كشف الدكتور جيرارد أوسو مانزانيت رئيس الجهاز الطبي للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، عن نتيجة الفحوصات الطبية والآشعة التي خضع لها نبيل عماد دونجا لاعب الوسط بعد إصابته أمام زيسكو الزامبي في الكونفدرالية.
وأقيمت المباراة بين الزمالك وزيسكو يونايتد على أرضية استاد القاهرة، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الأولى بمرحلة المجموعات ببطولة الكونفدرالية.
وأوضح رئيس الجهاز الطبي أن الفحوصات أثبتت إصابة دونجا بجزع في الرباط الداخلي للركبة.
طالع | الزمالك يكشف تفاصيل إصابة عبد الله السعيد أمام زيسكو الزامبي
وأضاف أن اللاعب غادر المستشفى بعد الخضوع للفحص الطبي والآشعة، وسيخضع لبرنامج تأهيلي وعلاجي في الفترة المقبلة.
وفاز فريق الزمالك على زيسكو الزامبي بهدف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما على استاد القاهرة الدولي، في الجولة الأولى لمباريات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية ليحصد الفريق أول 3 نقاط له في المجموعة.
ويحتل نادي الزمالك، المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة الرابعة من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، خلف النادي المصري البورسعيدي المتصدر لكل منها 3 نقاط، ذلك بعد نهاية الجولة الأولي من دور المجموعات.
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Tuesday their decision to ban season-ticket holder Dave McCaskill, who had reached for a potential home run ball that was still technically in play resulting in fan interference, for the rest of the season.
After McCaskill latest semi-robbery on Monday night, internet sleuths were quick to note that this was not the first time McCaskill’s hand had gotten caught in the home run cookie jar. The eagle-eyed baseball fans at Jomboy Media were able to find four instances over the past four seasons involving a McCaskill reach leading to a review.
On Tuesday, McCaskill made his case while speaking with local news.
“I’m a D-Backs fan. I would never want to do anything to hurt the D-Backs or to have them lose the game,” McCaskill began.
McCaskill said that he had been ejected from games three times due to interference, but all of them had been close calls, and one of them was so close that he wasn’t ejected but actually just moved to another seat in the stadium, “So technically, I’ve only been ejected twice.”
McCaskill made his comments from an office that was adorned with a ton of other baseballs. Speaking with , he said he’s caught 24 home run balls while attending games at Chase Field.
This comical bit of setting works both for and against McCaskill’s case. On one hand, to his point, he’s only been ejected three times, and really only twice when you think about it, and given the number of baseballs he has apparently nabbed, you can make the argument that he’s actually on a pretty good hit rate.
On the other hand, there are many, I would even guess the majority of baseball fans who have never been ejected from a game once, let alone been ejected three times, or actually twice. McCaskill told , that he is apparently notorious enough that Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas recognized him in the moment of his latest interference, asking “Dave, why do you keep doing this?”
It feels like this one blows over eventually. Hopefully McCaskill’s ban for the rest of the year is a good lesson and he can come back and enjoy games in 2026 and maybe still get a few home run balls like if they come in his direction but not be so aggro about it. Maybe it’s time to splurge for club level.
There has been much ado over Chelsea’s credentials as Premier League title challengers this season, but Wednesday evening’s defeat at Leeds United served as a sobering reminder that Arsenal are frustratingly further along in their project.
Enzo Maresca’s multi-title-winning maiden campaign in the Stamford Bridge dugout underscored his capacity to lead the Blues over a number of successful years, and there has been much to like about Chelsea this term.
However, it doesn’t feel like they will get their paws on the league title just yet, with the matchless Moises Caicedo illuminated once again in his absence, suspended for the loss.
The Gunners are nine points ahead at the summit, and Chelsea have improvements still to be made across a number of areas. Central defence is among the priorities, to be sure, with Tosin Adarabioyo’s error-strewn display at Elland Road underscoring that argument.
Tosin's performance vs Leeds
Tosin has faced heavy criticism since blundering late on against Leeds, the ball swept from underneath him by Noah Okafor, leading to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s late goal to condemn Chelsea to a 3-1 defeat.
This emphasises the need for defensive additions at Chelsea. Maresca has been left with a number of not-quite-perfect options in his rearguard this season, and the 28-year-old Tosin has sadly fallen below expectations, actually winning only one of four duels on the evening. His error was not an isolated incident.
He could do more in the build-up, too. The 28-year-old likes to get on the ball, but he isn’t as progressive as some of his positional peers and this runs counter to the possession-based, flowing football Maresca has implemented.
It’s clear that the former Fulham star needs to be withdrawn from the starting line-up, but Chelsea don’t exactly have an overload of central defensive options, with Levi Colwill still injured and Wesley Fofana in and out of the team.
It will come as no surprise that Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart are gearing up for a big-money move in 2026.
Chelsea lining up Tosin ugrade
According to Football Insider, Chelsea have learned that it is likely to cost them £80m to prise Murillo away from Nottingham Forest next year, with the Brazilian centre-back also attracting the vested interests of Barcelona.
Murillo, 23, is into his third year in the Premier League, and he’s thriving. Instrumental in building Forest up to European contenders, his terrifying physicality and aggressiveness are exactly what Chelsea need.
More to the point, he’s fostering an interesting technical profile, and while Chelsea are eager to complete a deal in January, it may be that they have to wait until the end of the term.
In any case, he would prove an upgrade on Tosin
Why Murillo would be a Tosin upgrade
Murillo just keeps adding layers to his skillset. Hailed as “one of the best defenders in the Premier League” by some experts on Brazilian football.
Curiously, he is not the tallest, standing just shy of 6 feet tall. Nonetheless, Murillo is a force to be reckoned with, a monstrous defensive presence.
And, in spite of the upheaval at Forest this season, he has remained a steely presence in the backline, albeit less creative now that Sean Dyche has settled into his seat.
Murillo’s Premier League Form
Stats (* per game)
24/25
25/26
Matches (starts)
36 (36)
9 (9)
Goals
2
1
Assists
0
0
Clean sheets
11
1
Touches*
55.4
60.1
Accurate passes*
31.4 (80%)
39.1 (83%)
Key passes*
0.4
0.1
Dribbles*
0.8
0.4
Ball recoveries*
3.9
4.4
Tackles + interceptions*
2.5
3.3
Clearances*
6.7
4.6
Duels (won)*
3.6 (60%)
3.4 (66%)
Errors made
4x
0x
Stats via Sofascore
Statistics can be misleading, and though Murillo isn’t directly creating chances for his teammates this season, he remains one of the division’s most dynamic and well-rounded centre-halves, ranking among the top 5% of peers in the Premier League this season for interceptions and blocks, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for progressive passes and the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90, as provided by FBref data.
His enterprising take on the defensive game is something that Tosin simply doesn’t boast in his locker to anywhere near the same standard. Moreover, the 23-year-old is five years Tosin’s junior, and thus has so much scope for growth.
A goalscorer, protector, enforcer and leader, all wrapped into one, there is little question that Murillo would settle into Maresca’s starting line-up at Chelsea, surely at Tosin’s expense.
The English centre-half has been an astute addition after joining Chelsea on a free, but now it is time for that ruthless streak that the west Londoners have shown so many times before.
By implementing that success-first strategy, it will only elevate Maresca’s project.
As bad as Tosin: Maresca's 4/10 flop must never start for Chelsea again
Chelsea’s title hopes seemingly went up in smoke away at Leeds United.
LOS ANGELES — There are places on this earth a person can go to test the thickness of their skin and the resolve of their fight-or-flight instinct. Death Valley. The Danakil Depression. Everest. The visiting bullpen at Dodger Stadium.
Toronto Blue Jays 22-year-old pitcher Trey Yesavage, who only started pitching professionally six months ago, stepped into the toxicity of Chavez Ravine about 20 minutes before World Series Game 5 Wednesday, preparing for the first road postseason start of his budding career.
“You’ll never make it through two innings!” someone shouted. “Make it one!” said another. “You’re going to give up a lot of home runs!”
Decorum allows that those are among the few barbs that can be shared.
What happened next was the harbinger to what would be one of the greatest displays of pitching the World Series has ever seen.
Yesavage turned to his pitching coach, Pete Walker, and said, “I love this!” He recalled later, “That was so much fun, with the way everybody was hating me.”
Once Yesavage stepped on the game mound, the Dodgers, the defending National League champions, the highest scoring team in the league and a team that had just seen him five days ago, had no chance. Yesavage and the Blue Jays overwhelmed the Dodgers in a 6–1 victory that puts Toronto one game from the World Series title. Its first chance is Game 6 Friday.
Yesavage set World Series records for the most strikeouts without a walk (12), most strikeouts by a rookie pitcher and most swings and misses (23) in the pitch-tracking era, which began in 2008.
He did it all with a weird, mechanical delivery in which he takes a short stride and windmills the ball home from a high release point. Yesavage pitches like a man changing a light bulb while standing reluctantly and perilously on a ladder.
”So, I think he was very comfortable there,” Walker said. “I'd been here for a couple of days, seen the atmosphere. He wasn't overwhelmed by any stretch. I could tell by his warmup.
“He locked in, had great things to say, had a great approach. And really, you know, even from the first few warmup hits, I have a good feel for when someone's gonna be on, to be honest with you. And I felt like he was gonna be on here.”
Yesavage threw seven innings while continuing to keep the Dodgers in a deep October funk. The Dodgers must win Game 6 behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
SELBE: World Series Game 5 Takeaways: Dave Roberts Is Running Out of Options
Yesavage’s accelerated path to stardom
It was only a year ago that Yesavage entered the draft out of East Carolina. He was a consensus top five pick but slid because of concerns about his medicals. The Mariners rated him among the top two picks in the draft but passed because of injury concerns. The Jays snapped him up at 20. The first thing everybody noticed about him was his goofy, aw-sucks mannerisms. He started the next season, this year, at Class A. Word began to spread about this amazing giraffe of a pitcher.
“You know, when we drafted him, we obviously had a video and we looked at him and you’re like, “Oh, boy, that kid's gonna be really good,’” Walker said. “But even early on, because it is a funky delivery, funky release, it seemed like early on watching a lot of balls that were in the dirt were [inducing swings].”
Said Kevin Gausman, “I knew we drafted him. Honestly, the first video I saw of him throwing after the draft, I was kinda like, ‘Wow, what is this?’ It kind of jumps out. It's funky, it's kind of head, head towards the other.”
Yesavage hit every rung on the ladder before making his MLB debut Sept. 15.
“ Honestly,” Walker said, “we're hearing about him punching everybody out and I don't think anybody here honestly thought they would see him here. I honestly thought only of him getting to the big leagues and getting his feet wet, as opposed to getting the big leagues and dominating the World Series.”
Split-finger determined success
Yesavage and Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk executed Toronto’s game plan to perfection. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
The Jays are 7–1 when Yesavage starts, the only loss being a clunker in ALCS Game 1 in which his signature split went missing. But with Walker’s help, and relying more on feel than a mechanical tweak, Yesavage found his elusive butterfly of a pitch.
“The last game he really had a tough time locating it,” Walker said. “He felt like it was not in his hand properly and just had a tough time getting the action he was looking for. So we went to the slider a little bit more last time, used more fastballs, but we knew we had to have the split today.”
His split in Game 5 was devastating. He threw 30 of them. The Dodgers tried to hit it 10 times. They missed seven times. He threw seven innings making the Dodgers and their taunting fans look foolish.
“He told me, ‘I love this,’ before it started,” Walker said. “I could tell he was comfortable. He was very comfortable to me. And he was fired up. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t like he was just going normally about his business. He was fired up, but he was in a comfort zone.”
The Dodgers prepped for the game by hitting off a virtual Yesavage in the Trajekt robotic pitching machine. The machine adjusts itself to match the exact release point and pitch shape of Yesavage.
“Once we set it,” one Dodger said, “it kept raising and raising until it was as far as it could go.” The high-tech pitching machine, the team source said, goes for about $300,000 with another annual fee of about $100,000 for software. The machine was invented by two former engineering students at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, about two miles from Toronto.
It didn’t help the Dodgers, nor did seeing him a second time in five days.
“Just complete dominance,” Gausman said. “When he has his split,” said teammate Max Scherzer, “it’s borderline unhittable.”
By the end of the night, Yesavage had himself a place as one of the greatest phenoms in World Series history, not to mention a $140 bottle of tequila in his locker as a reward from teammates for a job well done.
Ultimately, reality had to bite. 276 has never been chased at the Gaddafi, and the prospect has become even more unlikely since Pakistan pivoted to rapidly deteriorating spin tracks. South Africa gamely hung around till deep into the middle session, but they had been cut too far adrift, and kept losing too many wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi polished off the tail after Pakistan’s spinners made early inroads, sealing a 93-run win that breaks South Africa’s record 10-Test win streak.Pakistan’s nerves had been settled at lunch with the dismissal of the dangerous and the dogged – Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis both falling to superb deliveries from Sajid Khan and Noman Ali. Senuran Muthuswamy was trapped in front shortly after the resumption, and for the next half hour both sides appeared to be going through the motions. Kyle Verreynne and Simon Harmer hung around without really making a charge towards the total, while Pakistan’s spin kept plugging away, but without the intensity before the break. Slowly, South Africa edged past Pakistan’s third innings total, the first time since Pakistan have prepared these tracks that the fourth innings has outscored the third.The reintroduction of Afridi broke the game open, though. Coming around the wicket, he found reverse with the ageing ball on the ageing surface, viciously dipping one back into Verreynne that struck him so square Afridi never turned around to confirm the umpire agreed with his assessment that ball was hitting the stumps.Numbers 10 and 11 were easy work for an amped up Afridi, who sensed an opportunity to pad his figures up in a game where his relevance to the side had hitherto been limited. Prenelan Subrayen and Kagiso Rabada had no answer for the swinging yorkers that rattled their stumps, sealing a win that had perhaps been secured when Pakistan ran up a large total in the first two sessions of the first day.Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton gave South Africa hope•Getty Images
A lively session of cricket had broken out in the morning in Lahore with Brevis taking the attack to Pakistan. The 22-year-old, playing just his third Test match, threatened to pull off the spectacular with a run-a-ball 54 but was unable to sustain such a breakneck tempo on a wearing subcontinent pitch. Noman took back the spotlight that South Africa have been trying to take away from him through the course of this entire game, bringing up his third Test-match 10-for and putting Pakistan on the road to victory. At lunch, they were four wickets off and had 139 runs with which to buy them.Nothing like this target of 277 has ever been chased before in a Test match in Lahore and that record seemed set to continue when the first four overs of Wednesday’s play yielded two wickets and just five runs. Afridi went through Tony de Zorzi’s defence with his third ball and the worry the visitors had about new batters struggling to find rhythm in these conditions came to pass. Tristan Stubbs only lasted eight balls before reverse sweeping Noman to Salman Agha at slip, who now has five catches in the match.South Africa’s overnight 51 for 2 had become 55 for 4 when Brevis walked in. He took a little time to get acclimatised and then, in the 34th over, he charged out to meet a half-volley from Noman and smacked it over mid-off. A slog sweep for six and a heave over midwicket for four followed, giving the young batter all the confidence he needed to trust in his attacking instincts. The battle between Brevis and Pakistan peaked when he hit a no-look six over long-on to bring up his half-century.Noman had been the recipient of most of Brevis’ punishment, but the canny left-arm spinner knew all he needed was one ball in the right area. That came in the seventh over before lunch when a ball fired into the pitch gripped well enough to turn right past the defending batter and clatter into the stumps. Brevis fell for 54 off 54 with six of South Africa’s 10 fours and all of their two sixes in the final innings.That was Noman’s 10th wicket of the match. Sajid, his spin-bowling partner, chipped in with one as well when he dismissed the other set batter, Ryan Rickelton, for 45 off 145 deliveries as Pakistan went to the break consolidating the upper hand they’ve had since the first day’s play.South Africa spent the best part of four days trying to claw back that advantage, and while they took Pakistan the distance, it was a task which proved just a bridge too far, even for the world champions.
Glamorgan have moved quickly to replace outgoing captain Sam Northeast with the signing of multi-format batter Sean Dickson.Dickson will depart Somerset at the end of the summer, moving to Sophia Gardens on a two-year deal.The 34-year old has established himself as an accomplished batter on the domestic scene. Glamorgan will be his fourth county, having also represented Kent and Durham across all formats.He underlined those credentials on Saturday with a match-winning 71 off just 26 deliveries against Birmingham Bears to take Somerset through to Blast Finals Day. Dickson also has a first-class best of 318, for Kent in the County Championship. It is one of 14 first-class centuries, of which 13 have come in English cricket. Born in South Africa, he notched a sole hundred for Northerns, in Centurion, before moving over to the UK in 2015.Glamorgan are pushing for promotion to Divison One but will lose Northeast, their captain, as he returns to his home county, Kent, at the end of this campaign.Speaking on Dickson’s impending arrival, Glamorgan director of cricket, Mark Wallace said: “We’re delighted that Sean has agreed to join Glamorgan for the next two years. Sean is one of the most explosive middle-order T20 batters in the country and is a proven top four option in four-day cricket.”With Sam Northeast heading back to Kent, Sean will add to the experience of our batting unit and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Wales.”
Kylian Mbappe has broken his silence on Real Madrid’s recent slump, admitting the team “played very badly” in the defeats to Atletico Madrid and Liverpool. His comments arrive at a sensitive moment for Xabi Alonso, whose strict methods have unsettled parts of the dressing room and exposed a tactical transition that is proving far more turbulent than expected.
Stuttering Madrid and growing unease under Alonso
Madrid entered the season hopeful that Alonso’s discipline and tactical clarity would build on the freedom of the Carlo Ancelotti years. However, Alonso’s high-demand, rigid framework with more video work, stricter schedules and heavier physical load has reportedly unsettled players accustomed to Ancelotti’s open-door, player-first environment.
While Alonso's team sit top of La Liga, there have been signs of inconsistency, having lost to 5-2 to Atletico Madrid and later going down 1-0 at Anfield in the Champions League. Last week's 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano was the latest reminder of their attacking stagnation. Twenty-plus shots yielded nothing, and the team moved the ball with a slowness and predictability that made Rayo comfortable throughout.
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Mbappe addresses tensions at Madrid amid high expectations
After France’s 4-0 win over Ukraine, Mbappe was inevitably asked about the mood in the Madrid dressing room in his post-match interview. His response was brief but telling: the criticism is loud, the team knows it has underperformed, and the focus must now be on regaining control after the international break.
"What do you want me to say? I have nothing to say," he said. "When you don't win games at Real Madrid, people talk a lot, and we haven't won the last two. We've played very badly, but we'll come back after the break ready to beat Elche.
"In the end, we're first in La Liga and among the top eight in the Champions League. It's not perfect, but we all know that when things aren't working on the pitch, people talk and talk. But we're united to win every title this year."
Madrid's shortcomings against Atletico, Liverpool and Rayo
Across the three games, Los Blancos' problems have repeated themselves with worrying consistency. The draw against Rayo was the clearest example of a team that dominated possession but created very little. Madrid spent long spells circulating the ball without purpose, struggling to find width or accelerate play. Their forwards were squeezed into crowded central zones, Rayo’s compact shape cut off passing lanes, and even with more than 20 shots, Madrid rarely looked like scoring. The lack of movement off the ball and the absence of a decisive final pass made the whole performance predictable and easy to defend.
The match against Atletico followed a similar pattern but exposed Madrid in both boxes. Simeone’s side were more intense, quicker to transitions, and far more decisive in key moments. Madrid repeatedly lost second balls in midfield and never established control. Going forward, they created very few meaningful chances, often rushing their final actions or running into Atletico’s organised defensive lines. It was a reminder that when Madrid’s tempo drops, their structure becomes rigid, and teams with discipline can shut them down without much difficulty.
The Liverpool defeat was the most alarming from a tactical standpoint. Anfield’s press smothered Madrid from the first minute, forcing them into rushed passes and isolating Mbappe and Jude Bellingham high up the pitch. Even in periods of controlled possession, Madrid carried almost no threat, ending the match with just one shot on target. Liverpool exposed how limited Madrid’s attacking variety has become with slow buildups, little coordinated movement, and very few patterns designed to beat an aggressive press.
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Vinicius issue lingers in the background
Despite the turbulence, Madrid’s leadership remains committed to Alonso’s long-term vision. There are no plans for drastic decisions. Alonso has the board’s trust and a contract through 2028. But stability does not mean inaction. The club is already evaluating tweaks, especially in training load and tactical approach, to ease player fatigue and rebuild trust.
Vinicius' future will define the coming months. His relationship with Alonso is strained, his reactions to substitutions have raised eyebrows, and his contract negotiations have stalled. Los Blancos are unwilling to meet his financial demands, and with a €150M price tag set for next summer if talks break down, the situation is now delicate. Whether Alonso finds a way to reconnect with Vinicius could shape the next era of the club.
After the break, Madrid face Elche, Olympiacos, and Girona, three matches that will test their response to criticism and determine whether Alonso’s ideas are beginning to take hold. They remain top of La Liga and firmly in the Champions League race, but the next few weeks will reveal whether this is a temporary wobble or a deeper structural problem.
Gloucestershire 343 for 7 (Bracey 186) beat Nottinghamshire 291 (Hameed 80, Haynes 57) by 52 runs Gloucestershire confirmed their qualification for the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, making it six wins from six matches after James Bracey pummelled Notts Outlaws with a magnificent 186, the highest individual score of the 2025 competition to date.The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter – dropped on 58 – numbered six sixes and 20 fours in an exhilarating 150-ball innings and though no other Gloucestershire batter made fifty, with skipper Cameron Bancroft’s 46 the next highest score, the Group A leaders still piled up 343 for 7 in their 50 overs.It was 52 too many for the Outlaws, bowled out for 291 in the 48th over, their qualification chance hanging by the thinnest of threads, if not mathematically dead. Matt Taylor, Jack Taylor and Craig Miles took two wickets each.Rob Lord (2 for 60) was the pick of the home attack but it was with the bat that the Outlaws needed to shine. Skipper Haseeb Hameed made 80 from 88 balls and Jack Haynes continued a good run of form with 57 from 66 but a relatively inexperienced batting line-up needed more from both.Bracey’s score is the second highest in his county’s List A cricket history – bettered only by his own unbeaten 224 against Somerset two years ago. He led partnerships of 121 for the first wicket with Bancroft and 101 with Ollie Price for the second.The left-hander looked sharp from the outset, punishing Lord with a pull for six and three back-to-back fours as Gloucestershire cruised to 50 without loss in 10 overs.After reaching 51 from 51 balls, his one big moment of good fortune came shortly afterwards as Ben Slater put him down at long-off and a breakthrough for the home side did not happen until the 23rd over when Bancroft was taken at mid-off. He and Bracey had shared their second three-figure opening stand of the campaign.Bracey completed his fourth List A hundred, the first of this season, from 98 deliveries, needing only another 30 to turn it into 150. His partnership with Price ended when the latter top-edged to mid-off for 34 but at 256 for 2 with 10 overs left, Gloucestershire had the platform for a substantial score.In the event, the home attack landed a few blows, Lord taking two in two to dismiss Ben Charlesworth and Miles Hammond, James Hayes deflecting Graeme Van Buuren’s drive into the stumps to run out Jack Taylor and having Daaryoush Ahmed caught on the boundary.Bracey was ultimately caught at short fine leg reversing James, who conceded 20 from his last over towards a total that looked daunting enough.An early wicket apiece for Matt Taylor and Josh Shaw did not improve the outlook for Notts as Slater was caught at slip and Ben Martindale chipped to mid-on.It left much responsibility on the shoulders of Haynes and Hameed. Haynes responded with his fifth half-century in seven innings in the competition but was caught behind off the glove attempting to pull Miles, by which time Gloucestershire’s bowlers were applying the squeeze.James was caught on the cover boundary off Ahmed, the right-arm seamer who is the least experienced of this Gloucestershire bowling attack and with the required rate pushing towards 11 an over, Sammy King perished for 21, caught at the second attempt by Ahmed behind square on the leg side off Miles, before van Buuren picked up a well-deserved wicket on his 35th birthday as Hameed miscued to extra cover.Jack Taylor removed Joe Pocklington and Dane Schadendorf (28 off 22), Matt Taylor dismissed Lord (27 from 18) and Price wrapped up the win as Brett Hutton was caught on the long-on boundary.
He is the first South African to play 500 T20s – how do his numbers match up to the others who’ve got to the landmark, and who’s likely to get there next?
Sampath Bandarupalli26-Sep-2024David Miller featured in his 500th T20 match on Wednesday night in Guyana, playing for Barbados Royals against hosts Guyana Amazon Warriors. Miller marked the occasion with an unbeaten 34-ball 71. Who else is in the exclusive 500 club and how does Miller’s numbers match up? Here’s a run through.
The first South African in the club
Miller is one among six players with 500-plus T20 appearances and the first from South Africa to get to the landmark. This elite club is dominated by West Indians – Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell – while Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik is the other member.Related
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Miller is also the first specialist batter to feature in 500 T20 matches, with all the others playing (for big chunks of their careers at least, if not all through) as allrounders.
16 years for Miller’s 500
Miller needed 16 years and 172 days to complete 500 T20 appearances, having debuted in 2008. He took the second-longest time to 500 T20s after Malik, who needed 17 years and 283 days. Malik is also the oldest to the landmark – he was 41 years and two days old in 2023 when he played his 500th T20.
Miller, on Wednesday, was 35 years and 107 days old and is the second youngest to reach 500 T20s, after Pollard (32y 297d). Narine is the quickest to play 500 T20s in terms of time from debut, having got there in 13 years and 70 days.
Pollard’s 10k in 500
Pollard, the first player to 500 T20s, marked the milestone by reaching 10,000 career runs. Two others scored 10000-plus runs in their first 500 T20s – Malik (12,287) and Miller (10,678). Bravo and Narine lead the bowling list with 540 and 537 wickets respectively. Russell wasn’t too far from both marks in his 500th – 8490 runs and 453 wickets.
The globe-trotters from the West Indies
The proportion of T20Is in any player’s T20 career is usually on the lower side, and this is very apparent among the West Indies players. In all 125 of Miller’s 500 T20s have international status, while Malik had played 124 T20Is at the time of his 500th T20.The highest number of T20Is among the four West Indians in their first 500 T20s was 86 by Bravo. Russell and Pollard featured in 78 and 72 respectively, while Narine was part of only 51 – all the rest of their T20s being in franchise leagues around the world.
Who is likely to join the club next?
The next player to 500 T20 appearance should be an Englishman – Ravi Bopara or Alex Hales. Bopara made his debut in this format back in 2003 and is still an active player, but Hales can pip him because of his franchise contracts. Chris Gayle, the leading run-getter in T20s, has played 463 matches but none since 2022 (nor has he officially retired from T20 cricket).Rohit Sharma, India’s most capped T20 player with 448 matches, is no longer a T20I cricketer and could be limited to playing this format in the IPL. Rashid Khan, also on 448, is another frontrunner to join the list in the not-too-distant future.New Zealand’s Suzie Bates is ahead of Rohit and Rashid with 449 matches. She could be the first woman to feature in 500 T20s. Another New Zealander, Sophie Devine, is the only other woman to play 400-plus T20s to date.
South Africa came into this match against Australia with a proud record against legspin. Then they ran into a genius
S Sudarshanan25-Oct-2025
Alana King took the best figures in the history of the Women’s World Cup•ICC/Getty Images
You can tell when a legspinner is in rhythm. It’s a sight to behold when they get the ball to rip away from the right-hand batter. Add drift to the mix, and the spectacle reaches another level.Annerie Dercksen found this out the hard way on Saturday, against Alana King. Dercksen was on the front foot, looking like she wanted to drive inside-out. She may even have been in a good position to middle the ball, had it not kept drifting into her and bowled her after beating her inside edge.Related
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It’s hard enough to play a legspinner when you know where the ball will land. When you’re never quite sure… well, that’s what happened to Chloe Tryon off the very next ball. She looked in a pretty good position for a front-foot flick towards mid-on or thereabouts, until King’s in-drift kicked in, forcing her to play around her front pad and chip a catch straight to short midwicket.King was all over South Africa, landing her legbreaks exactly where she desired, laughing at the notion that wristspinners’ wickets tend to come at the cost of runs and control. At the cost of runs? How about figures of 4 for 0 in 2.3 overs?South Africa had come into this Women’s World Cup 2025 match against Australia with one of the best-performing top orders against legspin in recent years. Since the start of 2023, five members of their top seven in this match – Tazmin Brits (80.00), Sune Luus (77.50), Marizanne Kapp (66.33), Laura Wolvaardt (58.33) and Tryon (57.00) – had had 50-plus averages against this style of bowling.3:06
Review: South Africa undone by the ‘King’ of Indore
Those numbers hadn’t fazed Australia in the least. They brought King on as early as the 12th over of South Africa’s innings. She had come on as early against Pakistan too, but before this World Cup, the last time she had bowled this early in an ODI was back in October 2023.And King, right from the start, had the ball on an almost literal string. If her first two wickets, of Luus and Kapp, had come against batters looking to take her on, these two fully showcased her artistry.She took just 21 balls – a record for Women’s ODIs where ball data is available – to complete her five-wicket haul, and by the time she was done she had taken the first seven-wicket haul in a Women’s World Cup game.Six games into this World Cup, King has 13 wickets at 12.92. And an economy rate of 3.57.King’s final wicket showcased the other quality that sets the best legspinners apart: big, ripping turn. Nadine de Klerk knew she could expect in-drift, and seemed to have the threat of lbw in her mind. It meant, however, that her feet were firmly cemented, nowhere near the ball when it ripped across the face of her bat to hit the top of off stump.Masabata Klaas lost her off stump to Alana King•Getty ImagesKing had figures of 7 for 18, the best by an Australia bowler in ODIs, bettering her team-mate Ellyse Perry (7 for 22) and her head coach Shelley Nitschke (7 for 24). All seven of her wickets had come off legbreaks.”I’ve become more consistent with my stock ball and I trust that,” King told the broadcaster. “It has been my go-to ball and has given me my reward.”It wasn’t all that long ago that Georgia Wareham was ahead of King in the pecking order of Australia’s legspinners. That Wareham could lengthen the batting strengthened her case. But King’s bowling has improved leaps and bounds, and she has also demonstrated an ability to hit sixes with great frequency – she hit six of them in just 31 balls in an ODI series in India in 2023-24. She has made herself hard to look past. King has been an ever-present in Australia’s XI during this World Cup, while Wareham has played just the three games, and didn’t even get to bowl against South Africa.”She’s been fantastic,” Nitschke said about King’s growth. “She’s a big-game player and when she’s up and about, she brings a lot of energy to the team. She obviously burst onto the scene a couple of years ago and had a really strong Ashes for us and has continued to perform particularly in this format. So fantastic to see her out there tonight, still performing for us in the middle of a World Cup and a big game.”South Africa headed into this game full of confidence, having won five matches in a row. Then they happened to run into Alana King.