Paul Skenes was looking like his usual dominant self on the mound during the Pittsburgh Pirates' Sunday showdown against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Skenes racked up eight strikeouts throughout the first four innings, including a particularly devastating punch-out against Adrian Del Castillo in the fourth inning. The Diamondbacks' designated hitter stood absolutely no chance against a nasty 86-mph sweeper from Skenes that broke across the entire plate.
The pitch started on the outside and ended up running well inside on Del Castillo who whiffed on the pitch badly for his second strikeout of the game. Have a look:
Simply unhittable stuff from Skenes, who had some of his best stuff on the mound on Sunday, and received some rare early run support from the Pirates lineup, who tagged Zac Gallen for three runs early on.
He is their highest wicket-taker in the format but often there is no room for him in the XI due to issues around batting depth
Sidharth Monga02-Nov-2025
Arshdeep Singh came into the side and picked up 3 for 35 in Hobart•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
No Indian has taken more wickets in T20Is than Arshdeep Singh. Among the ten who have taken 50 or more wickets, only Kuldeep Yadav has a better strike-rate than him. Yet Arshdeep was not part of India’s first-choice XI in their previous T20I series, the Asia Cup. He played two matches, but only when India’s progress had been confirmed.Even in Australia, Arshdeep was brought into the XI only as an afterthought after India kept him out for the first two games. It comes down to the unfortunate scenario of having four excellent strike bowlers but never being able to play them all at once because none of them can bat. It was the issue with Virat Kohli’s ODI side as well when they just couldn’t afford to play Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal all in the same XI. Arshdeep and Varun Chakravarthy have taken the places of Shami and Chahal in this T20I squad, but the problem remains the same.Even so, if there are any conditions where India need to play both Bumrah and Arshdeep, they are the ones in early-season Australia. It was surprising that it took India till the third match to bring the left-arm quick in.Related
Arshdeep and Washington help India level the series against Australia
That they immediately had to leave Kuldeep out for Washington Sundar tells you about the balancing act India are forced to carry out. At the same time, Arshdeep immediately showed why he is such an important player in conditions that have a little bit of assistance for fast bowlers.In a match that largely followed T20 rhythms, the first four overs of Australia’s innings, in which they scored just 24 runs for the loss of Travis Head and Josh Inglis, proved to be all the difference. India scored 41 in their first four, and eventually had nine balls to spare when they overhauled the total Australia set them.1:43
Washington: There’s purpose to each of my practice sessions
In those four overs, Arshdeep took the wickets of Head and Inglis, aided in part by the threat posed by Bumrah at the other end. Arshdeep has the ingredients to use the conditions: he swings the ball both ways, and his high release aids seam movement and uneven bounce. In a game of such small margins as T20 cricket, these overs can have a huge impact. Arshdeep also returned at the end to team up with Bumrah and deny Australia a finishing kick.India again needed all of it because they did make a small selection error. Bringing in Arshdeep and Jitesh Sharma – the latter for Sanju Samson, who has not looked effective in the middle order – was spot on, but they still left themselves short on fast bowling by dropping Harshit Rana for Washington, whom they didn’t bowl at all because of a combination of the conditions and the abundance of right-hand batters in the Australia line-up.Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma had to fill in with four overs for 56, but in the end Washington also showed his importance with an unbeaten 49 off 23 when promoted to No. 6. That’s also the thing with Washington. He is wasted as a batter in the lower order when you mostly have to just walk in and swing.This match was evidence that there is no dearth of resources for Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir, but in conditions where the ideal line-up consists of three fast bowlers, they are always one small piece short of being the perfect team.
Caleb Jewell hundred helps Derbyshire post 315 but late collapse lets Rapids back in
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Aug-2025Worcestershire 316 for 6 (D’Oliveira 138, Libby 69) beat Derby 315 (Jewell 113, Montgomery 92) by four wicketsBrett D’Oliveira’s List A best 138 led Worcestershire Rapids to a four-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Group A match at Repton School.Rapids skipper Jake Libby made 69 before 19-year-old Dan Lategan scored an unbeaten 42 off 39 balls on his first-team debut to take the Rapids to their target of 316 with 11 balls to spare.Caleb Jewell made 113 off 107 balls and Matt Montgomery 92 before the Falcons lost their last five wickets for 25 to be bowled out for 315. The Rapids were in trouble at 11 for 2 but D’Oliveira and Libby revived them before Lategan saw them over the line.There was a sell-out crowd as first team cricket returned to Repton School for the first time since 1988 and the Falcons made a solid start after they were put in.Jewell and Harry Came took the score to 46 before Came pulled Kurram Shahzad into the hands of leg slip. But that was the Rapids last success for 24 overs as Jewell and Montgomery took full advantage of a good batting pitch.After reaching 50 from 57 balls, Jewell pulled Ben Allison for six and swept D’Oliveira for another maximum with 15 coming from his first over. Jewell surged towards his century, which came off 96 balls, by driving and sweeping D’Oliveira for two more fours before pulling Ethan Brookes over the ropes.Montgomery drove Brookes down the ground for four to go to his first 50 for the Falcons and the stand was worth 150 when Jewell skied a cut at Brookes into the covers.Brooke Guest missed a cut at Fateh Singh and the left-arm spinner ended Montomery’s fine innings by having him caught behind.Amrit Basra drove Allison to mid-on and the Falcons hopes of a total above 350 crumbled as the last five wickets fell in six overs. After Martin Andersson was lbw to Singh, Allison had Ross Whiteley caught at short midwicket and bowled Zak Chappell before Shahzad cleaned up.Even so, a target of 316 was a challenging one and it looked even tougher when the Rapids lost two wickets in the first four overs. Isaac Mohammed was dropped at second slip without a run on the board but failed to take advantage, slicing Ben Aitchison to third man.Rory Haydon beat Kashif Ali’s drive but D’Oliveira and Libby regrouped before asserting themselves on the bowlers.D’Oliveira cut and drove Haydon for sixes on his way to a run a ball 50 and with Libby easing the ball into the gaps, the momentum swung towards the Rapids.D’Oliveira took three fours from a Chappell over as he accelerated to an 84 ball hundred but Haydon returned to give the game another twist. He bowled Libby to end a stand of 183 in 28 overs and then deceived Brookes who chipped to short midwicket.Lategan pulled Haydon for six and with 67 needed from the last 10 overs, drove Jack Morley for another maximum. When he went for a repeat, Aitchison took the catch at long-on only to step on the rope but Morley hit back by bowling D’Oliveira.Henry Cullen sliced to cover but Lategan showed nerve and skill to settle an absorbing contest.
Russell Domingo, the former South Africa and Bangladesh coach, has been named Hampshire men’s head coach on a two-year contract. He will be joined in the club’s new coaching set-up by another South African, Shane Burger, who previously coached Scotland before moving on to Somerset.Domingo was in charge of South Africa between 2012 and 2017, followed by a three-year stint with Bangladesh. He has been head coach of Johannesburg-based Lions since 2023, and has also worked in the PSL. ESPNcricinfo understands Domingo will continue in his Lions role, splitting his time between the UK and South Africa.He succeeds his countryman Adrian Birrell at Hampshire, with Birrell stepping down at the end of the 2025 summer after seven seasons on the south coast.Burger joins as assistant coach (bowling), while former Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams will continue in his role as assistant coach (batting).Related
Hampshire target white-ball double as coach Birrell prepares to step down
Timeline: Domingo's stint as head coach of Bangladesh
Domingo replaces Gough as Lahore Qalandars coach
Men's county ins and outs 2025-26
“I’m thrilled to be joining Hampshire Cricket,” Domingo said. “This is a club with incredible history, outstanding facilities at Utilita Bowl, and a clear vision for success both on and off the field.”I’ve been genuinely impressed by the ambition here and the strong cultural values that underpin everything Hampshire does. The combination of developing young talent whilst competing for trophies is exactly the challenge I’m looking for, and I can’t wait to get started.”I’m looking forward to working alongside Jimmy and Shane and getting to know the players as we prepare for what promises to be an exciting season ahead.”Burger said: “I’m really excited to be joining Hampshire Cricket. The quality of young bowlers coming through here is exceptional, Sonny Baker, Eddie Jack and Scott Currie have already earned England recognition, and I’m looking forward to helping them continue that development.”I love the ambition and vision of the club and the future seems bright. I’m excited to be part of that journey alongside Russell and Jimmy and I can’t wait to get started.”Hampshire endured a turbulent finish to last season, losing in both the final of the Vitality T20 Blast and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. They appeared destined for relegation to Division Two of the County Championship, after suffering a points deduction for a substandard pitch, before being reprieved on the final day by Durham’s collapse against Yorkshire.Hampshire’s director of cricket, Giles White, added: “We’re delighted to announce our coaching team for next summer. Russell Domingo will serve as head coach, with Jimmy Adams and Shane Burger joining him as assistant coaches. Together, they form a strong and experienced unit that will continue to champion the cultural framework that has underpinned Hampshire cricket over the years.”We exist to win and to develop, and I’m confident this team will continue to drive that ethos as we move into an exciting future. It’s a fantastic place to be at this moment in time, and the season ahead promises great opportunities.”
Shubman Gill, who suffered a neck injury during the first India vs South Africa Test in Kolkata, has been ruled out of the second Test in Guwahati, which starts on Saturday. Rishabh Pant, who led in Kolkata after Gill left the game, will be India’s captain.Gill had travelled to Guwahati on November 19 after spending time under observation in a Kolkata hospital, but has now been ruled out of participation in the game. Gill “will head to Mumbai for further assessment of his injury,” the BCCI said in a statement on Friday morning.As reported by ESPNcricinfo on Thursday, it was understood that Gill is at risk of further neck spasms if he plays so soon after recovering. He has been advised more rest. The development could also impact his selection in the ODI squad for the three matches against South Africa starting on November 30. The squad for that series is expected to be picked on November 23.Related
Rishabh Pant's battle with Simon Harmer could define his first Test as captain
Mystery pitch leaves SA guessing ahead of Guwahati Test
What type of pitch will India want in Guwahati?
With Gill out and no replacements named, India have to choose one of B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy as his replacement.Gill was admitted to hospital after the second day of the Kolkata Test after he retired hurt having faced only three balls in India’s first innings. On the morning of the third day, the BCCI said he would take no further part in the Test. India went on to lose the match by 30 runs after being dismissed for 93 in a chase of 124 on a pitch with uneven bounce. Gill had missed a Test against New Zealand in October 2024 due to a neck spasm too.On Thursday, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had said in a press conference that the team would not risk playing Gill if there was any chance of the spasm recurring.”He is definitely recovering really well,” Kotak said. “Now, the decision [whether to play him or not] will be taken tomorrow evening. The physios, doctors, they will have to take a call that, [even] if he is fully recovered, [during the] game, he should not get that spasm again.”[…] If we have a, guarantee that, very likely, he won’t have this issue again, then he will play. If there is a doubt, then I am sure, he will take rest [for] one more game, because it won’t be helpful to the team [if he plays].”
تحدث مدرب ليفربول، آرني سلوت، عقب الفوز أمام وست هام في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وأوضح سبب تواجد محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء، وأشاد بمهاجم الفريق، ألكسندر إيزاك.
وتغلب ليفربول على وست هام بهدفين دون رد، في إطار مباريات الجولة الثالثة عشر للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج” موسم 2025-2026.
وقال سلوت لشبكة “سكاي سبورتس”: “هناك شعور بالراحة بالتأكيد، لأنه إذا خسرت مرات عديدة، فإن الفوز مهم، لم نتلقَّ أي فرصة تقريبًا، لقد خلقنا فرصًا بأنفسنا، في مباريات أخرى، أهدرنا فرصًا أكثر بكثير مما فعلنا اليوم”.
وأضاف: “من المفيد ألا تتأخر 1-0 بعد خمس دقائق، لأن ذلك يُتيح لك فرصةً أكبر، لعبنا المباراة التي أردتُها”.
وواصل: “ما رأيته كان له معنى كبيرٌ بالنسبة للاعبينا وجماهيرنا، اضطرت الجماهير للسفر مسافاتٍ طويلة لدعم فريقٍ كان أداؤه ضعيفًا”.
وواصل: “يوم الأربعاء، سنواجه سندرلاند، إنه جدول مزدحم للغاية للجميع، هذه خطوة أولى جيدة لنا، الفوز والحفاظ على شباكنا نظيفة”.
اقرأ أيضًا | إيزاك بعد ثنائية ليفربول أمام وست هام: علينا أن نكون متواضعين
وسُئل هل يُعد هدف ألكسندر إيزاك الأول في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مع ليفربول لحظةً مهمة، وأجاب: “نعم، أعتقد أنه يبدو مهمًا، لم أكن أخطط لمنحه دقائقَ لعبٍ إضافيةٍ كثيرةٍ قبل استبداله”.
وأشار: “إنه مهاجم من الطراز الرفيع، كانت هذه اللمسة الأخيرة رائعة، أبقيته في الملعب لفترة كافية ليُسجل هدفًا للفريق ولنفسه”.
وأكمل: “الفوز كان ما كنا نحتاجه بشكل أساسي، وحافظنا على نظافة شباكنا أيضًا، وهو أمر مفيد دائمًا، لم نُقدم أي شيء للفريق المنافس كهدية كما فعلنا مرات عديدة هذا الموسم، لم يُخلق المنافس أي فرصة تُذكر إلا في الدقيقة الأخيرة عن طريق جارود بوين”.
وأكد سلوت: “وست هام جعل المباراة صعبة علينا، لكننا قدمنا أداءً دفاعيًا رائعًا، لحسن الحظ، لم تُتح لهم سوى فرصة واحدة”.
وعن تواجد محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء، أوضح: “نلعب الكثير من المباريات، في 10 أيام لعبنا أربع مباريات، هؤلاء اللاعبون يتمتعون بجودة عالية، كان محمد صلاح مهمًا جدًا للنادي وسيظل كذلك، لذا دعونا نرى ما سيحدث يوم الأربعاء (ضد سندرلاند)”.
It is still only October, and it already feels as if the wheels have come off at West Ham United.
The East Londoners are currently in the relegation zone and only being kept off the bottom of the table by an even worse Wolverhampton Wanderers side.
Worse yet, any of the positivity that came from the draw away to Everton in Nuno Espírito Santo’s first game has all but vanished thanks to three consecutive defeats.
Therefore, if the Portuguese coach is to save the Hammer’s Premier League status this season, he needs to make some changes to the team as soon as possible, such as dropping someone who looks miles off the pace.
Changes that Nuno has to make to West Ham
Given the dire situation West Ham currently find themselves in, Nuno has to make some dramatic changes to the team for the next game, and that starts at the back.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Both Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman must come out of the team, as even though the other options are less than ideal, they have a chance of being better than the Frenchman and Englishman, who have been diabolical for a few games now.
Then, with Ollie Scarles recovering from his dislocated shoulder, the manager should move Kyle Walker-Peters to that right wing-back role if he insists on keeping the shape he used against Leeds on the weekend.
Moreover, while he’s been a brilliant servant to the club, Tomáš Souček now offers little to nothing when he starts, and therefore, he should be dropped to the bench for the far more dynamic and promising Soungoutou Magassa.
Moving on to the attack, and the experiment of player Lucas Paqueta up top has to come to an end.
Paqueta vs Leeds
Minutes
94′
Expected Goals
0.09
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.10
Assists
0
Shots on Target
1
Touches
83
Crosses (Accurate)
4 (0)
Accurate Passes
45/62 (73%)
All Stats via Sofascore
Yes, Callum Wilson is not of the standard either, but by playing the team’s most creative player as a false nine, the chance creation from deep is practically non-existent.
Ideally, Nuno should revert to a four at the back system and play the Brazilian in attacking midfield.
Last but not least, another change should be made in the middle of the park: the removal of a player who is miles off being the standard required to play for West Ham.
The West Ham ace who must be dropped
He isn’t the number one problem at West Ham this season, but it has become increasingly clear that Andrew Irving is nowhere near good enough to play for the club and should therefore be dropped.
It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by journalist Jordan Rushworth, who described the Scotsman as a “National League standard” midfielder, adding that he “gets walked past every time an opposition midfielder has the ball.”
Unfortunately for the Edinburgh-born ace, his statistics from the game at Elland Road only back up such a brutal assessment.
Irving vs Leeds
Minutes
64′
Expected Assists
0.01
Key Passes
0
Shots
0
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (0)
Touches
48
Lost Possession
7
Duels (Won)
5 (1)
Dribbled Past
1
All Stats via Sofascore
For example, in his 64 minutes of inaction, he amassed an expected assists figure of just 0.01, failed to make a single key pass, didn’t take any shots, misplaced 100% of his crosses, took 48 touches, lost the ball seven times, lost four of five duels and was dribbled past once.
It’s not just his technical weaknesses that are a problem for the Irons, though, but also his complete lack of any real physicality.
He’s not strong enough on or off the ball and lacks any real athleticism or explosiveness, which in the modern Premier League is a massive problem, and one highlighted by Jamie Carragher after the Brentford loss, when he described the Hammers as “one of the slowest teams I’ve seen in Premier League history!”
Therefore, regardless of the formation he wants to play, Nuno simply has to take Irving out of the starting lineup from now on, especially when he has better options to choose from.
For example, while he can still be a little rash, respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described Magassa as someone blessed with “pure athleticism.”
Moreover, he’s still relatively inexperienced at this level, but Freddie Potts can get around the pitch far easier than the Scotsman, and as Mattinson says, is blessed with an impressive “passing range and powerful carrying” ability.
Ultimately, while there are plenty of changes that need to happen at West Ham, one of the big ones is the removal of Iriving in favour of a far more dynamic and promising alternative.
Worse than Summerville: Nuno must drop 3/10 West Ham flop who's "the worst"
West Ham’s woes continued as they were defeated by Leeds United in the Premier League.
كشف إبراهيم حسن، مدير منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، سبب استبعاد محمد عبد المنعم المحترف ضمن فريق نيس الفرنسي، من قائمة الفراعنة لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025.
ويستعد منتخب مصر في الفترة الحالية، لخوض المعسكر الختامي قبل المشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 بالمغرب المقرر أن تنطلق 21 ديسمبر الجاري.
وقال حسن خلال تصريحات عبر المركز الإعلامي لاتحاد الكرة المصري: “استبعاد محمد عبد المنعم من القائمة المختارة للمشاركة في بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية جاء بسبب الإصابة”.
طالع | قائمة منتخب مصر استعدادًا لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 .. موقف إمام عاشور
وأضاف: “التقارير الطبية بالتنسيق بين الجهاز الطبي لمنتخب مصر عن طريق دكتور محمد أبو العلا والجهاز الطبي لنادي نيس الفرنسي أثبتت صعوبة جاهزية محمد عبد المنعم لبطولة كأس الأمم بعد إصابته بالرباط الصليبي في إبريل الماضي ثم تعرضه لإصابة بمزق في السمانة خلال الأيام الماضية وهو ما تسبب في تأخر تأهيل اللاعب وبالتالي صعوبة لحاقه بمباريات البطولة”.
وأكمل: “نتمنى الشفاء العاجل لـ محمد عبد المنعم، هو أحد الركائز الأساسية التي يعتمد عليها المنتخب ووجوده يشكل إضافة قوية لدفاع المنتخب، والجهاز على تواصل معه بشكل مستمر للاطمئنان على حالته، اللاعب كان يتمنى المشاركة في البطولة لولا الإصابة التي لحقت به وعدم جاهزيته”.
من المقرر أن ينطلق معسكر منتخب مصر، يوم 3 ديسمبر، ثم الدخول في معسكر مغلق يوم 7 ديسمبر استعدادا لخوض ودية نيجيريا يوم 14 ديسمبر الجاري باستاد القاهرة، ثم السفر يوم 17 إلى المغرب استعداداً لخوض منافسات بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية 2025 بالمغرب.
ويبدأ منتخب مصر مبارياته ببطولة أمم إفريقيا يوم 22 ديسمبر بمواجهة زيمبابوي ثم جنوب إفريقيا يوم 26 وأنجولا يوم 29 ديسمبر في دور المجموعات.
Arsenal suffered a devastating 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime, surrendering their five-point lead atop the Premier League table in dramatic fashion.
Emiliano Buendia’s stoppage-time winner completed a remarkable comeback for Unai Emery’s side, dealing a significant blow to the Gunners’ title aspirations.
Matty Cash gave Villa a deserved first-half lead with a thunderous finish at the back post in the 36th minute, capitalizing on Arsenal’s struggles to contain the hosts’ energetic pressing.
The right-back’s half-volley from a deflected cross caught David Raya off guard, sending Villa Park into raptures and rewarding the home side’s dominant opening period.
Mikel Arteta responded decisively at the interval, introducing Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres for the ineffective Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino.
Aston Villa now want to tempt Chelsea summer signing with surprise January move
It would be a head turner.
ByEmilio Galantini 7 days ago
The Belgian substitute made an immediate impact just seven minutes into the second half, converting a rebound after Emiliano Martínez could only parry Bukayo Saka’s initial effort. Trossard’s poacher’s instinct at the back post hauled Arsenal level and appeared to shift momentum decisively in the visitors’ favour.
Arsenal dominated possession throughout the second period, creating numerous opportunities to snatch victory. Noni Madueke struck the side netting late on when well-positioned, while Declan Rice orchestrated attacks from deep despite struggling with the calf complaint that troubled him against Brentford midweek.
However, Villa refused to surrender tamely.
Emery’s tactical substitution proved inspired as Buendia replaced Matty Cash in the 85th minute, pushing the hosts into a more aggressive attacking shape with Lamare Bogarde dropping to right-back.
The Argentinian playmaker delivered the decisive intervention deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest to a loose ball inside Arsenal’s penalty area and firing home to secure all three points.
The defeat represents Arsenal’s second loss of the campaign and ends their 18-match unbeaten run across all competitions. More significantly, it allows Man City the opportunity to reduce the gap at the summit to just two points, should they defeat Sunderland later today.
Emiliano Martínez
7.8
Declan Rice
7.7
Matty Cash
7.5
Boubacar Kamara
7.5
Martin Odegaard
7.2
via WhoScored
For Villa, the victory extends their remarkable home form to just one defeat in their last 25 league matches at Villa Park, maintaining their challenge for Champions League qualification while sitting third in the table.
It also begs the question, are Emery’s men now genuine title contenders?
Stuart Pearce says Youri Tielemans stole the show against Arsenal
With that debate now set to rumble on, former England defender Stuart Pearce has picked out one Villa star to thank for an absolutely incredible afternoon for Emery in the Midlands.
Commenting on the game for talkSPORT, Pearce named his Player of the Match — £150,000-per-week midfielder Youri Tielemans.
The Belgian international apparently stole the show against Arsenal, with Pearce calling his display in the engine room ‘outstanding’.
Tielemans, who is out of contract in 2027, has just made a firm case to the Villa hierarchy when it comes to his long-term future.
The 28-year-old returned to full fitness fairly recently after missing six league games with a calf problem and was left out of the starting eleven for Villa’s thrilling 4-3 win at Brighton.
Emery’s decision to start Tielemans today was a masterful decision, and that performance will give the player huge confidence ahead of Villa’s trips to FC Basel and West Ham.
Scores of 54, 88, 18, 100, 85, 9* and 103* in his last seven international innings have led to whispers that Marsh might be an emergency Ashes option if England’s quicks pose problems
Alex Malcolm05-Oct-2025Last Tuesday in Mount Maunganui, 24 hours out from the first game of Australia’s three-match T20I series against New Zealand, T20I skipper Mitchell Marsh was asked by a New Zealand journalist whether his mind was on the Ashes at all in terms of trying to force his way back into the Test team.”Ha. No,” Marsh said.He giggled again as the press pack paused, perhaps taken aback by the emphatic answer, and no more questions were posed on any topic.Five days later he leaves New Zealand with two player of the match awards from the only two completed games, a player of the series award and the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, after scores of 85 off 43 and 103 not out from 52. The latter was one of his finest for Australia, single-handedly guiding them home on a tricky surface where he looked like he was playing a different sport to every other batter in the game. His first T20I century saw him join Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, and Josh Inglis as the only Australian men with international centuries in all three forms.Related
Marsh laughs off Ashes question as serious India task awaits
Who will be the spear to Usman Khawaja's shield for Australia?
Ashes tracker: Labuschagne shines as Konstas stumbles
Konstas fails first Ashes audition as NSW slump on rain-soaked day in Perth
Pace is the ace: why you need quick bowlers to win in Australia
In his last seven international innings dating back to the T20I series against South Africa in August he has scores of 54, 88, 18, 100, 85, 9* and 103* and has batted as well as he ever has in international cricket, especially against the pace collection of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson and Ben Sears who have troubled some of Australia’s Test batters in the same games.Despite what Marsh says publicly about a possible Test return, which is understood to be in keeping with what he has said privately, his form has done nothing to quell the whispers that have been floating around Australian cricket that Marsh could be called upon as a “break glass in case of emergency” option for the Ashes.It sounds far-fetched, and merely the notion will enrage a large swathe of Australian fans who believe Marsh has had more than enough chances at Test level. But the whispers are real. Chairman of selectors George Bailey had sowed the seeds as far back as April.”I don’t necessarily think that his red-ball career is over,” Bailey said when Australia’s 2025-26 contract list was announced.”I don’t think he was scoring the runs that he would have wanted, or we would have wanted, when we left him out of the Test side. But I still think there’s an incredibly exciting skill-set there with the bat, the way he can rip a game open.”If you look ahead to a team like England, and the way they play their cricket and the way they seem to be framing up their team, I think he’s got a skill-set there that could be helpful.”However, a Marsh Ashes comeback would likely come with a large set of caveats.It would require many of the fears around the form of the incumbent Test top six to come to fruition early in the series. Australia’s batting would have to struggle mightily in the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane for the possibility to be genuinely entertained. Even then, those struggles would have to be of a very particular variety.Australia’s Test batters would have to be struggling against the pace and bounce of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes in particular.Mitchell Marsh celebrates his stunning comeback century at Headingley in 2023•Getty ImagesIn the 2023 series, England turned to a bombardment of bouncers in the second Test to try and change the course of the series. While unsuccessful at Lord’s, that plan rolled over to the third Test at Headingley where the injection of a fresh Wood at the expense of an aging Jimmy Anderson turned the tide in an instant. Wood took 5 for 34 targeting helmets and stumps exclusively with sustained heat at 145kph plus. His threat at one end helped another fresh man Chris Woakes threaten front pads and outside edges at the other.Marsh not only withstood it, but thrived pounding a run-a-ball 118 in his first Test innings in four years having been called in for the injured Cameron Green. One particular pull shot, from a 146kph Wood bouncer, that sailed over the two men stationed square on the rope and landed 20 rows back among the Headingley crowd is seared in the memory of the Australian team, as is the silence that followed it from a packed Headingley crowd that had been raucous due to England’s morning success.Marsh produced similarly thunderous cross bat shots that landed among a more sparse Bay Oval crowd on Saturday night in a brutal take down of Henry, Duffy, Sears and Jimmy Neesham while Test batters Travis Head and Alex Carey succumbed on a spicy surface that had spent two full days under cover.There is a thought that if the Ashes turns into another bouncer-fest, and Australia’s batters aren’t handling the heat, then there is no one better equipped than Marsh to provide a counter-attack in the vein he did in Headingley.No one runs quite as hot or as cold as Marsh. Right now he is white-hot. This time last year he was entering a run of ice-cold form that saw him return red-ball scores of 9, 6, 6, 47, 9, 5, 2, 4, and 0 that eventually led to him being left out of the fifth Test against India in Sydney for Beau Webster.It is incredible that Marsh, with a Test average of just 28.53 from the same number of innings, 80, as Sir Donald Bradman had in his career, can still be such an alluring prospect at his best when his mean has been clear to see over an 11-year Test career.Mitchell Marsh is strong against the short ball•Getty ImagesMarsh is unlikely to face a red ball before the start of the Ashes. Family and fishing will most likely be his priority over the brief time off after New Zealand ahead of leading Australia in a three-match ODI series and five-match T20 series against India that runs up to the first Test.Western Australia are also unclear on whether Marsh will be available to play Sheffield Shield cricket in November following the India series ahead of the BBL. Marsh also has not bowled a ball since the Boxing Day Test last year having missed the Champions Trophy in February due to a back injury. He has said his bowling remains “offline” until further notice and there is a chance he plays the rest of his career as a specialist batter.Whether the glass is broken in case of an emergency or not, Marsh’s form at the top of order in Australia’s T20I side solidifies their plans heading towards the World Cup.Australia had won their previous two T20I series against West Indies and South Africa without major contributions from the captain, with the powerful middle-order stepping up. In the absence of Inglis, Maxwell and Green in New Zealand it was Marsh who carried his team.It bodes well for when Australia get their best available together for India and Sri Lanka in February and March. Their unrelenting power hitting has won them nine of their last 10 completed T20Is. Winning in spite of a reckless and probably needless wobble in Saturday’s third T20I in Mount Maunganui will only reinforce that the high-octane freewheeling style, branded in Marsh’s image, will be what they stick to when the pressure is ramped up in the World Cup.Whether it’s needed, or called for, should the Ashes pressure reach fever pitch before then, remains to be seen.