Australia’s one, two and three smashed quick centuries, the last of them off just 47 balls

Namooh Shah24-Aug-2025276 – Australia’s margin of victory in the third ODI, the biggest defeat for South Africa in ODIs (by runs) going past the 243 runs they lost by in the 2023 World Cup to India. It is also the second-biggest margin of victory for Australia in ODIs, only behind the 309 runs against Netherlands in 2023.It is also the fourth-biggest margin of victory by runs in ODIs among Full Member teams, with the top two spots taken by India followed by New Zealand at three.431 for 2 – Australia’s second-highest total in an ODI, bettered only by the 434 for 4 also against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006.Australia’s total is also the highest in an ODI in Australia and the second-highest against South Africa behind that 434 for 4.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 – Australia’s top three of Head (142), Marsh (100) and Green (118*) scored centuries, making it only the second such instance in ODIs. The first was by South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015.250 – Head and Marsh’s opening partnership, the fifth-highest in ODIs for Australia. The last Australia pair to stitch a double-century partnership for any wicket was by Maxwell and Pat Cummins for the eighth wicket in Mumbai in 2023.431 – The runs added by the first three Australian wickets is also the second-highest in an ODI, only behind South Africa’s 439 against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015.47 – Green took 47 balls to complete his maiden ODI century, the second-fastest by an Australia batter behind Glenn Maxwell’s 40-ball effort against Netherlands in Delhi in the 2023 ODI world cup.Green’s 47-ball century is also the fastest against South Africa, bettering the 66-ball hundred by Matthew Hayden by some way.ESPNcricinfo Ltd12.14 – The scoring rate of the Green-Alex Carey partnership of 164 runs for the third wicket, the highest for Australia (min 150 runs), bettering the record of Maxwell and Shane Watson, who scored 160 at a rate of 11.70 against Sri Lanka in 2015.13.28 – Wiaan Mulder’s economy rate – the second-poorest in ODIs (six or more overs), behind Kevin O’Brien’s 13.57 against South Africa in 2015.22y 2d – Cooper Connolly’s age when he took his maiden five-wicket haul, becoming the youngest Australia bowler to do so, going past Craig McDermott, who took a five-for at 22 years and 204 days against Pakistan in 1987.5/22 – Connolly’s are the best bowling figures for an Australia spinner in an ODI, bettering the figures of Brad Hogg (5 for 32) against West Indies in 2005.

Библиотека сервиса Steam снова пополнилась новыми бесплатными проектами. В свежую подборку попали пять игр, одна из которых получила 96% положительных отзывов.

Sea Blindness — пиксельный 2D-хоррор об исследователе морских глубин, который оказался втянутым в таинственный инцидент, а затем обнаружил, что попал в игру. Вместе с Джимми герой должен спасти своих товарищей и восстановить равновесие в игровом мире. Страница в Steam.

Forgetmenots — скроллинговое приключение с головоломками. Игроки должны исследовать театр, чтобы восстановить воспоминания в правильном порядке. Страница в Steam.

PlanetX — MMO-стратегия в реальном времени, действие которой происходит на сферической планете. Игроки должны расширять территории, строить здания и управлять ресурсами, чтобы развивать свою империю. Конечная цель — завоевать всю планету. Страница в Steam.

The Flayed Man — короткий хоррор-квест с двухмерной пиксельной графикой и разными концовками, где нужно исследовать мрачный особняк. Проект получил 96% рейтинга. Страница в Steam.

Следить за халявой и скидками на игры можно в нашем Telegram-канале.

🫡 Один из трёх ключевых производителей ОЗУ Micron прекращает выпускать память для «простых потребителей»

0

Поделиться:

PC Новости Sea BlindnessНовости ForgetmenotsНовости PlanetXНовостиИгровые новостихаляваSteam

В мобильном приложении Epic Games Store проходит бесплатная раздача Figment для Android и iOS. Скачать игру на своё устройство можно до 10 июля 18:00 по московскому времени.

Figment — причудливая сюрреалистическая экшен-головоломка, в которой сочетаются детские фантазии и взрослые темы. События проекта разворачиваются в человеческом разуме, который нужно спасти от кошмаров. Главным героем выступает храбрость человеческого разума Дасти.

Напомним, что недавно Capcom анонсировала мобильную стратегию на выживание с элементами хоррора Resident Evil: Survival Unit для iOS и Android. Перед этим NetEase Games опубликовала новый трейлер и раскрыла дату выхода условно-бесплатного мобильного шутера Destiny: Rising.

Следить за халявой и скидками на игры можно в нашем Telegram-канале.

🐺 Оно усиливается: к работе над «Ведьмаком 4» присоединился спец по синематикам в Baldur’s Gate 3

-2

Поделиться:

iOSAndroid Новости FigmentНовости Destiny: RisingНовости Resident Evil: Survival UnitНовостиИгровые новостихаляваМобильные игрыEpic Games Store

Also: has anyone taken the first nine wickets in a Test innings, but missed out on the tenth?

Steven Lynch21-May-2024Has anyone taken the first nine wickets in a Test innings, but missed out on the tenth? asked Jamie McAllister from England

There are currently 17 instances of a bowler taking nine wickets in a Test innings (plus three cases of ten). The only one that fits the bill here is Muthiah Muralidaran’s 9 for 51 against Zimbabwe in Kandy in January 2002. Murali took the first nine but, after the last pair had added 35, Chaminda Vaas nipped in and took the tenth.It was a very close thing. On Cricinfo, Charlie Austin wrote at the time:

“… events on the field were dominated by Muralitharan’s failure to capture the last wicket in the morning. The off-spinner, hampered by torn ligaments in his ring finger dislocated the night before, would have surpassed fellow off-spinner Jim Laker’s ten for 53 against Australians in 1956 if Russel Arnold had not fumbled a simple bat-pad catch off the first ball of the day. Then, fifth ball, Muralitharan spun an off-break sharply back into the pads of Travis Friend only to see umpire Venkatraghavan rule in the batsman’s favour.
Next over, Vaas ran through the motions, bowling gentle medium pace at number 11 Henry Olonga. But the dreadlocked tailender couldn’t resist a swipe the left-armers last ball and was caught behind by Kumar Sangakkara. There was a stifled appeal and a moment of silence – when the Sri Lankan players wondered whether they could just ignore the final wickets fall – before umpire Asoka de Silva was forced to raise his finger.”

In Murali’s other nine-for, against England at The Oval in 1998, the other wicket (not the tenth) was a run-out.A notable near-miss happened in Brisbane in 1985-86: Richard Hadlee took the first eight Australian wickets to fall, then caught the ninth. He did collect the last wicket, to finish with 9 for 52.What’s the longest winning streak in the IPL? asked Rajender Shetty from India

The longest winning streak in IPL history is held by the Kolkata Knight Riders. They won nine games in a row including the 2014 final, against Kings XI Punjab in Bengaluru, then won one further match in 2015 – making ten IPL games in all – before tasting defeat.Actually KKR the team won 14 games in a row in all competitions, as they followed their 2014 IPL victory with five more wins in the short-lived Champions League T20 tournament, held in India later that year. The New Zealand domestic team Otago also had a run of 14 successive victories, while Karnataka won 15 in a row in Indian domestic cricket in 2018 and 2019. But the overall T20 record most successive wins is a remarkable run by the Pakistan side Sialkot Stallions, who won 25 in a row between February 2006 and October 2010.Mark Taylor (front row, first from left) played under only one captain – Allan Border (holding the Ashes trophy) – before taking charge of Australia himself•Adam Butler/PA Photos/Getty ImagesI noticed that the Australian fast bowler Grahame Corling played just five Test matches, all in England in 1964. How many people have won five caps, all in the same series, and never played again? asked Curtis Nicholas from Australia

Grahame Corling was a compact seamer from northern New South Wales who won selection for the 1964 Ashes tour after only one season in Australia’s Sheffield Shield. Aged 23, he played in all five Tests in England, taking 12 wickets at 37.25: he had Geoff Boycott (also in his first series) caught at slip by Bob Simpson three times. But Corling was seemingly never again in the running for a Test place, and faded out of first-class cricket after the 1968-69 season.I was rather surprised to discover that Corling was one of 30 players whose Test career amounted to one five-match series, starting with the Yorkshire wicketkeeper Joe Hunter in 1884-85. Among the more famous one-series wonders are Australia’s “mystery spinner” Jack Iverson (he had a big part in winning the 1950-51 Ashes) and, more recently, England’s Chris Adams (in South Africa in 1999-2000).There are not many recent instances, partly because there are not many five-Test series these days. Apart from Adams, the only ones this century are George Bailey (for Australia in the 2013-14 Ashes) and England’s Tom Hartley, who played throughout the recent series in India, but will presumably get another chance soon.There have also been a few six-Test series, but no one has won their only caps by playing throughout one of those. You could make a case for this applying to the Australians Barlow Carkeek and Claude Jennings, who both won six caps in England in 1912, during the one and only Triangular Tournament – they won three each against England and South Africa.I watched Gloucestershire reach 700 at Leicester the other day, and was surprised by an announcement that said they had never made that many before. Are there any other counties who have never had a total of 700? asked Ken Griffin from England

Gloucestershire’s 706 for 6 declared against Leicestershire at Grace Road last weekend was indeed their highest first-class total – previously it was 695 for 9 declared, against Middlesex at Archdeacon Meadow in Gloucester in 2004, when the New Zealander Craig Spearman hit 341. Before that you have to go back to 1928, when Gloucestershire’s 653 for 8 declared against Glamorgan in Bristol included 218 from the great Wally Hammond.Sixteen of the 18 first-class counties have now amassed a total of 700 or more. One of the exceptions is Durham, who attained first-class status only in 1992: their highest is 648 for 5 declared, against Nottinghamshire in Chester-le-Street in 2009. The other county is more of a surprise: Middlesex contested their inaugural first-class fixture in 1864, but their highest total is a relatively modest 676 for 5 declared, against Sussex in Hove in 2021. Earlier this summer, Middlesex amassed 655 against Glamorgan, their second-largest total and highest at Lord’s.Graeme Smith won 117 Test caps, but played under only two captains (excluding himself). Was this a record for anyone who appeared in 100+ Tests ? asked Deepak Krishnan from India

You’re right that Graeme Smith played under only two other captains, right at the start of his career: Mark Boucher in his first three Tests, and Shaun Pollock in the next five.Smith is one of seven 100-Test players who played under only two other captains, the others being Michael Clarke, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Steve Waugh. But Mark Taylor played 104 Test caps, and was captained in the first 54 by Allan Border before taking over himself for the next 50 matches.At the other end of the scale, Frank Woolley of England played only 64 Tests in a long career that lasted from 1909 to 1934, but was captained by no fewer than 14 other players in those matches. West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul played under 12 different captains, excluding himself, during a 164-Test career, while Mushtaq Ahmed (52 Tests) and Jack Hobbs (61) also had a dozen different captains.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

As part of an ambitious overhaul which has received the green light from those upstairs at Craven Cottage, Fulham are now reportedly ready to open talks to sign a Champions League midfielder this summer.

Fulham working on fresh Marco Silva deal

When Tottenham Hotspur sacked Ange Postecoglou, there may have been some nerves around West London regarding Marco Silva’s Fulham future. Those nerves have since been eased courtesy of Thomas Frank, however, who is reportedly set to swap Brentford for the Lilywhites. Now, the Cottagers are reportedly keen to agree a fresh deal with their manager.

As things stand, the former Everton manager has just one year remaining on his Fulham contract, which will leave those in West London with a major problem this time next year unless anything changes.

Whilst concerns continue to grow over his contract situation, Silva has remained as calm as ever. When asked about whether he had rejected a new deal or whether negotiations were even underway, the Fulham boss told reporters: “No, not at all. We didn’t even start. I know there are some rumours around that I refused something but from my side, it’s not true at all.

“Our connection is very, very strong and it’s clear there are so many things for the club to be careful about with players’ contract situations, there are many important decisions ahead with the summer coming up after a great season where we improved like all the other years before.

Fulham now enter race to sign "strong" Premier League-winning midfielder

He’s set to leave his current club.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 6, 2025

“We managed to reach some great numbers again, the best Premier League points tally in our history and if you want to improve, you have to focus on the most important things. I’m not saying the manager’s situation is not important but I’m under contract with the club, I just wanted to clarify that the conversations didn’t start and that’s not for professional reasons but it was just not the moment.”

Whilst the Portuguese manager remains in charge too, Fulham could be well positioned to seal a shock deal to welcome back an impressive midfielder this summer.

Fulham ready to make Palhinha move

According to GiveMeSport, Fulham are now ready to open talks to sign Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich if the Bundesliga champions are willing to show their midfielder the door in the coming months. His arrival would be part of an ambitious plot to overhaul Silva’s side with as many as five fresh faces this summer.

The Portugal international is, of course, a name well-known around Craven Cottage given that he swapped West London for Bayern just one year ago. After making just six Bundesliga starts, however, the 29-year-old could be on his way back to the Premier League already.

Silva is certainly likely to welcome Palhinha back with open arms too, having praised the midfielder during his time at the club. The Fulham boss told reporters in Palhinha’s final season at the club: “His attitude, his commitment, the way he leads the others around are things that are hard to find in football.”

There’s no doubt that the midfielder’s return would suit all parties, but that’s not to say negotiations would be easy. Palhinha currently reportedly earns around £162,000-a-week at Bayern Munich, which is unlikely to be matched by Fulham.

Newcastle United have now identified their next target after a move for Anthony Elanga is completed, according to an update from Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

Newcastle agree deal for Elanga

The start of the new Premier League season is edging closer all the time, with Eddie Howe and his players hoping to kick on again in 2025/26, aided by sparkly new signings. Anthony Elanga has been the leading target to come in and make the Magpies even more of an attacking force, arriving as an upgrade on the departed Miguel Almiron, and a deal has now been agreed for aorund £55m.

It also feels like a matter of time until Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford is a Newcastle player, with the young Englishman seen as the perfect long-term replacement for Nick Pope. It would be a shock if he didn’t complete a move in the near future.

A centre-back appears to be near the top of Newcastle’s list of priorities, with interest in Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi refusing to go away, and the likes of Giorgio Scalvini and Leonardo Balerdi also linked with summer moves to St James’ Park.

However, Newcastle’s focus after Elanga will be further up the pitch, with Downie revealing on Tuesday morning what’s coming next.

Newcastle set to target new striker in coming days

Now, according to Downie on X, Newcastle ‘will turn their attention to bringing in a striker’ once they wrap up a deal with Forest.

Elanga has the potential to be a real favourite at St James’ Park, possessing blistering pace and end product, bagging six goals and 11 assists in the Premier League last season for a Forest side who set up more defensively than the Magpies.

Still only 23 years of age, there is so much more to come from the Sweden international, who has even earned praise from the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the past.

He will love Elanga: Newcastle in advanced talks to sign a "top striker"

Eddie Howe could be close to signing a new striker for Newcastle.

2 ByRoss Kilvington Jul 8, 2025

A new winger is essential for Newcastle and Elanga fits the bill perfectly, but another number nine to support Isak is perhaps even more important.

The Magpies’ main man has missed games through injury in each of his campaigns with the club, and while his durability certainly improved last season, the presence of four competitions again next term is simply too much for the Swede, with only young talent William Osula available to lighten the load in the current squad.

da realsbet： It’s all changing at Tottenham Hotspur at the moment.

da heads bet： Ange Postecoglou may have led the club to their first trophy in a generation, but a 17th-place finish in the Premier League was enough for Daniel Levy and Co to send him on his way.

In his place, former Brentford manager Thomas Frank has been tasked with dramatically improving the club’s domestic form next season, and one way to make that happen is by adding genuine quality to the squad.

Fortunately, recent reports suggest the North Londoners may be closing in on a signing who’d be a more exciting addition to the team than Mathys Tel.

Tottenham transfer news

The transfer window may have only just opened again, but Spurs have recently been linked with many talented attackers, such as Bryan Mbeumo and Yoanne Wissa, who thrived under Frank’s management.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

Moreover, to ensure the squad aren’t left short on numbers in attack next year, Levy and Co have also re-signed Tel on a permanent transfer.

The young Frenchman did well enough in spells last season, and the potential is certainly there, but based purely on what we saw from him this year, it’s hard to describe his £30m signing as particularly exciting.

The good news is that the Lilywhites now appear to be advancing in talks to sign someone who certainly would be an exciting signing: Antoine Semenyo.

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the Spurs are incredibly interested in the Bournemouth star and are ‘growing in confidence in striking a deal’ with the South Coast side.

The report does not mention how much the Ghanaian international could cost the North Londoners, but reports from earlier this month claim that a fee of up to £70m should be enough.

Now, that is certainly a lot of money, but given Semenyo’s ability and experience, it’d be worth it for Spurs, especially as he’d be a more exciting signing than Tel.

Why Semenyo would be a more exciting signing than Tel

Okay, so the first thing to address is that Semenyo has an inherent advantage here in that the newest attacking signings are going to be more exciting than a club re-signing someone they’ve had on loan before purely for the fact that they’ll represent something fresh and relatively unknown.

However, while this is undoubtedly the case here, there are other significant reasons why the Bournemouth star would be a far more exciting addition to the team than Tel, starting with their output.

In 20 appearances for the North Londoners, totalling 1257 minutes, the Sarcelles-born attacker was able to score three goals and provide a single assist, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every five games, or every 314.25 minutes.

In stark contrast, the Cherries ace scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in 42 appearances, totalling 3562 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.1 games, or every 178.1 minutes.

Moreover, while the Frenchman can play off the left or up top relatively easily, the Chelsea-born ace can play off either flank, up top or even in midfield, thanks largely to the fact he’s ambipedal.

Finally, on top of everything else, the 25-year-old “monster,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, also comes out way on top when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

For example, he comes out on top in almost all relevant metrics, such as non-penalty goals plus assists, shot and goal-creating actions, key passes, successful take-ons and many, many more, all per 90.

Semenyo vs Tel

Statistics

Semenyo

Tel

Non-Penalty G+As

0.45

0.23

Progressive Passes

3.06

2.31

Progressive Carries

3.93

2.62

Shots

3.51

2.47

Shots on Target

1.12

0.85

Passing Accuracy

73.4%

74.4%

Key Passes

1.29

1.15

Passes into the Final Third

1.38

1.31

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.26

1.38

Live Passes

29.5

27.8

Shot-Creating Actions

3.71

2.47

Goal-Creating Actions

0.37

0.31

Successful Take-Ons

1.94

1.62

Ball Recoveries

4.44

3.62

Aerial Duels Won

1.85

0.38

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 EPL Season

Ultimately, while Tel is a talented player who could develop into something special, Semenyo is streaks ahead of him and would be a far more exciting signing for Spurs.

Related A better signing than Mbeumo: Spurs enter talks to sign "unbelievable" CF

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to make a move to land an attacker who could star in North London.

Posts 1 ByEthan Lamb Jun 16, 2025

Australia will give captain Alyssa Healy as long as possible before the match to determine whether she is fit for their T20 World Cup semi-final against South Africa.Healy pulled up with a foot injury while running between wickets during Australia’s win against Pakistan and she watched their final group-stage game against India in a moon boot and on crutches.Healy didn’t take part in an optional training session at the ICC Academy on Wednesday night.Ellyse Perry, who helped stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath during that match to great effect as Australia won a thriller, said on the eve of the semi-final that Healy would be given as much time as possible to recuperate before a decision was made on her availability.Related

• Eden Carson – NZ's reel sensation who clicked at the biggest stage

• Grounding, poems and bird videos – how Paul Adams is inspiring South Africa

• October 17 at T20 World Cup: Unbeaten Australia take on SA in 2023 final rematch

• Annerie Dercksen, from farm girl to fast bowling allrounder

“As it stands, it’s the same thing for Midgie [Healy], the medical staff and the team are going to give her every opportunity and possibility of playing tomorrow night,” Perry said. “I don’t think anything’s changed in that respect. We’ll just have to see in the next 24 hours.”Perry said little had changed in the Australia camp since Healy’s injury, which happened the same night as fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck dislocated her shoulder. Vlaeminck was replaced in the squad by Heather Graham but has remained in the UAE to support the team.”When stuff like that happens and you see things bringing your mate down like injury, it probably just strengthens that resolve to get around each other and be supportive,” Perry said. “But it’s really important to stay consistent and stick to the same processes that we’ve got and maintain that level of emotional consistency. Midge is such an important leader in our group and is still contributing just as much. So not too much has changed.”Laura Wolvaardt: “If we play our best cricket, Australia are beatable”•ICC/Getty Images

The pressure-cooker of Sharjah stadium where a sold-out pro-India crowd of nearly 15,000 saw their side defeated by just nine runs provided Australia with a timely challenge ahead of the knockouts. Afterwards, McGrath made a point of mentioning the on-field support she had received from Perry and Ash Gardner.”It’s always really helpful to be exposed to that kind of pressure and that kind of challenge from an opposition and it felt like a bit of a step up the other night, particularly with the full crowd there and probably not totally supportive of us,” Perry said. “It was a situation we’ve been in before but probably hadn’t been exposed to in this World Cup so far, so I thought the way we rose to that and just adapted to the challenge was awesome and hopefully that holds us in good stead for the time that we’ve got left in this tournament.”South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt, meanwhile, dubbed the replay of the last T20 World Cup final, which South Africa lost at home by 19 runs, as “a massive game for us”. Since then, South Africa have beaten Australia in a T20I, in Canberra this January.That win, Wolvaardt said, had given South Africa confidence, not to mention their three victories in the group stages of this tournament, which were all played in Dubai, where Australia have played just once. South Africa’s only defeat was in Sharjah, to England, who then made a shock exit after losing their last game to West Indies.”It brings back a little bit of déjà vu, just a year ago having to face them in the final,” Wolvaardt said. “A lot has happened since then, though obviously we had the two wins against them earlier this year [one in ODIs, one in T20Is], so I think that just gives a bit of a positive energy in the camp knowing that if we play our best cricket, they are beatable.”And she said her side had grown since then, not just personnel-wise with the retirement of Shabnim Ismail, the departure of long-time coach Hilton Moreeng, and allrounder Annerie Dercksen coming into the side, but through experience also.After the tour of Australia, South Africa lost a T20I series at home to Sri Lanka 2-1, drew 1-1 in India and beat Pakistan 2-1 away.”It’s been a bit of an up and down year for us,” Wolvaardt said. “We’ve played some really good cricket in beating Australia and had a few disappointing series as well. But I feel like we have really hit our stride in this World Cup.”

Australia’s lower order extended the lead to 333 after they had slipped to 91 for 6 at one stage

Andrew McGlashan29-Dec-2024

Jasprit Bumrah got Travis Head as his 200th Test wicket•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

In one of the most absorbing days of Test cricket you could wish to see, another remarkable performance from Jasprit Bumrah blew the game wide open. But, Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins played their second vital innings of the match before the last-wicket pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland extended Australia’s lead to 333, and potentially out of India’s reach.Having kept themselves in the match for so much of the day, India were frustrated by Lyon and Boland who eked out a precious 55 runs and couldn’t be separated before stumps on day four. Lyon should have become Bumrah’s fifth wicket in the final over of the day when he edged to third slip, where KL Rahul somehow held the ball between his legs, but an exhausted Bumrah had overstepped. Lyon ended up taking 14 off the over to close the day with his joint second-highest Test score.Related

Allrounder Reddy wants more: 'Not happy with the way I'm bowling'

India grateful for Bumrah again after lopsided selection

Will Sam Konstas be the David Warner Australia are missing?

'Bahubali' NKR is a box-office hit at the MCG

Bumrah gets to 200 wickets with the best average in Test cricket

Whatever India’s final target, it will no doubt spark memories of events at the Gabba in 2021, particularly with the nature of how the lower order kept them in the contest on day three. As on that occasion, they will again have to defy history: no team has ever chased a higher fourth-innings total for a win at the MCG, with the highest being England’s 332 for 7 which they achieved in 1928. A crowd of 299,329 has watched the match across the first four days, the highest-ever attendance for a Boxing Day Test.Nitish Kumar Reddy’s maiden century narrowed Australia’s first-innings advantage to 105. India’s new-ball bowling, with Bumrah well supported by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, made life extremely tough for the top order and the home side progressed at barely two-and-a-half runs an over. But at 80 for 2 – a lead of 185 – more comfortable territory was looming for Australia, only for the picture to change dramatically.Steven Smith’s wicket sparked a collapse of 4 for 11 in three overs in the first part of the afternoon session which included Bumrah’s 200th Test wicket as he removed Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey in an electric passage of play.However, at 99 for 6 came a potentially defining moment when Labuschagne, on 46, was dropped in the gully by Yashasvi Jaiswal when he looked to glide the luckless Deep to third. Jaiswal, who had early shelled Usman Khawaja at leg gully, had a day to forget in the field as he also gave Cummins a life in the final over before tea when he missed a low chance at silly point.Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland walk off at stumps after keeping India at bay for 110 balls•Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Labuschagne and Cummins extended their partnership to 57, every run feeling like gold dust before Labuschagne was lbw to Siraj who had his best day of the series since Perth.Any notion that Australia would add freely to their lead soon vanished in the morning as India bowled excellently with the new ball on a pitch offering more seam movement than previous days. This time Bumrah got the better of Sam Konstas when he seamed one through the gate and didn’t hold back in a celebration that appeared to mimic Konstas’ interactions with the crowd.Bumrah moved the ball so much that it was sometimes impossible to hit, while both Akash and Siraj were challenging, although the former might have wanted to pitch the ball a touch fuller. The benefit of pitching up a fraction more was shown when Siraj seamed a delivery through Khawaja. At one stage during the morning session, the broadcast said that Australia’s batters had been beaten 21 times in 18 overs.Briefly after lunch, it appeared Labuschagne and Smith, who had started the innings within 51 of 10,000 runs, were trying to increase the tempo but any thought of that was soon shut down.Siraj opened the door when Smith chased a wide delivery, then Rohit Sharma sensed a moment and immediately brought back Bumrah who was breathtaking. With his second delivery, he had Head flicking to forward square leg and four deliveries later, he continued Marsh’s lean series with a delivery that climbed and brushed the glove. Marsh was left with 73 runs in seven innings (47 of which came in one knock) and he will likely be at the centre of much debate ahead of the Sydney Test regardless of the result here.Mohammed Siraj had his best day of the series since the Perth Test•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

When Bumrah seamed one back sharply at Alex Carey, the game was threatening to be turned on its head barely 24 hours after India looked likely to concede a lead over 200. Then came Labuschagne’s reprieve and Australia breathed again.Scoring was never free but Labuschagne constructed one of the most important innings of his career although at times could only smile when another delivery would whistle past his edge. Overs such as one from Deep that went for nine – with a boundary apiece to Labuschagne and Cummins – were like small momentum shifts.When the pair survived Bumrah’s first spell after tea that felt like a good result for Australia, but Siraj produced a superb delivery to earn an lbw against Labuschagne that was upheld on umpire’s call.Mitchell Starc fell to a misunderstanding with Cummins and a brilliant piece of work from Rishabh Pant who removed a glove to collect Reddy’s throw from the deep and produced a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Cummins then edged Jadeja to slip having produced his highest runs tally in a Test.The contributions by the lower order have made Australia favourites, although nothing feels certain.

The reigning champions will have a chance to defend their title on Sunday, facing either Spain or Germany in the final in Basel

Home

Home Kit

• Inspired by retro sportswear and Lioness kits of the past
• Features classic English colours in a modern and energetic execution
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

Away

Away Kit

• Celebrates the squad's impact on future generations of female athletes
• Features bursts of bright colours accenting a fearless black
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

Goalkeeper

Goalkeeper Kit

• Comes in the traditional green colourway
• Logos centralised for a retro look
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

Home

Home Kit

• Inspired by retro sportswear and Lioness kits of the past
• Features classic English colours in a modern and energetic execution
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

Away

Away Kit

• Celebrates the squad's impact on future generations of female athletes
• Features bursts of bright colours accenting a fearless black
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

Goalkeeper

Goalkeeper Kit

• Comes in the traditional green colourway
• Logos centralised for a retro look
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

Home

Home Kit

• Inspired by retro sportswear and Lioness kits of the past
• Features classic English colours in a modern and energetic execution
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

Away

Away Kit

• Celebrates the squad's impact on future generations of female athletes
• Features bursts of bright colours accenting a fearless black
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

Goalkeeper

Goalkeeper Kit

• Comes in the traditional green colourway
• Logos centralised for a retro look
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

£84.99

Buy

For large parts on Tuesday, it looked like England's luck had finally ran out. Just five days after somehow completing a great escape against Sweden in the quarter-finals, the Lionesses were again on the brink of crashing out of Euro 2025, with just two minutes of added time standing between them and a 1-0 defeat to surprise package Italy. Yet, once more, they came back from it, completing arguably an even more miraculous turnaround as Michelle Agyemang's last-gasp equaliser and Chloe Kelly's winner from the spot – in the penultimate minute of extra time, no less – made England 2-1 victors and sent them into Sunday's European Championship final.

For the most part, it was a frustrating and disappointing watch for fans of the Lionesses, with few chances created either side of a thumping finish from Barbara Bonansea which broke the deadlock in Italy's favour just past the half hour mark. The Azzurre were good for their lead, too, in a performance that suggested much greater experience in this sort of high pressure moment. Were it not for a superb double save from Hannah Hampton in the dying moments of the 90, Italy's place in the final would've been cemented, too.

But England piled the pressure on, battling through adversity and plugging away without some sort of magical spark coming from somewhere, anywhere, hoping that Italy would buckle, that the ball would bounce favourably, that a chance would come and they would take it. It took almost all of the allotted time, but Agyemang was once again ready for her big moment when it arrived, rifling an effort beyond Laura Giuliani to keep the Lionesses alive – just as she had with her equaliser against Sweden.

There was still plenty for England to do, though. Sarina Wiegman had thrown the kitchen sink at Italy with her substitutions and now her strange assortment of players had to adapt, arrange themselves into something of an organised XI and try and find a breakthrough. It looked like it would have to be penalties again, as it was against Sweden, but instead it was just penalty – thanks to Emma Severini's daft challenge on Beth Mead. There was time for one more twist, as Kelly's effort from the spot was saved by Giuliani, but it was the winger, England's hero in extra time back at Euro 2022, who latched onto the rebound, to put her name in lights yet again and send the Lionesses into a third successive major tournament final.

GOAL rates England's players from Stade de Geneve…

• Getty Images
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Hannah Hampton (7/10):

  Made a big double save at the death to keep England's hopes alive, which proved particularly huge after Agyemang's equaliser. It was even more impressive given the little she'd had to do until that point.

  Lucy Bronze (4/10):

  Lapse in concentration proved extremely costly and allowed Bonansea to creep in and break the deadlock. Quite the contrast to her quarter-final heroics.

  Leah Williamson (5/10):

  Best of a bad bunch in defence, though that was a low bar to clear.

  Esme Morgan (4/10):

  Too easily exposed in the build-up to Italy's opener, dragged all over the place by Cantore's movement. A difficult night, with the Azzurre always getting in down England's left.

  Alex Greenwood (4/10):

  Out of position again, Italy made sure to target her side and did so successfully. Quality of her set pieces was inconsistent.

Advertisement

• Midfield

  Keira Walsh (6/10):

  A more front-footed approach than usual led to her being one of the players who really tried to spark England into life, with some good runs, incisive passes and a few efforts at goal.

  Georgia Stanway (4/10):

  Battled well, winning plenty of her duels, but was wasteful in possession.

  Ella Toone (4/10):

  Had good spells where she looked likely to make something happened, albeit not for sustained periods.

• Getty Images
  

  Attack

  Lauren James (4/10):

  Looked a little leggy and flat here, with it no surprise to see her go off with a knock at half time. Had one of England's best chances of the first 45 minutes, but opted to place the shot and it was well read by Giuliani.

  Alessia Russo (4/10):

  Had one decent chance in the first half but couldn't quite wrap her foot around the ball to direct the shot on target. Otherwise, lacked service – again.

  Lauren Hemp (5/10):

  Ebbed and flowed throughout the game, starting and finishing well. Teasing cross led to the all-important equaliser.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Beth Mead (7/10):

  Did well to stay onside with her run towards Hemp's cross, which discombobulated Giuliani and led to Agyemang's equaliser. Showed great experience to settle centrally in a mishmash of an XI in extra time, too.

  Chloe Kelly (6/10):

  Honoured her defensive duties well and was good on the ball, though her final product was inconsistent. Poor penalty, but great reactions.

  Michelle Agyemang (8/10):

  Came to England's rescue yet again with a remarkable composed finish at the death. Was so close to winning it in extra time, too, but for the woodwork.

  Aggie Beever-Jones (6/10):

  Worked hard and gave Italy something else to think about as England went to two up top.

  Grace Clinton (N/A):

  Brought necessary energy to midfield in extra time.

  Jess Carter (N/A):

  On at the death to seal the win.

  Sarina Wiegman (4/10):

  Didn't learn her lesson from the near-miss against Sweden, where hesitancy with subs almost cost her team. The wait to react almost proved decisive again here, but her subs did come through and deliver in the end. Would be naive to believe she can be that passive in Sunday's final.