form continues

He can’t stop scoring. How many times have we heard that hackneyed football saying? Well, for Haaland, it’s a truism: the Norwegian striker truly cannot stop finding the back of the net, with his first-half goal against the Yellow Submarine extending his scoring streak to 12 consecutive fixtures for club and country.

With 18 goals from 14 recent Man City games, there’s no doubt that Guardiola wields one of the most devastating strikers in the world. But then we’ve all known that for a while.

Against Villarreal, he was at his trademark best. 12 touches, four successful passes. The 25-year-old lost all three duels (data via Sofascore).

He’s not an expansive striker, and he doesn’t need to be. Haaland is, quite simply, a world-class purveyor of goals.

He is fuelled by a hard-working and dynamic supporting cast, and there was one man in particular who continued his fine form at the Estadi de la Ceramica, surely enjoying his most colourful purple patch in a City shirt.

The Man City star in the form of his career

Guardiola once said Matheus Nunes is among the best players in the world.

He since amended that statement, but there’s no question that the sagacious Spaniard saw something special in the Portuguese talent and signed him when he could.

Refashioned from midfielder to right-back, Nunes has ebbed and flowed in a Manchester City shirt, but he’s been brilliant all season.

After impressing against Everton at the weekend, he put in a stunning showing against Villarreal, with reporter Simon Bajkowski noting he was “outplaying Villarreal every time” down the right flank.

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As per the norm, City dominated the possession, and they made their control count, with Nunes instrumental in the build-up, completing 97 of 99 attempted passes, taking 110 touches and recovering three loose balls. He won four of five duels.

The 27-year-old was handed an 8/10 match rating by the Daily Express, praised for the completeness of his performance. He defended well and combined neatly with Savinho throughout, showcasing a revival of concentration and rarely suffering the defensive lapses that had plagued him and kept him on the sidelines for much of his early Manchester career.

Nunes’ Man City career (all comps)

Season

Apps (starts)

Minutes

25/26

9 (6)

621′

24/25

43 (33)

2,914′

23/24

29 (14)

1,360′

Data via Transfermarkt

Though there will be some who continue to champion the arrival of a natural right-back in the future, Guardiola has always been an outside-the-box thinker, and he’s finally got Nunes playing to his tune.

Nunes is in the finest form of his Man City career, and with a continuation of this resurgence, he will only strengthen Pep’s fight for more silverware and the wider understanding that, no, in spite of Haaland’s brilliance, City are much more than a one-man team.

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