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The moment Glenn Maxwell fell first ball you started to wonder what was possible, but in the end the predicted script played out

Melinda Farrell06-Jun-20241:16

Stoinis: Oman were a very skillful team

The powerplay is done. Australia: 37 for 1. Not bad Oman, you think, not bad at all.From the start you had nodded in approval, all you associates dreamers, as Kaleemullah twice drew the inside edge from Travis Head and pinged David Warner’s front pad. The wicket is tacky and slow and everyone says that’s a great leveller, just the thing to cut the big boys down to size.First blood to the underdogs!, you hurrahed, as Head drove Bilal Khan to Khalid Kail. When Shakeel Ahmed fired one in at Warner and the stumps lit up, you crowed in unison with the small crowd and the Kensington Oval big screens that screamed OUT!, only to discover the ball had ricocheted off Prathik Athavale’s pads. Still, it was another play and miss. Score one for Oman’s bowlers.Related

• Scotland take on Oman with Super Eight spot a realistic dream

• Oman captain on playing Australia: We don't think we are going to play someone extraordinary

• Ponting: You want 'natural winners' like Warner at World Cups

• All-round Stoinis stars as Australia overcome early wobble

You admire the gusto and commitment of the red-clad fielders as they sprint hard and fling themselves at every ball. Aqib Ilyas’ sharp dive in the covers that prevents a Mitchell Marsh boundary is so good Ayaan Khan runs in all the way from the boundary rope to backslap his captain and you throw a little fist pump yourself.When Marsh picks out long-on you feel a little tremor but the big quake is yet to come.Oh man, oh man, OMAN!, you scream as Ilyas soars to his left and clings onto Glenn Maxwell’s first-ball loose drive. Two in two! A screamer, a cracker, a pick-your-superlative blinder. Could this be Australia’s banana skin moment? Could you dare to believe this fairytale might come to life?As Warner and Marcus Stoinis scrap and scrape you start calculating. Could Oman keep them to 120? 130? Anything under 150 and surely it’s game on.In the 14th over Ilyas is hurling his legbreaks and googlies with the same conviction he had hurled himself in the covers. He draws Stoinis forward and the ball fizzes past his bat and barely misses the off stump before Athavale puts it down. Yeah, you muse, he’s got him on the run. It’s only when you see the replay that you realise it wasn’t a play and miss but the finest feather, a chance gone begging. Still, the skipper has Stoinis’ number, surely, it’s only a matter of time.Aqib Ilyas celebrates his stunning catch to remove Glenn Maxwell•ICC/Getty ImagesMehran Khan is back for the 15th over. He has two wickets already, two in two. He took 3 for 7 against Namibia and inspired an avalanche of commentary questioning Oman’s decision not to bowl him in that game’s Super Over. Maybe this would be his moment.His first ball finds the outside edge of Stoinis’ bat. It’s two runs, but another edge will do.It’s not an edge, it’s a lusty blow and it’s heading straight for Ayaan on the deep cover boundary, eyes on the ball as he backpedals, hands above his head. He takes the catch – yessssssssss! – but no, his momentum sees him tumbling back over the rope. So close. But still, you hope, it’s only a matter of time.Down the ground goes Stoinis; he has found his range and suddenly the dream starts to waver.Wham! Splat! Old school Batman graphics wouldn’t be amiss as Stoinis goes down the ground, again and again, but even Adam West couldn’t fill a skintight superhero suit the way Stoinis does when he flexes his sizeable biceps.Marcus Stoinis took advantage of his reprieves to kickstart Australia•Associated PressBig Papi is in town, the Stoin unleashed, as he grabs the momentum and casually slings it over his shoulder. The most alpha moment comes at the start of the final over, when he drives Bilal down to long-on for what would be an easy single. Stoinis turns it down with Tim David at the non-striker’s end. Yes, that Tim David, the bloke who eats death bowlers for breakfast. Flex much?Oman’s fate is sealed. Australia have too much firepower and too many runs to defend. Mitchell Starc mixes a few loosey-gooseys with the magic balls. Adam Zampa finds drift and grip, Nathan Ellis is suitably sharp and Josh Hazlewood gives little away.Starc, Zampa and Ellis take two wickets apiece but that won’t do. This is Stoinis’ joint and he pops his pecs one, two, three times. He does for the current captain with a ball that straightens, clipping the edge of Ilyas’ bat on the way to a diving Matthew Wade. The former captain is his next victim, chasing a wide one that lands in the same pair of gloves. The icing is Mehran. Who cares if it’s a full toss or it takes a boundary rope juggle from David to complete the catch? The wickets belong to the pumped-up West Australian who models on the streets of New York in his spare time.The dream was fleeting for Oman, before the beautiful brutality of The Big Stoin.Australia march on, the first hurdle surmounted. Wobble, what wobble? There is only Stoinis’ megawatt smile.

We count down the best female players of the last 25 years

27-Sep-20241:21

Nat Sciver-Brunt builds her ultimate cricketer

Everyone loves a ranking list, right? Following on from our colleagues in ESPN, who have been running lists of the top athletes of the century on their platforms, we thought the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup was a good time to look back over the 21st century so far and select the top 25 female cricketers.Will the player you expect to finish No. 1 finish here? Will a player be ranked too high? Will your favourite player be ranked too low or not make the list (sorry if that’s the case). Here are the final five.A group of ESPNcricinfo writers came up with a longlist of 50 names, which were then put into a voting system that played off pairs against each other. Once that was completed, a smaller group then assessed the list for anomalies or glaring omissions.Here are Nos. 25-16 and 15-6</a.Note: only achievements posted after January 1, 2000 are taken into consideration, even if the athlete’s career ran either side of the millenniumStats for 2000 and beyond
Test batting | Test bowling | ODI batting | ODI bowling | T20I batting | T20I bowling | All T20 batting | All T20 bowling

5: Jhulan Goswami (India)

Jhulan Goswami walks out to a guard of honour from her team-mates at Lord’s•ECB/Getty ImagesGoswami’s rise and the way she made a place for herself at the very top of the women’s game is a celebration of the potential that lies in India’s small towns and villages. Her two-decade long career was studded with several milestones, none bigger than her record for most ODI wickets. In 2017, she was part of a team that nearly brought home India’s first world title.Until her retirement, which fittingly came at Lord’s, also the scene of her (and India’s) biggest heartbreak, her career was marked by deep commitment, an abiding quest for perfection, and a willingness to fight the odds. She prevailed over injuries to her back, heel, shoulder, ankle and knees.Goswami was among the quickest bowlers on the women’s circuit. Her height allowed her to extract steep bounce, and her ability to nip the ball off the seam, alongside her unerring accuracy made for a potent combination. Ask Meg Lanning, to whom she bowled arguably the women’s cricket version of Shane Warne’s “ball of the century” to Mike Gatting’, at the World Cup semi-final.In her post-retirement career, Goswami is actively involved in coaching, at the grassroots in Bengal, and as bowling coach for inaugural Women’s Premier League champions Mumbai Indians.

4: Alyssa Healy (Australia)

Alyssa Healy has often been at her best in World Cups•Getty ImagesBig players, they say, own big moments, and that makes Healy – ironically nicknamed Midge – a giant of the game. Her 170 in the final of the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup set Australia up for their seventh title in the 50-over format, and underlined their status as pace-setters of the sport. Healy was the leading run-scorer at the event and her 509 runs were also the most by a batter in any single edition of the tournament.Healy has been part of two ODI World Cup-winning teams and six T20 World Cup champion sides, and has been a major contributor in those wins. She was the leading run-scorer at the 2018 T20 World Cup, the second-highest at the 2020 tournament and the fourth-highest in 2023.Her unbeaten 148 against Sri Lanka in 2019 was the second-fastest century in women’s T20Is, and at the time, the highest score in the format. Healy’s ability to take the game away at clutch moments was best demonstrated against India in the 2020 T20 World Cup, in front of more than 86,000 people, where she struck 75 off 39 balls to all but decide the title. The move to permanently opening in ODIs in 2017 was a gamechanger for her: from that point on Healy has averaged 44.92 with a strike-rate of 99.25.Healy won the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year title in 2018 and 2019. She is one of six Australians to have scored more than 3000 ODI runs and is the second-highest run-scorer for them in T20Is. She also is their most-capped T20I player and has the most catches in women’s T20Is: 61. She was named Australia’s all-format captain in December 2023, replacing the retired Meg Lanning, having led them to Ashes retention earlier that year.Perhaps the only thing missing from her CV is a Test hundred, but she has come as close as it gets, with 99 in her last outing, against South Africa.

3: Meg Lanning (Australia)

Meg Lanning’s trademark•Getty ImagesNothing about Lanning, a non-muscular, 5’6″ tall slim-built woman resembles a butcher. Except when she plays the cut shot to pierce the smallest gaps at backward point.Lanning had an incredible international career, spanning over a decade, in which she scored a plethora of runs and rewrote captaincy records. Thrust into the top job at 21, she led Australia to one ODI World Cup and four T20 World Cup titles during her ten-year tenure. Australia won a record 24 consecutive ODIs under Lanning’s captaincy, the longest winning streak for a captain across genders in the format. She grew in her role as captain and formed a potent combination with head coach Matthew Mott, making Australia the world-beaters they became after the disappointment of the 2017 ODI World Cup.Apart from the raw numbers, Lanning’s ability to step up in key moments and deliver notable performances made her stand out. Her stunning 152 not out in the 2017 ODI World Cup against Sri Lanka in a tall chase was an example. Or her unbeaten 133 in a T20I during the Women’s Ashes of 2019. Her ability to drag the team through to winning positions from tight corners calmly was remarkable; her consistency while doing it made her achievements all the more incredible.Lanning’s retirement last November was something of a shock; at only 31, there was a feeling she had a lot more to give at the top level. But perhaps it speaks of the demands placed on her in a decade where the women’s game grew exponentially. Opportunities on the T20 league circuit mean the world will get to see moer of Lanning, even if it is not in the familiar Australian yellow.

2: Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)

Nat Sciver-Brunt has developed into one of the game’s leading players•ICC via Getty ImagesSciver-Brunt’s value to any team she plays in is there for all to see. England’s win percentage in T20Is when she is playing is 75.21% compared to 58.82% when she isn’t in the side. In ODIs it’s 74.47% when she’s playing versus 46.25% when she’s not.But it is useful to look beyond numbers to gauge her influence on England. Team-mates have repeatedly spoken of the calm, quiet, lead-by-example impact she has as a player, vice-captain, and at times stand-in captain.It’s also worth taking a qualitative approach over a purely quantitative one when considering her on-field performances. Twin unbeaten centuries in what turned out to be futile chases against the Australians at the last 50-over World Cup, including in the final, and two more hundreds on the ODI leg of the 2023 Ashes for one defeat and one series-levelling win show what she can do when the stakes are highest.England faced a stretch of time without her, when she took a mental-health break in 2022, which helped pave the way for other players to feel comfortable saying they need to take time out – relevant amid the rapid growth of women’s franchise cricket.Sciver-Brunt was Player of the Match when her Mumbai Indians side won the inaugural WPL last year, and she was the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer and eighth-highest wicket-taker, having drawn the joint-highest bid for an overseas player in the auction. She also topped the run charts in the 2024 Women’s Hundred.Sciver-Brunt missed the start of England’s home summer in 2024 after undergoing an egg-freezing procedure but ended Pakistan’s visit by scoring another unbeaten ODI century and taking 2 for 11 from five overs; she was making her bowling comeback after a long-term knee injury. Sciver-Brunt’s candour about her brief absence and her return to prominence afterwards can surely open another door for women and highlight her trailblazer status in the game.

1: Ellyse Perry (Australia)

There isn’t much that Ellyse Perry hasn’t achieved in the game•Getty ImagesPerry is the complete cricketer. She was Australia’s youngest international at 16, and having begun with bowling as her primary weapon, developed into one of the game’s greatest allrounders. Her landmarks include a Test double-century and Australia’s best ODI bowling figures, 7 for 22. It was after that haul during the 2019 multi-format Ashes that former England captain Charlotte Edwards hailed her as “the greatest female player we’re ever going to see”. Early the following year she was named the ICC’s Women’s Cricketer of the Decade.Perry’s career is rife with numerous highlights and match-winning displays. They include a nerveless 3 for 18 in the 2010 T20 World Cup final, where she intercepted the final delivery with a right boot, serving as a reminder of her dual-international status: she scored at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Then there was an injury-defying performance in the 2013 ODI World Cup final, with 3 for 19 against West Indies.One of her most iconic moments was the double-hundred against England in 2017, her first hundred in international cricket. Two years earlier she had taken nine wickets in the Ashes Test, including 6 for 32 in the second innings. Perry’s Ashes Test batting average is 67.25 and bowling average 19.11.There was agony in 2020 when a severe hamstring injury ended her T20 World Cup on home soil, but she fought her way back, and having lost her place in Australia’s T20I, side she quashed talk about whether the format was moving ahead of her by bringing a new level to her batting. If someone does eventually challenge Edwards’ claim about Perry, she will be a remarkable player. ESPNcricinfo’s top 25 women cricketer’s of the 21st century: Nos. 1-5 | 6-15 | 16-25

With the PSL clashing with the IPL, partial player availability was not a concern for the first time

Danyal Rasool13-Jan-2025The PSL moved into the IPL window this year, to improve the quality and availability of overseas players they’d be able to sign. On that count, the calculated risk they took appears to have paid off, with the roster for the tenth edition of the PSL including the widest array of high-profile overseas players they have managed in the post-covid era.David Warner, Daryl Mitchell, Jason Holder, Rassie van der Dussen and Kane Williamson were among the biggest names the PSL signed up at the draft this year, held at the sprawling Hazuri Bagh at Lahore Fort. While the ceremony itself was a stuttering, protracted affair, which, from start to finish, lasted a whopping seven hours, the cack-handed packaging should not detract from what may be a very decent product after all.For the first time, partial player availability, so often a hindrance during earlier editions, was not a concern. The only other cricket during the time the PSL will be played – between early April and late May – is IPL 2025. The IPL auction has concluded, and any players left over are definitively available, effectively meaning every player in the draft had communicated their complete willingness to participate in the PSL in full.Related

• Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars to kick off PSL 2025 on April 11; final on May 18

• Ihsanullah reverses decision to retire from all franchise cricket

• PSL 2025 draft – Williamson among seven New Zealanders drafted; Warner, Mitchell among Platinum picks

• English players want NOC clarity after signing PSL deals

• PSL set for IPL clash after move to April-May window

The decision did not come without trade-offs; Rashid Khan, for example, signed a three-year contract with Lahore Qalandars in 2023, but will instead be at the IPL. But players from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, so often unavailable because the PSL’s traditional February-March window clashed with their home international season, were signed in droves.New Zealanders, in particular were popular; more than half of the platinum picks at the draft were Kiwis: Finn Allen, Mitchell, Adam Milne, Michael Bracewell, and Mark Chapman were all picked in the highest category, with all of them first-time PSL participants. They were topped up in the supplementary pick with Williamson and Kyle Jamieson, also first-timers.Salman Agha, Shadab Khan and Babar Azam share a light moment on the sidelines of the PSL draft•PSLOver the years, it has been overseas power-hitting the PSL has relished, each franchise comfortable that there was enough domestic fast bowling to go around without being spread too thin. That changed this time: Milne, Sean Abbott, Jamieson, Nahid Rana, Holder, Corbin Bosch, Alzarri Joseph and Josh Little were among the overseas quicks snapped up.That may partially be explained by the availability of players who might otherwise not been options for the PSL, but perhaps also hints at the waning confidence in local fast bowling talent among the franchises.There were departures and farewells for players who have become synonymous with a particular franchise. Faheem Ashraf left Islamabad United having been a one-franchise player until now, winning three titles. If there was a general indication his star was waning, Quetta Gladiators clearly thought otherwise; they used their wildcard on him to pick him in the Platinum category, rather than the Silver he had been assigned.There was movement out of the Gladiators, too. Sarfaraz Ahmed, their captain for the first eight seasons and player for each of the last nine, was not part of the draft; Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar said he would be involved with the franchise in a “new role”.Mohammad Hasnain, meanwhile, also leaves the Gladiators to link up with Multan Sultans. Poignantly, Ihsanullah, Sultans’ quickest bowler until 2023, was left unpicked after an independent review found the PCB’s botched handling of an elbow injury had done him significant harm. Sultans’ owner Ali Tareen said last week medical consensus was he would never hit those speeds again.Meanwhile, there was a splitting up of one family. Last year, Naseem Shah and both of his younger brothers, Hunain and Ubaid, played for United; Hunain went on to hit the winning runs. This time, Sultans plumped for the youngest, with Ubaid leaving the defending champions to join the 2021 winners.Last year, the PCB told ESPNcricinfo was to co-exist with the IPL rather than compete with it. The PSL draft this time around may have wanted organisation and production quality, but did offer a little glimpse into what that might look like once April rolls around.

And which Indian Test bowler has sent down the most overs after age 35?

Steven Lynch02-Sep-2025Mackay in Australia hosted a one-day international again recently for the first time in 33 years. Was this a record gap for a single venue? asked Karthik Ramanan from India

The Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay staged two matches in Australia’s recent off-season white-ball series against South Africa. The ground – formerly known as Harrup Park – had previously held just one men’s international, the match between India and Sri Lanka during the 1992 World Cup. That one lasted only two balls before it rained, so the locals had to wait a long time for some meaningful cricket (men’s, anyway; the ground has staged five women’s white-ball internationals).The 33-year gap between men’s internationals is the second longest for any ground, and the identity of the first one is a bit of a surprise, considering the ground concerned had held its country’s first Test: it’s St George’s Park in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), which saw no international cricket between Tests against England in February 1914 and March 1949, a gap of more than 35 years.Mackay lies second, but there’s another slight surprise in third place: Edgbaston in Birmingham did not have an international match for nearly 28 years between 1929 and 1957. There were only Test matches back then, so no opportunities for occasional ODIs or T20Is.The Bulawayo Athletic Club in Zimbabwe went more than 25 years without staging a men’s international (1992-2018), while Essex’s County Ground in Chelmsford went almost 24 years without one between the 1999 World Cup and Ireland’s transplanted home series against Bangladesh in May 2023.I noticed in On This Day that Richard Illingworth scored 13 in both innings of his Test debut. I’m assuming that two ducks is the most common such double, but what’s the highest? asked David Cohen from Australia

Ten men managed a higher debut double than Richard Illingworth’s brace of 13s against West Indies at Trent Bridge in July 1991. Highest of all was two 36s, by South Africa’s Dan Taylor against England in Durban in February 1914. Dan was the younger brother of Herbie Taylor, one of South Africa’s early greats, and their captain in that series.Syed Abid Ali of India and Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar both scored twin 33s on debut, while in the 19th century Bernard Tancred made two 29s in South Africa’s very first Test, against England in Port Elizabeth in March 1889. The England pair of Arthur Carr and Mark Ramprakash both started their Test careers with two scores of 27.You’re right that a pair of ducks is the most frequent (and most unwanted) debut double: in all, 46 men and nine women have suffered this fate.Who has bowled the most overs among Indian Test fast bowlers after 35 years of age? And who has taken the most wickets? asked Chetan Mishra from New Zealand

The fact is there haven’t been many Indian fast bowlers aged 35 or more: top of the list is Lala Amarnath, with 28 wickets, followed by Zaheer Khan with 16 and Umesh Yadav with 12. Amarnath bowled the equivalent of 503 overs, Zaheer 195.3, and Yadav 124. Vijay Hazare bowled the equivalent of 199 overs at a fairly modest pace, and took only nine wickets.If you lump in all Indian bowlers then Anil Kumble leads the way with 154 wickets after turning 35, while R Ashwin took 114 (note that this could exclude wickets taken in matches during which the player celebrated his 35th birthday).Among pace bowlers worldwide, James Anderson took the remarkable total of 224 Test wickets after his 35th birthday, while Courtney Walsh had 180 and Richard Hadlee 116.Lala Amarnath sent down about 503 overs and took 28 wickets after turning 35•Getty ImagesWhich Test ground (which has staged more than ten matches) has the highest average runs per wicket? I’m thinking Adelaide Oval… or perhaps somewhere in Pakistan? asked Andrew Dowling from China

An interesting question, and your first guess is not far off: as this list shows, Adelaide Oval lies seventh overall, with an average of 35.07 runs per wicket, and it has staged many more Tests than the grounds above it – 83 so far, with Georgetown’s Bourda Oval (36.26) next of those higher up, with 30 matches.On top overall is the Antigua Recreation Ground, with an average of 38.47 runs per wicket from 22 Tests: next comes McLean Park in Napier, which just scrapes in with ten Tests, in which the average is 37.99. After Bourda (and not including Adelaide), there’s a run of subcontinental grounds: Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium (36.07), Mohali (35.7), Chattogram (35.16), Lahore (35.05), Kanpur (34.9), Delhi (34.86), the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo (34.73), Rawalpindi (34.71) and Ahmedabad’s Modi Stadium (34.5). The top English ground is Trent Bridge in Nottingham at 32.55.I gather from Wisden that Shane Warne dismissed 236 different batsmen in his career. Is this a record? asked N Ravikanth from India

I suppose this is the opposite to last week’s question about the bowler with the most unique wickets. You’re right that Shane Warne dismissed 236 different batters in Tests, but the list is headed – as you might expect – by the overall leading wicket-taker, Muthiah Muralidaran. He’s clearly fond of round numbers, as he took 800 wickets in all, made up of 300 different opponents.Warne actually lies fourth on this list, also behind Anil Kumble, who dismissed 264 different batters, and James Anderson (263). He’s just ahead of Stuart Broad (234).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Just 21 T20Is old, Abhishek Sharma is making a name for himself as a six-hitter to rival the best

Sampath Bandarupalli24-Sep-20251:20

Chopra: Very little the bowlers could do against Abhishek

58 Sixes hit by Abhishek Sharma in 21 T20I innings. He is already the joint seventh among batters with the most sixes for India in men’s T20Is.Since his T20I debut in July 2024, only Austria’s Karanbir Singh (99) and UAE’s Muhammad Waseem (60) have hit more sixes than Abhishek. Among Full-Member nation players, Sanju Samson ranks second with 37 sixes.6.83 Balls per six for Abhishek in this format, the second best among 153 players with 50-plus sixes in men’s T20Is. Gibraltar’s Kayron Stagno has the best, averaging a six every 6.61 balls. Abhishek’s balls-per-six ratio is the best among Full-Member nation players, with Andre Russell (7.21) ranking second.2.76 Sixes per innings for Abhishek, also the second-best ratio among batters with 50-plus sixes. Karanbir Singh is ahead with 3.14, having hit 113 sixes in 36 innings. Evin Lewis (2.13) is the only player from Full-Member nations, apart from Abhishek, with a ratio of two or more sixes per innings.6 Instances of Abhishek hitting five or more sixes in a T20I, including Wednesday’s Asia Cup fixture against Bangladesh. Among Indians, only Rohit Sharma (13) and Suryakumar Yadav (9) have hit five or more sixes in a T20I more often than Abhishek.32 Abhishek’s sixes in the powerplay overs. Only three Indians have hit more sixes in the first six overs in men’s T20Is. Abhishek has hit 23 sixes in the middle overs (7-16) and three at the death (17-20) in T20Is.33 Sixes for Abhishek against pace bowlers off 246 balls, at a rate of one every 7.46 balls. Against spinners, he has hit one every six balls on average – 25 sixes in 150 balls.331 Number of balls Abhishek took to bring up 50 sixes in T20Is, the fewest among all T20I batters. His 50th six came on Sunday in the Asia Cup fixture against Pakistan. Gibraltar’s Kayron J Stagno was the previous quickest – 335 balls – while the next fastest from Full-Member nation players is Lewis (366 balls).

Even if you're not a big fan of the New York Yankees and think their mystique is overstated, there's something about a player making their Major League debut at Yankees Stadium that adds just a bit of extra intensity to the moment. And when the player comes out of the gate with a measure of success, well, it's tough to imagine many cooler introductions to the sporting world.

Cam Schlittler fit the bill last night, working into the sixth inning and holding the Seattle Mariners at bay to pick up up a victory in the Yankees' 9-6 win. The 6'6" right-hander impressed right out of the gate, striking out seven batters a formidable fastball.

Everything came together perfectly for him to get the moment of his life as manager Aaron Boone strode out to take him out of the game in the sixth inning. Schlittler received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Bronx crowd and YES' cameras honed in a heartwarming moment from his parents as they shared a hug.

That's the good stuff right there.

It was only a few months ago that Schlitter was pitching for the Somerset Patriots. Now he's out there on a massive stage against a playoff-caliber team making it look easy. Hard to imagine the sense of pride and joy going on in that hug.

The Schlittlers may have more opportunities to tell everyone in their section that there as he slots potentially as a key aide in their quest to win the American League East.

Former Barcelona forward Vitor Roque feels he moved to Europe too early in his career as he reflected on his disappointing period with the Catalan club. Now back in Brazil with Palmeiras, Roque believes the return was an important step that will help him move forward professionally. His resurgence has not gone unnoticed, as the Brazilian forward has been selected by Carlo Ancelotti for Brazil’s upcoming friendlies.

• Roque’s forgetful time at Barcelona

  Roque joined Barcelona in 2023 for €35 million (£31m/$40m) after impressing with Athletico Paranaense, where he scored 21 goals in 60 appearances. He had already shown his potential by winning the South American U20 Championship in 2020, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals. Expectations were extremely high when he arrived in Barcelona, but his debut season fell short. Under coach Xavi, Roque made only 16 appearances and scored two goals, with limited playing time suggesting a lack of trust from the coach. His situation declined further when Hansi Flick took charge, as he was immediately loaned to Real Betis in August 2024. The loan spell was cut short and by February this year Barcelona had sold him to Palmeiras for €25m (£22m/$29m) plus add-ons. 

  Barcelona sporting director Deco sympathised with Roque for his difficult spell at the club, believing he struggled to cope with the pressure that comes with playing for Barcelona. Deco said: “I feel really sorry for him. With Vitor, I always think arriving in January did not do him any favours. He started well and scored a few goals, but then it became hard to handle the pressure that comes with playing for Barcelona.”

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Roque reflects on his time at Barcelona

  Now thriving at Palmeiras and back in the Brazil squad, the 20-year-old's career is certainly back on track as he reflected on his La Liga adventure. 

  "I went to Europe very early," he said at a press conference. "I learned a lot and I think the same way. Returning to Brazilian football is not a step backward. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward. Luiz Henrique is a real example. He came back to win titles, and I hope to win some too."

  Roque pointed to Zenit St Petersburg full-back Luiz Henrique as an example, noting how the player returned from Real Betis to Botafogo before earning another move to Europe. "Luiz Henrique is a real example. He came back to win titles, and I hope to win some too," he said.

• Palmeiras resurgence rewarded with Brazil call

  Roque’s path to redemption at Palmeiras was far from smooth, as he went his first 10 matches without scoring. Despite the slow start, the club showed full confidence in him, giving him the time and support needed to settle. Their patience paid off, as Roque delivered an outstanding 2025 season, scoring 20 goals and providing five assists in 52 appearances across all competitions. His resurgence became a key factor in Palmeiras leading at the top of the league with 68 points, edging Flamengo on head to head record. Roque’s strong form has also put him firmly in the Golden Boot race, sitting just one goal behind the league’s top scorer, Kaio Jorge, and he could end up a Copa Libertadores winner as his side meet Flamengo in the final later this month. His performances have earned him a place in the Brazil national team, with Carlo Ancelotti recalling him to the squad.

  Roque spoke about his redemption at Palmeiras, explaining how dejected he had felt before coach Abel Ferreira restored his confidence. He said, “When I returned from Europe, I was in a bad place psychologically, with no confidence whatsoever. When I was at Palmeiras lacking confidence, coach Abel placed his trust in me.”

  He added: “Having a consistent run of games is very important to regain that confidence. I managed to score goals and provide assists. I am very happy to be here.”

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  Ancelotti's prepparation for the World Cup

  Brazil are set to face Senegal in a friendly match this week as Ancelotti prepares to test different player combinations to help shape his final squad for the World Cup next year. They will then take on Tunisia on November 18.

Aston Villa’s first Premier League win of the season didn’t fall until late September, but heading into Liverpool’s clash with Unai Emery’s side later today, the two sides are somehow tied on 15 points in the early league standings.

Of course, the West Midlands outfit has turned around its slow start, but it speaks more to how alarmingly quick the wheels have fallen off for Arne Slot’s machine in recent matches, with his side deep in a four-game losing streak in league action, alongside also tasting defeat in the Champions League and the EFL Cup along the way.

The under-fire Dutchman will surely be considering changes aplenty heading into this late-night clash against the Villans, with Alexis Mac Allister in danger of being dropped, as his own personal season shows no signs of improvement.

Mac Allister's drop-off at Liverpool

It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that Mac Allister was crucial to Slot and Co. last season as they romped home to the Premier League title.

Of course, Mohamed Salah stole most of the plaudits as everything he touched turned to gold, but the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder was also a sensational spectacle to take in all campaign long, with five goals and five assists heading his way, strengthening his presence as a constant livewire from the centre of the park.

Unfortunately for Slot, though, it looks as if the Argentinian’s days of hammering home strikes like this sweetly struck one against Fulham are long behind him, with Mac Allister now looking “like Fabinho in his final season”.

It’s been lethargic showing after lethargic showing all season long, in truth, with the number ten doing little to tighten his grip on a first-team spot against Villa when struggling, again, against Crystal Palace mid-week as a much-changed Reds XI crashed out of the EFL Cup as abject 3-0 losers.

Mac Allister would fail to hit a single shot at stand-in Palace keeper Walter Benítez, while also only managing to win a weak two duels centrally, as per Sofascore.

With news emerging that Ryan Gravenberch could be fit for the clash later today, it might be a case of swapping out the South American “disappointment” – as one analyst also branded him recently – for the returning Dutchman.

Mac Allister isn’t the only worrying drop-off Slot has had to contend with, though, as this high-profile summer signing is already in danger of being seen as a flop, based on his early days at Anfield, despite joining with such fanfare.

Liverpool star is looking "painfully out of his depth"

Liverpool demanded everyone’s attention in the hectic summer transfer window.

£415m was wildly spent, after all, with £40m of that huge amount being forked out to land blistering AFC Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez, following a breakout campaign on the south coast.

His unbounded energy for Andoni Iraola’s men, which resulted in five league assists coming his way last season, must have made Kerkez a priority target for Liverpool, as they went about refreshing their defence in the wake of Trent Alexander-Arnold gallivanting off to Real Madrid.

Yet, while his extremely dangerous pace is clear for all to see in the above clip, Kerkez has yet to really find his Bournemouth groove again at Anfield, with two games on the trot against Chelsea and Manchester in October, seeing him attempt just one dribble.

Much like Mac Allister, too, he struggled again when selected against the Eagles mid-week, with Ismaila Sarr having a field day up against the out-of-sorts Hungarian, leading to his two goals rubbing more salt into the gaping Liverpool wound.

Away from that one-on-one battle, Kerkez also only won three out of his nine duels on the night, on top of losing possession a high 19 times, with journalist Tim Spier’s comments that the number six is “painfully out of his depth” lining up for the red half of Merseyside very much ringing true.

Andrew Robertson might be a sensible replacement moving forward, as Slot attempts to put together a strong enough XI that can clinch a desperately needed win against Villa, with the “naive” full-back – as Gary Neville has labelled him – likely to drop out subsequently, alongside Mac Allister.

Every Liverpool game that Jeremie Frimpong will now miss after latest injury

More bad news for the Reds

By
Tom Cunningham

Oct 31, 2025

The New Zealand captain paid tribute to the team’s coaches who had shown faith during a long run of defeats

Shashank Kishore21-Oct-20243:54

Kerr, Halliday deliver World Cup glory to NZ

Long after the remnants of golden confetti and firecrackers that added to New Zealand’s moment of glory had been cleaned up following their trophy presentation, Sophie Devine and her band of women strolled towards the centre of the Dubai International Stadium.Some players kissed the turf as a mark of respect, others simply lay flat on their backs, arms spread out and eyes closed, soaking in the euphoria with the quiet calm of an empty stadium helping them connect with their inner sanctum.Then there were happy phone calls made back home to families who must’ve either stayed up all night or woken up early to watch them play. Melie Kerr played a Kiwi folk song on her guitar, Suzie Bates called for a huddle and made a rousing speech that was applauded wildly, Lea Tahuhu, with a trophy in one hand, a chilled beer in another, was showing off some funky dance moves, while Devine led the singing of their team song.Related

• Kerr, Halliday deliver World Cup glory on dream day for NZ cricket

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The joyous mood was a reflection of how it was when New Zealand arrived at the ground for the final. Even if there was pressure, you couldn’t quite tell. Their first act upon entering the arena was to huddle near the boundary with Devine taking out a piece of paper and reading out from it to peels of frenzied laughter and back-slapping.”Well, we have a bit of a tradition before the start of each warm-up, someone gets nominated to do a joke of the day,” Devine revealed later, about their ritual. “I was in charge of a joke, but I had a number of them, but I’m not sure if I can repeat any of them unfortunately. We’ll keep it PG, but it’s just a nice way to lighten the mood and have a bit of a laugh before we get stuck into business.”Only last month, they were thrashed 3-0 by Australia to take their winless sequence to 10 matches. The top order looked wonky and was far too dependent on Kerr and Devine for bailouts that merely kept them in the game. They scrapped to stay alive, picking players on potential, and prayed they would come good.They landed in UAE as rank outsiders, not even dark horses, fully knowing their first match against India could make or break their campaign. It turns out they’d been preparing for it from a year out. The only bit of attention to detail they couldn’t account for was the change in venue. They’d been preparing to play amid tea gardens in Sylhet but ended up plotting India’s downfall around Dubai’s ring of fire.They laid down the marker right there, hitting 160 and using every bit of intel, like Devine’s knowledge of Smriti Mandhana’s propensity to step out to spin, having played with her at Royal Challengers Bengaluru. And then using that intel to set fields to target that weakness, like having a wide long-off and having her caught there inside the powerplay.That win should’ve galvanized them; instead, they were given jolted by Australia in their second game. From there, they went on a roll, gathering unstoppable momentum to beat Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies coming into Sunday’s final, where they went hard from get go, allowing no respite to the South African bowlers.Sophie Devine poses with the T20 World Cup trophy•ICC/Getty ImagesIn this journey of 18 months, mostly comprising new lows they kept plummeting to, like a 3-0 sweep in Australia or going through an entire summer in England without a win, Devine and co fed off crumbs of comfort. Like the satisfaction of bowling out Australia in the second T20I, even though they couldn’t chase it down. Or Georgia Plimmer, a teenage sensation, hitting her first fifty after averaging under 10 in her first year in T20Is.”It’s really hard to pinpoint one moment or one game,” Devine said when asked about the turning point in their journey between the end of the previous T20 World Cup to this one. “Probably most recently is that India game, though. I think that was probably the most complete performance we’ve had since the World Cup in South Africa and everything did come together.”As I said, it showed that belief and confidence in this group, and to put it together and to know that we could do it, I think was a massive moment for us and helped us on our journey to being here tonight with this [trophy] in front of us.

The New Zealand team having a nice sit down pitch side with the World Cup trophy and some chilled beverages pic.twitter.com/vBRnOMjLxb

— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) October 20, 2024

“So hard to pinpoint because there’s so much that goes into it. I mean everyone thinks about the games, but it’s the work that goes on behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t see. But, yeah, I think if you’re talking about performances, that India one probably set the tone for us.”When Devine was crestfallen after a semi-final loss to New Zealand in 2016, she’d candidly reflected on how “not winning a World Cup trophy” despite having come close twice until then gave her sleepless nights. Now, sitting beside one, with a grin that didn’t leave her face from start to finish as she patiently answered questions, Devine doffed her hat to the coaching staff in her moment of glory.”Oh, I think the coaching staff don’t get enough credit,” Devine said. “They’re probably the first ones to get absolutely slammed by critics, media, outsiders, and they get forgotten when a team wins, but they have been outstanding. They’ve stood with every single one of us players and backed us and believed in us, given us the confidence to know that when we play our best, when we play the brand of cricket that we want to, you can win World Cups.”So, the likes of Ben Sawyer [head coach], Dean Brownlie [assistant coach] as well as Craig McMillan [batting coach] who’s recently on board, Paul Wiseman [spin consultant], but I also think back to Craig Howard who had a really important role with the spinners previous to that. I think about Andre Adams [former bowling coach] and his impact around the group.Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu celebrate New Zealand’s T20 World Cup win•ICC/Getty Images”There’s been so many people that have come into our environment and have added to it and have helped this team grow that to be able to, I guess, sit here with a World Cup trophy, it goes to them as well and everything that they’ve been able to give to the players, to the group, to New Zealand cricket.”I think so much has to go to them. Obviously, we’re the ones that do it out on the park, but the hours that they spend toiling away, planning, preparing players, Yeah, they really are the unsung heroes and so much credit has to go to them.”Devine’s sense of humour was also perfectly intact when asked what it meant to the people of New Zealand. “Yeah, great question,” she laughed. “I don’t know how much it means because, well, firstly it’s about 5am in the morning back in New Zealand, but I think the impact is going to take a bit of time to sink in.”We’ve spoken about it before, the 2000 World Cup [Cricinfo women’s World Cup, won by New Zealand] and the impact that had and that took years to see the numbers swell and the interest in cricket grow, and fingers crossed we can do that too back home as inspire that next generation of players.”But I think the great thing about being a Kiwi is we all get in behind each other. It doesn’t matter what sport you play. I think the amount of support we’ve had from fellow athletes, from members of the public, from celebrities, it’s been pretty cool to have that support and it does, it just shows you how connected New Zealand is and makes you really proud to be a Kiwi.”