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Allrounder stars with 2 for 46 and 56 off 35 balls in rain-ravaged fixture

ECB Reporters Network15-Jul-2023A Katie George-inspired Central Sparks chased down a 164 target in 19 overs at Headingley to maintain their excellent recent form and pile more misery on defending Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy champions Northern Diamonds, winning by five wickets.A rain-ravaged fixture was completed with two balls remaining following showers all day. Former England all-rounder George starred with 2 for 46 from seven overs of left-arm seam and then 56 off 35 balls.The Diamonds were in a healthy position on 223 for 4 from 34 of 37 scheduled overs, with rain taking the players from the field at 3.20pm after a delayed start.When play resumed at 4.45pm, the Sparks were set their target, which they reached amidst an entertaining finale thanks to George’s best 50-over score this summer – her first campaign with the Midlanders.The second-placed Sparks have now won the last four matches they’ve played – they were rained off at home to Western Storm last week, while the Diamonds have lost their last three to dent their title defence and drop out of the top three qualifying places.Diamonds captain Hollie Armitage accelerated into a fine 66 off 56 balls, while Bess Heath crashed an unbeaten 49 off 31. They shared 66 inside seven overs for the fourth wicket from 131 for 3 in the 26th over.Play finally started at 12.40pm, with the game reduced to 39 overs per side. Another brief shower following the start forced a 37 -overs contest.The Diamonds got off to a fluent but not blistering start as Lauren Winfield-Hill and Sterre Kalis shared 60 inside 12 overs.Winfield-Hill made 28, while Kalis made 36 less than 24 hours after representing the Netherlands in a T20 international against Thailand in Utrecht.Such was the tight turnaround that Kalis’s kit was stuck on a flight, and she was forced to use an old bat of hers and some borrowed kit from team-mates. But she played confidently as the Sparks erred in line and length.England fast bowler Issy Wong was the main culprit, regularly bowling full tosses which were despatched to the fence.The innings slowed up after the off-spin of Georgia Davis bowled Winfield-Hill and Kalis was caught behind off George’s left-arm seam to make it 83 for 2 after 15 overs.Emma Marlow later fell to a smart diving catch by Bethan Ellis at cover off George, leaving the score at 131 for 3 in the 26th over and paving the way for Armitage and Heath to really open up. Both hit sixes over long-on.Forty four runs came in three overs from 153 for 3 after 29, though Armitage, having reached her fifty in 51 balls, fell to a stunning diving catch by Erin Burns on the run from long-on off Davis. Only two more overs were possible in the Diamonds’ innings before rain.When play resumed, the Sparks started their chase well, reaching 40 without loss in the fifth over and helped by two lots of five wides.Australian Burns, promoted to open, was first to go when caught at mid-on off Jess Woolston’s seam.Katie Levick bowled a sweeping Abbey Freeborn shortly afterwards before George hit the leg-spinner for three fours in the 10th over – two wide of long-on – to take the score to 84 for 2.Eve Jones, for 26, then scooped Grace Hall’s slingy seam to short fine-leg in the next over, leaving the score at 89 for 3.But George, helped by former Diamond Ami Campbell, maintained the momentum to ensure the Sparks won for the fifth time in nine games.George reached 50 off 30 balls and took the target to nine off the last two overs. She shared 72 with fourth-wicket partner Campbell, who added 27.Both were bowled by Levick at the start of the last over to heighten nerves, but it was too little, too late. Charis Pavely hit the winning runs.

He had scored his last international century in August 2023, and when he ended that drought on Friday night, Babar Azam stood almost expressionless before sinking to his knees

Danyal Rasool15-Nov-2025It was a grateful Babar Azam that appeared at the press conference as Friday night yielded to Saturday morning. Much of that gratitude was reserved for his supporters – and there is a legion in Pakistan. A large chunk had braved the bitter cold of the Rawalpindi night waiting to watch him tick off the final few runs to get to his 20th ODI hundred, one that they have waited over 800 days and 83 innings for, and one that ties him with Saeed Anwar at the top of the ODI hundreds list for Pakistan.”The amount of support I got from my fans, not just in Islamabad but everywhere, was great,” Babar said after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to clinch the series. “I got support everywhere in Pakistan and it gave me a huge boost. The fans, they never deserted me in my hard times. It’s in those hard times that you work out who your true allies are.”It helped that Babar came to the crease with Pakistan in a position of relative comfort after the openers got them off to a strong start. But that cushion has existed recently, too, and though Babar’s scores have begun to tick upwards – he scored a couple of half-centuries against South Africa and got other starts – he had got himself into a habit of squandering them.Related

• Stats – Babar ends 83-innings wait, equals Saeed Anwar's mark

• Babar breaks century drought to help Pakistan win series

“I got starts in the previous series but I couldn’t convert them into big runs,” he said. “When our innings began, we wanted to build a partnership. When Fakhar [Zaman] and I were playing, I was giving Fakhar the strike as much as possible, because he’s a player who can change a game. The longer he’s out there, the other team’s in pressure.”Then Rizi [Mohammad Rizwan] and I were planning on playing according to the situation and doing what was required. We played according to that and built our partnership. I was backing my strengths and had confidence in myself.”As Babar began to inch closer to the milestone, the tautness in the stadium was palpable. He appeared, for a fleeting while, to be competing not just against his own demons, but also the target. The runs Pakistan required were diminishing rapidly, thanks largely to a confident innings from his long-time accomplice Rizwan. However, with five to go, he steered a short delivery towards the on side to send his fans into raptures.Babar himself was more subdued, appearing to let the moment wash over him. He stood almost expressionless for a while, before sinking to his knees and lowering his head.”It was a tough time,” he said. “But I backed myself, worked on what I needed to improve, as well as my fitness. In the end, it’s about belief. These things will go on in your life and you can get stuck in a negative thought process, asking why it’s all happening to me. But you need to stick to your plan and believe that you’ll get your reward.”Pakistan will hope this innings signals resurgence rather than one final cathartic raging against the dying light. Babar, still only 31, can reasonably expect to have a large chunk of his useful career ahead of him. And that’s what his focus has immediately turned to with a newer, fresher optimism.Babar Azam, still only 31, can reasonably expect to have a large chunk of his useful career ahead of him•AFP/Getty Images

“Whenever you score runs, your confidence goes to a different level. It’s been a long period, but I backed myself and never compromised on my hard work. I believed in myself, and that’s the most important thing,” he said. “Lots of thoughts come into your mind about what’s happening to you. Lots of coaches talk to you and give you various kinds of advice. Then you have to assess what is working for you.”While he made a particular point of thanking two of his coaches in Shahid Aslam and Mansoor Rana, he also acknowledged the limitations of what others can do when a player finds himself in a rut: “These are people who have been with me since I was a child, and they know everything about what I require. The time hasn’t been easy, and so I’m grateful to them. But ultimately you have to back yourself. People, coaches, and everyone else can just tell you. You have to do it yourself so self-belief is paramount.”It is exactly the advice he had for any younger players who find themselves in a similar situation, insofar as anyone’s situation in Pakistan can truly be similar to Babar’s. “The advice I’d give to any youngster who’s stuck in bad form is belief,” he said. “You can motivate yourself for a few days but hard work and dedication needs to be there every day.”Though Babar claimed that his faith in his process had never wavered, he admitted the value of seeing it play out in a competitive match that actually mattered. “When you win matches, that’s a different kind of confidence.”

Mark Wood and Sam Billings stood out but tourists continue to be weighed down by their baggage

Andrew Miller15-Jan-2022If Chris Silverwood hadn’t played his cliché at precisely the wrong moment, in the wake of England’s pitiful surrender at Melbourne, this might well have been a day for focusing on the “positives” – namely, the extraction of seven Australian wickets for 99 runs across two innings and two distinct periods of the pink-ball life cycle, a performance that reinforced the very adequacy upon which England’s fleeting pre-series hopes had been founded.Unfortunately, in shipping their own innings in 47.4 overs – the sort of attrition-rate that would attract scorn in an ODI, let alone a Test match – England left themselves no option but to double down once more on their most deep-seated failings. Not since 1958-59 has an England team travelled to Australia and failed to make 300 in at least one innings. With their tenth and final effort likely to get underway some time on Sunday, the book on that one is all but closed.This was another day of thoroughly processional batting from England – their essential flimsiness put into stark relief by Scott Boland’s heroic display as Australia’s nightwatchman in the face of another gut-busting show from Mark Wood. Boland’s 25 balls of stoic line-holding was longer than four of England’s top six managed in friendlier conditions, and he has the chance to extend that further still.Related

• Pat Cummins takes four as England stutter again on 17-wicket day

• Travis Head and Cameron Green flourish under pressure to show their Test pedigree

• As it happened – Australia vs England, 5th Test, Hobart, 2nd day

With a lead of 152 overnight, and the pink Kookaburra already approaching the 20-over mark of its life cycle – the point at which all movement for England’s bowlers appeared to vanish in the first innings – it’s hard to envisage how England will not be made to rue, once again, the all-too-frequent lapses that have exacerbated Australia’s dominance of this campaign.”Australia have been brilliant with the ball, there’s no doubt about that,” Sam Billings said at the close. “But the most disappointing thing was, whenever we wrestled back a bit of momentum, we lost a wicket at crucial times. It was a real eclectic mix of dismissals as well. It wasn’t just a set way of getting out.”Despite being granted the most favourable batting conditions so far, no England batter made more than Chris Woakes’ 36, and he only lasted that long thanks to two dropped slip catches off Boland, as if karma was decreeing that his then-Test bowling average of 8.64 was already quite sufficiently ridiculous, thanks very much. (It’s been stretched back out to 10.26 now – which means he isn’t even topping Australia’s averages anymore.)That glimmer of Australian sloppiness even extended to their appealing. Rory Burns and Dawid Malan both survived non-reviewed caught-behinds early in their stays – though had Burns’ reprieve been much earlier it would have been pre-natal. He hadn’t even had a chance to capitalise on his good fortune from Mitchell Starc’s sixth ball of England’s innings, when Zak Crawley called him through for a sharp but feasible single, and off he trooped for his eighth duck in 22 innings. At least the refrain from the commentators was less focused on his idiosyncratic technique this time, and more on his failure to fling himself headlong for the crease.Ben Stokes can’t believe his dismissal•Getty ImagesSo much has been made of England’s exhaustive preparation for this series, but just as they went into the Brisbane Test with a bowling attack that had never before taken the field together (and Stuart Broad’s deliverance of David Warner’s second Ashes pair in consecutive series was another tart rejoinder to that particular call), so too were Crawley and Burns opening together for the very first time – little wonder they lacked the sort of telepathic understanding that you’d expect from a more seasoned alliance.Rather than exhaustive, Ben Stokes just looked exhausted after wincing his way through 75 rib-bruising overs in the field. A Test tour of the Caribbean is looming in two months’ time – a venue where, for all the disparagement that West Indies cricket tends to receive these days, England have won just one series since 1968. It doesn’t require hindsight to point out that picking an injured player for such a long-dead rubber (Broad’s exhortation to “win the battle in front of you” notwithstanding) isn’t exactly the smartest way to get such a crucial performer back into the groove.Besides, it’s too late to expect any remarkable twist to this particular narrative. England are bound to be goaded by memories of Headingley 2019 come the fourth innings, but that performance stands out – like its 1981 predecessor – precisely because of its once-in-a-generation status. So long as England consider even a half-fit Stokes better than no Stokes at all, they will be inviting precisely the sort of decades-long hangover that Ian Botham’s heroics caused in the 1980s and 1990s, while providing a performative smokescreen. Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has been doing the rounds in this Test, dressing up an abject battering as a “brilliant opportunity” for a reboot.Joe Root hasn’t had the same physical pain to deal with as Stokes (not lately at least…), but he too has dug about as deep as he can manage on this trip. Inevitably, Root was England’s most composed performer but – as has become equally inevitable the longer this series has gone on – he failed to push on from the promise of his beginnings. The dream of that maiden hundred in Australia has waned to the mere hope that he can get back to reaching fifty on a once-a-match basis. Instead, after enduring another onslaught that left the broadcaster’s heatmap resembling an advert for Rennies – targeted directly at his pit of his stomach – he played too deep to the pad-thumper from Cummins, and trooped off for his series average of 34.Mark Wood roars after removing Usman Khawaja late on•Getty ImagesOnly two England players, in fact, could genuinely be said to be enjoying themselves. One was the effervescent Wood, who still can’t quite persuade his average to match his endeavours, but whose reversion to a more pitch-battering length at least put him out in front as England’s leading wicket-taker. And the other, as if to prove that preparation is folly and living in the moment is the only way to go, was the debutant Billings, whose glee at being involved was palpable.”Did it look like I was having fun? I loved it,” Billings said, having driven 500 miles and nine hours to link up with the squad instead of fly home to the UK ahead of next week’s white-ball tour. “It’s far better than being sat on the sofa, waiting to board the plane.”Billings is a curious type of Test debutant – a veteran of England tour parties, if not of actual matches, having featured in barely a quarter of the white-ball games that have taken place since his first cap in 2015, and a man whose arrival has added “a bit of experience around the group”, as he put it.He’s clearly not wrong, and his exuberance behind the stumps has been a clear injection of energy in the field, certainly compared to Jos Buttler’s troublingly catatonic displays in the first four games.But you have to wonder how Dan Lawrence, for example, must feel at being leapfrogged in this manner – not least given how excited the ECB (and Mo Bobat, the influential performance director, in particular), had been about his displays on the Lions tour two years ago.That trip, featuring a maiden England Lions victory over Australia A at Melbourne, was trumpeted at the time as proof of England’s long-term Ashes vision. Now, the stand-out batting star of that campaign can’t even get a gig in the fifth Test of a long-lost tour, while the key bowler, Ollie Robinson, gets thrown under the bus for his lack of fitness. No, it’s only fair to reserve judgement on the positives for now, and wait for the inevitable inquests.

Wrexham have been handed an audacious transfer boost as Tottenham star Ben Davies refused to commit his future to Spurs. The experienced Wales international, who has been a fixture at Spurs for over a decade, has acknowledged that decisions about his next move may soon be out of his hands.

• Son & Davies in final year of their contracts
• Defender has been linked with Wrexham
• Could also move to Elland Road

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Davies has been a stalwart at Tottenham since his arrival from Swansea City in 2014. Over the years, his dedication and adaptability have made him a trusted figure under several managerial regimes, from Mauricio Pochettino to Thomas Frank. Now in the twilight of his Spurs tenure, Davies finds himself in the final 11 months of his current deal. Although the club recently exercised their option to extend his contract for another season, the absence of long-term renewal talks suggests the possibility of a summer departure with Wrexham and Leeds United among the possible destinations. 

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham, currently on a rapid rise through the English football pyramid, are chasing a fourth consecutive promotion and are just a step away from realising their ultimate dream of playing in the English top flight. Backed by significant investment thanks to Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and global exposure through their Disney+ documentary series, the Welsh club has lofty ambitions and acquiring a Premier League-calibre defender like Davies would be a major coup.

• WHAT DAVIES SAID

  While on pre-season duty with Spurs in Hong Kong, Davies was asked whether he expected to see out the final year of his contract. The 32-year-old said his current priority was to help Tottenham this season, but remained non-committal when asked directly about seeing through the full term. 

  "That one is not necessarily under my control. I reported for pre-season and I’m excited to be here," he told

  "My focus is now on how I can help this club this year, and if something changes, I’m sure I will be picking up that phone call, but right now I don’t see anything else."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Adding to the intrigue at Spurs is the status of Davies’ closest friend at the club, Son Heung-min. The South Korean superstar, who recently completed ten seasons with Tottenham, is also entering the final year of his contract. Like Davies, Son had his deal extended by the club earlier this year, but his long-term future remains in flux.

With the summer transfer window well and truly back open, Aston Villa have a huge few weeks ahead.

After failing to qualify for the Champions League after defeat against Manchester United on the final day of the season, the West Midlands side find themselves in the Europa League.

That surely makes them less appealing to top players they are looking to sign, and also means they have less money, which could make it tough to turn the loan moves of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford into permanent deals. Spain international Asensio did not have a buy clause in his loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and it is unclear if he will come back.

Well, if it turns out that Asensio doesn’t re-sign for Villa, they seemingly have a replacement in mind.

Villa's potential Asensio replacement

It would certainly be a huge blow for Villa if they were to lose Asensio, who had a great impact and brought lots of technical quality in attacking areas to their squad. However, they seem to be targeting a fellow Spaniard to replace him.

According to a newspaper in Spain, via Caught Offside, Unai Emery and his side are seemingly targeting a move for Real Betis attacker Jesus Rodriguez. He reportedly has a release clause worth £30m in his current deal, but Betis are negotiating a new contract with the view of increasing the price of that release clause to around £43m.

Of course, the release clause makes this a complicated situation, and on top of that, Betis are thought to be set on keeping Rodriguez.

However, Villans’ sporting director Monchi ‘is determined to sign’ the attacker, and ‘will be leading negotiations to get the deal done’ this summer.

Why Rodríguez would be a good signing

Despite being just 19 years of age, Rodriguez had a strong second half of the campaign with Betis, after breaking into the first team under Manuel Pellegrini following a stint in the youth team until December.

The Seville-born sensation played in 32 senior games last season for the club, scoring three times and grabbing one assist. He played a lot of first-team football, too, notching up 1739 minutes, the equivalent of 19 full 90-minute games. If anything, that shows the trust Pellegrini has in him already.

The 19-year-old attacker performed well in the UEFA Conference League last season, too. Although Betis lost in the final to Chelsea, he had an important role in their quest to the final, playing eight games and scoring against Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok.

There is no doubt about it, Rodriguez stepping into Asensio’s shoes at Villa Park would be no mean feat. Not only is he ten years younger and therefore far less experienced, but the impact he had at Villa would be tough to recreate.

Even Asensio himself struggled to continue the form he showcased during the early part of his career in the West Midlands. He scored eight times and grabbed one assist in 21 games, but after a rapid start, couldn’t keep up his hot run of form past the start of April.

When looking at the underlying stats on FBref last season for both Rodriguez, a Spain U21 international, and Asensio, there are some numbers that stack up well against each other. One of those is goal-creating actions, in which the Betis man averaged 0.41 per game compared to the Villa loanee’s 0.66, showing they are both involved in their team’s goals regularly.

Described as an “explosive” player by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Rodriguez will certainly bring dynamic ball-carrying to Villa Park, more so than Asensio of the stats are anything to go by. The 19-year-old averaged 4.31 progressive carries each game last season, compared to Asensio’s 2.72 per 90 minutes.

It is not hard to see why Rodriguez will be Emery’s new Asensio. Not only are they both Spanish attackers who can play across the frontline, but he has the technical quality of the former Real Madrid star, combined with the habit of being involved in goals, even if that is not directly.

This seems like a deal Monchi wants to get over the line, and for £30m, the value of his current release clause, it could be an excellent piece of business for the Villans.

He's scored at Villa Park: Aston Villa racing to sign "fantastic" £42m star

Only Jacob Murphy, Mohamed Salah and Anthony Elanga assisted more goals than him last season…

1

By
Tom Cunningham

Jun 12, 2025

And how many players have outscored the opposition on their own in a Test innings?

Steven Lynch19-Oct-2021In a recent IPL game, Kieron Pollard was Player of the Match though he only meaningfully participated in 14 deliveries in the entire game. What’s the lowest number by someone who received the award in a T20 match? asked Nathan from Australia

You’re right that Kieron Pollard was only actively involved in 14 deliveries during Mumbai Indians’ IPL victory over Punjab Kings in Abu Dhabi on September 28 – he faced seven balls, bowled one over, and took one catch. Pollard was the third man to win the award having been involved in only 14 deliveries in an IPL game, after Nuwan Kulasekera, for Chennai Super Kings against Pune Warriors in Chennai in 2012, and Munaf Patel, for Mumbai Indians against Pune Warriors in Mumbai in 2011.But they’re not top: there are two cases of 13 by IPL match award-winners – Mark Boucher for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Kolkata Knight Riders in Durban in 2009, and James Faulkner for Rajasthan Royals against KKR in Abu Dhabi in 2014. Boucher faced 13 balls and didn’t take a catch, but he was keeping wicket, so would undoubtedly have been actively involved in rather more deliveries.The record for all T20 matches, as far as we can establish, is active involvement in just eight deliveries before lifting the match award. This was achieved by the South African David Wiese, for Titans against Dolphins in Centurion in 2012-13, and Dinesh Karthik for India vs Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy final in Colombo in March 2018. The scorecard for Yorkshire against Leicestershire at Headingley in 2014 suggests that Adam Lyth was involved in only eight deliveries, but he shared the award in that match with Aaron Finch after a spectacular relayed boundary catch – and since Finch ended up with the ball, Lyth doesn’t feature on the scorecard. But he thus played a major role in at least one other ball in addition to the eight he faced while batting.There are a few caveats with these figures. First, we only have full statistics for around 70% of T20 games. Most significantly, we can only consider scorecard entries – so a player who, for example, received the award in part for outstanding fielding wouldn’t show up. We’ve also ignored matches reduced by rain or other reasons. So Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team had a fun time totting up the rest!What’s the highest Test score by a batter outside his home country? asked Kevin Millard from England

The highest individual score away from home in a Test remains Hanif Mohammad’s epic match-saving 337 – in a record 970 minutes – for Pakistan against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58. That just edged out Wally Hammond’s 336 not out for England against New Zealand in Auckland in 1932-33.In all, there have been 11 triple-centuries by batters in overseas Tests, two of them by Don Bradman at Headingley, in 1930 and in 1934. (There are 12 if you count Azhar Ali’s unbeaten 302 for Pakistan against West Indies in a “home” Test in Dubai in 2016-17.)How often has a player scored a hundred and a duck in the same Test? asked Bevan McAllister from New Zealand

In all, this has now happened 172 times in Test matches. The most recent instance involved Najmul Hossain of Bangladesh, against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in April. The first time it happened was in the first ever Test in England, at The Oval in 1880, when Australia’s captain, Billy Murdoch, made 0 and 153 not out.Two men have done it three times: Shivnarine Chanderpaul for West Indies, and England’s Andrew Strauss. A further 22 batters managed it on two occasions.Wisden records the 11 leaders given honorary MCC life membership in 1946•WisdenI noticed that Matthew Hayden outscored Pakistan’s match aggregate on his own in his only innings of a Test in 2002. Has anyone else done this? asked Abdul Shabeer from India

Matthew Hayden was the fifth man to exceed the opposition’s aggregate score on his own in his only innings of a Test with a definite result: Pakistan made 53 and 59, while Hayden hit 119 for Australia in Sharjah in 2002-03. The others to achieve this were Bobby Abel (120) for England against South Africa (43 and 47) in Cape Town in 1888-89, Len Hutton (364) for England vs Australia (123 and 201) at The Oval in 1938, Don Bradman (185) for Australia vs India (98 and 58) in Brisbane in 1947-48, and Inzamam-ul-Haq (329) for Pakistan vs New Zealand (73 and 246) in Lahore in 2002.For batters who went in twice, Justin Langer (191 and 97) outscored Pakistan (179 and 72) in Perth in 2004-05, while Gordon Greenidge (134 and 101) made more than England (71 and 126) managed at Old Trafford in 1976, as did Patsy Hendren (169 and 45) vs Australia (122 and 66) in Brisbane and Dimuth Karunaratne (158 not out and 60) vs South Africa (126 and 73) in Galle.I read that Dwight Eisenhower was the only American president to attend a Test match. But is it right that he was also a member of MCC? asked Syed Iliyas Hussain from England

President Eisenhower witnessed at least part of a somewhat somnolent day’s play in the third Test between Pakistan and Australia in Karachi in 1959-60. During the day, which was uninterrupted apart from a break while the teams were introduced to Eisenhower, Pakistan scored 104 for 5 in 65 overs, so it’s unlikely the distinguished visitor was terribly excited.This was the last Test played on a matting pitch. Australia’s captain in that match, Richie Benaud, in his book Willow Patterns, wrote that Eisenhower “made the remark that he thought this cricket game was supposed to be played on grass rather than mat. The Pakistan president [Mohammed Ayub Khan] then said, ‘This is the last time a Test match will be played on matting in this country’, and he gave orders to that effect.”It’s also true that Eisenhower was a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club, although it wasn’t because of any particular liking for the game. General Eisenhower, as he then was, was one of 11 leaders given honorary life membership of MCC in 1946, in recognition of their efforts in the Second World War. Eisenhower was the only American; the other ten were all British. Winston Churchill, the wartime prime minister, was one of those honoured, along with the top brass from the army, navy and air force. Arguably the most famous of the others were Field Marshal Montgomery of Alamein, and Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Queen’s second cousin and uncle of the Duke of Edinburgh.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Diogo Dalot has shared a heartfelt tribute to late Portugal and Liverpool star Diogo Jota, describing the loss as an "indescribable tragedy". The Manchester United full-back, who attended Jota’s funeral alongside Bruno Fernandes, spoke openly about the emotional impact and lasting memories of his national team-mate, and paid tribute to the Anfield favourite.

• Dalot speaks on emotional toll of Jota’s passing
• Calls him "role model" and "great man"
• Football world unites in paying tribute

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The football world was left stunned by the sudden passing of Jota last month in a tragic motor accident in Spain. Dalot joined fellow players and fans in mourning the loss of the 27-year-old forward and his brother Andre Silva. The Manchester United full-back has now paid tribute to the 'role model'.

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  WHAT DALOT SAID

  Speaking to the media, Dalot said: "It's tough to talk about it, but it was a tough week for me, for every teammate that played with him. I cannot imagine what the family went through. I had the opportunity to see them and it's just tough. There aren’t any words to describe it when such a tragedy happens like that. 

  "It hits you. I felt that everybody, the whole world felt it, even if they didn't know him personally. It's just a tragedy. Every time I go on the pitch, I think of it. Even today, I saw shirts with his name. He will be remembered forever, and he deserves that because he was a great man, a great teammate. 

  "Diogo was someone that I would say was a role model for me because I always like to see a player's behaviour when they play and when you don't play. He was always the guy that was thinking and putting the team first. So I will always remember him like that. Hopefully, he's at peace now and resting where he is."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Jota’s death brought the footballing community together in grief and remembrance. Supporters of rival clubs came together to honour his life and career. Dalot added that his influence went beyond football, leaving behind a legacy of character and camaraderie.

  Dalot continued: "He could have played for any team. When you're talking about the personal side, I don't look to the shirts that he represents. Obviously, I played a lot of years with him in the national team and I spent some time with him. So you create that connection, you create some memories. That's what I want to keep, the good memories. It's how I want to remember him."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Liverpool and Portugal are expected to honour Jota during the upcoming season with tributes and commemorations. Dalot and others who knew him will carry his memory forward on and off the pitch, while the wider football community continues to grieve a player gone far too soon.

The batter, who averages nearly 70 in first-class cricket, has been picked in the Zimbabwe squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2025Batter Antum Naqvi is in line for a Zimbabwe debut in their upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan after being named in their 16-man squad. Fast bowler Tinotenda Maposa, who has played 14 white-ball internationals for Zimbabwe, is another potential debutant.Left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava and allrounder Brad Evans, both of whom were not part of Zimbabwe’s most recent Test series against New Zealand in July-August earlier this year, returned to the squad. Evans, 28, has played a solitary Test so far, which came in February 2023.Of Indian and Pakistani descent, Naqvi was born in Brussels, Belgium and moved to Australia when he was four, where he earned a commercial airline pilot’s license. He put his aviation career on hold, as per BBC Sport, to pursue cricket. He has recently qualified to represent Zimbabwe, according to a statement from Zimbabwe Cricket.Related

• Afghanistan return to Test cricket against familiar foes Zimbabwe

• Namibia, Zimbabwe qualify for 2026 men's T20 World Cup

• Archive: Naqvi breaks Zimbabwe cricket records with unbeaten 300

Naqvi is one of the brightest emerging talents in Zimbabwe, boasting an average of over 60 in both first-class and List A cricket. In January 2024, he became the the first player from a Zimbabwean team to hit a triple-century at any level of representative cricket. Overall, he has racked up 1626 runs in 26 first-class innings at an average of 67.75 and strike rate of 72.65.In his most recent first-class fixture, he scored 68 and 108, his sixth hundred in the format, for Zimbabwe A against MCC in Harare last week.Sean Williams, Trevor Gwandu, Newman Nyamhuri, Clive Madande and Vincent Masekesa all were left out from the previous Test squad. It is understood that Williams missed out due to personal reasons.Craig Ervine will captain the team, with Brendan Taylor, Sikandar Raza and Blessing Muzarabani lending more experience to the team.Harare will host the one-off Test against Afghanistan from October 20 to 24. This will be Zimbabwe’s first international assignment since they secured qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Zimbabwe squad

Craig Ervine (capt), Brian Bennett, Tanaka Chivanga, Ben Curran, Brad Evans, Roy Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni, Wellington Masakadza, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Antum Naqvi, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Brendan Taylor, Nick Welch

Messi has undoubtedly raised the profile of MLS, but his decision to skip ASG could have lasting reverberations for the league

AUSTIN, Texas – Lionel Messi means the world to Jesus Rodriguez.

For the 22-year-old, who has Cerebral Palsy and developmental disabilities, the Argentine star is a light – a beacon of hope in an otherwise challenging life. Whether it's weaving through multiple defenders or beating goalkeepers with pinpoint precision on free kicks, Messi doesn’t let obstacles stand in his way, and that inspires Rodriguez to keep fighting. So much so that his mother, Tanya Jasso, wanted to find a way for her son to finally see Messi.

She originally tried last season and was ready to take her son, husband, and Jesus’ stepfather, Javier Partida, to see Messi in Columbus, Ohio, for the 2024 MLS All-Star Game. But in the 2024 Copa America Final, Messi injured his ankle. The plan was scrapped. Then, in March, Jasso got the exciting news that the 2025 MLS All-Star would be held in Austin.

For the family who lives in Alamo, New Mexico, the Texas capital was within driving distance. They wanted to give Jesus the experience of a lifetime, saving money and then spending thousands of dollars to get tickets in the VIP section 7, row 3, behind the MLS All-Star bench. Everything was in motion, and when Jesus heard the news, he was brimming with excitement.

Then Wednesday happened.

Messi and Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba had been no-shows for MLS All-Star training sessions earlier in the week, and on the morning of the All-Star Game, the league confirmed what had increasingly appeared inevitable – neither would play, both removed from the final MLS roster.

Jasso said that she and her family were devastated when they heard the news. Jesus sat motionless with his head drooping toward the concrete sidewalk, and Jasso was furious about the timing and the manner in which both MLS and Messi handled the situation.

“I’m very sad because I did everything I could so my son could come see Messi, especially since he has a disability,” Jasso told GOAL Wednesday before the All-Star Game. “I feel heartbroken for him. It’s always been his dream to meet Messi, but he’s not going to be here. I made a lot of sacrifices… We drove 10 hours from Alamo, New Mexico, to get here, and we’re very tired.”

Jasso was perplexed as to why MLS waited until the day of the game – at 11:15 a.m. Central Time, to be exact – to reveal that the face of their league would not be playing in its midseason showcase.

“I think they should be more honest and give fans a heads-up so we don’t go through so much for nothing,” she said. “I feel sad because [Messi] should think about his fans – and right now, he’s not. I believe Messi is partly to blame, as is the league, because he should’ve made an effort to be here.”

Jasso wasn’t alone in feeling let down by MLS and its Argentine superstar. Social media was flush with fans who said the league should have done more to hold Messi accountable, and some who cynically suggested the league was aware of Messi’s status ahead of the game, intentionally promoted his participation, and withheld the information to build buzz for the game.

Austin’s leading newspaper, , ripped Messi and MLS to shreds for the way the situation was handled, with Eric Goodman writing, “Messi’s decision not to show up for one night in Austin is a huge middle finger to MLS and its fans.”

Despite the very public angst, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, in his All-Star Game midseason address, declined to confirm whether the players would face discipline, saying only that the league should have been more proactive in determining Messi and Alba’s availability. In several unprompted moments, Garber appeared to gush over Messi’s positive impact on the league – noting his sizable social media presence and the credibility he brings to MLS.

Sports commissioners essentially work for team owners, which means occasionally having to tow the line. But considering the circumstances, Garber’s responses – and in some cases, lack thereof – seemed tone deaf. Failing to be firm and resolute could both set a precedent and have consequences, signaling to MLS fans that their role in All-Star voting effectively doesn’t matter.

On Friday, two days after the All-Star Game, MLS finally announced a decision, suspending both Messi and Alba for Inter Miami’s match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Garber praised Messi's overall contributions, but said the league had to follow its policies.

“The most important thing is I know Leo Messi loves this league, and MLS is an entirely different league because of the years he’s been here helping to show the world what MLS is and what it’s capable of being,” Garber told the Athletic. “Nobody has done more for Major League Soccer than Lionel Messi. Not just what he’s done off the field, but what he’s done on the field. Every game is a must-see match. I fully understand and respect and admire his commitment to Inter Miami.

"His decision is not one that I really can argue with whatsoever and I understand it. But unfortunately we have a longstanding policy relating to player participation in the All-Star Game and we had to enforce that policy. It was a very, very difficult decision, but one I hope both [Messi] and everyone else can understand and respect. He has shown up for his club, for his teammates, for our league time and time again and I respect his decision.”

Garber added that MLS plans to re-evaluate the policy.

“We are going to take a very hard look at the rule moving forward," he said. "It is important to all of our players and all of our fans that we have a policy that reflects and involves the realities of our league and its players going forward. I am committed to working with all of our players and to start working with Leo Messi to adapt this rule so it makes sense going forward.”

Calling MLS rules for sanctioning players who skip its All-Star game "draconian," Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas on Friday said that Messi was "extremely upset' by the suspension. Mas claimed it was the club's decision to let both Messi and Alba skip the ASG, keeping their long-term health and fitness in mind amid a congested schedule, and that the players' were upset by the league's actions.

"I believe it’s a bad rule, but it’s a rule nonetheless," he said. "And it’s a bad rule because I think it puts the players in an untenable position to have to choose between participating in an All-Star festivity, which is an exhibition match, or choosing a regular-season game that I think matters. And I admire both Lionel and Jordi for always thinking of club first.”

Messi is the first MLS starter in the past 30 years to skip an All-Star game for non-injury reasons – the first being Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In most other major U.S. sports – the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL, leagues that represent the best of the best in their respective games – it would generally be unthinkable for a player equal to Messi’s stature to skip its marquee match for reasons other than injury.

So how did MLS get to this point with the face of the league?

GOAL spoke to MLS All-Stars, former executives, and insiders to assess the fallout from Messi’s no-show and what it signals about the league’s present and future.

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  Compare and contrast, Beckham and Messi

  Messi may be the most famous – and as an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, the most accomplished – player ever to join Major League Soccer, but the way he’s avoided an active ambassador role for the league stands in stark contrast to the global icon who preceded him: David Beckham.

  While Beckham was never as strong a footballer as Messi, he was arguably just as popular in the pre-social media era. From the moment Beckham joined MLS in a star-studded, Hollywood, celebrity-fueled arrival in 2007, he made it clear that his move to MLS was about more than just playing soccer – it was a mission.

  “I’m coming there to make a difference,” Beckham said at his introductory LA Galaxy news conference. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could make a difference.”

  Beckham didn’t just show up, he leaned into the responsibility of helping MLS grow – on and off the field. It wasn’t enough to attract 66,237 fans to Giants Stadium, as he did when the Galaxy traveled to face the New York Red Bulls in a 5-4 loss, or to amplify attendance for opposing clubs by more than 40 percent during his first two years in the league.

  He was also making media rounds, and serving as a highly visible face of American club soccer. Whether it was appearing on late-night talk shows, doing photo shoots for leading magazines, or surprising fans at sports bars, Beckham treated the league’s promotion as part of the job.

  “Of course, being an ambassador of the league, being an ambassador of the game here is obviously important,” he said at an appearance in 2012 at the ESPN Zone, meeting individually with a group of 70.

  Two former leading members of the LA Galaxy staff who worked closely with Beckham told GOAL that visibility was never optional for the England star, with one source saying, “I would say that media exposure and growth of the league was greatly important to Beckham and Ibrahimovic.”

  That went far beyond what was written in any contract. Yes, Beckham wasn’t initially as successful on the pitch as Messi – he didn’t make the playoffs until his third year in the league. But as USMNT icon and former Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas summed it up in 2011, Beckham’s arrival was monumental for MLS.

  “He brought relevancy and credibility,” Lalas said, “which is something that U.S. soccer – and maybe even more so Major League Soccer – has and continues to crave.”

  And Beckham went to extreme lengths to meet obligations. Former teammate Landon Donovan recalled a moment during the 2012 Olympics when Beckham juggled personal and league duties with incredible effort.

  “He flew out right after our game – maybe Saturday or Sunday night – to London,” Donovan said in reaction to the news that Messi had skipped Wednesday’s All-Star Game. “He had to do preparations for the opening ceremonies, then got back on a plane, flew to wherever the All-Star Game was, played the game on Wednesday, and flew back to London that night.”

  The irony is striking, considering Beckham is now a co-owner of Inter Miami. Messi, Beckham’s hand-picked superstar and so-called “gift” to elevate MLS into a new era, chose not to show up for the league’s marquee summer event.

  And while Messi’s global reach and on-field brilliance are unquestionable, his absence in Austin has pointed to what has become increasingly telegraphed over the past few months: There is a different set of rules for Messi.

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  The Messi Rules

  This wasn’t the first time Messi’s unique status bent the norms at MLS. There’s no denying Messi’s impact for Inter Miami. Since arriving in 2023, he’s tallied 64 goal contributions in 43 league matches (39 goals, 25 assists), led the Herons to the 2024 Supporters’ Shield with a record 74 points, and won league MVP.

  He’s also played the role of recruiter, helping bring former star teammates and friends Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba to MLS – and it appears Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul will be next.

  Off the field, Messi has transformed the club’s profile. Inter Miami’s valuation exploded from $585 million to more than $1.2 billion since his arrival. Attendance, too, has soared, nearly doubling from an average of 12,613 fans per game in 2022 to 21,245 in 2024 – second-best in MLS.

  But has Messi had the same impact on the league overall? He’s a guaranteed box office draw, selling out nearly every road match and helping teams such as Sporting KC move games to larger venues to capitalize on the draw and maximize attendance.

  Yet beyond the gate, the returns are mixed.

  MLS viewership, by most accounts, remains modest. Garber said this week that MLS games streaming on Apple TV average 120,000 unique viewers each, with about one million unique viewers tuning in across all matches on Saturdays. During Beckham’s first two years in the league, MLS averaged 241,000 viewers for games and had a single-match high of 650,000. Of course, in Beckham’s era, matches were broadcast on traditional cable TV, which has greatly declined over the past decade. Today, MLS’s matches are largely streamed via Apple TV.

  And Messi’s voice, publicly, has been largely absent. Unlike past MLS stars such as Beckham, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, or Kaka, Messi has limited his media opportunities, outside of his introductory news conference.

  Yes, he’s done a smattering of one-on-one interviews, but they have generally been well-coordinated and structured – often lacking any real emotion. American sports fans are used to seeing passion. Due to the controlled nature of Messi’s limited interviews, fans have little insight into his thoughts on MLS, the competition level, or even life in the U.S. That might be normal for athletes in Europe, but in North America – where megastars such as LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes regularly speak to the media – it’s a missed opportunity.

  Historically, MLS has fined players who skip media duties. Henry often grumbled about the requirement but still fulfilled it. Ibrahimovic stirred headlines with brash, unfiltered takes that MLS likely didn’t always appreciate. Messi, by contrast, appears to operate under different rules.

  The Athletic reported that Messi struck a handshake deal to avoid regular media obligations. Some within MLS circles have contrasted Messi’s silence outside of a handful of preselected opportunities to Cristiano Ronaldo’s outspoken promotion of the Saudi Pro League.

  The question, ultimately, is how much impact Messi as a “brand” has lifted the league? MLS is now home to more of the highest valued soccer franchises than any other league in global soccer, according to Sportico's annual rankings. North America's top flight has 19 of the top 50, and five of the top 20, eclipsing every other top division in world football.

  The league’s average valuation is $700 million, with LAFC and Inter Miami – Messi’s club – sitting at the top, both valued north of $1.2B.

  “There’s no doubt that there’s a before and after Lionel Messi in this league,” Mas said. “Lionel Messi, he is different. He has completely changed the economics of this league, for every single club, every team, every sponsor, the league, media, etc… Lionel Messi has created, for the first time in the league history, $10 million gates where he goes. Clubs change stadiums so Lionel Messi can perform and play, and Inter Miami can play. And that’s an amazing asset and an amazing thing for the league."

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  Marquee event no-show

  What started as a question Monday became seemingly inevitable by Tuesday afternoon: Messi might skip All-Star week entirely. The league has generally accepted the “Messi rules” – flexibility in exchange for brilliance on the pitch. But this was uncharted territory, even by North American standards.

  All-Star events, while rarely competitive, are marketing engines built on fan participation. They're celebrations of a sport and a league, and there is generally a kind of unspoken pact with fans. You vote, they show up.

  The tradition runs deep. Babe Ruth was an All-Star. Michael Jordan was an All-Star. Even when selections spark debate, that debate fuels connection. Fans can’t control lineups or referee decisions – but All-Star votes are theirs.

  No story captures this better than John Scott’s in 2016. A journeyman NHL enforcer with just five career goals, Scott was voted by fans into the league’s All-Star game. The league reportedly tried to block him – even demoting him to the minors after a trade – but he played anyway, scored twice, and was named MVP. That’s the magic of sports: unpredictability and presence.

  For the 28 MLS All-Stars who did show up in Austin, that mattered.

  “When you have eyes on you, and to be able to have a voice and showcase yourself … it's very important,” said U.S. international Diego Luna. “MLS is in a big year leading up to the World Cup – this brings more focus and attention.”

  Chucky Lozano and Cristian Espinoza echoed that sentiment. Garber, meanwhile, downplayed Messi’s absence, citing Inter Miami’s packed schedule and Club World Cup obligations.

  "Miami has had a schedule that is unlike any other team," Garber said. "Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn't. We had Leo playing 90 minutes in almost all the games that he's played."

  But the numbers tell a more nuanced story. Inter Miami and LAFC each played 16 matches between the league and Club World Cup; Seattle played just one fewer. And of those three, Miami actually had the longest break – 14 days – between league play and the Club World Cup.

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  Where MLS goes from here

  Now that the league has enforced its rules, suspending the two Miami players, the question remains: How can this be avoided next time?

  It starts with expectation and accountability. Did MLS and Miami adequately outline expectations for Messi when he arrived in the league, including responsibilities at tentpole events such as the All-Star game? Media responsibilities aren’t as critical as they were in the Beckham era, but skipping an MLS All-Star game both damages trust and could set a precedent for other stars in the league.

  Zlatan skipped an All-Star game. Now Messi has done the same. How can MLS discourage repeat offenses? How does the league impart the value of its marquee game to its top stars, especially those who have previously played in Europe, where All-Star games are literally foreign concepts?

  Does the league need harsher penalties? Neither Messi or Alba are likely to lose sleep because they didn’t have a chance to play with Brad Stuver or Sam Surridge in the ASG – no offense to either – or the fact they must sit out one match, even if it’s against a contending Cincinnati side. Or as Garber suggested Friday – the league "working with Leo Messi to adapt this rule" – could MLS go the opposite direction, and forego future sanctions, thus potentially risking more players skipping out?

  One suggestion that has gained traction within league circles is changing the scheduling for the ASG, or even canceling it in years in which there are other major tournaments, such as the Club World Cup or the World Cup. One insider suggested MLS follow the NHL’s lead and postpone All-Star the way the NHL did during the Olympics.

  While Garber has already gone on record that he wants the 2026 Charlotte All-Star Game to be the best ever, riding momentum from the World Cup, the league might be better served by pressing pause.

  "What I think is that if they want to do this type of event, it's great to do it, and the truth is that it's great for the league. There shouldn't be a date in the schedule. It's crazy,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said Friday before the league announced the suspensions. “We've been playing four of the last five games away. We've been playing four away. We've been playing practically every three days.”

  While a one-game suspension might seem like a slap on the wrist, Garber and MLS aren’t helped by Messi’s uncertain future in the league, a situation Donovan outlined.

  “From the League's perspective, this is really frustrating because you have your best player, your partners want him there, the owners want him there, the sponsors want him there, the fans want him there, the other guys on the MLS All-Star team want the chance to play with Messi – that's a dream for them," Donovan said. “So this becomes a really challenging situation, and from the league standpoint now, what do you do? … Inter Miami and the league are trying to renegotiate, so that he stays here – his contract is up at the end of the season."

  Messi’s contract with Inter Miami comes to an end in December 2025, meaning the team and league have less than five months to extend the face of the league. Messi’s impact on MLS is undeniable – record crowds, global attention, Apple TV subscribers, he checks all those boxes.

  But, make no mistake, Garber and MLS need to find answers to all of this soon. It can’t risk fan trust all for the sake of revenue or reputational gains. Or fans will look elsewhere. As the Jasso and Partida family noted.

  “Hey, we might have better luck seeing [Messi] at the World Cup,” Partida quipped.

  Moments like what happened – or didn’t happen – in Austin this week remind us that the league’s future won’t be built on star power alone.

  It’ll be built on trust. On showing up.

Champions Trophy match in Lahore on February 26 had been under threat after calls for boycott

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2025The ECB board has confirmed that England’s men will fulfil their fixture against Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy this month, despite describing the “appalling oppression” of women in the country as “gender apartheid”.Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chairman, said in a statement following a board meeting on Thursday that a “coordinated international response” would achieve more than unilateral action. The board has come under political pressure to boycott the fixture, with more than 160 British politicians calling for England to pull out of the match in Lahore on February 26.”What is happening in Afghanistan is nothing short of gender apartheid,” Thompson said. “At a cricketing level, when women’s and girls’ cricket is growing rapidly around the world it is heartbreaking that those growing up in Afghanistan are denied this opportunity, but the appalling oppression of women and girls by the Taliban goes so much further.”The Board recognises there are different views and opinions on the issue of boycotting the match and has listened carefully. We have been in close contact with the Government, the International Cricket Council (ICC), our England Men’s players and other stakeholders to discuss this matter, as well as considering how best the ECB can support those women cricketers who have fled Afghanistan.Related

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“Following this, we remain of the view that a coordinated international response by the cricketing community is the appropriate way forward, and will achieve more than any unilateral action by the ECB in boycotting this match, while we have also heard that for many ordinary Afghans, watching their cricket team is one of the few remaining sources of enjoyment. As such, we can confirm that we will play this fixture.”Thompson said that the ECB will press the ICC for further action, including ring-fencing funding to support female players from Afghanistan, and considering recognising an Afghanistan women’s refugee team. Last week, the board donated £100,000 to the MCC’s Global Refugee Cricket Fund.An Afghanistan women’s XI played an invitational T20 against a Cricket Without Borders XI in Melbourne last month, mounting pressure on the ICC to support their players.Afghanistan remain full ICC members – with full funding – despite no longer being able to fulfil the requirement to field a women’s team under its Taliban government. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month, two exiled players, Firooza Amiri and Benafsha Hashimi, called on Afghanistan’s men to be “the voice of the girls”, despite acknowledging that speaking out against the regime could come with its own risks.”The cricketing community cannot tackle all of Afghanistan’s problems,” Thompson added. “But we urge our international partners to stand together and demonstrate through our actions that we support the women and girls of Afghanistan, including those cricketers now in exile who just want to play and should be allowed to play the sport they love.”