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Leeds United secured a sensational win in the Premier League on Wednesday night. Daniel Farke’s side beat title challengers Chelsea 3-1 at Elland Road, to pick up a huge three points in their quest for top-flight survival.

The game started in perfect fashion for the West Yorkshire outfit.

Defender Jaka Bijol rose highest from a corner to head home, after making a darting run from the edge of the 18-yard box to the corner of the six-yard box before unleashing his powerful header.

Chelsea did not really threaten despite dominating possession, having 71% across the game. Leeds were able to double their lead on the stroke of half-time, thanks to a sublime effort from Ao Tanaka.

The ball broke to Jayden Bogle on the edge of the box, who laid it off to Tanaka. The midfielder smashed it in from range to put his side 2-0 up.

Enzo Maresca’s men were able to pull a goal back just five minutes after the restart through Pedro Neto. However, Leeds resisted their pressure and managed to get a third goal after a calamitous mistake from Chelsea allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to score.

It was a superb win for Leeds, with some standout performances across the pitch.

Leeds’ best players vs. Chelsea

One of the most impressive things about this Leeds victory was how hard everyone worked. That was certainly the case for captain Ethan Ampadu. Playing against his former club, the Welshman was the dominant force in midfield.

His stats from the game reflect how well he performed, both on and off the ball. Ampadu had 54 touches of the ball and had an 86% pass accuracy. He also won six duels and made six ball recoveries.

It was an all-action showing from the Wales international.

Another player who shone for the Whites was right wing-back Bogle. He was a real handful for Chelsea going forward, with his performance earning him an 8/10 rating from Graham Smyth, journalist for the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Smyth praised the fact that he ‘drove Leeds forward’, with the defender a real threat in attack.

That all came to a head with his assist for Tanaka, where he pounced on a loose ball before a Chelsea player could reach it, and quickly found his teammate with a first-time pass.

Ampadu and Bogle played well, but they were arguably outshone by one of their teammates.

Leeds’ best signing since Raphinha

It seemed to be a good night for wing-backs at Elland Road. Bogle was not the only one who stood out, with left wing-back Gabriel Gudmundsson one of the best players in a White shirt against Chelsea.

He enjoyed plenty of success defensively, coming up directly against the electric Estevao, and offered a threat going forward.

Gudmundsson won an exceptional 12 from 19 duels and five from eight tackles, as well as creating two chances.

Gudmundsson key stats vs. Chelsea
Stat	Number
Touches	55
Ground duels won	12/19
Tackles won	5/8
Ball recoveries	6
Crosses completed	2
Key passes	2
Stats from Sofascore

The excellent performance from the Swede was noticed by Smyth, who gave him a 9/10 for his efforts. The journalist praised him for how well he got forward, and credited him for the fact that he ‘got back in to defend and do his bit’.

As far back as September, the left-back was being called “the best” player in the Premier League in his position by journalist James Marshment.

The 26-year-old has made a brilliant start to life at Elland Road, featuring in all 14 of their top-flight games so far, and playing 90 minutes nine times.

There is a case to be made that the defender is Leeds’ best signing since Raphinha. The Brazilian was exceptional for the West Yorkshire side, and really hit the ground running in the Premier League. He managed 15 goals and assists in his first top-flight season.

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Well, Gudmundsson is making an equally fast start. To be branded as one of the best players in the league so soon is a testament to how well he has performed.

There haven’t really been any Leeds players who have started this fast, especially on the top-flight since Raphinha, with several of the players they have signed in previous Premier League campaigns now having left the club.

Farke will be desperate for this form to continue, and for Gudmundsson to prove he is one of their best signings since Raphinha.

Better than Calvert-Lewin: 9/10 hero had his best game for Leeds vs Chelsea

This Leeds star shone in their 3-1 win over Chelsea

By
Joe Nuttall

Dec 4, 2025

Defending champions Liverpool moved up to eighth in the Premier League table after a 2-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Goals from Alexander Isak, who netted his first league goal for the club, and Cody Gakpo secured all three points for the Reds for the first time since the 1st November against Aston Villa.

Arne Slot will surely be pleased with the win and the clean sheet to end a run of three successive losses in all competitions, whilst the Dutch boss will also be buzzing with the performances of several of his players.

Ranking Liverpool's top performers against West Ham

When ranking the team’s top performers against the Hammers, it is hard to look past Gakpo as the standout star because he was directly involved in both of the goals, with a goal and an assist.

Ibrahima Konate also deserves credit for his colossal display at the heart of the defence, winning 100% (5/5) of his aerial duels and making a team-high ten clearances, per Sofascore.

Both the France international and captain Virgil van Dijk kept Alisson quiet with their dominant performances, but Konate was the standout centre-back with four more clearances and three more aerial duels won than his skipper.

1

Cody Gakpo

2

Florian Wirtz

3

Ibrahima Konate

4

Virgil van Dijk

5

Alexander Isak

As you can see in the table above, Isak also has to be in the top five performers on the pitch for the Premier League champions, as he netted his first league goal for the club with a brilliant first-time finish into the bottom corner.

You will also notice that £115m signing Florian Wirtz ranks in second place, just behind Gakpo, after he caught the eye whilst playing in a central position for the Reds.

The Liverpool star who could be their new Thiago Alcantara

Recruitment analyst Jan Riha stated that the “incredible” Wirtz made him “feel about football the same way Thiago Alcantara” did at Liverpool, after his performance against the Hammers.

It is hard to argue with that assessment because his metronomic display at the London Stadium was incredibly impressive, even if it lacked the punch of a goal or an assist to add some extra flavour to his season.

Thiago ended his playing days with a 90% pass accuracy, per WhoScored, and Reds supporters got to enjoy his midfield majesty for three seasons, with plenty of exceptional raking passes and cultured through balls, as shown in the clips below against Man United in 2022.

Wirtz may not play in a deep-lying midfield role like Thiago did, but his technical ability is comparable to the Spaniard’s, and he showed it off plenty of times in the win over West Ham.

The Germany international has failed to deliver a goal or an assist in the Premier League this season since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen, but his display on Sunday was a step in the right direction because it was his best of the campaign.

Sofascore rating

6.51

6.9

Passes completed

25

42

Pass accuracy

82%

93%

Passes completed in oppo half

18

32

Passes accuracy in oppo half

76%

91%

Passes accuracy in own half

86%

100%

As you can see in the statistics above, Wirtz’s use of the ball on Sunday was on another level to what he has previously shown in the top-flight for Liverpool.

Playing centrally, rather than being out wide on the left or the right, allowed him to float around and knit play together with his technical brilliance, much like Thiago used to do further back on the pitch during his time at Anfield.

Slot must continue to play the German star in the middle of the park, rather than out wide, because he could flourish as a metronomic number ten who is able to buzz around the pitch and control the tempo of the match.

The hope, then, would be that the goals and assists naturally follow as he becomes more comfortable and confident on the pitch in the Premier League.

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Whilst there will be understandable disappointment that a £115m attacking midfielder is yet to provide a direct goal contribution in the top-flight, Wirtz’s performance against the Hammers was his best of the season and he appears to be on the right track to become a success at Anfield.

Chelsea are beginning to reap the rewards of their ambitious spending since Todd Boehly and his private equity firm Clearlake Capital replaced Roman Abramovich in 2022.

It’s been a twisting road for the Blues over the past several years, but Enzo Maresca has advanced after a promising, trophy-winning 2024/25 campaign to establish his side as budding Premier League title contenders.

Maresca leads a young squad. A hungry group of talented players yet to reach the top of the game.

Chelsea

2nd

24.0

Brentford

13th

24.7

Man City

3rd

25.0

Bournemouth

8th

25.0

Sunderland

7th

25.2

There are ostensible drawbacks to employing such a strategy, but it’s bearing dividends, and the success will only grow over the coming years, with more set to follow in Estevao Willian’s footsteps.

Estevao's start to life at Chelsea

In May 2024, Chelsea finalised a deal for Brazilian youngster Estevao, an initial £29m deal which could eventually rise to £52m with performance-related add-ons.

18 years old, Estevao has enjoyed a dream start to his Chelsea career, having notched five goals from his first 17 senior outings for the Londoners.

With three goals in his past three Champions League outings, the hype is growing around his skilful and dynamic youngster, who outshone Lamine Yamal in the Blues’ romping 3-0 win over Barcelona in midweek.

So intense is the hype around Estevao’s potential that Como scout and analyst Ben Mattinson has labelled the Brazil international a “future Ballon d’Or winner”, and that’s definitely not out of the equation.

Estevao has what it takes to become London’s most talented wide forward, for sure, perhaps taking that crown from Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka.

But the fact that Chelsea have landed themselves another Estevao-esque talent who could rival these cream-of-crop players is a perfect illustration of Chelsea’s burgeoning strategy.

Chelsea have a talent "just like Estevao"

Arsenal have the lead in the Premier League title race, and there’s no question that Mikel Arteta is deeper into his project than Maresca at Stamford Bridge.

But Chelsea are building something special, and they would welcome another poster boy to further strengthen Maresca’s system. Well, that player could have already been signed in Geovany Quenda, with a £40m deal in principle agreed at the end of last season to welcome the Portugal U21 international in 2026.

Hailed as “one of the most exciting teenage prospects in Europe” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Quenda has “been on fire” for Sporting Lisbon this season, coming into his own on the right wing.

The 18-year-old’s energy, pace and skill on the ball have seen him hailed as having a mentality “just like Estevao” – as per Alex Goldberg – that will see him succeed in the Premier League, endowed with an athletic underbelly to complement his blistering pace and skill on the ball.

Goals scored

0.09

0.43

Assists

0.35

0.16

Shots taken

1.72

2.92

Shot-creating actions

4.62

4.69

Touches (att pen)

3.39

6.74

Pass completion (%)

72.9

73.8

Progressive passes

5.11

2.45

Progressive carries

3.30

4.34

Successful take-ons

1.58

1.85

Ball recoveries

4.75

3.90

Tackles + interceptions

1.54

2.05

His sharp-minded approach and combativeness on the ball could indeed see him emulate Saka. Sofascore record that Bissau Guinean-born Quenda has won 52% of his ground duels in Liga Portugal this term, and for one so young, this bodes well for a future in the harsh climate of the Premier League.

Furthermore, he is developing a ball-playing game that suggests he has the natural talent on the ball to emulate someone like Saka, having also followed in the Englishman’s footsteps by shining at both full-back and wing-back, prior to cementing an attacking role on the flanks.

Whether the Portuguese talent would hit the ground running in the same way that Estevao has is uncertain, of course, but there’s no denying he has the potential to rival his soon-to-be teammate.

A big factor in a winger like Saka’s success (and Estevao’s) is that he is able to merge the many elements together, forming something complete.

Quenda is already proving that he has similar qualities in the locker, and it is for this reason that there is such excitement brewing around his signature.

Chelsea, truly, are rebuilding themselves toward superstar status.

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“Aligning the domestic and international schedules by format was well received by the playing and coaching groups last year,” NZC chief cricket operations officer Catherine Campbell said

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2025The men’s Ford Trophy (one-day competition) will kick-off New Zealand’s domestic summer for the second year in a row. The Ford Trophy will start on October 25, followed by the women’s Hallyburton Johnstone Shield (HBJ) taking off on November 15.NZC had changed the order of the men’s domestic competitions last year after two decades to offer different pitch conditions across formats, as well as to better align with the international schedule.”Aligning the domestic and international schedules by format was well received by the playing and coaching groups last year, so we’re continuing that this season,” NZC chief cricket operations officer Catherine Campbell said in an NZC release. “It helped our domestic bowlers build-up their bowling loads initially through one-day cricket, which better prepared them for the physical demands of four-day cricket later in the season.”It’s not always possible to line the fixtures up like that, but this season we’ve been able to again with the Ford Trophy being played over the top of England’s white-ball tour of New Zealand, and the Plunket Shield providing a good run-up into the West Indies Test series.”At the start of the season perhaps the pitches are a bit less batter friendly, which presents opportunities for the bowlers to make a big impact on the game. By the second half of the season in February, conditions generally are more batter friendly.”With the Women’s ODI World Cup in India ending a few weeks before the start of the HBJ Shield, Campbell expects a lot of the New Zealand international players to return to domestic cricket after the global event.”The WHITE FERNS will come back from the 50-over world cup and we’d expect many of those players to be available for HBJ,” Campbell said. “We are also playing another North v South series in the week leading up to Christmas, which adds a little extra context on performances.”All that should allow players to go into Super Smash in some good domestic form.”The Basin Reserve in Wellington will host the one-day finals weekend, with the men’s eliminator on February 20, the women’s grand final on February 21 and the men’s grand final on February 22. Fourteen venues across New Zealand will host the domestic one-day fixtures this season, ranging from Queens Park in Invercargill in the south to Cobham Oval in Whangārei.The women’s team of Otago and Canterbury men will be chasing their third consecutive one-day titles this season.Like last season, the one-day competitions will be split by the first half of the Plunket Shield and the full Super Smash.The Plunket Shield schedule is set to be released on August 13, with the Super Smash fixtures to follow on August 18.

Splashing the cash in the transfer market hasn’t been alien to Manchester United over the last couple of years, with INEOS massively backing various managers at Old Trafford.

Since the summer of 2022 alone, the hierarchy have spent upwards of £800m on new additions, but it’s safe to say they’ve failed to have the desired effect in the Premier League.

Ruben Amorim could only direct the side to 15th place last time around, with the 40-year-old’s men now sat in eighth in 2025/26, but it could be about to get tricky for the manager.

Many of his key starters are set to go away with their respective nations for AFCON at the end of December, which could leave the squad bare in numerous areas.

As a result, the board have drawn up a plan, which could see numerous big-money talents make their own move to Old Trafford during the January transfer window.

United’s hunt for new signings in January

Over the last couple of days, Real Madrid star Rodrygo has once again appeared on United’s radar, but it seems a deal for the forward’s signature could prove to be a tricky one.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are all said to be monitoring the progress of the Brazilian international, which could lead to a bidding war in the winter window.

He’s fallen down the pecking order of Xabi Alonso over the last couple of months, which could see him depart the Bernabeu in a deal worth around the £70m mark.

However, he’s not the only player mentioned with a potential switch to Old Trafford, with Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo another player seemingly on their radar.

According to Football Insider, INEOS have identified the 25-year-old as the perfect player to come into the club in January to bolster the frontline during AFCON.

The report also states that the player has a £65m release clause that becomes active in the new year, with such a fee one the board are looking to activate and fast-track a deal for.

Why United’s £65m target would be Cunha 2.0

Investing big on Premier League players who have caught the eye in recent times is another thing United have done, as seen by the deal to land Matheus Cunha from Wolves during the summer.

The Brazilian scored 15 times in England’s top-flight last season, which massively attracted the interest of the Red Devils and Amorim during the recent summer window.

As a result, the board forked out a reported £62.5m for the attacker’s signature, with Cunha just one of three forwards signed to make a difference in the final third.

During the opening months of his career in Manchester, the 26-year-old has struggled to replicate his best form, as seen by his tally of one goal in his first 11 outings.

However, there’s still bags of time for the big-money addition to resurrect his career at Old Trafford, especially if Semenyo makes the move in the coming months.

They could star together, or the Ghanaian international could overtake him in the pecking order – something which could come to fruition when comparing their figures.

In 2025/26, Semenyo has massively outperformed Cunha in numerous key areas, with the Cherries star the perfect man to improve the frontline in 2026 and beyond.

The 25-year-old, who’s been dubbed the “best winger in the country” by Chris Waddle, has already posted more combined goals and assists this season – showcasing his incredible ability in front of goal.

Semenyo has also completed more carries into the final third, whilst achieving a higher take-on success rate, with such numbers making him a much better ball-carrier than the Brazilian.

Games played

13

11

Goals & assists

9

1

Shot on target accuracy

52%

40%

Progressive carries

3.5

2.8

Progressive passes

3.7

3.6

Take-ons completed

1.9

1.7

Take-on success

53%

52%

Crosses completed

1.7

1.6

Aerials won

2.3

0.8

His dominance over the United star is further reflected in his higher tally of crosses completed per 90, with such a tally showcasing his ability to add an end product to his mazy runs.

Other numbers, such as a higher shot on target accuracy rate and a better pass accuracy rate, highlight his all-round dominance in attacking areas.

£65m for a player of Semenyo’s quality would be an excellent piece of business, with such a move softening the blow of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo’s absence at AFCON.

However, given the money spent during the summer, it would be another huge investment, with the backing certainly there – but it’s down to Amorim to get a tune out of the current crop of players at his disposal.

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Now 35, former captain remains at peak of his powers, and England ought to cash in while they can

Matt Roller18-Sep-2025Jos Buttler turned 35 last week, an age that marks him out as the clear veteran of the young batting line-up that England have taken to Dublin. He was the only man in the top seven picked in Wednesday’s series opener in his 30s, and the contrast with two 21-year-olds at No. 3 and 4 – Jacob Bethell, on captaincy debut, and Rehan Ahmed – was stark.It begs a question that England will be understandably reluctant to confront: could next year’s T20 World Cup, Buttler’s seventh, also be his last? Perhaps it is premature to ask at a time when his output remains so consistent – only Nicholas Pooran has scored more T20 runs this year – but Buttler is now the same age that Eoin Morgan was when he called it quits in 2022.Buttler remains as destructive as ever, as evidenced by his 30-ball 83 against South Africa in Manchester and his cold-blooded takedown of Ireland’s Graham Hume in Malahide, but the fundamental truth of sporting careers is that they cannot last forever. Next year’s 50-over World Cup in South Africa looms as the natural endpoint of Buttler’s for England.It is why England must keep Buttler at the top of their batting order, enabling him and Phil Salt to continue the dominant partnership that they resumed almost by default last week. Until this month, Buttler had spent a year batting at No. 3 in T20Is, the IPL, the Blast and the Hundred, but has clearly relished his return to opening in the last week.”It’s been good fun,” Buttler said. “To be honest, I think I’m at that stage [of my career] where I don’t really mind too much; I’m quite happy to bat anywhere. I’ve batted in those positions quite a bit now, so a change is quite refreshing sometimes. Having been at No. 3 for a little bit… I quite like those little subtle changes, and it gives you something new each time.”Phil Salt and Jos Buttler have continued their fine partnership in Dublin•Getty ImagesWhile batting at No. 3 protects Buttler from the swinging new ball – his only real vulnerability as a T20 player – it also means that he does not always have access to the fielding restrictions in the first six overs. “Going out at 0 for 0, you’ve got that full Powerplay,” he said, asked what he had enjoyed about returning to the top of the order.He has shown over the past week just how clinical he can be when there are only two fielders outside of the 30-yard circle: when he opens for England, Buttler averages 53.58 in the Powerplay, while striking at 155.31. He remains England’s best batter, and their first question when constructing their batting line-up must be how to maximise his chances of success.This block of T20 cricket has also served a reminder of Buttler and Salt’s remarkable combination as an opening pair. After their 126-run stand off 47 balls last Friday, they added 74 in 28 on Wednesday and became the first England openers to score 1,000 T20I runs in partnership in the process.”We bounce off each other,” Salt said. “I’m always the one looking to be aggressive early on, to throw the first punch. Jos, more often than not, comes in and does his own thing straight after. It’s a bit of a one-two in that regard. But then there’s been times when I’ve not started quickly, and have given the strike over to Jos… The more you bat with one person, the easier it gets.”Related

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Buttler’s own view is similar. “We’ve batted together quite a bit together at the top,” he said. “We don’t go out there with any set plan, to be honest. Obviously Salty’s brilliant at getting going straightaway, and can take the pressure off [me] if needed. But we certainly try to bounce off each other, and just keep encouraging each other to play the way we do.”They have now opened the batting together 46 times across short-form cricket for England, Lancashire and Manchester Originals, and only five opening pairs in T20 history have scored more runs in partnership. Harry Brook said last week that England faced some “headaches” in selection but leaving a world-class opening pair together should act as a painkiller.It means that Ben Duckett may have to shuffle down to No. 3, where he should be well equipped to take on spin through the middle overs, while Jamie Smith might have to wait his turn. In any case, recent history suggests that it would be a misstep for England to rely too heavily on Test players at the T20 World Cup, given its proximity to an Ashes series in Australia.The fixtures have still not been published but England are expecting to spend most of next year’s World Cup in India, a country that Buttler knows as well as anyone thanks to a decade of IPL experience. He remains one of the few players who could win his country the tournament almost single-handedly: England must give him the best chance to do so.

Mominul Haque also scored a half-century even as Andy McBrine took all four wickets for Ireland

Mohammad Isam19-Nov-2025Mushfiqur Rahim remained unbeaten on 99, in his 100th Test, at the end of the first day of the second Test against Ireland in Mirpur. He kept the fans on their toes going into the second day, ready to become the 11th batter to reach a century in their 100th Test.Bangladesh finished on 292 for 4, with half-centuries from Mushfiqur and Mominul Haque, with Litton Das three runs away from one as well. Andy McBrine took all four wickets to fall, ending the day with figures of 4 for 82.The day, however, belonged to Mushfiqur, who was given a reception after toss in the morning. His family, and former Bangladesh captains, including Akram Khan and Habibul Bashar, were present on the occasion, with the BCB presenting him with several mementos.Related

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Mushfiqur, however, remained focus at the job in hand. He played tightly for the first 67 balls, as he tried to rebuild after Bangladesh lost three wickets in the first session. Mushfiqur struck his first boundary with an inside-out blow against Matthew Humphreys in the second session. His second boundary brought up his half-century, off the first ball of the third session.Mushfiqur struck another four later in the over, a sweep off Humphreys. He continued to bat calmly, even as a short ball from legspinner Gavin Hoey was dispatched for a boundary in the 73rd over. Another short delivery, this time from McBrine, got him into the nineties, brought up with a punch through the covers.Mushfiqur went through the nineties smoothly, taking a lot of singles towards the end of the day. He kept the small crowd on their feet as he needed three runs to reach his century in the last over of the day.Andy McBrine took all four wickets on the first day•Sportsfile/Getty ImagesMcBrine had given Ireland a great start in the Test, picking up the first three wickets in the morning session. Shadman Islam and Mahmudul Hasan had given the home side a sound start, adding 52 runs for the opening stand. The openers hit eight boundaries between them in a short span as they looked towards another big partnership, like in the Sylhet Test, where they had added 168. In Mirpur, though, Shadman was lbw to McBrine for 35, which ended the opening stand at 52.Mahmudul, who made 171 in the first Test, couldn’t quite follow up in this innings, falling lbw to a slider from McBrine. Ireland got the wicket through the review as Mahmudul made 34 off 86 balls.Offspinner McBrine then had the Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto with another slider, this one beating the left-hand batter on the back foot. With that, McBrine became the first Irish spinner to take three wickets in the first session of a Test match.Shanto’s wicket brought Mushfiqur to the crease, much to the appreciation of the Shere Bangla National Stadium faithful.Mushfiqur and Mominul calmed things down till the lunch break, before continuing with their steady partnership. Mominul survived two dropped catches on 23 and 49. First, Cade Carmichael dropped a skier, before Paul Stirling couldn’t hold on to a difficult chance at slip.Mominul’s luck, however, ran out after the tea break. He swept McBrine but the ball deflected off his bat and on to his boot, before Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie completed the catch. Mominul made 63 off 128 balls, with a single boundary.

We tend to measure over rates in terms of overs lost per day; it belies a lack of both empathy for players and understanding of the issue at hand

Sidharth Monga20-Jul-20252:55

Harmison: ‘Stokes will go over broken glass to make sure his team wins’

On day one of the Lord’s Test, 83 overs were bowled with the addition of the extra half-hour. Seven overs lost, never to come back. On day two, India ended England’s innings within the first 30 overs, and England bowled 43 overs by stumps, again with the use of the extra half-hour. Fifteen overs lost, never to come back. On day three, India batted for another 77 overs and bowled one at England in the scheduled six hours plus the extra half-hour. Ten overs lost never to come back.There has been widespread hand-wringing and criticism of the teams, the match officials, and the ICC for “robbing” patrons of cricket. Is it fair to look at over rates through the lens of overs lost, though? What does it say about our empathy for players and our understanding of Test cricket’s competitive framework?Over rates are not calculated every day or even every innings, but across a match. If a bowling side is able to bowl the opposition out in under 80 overs, that innings is not considered for calculations unless the over rate goes beyond the required 15 per hour.Related

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Note the intrinsic understanding of the ICC: if you bowl your opposition out in under 80 overs, you are providing the patrons enough entertainment so they don’t feel “robbed” of the extra few overs. At any rate, unless you get wickets with the last ball before a break, you get an allowance of 18 minutes for taking nine wickets, not counting the one that ends the innings. Drinks breaks are worth four minutes each.So, assuming you have bowled a side out in 80 overs in six-and-a-half hours, you can directly chop off the extra half-hour as allowance for wickets and drinks. Add DRS reviews – at least three because the batting side generally exhaust theirs if they are bowled out – injury timeouts, ball changes, and running repairs, and you lose about 15 minutes in a day. So the over rate here is 80 divided 5.75, which is close to 14 an hour, which isn’t as shabby as the crude boiling down to ten overs lost that viewers will never get back.It is important to remember that even the ICC doesn’t expect teams to bowl all 90 overs in a day if they are using a lot of fast bowling. Match referees privately say that 90 overs of predominantly fast bowling is too much to expect, and needs a review. The question we need to grapple with here is: do we want generous amounts of part-time spin to complete the chore of 90 overs every day, or do we want Test cricket at its highest intensity?Umpires and referees tend to lean towards the latter, which is why they are lenient towards players taking frequent breaks, be it to change sweaty gloves or worry about the ball’s shape. Even gamesmanship, as in the dying moments of day three at Lord’s, can create intense drama between two competitive teams doing what they should: England wanting to face as few deliveries as possible and India trying to bowl as many as possible. These are Test cricketers, not obedient schoolboys who should meekly face two overs or quietly bowl just one when denied the chance for another.More of this, or more overs from part-timers to meet over-rate requirements?•Getty ImagesThe ICC is not saying it in as many words because it will attract even more criticism, but the playing conditions and the track record of match officials tend to suggest that expectations for overs bowled in a day are realistic at a time when draws without weather interruptions are extremely rare, even on flat Bazball pitches, and when Test cricket is being played at a higher intensity than ever before.It is easy to bowl 90 overs in a day when the batters are letting you bowl to a plan unchallenged. Batting is more attacking than even before, and asks the bowling team to think on their feet and make more fielding changes to counter it. It is no surprise that all the recent instances of teams being docked World Test Championship (WTC) points for over-rate offences have either come in high-scoring games, or Tests involving a lot of fast bowling, or both. Before Lord’s, Pakistan were the last team to be penalised: they went for 615 in Cape Town, where they had only one spinner in a five-man attack. Before that, both England and New Zealand were penalised in Christchurch: again lots of runs and lots of fast bowling.Another argument does hold some merit: there is competitive advantage to be gained by bowling too slowly, either as gamesmanship or by way of hiding a lack of fitness and conditioning. This is perhaps a more salient cause for concern and more relevant in limited-overs cricket – as is the general over-rates problem – but we can trust the match officials for that. They are consistent with the allowances they make. They don’t want the spotlight on them, so they push teams less conspicuously than by waving their arms and sending back drinks on live TV.The Lord’s Test showed us that even time-wasting can make for breathtaking theatre•Getty ImagesThere remain concerns to be addressed. The penalties for slow over-rates seem to be disproportionately harsh given the otherwise empathetic attitude of match officials. England’s over rate cost them a sixth of the WTC points they earned for winning the Lord’s Test. Then again, you can argue that teams should pay dearly if they are still slow after all the allowances they get, and after the introduction of stop clocks.The over rates at Lord’s were fairly similar in the first innings, but India used more spin in the second innings – not to make up time but because their spinners became threatening – and went past 15 overs per hour and improved their overall over rate for the match.While England, too, bowled India out in less than 80 overs in the second innings, they couldn’t go past 15 per hour with an injured spinner in their ranks. So their second-innings over rate had no impact on the overall calculations.Teams playing more often in conditions that call for predominantly quick bowling find themselves under more pressure on over rates. The ICC is not unaware of this. Perhaps a solution will be worked out by the next WTC cycle. Until then, if we take a moment to appreciate how much Test cricket has changed and how over rates are really calculated, we will be less angry about overs lost.

Ashwin now has 11 Player-of-the-Series awards, the joint-highest with Muthiah Muralidaran

Sampath Bandarupalli01-Oct-202415 – Test matches for India against Bangladesh without a defeat, out of which they have now won 13. Only two teams have played more Tests against an opposition without losing a single game: 20 by Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe and 17 by New Zealand against Zimbabwe.18 – Consecutive Test series wins for India at home, a streak that began with a whitewash of Australia in 2013. England, in 2012, were the last team to defeat India at home in a Test series.India haven’t lost a Test series at home or away since their defeat to South Africa in 2021-22. They have won six of the seven bilateral Test series played in this period.312 – Balls batted by India across the two innings in Kanpur – the fourth-fewest by any team to win a men’s Test. The lowest is 276 balls by England against West Indies in Barbados in 1935, while India batted only 281 balls for their win against South Africa earlier this year in Cape Town.ESPNcricinfo Ltd7.36 – India’s run rate across the two innings in Kanpur, the highest for any team in a Test match where they scored 300-plus runs. The previous highest was 6.80 by South Africa, who made 340 in 50 overs in the only innings they batted in against Zimbabwe in 2005.1040 – Number of balls bowled in Kanpur, making it the third-shortest completed Test match to have gone into the fifth day.The 2000 Centurion Test that ended on the fifth day saw only 883 balls bowled, but both South Africa and England forfeited one innings each on that occasion.England needed only 909 balls to complete a win against South Africa at The Oval in 2022, where no play was possible on the first two days.128.12 – Yashasvi Jaiswal’s strike rate in Kanpur is the third-highest among the batters with fifty-plus scores in both innings of a men’s Test (where data is available). The highest is 137.7 by David Warner against Pakistan in the 2017 Sydney Test, while Harry Brook had a strike rate of 132.59 in the 2022 Rawalpindi Test.1 – Jaiswal is now the first Indian batter to score fifties in both innings of a Test match in fewer than 50 balls. Nine others have had fifties in less than 50 balls in the same Test, with the last being Pathum Nissanka against England at The Oval in September.ESPNcricinfo Ltd8 – Fifty-plus scores for Jaiswal in 13 Test innings at home – all have come in 2024. These are the most fifty-plus scores by any batter in a calendar year on Indian soil in Tests.His 901 runs are also the third-highest in a calendar year in India, behind GR Viswanath’s 1047 in 1979 and Virat Kohli’s 964 in 2016.11 – Player-of-the-Series awards for R Ashwin in Test cricket, the joint-highest alongside Muthiah Muralidaran.7 – Instances of a team winning a men’s Test match despite no player scoring 75-plus runs in an innings and no bowler with a four-plus wicket haul.No Indian took a four-wicket haul in Kanpur despite four three-wicket hauls across two innings, while Jaiswal’s 72 in the first innings was their highest individual score in the match.

Essex 350 for 4 (Westley 124*, Walter 86) vs Warwickshire Tom Westley’s rich vein of form in the Rothesay County Championship continued as he notched his third century in five innings to frustrate Warwickshire at Chelmsford.In addition to hitting his 32nd first-class hundred in an innings of sublime stroke-play, the Essex captain also passed 14,000 career runs in red-ball cricket. With Paul Walter, who hit 86 from 160 balls, Westley put on 132 for the second wicket and 81 for the third with Jordan Cox. At stumps, Westley was unbeaten on 124 from 234 balls with Essex 350 for 4.Walter, posting his fifth score above fifty this season, two of them centuries, launched two sixes and nine fours. It enabled Essex to build on the euphoria of only their second Championship win of the season last week at Hove, a win that lifted them out of the relegation places.The only redeeming feature for Warwickshire on a gloomy day that matched their deteriorating mood, was arguably the first career wicket for part-time legspinner Zen Malik. Brought on to eat up an over before the arrival of the second new-ball, Malik had Cox attempting to hit his fifth delivery out of the park, but instead the batter ended up on his backside with his stumps akimbo.Before the start of the play, Essex’s own bowling plans had twice been thrown into disarray in the space of 24 hours. They had already lost one member of their attack when Indian international pace bowler Khaleel Ahmed pulled out of a contract due to run to the end of the season, citing “personal reasons”. Then, less than quarter-of-an-hour before the start of the match, offspinner Simon Harmer, who had taken part in all the warm-up routines, withdrew also offering “personal reasons” for his absence.Those problems were shelved for the time being as Essex were put into bat on a hybrid pitch with plenty of grass left on to help encourage greater carry for the bowlers. In fact, it encouraged the batters and a flurry of straight-driven fours enabled the Essex openers to compile 68 runs without undue alarm in 19 overs.Dean Elgar, overcoming a torrid first over from Oliver Hannon-Dalby, brought up the fifty partnership with an uncharacteristic slash at Beau Webster that cleared the slip cordon. However, he departed soon after to his second rash shot of the innings, pulling the Australian low to midwicket.On one occasion Walter, so strong off the back foot, came down the wicket to waft Corey Rocchiccioli for six over extra cover and post Essex’s first hundred. He reached his half-century from 79 balls with a well-placed push into the off-side for two. Walter took a liking to the Australian offspinner with another six, this time over long-on.At the other end, some of Westley’s strokes were exquisite. He produced a classically-executed cover drive for four off Ethan Bamber and later essayed a textbook straight-drive off Webster. Another off-drive for four by Westley off Webster took the stand with Walter to three-figures, of which both batsmen contributed 49. Three balls later Westley reached a 107-ball fifty.Westley had just taken Essex past 200 with only one wicket down when, next ball, Walter’s four-hour innings came to an end. He got an outside edge to a delivery from Rocchiccioli, the ball ricocheting off wicketkeeper Kai Smith’s thigh and ballooning up for a diving Alex Davies to claim at slip.Bamber switched ends straight after tea and immediately extracted some rare bounce and lift that had Westley groping at thin air. Normal service was quickly resumed, though, and soon Westley was angling Ed Barnard to third man for the boundary that took him to his century from 185 balls.Bamber finally gained some reward late on when he had Matt Critchley swinging and bottom-edging through to the wicketkeeper.