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Maharaj produced his best ODI figures yet to help down Australia, showing he still has plenty to offer

Firdose Moonda19-Aug-2025If you thought Keshav Maharaj was done trying to make a point about his ability, think again. And watch how he responded to being left out of South Africa’s T20 squad.In his first white-ball game since being overlooked in the shortest format, Maharaj scooped career-best figures of 5 for 33 and his entire haul came in the first 17 overs of Australia’s innings. In helpful conditions, Maharaj produced some of his best work: a consistent stump to stump line, clever use of his angles especially from around the wicket and just the right amount of spin to show off his skills. Asked if that performance was good to remind the coaches of what he can do, Maharaj giggled awkwardly but could not hide that he “definitely,” enjoyed the statement he made.”I want to play all three formats, so I was a bit disappointed (to be out of the T20Is). But I think the coaching staff felt a certain way,” he said to reporters after the first ODI in Cairns. “It’s nice to put in a performance to show that I can do it in the shorter formats of the game. Whatever is meant to be, will be at the end of the day, I’m just focussing on my cricket and enjoying my cricket and I want to try to win games for my country.”Related

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The “certain way” head coach Shukri Conrad (who was operating as sole selector but will now choose squads with convenor of selectors Patrick Moroney) felt was that he needed bowlers who could also offer something with the bat. As a result, allrounders George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy made the T20 squad with the understanding that Maharaj does not have the same batting ability, more so recently. Since rupturing his Achilles in 2023, Maharaj has been open about how his batting may have suffered further, because of the work he needed to put into recovering enough to bowl. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be a better batter, he has just had to prioritise where he puts his focus.For the last year, that has largely been on the longest format, where he played a key role in South Africa’s run to the World Test Championship (WTC) crown. In the 2023-2025 cycle, Maharaj was South Africa’s second highest wicket-taker (41 wickets at 20.95) and is also the only South African spinner with more than 200 Test wickets to his name.

“A lot of people ask me what’s next? And even though I’m 35 years old, I believe in my journey. I’m always learning. The day I stop learning is the day that I have to walk away from the game”Keshav Maharaj believes he is a ‘scholar of the game’

Those numbers make it easy to forget what he does with the white ball, so let’s remind you. At the 2023 ODI World Cup, he had South Africa’s best economy rate of 4.15 and was their third highest wicket-taker. At the 2024 T20 World Cup, he was their joint third-highest wicket-taker and he was in the top five wicket-takers in the SA20 last season, when he led Durban’s Super Giants to the final.It might be that because he has already done all these things, and is now 35 years old that it seems as though Maharaj’s career is winding down but he has always rejected that. He previously told ESPNcricinfo, he’d like to consider the age of 40 as the time to step away but was willing to push that further out as long as he was still contributing. His first ODI five-for, which came in his 49th match is proof of what he still has to offer and that he has it in him to keep improving.”There’s a lot more that I want to learn and a lot more for me to sort of achieve in my career, especially with the team. I want to try to win more trophies together as a nation,” he said. “Hopefully I can keep raising that bar for spinners coming through in our system. A lot of people ask me what’s next? And even though I’m 35 years old, I believe in my journey. I’m always learning. The day I stop learning is the day that I have to walk away from the game. I’d like to think I’m a scholar of the game. I watch a lot of cricket. I’m always bouncing ideas, even from the younger generation. Because it’s nice to see how the difference in thinking works. I’d like to think I’m getting better as age goes on.”How Keshav Maharaj went through Australia•ESPNcricinfo LtdThere’s no better a place for Maharaj to have done that than Australia, the country where he made his international debut in the Test side, nine years ago. Then, his rise was a credit to seasons of commitment to fitness and a fine-tuning of his craft and his first match in Perth marked the start of an incredibly successful long-format career. Now, he hopes being back in Australia is a new beginning of sorts as he also tries to re-establish his white-ball credentials amid changes in thinking.”Australia is the place where I came to debut, so it’s a wonderful, nostalgic feeling coming back here and getting my first ODI five-for,” he said.While he celebrated his first four wickets with the usual gusto of screams and prayers for his late grandmother, his fifth – Aaron Hardie, who was bowled – was commemorated in a less demonstrative way. Maharaj eventually bowed to the earth, in his own time, and allowed himself to fully absorb the significance of what he had done.”I’m not someone who bowls for five-fors. I’m a process-driven person, so I judge myself on my consistency and my length so it was more a sigh of relief to finally tick the box,” he said. “You dream of playing international cricket, you dream of putting in match winning performances, and the dreams keep building. But to be able to tick the box of getting a five-for will always be special.”It may also be one of the reasons South Africa turn back to Maharaj when their T20 World Cup planning resumes.

It might not seem like it outside, but inside the Motera stadium, it was palpable this was the eve of a big match

Sidharth Monga31-May-20258:30

Aaron: ‘Ahmedabad surface will suit Punjab more’

Hotel rooms are easily available in Ahmedabad, there is no random crowd outside the Motera stadium, touts are not to be seen, although there is talk of one arrested on Friday for trying to sell 60 tickets at INR 5000 each. The general air is different to what it was even during an England-New Zealand game in the 2023 ODI World Cup, when you couldn’t find accommodation at a decent price. Or even during the Gujarat Titans (GT) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) IPL final earlier that year.It is much quieter and saner in Ahmedabad around these two final games of IPL 2025. However, the teams involved in Qualifier 2 are making up for it with their urgency. Mumbai Indians (MI) finished their win in the Eliminator and went straight to the airport to be flown into Ahmedabad by 4am on a chartered flight. In the evening, their coaches and medical staff were at the stadium for an unscheduled visit to look at the pitch and, more importantly, give their injured fast bowler Deepak Chahar a fitness test.Reece Topley was the only other player who made it to the stadium. It could be a sign that Richard Gleeson might not make it to Qualifier 2. If Chahar’s injured left leg doesn’t take the strain well, Topley could well get his MI cap.Related

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Punjab Kings (PBKS), their opponents, have been in the city for longer as they were done with New Chandigarh on Thursday. They had a relaxed training session out in the middle during which all signs pointed to a return to fitness for legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who last played on May 18 before an injury to the right wrist sidelined him. He wore protection on the wrist during the training session, played football, took catches, threw balls and then bowled a couple of overs in the empty net. Most of the PBKS bowlers practised in an empty net with a shoe on either side of the crease to aim their yorkers at.Three spells of mild drizzle were unable to pause PBKS’ training session, but proved to be a frustration for MI, who turned up even though they were not scheduled to. Mahela Jayawardene and Kieron Pollard wanted to take a look at the pitch, but the whole square had been covered by the time they arrived.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe real action for MI was Chahar’s fitness test. They are desperate to get him ready. He had padding both under and above his left knee. He started with sideways movements with a resistance band around his legs. Then gentle jogging with breaks in between. Then short sharp sprints. All into a pretty stiff breeze.Chahar walked off all right without a grimace, but Ahmedabad is among the worst venues if you have anything resembling an issue with a hamstring. The climb to the dressing room is a long one. If you need to take the elevator, you might need to get out of the Players and Match Officials Area. However, he didn’t need to go up to the change room on the eve of the match. Still, he was careful to get support taking the odd step up even on the ground level. Now it possibly depends on how he wakes up on Sunday after this workout.Jayawardene did eventually get to look at the pitch: No. 7 on the 11-pitch square, which makes it just off centre. This is a red-soil pitch on which GT successfully defended 217 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and CSK successfully defended 230 against GT. They were both big wins, which might suggest batting first is an option. Neither team was able to collect any intel on dew because of the drizzle, although dew has generally not been a factor in Ahmedabad.The covers came off for barely five minutes. The groundsmen were no less urgent. In the stands, dancers rehearsed their performance to . It might not seem like it outside, but inside the Motera stadium, it was palpable that this was the eve of a big match.

The New York Yankees are off to a solid start to the 2025 MLB season, currently sitting atop the American League East division with a 20–16 record.

Much of their success is due to the historic start to the season that star outfielder Aaron Judge has been enjoying. Judge has been on fire to start the year, slashing .412/.503/.772 through his first 36 games.

Video game numbers.

One glaring statistic, brought forth by Codify Baseball on X, shows just how big of an impact Judge has had on New York's offense.

As it stands, the Yankees lead baseball in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. If Judge was not accounted for, the team would rank 14th in batting average, 11th in on-base percentage and third in slugging. It's a stunning statistic, showing just how much the team has depended on Judge's super-human performances throughout the start of the season.

Judge leads the Yankees, and most of MLB, in several key batting categories. His 12 home runs are the most in the league, as are his 34 RBIs, 56 hits and 34 runs. In just 36 games, Judge has already amassed a WAR of 3.1, having been the main catalyst behind his team's early success.

If he can keep it up, the sky is the limit for this Yankees team. However, they've proven incredibly dependent on No. 99.

Everyone saw Shohei Ohtani club a walk-off home run on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.

But what some people might have missed was the subtle and amusing way in which Ohtani and the Dodgers decided to celebrate said walk-off. As Ohtani rounded third base and headed for the plate, he perfectly imitated the gesture he made in a commercial for a Japanese skincare company while Dodgers teammate Miguel Rojas gave him a Gatorade shower.

Check out the amusing celebration, which was first pointed out on X by Chad Moriyama.

That's too funny. The commercial in question was one Ohtani did for a Japanese company called Decorté, in which he models one of the cosmetics brand's best-selling products, Liposome Advanced Repair Serum.

This Ohtani celebration could become a trend should the defending-champion Dodgers (8-0) keep on winning in 2025.

تتجه أنظار جماهير كرة القدم في الوطن العربي، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، نحو ملعب البصرة الدولي حيث يستضيف منتخب العراق نظيره الإماراتي في مواجهة نارية ضمن إياب التصفيات الآسيوية المؤهلة إلى الملحق العالمي لبطولة كأس العالم 2026.

وتأتي أهمية اللقاء من كونه الفرصة الأخيرة للفريقين من أجل الحفاظ على حلم التأهل لمونديال أمريكا وكندا والمكسيك.

وكان المنتخبان قد التقيا الأسبوع الماضي في الإمارات ضمن مباراة الذهاب، وانتهت المواجهة بتعادل إيجابي 1-1، ليؤجل الفريقان الحسم إلى مباراة البصرة التي تُعد الفاصلة في تحديد المتأهل إلى المرحلة النهائية قبل الملحق العالمي.

منتخب العراق يدخل اللقاء مدعومًا بأرضه وجماهيره الغفيرة التي ستكون عاملًا مؤثرًا في رفع معنويات اللاعبين، بينما يسعى الإمارات لتعويض تعثر الذهاب وتحقيق نتيجة تمنحه بطاقة العبور رغم صعوبة اللعب خارج الديار.

الفائز من مواجهة العراق والإمارات سيتأهل رسميًا إلى الملحق العالمي الذي يضم 6 منتخبات تتنافس فيما بينها على مقعد إضافي في كأس العالم 2026، لذلك فإن مواجهة اليوم تُعد مفترق طرق حقيقي لكل من أسود الرافدين والأبيض الإمارات” في سباق الوصول للمونديال.

طالع أيضًا | القنوات الناقلة لمباراة العراق والإمارات اليوم في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026 موعد مباراة العراق والإمارات اليوم في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026

تقام مباراة العراق والإمارات، اليوم الثلاثاء 18 نوفمبر، في تمام الساعة 6 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 7 بتوقيت السعودية والعراق، 8 بتوقيت الإمارات.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Rahul said Pant and his own dismissals on either side of lunch changed the momentum

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jul-20255:23

Rahul: ‘A bit of theatrics at the end, we wanted to bowl two over’

India were 247 for 3 as Shoaib Bashir lined up to bowl the last over before lunch on Saturday. Three balls later, Rishabh Pant ran himself out in a self-destructive fashion. In the second over post the break, KL Rahul, having become only the second Indian to put his name more than once on the Lord’s honours board, edged one to give Bashir his only wicket of the innings. India were 254 for 5 suddenly, having otherwise controlled the first session, scoring 103 in 22.3 overs until Pant’s run out.So how did India lose their firm hold over the match? Rahul raised his hand at the end of the day to admit that his desperation to reach the landmark before lunch “changed the momentum” of the Indian innings.Rahul said he had told Pant of his plan to get to the century before the break, a couple of overs before lunch. When he pushed a single to sweeper cover off the first ball of Bashir’s over just before lunch, Pant moaned about his senior partner wasting the opportunity to punish what he felt was a bad ball for a four. Two balls later, Pant, attempting a risky single, was run out by a brilliant pick-up-and-direct-hit from England captain Ben Stokes. Pant walked back disappointingly as he might have sensed a century himself until his inning was rudely cut short on 74.Related

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“Not ideal,” Rahul said at the media briefing. “There was a conversation a couple of overs before that: I told him [Pant] that I would get my hundred, if possible, before lunch. And with Bashir bowling that last over before lunch, I thought there was a good chance for me to get it, but, yeah, unfortunately, I hit straight to the fielder.”It was a ball that I could have hit for a boundary. Then he just wanted me to rotate strike and see if he could put me back on strike. But, yeah, it shouldn’t have happened: a run out at that stage really changed the momentum.”It was disappointing for both of us. Obviously, nobody wants to throw their wicket like that.”1:58

Manjrekar: Rahul hasn’t put a foot wrong

While the series is level 1-1, India have shot themselves in the foot by committing untimely errors, which has robbed them of the opportunity to dominate. Rahul agreed that India batters, including him, wasted the opportunity to convert starts into bigger scores that could have put the visitors “ahead” at Lord’s.”Of course, there’s a little bit of disappointment because till just before tea time, we were in a really good position. Obviously, me and Rishabh got that long partnership and then we both got out [in quick succession] – he got out just before lunch and I got out just after lunch. That wasn’t ideal, so you had set batters in the top five who had got off to starts, so ideally you want one of them or both to go on and get a big score and that’s how you get ahead in a Test match.”Personally, though, Rahul said he was happy to carry forward the form established in Leeds, where he scored 137 in the second innings after chasing a wide delivery in the first innings when he was closing in on a fifty. His 55 in the second innings in the second Test in Birmingham played a role in India raising a big target and winning in dominant fashion. At Lord’s, where India won a classic in 2021, Rahul was the Player of the Match for his 129 in the first innings. Those memories surely must have spurred him on to do a repeat this time, but Rahul said he has also been working on the mental side of his game since his last visit to the venue.He said that for the last two-odd years, he has also been working with a specialist who has helped him with “improving reaction times” by engaging in mental drills and games that top athletes involved in F1 and adventure sports practise. Rahul said he travelled to Salzburg in Austria, the base of the Red Bull team in F1, to work with the specialist who has also helped elite F1 drivers in being sharp and proactive.

تنتظر الجماهير المصرية والعربية، لقاء القمة المرتقب بين قطبي الكرة المصرية بين الأهلي والزمالك، في المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس السوبر المصري 2025.

وتقام منافسات بطولة كأس السوبر المصري، في دولة الإمارات، وذلك خلال الفترة من 6 إلى 9 نوفمبر، بمشاركة الأهلي والزمالك وبيراميدز وسيراميكا كليوباترا.

وأقيمت مواجهات نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس السوبر المصري، يوم الخميس الماضي، حيث انتصر الأهلي على سيراميكا كليوباترا بنتيجة 2-1، ليتأهل إلى نهائي السوبر.

طالع | تاريخ مواجهات الأهلي والزمالك في كأس السوبر المصري

وعلى الجانب الآخر، تأهل فريق نادي الزمالك إلى نهائي السوبر، بالفوز على بيراميدز 5-4 بركلات الترجيح، بعد انتهاء الوقت الأصلي للمباراة بالتعادل السلبي بدون أهداف.

وبذلك، يضرب قطبا الكرة المصرية الأهلي والزمالك، موعدًا ناريًا للمنافسة على لقب كأس السوبر المصري في نسخته الـ 23. موعد مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في نهائي كأس السوبر المصري

وتقام مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في نهائي كأس السوبر المصري، الأحد 9 نوفمبر 2025، في تمام الساعة 5:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة. القنوات الناقلة لـ مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في نهائي كأس السوبر المصري

– قناة أون سبورت.

– قناة أبو ظبي الرياضية.

– قناة دبي الرياضية.

David Moyes’ first spell in charge of Everton lasted 12 years, ending in 2013. He certainly left his mark on the football club, helping them to qualify for Europe numerous times during his first stint on Merseyside.

Some iconic players donned that famous Blue shirt in Moyes’ first spell in charge of the Toffees. Wayne Rooney is probably the most famous. Everton’s Scottish boss can take the credit for bringing the former England international into their first team in the first place.

One of the most notable Premier League full-back pairings of Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines, were also given their first chance under Moyes.

Another player who will live long in the memory of Toffees fans is Tim Cahill.

Cahill’s most iconic moments under Moyes

There is a strong case to be made that former Toffees attacking midfielder Cahill is the greatest Australian footballer of all time. He left a huge stamp on Everton during his 278-game career at Goodison Park.

Every single one of those appearances came under the tutelage of Moyes. The Scot first brought him to Merseyside in the 2004/05 season, and platformed him so well, to the point Cahill left the club with 68 goals and 29 assists, more often than not from the number 10 role.

The Blue Kangaroo, as he was lovingly dubbed during his time on Merseyside, had some iconic moments under Moyes. His first campaign saw him bag 11 Premier League goals, the most he managed during his time at the club.

Who can forget that iconic boxing celebration when he scored, where Cahill would punch the corner flag.

They tended to go hand in hand with his headed efforts, a real trademark of the Australian’s attacking play.

Moyes would surely love to have Cahill in his side today, a player who ‘conjured moments of brilliance when they were needed most’, as Russell Jackson once said in The Guardian.

Well, perhaps there is a player who can replicate his impact.

Moyes’ new Tim Cahill

In their current squad under Moyes, Everton have a few players who can make a real difference. Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye have been the two real standouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium this season.

Yet, it could be the case that Carlos Alcaraz could be seen as Moyes’ new Cahill, a link that football analyst Ben Mattinson made. The attacking midfielder turned his January loan move permanent this summer and has made a good impact in his short time at the club so far.

The 22-year-old, who earns £20k per week on Merseyside, has featured 23 times for the club so far. In that time, he’s found the back of the net three times and assisted the same number of goals.

He averages a goal or assist every 178 minutes in Blue.

In his first start for Everton, away to Crystal Palace last season, the Argentine “sensation,” as football scout Antonio Mango described him, assisted the first and scored the winner in a 2-1 victory.

There was certainly a little bit of Cahill about that goal, too. Alcaraz followed up a loose ball in the penalty box and smashed home the winner from 12 yards out.

It was a clinical goal, and certainly a brilliant contribution when his side most needed him, just like Cahill used to produce.

The stats from last season further highlight how he can create big moments in the same vein as Cahill.

For example, he averaged 0.7 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 7% of Premier League attacking midfielders.

Alcaraz – 2024/25 PL stats

Stat (per 90)

Number

Percentile vs. attackers

Goals and assists

0.58

82nd

Shots on target

1.4

98th

Passes into penalty area

2.21

88th

Goal-creating actions

0.7

7%

Carries into final third

2.56

88th

Stats from FBref

That goal-creating actions stat, and others, show how well the 22-year-old is always involved in the attacking play for Everton, even if he’s not directly scoring or assisting himself.

The determination with which he plays is certainly similar to Cahill.

Moyes would love a player of Cahill’s profile in his current side. In Alcaraz, he might have that player, who can produce magic moments from nowhere, during this exciting new era at Bramley Moore Dock.

Related Moyes has unearthed Everton's brand new Fellaini with "enormous potential"

This Everton star could recreate Fellaini’s role under Moyes

Posts ByJoe Nuttall Oct 9, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

A ‘novela mexicana’ entre Suárez e Grêmio teve mais um capítulo nesta sexta-feira e triste para a torcida do Tricolor, já que o contrato teve o seu fim antecipado para dezembro de 2023.

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Inicialmente, o uruguaio tinha acordo até o fim da próxima temporada, mas a sua vontade de falar mais alto levou a melhor no braço de ferro com a diretoria.

Internamente, o convívio entre as partes não é dos melhores e Suárez forçou a barra para deixar o clube e atuar nos Estados Unidos ao lado de Messi.

Sem sucesso nas negociações, o centroavante desistiu de discutir nos bastidores e acatou a sua permanência no Tricolor.

Números 

Desde a sua chegada, Suárez disputou 32 jogos, anotou 16 gols e faturou o título do campeonato gaúcho.

This was the second slow over-rate penalty in IPL 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-20252:27

Rapid Fire Review – Are Royals using the Impact player right?

Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag has been fined INR 12 lakh for his team’s slow over-rate during the IPL 2025 game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday night in Guwahati.RR registered their first win of this IPL on Sunday after suffering two defeats in as many games. This was also the second slow over-rate penalty in IPL 2025 after Hardik Pandya was penalised for the same during the Mumbai Indians’ match against Gujarat Titans on Saturday. Unlike previously, the latest offence will not lead to a ban for the captain, since the IPL has done away with that rule and now, for such offences, there are only fines and in-game field restrictions.RR played with three fast bowlers, who combined to bowl 11 overs against CSK in the second innings and overshot the stipulated time to complete their overs. This was after Nitish Rana’s 81 propelled RR to 182 for 9. Eventually, RR defended 19 off the final over to produce a six-run victory.Related

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“It took a lot of time [to get the win],” Parag said at the post-match presentation. “It was just two games, but it felt very long. Happy.”I think we were 20 [runs] short. The way we were going in the middle over, I think we lost a couple of wickets very quickly. I thought I was going to build up and then maybe switch out for the 16th over. But I felt 20 short, but we bowled really well.”We’ve had two tough games, going for 280 and then not being able to defend 150. But that was the chat. Forget those games. Come with a fresher mindset. Let’s execute our plans and have a collective good game. So that’s what the boys did.”Parag was named the stand-in captain for the first three matches of RR with regular captain Sanju Samson recovering from a finger injury and playing only as a batter so far.