Nottinghamshire go into the fourth day needing only 91 to reach their highest-ever winning total in a fourth innings.Set 458 to beat Worcestershire, they exceeded all expectations by reaching 367 for 2 after a launch-pad of 94 in 106 balls by John Morris, a century by Darren Bicknell and an unbeaten 99 from Greg Blewett.Notts have never made more then 419 to win a match – a target achieved against Leicestershire in 1926 – but it would now be a surprise if they failed to register their first CricInfo Championship win of the season.Morris gave them the impetus with a trail-blazing innings of 18 boundaries but the former Derbyshire and Durham batsman missed a deserved century when Stuart Lampitt held a stunning catch at short extra cover.Worcestershire’s relief at breaking up a stand of 157 was quickly snuffed out when Bicknell reached 104 while putting on 102 for the second wicket with Blewett.The left handed opener was caught behind off Lampitt when Notts required 199 and this whittled down as Usman Afzaal settled into the third century partnership. Blewett will have to wait until the morning to complete his third hundred of the season as he closed with 12 fours from 179 balls.Worcestershire’s front-line seamers bowled too many bad balls on a pitch which had become totally docile after the loss of 20 wickets on the first day. Even worse they lacked a specialist spinner in the absence of the injured Matt Rawnsley.In all nine bowlers were used in what became an increasingly forlorn attempt to turn Philip Weston’s 192 into a match winning innings. The opener was ninth out in the morning when Andrew Harris took the last two wickets in five balls.
India fast bowler Ishant Sharma and Sri Lankan players Dhammika Prasad, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne have been charged by the ICC for their roles in several angry exchanges during the fourth day of the SSC Test.”Details to be announced after the conclusion of the Test,” the ICC said on Twitter.Ishant and Prasad faced off during the final session of the fourth day when Ishant, after being bounced several times by Prasad, smacked his helmet repeatedly while running down the pitch, as if asking the bowler to aim at his head. Chandimal walked over from slip, his shoulder brushing Ishant’s, and exchanged words with the batsman.Once India’s innings ended and as Ishant ran back to the dressing room to get ready to bowl, Prasad followed him at a full sprint all the way back. These two incidents were the flash points of an ill-tempered passage of play that involved several stares and words being exchanged between Ishant and Sri Lanka’s players.There was further tension when Ishant gave Upul Tharanga an angry send-off and then went on to celebrate Chandimal’s dismissal by striking the side of his own head repeatedly.Ishant had been docked 65% of his match fee at the end of the second Test for send-offs to Thirimanne and Chandimal. Thirimanne, too, was fined 30% of his match fee for showing dissent at the umpire’s decision during the second Test.
Steve Harmison, the England fast bowler, has struck back at Geoff Boycott after the former opening batsman had launched a scathing attack at him in a column for .Boycott had virtually written off Harmison after his poor display in the first Test against New Zealand in Hamilton, urging the selectors not to give him a central contract. “Since the Ashes series of 2005 he has been poor, indifferent to bad. He’s not got enough wickets and been given so many chances,” Boycott wrote in his column. “There comes a point when the public and selectors get fed up and disillusioned with a guy not delivering. That time has come. If he gets a central contract this summer over some of the new kids, or any sort of central contract, then a lot of us will be screaming: favouritism and a total waste of money. England should forget him.”Harmison’s reply was equally cutting. In his column for , Harmison wrote: “No one can dispute the man could bat but over the years he has developed an equally well deserved reputation as someone who thrives on kicking a man when he is down … Enough is enough. His remarks about me this week have gone beyond what is acceptable and it is time someone stood up to him and told him so.”People who only have a passing interest in the game hear the famous Geoff Boycott Yorkshire accent and may think it gives some status to his opinions. But inside the dressing room he has no status, he is just an accent, some sort of caricature of a professional Yorkshireman.”Harmison went on to add that a couple of batsmen currently in the England team didn’t have a high opinion of Boycott either. “Their shared experience was that when things weren’t going well for them all they heard from Boycott was him nailing them in the newspapers or on radio or TV, then, if they made a century or played well, he would come up to them full of compliments and try to ingratiate himself with them. I’m not the only England player who has been forced to take it in the neck from Boycott and I won’t be the last.”Harmison also took a dig at Boycott for his comments on Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait’s decision to take a break from the game due to exhaustion. Boycott had said Tait’s decision had “lacked character”.”I wonder what Australia’s Shaun Tait thought recently, when, after announcing he was taking an indefinite break from the game due to physical and emotional exhaustion, Boycott reacted by claiming he should have shown more desire to work through his problems,” Harmison wrote. “You get the feeling that Boycott is an insecure man who needs to be heard.”As a parting shot, Harmison had this to say to Boycott: “You say that if England give me another central contract come October that would be waste of money. To me, you are a waste of space.”
Australia’s final workout of the Super Eights against New Zealand might not have much significance to the make-up of the final four, but don’t expect either side to treat the 47th game of the tournament as glorified training. While there will be some experimenting for the more intense days ahead, the unblinking gaze of both teams will not be broken by thoughts of next week.Only a ridiculously huge victory by New Zealand could topple Australia from the top spot and even if it is achieved the southern hemisphere neighbours will be kept apart in the semi-finals. Both teams are already talking about their next opponents. Ricky Ponting has spoken of the dangers posed by South Africa in St Lucia and John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, wants his side to improve their net run-rate so they can overtake Sri Lanka, move to second and get the better training times in Jamaica.When the focus returns to Friday’s match in Grenada it is impossible to discuss it without mentioning allrounders. Shane Watson’s fragile body is ready for action after two weeks out with a calf strain, but Jacob Oram has succumbed to a heel problem. While the pair is crucial to the balance of the teams, there is another allrounder who is also being closely monitored.Scott Styris has 435 runs at 108.75 in the Caribbean and when his eight wickets at 23 are mixed in he is a genuine contender for the player of the tournament. Ponting is aware of the problems Styris poses and has been impressed by the way he has anchored New Zealand’s batting.”These conditions suit the way he plays, the slower lower wickets,” Ponting told AFP. “He plays spin pretty well. We’ve got a few things up our sleeve which we’ll have to execute well against him and make sure he doesn’t get away from us.”What he has done in the tournament is bat for long periods. He might not have necessarily got his runs at a 100% strike-rate but he’s been there and thereabouts, anchored their innings and played very well.”When it comes to Australia’s potential run-scorers they are as well stocked as the nearby waters are with fish. Four of the top 15 batsmen at the World Cup are Australians, but the bowling is even more impressive with four of the leading nine. The individual success is a reason why they have extended their unbeaten streak in World Cups to 26 matches.While Australia’s swap of Watson for Brad Hodge requires only one change in the order, New Zealand have some restructuring to do to cover Oram. The preferred option seems to be to promote James Franklin three places to No. 6 so Brendon McCullum doesn’t have to shift from seven.
“It’s about making this seamless and I think James is really looking forward to the challenge of it,” Bracewell told NZPA. “He’s batted quite well for a long period of time for us – it’s nothing new for him to bat in the middle order.”Bracewell is also considering bringing in the fast bowlers Mark Gillespie and Michael Mason to prepare them for possible use in the semi-final and final, which will be played on surfaces expected to assist the quick men. Jeetan Patel will be the unlucky one in Grenada if this method is followed.”There’s the temptation to prepare for the future, but there’s also the reality of what needs to be done on Friday,” Bracewell said. “We don’t want to lose the momentum.”Ponting wants to use the match as a guide for Australia, who were beaten 3-0 by New Zealand the last time the teams met. “I’m looking forward to the game,” Ponting said. “It will be a good indicator for both teams of where they are at.”Australia (probable) 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Shane Watson, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Nathan Bracken, 10 Glenn McGrath, 11 Shaun Tait.New Zealand (probable) 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 Peter Fulton, 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Craig McMillan, 6 James Franklin 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Mark Gillespie, 10 Shane Bond, 11 Michael Mason.
Gary Kirsten’s second hundred in successive matches guided South Africa to a 97-run win over hosts Bermuda in the final of the inaugural 20-20 World Cricket Classic in Nassau.South Africa’s batting has been the key to their success, and Kirsten and former Transvaal fast bowler Steven Jack finished the tournament with 461 runs between them. Kirsten followed his 134 in the semi-final with 103 this time, while Jack smashed 109. Both reached their hundreds in under 50 balls. Jack, who played his two Tests for South Africa as a bowler, raced to his century in 40 balls, including four fours and ten sixes.The Bermuda bowlers all came in for some stick, with Kevin Hurdle being slammed for 71 from his four overs.Bermuda never seemed interested in chasing a daunting ask of more than 13 an over, but they batted well and the spirits of a lively capacity crowd were not dampened.”I think the bowlers have learned a hard lesson tonight,” Gus Logie, Bermuda’s coach, admitted. “We talked a lot beforehand about how we were going to have to bowl against them but we just did not put those plans into practice and we got punished for it.”
In the Plate final, West Indies bowled out Australia for 116, with Joel Garner (3 for 9) leading the demolition. Stuart Williams then cracked an unbeaten 73 as West Indies romped to a seven-wicket win with more than seven overs to spare.
Tino Best has been recalled to the West Indian squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Kingston, as a replacement for his fellow Barbadian Fidel Edwards, who suffered a strained hamstring during their 276-run victory in the first match at Bridgetown.Best is the only change to the side that ended West Indies’ run of 10 defeats out of 12 in all forms of the game this season. Edwards will be sidelined for at least ten days, but Ian Bradshaw has fully recovered from the viral infection which ruled him out of the first match. Dwayne Bravo, meanwhile, is undergoing treatment on an ankle injury.West Indies’ convenor of selectors, Joey Carew said he was “very elated” about the first-Test victory and hoped that it was a sign of better things to come. “The team played hard and got the rewards for their efforts,” he said. “I agree with coach that a lot of work still has to be done but there is a little light at the end of the tunnel.”West Indies squad Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Courtney Browne (wk), Corey Collymore, Daren Powell, Reon King, Ian Bradshaw, Tino Best.
Day 2 of 4Victoria 7 for 252 (Hodge 125, McDonald 51*) trail Tasmania 341 by 89 runs ScorecardTasmania were focused on securing the vital first-innings points against Victoria on the second day of the decisive-round Pura Cup clash at the Bellerive Oval. Victoria were 7 for 252 at stumps in reply to the Tasmanian first-innings total of 341.Two first-innings points would improve Tasmania’s prospects of a final berth against the runaway leaders Victoria. “We would have liked to have taken another wicket today, but at the start of the day we would have certainly taken that score,” said Brian McFadyen, the Tasmanian coach. “Certainly, I think one more wicket will break it open and I would expect that we’d get through the last few really quickly. We do bowl well at the tail, as a rule.”A week out from the Melbourne final, second-placed Tasmania need to fend off a challenge from rivals Queensland and NSW. NSW were 4 for 177 at stumps today at the SCG in reply to Queensland’s 9 for 418 declared, with rain forecast for the weekend.McFadyen said the Sydney showdown was “hard to ignore, but it is certainly not our major focus. I do truly believe that we’ve got the second-best side in the competition so far and I do believe we deserve the opportunity to take [Victoria] on in the final.”Shane Watson did his bit for Tasmania’s finals campaign today when he snared the coveted scalp of Brad Hodge. Hodge posted his fifth hundred of the season en route to 125 before he was dismissed by Watson, who has been cleared to bowl on a daily basis after suffering a debilitating back injury. Watson finished the day with 2 for 57 off 18 overs.The innings started badly for Victoria when their top runscorer of this season, Matthew Elliott, was caught by Dan Marsh at first slip off Damien Wright for 1. It was quite a coup for Wright, who has been receiving injections to deaden the pain of a nagging left-knee injury.Matthew Mott, his fellow opener, was next to go when he fell lbw to Gerard Denton for 10. Andrew Downton, the left-arm fast bowler, nailed David Hussey (7) and Cameron White (2) to achieve the respectable figures of 2 for 51 off 18 overs.
It was a full day of absorbing Test cricket at Newlands after South Africa declared at tea on a daunting 620 for seven, and Pakistan fought back to end on 141 for 1.Play began five minutes early to make up for the over lost last night after 70 minutes of overtime, with the home side on 445 for 3 looking to get some quick runs.That was not to be, as the Pakistani fast bowlers bowled on a line and length to slow the scoring down, picking up wickets at regular intervals.Mohammad Sami was the first to strike, forcing Jacques Kallis to go back to one that nipped in from the off to be adjudged lbw in the 6th over of the morning. South Africa were 463 for 4.Neil McKenzie joined Boeta Dippenaar and they batted on carefully, hitting the bad balls. After 100 overs, with Saqlain brought on for the first time, the pair had taken the home side to 476/4.In the 106th over the South Africa 500 came up as McKenzie steered Waqar to fine leg. For the 108th over Waqar took himself off after bowling unchanged all morning, and tossed the ball back to Sami to bowl with Saqlain from the Kelvin Grove End.Waqar rotated his four-man attack well, and the feature for Pakistan was the return to form of Mohammad Zahid.Just before lunch there was some drama when Saqlain Mushtaq got a ball to straighten and all the Pakistan close fielders went up for what looked a certain lbw, but the umpire thought otherwise.Lunch was taken at 531 for four, and in the hour afterwards South Africa scored steadily. The sun came out as McKenzie reached his 50, but Zahid tucked him up getting one to straighten in the 122nd over and he edged it off the face of the bat to the keeper. The partnership had added 85, and everyone was expecting some quick runs from Boucher.Zahid beat him a few times but it was Saqlain who got him, as he went for a huge slog sweep that missed and the ball hit leg stump. Saqlain added Dippenaar’s wicket when he top edged a pull for Kamran Akmal to take it easily, running to short mid-wicket, and South Africa were seven down for 594.Skipper Pollock came in with all expectations for quick runs and a possible declaration at tea. He did not disappoint, and at 620/7 decided to forget getting to a record 622 and declared, wanting to bowl at Pakistan for about 15 minutes. Saqlain had taken three wickets but gave away 237 runs in his 50 overs. Interestingly Mohammad Zahid came good for 2 wickets in 25 overs.South Africa’s score was the joint 3rd highest in a Test Match, only two runs short of their 622 for nine declared against Australia at Durban in 1969/70, four off the 621 for five declared against New Zealand at Auckland in 1998/99, and equal to the 620 all out against Australia at Johannesburg in 1966/67.After tea Taufeeq Umar and Saleem Elahi came out to face Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini. The wicket played straight, and saw out 12 overs playing slowly and carefully.Then in the 13th over Pollock got some extra bounce on off stump and Saleem Elahi was not good enough to cope, steering a catch to Smith in the slips with the score on 36.Younis Khan joined Taufeeq, who took charge with several good looking drives, reaching his fifty in the 22nd over pulling a short one from Kallis. A good knock in 98 minutes laced with 8 fours.Taufeeq and Younis Khan batted out the day to set up a record 105 second-wicket partnership for Pakistan against South Africa, beating the 101 set by Saeed Anwar & Aamer Sohail at Durban in 1997/98. They are still there for tomorrow.Ntini and Pollock bowled well with support from Kallis and Boje. The crowd must have enjoyed the cricket, and at the close after 45 overs Pakistan trail by 479 with 9 wickets in hand.Their chances of saving this Test hinge on the morning session, and centuries are required from their middle order. Taufeeq remains on 85 (129 balls, 13 fours, one six) and Younis Khan on 44 (102 balls five fours).
Sadagoppan Ramesh must be feeling the heat. The left-handed opener from Tamil Nadu is under pressure to perform and would be under keen observation during the first Test against Zimbabwe starting in Bulawayo on Thursday.After a poor performance in the tour-opener against Zimbabwe A,Ramesh did score 42 and 52 in the three-dayer against CFX Academy but his effort in the first innings in Harare was at best scratchy.The latest threat to his opener’s slot has come from his statemate Hemang Badani who made the best use of the opportunity provided to him in the match against CFX Academy.Badani, also a left-hander, scored an unbeaten 112 in the first innings and retired after making an attractive 35 in the second when he was tried as an opener.Badani is yet to play in a Test and should Ramesh not deliver the goods in the first Test, the team management might be inclined to let him make his debut in the second Test as an opener.Ramesh’s opening partner Shiv Sunder Das too failed in the tour-opener at Mutare with scores of 4 and 12 but learnt his lessons quickly, making a stylish unbeaten century against the Academy boys. By deciding not to field Das in the second innings, the team management has almost cleared his name for the first Test.Such is not the case with Ramesh though he is most likely to play the first Test during which his performance will be critically examined.Coach John Wright has a very clear mind regarding what he expects from his openers. “We need a bit of consistency in that position. I would be very happy if we could go to lunch with only one or two down in the first session,” he said. “Just get through this session and see the new ball off and we have got the middle order to take advantage of that situation.”Ramesh has generally struggled outside his off-stump and has this in-built habit of pushing at deliveries. On wickets with bounce and a bit of seam movement, it is suicidal. He also appears uncomfortable against short, rising balls. But Wright said he was not worried about his style as long as he delivered.”Everyone has his own style. At the end, it is runs on the board whichcount. If he has it on the board, he has done his job for the team. I am not the one to object. People can play their own game and as long as they are consistent in their own way, and have done their job, that’s okay,” he said.Ramesh has so far aggregated 1125 runs from 15 Tests and 29 innings at an average of 40.18. He has two centuries and seven fifties to his credit but in the three Tests this year he has tallied just 61 runs.His partner Das, who made his debut against Bangladesh last year, has 396 runs from six Tests averaging 39.60 with a hundred and two fifties.The two are just beginning to find their feet in Test cricket and share a good understanding between themselves, a factor which Ramesh emphasises is very important for opening partners.”Unlike any other batting pair in the team, the openers start their innings together all the time. They need to spend good time with each other to develop a good understanding. We are doing it and it is beginning to reflect in our batting,” says Ramesh.”We start with the basic advantage of a right and a left-handed opening pair. There is another advantage which comes with our batting techniques. While Das is defensive, I tend to go for my shots. It doesn’t allow bowlers to quite settle down.”Off the field too, the differences arising out of the different regions they come from, are fast disappearing. They had shared the room during the Kolkata Test against Australia earlier this year and Das says he is quite happy being together with Ramesh.Wright conceded it were still early days for the pair and they had been working very hard. “Both are very talented and are the ideal left and right-handed pair. Yet it is early days, particularly for Das. Ramesh has impressive performances but it will be important how he does overseas, particularly in South Africa and England where the ball moves around and that’s a bit of a challenge, for both of them.”Indeed, Ramesh should treat it as a warning, what with Badani breathing down his neck now. Badani has proved himself a dependable bat in the one-dayers and is waiting for an opportunity in the Tests. What is more, he can also roll over his wrists and is a brilliant close-in fielder, certainly an asset to a team that goes into a Test with only four frontline bowlers and is at best an average fielding side.
After losing four Premier League games in a row, it was vital that Daniel Farke made changes to his Leeds United squad to give the side the best chance of survival.
The 3-2 defeat against Manchester City saw the German switch to a 3-5-2 formation, something which the side have stuck with in each of the last three outings.
The Whites have remained unbeaten in such fixtures, even claiming a thoroughly deserved 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Elland Road at the start of December.
Draws against Liverpool and Brentford have moved the club three points clear of the relegation zone, with their fate now firmly in their own hands going into the Christmas period.
However, it could well be the end for one player in Yorkshire, especially considering the lack of action he’s endured over the last couple of weeks amid the formation change.
Brenden Aaronson’s struggles under Farke in 2025/26
Brenden Aaronson generated huge excitement at Leeds back in the summer of 2022, after the Leeds hierarchy forked out a reported £25m for his signature.
The American international has now racked up over a century of appearances in the White of the club, but he’s massively fallen below expectations in many of his outings.
He’s racked up nine starts in England’s top-flight this campaign, but has failed to start in any game in which the manager has utilised the new 3-5-2 formation.
The 25-year-old has only featured for a total of 43 minutes across the last four matches, with all of his first-team action coming off of the substitutes bench.
Aaronson featured for just 17 minutes in the recent clash, completing just six passes and failing to complete any of the crosses he attempted – showcasing his struggles in forward areas.
He also lost 100% of the duels he entered, whilst also committing a foul, with his small frame arguably a luxury rather than a necessity in the club’s hunt for survival.
The midfielder’s time on the pitch is no doubt likely to continue declining over the coming months, which could potentially lead to a winter exit away from Yorkshire.
The Leeds star who could now be on borrowed time under Farke
After spending over £100m on new additions during the summer window, it was always going to be a case of numerous players from the promotion-winning campaign dropping down the pecking order.
Joel Piroe is arguably the biggest example, with the Dutchman ending the previous campaign on 19 goals – the highest of any player within England’s second tier.
However, he’s featured in just eight league games this season, with only two of which coming from a starting role, subsequently highlighting his decline in minutes throughout 2025/26.
The striker isn’t alone in that department, with central midfielder Ilia Gruev another player who has been unable to replicate his best form from the previous year.
The Bulgarian joined the Whites in a £5m deal from Werder Bremen in the summer of 2023, subsequently racking up 60 appearances in his first two years in Yorkshire.
Whilst he struggled with injuries last season, he still managed to make 25 league appearances in 2024/25 – even managing to register two assists in the process.
However, like Aaronson and Piroe, the investment in his position has made competition for places that little bit harder, with the manager still now opting with a three-man midfield.
The arrivals of Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff have only pushed Gruev further down the pecking order, as seen by his recent lack of action under Farke in the Premier League.
Ilia Gruev – PL stats (2025/26)
Statistics (per 90)
Tally
Games played
8
Matches started
4
Minutes played
389
Duels won
3.7
Aerials won
33%
Dribbled past
1.2
Interceptions made
0.9
Chances created
0.4
Stats via FotMob
He’s only started four times to date, but has also made four substitute appearances in such time, subsequently taking his tally of minutes this season to just 389.
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It’s a huge contrast from the previous season, especially after the manager himself labelled the 25-year-old as a “top player” – but ultimately, Farke has to do what’s best for the club.
When Gruev has had the chance to impress, he’s often struggled to match expectations, as seen by his measly tally of just 3.7 duels won per 90 – subsequently ranking him in the bottom 18% of midfielders in the league.
Other tallies, like 0.4 chances created and 1.2 times dribbled past per 90, showcase his all-round struggles in England’s top-flight, with the manager no doubt making the right call in dropping Gruev.
With January on the horizon, it would be a surprise to no one if the Bulgarian international were to depart Elland Road in the hunt for more consistent first-team minutes.
He and Aaronson could well find themselves closer to the exit door in the coming months, with both players evidently not at the level required for success in the Premier League.
Leeds star is fast becoming their best bargain since Pablo Hernandez
Leeds have now stumbled across their best bargain since Pablo Hernandez in this exceptional performer at Elland Road.