Pick between two Tests where teams overcame great odds to snatch victories

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The AUS-SA 2008 Perth Test moves into the quarter-finals.South Africa bend Australia to their will – Perth, 2008Australia were in transition ahead of the home summer in 2008-09, but still beat New Zealand 2-0. They found heroes when they needed one, and were doing the usual Australia things, but then the script changed in the first Test against South Africa in Perth. It took its time coming, though.It took a lower-order rescue act to lift them to 375 in the first innings (from 166 for 5) and a macho fast-bowling show from Mitchell Johnson, who bagged a career-best 8 for 61, kept South Africa to 281 after that. Almost a 100-run lead there, which Brad Haddin’s 94 and 30s from Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds and Jason Krejza extended to 413, setting South Africa what looked like far too many runs to win.Enter Graeme Smith, who lost opening partner Neil McKenzie early, but then took the total to 172 in collaboration with Hashim Amla before both fell in quick succession – Smith for 108 and Amla for 53. But there was more in the tank. Jacques Kallis (57) and AB de Villiers took them to 303 before Kallis fell with the target still over 100 away, and de Villiers, who remained not out on 106, finished the job with JP Duminy – apart from McKenzie, all the batters who walked out, walked back with at least 50 against their name.That was Australia’s second successive loss at the WACA after India beat them there in 2007-08. And who knew at the time that it would lay the foundation for the first of three back-to-back Test series wins by South Africa in the country?

Australia stun England – Birmingham 2023

“Boring, boring, Aussies” was the chant from the Hollies Stand at Edgbaston on the fourth afternoon when Usman Khawaja was digging in and slowly building for Australia in their pursuit of 281. By the fifth evening, the crowd had fallen into stunned silence as Australia aced the old-school long game to beat England’s new-age fast play.When Khawaja fell for 65, with Ben Stokes ending his near-five-and-a-half-hour vigil, Australia had slipped to 209 for 7. Then, when Alex Carey’s wicket left Australia at 227 for 8, it certainly felt like England’s Bazballers were on their way to another famous win. Australia captain Pat Cummins, though, flipped the mood and result with an unbeaten 44 off 73 balls, with No. 10 Nathan Lyon hanging on in an unbroken 55-run partnership for the ninth wicket.After having come under fire with his defensive fields on the opening day, Cummins played the decisive hand on the final day, absorbing good balls from Stokes and Ollie Robinson and lining up Joe Root’s part-time offspin for a brace of sixes. After sealing the deal, Cummins let out a big roar, threw his bat and punched his fist in a rare show of emotion that summed up how much this win meant to him and Australia.

Stats highlights from a historic day in Ahmedabad for Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Sampath Bandarupalli03-Jun-20251:27

Moody: Krunal Pandya screams character to me

6255 – Days since Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) played their first IPL match – on April 18, 2008 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Tuesday marks the end of their wait for a trophy, after playing 286 games across the IPL and the CLT20.RCB had played four T20 finals before this season – three in the IPL and one in the CLT20, losing all of them while chasing a target. Delhi Capitals (DC) now hold the record for playing the most men’s T20 matches (274) without winning a title.8 – Teams to win the IPL trophy, including RCB. They leave Punjab Kings (PBKS) and DC as the only IPL franchises from 2008 not to have won the trophy. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are the only other active franchise not to have won the title.1 – Krunal Pandya became the first player to win the Player-of-the-Match award twice in IPL finals. He had won the award in the 2017 final against Rising Pune Supergiant/s.Related

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• Ponting expects 'daring, dynamic' PBKS to come back stronger

• Krunal Pandya is an IPL great even if you don't think he is

• Kohli and RCB are finally IPL champions

• Virat Kohli: I've given this team my youth, my prime, my experience

4 – Players who have won the IPL title in their maiden season as captain, including Rajat Patidar. Shane Warne won the inaugural edition in 2008 for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Rohit Sharma won with Mumbai Indians (MI) after taking over captaincy mid-season in 2013, and Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title in their debut season in 2022.Patidar had played only four international matches before his IPL captaincy debut, the second-fewest for any captain in the IPL behind Nitish Rana (three).4-0 – Krunal’s win-loss record as a player in IPL finals. Krunal won all three IPL finals he played for MI – in 2017, 2019 and 2020. Only Rohit has a better record than Krunal in finals, having won each of the six he has played. Overall, Krunal is one of eight players to be part of four or more IPL final wins.10 – Different players to either score 20-plus runs or take a wicket for RCB on Tuesday. The only exceptions were Phil Salt, who scored 16 runs and took a catch, while Suyash Sharma, who came in as the Impact Player, bowled two wicketless overs.Only one team before RCB had ten players with 20-plus runs or a wicket in a men’s T20 final – Delhi against Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2017-18.771 – Fours hit by Virat Kohli in the IPL, the most by any batter, surpassing Shikhar Dhawan’s tally of 768.

Raucous win over Trent Rockets puts Sam Billings’ side on the cusp of a third consecutive title

Matt Roller22-Aug-2025Can anyone stop Oval Invincibles? They gunned down a target of 172 inside 89 balls against Trent Rockets, their nearest challengers, at The Oval on Thursday night, all but confirming their progress to the knockout stage. One win in their last two group games should be enough to take Invincibles straight through to next Sunday’s final at Lord’s, as they chase a third title in a row.This was an exhilarating game decided by two extraordinary innings: Sam Curran belted 52 off 24 balls, including six sixes in an eight-ball stretch, and Jordan Cox smoked 58 not out off 32. Invincibles needed 102 off the last 40 balls when David Willey took the Rockets’ strategic time out; it took them just 29 more to finish the chase. It was stunning ball-striking under the pressure of a run chase.Cox made the first play, hauling Willey over the short boundary towards the dugouts, before Curran went on a rampage. He had scored just 7 off 12 balls at the time out, but resolved that every ball had to go thereafter: “I knew it was six or out for me, because I was struggling a bit.” Ten balls and six sixes later, he raised his bat to acknowledge the applause for an outrageous fifty.Invincibles still needed 38 off 24 when Curran was dismissed. Cox took the baton, hoisting Marcus Stoinis over wide long-on, and then reverse-ramping him for four. Donovan Ferreira cracked his third and fourth balls for sixes before Cox finished things off with consecutive boundaries, punching the air in celebration.Sam Curran and Jordan Cox’s ten-ball charge put Invincibles in control•Alex Davidson/Getty Images”It felt like we were in a really strong position, but you have to give credit to the opposition sometimes,” Joe Root, who had scored 76 in 41 balls for Rockets, said. “There was great ball-striking and that phase of ten balls in the middle really changed the momentum and made it very difficult for us to get a hold back on the game… Clearly, [Invincibles] have got a formula that works, with some extremely good players.”The Oval was raucous. “It’s our first midweek game: a lot of people come in from the city and enjoyed the evening. You get a couple out of the middle, and the fans kept going and going,” Curran beamed. “It almost felt like one of those games in India, where there’s so much energy… You forgot about the situation, and you just remember how cool this is.”Since England left Cox and Curran out of their white-ball squads last Friday, they have scored 338 runs off 173 balls between them, including 26 sixes. Rob Key, England’s managing director, told the podcast on Thursday morning that Curran had to force his way back in through weight of runs. This knock was as clear a message as he could have ever hoped to send.”They’ve been pretty clear with me what I need to do,” Curran said. “I’m chasing three trophies at the moment: the Hundred, the Championship, and the T20 Blast for Surrey… Normally guys come into September with an end-of-season feeling, so to be able to say I’m pushing for three trophies and enjoying my cricket is a nice place to be.”Invincibles sealed back-to-back titles last year•ECB/Getty ImagesA three-peat would be a phenomenal achievement. The Hundred – like most short-form leagues – is designed to ensure competitive balance, with its strict salary bands and annual drafts devised to uphold the theory that anyone can beat anyone. In practice, Invincibles have beaten everyone: across the last three seasons, they have won 19 games and lost only four.The secret is an open one: continuity is key. They identified a core of local players ahead of the first season and have tried to minimise squad turnover. Will Jacks, the Curran brothers, and Sam Billings have generally been the stars, but Cox, Nathan Sowter and Saqib Mahmood have all been retained throughout the tournament’s short history.”Our roles are so consistent,” Curran said. “We’ve been very smart with the way we’ve signed players… Guys like Rashid Khan comes in for [Adam] Zampa last year, and then [Jason] Behrendorff comes in for Spencer Johnson. It’s pretty smooth planning. We turned up two days before the tournament and there weren’t too many meetings, because we knew our roles.”They have actively avoided speaking about the prospect of a third successive title. “We know it’s quite a dangerous thing to do,” Curran warned. “We know there are a lot of teams that are playing really well and are a lot more settled. The Hundred’s into its fifth season, so guys know how to play the format, and we’ve kept our side pretty solid as well. One game at a time.”Rashid Khan is done for the season with Invincibles•ECB via Getty ImagesThursday’s win was Rashid Khan’s final appearance of the season – he is heading to Sharjah for Afghanistan’s tri-series with UAE and Pakistan – and he will clearly be missed. He was the game’s standout bowler, taking 2 for 19 from 20 balls, and his googly to clean up Root with the final ball of his spell was a turning point.Rashid had one off-night, conceding 59 runs against Birmingham Phoenix when Liam Livingstone took him down; in his other five appearances, he has combined figures of 12 for 105 from 100 balls. Invincibles will go into their final two group games with two overseas players, with Zampa – last season’s leading wicket-taker – set to return for the knockouts.It should be another seamless transition, for which Tom Moody and Billings – as coach and captain – deserve substantial credit. The Hundred may only be in its infancy, but a third consecutive trophy would be an achievement that only a handful of teams in the history of short-form cricket can match.

Allrounder is back in favour after time in the wilderness and eager to become central to the team

Cameron Ponsonby19-Oct-2025In June of this year, it was the tenth anniversary of Sam Curran’s debut in professional cricket. Now 27 years old, he has played 471 professional cricket matches across his career. Stuart Broad managed 501.”I’ve played a lot of cricket,” Curran says, speaking from Christchurch. “This year I went back to Surrey [after getting dropped by England]. And I sit here now and I’m probably thankful for the reset. I’ve been non-stop since I was 17.”On that night at The Oval ten years ago, Curran’s Surrey captain was his current county coach Gareth Batty. A month later he claimed four wickets on his List A debut, and the teammate with whom he shared the new-ball duties, Jade Dernbach, is now his bowling coach in South London.”I went back to coaches that know me,” Curran explains, “I’ve obviously experienced such highs in my career and it was just about slowing down fractionally and getting back to enjoying it.”By all accounts, Curran took his omission from England’s white-ball squads earlier this year personally. Brendon McCullum had come in, and Curran had immediately gone out, as if confirming fears he’d aired a year earlier that he didn’t think his face fit in England’s Bazball era. He wasn’t six-foot-eight, and he wasn’t 90mph.”As a county player, it’s an interesting one,” he told talkSPORT at the time. “Because you’ve got to hope that you fit that mould right now.”This was the quiet part out loud – something that fans and journalists spoke about publicly, but rarely players.If the decision to drop him was hard to take, the message of how to get back in was simple. Become one of the best six white-ball batters in the country.Curran’s role as a seam-bowling allrounder has become integral to England’s tactics•Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images”I actually really enjoyed the clarity of it,” Curran reflects. “It was so simple. In the past as an all-rounder I’ve played so many roles but now it was nice and clear.”Curran returned to Surrey a man possessed. Determined to win every match whether with bat, ball or in the field. He played 24 games across the Blast and Hundred, giving him the time to impress with the bat, and also the time to develop with the ball. The super-slower moon ball has been added to his arsenal and means he is now a genuine option to Harry Brook across all phases of a T20 innings. It is a delivery that is currently unique to him in world cricket.”I’m not going to give away any secrets,” he says with a laugh. “The grip is very similar and I want it to be similar so guys can’t really pick it. The game’s moving so fast you have to be adaptable.”From being a man outside the squad, Curran has a chance to nail his role and become one of the most important players in the XI. Brook’s preference for two spinners, wherever England play, makes the presence of a seam-bowling all-rounder imperative.”He’s a very, very, very good player,” Brook said of his friend after Curran’s 49 not out in the opening T20I of the series. “To have him back in the side, he’s a very valuable player to us.”Related

• England blown to bits-and-pieces as part-timers' bowling strategy backfires

• Sam Curran added to England T20I squads as Ben Duckett takes break

• Saker returns to England set-up as Ashes fast-bowling coach

• Brook parks Ashes chat to train focus on New Zealand

• Rain ruins Christchurch opener after Curran claws England to 153

In truth, Curran’s 49 in Christchurch was a poor example of his quality. There are lottery winners who would’ve blushed at the fortune he was afforded across his innings. Dropped twice, once badly and the second time atrociously, before later being reprieved on review for an LBW decision for which he’d already walked off the pitch. But, clichés exist for a reason: runs are runs and look in the book etc.The fact is, in returning to England’s white-ball squads, Curran has done the impossible. He has won back McCullum’s love. And that was achieved before his glorious (sketchy) 49 not out (for three).Across McCullum’s tenure in English cricket, no-one has made their way back in after being left out. Alex Lees got an English summer. Sam Cook got a Zimbabwean Test. And Keaton Jennings got a Pakistani net. Please call them. We don’t know where they are.Curran’s curse has always been the riches he bestows. Able to do everything and therefore expected to do anything. But to call him a jack-of-all-trades would be an insult. It is worth remembering just how prodigal Curran was and what exactly he has already accomplished.The story those at Surrey tell is of a Year 12 student arriving at the ground for T20s in his school uniform, removing his blazer and tie then walking out in front of 25,000 people to do his thing. On his first-class debut, again, as a Year 12 student, he opened the bowling and took a five-wicket haul. In his third first-class match a month later, he opened the bowling and batted at No.3.Those signs of promise translated into results as he was named as Player of the Series against India in 2018, his first summer as an international cricketer. Before he was later awarded Player of the Tournament in England’s World Cup win in 2022. He got an MBE for that.”Winning the World Cup for England’s definitely the highlight,” he says, “and there’s that drive to do it again. That’s the pinnacle and I guess on tough days you look at that as your ‘lift me up’. There’s another World Cup in 3-4 months time and it’s exciting.”It is in everyone’s interest that this time it works.

After starting poorly at the top of the order, the batter moved lower down and began to have spectacular results

Danyal Rasool11-Sep-20253:12

Jaffer: Pakistan clearly taking a new T20 route

There’s something slightly ersatz about players feted solely for their ability to score big at the top of a T20 batting order. The ball is at its hardest. There are open spaces on the boundary. There’s often no situation-induced pressure, and ample license from the management to go for it. It’s early enough that a first-over dismissal will be too far removed from memory of most viewers to be scapegoated as a match-influencing error.Boasting about big runs at furious strike rates at that stage is a bit like bragging about not being frightened of walking alone at night when you live in a city like Reykjavik. Every possible condition to produce a desirable outcome has been catered for; it’s no surprise there is a surfeit of players eager to move up the order to give themselves the best chance of success.For a while over the past few months, Hasan Nawaz appeared to be exactly that sort of player. In a team beginning to shake off the Babar Azam-Mohammad Rizwan approach to batting for something more volatile, Pakistan gambled on Nawaz, plumping for him in five T20Is in New Zealand earlier this year on what, in retrospect, looks surprisingly scant evidence of his record in domestic cricket. Nawaz later said he had “never played in conditions like [these].”Related

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Aqib Javed was still interim coach of the Pakistan side in March, having been in the role nearly as long as his full-time predecessor Gary Kirsten, and actually overseen more games. Some might argue that punting on Nawaz was a stroke of inspiration. But, in truth, Javed has a penchant for tinkering based on little more than hunches. Weeks earlier, he had promoted Babar to open the batting in the Champions Trophy, a role he had performed only on two occasions a decade ago, and one which bore no fruit.Nawaz’s elevation into the side and up to the top also backfired disastrously; four of his five innings in New Zealand combined to produce a total of one run. In fact, five of his first ten T20I innings were ducks, the most for a player of a Full Member nation. The belief that Nawaz would succeed in New Zealand was rooted solely in the T20 Champions Cup in 2024-25, where he finished as the second highest run-scorer with a strike rate over 142. But as far as more substantial evidence went, there was none: Nawaz’s previous cricket of any pedigree had come a full 13 months before that.Fortunately for him and Pakistan, in the middle of those four low scores in New Zealand, Nawaz produced an astonishing counter-attacking knock – an unbeaten 105 off 45 balls that helped Pakistan win their only game of the tour, chasing down 205 at Eden Park with four overs to spare.Like good films that seed the final reveal early, there were signs of the kind of player Nawaz could become. They lay not in the powerplay, where he appeared as scratchy as he did in the other four innings that series and was fortunate not to nick off more than once early on. Post-powerplay, though, as the field spread out, Nawaz went on a tear, pummelling 77 runs off 28 balls, punishing both pace and spin to rip the game out of New Zealand’s hands.Hasan Nawaz has scored the fastest century for Pakistan in men’s T20Is•AFP/Getty ImagesBoth his PSL franchise Quetta Gladiators and latterly Pakistan took time to work out how to use him, but now having cracked that code, his results down the order have been spectacular. During Gladiators’ run to the final of PSL 2025, Nawaz’s strike rate after the powerplay was behind only Kusal Perera and Sikandar Raza’s for any Gladiators batter to have faced a minimum of 80 balls. But more remarkable was Nawaz’s reliability despite his high-risk game in the tournament. He faced more non-powerplay deliveries than any other batter in the league, and averaged a staggering 121.66 while striking at 166.66.Nawaz’s powerplay numbers are well below average: he strikes at just over a run a ball in the first six overs, ranking 190th of 232 batters who have faced at least 60 balls in the powerplay this year. Despite that handicap, only Abhishek Sharma, Dewald Brevis and Tim Seifert have superior T20I strike rates this year among players with 300 T20I runs. Nawaz’s ranking among those elite batters is due to his big hitting when others typically slow down, striking at over 174 outside the powerplay. It is a number exceeded only by Brevis and Tim David among players from Full Member nations.That potential to go big lower down is invaluable for Pakistan. They may have stocked their lower-middle order with batting potential to have more depth, but true explosiveness is hard to find outside the top order, especially during the horror run Mohammad Haris is enduring in the middle overs. Against less decorated bowling attacks, Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Nawaz have made valuable contributions, but Hasan Nawaz’s six-hitting ability when the squeeze is on remains unmatched.It may be evident with the eye test, but raw numbers make for equally startling reading. Nearly 60% (34 of Nawaz’s 57 T20I boundaries) are sixes, the highest among players from Full Member teams with at least 50 boundaries in T20Is. While that makes sense on some level – after all, a high strike rate when more fielders are on the boundary means you’ll have to clear them rather than thread gaps – his ability to sustain that number across a widening sample size makes Nawaz’s player profile an almost uniquely exciting one.Hasan Nawaz’s six-hitting ability when the squeeze is invaluable to Pakistan•Emirates Cricket BoardFor context, Nawaz has already hit more sixes than Ahmed Shehzad or Kamran Akmal managed in their entire Pakistan careers, just two behind Saim Ayub, three short of Asif Ali, and four behind Shadab Khan. And though Nawaz favours pace on, those sixes have been split equally between spinners and seam bowlers at 17 apiece.There are, invariably, caveats to each spring of optimism. Nawaz is a 23-year old precocious talent in the hands of a nation with a supremely efficient history of turning such players into a 27-year-old domestic cricketing journeyman. That hundred at Eden Park came at one of the smaller grounds in world cricket. PSL form hasn’t always been a reliable indicator of prolonged success at international level. Pakistan haven’t necessarily played against the highest class of opposition – certainly nowhere close to what they will encounter against India in the Asia Cup on Sunday. And in the three games against Afghanistan, who boast among the world’s best spin attacks – Nawaz’s one clear weakness – he was subdued: 33 runs in three innings at a run a ball, with Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan dismissing him once each.Pakistan cricket will always give you reasons to curb your enthusiasm. But in a cricket board and a nation that has, of late, come to question the authenticity of everything that happens around them, there is nothing ersatz about Hasan Nawaz.And that, on its own, is perhaps getting worth excited about.

The U.S. scored early and never stopped, putting five past a strong Uruguay side in their final match of 2025.

To close out 2025, the U.S. men’s national team lined up two final tests. The first was handled with ease – a 2-1 win over Paraguay that stretched the unbeaten run and nudged the U.S. into their final exam against Uruguay, one of the world’s true heavyweights.

If Paraguay was a passing grade, then Tuesday was an A+++. Extra credit was on the table, and somehow the U.S. claimed all of it in a stunning dismantling of Uruguay.

Goal after goal went in and, by the time the U.S. finally eased off, the scoreline read 5-1. With manager Mauricio Pochettino rotating heavily – nine of 10 outfield players changed – the U.S. lined up against Uruguay and absolutely dominated. Alex Freeman scored twice, Sebastian Berhalter added a goal and an assist, and Tanner Tessmann and Diego Luna chipped in as well, sealing the USMNT’s most emphatic win of the Pochettino era. It marks the first time the USMNT has scored five goals against a CONMEBOL nation, a World Cup winner, or a FIFA top-30 opponent – according to TruMedia Sports' Paul Carr. 

It started early, and from Uruguay’s perspective, it unraveled quickly. Berhalter’s superb finish in the 17th minute set the tone, and the U.S. were four goals up by the 43rd, when Luna punished an overwhelmed Uruguay side yet again. A bicycle-kick strike from Giorgian De Arrascaeta gave Pochettino something to bark about, and the U.S. seemed to take the hint. Four minutes after Rodrigo Bentancur’s 65th-minute red card, Tessmann made it five, putting the final stamp on a statement win.

This was the last time the USMNT will take the field until March, when they enter their final pre-World Cup window. And as sendoffs go, this was a remarkable one for Pochettino’s first full year in charge – a year full of hurdles that somehow ends with the U.S. looking better than ever.

GOAL rates the USMNT's players from Raymond James Stadium…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defense

  Matt Freese (5/10):

  Didn't have to do much, but surely should have done better on the goal. The U.S. survived the initial ball in, but not the sequence, as his decision to come out of the net ultimately cost the U.S.

  John Tolkin (6/10):

  A pretty good game, all things considered. Got forward well and was never challenged defensively. Drew a few fouls, too.

  Auston Trusty (7/10):

  Credited with the assist on Freeman's second, although that was all Freeman, to be fair. Defensively, he was super steady and nearly prevented the goal before the bicycle kick.

  Mark McKenzie (6/10):

  Not quite as good as Trusty, but still pretty good. In truth, he wasn't challenged too often, and there wasn't much he could do on the goal given the quality of finish.

  Alex Freeman (9/10):

  What a performance. Scored two goals, both very different, and handled anything Uruguay well defensively, too. A night to be proud of for the Florida native.

  Sergino Dest (7/10):

  Another one with an "assist" but, again, all Berhalter. Given more freedom as he essentially played as a midfielder, but did more defensive work than you would expect.

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• AFP
  

  Midfield

  Sebastian Berhalter (9/10):

  Set piece superstar. His goal is a Goal of the Year contender, and his assist was stunning, too. Fun fact: he now has a USMNT goal and his dad doesn't.

  Aidan Morris (7/10):

  A good shift in midfield against a talented Uruguay unit. Never looked phased and seemingly never had to work too hard, either.

  Timothy Tillman (6/10):

  Played a little bit higher, but wasn't overly involved outside of the first few minutes. Not a bad game, but was certainly overshadowed by the goal scorers on the pitch. 

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Diego Luna (7/10):

  Lovely finish from a player who has provided a few of those this year. Didn't create too much danger otherwise, but really took his chance well.

  Haji Wright (7/10):

  He was good at holding the ball up, springing several U.S. attackers thanks to his ability to occupy the Uruguay defense. Didn't get a goal, but deserved one for all of the hard work he did.

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• AFP
  

  Subs & Manager

  Folarin Balogun (5/10):

  Hardly got a touch of the ball as Uruguay sat back while down a man.

  Gio Reyna (8/10):

  Another game, another assist, as he set up Tessmann's goal. Uruguay made it easy for him by not pressing, but that ball in was fantastic.

  Tanner Tessmann (9/10):

  Came off the bench to score his first USMNT goal with a lovely headed finish.

  Brenden Aaronson (6/10):

  Got a few touches, but didn't get much else.

  Max Arfsten (7/10):

  Came on late but was actually pretty involved, even with the sting taken out of the game.

  Cristian Roldan (N/A):

  Tossed in with two minutes left to run around a little bit.

  Mauricio Pochettino (9/10):

  Was surely in dreamland through this one. While Uruguay looked lethargic and unenthused, the USMNT pressed like dogs right up until the final whistle. A statement win that allows the U.S. to end 2025 on the highest of notes.

No play possible on third day with contest evenly poised

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025Day three of Sussex’s Championship game against Hampshire at Hove was abandoned without a ball bowled – the first day’s play to be lost this season.Morning showers delayed the start to day three at the 1st Central County Ground and when more persistent rain arrived at lunchtime umpires Nigel Llong and Rob White called play off at 2.15pm with puddles forming on a saturated outfield.Both teams will be hoping for an improvement in conditions tomorrow with Sussex needing 241 runs and Hampshire nine wickets to claim a victory that would ease any fears both counties have of being dragged into a relegation battle.

India’s assistant coach says the side hasn’t prepared differently for Pakistan, but is “aware of the sentiments and strong feelings” about facing them

Shashank Kishore13-Sep-20254:27

Ryan ten Doeschate on Ind vs Pak: ‘Messaging has been to focus on the cricket’

India haven’t prepared any differently for Pakistan than they would for any other match, but are certainly respectful of people’s sentiments. So said Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, ahead of Sunday’s Asia Cup fixture in Dubai.”It’s a very sensitive issue and I’ve got no doubt the players share the compassion and feeling of the vast majority of the Indian public,” ten Doeschate explained. “The Asia Cup was in limbo for a long period of time and we were just waiting. We didn’t think we were going to be coming at one stage.”You know what the Indian government’s stance is and now the team and particularly the players, you have to put those sentiments and the emotions behind. That’s something we addressed in the team meeting today.”We’re aware of people’s feelings, at the same time we’ve got to go out, and the guys get a chance to play for their country, and they’ll be as professional and focused as they can be given the circumstances.”Related

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Nothing in mind apart from cricket – India batting coach Kotak on playing Pakistan

India vs Pakistan, minus the fervour

In explaining the process of trying to focus on the task, ten Doeschate revealed coach Gautam Gambhir’s message to the team. He also said there was no need for the team management to insulate the players from the external chatter.”The waiting period of knowing whether this [Asia Cup] was going to happen was the most frustrating part,” he said. “Once we knew we were going to be here, and playing, we have tried to get on with the business of it. This game, particularly, we haven’t prepared differently, like I said, but we are obviously aware of the sentiments and strong feelings.”Gauti’s message has been sort of very professional about not worrying about things that are not in our control and being emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things. The guys are professional enough, I am sure.”Individuals have different levels of feeling on the spectrum of where they feel the whole situation [geopolitical tensions] is, but the messaging has been to focus on the cricket, and try to focus on the one game tomorrow.”The cricket world has shifted its collective gaze towards Suryakumar Yadav’s India vs Salman Agha’s Pakistan•AFP/Getty ImagesAsked if the team was looking at sport as a tool to protest, ten Doeschate was clear that they were here to do what they were asked: to play cricket.”The other side of the argument is you separate sport and politics, and people have got different opinions on that,” he said, “Hopefully the way we play can represent how players feel about the country. I understand the position and, like I explained, the sentiment. We are following the direction of what the BCCI and Indian government have decided is right for the country at the moment.”In being as honest as he could be around the slightly delicate circumstances around which India are playing Pakistan in the tournament – the Pahalgam attacks and the aftermath of what followed taken into context – ten Doeschate explained their “processes” were very similar to how it would be for other games, while being mindful of what their opponents will come up with, given they are a young team wanting to play in a new direction.”I’ll be honest, no,” he said when asked if there was a little “something extra” for this match. “I was expecting a lot more niggle at the Champions Trophy game. I didn’t really feel that either. Certainly, the preparation and focus this week haven’t been any different to our preparation for any other important game.”Pakistan have started to come to terms with how they want to play T20 cricket, so it’s going to be a slightly different challenge from maybe the last 24 months. But we want to focus on what we’re doing and how we want to play is the most important thing for us, given we have the potential of playing Pakistan a couple of times in this tournament, and obviously in the next six months as well, there’s going to be a World Cup.”Again, it goes back to what we said about controlling those emotions, and we want to prepare for every single game in the same manner.”

The CSK batter scored 69 in a failed chase, much like Tilak’s struggles against LSG

Omkar Mankame05-Apr-2025 • Updated on 08-Apr-2025

R Ashwin 28 (23)

RR vs LSG, Wankhede, 2022With murmurs growing louder around the tactical use of retired out in T20 cricket, Ashwin took the conversation from theory to practice. Promoted to No. 6 in the tenth over to shield Riyan Parag for a more favourable entry point later, Ashwin compiled 28 off 23 balls. But with just ten balls left in the innings and Rajasthan Royals (RR) on 135 for 4, he chose to retire out, making way for Parag. RR added 30 runs in the remaining deliveries and later edged home by three runs.

Atharva Taide 55 (42)

PBKS vs DC, Dharamsala, 2023Punjab Kings were lagging in their 214-run chase, and opener Taide’s strike rate of 131 after facing the equivalent of seven overs wasn’t helping. With five overs to go and the required rate climbing, PBKS made a tactical call of retiring out Taide to bring in Jitesh Sharma, with Shahrukh Khan and Sam Curran next to come. At that point, Kings were 128 for 3, needing 86 to win off 30 balls. The move didn’t quite tilt the game their way, as they eventually fell short by 15 runs.

Sai Sudharsan 43 (31)

GT vs MI, Qualifier 2, Ahmedabad, 2023It was the Shubman Gill show in Ahmedabad, the opener lighting up Qualifier 2 with a breathtaking 129 off 60 balls. Sudharsan held one end up while Gill did the heavy lifting, but in the slog overs, Gujarat Titans’ momentum dipped – the 18th and 19th overs produced just 16 runs. With one over left, GT retired out Sudharsan. In walked Rashid Khan, who hit his first ball for four. GT finished on 233 for 3 – more than enough to book a spot in their second straight IPL final.

Tilak Varma 23 (25)

MI vs LSG, Lucknow, 2025Suryakumar’s scintillating 67 off 42 kept Mumbai Indians in the mix during their 204-run chase in Lucknow. But Impact Player Tilak, brought in at No. 5, struggled to shift gears. With MI needing 52 off the last 23 balls. Tilak managed to score eight off his last five balls at the crease – four of them coming via an edged boundary – before he went off as MI grew increasingly desperate. Tilak was retired out when MI needed 24 off seven balls. The move didn’t pay off, as LSG held their nerve to close out a 12-run win.

Devon Conway 69(49)

PBKS vs CSK, Mullanpur, 2025It was Conway’s second match of the season and he scored a steady fifty after opening the batting alongside Rachin Ravindra. His 89-run partnership with Shivam Dube off just 51 balls kept CSK’s hopes alive. But after Dube fell with CSK needing 69 off 25, Conway could make only 19 off 12 balls after his fifty. In the 18th over, with 49 needed off 13 balls, CSK decided to retire him out with MS Dhoni in the middle, sending in Ravindra Jadeja. CSK eventually went down by 18 runs to suffer four losses in five matches.