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Cummins says Australia hierarchy are “not beholden to stats” when it comes to appraising the lean run returns of Khawaja, McSweeney and Labuschagne

Alex Malcolm18-Dec-2024Australia captain Pat Cummins has defended the output of his top-three batters – particularly makeshift opener Nathan McSweeney – in difficult batting conditions, as Australia’s selectors mull their options for the final two Tests of the series.Australia’s selectors are due to meet on Thursday morning to select the sides for Melbourne and Sydney after a rain-affected draw in Brisbane left the Border-Gavaskar Trophy poised on a knife’s edge at 1-1.Top of the selectors’ agenda will be extra bowling cover for the injured Josh Hazlewood with Scott Boland the obvious man to come back into the XI. But it would be hard for them not to at least discuss the top three, and in particular their openers, after another difficult week in Brisbane.Related

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Usman Khawaja, who turned 38 on Wednesday, was undone by Jasprit Bumrah for the second time in the Test match and the fourth time in the series. His partner, McSweeney, escaped Bumrah’s clutches for the first time in the series but instead nicked a wide delivery from Akash Deep. Marnus Labuschagne nicked one of Bumrah’s most innocuous deliveries of the series for just 1 as Australia slumped to 16 for 3 on their way to a bizarre third innings of 89 for 7 declared as they tried fruitlessly to set up a result before rain ended the game.Labuschagne averages 16.40 across five innings in the series, with 64 of his 82 runs coming in one hit in Adelaide. McSweeney averages 14.40 with a highest score of 39. Khawaja is averaging just 12.60, having been arguably Australia’s most reliable batter in 2022 and 2023.It appears unlikely that any change will be made despite the lean returns.Calls from the public for 19-year-old phenom Sam Konstas are growing louder following his stunning 20-ball half-century on BBL debut for Sydney Thunder on Tuesday night. That followed his century against an India attack that featured all of the Test bowlers bar Bumrah.But Cummins defended the contributions of his top three in the context of Travis Head’s two magical centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane, which according to the skipper were set up by the top three ensuring he didn’t walk out to face the new ball.”Everyone’s always hoping to score more runs,” Cummins said after rain ended the third Test. “I think the trend in world cricket pretty much all around the world is the top three is a really hard place to bat at the moment. Particularly here in Australia, the wickets are tough. I think there’s little snippets that have been important. Again, that first innings, Trav walks in 35 overs into the game, I think that makes a big difference, the same in Adelaide. Obviously they [the top three] would be hoping to score more runs, we’d like them to score more runs, but I think they have made some important contributions that others have benefited from.”Usman Khawaja has been cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah four times this series•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesBy that measure, Australia’s top three are doing their jobs given Head’s two centuries, plus Steven Smith’s century and Alex Carey’s 70 in Brisbane put Australia in commanding positions in both games. It is clear that Australia are content, given the quality of Bumrah and the difficulty of new-ball batting, to simply ask their top three to absorb pressure and buy Head time to come in and play the way he does.”The trend is, it seems like, five, six, seven is sometimes where a bulk of the runs are scored in Test cricket all around the world,” Cummins said. “I spoke ahead of this summer when there was all the talk about batting orders, we didn’t really want to move our five, six, seven – they’ve been so important to many of our wins over the last couple of years. We’re not beholden to stats, we know there are certain roles, there are easier times to bat, harder times to bat, just like bowlers, so you are always looking at the best seven batters who will function as a unit and place them as best you can.”McSweeney and Khawaja’s numbers look extremely lean compared to that of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who are averaging 47 and 38.60 respectively in the same conditions against Australia’s attack. But Rahul’s 84 in Brisbane could have been 30 had Smith held a straightforward chance at slip on day four, while Jaiswal has made just 32 runs in five innings outside of his match-winning 161 in Perth.Cummins was particularly supportive of the job McSweeney has done in his first three Tests, having been asked to debut as an opener with no prior experience at Sheffield Shield level and just two brief innings in the role for Australia A.”It’s been really hard for the opening batters for both sides really,” Cummins said. “I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s gone about it. Even today, someone starting out his career still being selfless enough to go out there and try to play shots rather than try and preserve and get a score. Really impressed with him, again probably hasn’t scored the runs he would have liked, but he has played some important knocks that have set up a win in Adelaide and a really good result here.”

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has a key decision to make about the future of a big-name player this summer, with Premier League rivals now looking at tempting him with a move away.

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Berta’s key priority right now, according to Fabrizio Romano, is sealing some outgoings to balance the books – having already spent over £200 million on new additions this window.

Gyokeres is their latest official capture after he sealed a long-awaited £64 million move from Sporting CP last weekend, joining Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera.

Eze would be a fine addition to this already-impressive crop of exceptional new talent, and Arsenal are believed to have already held initial talks with Crystal Palace. However, going by Romano’s update, exits will be necessary before they can formally bid.

Leandro Trossard faces a reported uncertain future at Arsenal given the Belgian has now entered the final 12 months of his contract. According to recent reports, Arsenal could sell Trossard this summer, rather than lose him for free in 2026.

The winger has offers to leave England with Borussia Dortmund keen (Florian Plettenberg), and Trossard isn’t the only forward who could quit before deadline day.

Reports earlier this month, specifically from talkSPORT, claimed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr hold a serious interest in Gabriel Martinelli and were considering a £73 million bid, which would double Arsenal’s club-record sale of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool in 2017.

£265,000-per-week striker Gabriel Jesus is another nominee for Berta’s chopping block, especially following Gyokeres’ arrival.

Arsenal poised to accept Gabriel Jesus offer as Premier League rivals line up

Jesus has attracted serious interest from Flamengo, according to recent reports from Brazil, with the 28-year-old also open to leaving the Emirates.

Right now, Jesus is in recovery from a crippling ACL rupture which ended his 2024/2025 season, and that potentially makes finding an outright buyer pretty difficult.

Nevertheless, according to well-connected former chief scout Mick Brown, who worked at Man United during their most successful period, top flight rivals are keen on signing Jesus from Arsenal.

“Arsenal are going to accept an offer for Jesus if their price is met.

“I think his best days are behind him, but he was still a reliable squad player at Arsenal until now. He hasn’t pulled up any trees, but he’s done alright. I think the thing for Arsenal has been that they need better than ‘alright’ and that’s why they’ve now gone out and spent all that money on Gyokeres.

“With him and Havertz there, it’s difficult to see where Jesus would fit in their plans.

“I hear there’s interest from a few teams in the Premier League, so that would be a good option. From his point of view, he’s going to want to go somewhere he can play at a high level but also play regular football, because he won’t get that at Arsenal.

“And from the club’s point of view, if they can make good money from him, they can spend it elsewhere. It’s the type of deal I think could work for all parties.”

The former Man City star signed for around £45 million on a long-term deal back in 2022, but has struggled to become that ’25 goal per season’ striker despite periods of excellent form.

Jesus enjoyed a real purple patch just last season, but that was immediately followed by his long-term injury in what was real bad luck for the ex-Palmeiras sensation. With just two years remaining on his deal, now could be the right time to sell Jesus if any suitor is prepared to take the plunge.

Tottenham Hotspur could hijack Nottingham Forest’s move for an “unbelievable” forward, amid the fall-out surrounding their pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White, according to a report.

Forest considering legal action after Spurs approach Gibbs-White

Spurs’ pursuit of Gibbs-White has proven to be controversial, with Forest ceasing all communication after alleging that an illegal approach had been made for the midfielder, which means the deal has now stalled.

The Tricky Trees have reported Spurs to the Premier League, and it is currently unknown whether the transfer will be blocked entirely, although super agent Sky Andrew has suggested Daniel Levy may have to simply pay more to get a deal over the line.

Andrew said: “If it goes to arbitration, where it must go within the football rules and regulations, then Forest will have to prove that the club went directly to the player or to the agent. Most clubs know that it is very difficult to prove.

“So, this is a case now of how much will the buying club pay for the player. It won’t be £60 million, it will probably have to be more.”

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The Lilywhites will no doubt have been left frustrated by the deal stalling, but they could now have an opportunity to get one-up on Forest, with a report from The Standard revealing they are in the race to sign one of their Premier League rivals’ major targets.

Tottenham reportedly remain in the race for Brentford star Yoane Wissa, having submitted an enquiry earlier in the transfer window, at which point they were told that it would take an offer of £50m to tempt the Bees into a sale.

Forest have also set their sights on the forward, having recently had a £20m bid knocked back, indicating Spurs could hijack the deal if they are willing to put a higher offer on the table.

That said, Brentford have made it clear they are unwilling to sell both Bryan Mbeumo and Wissa in the same window unless they receive a huge bid, so it could be difficult to get a deal done.

"Unbelievable" Wissa emerged as Premier League star last season

The 28-year-old was one of the best-performing forwards in the Premier League in the 2024-25 campaign, scoring 19 goals, the sixth-highest tally in the top flight, while also providing five assists in 35 outings.

Courtesy of his performances last term, the DR Congo international was lauded for his “unbelievable” quality by former manager Thomas Frank, and it is an added bonus that the Spurs boss knows the forward very well.

As such, Wissa could be a solid signing for Tottenham this summer, with the France-born forward’s goal and assist tally suggesting he could justify a £50m price tag, although the fact his contract is set to expire next summer means a lower fee would perhaps be more fair.

English statistician developed the DL method with Tony Lewis and it was first used in international cricket in 1997

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2024

Frank Duckworth, one of the inventors of the Duckworth-Lewis (later Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method to determine results in rain-affected cricket matches, died on Friday, June 21 at the age of 84.The original method, devised by English statisticians Duckworth and Tony Lewis, was first used in international cricket in 1997 and was formally adopted by the ICC as the standard for setting revised targets in truncated games in 2001. In 2014, it was renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after the retirement of Duckworth and Lewis and the modifications made to the system by Australian statistician Steven Stern.Duckworth and Lewis were both awarded MBEs in June 2010.The DL method replaced the rain rule that was used previously to calculate targets in interrupted matches, most infamously during the 1992 ODI World Cup semi-final between England and South Africa in Sydney.Duckworth was a consultant statistician with the ICC until 2014.”Frank was a top statistician who was respected by peers as well as the wider cricket fraternity. The DLS method that he co-created has stood the test of time and we have continued to use it in international cricket more than two decades after its inception,” Wasim Khan, the ICC general manager – cricket operations, said in a press statement. “Frank’s contribution to the game has been immense and the world of cricket is poorer with his death. We send our condolences to his family and friends.”

Amid speculation that Nelson Semedo could be on his way out of the Midlands at the end of his contract this month, Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly joined the race to sign an instant replacement.

Semedo films Wolves farewell

Having already lost both Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha to Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, the last thing that Wolves need is another departure. With just a matter of weeks remaining on his current deal, however, Semedo looks destined to hand the Midlands club exactly that. The right-back’s future remains in doubt and he has seemingly been pictured filming what may well be a farewell to the fans at Molineux.

With another departure on the cards, Wolves could be in for a hectic summer ahead of Vitor Pereira’s first full season in charge. So far, the Portuguese manager has done everything right in charge of the Midlands club, but he will be desperate to ensure that the good times continue even without stars of Ait-Nouri and Cunha’s calibre.

The Wolves boss told reporters in the final stages of last season: “Of course, we need players. We need to be stronger next season, competing for every game. What I learned is that with this level of focus, we cannot compete with these kinds of teams.

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“It means next season we must be better, we must compete inside (the club). If you don’t compete inside, then you have problems — you must compete inside the club every day in training. You must have competition for your position. The players are not happy for sure (with the result) because they know they can do better.”

With that need for players, it looks as though Wolves have wasted no time before turning towards an experienced defender who could arrive to replace Semedo this summer.

Wolves join hectic Coufal race

According to Football Insider, Wolves have now joined the race to sign Vladimir Coufal alongside Premier League rivals Everton and Leeds United. The veteran right-back left West Ham United as a free agent after five years at the club, but could yet get the chance to stay put in England’s top flight even without the Hammers.

A player who would match Semedo’s experience, Coufal still has something to offer after leaving West Ham and Wolves should take full advantage. Statistically speaking, the 32-year-old wasn’t far off matching Semedo every step of the way last season.

Premier League stats per 90 24/25 (via FBref)

Vladimir Coufal

Nelson Semedo

Minutes

1,067

2,886

Tackles Won

1.26

1.12

Interceptions

0.67

0.72

Ball Recoveries

3.28

4.33

Hailed as “brilliant” by former West Ham boss David Moyes during his time with the Irons, Coufal may not be a long-term option, but he does represent a bargain candidate to instantly solve a pending problem for Wolves.

As a free agent, the ball could be in Coufal’s court this summer and it doesn’t look as though he’s going to be short on Premier League options.

Whilst Birmingham City did splash out some serious cash to land Jay Stansfield last summer, the Blues did also operate rather shrewdly before the 2024/25 campaign got underway.

The eventual League One champions didn’t go overboard when landing potent goal machine Alfie May, with the decision to fork out a respectable £775k for the 31-year-old’s services more than paying off, considering the ex-Charlton Athletic man would go on to bag 17 strikes in all competitions.

Already, Birmingham have displayed this astute approach once more by recently snapping up Phil Neumann on a free transfer, with another rumour now suggesting that Chris Davies’ men aren’t finished there with savvy purchases.

Birmingham could soon land another golden deal

Unsurprisingly, the Tom Wagner-backed Blues have also been linked with some star names ahead of Championship action returning to St Andrew’s.

Indeed, Che Adams has been heavily linked with an audacious move back to the second-tier side, alongside Kwame Poku also being tipped to swap Peterborough United for a fresh location in the league above.

But, one move that is slipping under the radar in contrast is Birmingham’s hunt for Kanya Fuijmoto, with journalist Sebastião Sousa-Pinto revealing via his social media that Davies’ men are now moving towards an advanced stage in their attempts to sign the Japanese ace on a free transfer having already submitted a bid for the player.

If they were to land the Gil Vicente midfielder for nothing, this might go down as yet another golden deal where Birmingham don’t lavishly break the bank.

Further, Fuijmoto has the potential to be as popular as Tomoki Iwata in the midfield department at St. Andrew’s, with Iwata once a rather unknown entity to Blues fans – much like his fellow Japanese counterpart – before he more than exploded into life.

How Fuijmoto could be Birmingham's Iwata 2.0

Away from sharing the same nationality, the pair also possess a similar eye for goal and carving out chances centrally.

After all, Iwata would close out his debut campaign in England with a high eight goals and two assists from 47 overall contests.

Akin to the former Celtic man, the Vicente number ten would pick up five goals and five assists himself from 31 games over the same time span, with a hope in the air that he can potentially adapt to the hustle and bustle of Championship life well by putting in similarly electric performances in attack.

He could well offer more competition to the aforementioned Stansfield in the number 10 spot just behind the main centre-forward, therefore, alongside also being capable of slotting into a more traditional central role next to his Japanese compatriot based off his numbers below.

Games played

40

30

Goals scored

6

5

Assists

1

5

Touches*

67.1

34.6

Accurate passes*

49.7 (89%)

20.3 (83%)

Big chances created

4

8

Big chances missed

1

3

As can be seen looking at the table above, both players in question stand out as classy operators on the ball.

A “silky” midfielder – as he’s been previously lauded by analyst Ben Mattinson – he is more of an attack-oriented body that will push forward, compared with Iwata who will likely sit back and then burst into attack when necessary.

This could well be an intriguing partnership to watch next season as they work out each other’s varied games, with the extra addition of Fujimoto perhaps boosting Davies’ men even more in the forward areas as they embark on an initially challenging Championship step-up.

Whatever does happen, at least Birmingham aren’t dropping lots of money on the 25-year-old’s services.

But, as was shown with Iwata – who entered for around the £800k range – sometimes these are the deals that end up being the standout swoops.

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When it rains it pours for Ruben Amorim. Walking into Manchester United, he will have been under no illusions that the size of his task at Old Trafford was a colossal one.

However, not even he would have envisaged the opening months of his tenure to play out like this.

Indeed, as Newcastle battered the Red Devils 4-1 inside St James’ Park in the Premier League on Sunday, Amorim walked back down the tunnel having not won for the 20th time in 33 matches at the helm.

Erik ten Hag hardly left this side in the best of states but you’d expect better results, even if the Portuguese is still relatively new to the role.

Alas, football is a cutthroat sport and he will need to get it right sooner rather than later.

Still, at least he’s not afraid of making the big calls, dropping Andre Onana from his squad entirely this weekend. Sadly, his deputy didn’t cover himself in too much glory either.

Bayindir's performance vs Newcastle

Last week, goalkeeper Onana engaged in a war of words with former United star Nemanja Matic who was in the Lyon squad to face them in the Europa League on Thursday.

Matic noted that the Cameroon stopper was “the worst ‘keeper in Manchester United history” and to the script, Onana had a howler in France, spilling a ball from out wide into the net in the first half.

So, in a bid to take him out of the firing line, Amorim decided that Onana would not travel to the north east this weekend.

As a result, Turkish stopper Altay Bayindir stepped in to take the gloves. While he hasn’t been handed too many opportunities this term, he was the FA Cup hero when United beat Arsenal in the shoot-out back in January.

While he could have done little about three of the four Newcastle goals, scored by Harvey Barnes, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, he did make a mistake of his own.

Up to that point, it honestly hadn’t been a bad afternoon for Bayindir but his error, right when he needed to coast through a game unnoticed, will not have done him many favours.

Eddie Howe’s side were already 3-1 up at this point when the Turk inexplicably chipped the ball straight to Joelinton. The Brazilian lept high and headed it into the path of Guimaraes who wasn’t going to miss.

Speaking after the game, Amorim was asked what he said to the goalkeeper at full-time: “Nothing, I’m going to continue to do the same. We are going to analyse the game, but we need to focus on the next one. We cannot change this one.”

It was an error-filled game for United, with Noussair Mazraoui also at fault, slipping in the build-up to Barnes’ second goal and effectively handing them a second on a plate.

Still, at least they had their good moments. Bayindir, despite conceding four, was not at fault for any of the other goals.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

They weren’t the only two who deserve a bit of flack come full-time, however.

4/10 Man United star must be given the boot

While the defensive display left plenty to be desired, there were some positives from a United point of view, none more so than Alejandro Garnacho’s goal, fed nicely by a rampaging Diogo Dalot who looked in fine form moving forward.

There was also a first-team debut for 18-year-old Harry Amass, who in the words of Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst, ‘did not look remotely out of his depth.’

Luckhurst was not complimentary of everybody, however, notably Christian Eriksen. While he deemed Bayindir and Mazraoui worthy of 5/10 match ratings, their Danish teammate only picked up a 4/10 rating with the reporter noting that he was ‘often off the pace amid the intensity’ of the game at St James’ Park.

The fact of the matter is that Eriksen should not be starting for United on the best of days, let alone against a fast-paced Newcastle side.

The playmaker has been a wonderful servant to the Premier League, but it’s so obvious that his best days are behind him now. Indeed, writer Sam Pilger suggested that he “should be nowhere near the the starting line-up”, accusing the veteran of lacking “muscle and pace”.

The Denmark international’s display was summed up by his involvement in the third goal, scored by Barnes.

While Mazraoui slipped, his teammates, notably Leny Yoro, Victor Lindelof and Eriksen, hardly did much to disrupt the Newcastle number 11 from bearing down on goal. Neither Yoro or Eriksen could get close enough to the Toon attacker who was allowed to just surge towards the goal with ease.

The Dane’s numbers were hardly very pretty either. He did complete 89% of his passes but did not have a shot, complete a key pass, register a dribble or make an interception, just to condemn his woes from a defensive point of view.

Ahead of a vital second leg against Lyon on Thursday, Amorim must ensure that the 33-year-old isn’t in his starting lineup.

A bigger talent than Cunha: Man Utd ready big bid to sign £42m "genius"

Man Utd could be plotting to sign an exciting alternative to Wolves’ Matheus Cunha

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Robbie Walls

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India’s top-order batters have yet to get going in this World Cup, but the good sign for the team is they are still winning comfortably

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Oct-20254:12

Goud, Deepti, Ghosh make it two from two for India

Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues have a tournament average of 20 and 18 respectively so far, having batted twice each. Smriti Mandhana, India’s form batter leading in, has a tally of 31. Even Pratika Rawal, their latest top-order smash hit, hasn’t yet struck a 40 at this World Cup.And yet twice India have clambered their way to good totals against decent attacks, scrambling runs on pitches opponents have nosedived on. They were 124 for 6 in Guwahati against Sri Lanka, 159 for 5 against Pakistan. Without a half-century from any of their top five, they are two wins up in a World Cup that hasn’t pushed them yet.Related

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It’s the multi-dimensional cricketers in the lower middle order that have prospered. In these two games they’ve rebuilt at times, consolidated at others, and attacked successfully at the death. They’ve suggested strongly, that this India World Cup team has more gears, and more depth than most that have come before.Deepti Sharma has been at the centre of India’s dynamism. Having made a busy 53 against Sri Lanka, she struck a more measured 25 off 33 against Pakistan, on a Khettarama surface no batter looked truly comfortable on.Clearly there is variety here already, but she has yet another mode, thanks to the improvements she has made to her hitting, partly at the WPL. In an extremely high-scoring match against Australia a little over two weeks ago, Deepti clobbered two sixes and five fours to score 72 off 58.Deepti had Sneh Rana for a co-conspirator in both innings at the World Cup, but faced with varying challenges, produced excellent partnerships, both worth 42. Against Sri Lanka, the two had come together with only 21 balls left in the innings, and had thumped their way to the close, Rana hitting 28 not out off 15 balls.Richa Ghosh showed the full range of strokes to provide India a late boost•Getty ImagesAgainst Pakistan, they were joined with 15 overs left to play and were required to take the innings deep. This 42-run stand took 56 balls – Rana scoring her 20 off 33 balls. Rana too is riding a WPL high, her two rapid, finishing innings at this year’s tournament giving India’s selectors a little more confidence in picking her. She had made useful batting contributions in that series against Australia as well, hitting 24 and 35.But against Pakistan it was Richa Ghosh who produced India’s best innings, raising them to an imposing 248 when they had once been at risk of being restricted to 220. She came in with 34 balls to go and got stuck at the other end while Diana Baig bowled a wicket maiden. But roughly midway through the 47th over, she picked a Fatima Sana slower ball and launched it over wide long-on.There was plenty more power in her 35 not out off 20 balls, particularly against Baig, whose full tosses she smoked down the ground for a four then a six. Also against Baig, but in the final over, Ghosh showcased newer elements of her game – a reverse swat that brought four runs over short third.All three of these cricketers also offer substantial skills when India bowl. Deepti claimed 3 for 45, dismissing Pakistan’s best batter Sidra Amin. Rana took 2 for 38 at a ground she has dominated in this year. Shree Charani didn’t get wickets against Pakistan, but had taken 2 for 37 against Sri Lanka.Throw these three spinners together with a batting order that is getting the team to good totals without big innings from the bigger names, and you have an outfit that is beginning to look ominous at a home World Cup. They will face higher-rated opposition when they return to India, but they have unlocked a new level of versatility.

After England’s defeat in Ranchi sealed a series win for India, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah to assess what it all means for Bazball

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2024A memorable turnaround in Ranchi brought India victory and an unassailable lead in the series, leaving England to rue another one that got away. In this week’s episode of Switch, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah to reflect on where it went wrong for Ben Stokes’ tourists. Was it a failure of Bazball, or a failure Bazball? Do England need to refine the method that has brought them so much success? And what selection questions will they be pondering in the week leading up to the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala?