Every spring, all across the country, kids pick up a baseball bat or a glove for the first time and begin to dream.

Facing off against a pitching machine, they imagine themselves playing in Game 7 of the World Series, with the chance to hit the home run that decides a championship. Shagging fly balls in the outfield, they envision the feeling of securing an out that saves their season.

On Saturday, those dreams became real for about 20 members of the Dodgers and Blue Jays.

Toronto entered the ninth inning holding a 4–3 lead and needing just three outs to secure their first championship since 1993. Closer Jeff Hoffman, who had come in to secure the last out of the eighth inning, was back on the mound to finish things out.

It was Miguel Rojas that first got to live the dream. With the Dodgers down to their final two outs, Rojas worked the count full before smacking a home run to left field to tie the game and suck every ounce of air out of the Rogers Centre.

Hoffman got out of the inning from there, bringing the Blue Jays to the plate with a chance to walk things off for a title.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the inning batting against Blake Snell, and for a moment it felt like he might just finish things on his own. Instead, he hit a fly out to center. But after a Bo Bichette single was followed by a walk and a HBP, the bases were loaded with one out.

Bichette was pulled for pinch runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa, as he’s still somewhat hobbled coming back from injury. The Dodgers pulled Snell and put Game 6 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto back on the mound.

Yamamoto delivered to Daulton Varsho, who smacked a grounder to second base. The ball was fielded by Rojas, who briefly double-clutched before firing a bullet home to catcher Will Smith. Smith’s foot briefly came off of the bag, but he got it back down for the force out before Kiner-Falefa could slide in safe.

It was this close folks.

Two outs.

Next up it was Ernie Clement, who with his third hit of the day in his previous at-bat had set a record with 30 hits this postseason, more than any player in MLB history. Now he needed one more.

Clement gave the first pitch he saw a ride to left center. With the outfield in, left fielder Kiké Hernández was sprinting backwards to get under the ball, but center fielder Andy Pages, who had just been put into the game as a defensive sub for the Dodgers, would meet him in the space and ultimately came down with the catch after a heart-stopping collision to get out of the inning.

It was the first live ball he had touched all night.

And with that, Game 7 of the World Series was on to extras.

Both teams failed to get a run across in the 10th. Last time these sides went to extras, we played into the 18th inning. Now it’s happening with a championship on the line.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

تحدث لاعب منتخب مصر السابق، أحمد المحمدي، عن أزمة محمد صلاح في ليفربول ورد فعل إدارة النادي والمدرب الهولندي آرني سلوت.

واستبعد سلوت لاعبه محمد صلاح من قائمة ليفربول للمباراة أمام إنتر ميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وذلك بعد تصريحات المصري مؤخرًا.

كان صلاح انتقد قرار سلوت بتواجده بديلاً لثلاث مباريات متتالية في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وأعرب عن شعوره بأن هناك شخص ما يدفعه لمغادرة ليفربول.

وقال المحمدي في تصريحاته بشبكة “بي إن سبورتس”: “رد فعل متوقع من سلوت وإدارة ليفربول علي تصريحات صلاح”.

وأضاف: “تصريحات سلوت متناقضة تمامًا، هو يقول لا توجد مشاكل، لكن الحقيقة المشاكل بدأت منذ المباراة أمام وست هام، حيث تواجد محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء، وصرح المدرب بعد المباراة بأنه يحاول القيام بمداورة ومنح راحة لبعض اللاعبين لكثرة المباريات”.

اقرأ أيضًا | حاتم الطرابلسي: الإعلام الأوروبي لا يتعامل مع محمد صلاح باحترام.. وسلوت أساء له

وأشار المحمدي: “منح الراحة للاعب يكون في مباراة واحدة وليس 3 مبارايات متتالية، أفضل لاعب في ليفربول خلال آخر 7 أو 8 مواسم يتواجد بديلاً بقرارك فهذا يعني أن هناك مشكلة”.

وأتم: “الميزة أن محمد صلاح سيذهب لمنتخب مصر للمشاركة في كأس الأمم الإفريقية، وسيبعد عن ليفربول، فممكن أن تهدأ إلى حد ما، لكن أنا من وجه نظري بعد تصريحاته، علاقة محمد صلاح بليفربول انتهت”.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF) determinou que a Gaviões da Fiel, principal torcida organizada do Corinthians, fique impedida de participar de competições sob sua responsabilidade até o final de 2026. 

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A medida, formalizada em portaria assinada pelo vice-presidente Mauro Silva, atende a uma orientação do Ministério Público de São Paulo, por meio do Juizado Especial Criminal da Capital.

O MP recomendou a suspensão após apontar preocupações relacionadas à segurança nos eventos esportivos. Com isso, além da proibição de ingresso dos integrantes, também ficam vetados quaisquer itens que remetam ao grupo, como bandeiras, faixas, roupas ou outros materiais identificadores.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Timão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Corinthians

A FPF comunicará os órgãos de segurança públicos e o Ministério Público de São Paulo para que fiscalizem o cumprimento da determinação. A entidade máxima do futebol paulista ainda informou que a portaria passa a valer imediatamente, e todas as normas anteriores que contrariem a nova decisão deixam de ter efeito.

Em nota oficial, a Gaviões da Fiel informou que seu departamento jurídico já foi acionado após a divulgação da portaria da FPF. A torcida organizada declarou que está ciente do comunicado e que irá se manifestar publicamente no momento que considerar adequado.

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— Em relação ao comunicado, o departamento jurídico do Gaviões já tomou conhecimento e, no momento oportuno, iremos nos manifestar — disse.

Veja abaixo a nota completa da FPF

PORTARIA FPF – Nº 214 DE 10 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2025.

MAURO SILVA, Vice-Presidente da Federação Paulista de Futebol, no uso das atribuições legais e regimentais.

CONSIDERANDO os termos do Ofício JECRIM nº 077/2025, datado de 10 de dezembro de 2025, expedido pelo Ministério Público do Estado de São Paulo – Juizado Especial Criminal da Capital, por meio do qual o Ilustre 1º Promotor de Justiça da Promotoria do Juizado Especial Criminal Central recomenda a proibição da presença da seguinte Torcida Organizada: “GAVIÕES DA FIEL”, em todas as praças desportivas, até o final do ano de 2026.

CONSIDERANDO que é dever desta Entidade preservar a disciplina nos campos de futebol.

INFORMA:

Atender integralmente a recomendação do Ministério Público do Estado de São Paulo, para que seja PROIBIDA a entrada, nos estádios de futebol, de qualquer indumentária e objetos (faixas, bandeiras etc.) que identifiquem os associados da torcida organizada: “GAVIÕES DA FIEL”, do Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, a contar desta data, até o final do ano de 2026.

A Federação Paulista de Futebol oficiará aos Órgãos de Segurança do Estado, Ministério Público do Estado de São Paulo, para fins de fiscalização no cumprimento desta Portaria. Esta Portaria entra em vigor na presente data, revogadas as disposições em contrário.

Mauro Silva

Vice-Presidente

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansFutebol Nacional

NEW YORK — The 2025 New York Yankees died as they lived: disappearing for a stretch, then—long after it really mattered—staging a furious comeback attempt that ultimately fell short. 

Add Aaron Judge’s thrilling, game-tying, season-saving American League division series Game 3 home run to the Endy Chávez catch file: It would have been one of the greatest of all time if only the team had gone anywhere. Instead, after a listless 5–2 loss in Game 4, the only place the Yankees are going is home. 

Over the past five days, they disappointed in all areas of the game. They were out-hit, out-pitched, out-defended. It was the most pitiful effort by a group of New Yorkers since Eric Adams’s re-election campaign. 

“They beat us this series,” said manager Aaron Boone. “Simple as that.” 

Start with the pitching. The Blue Jays certainly did, scoring first in all four games. Only in Game 2 did it take them more than two outs to plate their first run—and then it took three. The Yankees’ starters, whose 3.61 regular season ERA was fourth in baseball, combined to allow 19 runs in 14 ⅓ innings. Only rookie Cam Schlittler, who threw 6 ⅓ innings of four-run ball in Game 4, got an out in the fourth inning. The beleaguered bullpen mostly kept the score where it was, but converted starter Will Warren allowed six runs in 4 ⅔ innings, and erstwhile closer Luke Weaver, after lowering his October 2025 ERA from infinity to 135.00, acknowledged he felt he was tipping pitches and said, “I don’t feel like my mind is completely clear to go out there and attack.” 

Still, the Yankees are built to out-slug anyone, and they simply did not. In Game 1, they scored one run; in Game 2, they put up seven, but only after Toronto had scored 12. On Wednesday, facing a bullpen game—against a relief corps that threw 6 ⅓ innings a day before, and that had shown every arm to the Yankees during the series—the lineup that scored the most runs in the majors this season went 1-for-6 with a walk with runners in scoring position. Not until the seventh inning, down 4–1, did a runner stand at second base. The only runs came when glove-first third baseman Ryan McMahon homered in the third and Judge singled in a run in the ninth. 

Premier League star Ola Aina has been told to “own up” after revealing that he is at the “talking stage” with a fellow football player’s girlfriend. The Nottingham Forest defender claims that the woman in question likes him more than her current clinch, but their budding relationship remains secret for now. Aina is being urged to address the issue with his love rival.

Forest star Aina makes shock revelation

Nigeria international Aina made his shocking revelation when appearing on show. The versatile 29-year-old said he was there to seek advice from the children and adults on the panel for what has become an obvious “dilemma”.

The former Chelsea and Fulham player, who has been at the City Ground since 2023, was happy to state in public that he has become close with the partner of a fellow performer. He now finds himself in a difficult position.

Aina said: “My dilemma is I'm in a talking stage with another baller's girl.” Asked if he is able to reveal the identity of the other player, the Forest full-back added: “Can't disclose that one.” He went on to confirm that he is at the “talking” stage, rather than the “walking” one, with the surprising scenario only playing out over a matter of weeks.

AdvertisementGettyLove triangle: Aina offered advice on what to do

Quizzed on whether interest has been reciprocated, Aina said that he “knows she likes me back”. He went on to say that he can “easily” take his fellow player one-on-one, but saw it put to him that the girl in question may be “a bit of a clout chaser” as she pits “two footballers” against one another.

Aina maintains that: “I believe she likes me more.” He has, however, been advised to clear the air with everybody involved. The ‘Aunties’ told him to “own up to the guy” and “be honest” about what has happened.

One of the children on the panel added: “Me personally, I think she's only there for your money. You're a professional footballer, you're earning bread, plenty more girls will come. She's on a permanent sin bin off the pitch, red card.”

The two sides proceeded to battle it out in a bid to convince Aina of their argument. He eventually sided with the Aunties, much to their delight. That would suggest that he is ready to speak with the fellow professional that he has become locked in a love triangle with.

Untimely injury: Aina underwent hamstring surgery

Aina does, however, have plenty of his plate at the moment. Away from his private life, every effort is being made to recover from an untimely injury that has kept him out of action since September. His last appearance for Forest came on August 31.

An unfortunate knock was then picked up during the first international break of the 2025-26 campaign, as he headed off with Nigeria. A hamstring problem has been difficult to shake, with surgery required a matter of days after being forced onto the treatment table.

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GettyAfrica Cup of Nations: Will Aina figure for Nigeria?

Aina did not figure for Forest at all during Ange Postecoglou’s ill-fated 39-day spell in charge of the Reds. He has been unable to show current coach Sean Dyche what he is capable of, with it revealed that he is unlikely to grace a Premier League fixture again until 2026.

Dyche has said when delivering a fitness update on his walking wounded: “The ones left not with us yet are Taiwo [Awoniyi], Woody [Chris Wood] and Douglas [Luiz] – although they are getting closer. Ola is getting closer to fitness but obviously can’t be with us until January.”

That is because, alongside his rehabilitation, Aina is in contention to represent Nigeria at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. Selection there would come as a surprise, given how much football he has missed over recent months.

The Super Eagles may take a calculated gamble on the 48-cap star, allowing him to rebuild form and fitness before returning to Trentside. The 35th edition of AFCON is set to get underway on December 21 and run through to January 18. Nigeria have been placed in Group C alongside Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania.

The 681 runs scored in Ranchi was the highest aggregate for an ODI match between India and South Africa

Sampath Bandarupalli30-Nov-2025681 – Runs scored by India and South Africa in the first ODI of the series in Ranchi, the highest aggregate for an ODI match between the two teams, surpassing the 662 at Wankhede in 2015, when South Africa scored 438 while India made only 224.6 – Hundreds for Virat Kohli in ODIs against South Africa, the most by any batter, going one ahead of Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner, who scored five apiece.352 – ODI sixes hit by Rohit Sharma are the most by any batter in the format, going past Shahid Afridi’s tally of 351.Related

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20 – Century partnerships between Rohit and Kohli in ODIs, equaling those of Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, and only behind the 26 between Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.The 136-run stand between Kohli and Rohit in Ranchi was their eighth century partnership in ODIs at home, but the first since 2020. These are the most by a pair in India, alongside Tendulkar-Ganguly and Tendulkar-Virender Sehwag.7 – Sixes hit by Kohli in Ranchi. Only twice did he hit that many in an ODI before – eight against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram in 2023 and seven against Australia in Jaipur in 2013.Kohli’s seven sixes are the joint second-most for India in an ODI against South Africa, behind Yusuf Pathan’s eight in 2011, while Ishan Kishan also hit seven in Ranchi in 2022.India hit a total of 16 sixes on Sunday, the most by them in an ODI against South Africa. Only once before did India hit ten sixes against South Africa – 12 in Gwalior in 2010.ESPNcricinfo Ltd173 – Kohli’s batting average in ODIs in Ranchi. It is the second-highest for any batter at a venue in men’s ODIs where they have scored 500-plus runs. Kohli has scored 519 runs in five innings there, with three hundreds and a fifty. All his three hundreds at this venue have been 120-plus scores, only behind Hashim Amla’s four in Centurion.11 – South Africa’s total at the fall of the third wicket in Ranchi, the second-lowest from which any team ended up posting a 300-plus total in ODIs. The lowest is 10 for 3 by Australia, when they finished with 368 against Sri Lanka at the SCG in 2006.South Africa added 321 runs after the fall of the third wicket, the most by them in an ODI and the fifth-most by any team after being three down.1 – South Africa’s innings is the first in ODI cricket where as many as five players batting at No. 4 and lower scored 35-plus runs.South Africa’s No. 4 and lower batters scored a total of 319 runs, the second-most in an ODI innings, behind 341 by India against England in Cuttack in 2017.10 – Four-plus wicket hauls for Kuldeep Yadav in ODIs, the joint-most by an Indian spinner, alongside Anil Kumble. Only two bowlers have taken more four-fors in ODIs for India – Mohammed Shami (16) and Ajit Agarkar (12).392 – International matches played by Rohit and Kohli together for India, the most by a pair, surpassing Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who played 391 together. Overall, only five pairs have played more international matches together than Rohit and Kohli.

The South Australia captain made 103 as the home side were only able to pick up four wickets on the third day

Tristan Lavalette30-Oct-2025On the opposite bank of the Swan River from where he made his Test debut nearly 12 months ago, South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney returned to form with a classy century to set up an intriguing final day at the WACA where Cameron Green and Brendan Doggett loom large.Trailing by 92 runs on the first innings, South Australia dominated day three on a flattening surface with McSweeney, batting at No. 3, making 103 off 168 balls and sharing a 153-run second-wicket partnership with Henry Hunt.Having scored just 73 runs from his previous four Shield innings, McSweeney is not deemed to be in the Ashes selection mix on the back of a tough start to his Test career last summer.After receiving a life early in his innings, McSweeney was in complete command and showed why he is so highly rated among Australia’s hierarchy.”Any cricketer wants to play for Australia and playing in that Baggy Green is an awesome feeling,” McSweeney said. “For me, it’s just about trying to play my best cricket, win games for South Australia, make hundreds and hopefully one day I get another crack.”Whether it be this series [Ashes], or whenever the time comes, I’ll be ready to go.”McSweeney and Hunt put South Australia in a position where they can dictate with a declaration likely early on day four. There will be spotlight on Doggett and Green as selectors mull over Australia’s Ashes squad.Returning from a hamstring injury, Doggett overcame a rusty start to finish with six wickets in WA’s first innings, including dismissing Green for a duck. Green is playing this match as a specialist batter with a return to bowling likely during WA’s next Shield game against Queensland starting on November 11.There is the threat of damp weather spoiling the finish of this match, with rain forecast on Friday afternoon.The third day finished in sunshine after the start was delayed by 45 minutes due to rain. Hunt and Conor McInerney dug in against a WA pace attack that had run rampant in the first innings.McInerney had started to find his rhythm with a couple of lovely boundaries down the ground. Having toughed out the first 18 overs, McInerney fell in tame fashion after being knocked over having not offered a shot to a straight delivery from offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli bowling around the wicket.While WA’s quicks struggled to penetrate, Rocchiccioli caused problems with his trademark bounce as he tried to once again be the talismanic figure of the attack.But he was thwarted by McSweeney, who started to lift the intensity with sharp footwork as the game went through a lull towards lunch. Out of nowhere, McSweeney on 19 lost concentration and hit quick Cameron Gannon to mid-on but Liam Haskett spilt the catch.The game went back in its shell after lunch until the unusual sight of a swarm of bees hovering over the field caused a five-minute delay. Having reached his 50 off 128 balls, Hunt decided to up the ante on resumption and whacked Rocchiccioli for a towering six into the part of the ground undergoing major redevelopment.McSweeney was in fluent touch and drove superbly, trusting the surface which had shown little of the sharp bounce from earlier in the match. WA captain Sam Whiteman resorted to left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly, whose only two wickets of his first-class career had come during Australia A’s recent tour of India.But Connolly has a knack of making things happen and claimed his maiden Shield wicket when he had Hunt caught behind with a lovely flighted delivery that bounced sharply off the surface.There was no stopping McSweeney, who reached his first century this season with a six over mid-on but he fell shortly after when wicketkeeper Joel Curtis claimed a superb catch diving to his left.WA players wore black armbands as a mark of respect for Ben Austin, a 17-year-old club cricketer in Melbourne who died after being struck on the neck by a ball at training on Tuesday.

The review is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore05-Nov-2025

Diageo, the multinational alcoholic beverage company and owner of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL and WPL, has taken the first steps towards divesting its stake in the franchise.In a filing with India’s market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), on Wednesday, Diageo said it was conducting a “strategic review” of its investment in RCB through Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) – the parent company that owns the men’s and women’s teams.The review is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026, the end of India’s financial year. (RCSPL is a fully owned subsidiary of United Spirits Ltd. (USL) which in turn is owned by Diageo).”RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL; however, it is non-core to our alcobev (alcohol and beverages) business,” said Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director & CEO of United Spirits, in the SEBI filing.”This step reinforces USL and Diageo’s commitment to reviewing our India portfolio to ensure sustained long-term value for stakeholders, while keeping RCSPL’s best interests in mind.”The move comes amid Diageo’s struggles in its core global business, which has been under significant pressure in recent years. In a SEBI filing in June this year, the company had denied reports of RCB’s sale, with USL’s company secretary Mital Sanghvi calling them “speculative”.However, with Diageo now facing headwinds globally, that stance appears to have shifted.Speculation about a potential divestment had intensified after the fatal stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in June, a day after RCB won their maiden IPL title.Among the most popular IPL teams, RCB was the second most expensive franchise when the tournament was launched in 2008. Vijay Mallya, then chairman of USL bought the franchise for USD 111.6 million in 2007, before he stepped down as director in 2016, with Diageo becoming the sole owner of the company.ESPNcricinfo has reached out to Rajesh Menon, vice-president and head of RCB, for comment.The development, though, will not have any impact on RCB’s planning for the upcoming IPL and WPL seasons, including the auctions. Any new owner will also need to get clearance from the IPL and the process is likely to stretch beyond the 2026 IPL season.WPL 2026 is scheduled to start in January, while the IPL, which RCB will start as defending champions, is expected to start in March and run through May.

Brandon King dropped; Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jediah Blades sidelined by injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2025Six years after he last played an ODI, West Indies opener John Campbell has earned a recall for the three-match series against New Zealand starting on Sunday. Fast bowler Johann Layne and seam-bowling allrounder Shamar Springer received their maiden call-ups to the ODI side, while quick Matthew Forde, who returned from a shoulder dislocation for the T20Is against New Zealand, also returned.The trio replaced spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, and left-arm quick Ramon Simmonds, who was injured, from the squad that played Bangladesh last month. Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jediah Blades also were sidelined by injuries.Campbell replaced fellow opener Brandon King from the Bangladesh series. King returned scores of 44, 0 and 18 in the series West Indies lost 2-1. His T20I form has also tapered off, with four single-digit scores in his last five outings across the Bangladesh and New Zealand series.Campbell was recalled following his strong performances in red-ball cricket, including an impressive century in the second Test against India in Delhi last month. He was Jamaica’s leading run-scorer in the Super50 Cup last season, with 278 runs in seven outings at a strike rate of 102.20. Notably, none of the top ten run-getters in that competition scored at a faster pace.Layne’s call-up follows his Test debut on the tour of India last month. While he has impressed in red-ball cricket, he has only 12 List-A appearances and 13 wickets to show in the format. Against New Zealand, Layne will complete the seam attack that features Jayden Seales and Romario Shepherd apart from Springer, Forde and Justin Greaves.Ackeem Auguste, who made his ODI debut in Bangladesh, kept his spot alongside Keacy Carty and Alick Athanaze in the 15-member squad led by Shai Hope.New Zealand and West Indies play the opening ODI in Christchurch on Sunday followed by the second and third matches in Napier and Hamilton, respectively.

West Indies squad for ODIs against New Zealand

Shai Hope (capt), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Johann Layne, Khary Pierre, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer

Member of the last successful men’s Ashes tour reflects on the harsh lessons he learned down under

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Nov-2025Steven Finn knows what it is like to find yourself in the goldfish bowl of an Ashes tour. The parochial crowds, the unrelenting media circus. Even the barbs of a single Western Australian punter stick with you.”We were playing this warm-up game in Perth, England versus Western Australia in the 2010-11 Ashes, and there was this one fella sledging us the whole time,” Finn tells ESPNcricinfo. “He was one of the few spectators in.”I didn’t bowl particularly well, and he singled me out for stick, screaming and shouting, telling us it was a long summer and that we were going to get pumped.”During the third Test in Perth at the WACA, I took wickets but didn’t bowl particularly well. We got [Mitchell] Johnson-ed in that game. And there he was again, still going.”I’d go down to fine leg and he’d be screaming: ‘you were rubbish then and you’re rubbish now’. I got Phil Hughes out in the second innings, caught in the slips by Colly [Paul Collingwood] and gave him a big shush.”Related

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It remains, to Finn’s mind, the only time he had reacted to someone in the crowd like that. “I imagine he’ll be waiting for me to tell me I’m a rubbish broadcaster in the first Test this time around.”It is 15 years since England’s last series victory in Australia, when Finn kept a daily tour diary. Though a diligent note taker, it was the first time he had regularly documented his thoughts, something which he reprised on the 2013-14 tour. “The Ashes is just that bit different to any other cricket you play as an English player. The fact that I only kept diaries on those tours is probably a nod towards that as well.”They were, on the face of it, contrasting series. England left Australia with the urn for the first time since 1986-87, and then returned to suffer an ignominious 5-0 defeat. For Finn, however, both were about unique struggles of mind and body.Having taken 14 wickets at 33.14 in the first three Tests of 2010-11, he was benched for Tim Bresnan. Unused in 2013-14, lost in his own battles with his bowling, one-day coach Ashley Giles sent him home from the limited-overs series that followed deeming him “not selectable”.As such, Finn’s autobiography , which leans on both diaries – and is cowritten by ESPNcricinfo’s Matt Roller – is about a 36-capped Test fast bowler revisiting those moments introspectively. A very personal journey back in time led by the Ghost of Ashes past.

“If I was back in that moment again, I would say to myself, even though I’d been dropped for those last two games, soak this up and embrace enjoying what you’ve achieved here and what the team’s achieved because it’s monumental”Steven Finn on memories of 2010-11

Finn ranks himself as his own worst critic, even now as a commentator and pundit for both BBC and TNT, who he will be working for this winter. “The way that my mind works, I’m very good at focusing on the things that I’m not doing well and that I’m not very good at. If I’m broadcasting and I stumble on one word I don’t quite make my point as succinctly as I’d like to.”He was especially unkind to himself both as a 21-year-old on that maiden Ashes tour, and at 24, in an unforgiving environment, succumbing to tears in the dressing room as he lost his love for the game. With the benefit of experience and hindsight, how would Finn, 36, have dealt his younger selves?”I think in ’10-11 I’d have tried to help myself see the bigger picture. I was really disappointed that I didn’t play the fourth and fifth Test, so I maybe didn’t feel as much a part of the team at that stage of the series.”When I look back on it now 15 years later, I’m so proud that I played three Tests in that series because we won the Ashes away for the first time in a long time. And it was the right decision by the way – to bring Bresnan in, he bowled amazingly. But if I was back in that moment again, I would say to myself, even though I’d been dropped for those last two games, soak this up and embrace enjoying what you’ve achieved here and what the team’s achieved because it’s monumental.”In 2013-14, I would encourage myself to take a step back, allow yourself to be removed from everything that you’re doing. Being so focused on trying your hardest, chasing something the whole time – it meant that all my bad habits and all my intrusive thoughts just compounded across that tour. I’d say to myself, it’s okay to just take a small step back and try and remember the good things that you’re doing as opposed to always remembering the bad things.”Finn has become a respected broadcaster post playing career•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesIt would take Finn a year to get back to his best. The labour of building himself back up with the help of his then Middlesex bowling coach Richard Johnson allowing him to return in the home 2015 Ashes. He took eight wickets in his comeback at Edgbaston, including 6 for 79 in the second innings, leading to 12 in the series at 22.50.Liberated by comfort, encouraged by those around him, it was no surprise he was back in the groove. Nor that he regards the current environment of the England Test team cultivated by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as one he would have thrived in.To that end, he sees parallels with his 2010-11 cohort and what this current set-up are looking to achieve when the first Ashes Test kicks off in Perth next week.”I think in 2010-11, and I reflect on it in the book, we went there and when you get off the plane, scrub your boots, get cameras in your face and it’s like, ‘oh my God, you’re gonna get hammered, you’re gonna get battered, we’re gonna smash you five-nil!’ But then when you stand up to Australia in that moment and push back like we did in the second innings of that first Test in Brisbane… it would’ve been easy for us to fall like a pack of cards and then we’re off on that negative cycle again. But in that second innings, we broke the cycle by puffing our chest out.”Collectively as a team, we stood there, and said, ‘we’re going nowhere’. We were clearly a fantastic team, but we looked to embrace being in Australia. We didn’t hide away; we’d go to restaurants, we’d go to a bar and have a drink. We just embraced being there and being in what is an amazing country. It’s the best tour.”I think that this England, led by Ben Stokes, will have that attitude going into this series. Even if Australia do try and blow the house down, I don’t think England will let it fall. I think they’ll have the mentality to come back from those tough moments within games, which is not something that we can say of the teams that have toured there since 2010-11.” by Steven Finn (Orion Publishing Co) is available to buy now geni.us/AshesFiles