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Sometimes, you just don't have a good day at work. We've all been there. Such a day unfortunately came for future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw on Sunday during the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Milwauke Brewers. Kershaw cruised through three innings and looked to be on track towards earning a victory after the Dodgers spotted him a 3-0 lead.

But the wheels fell off in the top of the fourth inning.

The Dodgers defense let Kershaw down, committing a pair of errors that led to to the Brewers plating three runs. In the top of the fifth, Kershaw exited the game after hitting a batter, then allowing a single, after which the Dodgers committed another error.

The southpaw kept his cool on the mound in the midst of the errors but let his frustrations out when he got back to the dugout.

These have to be among the most frustrating days for a starting pitcher. The win is seemingly within the team's grasp, and then, because of circumstances out of the pitcher's hands, the lead disappears.

We feel your pain, Kershaw, we feel your pain.

“My cricket is in my hands, and if I just keep doing my job, as and when the opportunity comes, I will do well for India.”

Srinidhi Ramanujam15-Jan-2025Arundhati Reddy wasn’t expecting to be left out of India’s white-ball squads for the home series against West Indies and Ireland, especially after taking a career-best four-wicket haul in her most recent ODI. But the fast bowler isn’t brooding over the snub; instead, she says she’s making sure she’s only focusing on what she can control: fine-tuning her skills to become the best cricketer she can be. Along the way, she says she has learned to let go of the fear of failure, and express herself whenever she’s on the field.Reddy and Shafali Verma were the high-profile absentees from India’s limited-overs squads for the West Indies and Ireland series. Reddy, who made her ODI debut against South Africa in June last year, has played five matches, the last of which was against Australia in Perth, where she picked up 4 for 26.Related

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Arundhati Reddy 2.0 – stronger, calmer, ready for all formats

India drop Arundhati Reddy for West Indies series

“I am not really sure what exactly happened [after the Australia tour],” Reddy said on the sidelines of the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy final in Chennai, where her side, Team A, lost to Team C. “But then again these things are not in my hands. At the end of the day, my cricket is in my hands, and if I just keep doing my job, as and when the opportunity comes, I will do well for India.”For me, all that matters is which team I am playing for and if I am doing well for them. And every time I take the field I want to win games for whichever team I play. And that has always been the way I play my cricket.”While Shafali, who was Reddy’s captain in the Challenger Trophy, finished the tournament as the highest run-getter with 414 runs in five matches at an average of 82.80, Reddy took seven wickets in five games at 24.14.”This [Challenger Trophy] was a good challenge personally for me,” she said. “Didn’t start off that well but again I think I like pressure. Every time I am put under pressure I seem to do well. So again probably a win would have been great. But it was a great final for us.”Arundhati Reddy picked up career-best figures of 4 for 26 in her most recent ODI, against Australia in Perth•Getty ImagesThat Reddy was also overlooked for the West Indies series T20Is in December also raised eyebrows. She made her T20I debut in 2018 and was dropped in 2021 before she returned to the side in 2024 on the back of an impressive WPL performance. Last year, she featured in seven T20Is and scalped ten wickets and returned an economy rate of 6.50. This included the T20 World Cup in UAE, where she finished as India’s joint-highest wicket-taker with seven wickets in four matches.How does Reddy deal with uncertainty? She revealed that a discussion with her coach Arjun Dev at the NICE Academy in Bengaluru helped her stay focused on what’s ahead and not dwell on what could have been.”The only thing that he told me was that whether the [India] tag comes or not, or whichever team that you play for, all we wanted to focus on was being the best allrounder in the world, wherever you play,” Reddy said. “Be it a club game or an India game, the focus is to become the best allrounder. Again, it’s very hard to say whether you’ll play [for India] or won’t. It’s still difficult for you as a player because there is a lot of uncertainty that comes with it.”But what motivates me is just waking up every day and trying to be the best cricketer I can be. And that’s what I want to chase. That’s what keeps me going. And also, just having the clarity that whichever team you play for, you have to win games for that team. Doesn’t matter where it is.”But I think now I’ve become responsible enough to understand. And whichever team I play for, I’m also one of the senior players. Again, it helps me a lot. Seeing things that way. Helping the other girls. I think that also gets the best out of me. That’s what I just focus on. And genuinely, I just want to focus on helping people around me. Because that gets the best out of me. So, just the focus has been on that. Rather than thinking too much about where I should be, where I could be.”That Reddy was willing to take risks for better opportunities was evident when she quit Railways (after playing there from 2017-18 to 2022-23) to move to Kerala in the 2023-24 season. She has also worked on becoming stronger and calmer over the last few years, and she feels she now approaches every tournament with clarity.’You’ll be put under pressure. You’ll have batters that will challenge you. But there’s no fear’•BCCI”I’ve been playing domestic from the time I was 12 years old,” she said. “But it’s just the past one or two years, I have felt the best that I have ever played. Again a lot of things have changed in the past two years.”I had to take some tough decisions leading up to the season last year. I think that helped me. I just have clarity and I go into the tournament with a lot of freedom. Because I had a lot to gain, nothing to lose. That helped me a lot.”Also from the last year, I have focused more on just expressing myself. Obviously, there was a lot of fear of failure when I was young. But now it’s like I don’t care if I fail.”Reddy will next be in action for Delhi Capitals in the WPL 2025 in February. With a home ODI World Cup scheduled later this year, she has been working on becoming a more potent wicket-taker as she sets sights on another comeback.”One thing I really worked on last season was attacking the stumps all the time,” she said. “Because, obviously, only if you attack the stumps, you’re going to get wickets. So, that was the main plan. The length differs depending on the batter. But be it death [overs], initial stages or the middle overs, stumps is the way to go for me. That’s my strength. And I try to do that as much as I can. So, that’s what has been, like, because I used to not do that earlier.”It was more like fourth-stump, fifth-stump bowling and just looking good economically. But my main focus from the past two years was attacking the stumps and trying to pick a lot of wickets and not be scared of getting hit. That is one key thing which I’ve been taught, that you’ll be put under pressure. You’ll have batters that will challenge you. But there’s no fear.”You’re still going to think about the positive option. And if that means you have to take a risk, you take a risk. And, again, not having the fear of failure has really helped me a lot.”

Chelsea restored some of the pride they lost in their Champions League thumping at the hands of Barcelona last season with a creditable 1-1 draw with the Spanish giants. After a chastening 8-2 semi-final aggregate loss to Barca, the Blues had a point to prove and were on track to do that with Ellie Carpenter's piledriver. But Ewa Pajor's strike ensured the spoils were shared on Thursday.

After a bright start from the visitors, a determined Chelsea took the lead in the 16th minute when Carpenter emphatically smashed the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box. Barcelona's Pajor nearly hit back straight away when she slotted past Livia Peng, only for her effort to be ruled out for offside, but the Polish striker wouldn't be denied in the 24th minute when she fired through a crowd of bodies after the Blues failed to clear a corner. 

Barca stopper Cata Coll did well to keep out Wieke Kaptein's lofted shot following a defence-splitting pass from Erin Cuthbert and then the Netherlands international rattled the post after a neat layoff from Alyssa Thompson. Just as the hosts' grip on the contest – which was delayed for a while due to a power cut – started to loosen in the second half, substitute Catarina Macario expertly headed in a free-kick, only for her effort to be ruled out for just straying offside by the narrowest of margins.

Chelsea should have been 2-1 with 10 minutes to go when a brilliant move ended in Carpenter smacking the ball wide when it seemed easier to score from eight yards out. The result saw Barcelona go top of the tournament's league table, whereas Chelsea are sixth after four matches. While this may appear to be a good result, this was a missed opportunity for Sonia Bompastor's side.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Livia Peng (6/10):

The summer signing is in for the injured Hannah Hampton and was competent enough in between the sticks for Chelsea.

Lucy Bronze (7/10):

The veteran pulled off a number of important clearances, along with the odd powerful surge into the opposition's half.

Nathalie Bjorn (6/10):

Was solid if unspectacular in Chelsea's backline. If Millie Bright is to return to the starting XI, her place in the team may be under threat if Naomi Girma continues to excel in defence.

Naomi Girma (8/10):

Made a brilliant, last-ditch tackle to keep the scores level early on and some of her recoveries at the back were very impressive. Started ahead of Bright, and it seemed to have been the right call.

Sandy Baltimore (9/10):

Was solid and smart at the back and was a right nuisance going forward. She linked up well with Thompson down Chelsea's left and was arguably their best player.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Keira Walsh (7/10):

The former Barcelona ace plugged some gaps in Chelsea's midfield and linked up well with her team-mates.

Wieke Kaptein (7/10):

Was so close to grabbing a brace but a mixture of the Barcelona keeper and some bad luck kept her at bay.

Erin Cuthbert (8/10):

The captain led by example with a typically industrious and committed performance. She also threaded some nice through balls to her team-mates in the final third. 

AFPAttack

Ellie Carpenter (7/10):

Scored a quite brilliant goal in the first half but was guilty of being a bit sloppy in possession and some of her passing was errant. Plus, she missed a glorious opportunity late on to win it.

Aggie Beever-Jones (7/10):

Held the ball up well and brought others into play. She is working her way back to fitness but got an assist for Chelsea's goal and did herself proud.

Alyssa Thompson (8/10):

Her pace and trickery kept Barcelona's backline honest, both on the left and right wing. Sometimes she takes a touch too many when there are better options available but she is a big talent.

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Catarina Macario (8/10):

It looked like she scored with her very first touch with a sublime header but VAR ruled it out. Was very impressive off the bench.

Sonia Bompastor (7/10):

After last season's drubbing in this competition, the Frenchwoman's team gave a much better account of themselves, particularly in defence. They also created clearer-cut chances and were well organised.

Opener hits 158 off 167 balls as hosts edge closer to mathematical safety

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Sep-2025Essex 295 for 2 (Walter 158, Elgar 111*) trail Somerset 433 (Goldsworthy 100, Overton 60, Porter 3-66, Bennett 3-73) by 138 runsPaul Walter exerted total mastery over Somerset’s flagging bowlers as his highest first-class score of 158 eased Essex closer to safety in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.The left-hander was barely troubled as he combined perfect timing with seeing everything clearly and early while spraying the ball around Chelmsford with an air of supreme confidence. For much of his 167-ball innings he outscored his opening partner, the former South Africa captain Dean Elgar, two to one as the first-wicket pair compiled a stand of 277 in 61 overs. At the close Essex were 295 for 2.Elgar, too, reached a second century of the season but was content to play second fiddle while Walter pulled, drove and flicked with nonchalant ease 21 fours and three sixes. Elgar contributed 16 fours and a six in his unbeaten 212-ball 111.Somerset’s first-innings 433 had looked formidable until Essex made mincemeat of it in an emphatic response. That Somerset had achieved as many as they did was latterly down to Lewis Goldsworthy’s four-hour and 21-minute century that took 193 balls. He was last man out, a third wicket on debut for seamer Charlie Bennett, who finished with 3 for 73.When it was their turn, Somerset struggled to get any response out of a docile pitch and had tried seven bowlers to no avail by the 29th over. They spent two sessions literally chasing shadows on a sunny autumn day.Essex survived two overs before lunch and immediately afterwards Elgar punched back-to-back drives past mid-off for fours off Craig Overton. It set the tone for the rest of the day as they rattled along at above four-and-a-half runs an over.Walter was the most aggressive from the start, at one point lofting Archie Vaughan straight down the ground for four and cutting Lewis Gregory for another to reach a 54-ball fifty. An off-drive for his 13th boundary took Essex to three-figures in only 21 overs.Walter motored along at more than double the rate of his fellow left-hander. His dominance was summed up when he launched Jack Leach for six over long-off and next ball rocked on to his back foot to drive the spinner through the covers for four.When Walter reached his century from exactly 100 balls just before tea, having plundered 16 fours, Elgar was stuck on 49 from 10 balls more. It took Elgar a further dozen balls after tea to reach his fifty, courtesy of an angled shot backward of square off Kasey Aldridge and celebrated by lofting Vaughan straight back over the bowler’s head for six. Walter could not resist following suit and bounced down the wicket in the same over for another maximum.Walter’s third six, pulling Leach over square leg, took him past his previous highest score. His 150 took 154 balls, while Elgar’s 54th first-class century was reached in 184 balls.Walter eventually departed seven overs from stumps to a stupendous tumbling catch at midwicket by Goldsworthy off Overton, who also accounted for nightwatchman Simon Harmer before the close.To emphasis the unresponsiveness of the hybrid wicket, it took Essex an hour and three-quarters to winkle out the last four Somerset wickets while conceding a further 94 runs. Overton recorded a second successive fifty, and a third of the season, from the 54th ball he faced. But he fell to a ball in Harmer’s first over of the day that spun past his outstretched leg and bowled him between bat and pad after a partnership with Goldsworthy worth 98 in 20 overs.Another bowling change prefaced another wicket when Leach nibbled at one from Bennett to provide substitute wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes with a fourth catch. Gregory swept Harmer for six during a brief appearance but attempted a repeat next ball and top-edged to short fine leg.Goldsworthy made it to three-figures just in time, pushing a quick single off Harmer, but departed two balls later when he swung Bennett to deep square leg.

It may have taken six years, but Tarik Skubal has finally found his money pitch. And the Guardians were feeling it in Game 1 of the divisional round on Tuesday.

These Guardians know Skubal well. In addition to facing him three other times this season, they faced him just days ago in a crucial Tigers loss, one that helped cement Cleveland’s huge comeback to secure the AL Central title that, at one point, Detroit had a 15.5-game lead on Cleveland. 

So, it was reasonable to wonder whether Skubal’s pitching would be effective Game 1, or whether the Guardians would have him figured out. 

"It means a lot to take the ball in Game 1," Skubal said to a scrum after the game. "To have the trust of our whole organization, teammates, coaching staff, it means a lot."

Ultimately, he rose to the challenge of that honor, helping secure Detroit's 2–1 win. Skubal held Cleveland to a single earned run in 7.2 innings of work with a career-high 14 strikeouts. Propelled by his pitch, Skubal brought a strong body of work.

Skubal’s changeup to thank for huge Game 1 victory

Skubal’s changeup has emerged gradually year over year as a proportion of his pitching profile, with it finally overtaking his four-seam fastball as the most-used pitch he threw in a season in 2025 (31.4% frequency). 

Here's a look at just how long this pitch has taken to emerge as his most used and most dominant:

Tarik Skubal changeup usage, run value

Year

Changeup Portion

Changeup Run Value

2020

16%

-1

2021

12%

0

2022

15%

4

2023

24%

9

2024

27%

7

2025

31%

25

So it was only right that on Tuesday, in an important Game 1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, the majority of his 14 strikeouts came on the changeup, now his best pitch, dialed in over a number of years. 

Tarik Skubal's strikeout pitches in Game 1 vs. Guardians

Pitch Type

Strikeouts

Changeup

7

Fastball

4

Sinker

2

Curveball

1

Seven—of half of his total strikeouts—came on the changeup. Twelve out of the 23 times he threw the pitch resulted in a swinging strike, with it being hit in play just three times. 

"I was just kind of worried about executing each pitch and trying to do my best to live pitch-by-pitch… getting ahead and getting guys into leverage," Skubal said of his performance after the game.

The changeup went for a hit twice in the game: One was a soft ground ball by Angel Martinez, the other a line drive hit 105.5 MPH off the bat by Kyle Manzardo. Overall, the Guardians managed a single quality hit on the pitch all afternoon. 

Tarik Skubal's slider was important, too

The changeup is, of course, a pitch that seldom gets the job done on its own. As a slower pitch, it’s one that catches hitters off guard after the pitcher has shown them something faster in the repertoire. 

Skubal most frequently used the slider as his immediate setup pitch (the pitch right before the strikeout pitch) in Game 1. The slider was his strikeout pitch, but it served a clear purpose, forcing Guardians batters into seven foul tips and overtraining them to the ever-so-slight speed difference from the changeup.

Tarik Skubal pitch counts, ALWC Game 1

Pitch Type

Pitch Count in Game 1

Average MPH, Game 1

Fastball

30

99.12

Slider

27

91.91

Sinker

23

98.7

Changeup

23

89.42

Curveball

4

84.27

Skubal strikeout on Tuesday was a swinging strikeout, proving just how well his deception worked as a result of the sequencing, for which catcher Dillon Dingler deserves credit for as well. Neither of the two hits off the changeup came with the slider as the setup pitch.

Asked about the slider usage after the game, Skubal laughed and said, "Is Dingler coming in here? Yeah, I don't know, he calls it and I throw it. That's kind of it. That's kind of how all of it goes. There's like two shakes a game and the rest are him calling it, and I just try to throw it."

Notably, his curveball, thrown just four times, was set up by a slider the lone time it baited a Cleveland batter to swing at it, and miss, on Tuesday.

It was a strong afternoon at the office for Skubal, putting the Tigers just a game away from advancing and finally putting the 2025 Guardians in their rearview.

Manchester United are reportedly inching towards recruiting rising Colombia star Cristian Orozco. The Red Devils have been looking to try and strengthen their midfield as Casemiro heads into the final years of his career, and academy product Kobbie Mainoo struggles to force his way into Ruben Amorim's plans. Now, they look set to sign the 17-year-old ahead of a switch next summer.

Man Utd near €1m transfer

According to Fabrizio Romano, United's next signing will be Orozco, who will be in England in the next few days to complete his Old Trafford move. He adds that the Red Devils will pay $1 million to Colombian side Fortaleza to join from June 2026. He will be able to link up with his new team then as he will have turned 18.

AdvertisementYoung recruitment drive from Man Utd

Ever since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority stake at United in early 2024, the club have shifted their transfer priorities towards signing younger players who might have a big sell-on value. And the pursuit of this teenage defensive midfielder is the latest example of that. In addition to the Colombia Under-17 international, United raided the South American market earlier this year for 18-year-old left-back Diego Leon, and in 2024, director of football Jason Wilcox was instrumental in securing the signing of Mali midfielder Sekou Kone. 

AFPRatcliffe's Man Utd challenge

One big downside of Ratcliffe's reign has been the widespread redundancies as the club bids to cut costs. Going forward, the INEOS owner has challenged the Red Devils to be as cost-effective as possible in order to ensure long-term success. 

"I'd rather find the next [Kylian] Mbappe than spend a fortune trying to buy success," Ratcliffe told The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club Podcast last year. "It's not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way? Anyone could figure that one out. Much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane."

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What comes next for Man Utd?

As this transfer heads towards its apparent conclusion, Ruben Amorim's side will look to bounce back from their disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Everton when they round off the month with a trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday. The visitors are five places behind the Eagles in 10th but could overtake the south London outfit by a point if they win at Selhurst Park this weekend.

Sky Sports reported on Monday that Celtic are closing in on the appointment of Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy as their successor to Brendan Rodgers in the dugout at Parkhead.

The Hoops are poised to make the French tactician their new permanent manager, which will end Martin O’Neill’s time in interim charge after he takes the next two matches.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it will not be long before the incoming head coach will have the chance to bring his own players in to bolster the squad.

Celtic set to make move for new centre-forward

According to The Scottish Sun, Nancy is set to make a move for Columbus Crew centre-forward Wessam Abou Ali as one of his first transfer targets in January to add to his options at the top end of the pitch.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The report claims that the incoming Celtic manager views the Palestine international as a ‘perfect goalscoring machine’ and wants to reunite with him at Parkhead ahead of the second half of the 2025/26 campaign.

It adds, though, that Columbus Crew and Nancy only signed him in July from Egyptian giants Al Ahly for £5.7m, which means that the Hoops will have to pay a fee in excess of that as he has only been with the American side for a matter of months.

If the Scottish Premiership champions can seal a £6m+ deal for the MLS sensation in the January transfer window, it could end Johnny Kenny’s career at Parkhead.

How Abou Ali could end Kenny's Celtic career

Kenny has scored four goals in five matches under O’Neill, which is an impressive return, but he was subbed off at half-time in the 1-0 win over St Mirren in the Premiership last weekend.

The Ireland international has been playing as the main number nine due to an injury to first-choice number nine Kelechi Iheanacho, who is on his way back in the coming weeks.

This suggests that the arrival of a big-money centre-forward signing could put him third in the pecking order, behind Abou Ali and Iheanacho, when they are all fit and available, which may make him consider his short-term future in Glasgow.

Kenny has shown, with five goals this season, that he can be a capable goalscorer at this level. This means that he could find another club where he can play regularly and score goals consistently, if that does not continue at Parkhead.

Abou Ali has scored three goals in five matches for Nancy in the MLS for Columbus Crew since his move in the summer, after he scored three goals in three games at the Club World Cup.

2025/26

6 goals

5 goals

2024/25

15 goals

6 goals

2023/24

19 goals

13 goals

2022/23

10 goals

5 goals

As you can see in the table above, the Palestine international has outscored Kenny in each of the last four seasons in all competitions, which suggests that he would be a much better option for Nancy to call upon up front for Celtic.

Abou Ali was described as a “clinical” and “proven” goalscorer by Columbus Crew General Manager Issa Tall, and his statistics suggest that was an accurate description of his qualities.

The 26-year-old scored three goals from 0.75 xG in the MLS in the 2025 campaign and bagged three goals without missing a single ‘big chance’ at the Club World Cup, per Sofascore, which shows that he is a lethal finisher.

Therefore, the Columbus Crew centre-forward could be a fantastic signing who could lead the line impressively for the Hoops, whilst also potentially ending Kenny’s career at the club, as falling down the pecking order may force him to reconsider his future.

£1.5m Celtic flop has been an even bigger waste of time than Balikwisha

This Celtic flop has been an even worse signing than Michel-Ange Balikwisha for the Scottish giants.

1 ByDan Emery Nov 25, 2025

A three-day session in January with Pravin Amre helped him fine-tune his technique and be more balanced while responding to different types of deliveries

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Jun-20251:53

Moody: Shreyas identified key moments to go into the fifth gear

Since his last-minute inclusion in the first match of the home ODI series against England in February, Shreyas Iyer has been playing match-winning, as well as impact, innings both for India and, in the past two months, in IPL 2025 where he is captain of Punjab Kings. The latest example of that came on Sunday evening in Ahmedabad, where Iyer batted like a man possessed: his undefeated 87 helped PBKS make only their second IPL final, and the first since 2014. It was a remarkable effort as Iyer responded under pressure to bring down five-time champions Mumbai Indians.Iyer was the second-highest run-scorer in both the England ODIs as well as the Champions Trophy, and is now sixth among the leading run-makers in IPL 2025. His success is not by accident.About a week prior to the first ODI against England, played in Nagpur on February 6, Iyer had a three-day session in his hometown of Mumbai with former India batter Pravin Amre, who has been his long-term coach, since when he was 12. The primary focus, Amre said, was to tinker with the basic set-up in Iyer’s stance and make him more balanced to respond to any type of delivery.Related

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“His issue was his base. His back [right] leg was collapsing in his trigger movement,” Amre told ESPNcricinfo in April.As a result of the leg collapsing, Amre pointed out, the head followed automatically, and Iyer lost his balance. What would also end up happening was that his right heel would be dragging outside leg stump and, with his head falling away, Iyer was vulnerable to all threats including failing to play the short delivery well.The challenge, though, was how to adapt to the new technique Amre was suggesting: how could he change something that had been lodged in his muscle memory?Amre assured Iyer that the purpose was not to “disturb” his overall technique, but it was to “add” something that would enhance his batting.”I had to undo that [the set-up]. The word I used was correction. I told him I’m correcting you to get you in better position, so that you get a better feel with the bat while playing the strokes.”While the general impression from outside is that Iyer had opened up his batting stance, allowing him to better tackle the shorter ball, which has been his Achilles heel forever, Amre said that the change was not recent. It was about a year ago when Iyer moved from a side-on to a more open stance. Amre said that had allowed Iyer to watch the ball better and with the tweaked stance, it allowed Iyer to stand tall and respond confidently. “Previously the ball was dominating him; now he can dominate the ball.”2:46

Iyer vs Hazlewood the match-up to watch out?

The best examples of the success of the January work with Amre were the successive sixes Iyer hit off Jofra Archer in the Nagpur ODI. Jos Buttler stood at short leg, so Iyer was aware of the short-ball plan. But when Archer pitched on a hard length on the fifth-stump line, Iyer quickly got in line to pull the ball high over deep midwicket. Next ball, Archer ramped up the pace to nearly 143kph, but it was once again wide outside the stump, so Iyer moved closer to it and, on raised toes, cut hard over the deep-third boundary.Probably because of the new set-up, one distinct change between the 2024 and 2025 IPL seasons is that Iyer is now playing the ball later, especially against fuller and good-length deliveries. According to HawkEye data, his average interception point with the ball in 2024 was 1.65m in front of the stumps. This year, it is 1.50m.During the January sessions, Iyer also fine-tuned his backlift. Unlike the traditional backlift, where the bat comes straight down, Iyer’s bat is now coming down more from the direction of gully. Amre said it was similar to the loop used to hit a forehand in tennis, essentially to derive more power. While it is still work in progress, over the last few months Iyer has dealt with the short ball in white-ball cricket more effectively, including in the IPL, as the numbers below show.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”That is why now you can see he hits the short ball more powerfully.”Amre, who was with Delhi Capitals (DC) until IPL 2024 for nearly a decade, has seen Iyer from his pre-teen years, and has coached him at his academy at Shivaji Park. It was Amre who had convinced the DC thinktank to recruit Iyer as he felt the Mumbai batter, uncapped then in the IPL, could become a long-term player for the franchise. Iyer did lead DC from halfway through the 2018 season and paired successfully with then head coach Ricky Ponting to take the franchise into the playoffs in 2019 and then the final in 2020.During his time as coach at Seattle Orcas in MLC in 2023, Amre noticed how baseball players derived maximum power with a static base. He felt he could utilise some of those observations in his work with Iyer.2:24

Iyer on Ponting: ‘I’ve never seen his emotions go up and down’

“Without momentum, the baseball hitters generate great power and the ball goes far. One factor is they work more on the core muscles,” Amre said. “With Shreyas, I wanted him to get optimum power behind his strokes, specifically against spinners, so he could clear the boundary.”To strengthen the core, Amre got Iyer to hit against weighted balls, also known as sandballs, which can weigh between 150-350 grams – as compared to the 163-gram limit set by the MCC for cricket balls – and are harder to hit far. But with practice, batters start to get the power and can hit through the line of the ball farther with faster hand-speed.According to Amre, to enhance the power-hitting ability, he told Iyer to imagine Kieron Pollard was standing at long-on, and the challenge was to clear him. Pollard was among the best fielders in those hot zones where he could intercept boundaries using his height as well as his highly athletic body. “The idea was to help Shreyas in not being afraid to hit over Pollard despite him being the world’s best fielder.”Amre sees himself as a craftsman who will continue to chisel at his work, in this case Iyer, to make him a better batter. And the reason he knows he is doing the right thing is because of what Iyer told him at the end of the January sessions. “I was very happy when Shreyas said, ‘Sir, now I can take on anybody’.”

Athapaththu took three wickets and there was one run-out in the 50th over as Bangladesh lost five wickets in their last nine balls

Madushka Balasuriya20-Oct-2025

Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images

A tournament lacking in genuine tight finishes has now produced two in two days, as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka played out a low-scoring thriller in Navi Mumbai. But in truth this game should have never got to that stage, as Bangladesh nursed their chase of 203 only to stumble at the last and fall to a seven-run defeat. The result means, Bangladesh are eliminated from semi-final contention, while Sri Lanka live to fight another day.This was a chase that Sri Lanka were behind for around 48 overs, but in a tantalising final dash they picked up five wickets and gave away two runs off the final nine deliveries, as Bangladesh were unable to close out a game that they had controlled for large parts.Madara pulled up

Sri Lanka’s Malki Madara has been reprimanded for breaching Level 1 of the ICC’s code of conduct during the match against Bangladesh on Monday. Madara was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an international match.”
The incident in question took place in the 11th over of Bangladesh’s innings when Madara, after dismissing Fargana Hoque, celebrated “excessively in close proximity to the batter”.
In addition, one demerit point has been added to Madara’s disciplinary record – it was her first offence in a 24-month period.

The final scorecard will read that Chamari Athapaththu picked up figures of 4 for 42, but three of those came in a game-stealing final over, where Bangladesh lost four wickets off the first four deliveries – a run-out in the middle ensuring it wasn’t an Athapaththu hat-trick.Up until then Nigar Sultana had anchored the chase, if not expertly then at least safely. Her 77 off 98 came mostly as part of two major partnerships – the first 82 off 120 with Sharmin Akhter and the second 50 off 58 with Shorna Akter – during which Sri Lanka were like passengers aboard a rudderless ship, just merely on for the ride.To stick with the analogy, this was not a ship moving particularly swiftly. With a pretty chaseable target of 203 on the board, Bangladesh were guilty of being overly cautious – perhaps bearing in mind their poor batting efforts earlier in the tournament – as they inched along.On a pitch, not offering much for the many spinners they picked, Sri Lanka were resigned to simply keeping things tight, unable to really impose themselves on the game with the ball until the dying moments when everything seemed to happen all at once.Hasini Perera scored her first ODI half-century•Getty ImagesEarlier however, it was Sri Lanka who had been slowed to a crawl, after a stunning mid-innings collapse had halted them. Hasini Perera struck a maiden international fifty in her 143rd match, a shining light (85 off 99) in and otherwise disjointed batting effort and was one of only three batters – Athapaththu (46) and Nilakshika Silva (37) the other two – to reach double-digits.Both Athapaththu and Hasini brought up milestones – 4000 and 1000 ODI runs, respectively – during their knock as well, while Hasini was eventually named Player of the Match.Shorna once more proved decisive – despite only being introduced at the halfway point of the innings – as she picked up figures of 3 for 27, including the crucial wickets of both Hasini and Nilakshika. The rest of the wickets were spread out, with only Ritu Moni going wicketless.Bangladesh were sloppy in the field, missing several chances, including run-outs and stumpings, but they were also spot on with their reviews. Despite this, Sri Lanka had at several points been on the up – in control, even. There was the 72-run stand between Athapaththu and Hasini after the fall of that first wicket, which had Sri Lanka romping along at nearly run-a-ball.Related

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On a wicket with few demons, Athapaththu’s 46 off 43 included six fours and two sixes. For the most part she looked unfazed by what Bangladesh threw at her so when she was trapped lbw by one that snuck past her forward defence, it was against the run of play.After this point Sri Lanka were both unfortunate and architects of their own demise. A fledgling partnership of 15 between Harshitha Samarawickrama and Hasini was brought to an end after the former called for a non-existent second run and found herself a metre short.If that was self-inflicted, the next wicket was pure unadulterated bad luck. Kavisha Dilhari chopped an attempted cut into the ground, as the ball promptly bounced past the stumps, struck keeper Sultana, and bobbled on to the stumps. Bangladesh went about their business after this, the fielders even getting back into their positions, but the third umpire was alert and used the Smart Replay system in effect at this tournament to inform the on-field umpires of a possible stumping.And as it turned out, Dilhari’s back foot had momentarily lifted off the ground as she searched for balance. It was in that moment the bails had lit up – a fitting tribute to the Diwali celebrations around the stadium.As Bangladesh celebrated wildly, Sri Lanka had suddenly stumbled from 72 for 1 to 100 for 4, a worrying blip with them being a batter light after replacing allrounder Piumi Wathsala with seamer Udeshika Prabodani. Thankfully for the Lankans, in Hasini and Nilakshika they had the exact counterattacking pair the occasion called for.Shorna Akter ran through Sri Lanka’s middle order•ICC/Getty ImagesTogether they strung a 74-run stand off just 75 deliveries. It was a period in which batting seemed the easiest, with both players finding boundaries with regularity. If there was one criticism – and this would be one across Sri Lanka’s innings – it would be their lack of strike rotation.Despite the pair hitting nine boundaries (including three sixes) across their partnership lasting a shade over 12 overs, they were unable to usher in a run rate above six an over. This was a problem that would plague Bangladesh’s innings as well, later on.Perhaps it was their awareness of the lack of batting to follow that kept them in check, but it was unusual to see so many tossed up deliveries of spin dead-batted away. As it transpired, Nilakshika’s innings came to an end prematurely, as she shanked an on-side heave off Shorna to short third.This wicket proved to be a catalyst for Sri Lanka’s most devastating collapse, losing their next three wickets for just eight runs – Shorna getting two of them.From then on, Sri Lanka’s innings slowed to a trickle as they sought to bat time, before eventually being bowled out with eight deliveries remaining. Their final 103 balls saw 28 runs scored and six wickets fall, a feat somehow surpassed by Bangladesh.

The Phillies got eliminated by the Dodgers in equally heartbreaking and embarrassing fashion on Thursday night.

In the 11th inning of Game 4 of the NLDS, the score was tied 1-1 and Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering was on the mound with two outs. With the bases loaded, Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages hit a weak ground ball right to Kerkering, who only needed to throw to first base to get the third out and end the inning. But after Kerkering picked up the ball, he lifted his head and immediately threw it to catcher J.T. Realmuto at home plate. The ball sailed over Realmuto, the Dodgers scored a run, and just like that, Philly's 2025 season was over.

Following Kerkering's brutal error, he walked off the field surrounded by his teammates. He was met by manager Rob Thomson at the entrance of the dugout, and the two shared a brief embrace and an emotional moment. Thomson appeared to impart some words of consolation to the reliever before patting Kerkering on the chest and sending him on his way:

Kerkering also received support from his teammates in the dugout as he sat on the bench and looked visibly shaken by what just transpired.

What a truly terrible way for the Phillies to go out, though Kerkering still has plenty reason to keep his head up and move on from this lowlight, as his manager no doubt hopes he will do.

"He just got caught up in the moment a little bit. Coming down the stretch, he pitched so well for us," Thomson said of Kerkering postgame. "I feel for him because he's putting it all on his shoulders. But we win as a team and we lose as a team."