Bavuma, part of the series defeats in 2015 and 2019, hails South Africa after their 2-0 sweep of India

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-20256:06

Karim: ‘Harmer’s variations upset India batters’

Temba Bavuma hailed South Africa’s “incredible achievement” as they completed a 2-0 clean sweep over India, winning their first series in the country in 25 years. Bavuma, who was part of the squad when South Africa lost 3-0 in India in 2019 – and 3-0 in 2015 – said the victory tasted even “sweeter” as he knows the feeling of being “on the other side of the result.””It’s not every day that you get to think that you can come to India and walk away with a 2-0 series win,” Bavuma said after South Africa trounced India in Guwahati by 408 runs, their second-highest margin of victory ever by runs. “I think what makes it sweeter as well for some of us within the group is the fact that we’ve been on the other side of the result.South Africa, the reigning World Test Champions, have been on an incredible run in Test cricket in the last year and a bit. Since August 2024, they have lost only one out of 15 Tests, with Bavuma winning all of his 12 Tests as captain. According to Bavuma, the positive change in mindset and “guys wanting to be the men for the team” have been the biggest reasons behind South Africa’s recent success.Related

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“There’s a big shift in our mindset in terms of what we want to do when we’re out there on the field of play,” Bavuma said. “We want to play what is in front of us and adapt accordingly. Guys go out there quite clear on their roles and what they’re trying to do. There’s a strong sense in each other that anyone on their day can do it for the team. As a captain, sometimes it’s very hard to take the ball out of the bowler’s hands. Everyone wants to continue bowling and you see it with the batting as well.”We don’t have the guys who go on and score big 150s and all, but we’ll have four or five different guys going on to score 60s and 70s. I can go on forever about the team, but I feel like the team is in a good space.”‘Struggled to take the ball out of Harmer and Maharaj’s hands’Bavuma also heaped praise on his two premier spinners, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, particularly pointing out the competitiveness between the two, which in turn has boded well for the team. That South Africa won the Test series with Kagiso Rabada out due to injury impressed Bavuma even more.”Simon, as a spinner, as a player, he’s got the wealth of experience,” Bavuma said. “He complements Keshav quite well. A little bit on the taller side, a bit more guile with the ball. What I appreciate is the competitiveness between the two. They are the two guys that I have struggled to take the ball out of their hands.Simon Harmer and Aiden Markram celebrate Rishabh Pant’s wicket•Associated Press

“Simon was the man for us in this series. We’re so used to Kesh being that guy. We’re in a good space from a bowling point of view. A guy like Simon, Kesh as well on his days, them stepping up, having lost a guy like KG [Rabada] who was a big player for us, again speaks about the need for the guys to want to do it for the team.”For Harmer, this was a sweet comeback after ten years. Having toured India back in 2015, with limited returns, he finished the two-match series with 17 wickets in four innings at an incredible average of 8.94 and said he will now go back with “a lot more fond memories”.”It’s been a long road,” Harmer said after winning the Player-of-the-Series award. “Ten years later, back here, completely different feelings. I’m going to leave with a lot more fond memories than I did the last time but I think as a whole, as a team, for us to leave here 2-0, that was always the goal. And for us to get over the line against a very good Indian team, I think it was a hell of an effort.”Despite an incredible series, Harmer is not guaranteed a place in the starting XI, with Maharaj being South Africa’s preferred spinner, particularly at home.”Keshav’s record speaks for itself. He’s an incredible bowler and he deserves to be the number one spinner,” he said. “I’m very happy playing the supporting role and if the opportunity presents itself for me to play, I try and take it with both hands. At the end of the day, I just need to make sure that I’m getting better, keep trying to evolve, keep trying to get better.”

Roy Keane has accused Manchester United of being “frightened” when presented with Premier League challenges, with the Red Devils not “nasty enough” to grind out wins in games where collective standards are allowed to slip. That was the case in a home date with West Ham, as the Hammers were able to leave Old Trafford with a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

• Two points dropped: Man Utd held by West Ham

  Ruben Amorim’s side looked to be in control of a meeting with relegation-threatened West Ham when Diogo Dalot fired them in front just before the hour mark – with the ball breaking kindly for the Portuguese defender inside the box as he registered his first Premier League goal on home soil.

  United were, however, unable to see the game out – with a lack of control costing them dear. Noussair Mazraoui produced a goal-line block to keep Jarrod Bowen out in the 83rd minute, but Soungoutou Magassa was on hand to slot in the rebound and snatch a priceless point for the visitors.

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  Keane delivers scathing assessment of Man Utd

  Ex-Red Devils captain Keane was scathing in his post-game assessment, with the Irishman less than impressed with the collective effort being put in by United – with too many players hiding when the going gets tough.

  Keane told : “After they get the goal, you are playing against a team in the bottom three, they take their foot off the gas. You're 1-0 up! Take nothing away from West Ham, and they just about deserved the equaliser. You are just putting yourself under pressure. Every time I watch this United team, they are disappointing. They aren't clinical, they weren't nasty enough to get the job done.

  “People will be scratching their heads. One minute they are making progress, win and you go fifth. There will be a lot of frustration. Show your quality. In their last three or four games, I think it has been desperate. Really poor. An opportunity to get the job done and they were almost frightened. We are talking about fifth here by the way. Same old problems.”

  Keane added on United’s lack of intensity, with Amorim contributing to that: “United are making substitutions, and he is entitled to do that, but I was watching people come off and it was like they had won the league! Show some intensity. It was all a bit, 'this is cool'. You cannot be cool when you're 1-0 up. Get the job done! United have better players than West Ham but this is not a good United team. It was too relaxed, get the job done!”

• Amorim angry with performance against the Hammers

  Amorim told reporters when offering his take on a third stalemate for United in their last five games: “Frustrated, angry, that is it. After the first goal, we lost some second balls. We tried to defend all the time far from the goal. It happened long ball, they win the second ball against three guys of us so we need to be better in the second half. We are losing because of the second balls, sometimes it is not more men in front. We are really inconsistent but if you look at the goal, we have a long ball, we have everything under control, we need to do better. I always have the feeling that we have to score more goals and I'm sure about that.”

  He told : “We should have closed the game with the ball because the game was there to win. I think the overall performance was not perfect. We had our moments but we lost control in the game in some minutes in the first half and in the second half, especially after the goal. The game was clearly ours to win and we had an opportunity with Cunha to finish the game off. It is really frustrating because you look at the game, you have the game under control and we didn't win.”

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  Man Utd fixtures 2025-26: Rock-bottom Wolves next up

  United will face lowly opposition again when returning to Premier League action on Monday, with a trip to Molineux for a meeting with rock-bottom Wolves next on the agenda for Amorim’s troops.

Stars’ season ended on Tuesday night at the WACA with four straight losses

AAP09-Dec-2025Perth Scorchers rallied superbly to kill off the Melbourne Stars’ run chase and convincingly win their WBBL knockout final by 28 runs.After briefly holding top spot, Stars’ season ended on Tuesday night at the WACA ground with four straight losses, while Scorchers have won five of their last six.Scorchers will now head to Sydney to play Sixers in the Challenger final, and the winner will face top side Hobart Hurricanes in Saturday night’s title decider.Related

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Stars needed a record WBBL finals run chase to win after the home side made 5-173, but reached 1-86 at halfway and looked capable. They then lost 8-59, including the crucial wicket of Meg Lanning, and ended on 9-145.Stars’ chase had a disastrous start when Rhys McKenna was run out for seven. Lanning only scored three from her first 13 deliveries as Chloe Ainsworth had an excellent opening spell.Lanning had made 11 when she tried to sweep Alana King and was nearly out stumped, with the ball rebounding off ‘keeper Beth Mooney and just missing the stumps. But steadily, Lanning and Amy Jones put the pressure back on Scorchers. They combined for an 87-run stand that took them to 1-101 in the 13th.Scorchers did not panic, rallying after halfway as spinners Amy Edgar and Ruby Strange in particular bowled tightly. Eventually the pressure told and King had Jones stumped for 43 from 33 balls.Lilly Mills then took two wickets in an over as the momentum swung back to Scorchers.Amy Jones and Meg Lanning put up a strong stand•Getty Images

As long as Lanning was in, Stars were a chance and Ainsworth dropped a straightforward chance off her when she had made 41. But Ainsworth had the perfect response at the start of the next over, having Lanning caught behind to leave Stars’ chances shot at 6-126. Lanning top-scored with 49 from 45 balls, while King, Sophie Devine and Mills took two wickets apiece.After Scorchers won the toss, openers Katie Mack and Mooney posted the Scorchers’ highest partnership of the season. Their 107-run stand threatened to take the match away from Stars, before Rhys McKenna made the breakthrough in the 13th over. She dismissed Mack, caught by Maisy Gibson, for a top score of 52 from 39 balls.Mooney, who looked set for another big score, fell in the next over for 45 when Gibson also caught her off Kim Garth.Stars were right back into the game, especially when danger player Sophie Devine came in at No.3 and only managed one before McKenna claimed her second wicket. That left Scorchers 3-128 in the 16th over.But Freya Kemp made the most of two dropped catches from Georgia Prestwidge. She belted 35 from 19 balls, with three fours and two sixes, in a crucial knock.Gibson took her third catch of the innings as Stars captain Annabel Sutherland dismissed Kemp for her 100th WBBL wicket.Gibson also snared 1-15 from two overs and McKenna was the pick of the Stars bowlers, claiming 2-26 off three overs.

The Canadian side, who might not even play in their home country next year, are just one away from a title – and that is no accident

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Thomas Muller jumped straight in on the banter. At least, that's what Brian White said. The German star, when he signed for Vancouver Whitecaps upon the conclusion of his contract at Bayern Munich, wasted no time in getting to know his teammates. There was no superiority, no gravitas, no sense that he, a World Cup winner who has beaten Lionel Messi seven times, was better – or even different – to them.

"He's that goofy guy. He's involved in the chats, involved in the banter and the team, and ever since he's come in, he's wasted no time getting involved. And I think you know that meant a lot to the group," White told GOAL. 

And it was at that moment, when Muller was just as down to earth as the rest of the soccer world assumed, that White knew that everything would be well in Vancouver. His arrival, on Aug. 6, came at a critical juncture for the Whitecaps. The Canadian side had enjoyed an excellent start to the season, but was fading slightly. And while LAFC strengthened, San Diego held steady, and Inter Miami picked up steam, Vancouver needed a lift. 

What might have been a destabilizing presence instead became an excellent asset, White said. 

Of course, it takes more than the arrival of a decorated superstar to take a team to the MLS Cup. Vancouver's journey here has been one of the stars aligning, the outsiders coming good, and showing that what might have been perceived as early-season overperformance was in fact the reality of a team ready to compete for everything. And now, that team is just one win away.

"It's been awesome to see just the club grow and gain this kind of national attention. So it would mean everything culminates with the MLS Cup," he said. 

Getty Images SportAn offseason of change

Most had written Vancouver off before the season. And it was fair to see why. Consider everything about the team, and they, on paper, shouldn't have been playoff contenders – never mind MLS Cup. It had been rumored for some time that ownership was looking for outside investment. And in December 2024, a week after watching the playoffs from home, the Whitecaps owners officially started the process of putting the club up for sale. 

At the same time, it became clear there was little apparent movement on the possibility of the team securing a new stadium. The Whitecaps do not own BC Place, where they play week in, week out, and their agreement is up at the end of the calendar year.

And then, there was the coach. Previous manager Vanni Sartini was let go in the fall, with the Whitecaps having no apparent replacement immediately lined up. Instead, they went without a manager until the spring, when they appointed Jasper Sorensen, a seasoned manager, but one who lacked MLS experience. It all seemed primed for disaster – or, at least, mediocrity. 

AdvertisementImagn'Constant strive for almost perfection'

But White didn't buy that. At least, that's what his play suggested. The American showed in 2024 that he has a fine scoring touch. And in 2025, that continued in style. He started hot pretty much from day one, and after bagging four against Austin FC on April 12, he topped the Golden Boot race. 

And he is the prototype here. White is 29 and spent nearly four full seasons plugging away for the New York Red Bulls without fully realizing his potential. To be sure, there were flashes of quality. But this year, under Sorensen, he found his touch. 

"He's raised the demand and the intensity and training the demands [even] after wins. Where can we improve? How can we get better? They even got like, a couple shots on goal. Like, why did that happen? You know, how can I think it's all been a constant strive for almost perfection, and I think that's really what's pushed this team to such heights this year," White said.

Pieced together, White pushed his way into the USMNT picture and was named an MLS All-Star. In a packed No. 9 pool for the national side, there was a real chance that he could make himself the go-to. But then, disaster struck. It started with a little tweak in the hamstring, but White was out for the best part of two months. Not until last week in the Western Conference finals did he fully return.

But there, of course, he found his best, scoring twice in a 3-1 romp.

"It felt really good. The end of the year has been frustrating with injuries, dealing with that, coming back and then getting hurt again. It's always frustrating as a player, when you just want to be on the field, helping the team. But to be involved in the LA game and then to help the team win against San Diego, it meant a lot," he said.

Getty Images SportSorensen, the new coach who has stayed the course

Part of the credit here has to go to Sorensen, of course. Until Muller arrived, Sorensen had, in effect, done a lot with a little. Sure, there are fully fledged internationals in Tristan Blackmon and Sebastian Berhalter. But Sorensen still had to make the most out of them. Berhalter, along with White, has made his impact known with 11 assists and four goals in MLS play, and now might be in Mauricio Pochettino's best XI. If not, he's certainly among the best central midfielders in the league.

"He puts in the work every day. And I think Sebastian has, has really, is really easy for him to pick up advice. He wants to get all the information he can get. And he also wants to, you know, so badly, to develop," Sorensen said.

But outside of that, the Whitecaps are lacking in star power – especially after designated player Ryan Gauld went down with a long-term injury. 

Yet Sorensen never panicked and trusted the system.

"There's always a constant demand for quality and discipline, and focus every training session, every game. So I think that's what's helped push us all year long to be as good as we had been," White said. 

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Getty Images SportTurbulence in the background – but fans remain loyal

Yet there’s an unavoidable truth behind this run: Vancouver’s future is uncertain. For all of Sorensen’s changes and Berhalter’s improvements, the club might not look anything like this in a few months. Ownership is actively exploring a sale. A new stadium lease remains unresolved. MLS has long pushed for a soccer-specific venue, and while nothing can be built by next season, commissioner Don Garber made it clear the clock is ticking.

“We’re in the business of delivering for the people that really, really want to have an MLS team,” Garber said in his State of the League address. “We need to wait and see if the cities and provinces want to do that. If they don’t, we’ll have to make some tough decisions.”

And yet, fan support has never been stronger. Winning helps, of course, but BC Place was sold out for the Western Conference semifinal against LAFC. Once a temporary stopgap while the Whitecaps waited to move out, the stadium now feels like a fortress.

Whether they stay there or not, Canadian soccer has wind at its back. The country will host the World Cup in just over six months. Under Jesse Marsch, the men’s national team finally looks revitalized. The momentum behind the sport across Canada is impossible to ignore.

“For Canadian soccer, it’s important that the teams here represent that part of Canada, that soccer culture. It’s a special, special city, and the way the whole city supported us throughout this year, it means a lot," White said.

The evidence is visible in Miami alone. This is technically a home game for Inter Miami, yet Vancouver fans have travelled in force. There will be pink shirts in the stands, but white and blue won’t be hard to spot either.

“It’s not natural that we have this kind of support. It’s not natural that this kind of hype is around the Whitecaps in the city, and we really feel that everybody’s behind us, and, you know, that’s what you want to create,” he said.

There is, of course, a certain irony. The biggest names driving Canadian soccer in MLS are American. Marsch, once considered for the USMNT job, is arguably the highest-profile American coach on the continent. Berhalter, White, and Blackmon are all U.S. internationals. For a club flying the Canadian flag, there’s a lot of Americanness at the core.

White sees that as an asset, not a contradiction.

“Seeing three American guys thrive on a Canadian team is a little bit different, and I think it’s been special. We’ve been each other’s biggest cheerleaders,” he said.

Only once has a Women’s World Cup game seen more runs than the 661 that India and Australia put up on Sunday

Deep Gadhia12-Oct-20253:54

Review: Healy was Australia’s bedrock

331 – The target Australia chased down against India in the Women’s World Cup 2025 on Sunday. This is the highest successful chase in women’s ODI history, going past Sri Lanka’s chase of 302 against South Africa at Potchefstroom in 2024.142 – Alyssa Healy’s score, which is the third-highest by a captain in the World Cup after Belinda Clark’s 227* in 1997 and Meg Lanning’s 152* in 2017. This was Healy’s first century leading Australia in ODIs.Healy’s 142 is also the second-highest score against India in ODIs, and the highest in World Cups.Related

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661 – Runs aggregated by both teams in Visakhapatnam, the second-highest for a World Cup game, bettered only by the 678 that England and South Africa made in Bristol 2017.82 for 0 – Australia’s score in the first powerplay, the highest they have scored in the first 10 overs of an ODI (where ball-by-ball data is available). It is also the second-highest in World Cups after New Zealand hit 84 for 1 against Pakistan in Taunton in 2017.ESPNcricinfo Ltd330 – India’s score in the first innings, which is their highest in the World Cup, going past 318 for 7 against West Indies in Hamilton in 2022.It was also the first instance of a team scoring over 300 against Australia in World Cups. There have only been two scores of 300 or more against the defending champions, with India scoring both of them in consecutive ODIs, in Delhi last month and in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.5022 – Smriti Mandhana’s ODI run tally. She became the second Indian, after Mithali Raj, and the fifth batter overall to breach the 5000-run mark in ODIs. She completed the milestone in 112 innings, making her the fastest of the five. West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor (129 innings) was the previous fastest.1062 – Mandhana’s ODI run tally in 2025. She became the first batter to score 1000-plus runs in ODIs in a calendar year. Mandhana had gone past Belinda Clark’s mark of 970 runs in 1997 in the previous match against South Africa and was 18 away from the milestone when she started bating against Australia. She made 80 off 66 on Sunday.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 – consecutive fifty-plus scores for Mandhana against Australia in ODI cricket. She has aggregated 485 runs in these last five innings, including three hundreds and two fifties. Mandhana also has five fifty-plus scores against West Indies between 2017-2024, making her the only batter to do this against multiple opponents.155 – Runs that Mandhana and Pratika Rawal put on together, making it the highest opening partnership against Australia in ODIs. This was the fourth century stand for the first wicket for India in World Cups, the first since Mandhana and Punam Raut’s 144-run stand against England in the 2017 edition.5 for 40 – Birthday girl Annabel Sutherland’s figures. She registered her maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket on the day she turned 24. She also became the first woman to pick up a five-for on her birthday.

تحدث بيب جوارديولا، مدرب مانشستر سيتي في أعقاب فوز فريقه على ريال مدريد ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، حيث حقق الفوز بهدفين لهدف.

والتقى الفريقان على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” ضمن مباريات الجولة السادسة لمرحلة الدوري بدوري أبطال أوروبا، ونشرت شبكة “بي بي سي” البريطانية، والموقع الرسمي لليويفا، تصريحات جوارديولا.

وقال جوارديولا: “في كل مرة كانت الكرة بحوزتهم، عاقبونا، وخاصةً مع رودريجو، لم نتمكن من الدخول في أجواء المباراة حتى جاء الهدف، بالنسبة للعديد من لاعبي فريقي، كانت هذه هي المرة الأولى التي نأتي فيها إلى هذا الملعب، ربما يكون هذا في صالحنا؛ ربما نكون في فبراير أكثر استعدادًا بفضل هذه التجربة”.

وأضاف: “كان ريال مدريد أفضل منا بكثير في بعض المراحل؛ كنا نركض باستمرار، لكننا كنا نتأخر في كثير من الأحيان في استغلال الفرص، لكننا سنتعلم من أخطائنا، سنتحسن في الظروف الاستثنائية”.

وأردف مدرب مانشستر سيتي: “لقد تعاملنا مع مباراتي سندرلاند وفولهام بشكل مختلف تماماً، لكن هذا هو أسلوب ريال مدريد المعتاد، ملعبهم يعشق مثل هذه المباريات”.

وتابع بيب حديثه: “أدرك الواقع، وأنا سعيد بهذه النتيجة، لكنني أعلم أن علينا تقديم أداء أفضل بكثير، التعامل مع مثل هذه المواقف سيجعلنا أقوى، نيكو هو الظهير الأيسر للمنتخب الوطني، ويتمتع بسرعة فائقة، إنه لاعب من طراز رفيع”.

اقرأ أيضًا | هالاند: لست سعيدًا بغياب مبابي.. وأعجبني افتعال ثنائي ريال مدريد للمشاكل معي

واسنطرد: “راضٍ تمامًا بشكل عام، لدينا ثلاثة عشر نقطة مع تبقي مباراتين، بإمكاننا إنهاء الموسم ضمن المراكز الثمانية الأولى، هذا هو هدفنا، والفوز هنا بعد مباراة ليفركوزن أمر جيد”.

وأشار: “يجب أن أكون ممتنًا وسعيدًا، خضتُ العديد من المباريات هنا على مر السنين أمام ريال مدريد، ولعبتُ بشكل أفضل بكثير، لكننا لم نفز، أتيحت لنا فرصٌ لتسجيل المزيد من الأهداف، وبذلنا جهدًا أكبر، في الشوط الثاني، لكن قبل ذلك كانوا أفضل منا بكثير”.

وعلّق جوارديولا: “كان ماتيوس نونيز جيدًا، الظهيران، ريان شرقي يلعب هنا لأول مرة، نيكو أوريلي قدم أداءً مذهلاً، جيريمي دوكو ساعدنا كثيرًا في جوانب عديدة، بدأنا المباراة بخطأ، لكنني كنت أتوقع منهم الضغط أكثر، لكنهم تراجعوا، ووجدنا صعوبة في مواجهتهم، لكننا تقبلنا النتيجة”.

وواصل: “يمتلك ريال مدريد لاعبين سريعين في العمق؛ والهجمات المرتدة قد تحسم المباراة، لكنهم يتمتعون بجودةٍ مذهلة، ويرسلون العديد من اللاعبين إلى منطقة الجزاء، رودرجو، فينيسيوس، بيلينحهام، لاعبون رائعون، سرعة هجومهم خطيرة للغاية، ولهذا السبب لا يمكنك البقاء في منطقة الجزاء، بل عليك الالتزام بالدفاع، افتقرنا لبعض الجوانب، لذا يمكننا التحسن”.

وعن لاعبه إيرلينج هالاند، أشاد: “أرقامه تتحدث عن نفسها، علينا أن نجعله أكثر فاعلية، يجب أن يكون جزءًا من المباراة، في المباراتين الأخيرتين لم يكن حاضرًا، لذا علينا إيجاد طريقة لإشراكه بشكل أكبر”.

وإذا كان هذا الفوز يعزز الثقة للفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا، اختتم: “لا تسيئوا فهمي؛ الفوز هنا أمر صعب للغاية، لقد أعجبت بروحهم وإصرارهم اليوم، ولكن لكي يفوز فريقي في نصف النهائي أو النهائي، ولكي نلعب ونفوز في باريس أو أنفيلد أو برشلونة، علينا أن نكون أفضل بكثير”.

The Red Sox will leave no stone unturned in their pivotal Game 3 matchup against the Yankees on Thursday night.

When speaking with reporters ahead of first pitch from Yankee Stadium, manager Alex Cora revealed how Boston will use its bullpen behind 23-year-old starting pitcher Connelly Early—and they're using an all-hands-on-deck strategy.

Despite Brayan Bello starting Game 2, a 3-2 loss to New York, the 26-year-old will be in Boston's bullpen and available to pitch. Additionally, relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock—who threw a season-high 47 pitches across 1 2/3 innings on Wednesday night—will also be ready to roll.

"There's guys that are feeling it, but they're ready to go," said the skipper. "Let's put it that way."

Cora also didn't fully shut down the idea of ace Garrett Crochet taking the bump if necessary: "We'll see, but probably not."

Despite a willingness to bring in just about anyone from the bullpen, however, Cora also sounds like he has confidence in Early to give them a respectable outing from the jump.

"I think we're in a good place regardless,” he said. "Hopefully he goes deep into the game and we don't have to make too many phone calls to the bullpen."

Here's a look at who Boston will start in the field behind Early:

Red Sox Lineup for Game 3 vs. Yankees

1. Jarren Duran – LF
2. Trevor Story – SS
3. Alex Bregman – 3B
4. Masataka Yoshida – DH
5. Ceddanne Rafaela – CF
6. Nathaniel Lowe – 1B
7. Carlos Narváez – C
8. Wilyer Abreu – RF
9. Romy Gonzalez – 2B

Game 3's first pitch from Yankee Stadium is set for 8:08 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.

The Padres were down to their final outs in the ninth inning against the Cubs on Thursday in Game 3 of the wild-card series. San Diego trailed 3–1 while down to their final three outs of the game, and potentially their season.

Xander Bogaerts was at the plate with a full count, and he was rung up on a brutal called third strike from home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn. The pitch from Brad Keller appeared to be below the strike zone, but Reyburn ruled it a strikeout, leaving Bogaerts bewildered.

Brown missed the corner with a 97-mph fastball, which Bogaerts rightfully opted against swinging at. Despite the good plate discipline, Bogaerts was sat down on strikes, which prompted Padres manager Mike Shildt to storm onto the field to express his dismay.

It's a critical miss from Reyburn. Keller missed the zone entirely yet was awarded an important out. He then proceeded to hit the next two batters, putting the tying run on base.

Given the situation, it's a mistake that simply can't be afforded from an umpire. When MLB introduces the ABS system, that would be a challengeable play by the batter. Instead, Bogaerts was left seething as he was robbed of a free pass to first base.

San Diego's comeback attempts were stalled, partly because of Reyburn's missed strikeout call, and they fell 3–1 to Chicago to bow out of the postseason.

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A web não perdoou o Bahia pela eliminação na semifinal da Copa do Nordeste neste domingo (26), diante do CRB, na Arena Fonte Nova. O Esquadrão de Aço não conseguiu superar a defesa do Galo de Campina e, nos pênaltis, acabou derrotado por 8 a 7. O time alagoano irá encarar o Fortaleza na decisão.

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Torcedores de diversos times comentaram o resultado na partida via redes sociais. A queda do Tricolor para um adversário considerado inferior tecnicamente surpreendeu o mundo do futebol, que tinha a equipe como favorita par conquistar a competição. Internautas citaram a quantia milionária gasta pelo Bahia na temporada e relembraram o vice-campeonato no Baiano para o Vitória.

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The McCullum effect has been visible in patches for the white-ball squad, but 50-over game still needs attention

Cameron Ponsonby24-Oct-2025Clarity is all the rage in English cricket.Upon Brendon McCullum’s Test appointment in 2022, then ECB strategic director Andrew Strauss said the Kiwi “blew us away with his clarity of thinking”. Stuart Broad was soon to praise McCullum for his relentless positive energy. “Running towards the danger” quickly became England’s catchphrase as players publicly and privately spoke of the most enjoyable environment they’d played in.The missing link for those outside the group is what McCullum’s magic words actually are. Zak Crawley shared a Chinese proverb once, which was nice, but players line up to praise McCullum for the small messages, delivered at the right time.”Go out there and whack the spinners,” was Tom Banton’s example of McCullum’s divine intervention. It’s going to DVD soon, apparently.But when you’re a player with the CV of McCullum, it really is the messenger, as much as the message, that makes it count.And he’s succeeding. The T20 team is doing well, even if the ODI side remains a work in progress, winning just eight of their 23 ODIs since the 2023 World Cup. A conscious effort has been made to make this squad a team, with the pre-series trip to Queenstown a nod to that. So too are McCullum and Brook trying to create a settled group of players who know the shirt is theirs.”That’s the exact reason,” Brook confirmed, when asked why England had chosen the same XI for all three matches, rained off or otherwise. “We’re trying to settle the team as much as possible.”Related

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And again, McCullum, and Brook, are succeeding. From the start of the English summer, when the two began their work together, nine players have played in all six ODIs that England have played. So too have six players played all eight T20Is where McCullum and Brook have been present.”I think the balance of the side is pretty good at the minute,” was Brook’s summation after Auckland.Counterintuitively, the T20 group is the more settled. At least in terms of balance. England have decided on the spin combo of Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid – the “wily old foxes” as Brook describes them – meaning the return of Sam Curran leaves the team with three seamers and two spinners. When it comes to the World Cup and more spin-friendly surfaces, bringing Will Jacks in for Curran will be an option.There is only one area that remains up for grabs. The ODI seam attack.So far, Rashid has held down the sole specialist spinner role as England have picked three seamers. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are locks when fit, but the third and final spot is unspoken for.Sonny Baker endured a tough ODI baptism as England continue to search for a settled seam attack•Getty ImagesAcross the summer, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts and Sonny Baker all appeared. Extend that to the start of the year and Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson featured. Go back six months further and you have Reece Topley and John Turner. Luke Wood, who has played only two ODIs, is in the current squad and could feature this series. But …”Where I sit in the pecking order, I couldn’t tell you,” Wood said following the washed out T20I at Auckland.For the six ODIs in which Brook and McCullum have been in charge, they’ve plumped for four specialist bowlers with the fifth to be made up from whoever else is on hand to help out, to allow them to pick seven specialist batters. “Imagine having us five-down and Will Jacks comes out to bat?” Brook said of the strategy earlier this year.It is an aggressive option, but its shortcomings were exposed against South Africa at Lord’s when the spin of Jacob Bethell and Jacks conceded 112 runs between them.Jacks, who has played all six ODIs in a new role at seven so far, is injured for this series, opening the door for a return for Curran and a slight shift in team balance. And with Archer absent from the first match with one eye on the Ashes, his spot, plus that of the third seamer, is open.Which brings us back to clarity. Two seamers will lace up for the first ODI in Mount Maunganui, with only one able to survive to Hamilton for the second. Baker played one match in the summer before he was discarded. Potts played two but didn’t make the plane for New Zealand. Overton played two while England continue to try and mould him into the player they want and believe he can be. Mahmood played four but is now injured.It is a fact of sport that plans can never be perfect, even more so with fast bowlers where injuries are that more regular. Nevertheless, under McCullum and Brook they have tried their best to make it so.The ODI World Cup is still almost exactly two years away, giving England time to pick this group. Back it, and see how it develops. They have made their bed with the majority of the side, the New Zealand series is the first step to seeing how the final part of the jigsaw lands.