Leicestershire close in on victory that would sign off their Division Two title triumph in style

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Sep-2025Northamptonshire 189 and 120 for 5 (Keogh 42, Trevaskis 3-31) need a further 381 runs to beat Leicestershire 429 and 260 for 5 dec (Patel 76, Cox 51*, Budinger 50)Liam Trevaskis and Chris Wright sliced through Northamptonshire’s top order as Leicestershire closed in on a victory that would sign off their Rothesay County Championship Division Two title triumph in style.The Foxes, already confirmed as champions last week, declared and set Northamptonshire an improbable 501 to win at Wantage Road following Rishi Patel’s 76 and an unbeaten 30-ball half-century by Ben Cox.Left-arm spinner Trevaskis took three wickets, with seamer Wright – playing his final game prior to retirement – capturing the other two to reduce the home side to 120 for 5 before bad light halted play.Northamptonshire’s Rob Keogh top-scored with 42, passing 10,000 runs across all formats in the process, but his side’s slim hopes of staving off defeat largely rest on Saif Zaib, unbeaten on 20 at stumps.Leicestershire resumed with an overall lead of 326 and eight wickets in hand, but they were initially stifled by a tight spell from George Scrimshaw, who found some movement in both directions.However, it was a straight delivery from the seamer that removed Lewis Hill, leg-before for 38 and Patel then took command, punching a series of boundaries and bringing up his half-century with a straight drive off Stuart van der Merwe.Van der Merwe was also slog-swept for six by the Foxes opener, but there was success for his fellow rookie Nirvan Ramesh when Stephen Eskinazi reverse-swept the off-spinner and deflected onto his stumps.Although Patel’s hopes of another century to back up his 114 against Kent last week were dashed shortly before lunch when he nicked Zaib behind, the champions chose to bat on into the afternoon session.Yet Cox’s lightning half-century ensured that the innings continued for only five more overs – enough time for Leicestershire to pile up another 53 runs and extend their advantage to exactly 500.Cox bludgeoned the vast majority of those, scooping Scrimshaw for six and then flicking Ben Whitehouse over square leg and out of the ground before a booming four over the bowler’s head signalled both his 50 and the declaration.Logan van Beek and Wright gave away very little at the start of Northamptonshire’s second innings, with the ball rolling across the boundary rope just once during the first 11 attritional overs.Wright, bringing down the curtain on a 22-year professional career, dismissed both openers as Arush Buchake was caught behind pushing at a ball that left him before Lewis McManus drove straight to gully.Having edged Wright to the third boundary to reach his career landmark, Keogh gained a life soon afterwards when he nudged Josh Hull through the slips for four more, but settled down as he and James Sales steered their side to tea.The partnership progressed to 67, but Keogh’s good fortune ran out soon after the restart as he aimed an ambitious drive at Trevaskis and this time Patel safely pouched the chance at slip.Sales departed in the left-armer’s next over, caught behind off a bottom edge and Trevaskis then trapped Justin Broad lbw in a prolonged spell – partly enforced by the darkening clouds which restricted Leicestershire to slower bowling.Patel came on to deliver a single over of leg-breaks before the deteriorating light brought an end to proceedings, with Leicestershire needing five more wickets to wrap up victory on the final day of the season.

The Mumbai allrounder lifted his team from 47 for 7 and then took a wicket during an economical spell

S Sudarshanan23-Jan-2025They came to watch Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal. They ended up cheering for Shardul Thakur.Around 200 spectators had gathered at the Sharad Pawar Academy in the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, but only a little more than half had got in by the time Jaiswal and Rohit, who was playing his first Ranji Trophy game in nearly a decade, were dismissed early on Thursday morning. The home side needed at least one outright victory from their remaining two league games to qualify for the knockout round, but here they were tottering at 47 for 7 an hour and a half into the first morning against Jammu and Kashmir.It was time for Thakur’s first act: 51 off 57 balls at No. 8, and a partnership of 63 with Tanush Kotian for the ninth wicket, to drag Mumbai past 100 in tough conditions.The J&K quicks Umar Nazir Mir and Yudhvir Singh swung the ball viciously, hitting the right lines and lengths to challenge both edges of Thakur’s bat. He survived two lbw appeals in quick succession, but when a semblance of width was on offer, Thakur attacked. Thakur has fought these battles in more high-profile arenas; three of his four half-centuries in Test cricket came when India were in trouble. One of them was India’s second-fastest fifty at the time.Related

Another day, another audacious rescue act by Shardul Thakur

Rohit's Ranji return lasts 19 balls as he falls for 3 against J&K

Ranji round-up: Rohit, Gill and Pant miss out, Siddharth Desai misses perfect ten

Thakur pulled Yudhvir over midwicket to move to 49 before carving to deep point to complete a 51-ball fifty. The small crowd was delighted; several employees from nearby offices stood along the railings enjoying a lunch break well spent. Thakur finally holed out to long-on – Mumbai all out for 120 – and shook his head in disappointment all the way back to his team-mates.”I like batting in difficult situations,” Thakur said after stumps. “In easy situations, everyone does well, but how you put up the show in adverse situations matters. I see tough situations as a challenge and always think about how to overcome that challenge.”Thakur wasn’t done, though, and came out for a second act. He took the new ball and had a close appeal for lbw turned down against Shubham Khajuria in the opening over. In his second over, Thakur found Khajuria’s outside edge but Shreyas Iyer failed to hold the catch diving to his right at second slip. His only wicket – Abdul Samad caught behind – was an important one as it broke a 58-run stand for the third wicketThakur helped limit J&K’s lead to 54 runs with only three wickets in hand at the end of day one. He was Mumbai’s most economical bowler, conceding 29 in 13 overs, which was a big change from his recent performances in the two domestic white-ball tournaments.In the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was Mumbai’s most expensive bowler (also their highest wicket-taker), and he went for more than six an over in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy. And before all that, Thakur had found no buyers at the IPL auction in November and will not be part of the 2025 season.”You have to forget whatever has happened in the past; it is not going to change,” he said of those events. “It is important to be in the present and think about what you can do in the near future.”If you see the domestic T20 or one-day tournaments, most teams winning the toss won the match. Games started at 9am, there was out-and-out help for fast bowlers for 20 overs. We lost the toss against two good teams [ Karnataka and Punjab] and the pitch becomes flat after lunch. They were tracks you can hit on from ball one.”In such cases, you can’t judge bowlers. On those surfaces any top bowler get hit; take any top bowler, he will get hit. The pitches were made such that 300-350 were easily being scored, bowlers were going at an economy of six to six-and-a-half runs per over. You do not need to take those performances to heart, I think. There are ups and downs in cricket and it is important to be in the present and think about how you can do better in the near future.”The near future, for Thakur and Mumbai, is to fight back in this crucial Ranji Trophy fixture against J&K. That they aren’t out of it already is down to Thakur, and not his more high-profile team-mates.

The New York Yankees' recent struggles hit another new low on Saturday when they dropped to third place in the AL East after a second straight loss to the Miami Marlins.

Aaron Boone's team has been making too many errors and some costly mental mistakes lately, which have been not been sitting well with the team's fanbase.

The team's play also hasn't impressed two of the its former legends. Derek Jeter broke down their struggles on Saturday, saying: "They make way too many mistakes. Way too many mistakes."

Alex Rodriguez also weighed on on the team's struggles, and he painted a pretty bleak picture for their future.

“You can’t make this up,” Rodriguez said on the MLB on Fox studio show. “I mean, look, you can bring in nine relievers, it’s not going to make a difference. I don’t care if you bring back their ’98 bullpen with Mariano [Rivera], Mike Stanton, and Jeff Nelson, if your pitchers are going 3⅓, 4⅓, it’s not going to work.”

He added: “Here is my biggest concern—You bring in seven guys and you’re still miles away from winning a world title. … You’ve got to restructure this roster. I like a lot of the players individually but together it just doesn’t work.”

The Yankees are 4-6 in their last 10 games and on Sunday they'll try to avoid being swept by the Marlins in their three game series in Miami.

With the playoff push in full swing, the Yankees need to clean up a lot of issues if they want to be serious contenders come October.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians fechou um contrato de permuta com a Gazin, indústria de colchões do Paraná, até o final de 2024. 

RelacionadasDicasArgentinos Juniors x Corinthians: odds, estatísticas e informações para apostar na 3ª rodada da Sul-AmericanaDicas22/04/2024NotíciasFezinha de segunda! Aposte R$50 e receba R$248 se Corinthians e Ferroviária empatarem no BR FemininoNotícias22/04/2024FinançasQual é o tamanho da dívida do Corinthians? Veja evolução recenteFinanças22/04/2024

➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

O Corinthians aceitou ceder um camarote para 12 pessoas na Neo Química Arena, além de espaço nas costas da camisa de treino e uma placa de publicidade no CT Joaquim Grava.. A Gazin irá entregar ao Timão 64 “camas box” e 64 colchões, que serão usados para melhorar a estrutura do hotel do clube no CT. A informação é da Gazeta Esportiva.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Corinthians no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Timão

Segundo consta no contrato assinado entre as partes, o valor de mercado dos produtos, somados, é de R$ 104,3 mil, menos de 25% do que a nova diretoria do Timão tem cobrado por um camarote na Neo Química Arena – cerca de R$ 420 mil por temporada.

O acordo foi costurado por Sérgio Moura, superintendente de marketing do Corinthians, e é uma tentativa de elevar o valor do uniforme da equipe de futebol masculina. Após vencer as eleições, Augusto Melo prometeu que a camisa do Timão valeria mais de R$ 200 milhões.

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➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários dos jogos do Brasileirão

Até o momento, o Corinthians tem quatro espaços vagos no uniforme: a barra fontal, a barra traseira, a omoplata e o meião.

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Corinthians

B Sai Sudharsan brought grit, composure and a glimpse of permanence to India’s most unsettled slot

Sidharth Monga23-Jul-2025

B Sai Sudharsan found fluency after a watchful start•Getty Images

Since the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy late last year, India have gone through five No. 3s. There have been seven changes in all: Devdutt Padikkal took over from the injured Shubman Gill at the start, then Gill came back; Gill was then dropped and KL Rahul took over; then Gill came back, became captain, and took the vacant No. 4 slot, handing over No. 3 to B Sai Sudharsan; then Karun Nair had that spot for two Tests before it came back to Sai Sudharsan.It appeared to be a late call between Sai Sudharsan and Nair at Old Trafford and for a while it looked like both of them would play, going by signs in the India nets. Both of them were in the slips for catching drills, and Sai Sudharsan did some visualising drills on top of wet covers a day before the Test. On the morning of the Test, India saw mixed signals from the conditions: overcast skies and a pitch that had been under covers called for extra seam, but the dry pitch with some cracks demanded spin as well.Eventually, India decided to cover both bases and were forced to choose between Sai Sudharsan and Nair for No. 3. India went back to their plan at the start of the series: ask for the giant shoes of Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara, the last two regular No. 3s for India, to be filled by a batter who averaged 39.93 in first-class cricket.Related

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Sai Sudharsan fifty guides India after they lose Pant to injury

Not since WV Raman in 1988 have India handed out a debut to a specialist batter averaging under 40 in first-class cricket. Usually, you need to average close to 60 in first-class cricket to get close to the Test side as a specialist batter in India. They made an exception for Suryakumar Yadav in recent times; he averages 42.33 in first-class cricket including that one Test experiment.Sai Sudharsan’s case is different. Almost everybody who has seen him has been bullish about him. R Ashwin played against him in club cricket when Sai Sudharsan was 17, and he was amazed that someone so young had an actual working game plan against him. He had left midwicket open, but Sai Sudharsan didn’t play a single ball against the spin until Ashwin overpitched.Two years later, the same Ashwin ran out of money in a bidding war for Sai Sudharsan at a Tamil Nadu Premier League auction. At the IPL, Gujarat Titans bet big on him. That is the second big endorsement, from Ashish Nehra, considered a sharp cricket brain. And then, when the national selectors overlook your first-class numbers to push you into Test cricket, there has to be something special about you. Two things always stood out about what the decision-makers would say about him: his competitiveness and that he finds ways to score runs.1:47

Sai Sudharsan: ‘Shubman communicates very well as captain’

And yet, the jump up to Test cricket is a big one. Ben Stokes, who is a sharp and instinctive captain, wasted little time in actually attempting to get him caught down the leg side. And he did oblige England with two leg-side dismissals. Test cricket can be ruthless: he had to make way for the next two Tests for the sake of the balance of the side.Back at No. 3 now, on a pitch that was already showing signs of uneven bounce and appreciable sideways movement, Sai Sudharsan showed those two exact qualities: competitiveness and finding a way.”It was actually a really enjoyable experience,” Sai Sudharsan said of the contest against the short ball and Stokes. “Because the best bowler in the country is steaming in, trying to hit you hard, and you were batting there and giving your best for the team. That’s one of the best feelings you can have. And of course playing against England on their home soil, definitely, you have to be ready for that aggressive nature. So I enjoyed it very well.”Stokes, in particular, troubled him the most, both with his straight lines and short-pitched bowling. He also tried to get under his skin when Sai Sudharsan took him on and hit a four. Stokes clapped him all the way back from his follow-through. And since Sai Sudharsan was running his runs after hitting the pull, he could see Stokes right in his face. And, as he said it, he enjoyed it.2:28

Manjrekar: Sai Sudharsan’s game tailor-made for Test cricket

For an innings that can be considered slow by many used to modern batting pace, Sai Sudharsan played at least five shots that will make any highlights reel: two dismissive pulls with his front leg in the air a la Gordon Greenidge, a back-foot punch for four off Stokes, and two whippy cover-drives against spin. He was, as has been said of him, finding ways.Between scoring shots, Sai Sudharsan had to endure looking scratchy at times. If he was slightly unlucky at Headingley for getting out the way he did, he was slightly lucky Jamie Smith dropped him when he again tickled one down the leg side. “If he would’ve taken the catch, I would walked off,” he said matter-of-factly. “That’s about it.”Sai Sudharsan’s innings was crucial for India in this match because England hadn’t necessarily made full use of the conditions in the first session and were beginning to make amends after lunch. He walked in at the fall of yet another wicket just before or after a break. He weathered the storm the way India have been desperate for their No. 3 to do even as wickets fell at the other end.This was the first half-century by an India No. 3 in nine Tests starting from that Border-Gavaskar Trophy. There will be days when Sai Sudharsan will be more fluent. There will also be days when he won’t enjoy the rub of the green. But by steering the team towards a good score on a day that they likely lost Rishabh Pant to a suspected foot fracture, Sai Sudharsan has shown enough to back up the promise shown in him and give India hopes they might have found a No. 3.

Jordan Silk made 104, Brad Hope made 76 and Jake Weatherald made 67 to build his Ashes case and help Tasmania fight back after a top-order collapse

AAP04-Oct-2025The man Jake Weatherald hopes to partner at the top of the Australian order did him a big favour on day one of the opening Sheffield Shield clash between Queensland and Tasmania.Test and Queensland opener Usman Khawaja dropped Weatherald at first slip off the bowling of Jack Wildermuth when he had made just four on Saturday at Allan Border Field.Weatherald took full advantage of his life, hitting two boundaries in the same over. The in-form Tasmania opener went on to make 67 from 99 balls to continue his relentless runscoring over the past 12 months.Related

• Webster misses Sheffield Shield opener with ankle injury

He partnered with captain Jordan Silk to rescue the visitors’ innings after Silk’s decision to bat first looked to be backfiring horribly.Reeling at 33 for 3, Tasmania steadied and were 299 for 6 at stumps. Silk led the way with 104, his 13 first-class century, and Bradley Hope made 76.Weatherald is coming into Ashes selection calculations thanks to his run of form. He was Shield’s leading runscorer season and made 183 in July for Australia A against Sri Lanka. But he said after Saturday’s play that he had heard “nothing” from national selectors.”It was a good – a bit of luck. You need that when you’re opening,” Weatherald said of his early life. “I was happy with how I moved after that – it was a rough little start.”You probably get a little bit of that, ‘I get an opportunity to kick on now, have that bad shot, that rash shot, out of the kitchen’. Sometimes you just miss it or snick it straight to slips and you get out, so it was good I kicked on from there. I felt really good.”He hit eight boundaries and had a crucial 80-run stand for the fourth wicket with his captain before Michael Neser took a sharp reflex return catch with one hand.Weatherald said he and Silk tried to put the pressure back on the Queensland attack in their stand.Silk went on to make his 104 from 170 balls and was filthy with himself when he was also out caught and bowled to Mitch Swepson. The spinner’s catch was much more straightforward thanks to a leading edge.Wildermuth was eventually rewarded when he trapped Hope lbw, ending his 171-ball knock.Jake Doran and Nikhil Chaudhary were the not out batters, while Neser (2-53 from 18 overs) was the only multiple wicket-taker.Tasmania suffered a blow when Australian all-rounder Beau Webster was ruled out of the game because of an minor ankle injury.

Southampton have been granted permission following a managerial application ahead of Championship action returning, it has been revealed.

Southampton fan pundit calls for “experienced” manager

The Saints and Sport Republic have taken their time in regards to appointing Will Still’s permanent successor after sacking him at the beginning of the month.

A number of bosses have been linked with the St Mary’s vacancy, but it is interim manager Tonda Eckert who has been catching the eye after back-to-back wins against QPR and Sheffield Wednesday prior to the international break.

There have been suggestions the 32-year-old is in line to receive the permanent Southampton manager job, however, the pressure is on Sport Republic after a number of failures in recent times. Southampton fan pundit Ray Hunt even stated that supporters “want to see an experienced manager” come in.

“Sport Republic have appointed five permanent mangers in their three full seasons in charge. During that period, they have overseen two relegations from the Premier League, and one promotion with their only success, Russell Martin, but failed to give him the tools needed to succeed in the top flight.

“Moving forward, fans will want to see an experienced manager, who’s widely respected with a clear structure. We cannot repeat mistakes from the past. It is a huge task they simply have to get right. Take your time, give Tonda time in that interim, but ultimately make the right decision. The fans won’t tolerate another failure.”

Meanwhile, it has been added that Eckert is set to get the next three Championship fixtures to increase his chances of landing the role.

Now, it has been revealed the lengths the Saints have had to go to for Eckert to be in the dugout over the coming weeks despite already being employed as U23 coach.

Southampton apply for new visa to keep Eckert in charge

According to Sport 1, ‘Southampton applied for a work visa for Eckert for the upcoming matches so they could continue working with him’. It is claimed that the Saints ‘already received this visa for the next few games – meaning Eckert can continue’.

Tonda Eckert’s coaching career

Role

Years

1.FC Koln U17

Assistant manager

2013-2016

RB Salzburg YL

Assistant manager

2016-2017

RB Leipzig YL

Assistant manager

2017-2019

FC Bayern U17

Assistant manager

2019-2020

Barnsley

Assistant manager

2020-2022

Genoa

Assistant manager

2022-2025

Southampton U23

Manager

2025

Southampton

Interim manager

2025 – present

Eckert had a different visa as U23 coach, with the situation labelled ‘complex’ as ‘England’s employment law is extremely complicated, especially in football’, with clubs needing to ‘provide detailed justifications to the authorities as to why they prefer a foreign coach to an English candidate’.

Should Eckert get another positive result at The Valley this weekend and then again at home to Leicetser City and away to Millwall, then the speculation surrounding him landing the job on a long-term basis will only increase.

Southampton told to appoint new manager over Eckert who "ticks every box"

Tottenham are looking to sell a Spurs regular who Thomas Frank no longer wants with the January transfer window looming, according to a new report today.

Tottenham's rumoured plans for the January transfer window

If there’s one thing the last month has taught us, it is that the Lilywhites are still far from the finished article.

Tepid London derby defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea in the last few weeks, where Spurs barely managed to threaten in either encounter, significantly highlight the need for more firepower in particular.

Striker Dominic Solanke remains out with an ankle injury that required minor surgery, while star playmakers James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are still working to come back from their respective long-term problems.

This has left Spurs starved of attacking quality at times, with summer signing Xavi Simons largely failing to impress bar a player of the match display at home to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.

A silver lining for the north Londoners was Randal Kolo Muani’s exceptional outing against parent club PSG in Europe on Wednesday, where the Frenchman bagged a brace and an assist during the thrilling eight-goal thriller in Paris.

However, amid Solanke’s injury problems and the uncertainty surrounding Kolo Muani’s long-term future, considering he is only on a dry loan, reports suggest that Tottenham could look to sign a striker in January.

Co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange are also targeting a winger, with Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo on their radar.

Semenyo, who has stood out as one of the Premier League’s finest attacking players this season, could leave for just £65 million during the early stages of January due to a release clause in his contract.

Ex-club chief now tips Tottenham to sign Man City star for £50m in January

A deal is apparently there to be done.

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 28, 2025

Some media sources claim that Tottenham are prepared to shatter their winter transfer record by signing both Semenyo and FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, with the latter in excellent goalscoring form right now.

To fund such a big investment, player sales may be needed, and one man believed to be on the chopping block is striker Richarlison.

Tottenham looking to offload Richarlison in January

According to recent reports, despite selecting him 20 times this season, whether that be in the starting eleven or from the bench, Frank views Richarlison as ‘expendable’ heading into 2026.

Now, journalist Pete O’Rourke has told Football Insider that Tottenham are looking to sell Richarlison in January.

Amid concerns surrounding inconsistent form and the fact his contract expires in 2027, it is clear to see why.

The Brazil international has actually scored six goals and bagged a further two assists this term, including two stunning goal of the season contenders against Burnley and Arsenal respectively.

However, Richarlison has still come under criticism this season, and January represents an opportunity to offload for a significant fee before it is too late.

The 28-year-old cost £60 million to sign from Everton, and reports suggest that Richarlison could return to Goodison Park as one mooted destination.

Australia captain also pointed to how other teams have been struggling with poor starts and collapses

Vishal Dikshit11-Oct-2025Scores of 128 for 5 and 76 for 7. There was also the 190 all out against India just before the World Cup. Australia captain Alyssa Healy brushed those collapses aside with her trademark half-a-smile and stated those scores were not a concern, but something they would like to “rectify” against India and for the rest of the World Cup.Healy also pointed to how other teams have been struggling with poor starts and collapses. India have struggled up front in their three games, South Africa were bowled out for 69, England stuttered their way to the 179 target against Bangladesh, while Australia, on their part, had recovered well from their own collapses with centuries from Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney to top the table at the time.”I mean, we’re allowed to lose games of cricket and we’re allowed to be put under pressure at times, in particular in World Cups,” Healy said a day before their India game on Sunday. “I think you’re going to be put under the pump in unfamiliar conditions, against unfamiliar sides at times. I think that’s the nature of the game, and like I’ve said all along, I really back our depth in our side and also in our squad that the 11 that we put out on the park are going to be able to get the job done for us. And we’re fortunate that it’s been a different person every time that stuck their hand up and said, ‘yep, I’ve got this, I can get us to a total or I can take the wickets to restrict the team’. I wouldn’t say it’s a worry, it’s something we’d like to rectify and I think there’s a lot of teams that are probably wanting to rectify that as well.”The low scores in this World Cup – with 300 breached just once – are down to the nature of the pitches. Guwahati and Colombo, which have hosted four games each so far, have offered purchase for the slower bowlers, some turn and grip. The moisture, because of the rain, has also not made run-scoring straightforward. Indore was among the flatter venues where Australia put on 326 against New Zealand and in the other South Africa chased down 232 in the 41st over without much trouble. Visakhapatnam, where India and Australia play on Sunday in front of a sell-out crowd, also had runs on offer for both teams, but also some help for the bowlers.Related

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“I think the wickets have still been good,” Healy said. “I think probably maybe a little bit of pressure has come into play at times and teams have got themselves into a little bit of a pickle. Obviously, Colombo was slightly different conditions than what we faced over here. So having to adapt really quickly is going to be really important. And I still remain that – obviously we’re here at a new destination, a fresh wicket, fresh outfield, fresh everything against a really good side – so we’re just going to have to pick up on that really quickly. And yeah, on the sort of collapse sort of situation, I think it’s on our top order to make the bulk of the runs and I think we can speak on that from both sides.”The varying conditions and facing oppositions they often don’t “makes this World Cup so unique” and “really challenging to win,” which makes adapting to the conditions quickly the key. Their collapses and a new ground in Visakhapatnam, where Australia have never played before, will, however, not deter Australia from going hard at the top, when Healy and Litchfield open the innings on Sunday.Phoebe Litchfield fine-tunes her reverse-hit•ICC via Getty Images”I actually still think the powerplay plays a crucial role in this World Cup,” Healy said. “I think if you can get off to a pretty decent start, it seems to be throughout the middle overs that some sides have been managing to squeeze oppositions, but I still think if you can get off to a good start and set a platform, that’s going to be really important to putting a good total out there or chasing something down. There’s a little bit of a fine balance in that regard, but I think both of us at the top of the order are quite aggressive players, so we’re not exactly going to curb that at any point. It’s just probably making a few better decisions and taking a few smarter options, knowing and feeling the conditions out there at that moment in time, and hopefully that’ll lay the platform for what is a really dominant middle order of ours to set a big total or, like I said, chase it down.”There have been memorable India-Australia games in the last few World Cups, both T20 and ODI. It’s also been one of the fiercest rivalries in the game. Australia took down India by six wickets in the last ODI World Cup, in 2022, but in the one before that Harmanpreet Kaur had played one of the most jaw-dropping knocks in World Cup history, an unbeaten 171 in a rain-shortened game.”Yeah, I think the rivalry continues to grow,” Healy said. “I think I’ve said it previously that I feel like they’ve been a really, almost a sleeping giant in the women’s game for a long period of time. It’s probably since the WPL has come into play that they’ve realised the depth they’ve got and they’ve figured out a style of play that they want to use, especially in this format, and they’re really sticking to that, which I think has been really impressive to see. So, in their home conditions they’re obviously going to play really well and be a real threat. But as we’ve seen throughout this World Cup so far, there’s lots of teams that are pushing everybody.”

South Africa smashed England by 125 runs to qualify for their maiden ODI World Cup final

Valkerie Baynes29-Oct-20258:30

Fire and ice take South Africa through to the final

South Africa 319 for 7 (Wolvaardt 169, Ecclestone 4-44) beat England 194 (Sciver-Brunt 64, Capsey 50, Kapp 5-20) by 125 runsLaura Wolvaardt’s batting masterclass and Marizanne Kapp’s five-for propelled South Africa into their maiden World Cup final, off the back of a 125-run victory over England.Wolvaardt’s breathtaking 169 in the first semi-final in Guwahati carried her side to 319 for 7 from their 50 overs, the second-highest score in World Cup knockout matches.Asked to stage the second-highest successful chase in women’s ODIs – behind Australia’s 331 to beat India earlier in this tournament – England fell short in the face of the brilliant bowling of Kapp, who took 5 for 20. Those wickets included two in the first over of the reply, as England lurched to 1 for 3, and the prize wicket of Nat Sciver-Brunt who had built a century stand with Alice Capsey. Later in the innings, Kapp took two more wickets in as many balls to put South Africa on the brink of victory.South Africa face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and India for the title on Sunday, which will be their third consecutive World Cup final, after they finished runners-up at the T20 events in 2023 and 2024.Wolvaardt was a class above in the South Africa batting line-up. Her innings was full of trademark elegant drives early on, followed by a brutal leg-side assault as she hit the accelerator in the closing stages. She was supported by Tazmin Brits, who scored 45, but later went off during England’s innings with what appeared to be a wrist injury after landing awkwardly in the field, followed by Kapp’s rapid 42 off just 33 balls. Wolvaardt shared a seventh-wicket stand worth 89 with Chloe Tryon, who finished unbeaten on 33 herself.Sophie Ecclestone overcame a shoulder injury suffered in the previous match against New Zealand on Sunday to finish with 4 for 44 but, apart from her bowling figures, and fifties for Sciver-Brunt and Capsey, there was little to celebrate for England. Only two others – Danni Wyatt-Hodge and tailender Linsey Smith – reached double figures.As if determined to model South Africa’s bowling performance on Wolvaardt’s batting masterclass, Kapp removed Amy Jones with a ball of the highest quality in the first over. A fuller delivery outside off stump jagged back in between bat and pad and clattered into off stump. Heather Knight was more complicit in her dismissal three balls later when, with leaden feet, she prodded at one that shaped away from outside off and edged onto her stumps. The dismissal gave Kapp figures of 2 for 0 from her first five balls.Ayabonga Khaka made it three England ducks in a row just two balls into the second over, when she drew a faint edge off Tammy Beaumont with one that straightened off the pitch for caught behind.South Africa let England off the hook somewhat, as Sciver-Brunt and Capsey took them from such a poor start to 108 for 4, when Capsey fell moments after reaching her maiden ODI half-century. Capsey had been dropped on 28 by substitute fielder Nondumiso Shangase at long on off the bowling of Sune Luus as South Africa struggled to make further inroads with Kapp off the field. Sciver-Brunt, meanwhile, narrowly avoided being run out as she retreated to the bowler’s end.Marizanne Kapp struck twice in the first over of the chase•ICC via Getty Images

No sooner had Capsey reached fifty, that she picked out Nadine de Klerk at mid-off with Luus the bowler once more. Either side of her dismissal, Sciver-Brunt reached her own half-century, powering Luus over long-off for six, while Brits put down a difficult chance leaping to her right at midwicket. She fell heavily, forcing her off the field in pain and clutching her arm.Kapp struck in the second over of her return spell to remove Sciver-Brunt, caught behind after she was enticed to drive at a length ball, which wobbled away ever so slightly off the seam and brushed the outside edge. In her next over, Kapp had Sophia Dunkley and Charlie Dean caught behind off successive deliveries. The energy with which she roared to celebrate her last wicket matched that of her first.Wyatt-Hodge, playing just her second match of the tournament after being brought in for Emma Lamb to bolster a struggling middle-order, faced just seven deliveries for 2 not out against New Zealand. With more time in the middle here, she managed 34 off 31. When she and Smith fell to Nadine de Klerk, however, it was all over for England.South Africa’s resounding victory was a result of their ability to get out of trouble. They fell from 116 without loss to 119 for 3, as Ecclestone took a sledgehammer to the excellent structure laid down by Wolvaardt and Brits, with two wickets in the space of four balls.Brits could have been out for 1 off what would have been the sharpest of return catches by Lauren Bell. She had attempted a reverse-sweep off Ecclestone’s fellow left-arm spinner, Linsey Smith, before ending up in an awkward heap as the ball struck her front pad well outside off stump. When Brits tried it again, it was her undoing, as Ecclestone speared one in full on middle and leg and drew a bottom edge onto the stumps.Anneke Bosch, brought into the starting XI to boost the batting which had failed so miserably against England last time these sides met, lost her off stump as she charged at Ecclestone, yorked herself, and departed for a three-ball duck.Bell put down another tough chance leaping to her left at short fine leg off Kapp, on 36 at the time. But Kapp added just a handful more runs before Ecclestone returned with immediate impact, with Kapp skying a fuller ball outside off stump high over mid-on where Dean ran back and settled underneath it.Another cluster of South Africa wickets fell when Annerie Dercksen, apparently having failed to learn from Brits’ downfall, tried to reverse-sweep Ecclestone. She hit the ball into the pitch outside off, then again through her swing. The second impact ricocheted into the stumps.Having lumped Dean for a massive 82 metre six over wide long-on, Wolvaardt bided her time through Ecclestone’s final over. She then helped herself to 13 of the 15 runs to come off the next, by Sciver-Brunt, including another six over long-on, followed by a pulled four through backward square.Sciver-Brunt conceded 14 off her next over, which also included Wolvaardt’s third maximum. This time, the shot was over deep midwicket, and she raised her 150 with a similar effort off Smith, who leaked 20 off the over, all but one of them to Wolvaardt.When Wolvaardt finally holed out to Capsey as she launched Bell down the ground, she walked off to warm congratulations from her opponents, as well as the gratitude of her team and the rapture of the crowd, who knew they had witnessed something special.