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Siraj, who orchestrated most of the damage, became only the second Indian to bag a five-wicket haul before lunch on the first day’s play

Sampath Bandarupalli03-Jan-202455 South Africa’s total in Cape Town is their seventh-lowest in Test cricket and their lowest since 1932 when they made 36 and 45 against Australia in Melbourne.1 South Africa’s 55 all out is the lowest total for any team against India in Test cricket ecplipsing the 62 all out by New Zealand at Wankhede in 2021.9.4 overs for India to take a first-innings lead. It is the earliest instance of a such an event in all men’s Tests since 2001. Previously South Africa had taken a first-innings lead after 11.2 overs of batting against Zimbabwe in 2005 and against New Zealand in 2013. Both of those matches took place at Newlands as well.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Mohammed Siraj’s 6 for 15 are the second-best recorded bowling figures before lunch on the first day of a men’s Test match. Only Stuart Broad has done better, taking 8 for 15 against Australia in 2015 at Trent Bridge.Siraj is only the second Indian to bag a five-wicket haul before lunch on the first day, after Maninder Singh against Pakistan in Bangalore in 1987.23.2 overs taken by India to pick up all 10 wickets at Newlands, a new record for them. This takes over from the 2006 Test in Johannesburg where they bowled the same opposition, South Africa, out in 25.1 overs.1899 Last instance of South Africa registering a lower total at home in Test cricket – 35 all out against England, also in Cape Town. The 55 all out is South Africa’s fifth-lowest total at home in Tests.8 Totals in the first innings of men’s Tests lower than South Africa’s 55 all out. It is the fourth-lowest total in the first innings of a men’s Test since 1950. Three of the top four have come in Cape Town.ESPNcricinfo Ltd9 Overs bowled by Siraj, the fewest that an Indian bowler has needed to take six or more wickets in men’s Tests. Venkatesh Prasad bowled 10.2 overs during his 6 for 33 against Pakistan in 1999 in Chennai.15 runs conceded by Siraj, the second-fewest for an Indian bowler picking up a haul of six or more wickets, behind Venkatapathy Raju’s 6 for 12 against Sri Lanka in Chandigarh 1993.36.67 Percentage of not-in-control shots by South African batters in their first 20 overs on Wednesday, where they lost eight wickets. During the previous Test in Centurion, they were not in control of 30% of the first 20 overs, losing only one wicket.

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has put striker Will Osula on red alert for the Premier League after seeing him score twice as the holders booked their place in the Carabao Cup fourth round with a 4-1 win against Bradford.

The 22-year-old Dane scored the Magpies’ second and final goals against the League One leaders at St James’ Park to highlight his development, and with record signing Nick Woltemade still coming to terms with English football and Yoane Wissa injured, he has been told he could get his chance amid a hectic schedule.

Asked how close Osula, on £25,000-a-week, is to starting a league game, Howe said:

Howe impressed with Newcastle forward Osula in training

Osula, rarely seen this season with just over 200 minutes of game time, arrived at the club from Sheffield United as a raw youngster last summer, and Howe and his coaches have since gone to work with him on the training ground.

Newcastle largely dominated throughout and the game was effectively over when Joelinton and Osula struck after 17 and 19 minutes respectively.

However, thanks to the efforts of City goalkeeper Sam Walker and some sub-standard finishing, they had to wait until the 75th minute for the Brazilian to make it 3-0, and although lifelong Magpies fan Andy Cook reduced the deficit, Osula scored again at the death to wrap up a comfortable win.

Howe said: “It was always going to be a difficult game. Nobody makes anything easy for you. Bradford are top of their league and full of confidence, so we needed an element of patience in our performance. But once we got into our groove, we were good.”

Worse than Miley: Howe must drop Newcastle flop who lost 100% of his duels

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe should drop this flop who was worse than Lewis Miley.

1

By
Dan Emery

Sep 25, 2025

Opposite number Graham Alexander, who played under Howe during his spell in charge at Burnley, was happy with much of what he saw from his side on a difficult night on Tyneside.

Asked what they had learned, he said with a smile: “We learned what a Champions League team looks like up close.”

On Cook’s goal, he added: “He’s a proper lad, he’s been a big player for this club for the last three or four years and everyone knows about his support for Newcastle, but he’s also got a massive bond with our club as well, so it was a special night for Cooky just getting on the pitch.

“But that’s a goal he’ll be talking about for the next 50 years, I expect.”

There is no getting away from the fact that it’s been a horror start to the season for West Ham United this year.

The East Londoners were knocked out of the League Cup at the first time of asking by Wolverhampton Wanderers and have lost four of their five Premier League games, scoring just five goals and conceding 13.

So, when taking this into account, plus last season’s dire form, which saw his side lose nine of 19 games, it was no surprise to see Graham Potter finally given the sack on Saturday.

In his place, the Hammers have hired Nuno Espírito Santo, who recently enjoyed a brilliant stint with Nottingham Forest, taking them from relegation candidates to European football in a season and a half.

The Portuguese manager is known for playing slightly more defensive football than the Englishman, but his ability to turn his teams into counter-attacking machines could bring some real excitement – and success – back to the London Stadium.

However, before Nuno has a chance to greet the home fans, he faces the daunting task of taking on Everton at their brand-new stadium, which will be no easy task given their current form.

West Ham and Nuno's record vs Everton

Since their first competitive encounter all the way back in February 1907, West Ham have played Everton a whopping 153 times. Unfortunately, the Hammers have won just 45 of those games, drawn 33, and lost the other 75.

However, their recent record against the Toffees has been far more encouraging, with just one loss in their last five games, two wins and two draws.

Those two draws came last season, with ex-boss Julen Lopetegui overseeing a drab 0-0 draw at home in November, and then Potter leading his side to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park courtesy of a 67th-minute strike from Tomáš Souček, which was matched by a 91st-minute strike from Jake O’Brien.

Unfortunately, while the Irons’ overall record against West Ham is far from ideal, Nuno’s isn’t any better.

Across his time with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Forest, the São Tomé-born tactician has overseen nine matches against the Merseysiders, winning three, drawing one and losing the other five.

Now, his teams have scored 13 goals and conceded just 12 in those games, but it’s still a worrying record, especially when taking into account the fact that the Tricky Trees lost at home to David Moyes’ side in April this year.

However, today is the start of a new project for Nuno and West Ham, and there is every chance the former Forest boss can pick up all three points, and this is the line-up he could do that with.

West Ham's predicted line-up

Souček is still out due to the straight red card he picked up against Tottenham Hotspur, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka is still out with a stomach issue.

However, apart from them, Nuno should have a full contingent of players to pick from to fill out his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation for tonight’s hugely important game.

Starting between the sticks has to be Alphonse Areola. The Frenchman wasn’t great against Crystal Palace last week, but Mads Hermansen has had a horror start to his Irons career, and the new boss won’t want a goalkeeping error to cost him in his first game.

The full-back pairing has to be Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf. The former has to start due to Wan-Bissaka’s stomach issue, and the latter has been one of the few players who have looked good this season, already providing three assists in five league games.

Things could change quickly under the new regime, but for the game tonight, Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos will likely keep their places in the team as they’ve started the last three games together.

Now, we get to the first significant change to the team in the midfield, with the “average” James Ward-Prowse, as dubbed by one analyst, being left on the bench for summer signings Matues Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa to come in as the deeper midfield two.

The former Southampton star barely got any game time when he was on loan with Forest last season, and considering his truly dreadful start to the campaign, it would be baffling to see him start tonight.

Moreover, the former AS Monaco gem possesses the tenacity, energy, and mentality to do the necessary dirty work. At the same time, the Portuguese ace can bring more ball quality from deep, helping to create a wonderfully balanced double pivot.

Starting in attacking midfield will undoubtedly be the mercurial Lucas Paqueta. The Brazilian hasn’t been at his best so far this season, but he’s still been able to score three goals in five games.

Moreover, the manager helped Morgan Gibbs-White rack up 17 goal involvements in 38 games last year, so there is no telling what he’ll be able to do with the former Lyon star.

It’ll come as no surprise to anyone to see Jarrod Bowen out on the right this evening, as even though the rest of the team have struggled this season, the former Hull City star has scored two goals and provided an assist in his six appearances.

Furthermore, the 28-year-old game-changer was able to rack up a sensational haul of 24 goal involvements in just 36 appearances last year, so he is going nowhere.

On the opposite flank, it’ll probably be another start for Crysencio Summerville. The former Leeds United gem certainly needs to work on his output, but there is no denying that he makes things happen off the left, and his rapid pace could be perfect for the counter-attacking football the new boss is known for.

Finally, while some might want to see Niclas Füllkrug return to the team, it will likely be Callum Wilson who starts up top. The former Newcastle United star certainly has his drawbacks, but unlike the German, he has a goal to his name this season and a track record of scoring when fit.

Ultimately, it may well still be incredibly early on in the season, but West Ham’s game against Everton tonight feels like a massive one, not just because it’s a chance for the team to put a stop to their downward slide, but also because it’s a chance for Nuno to properly introduce himself to the fans and show them what he’s about.

He’s shown potency with the new ball, but even when it’s not swinging around, there are other skills up his sleeves

Deivarayan Muthu28-Oct-2023At 6 feet 9 inches, Marco Jansen is an imposing figure on the field. He appears even more imposing when he uses that height to bang the ball into the pitch.On what was arguably the quickest Chepauk pitch on offer in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Jansen bullied Pakistan’s top and lower orders. After having played a starring role with the ball, Jansen made a cameo with the bat – 20 off 14 balls – to help South Africa narrowly chase down 271 on a track that provided sharp bounce and zip to the bowlers throughout the game.This has been a difficult World Cup for new-ball bowlers. With the conditions not particularly conducive to swing, the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Trent Boult have had their share of struggles in the powerplay. Jansen’s primary role is also to swing the new ball – he’s a super specialist in the powerplay in T20 cricket – but he also has other precious skills that defy conditions.Related

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Once Jansen gleaned that the new ball wasn’t swinging, he immediately dragged his length so far back that he had Abdullah Shafique ducking and weaving. It was only a matter of when – and not if – Jansen would blast out Shafique. The moment arrived in the left-arm quick’s third over, when he had the batter flapping a rib-high short ball from over the wicket to Lungi Ngidi at long leg. Jansen had similarly troubled Imam-ul-Haq with the short ball before he sucker-punched him with a fuller one wide of off stump. Having been pushed back, Imam simply threw his hands at the ball and nicked it behind to gully.This was Jansen’s tenth wicket in the powerplay in this World Cup – nobody has more wickets than him during this phase. His tally is double than that of the next best. After South Africa’s tense one-wicket win, their captain Temba Bavuma tried to make sense of Jansen’s new-ball potency on Indian pitches.”I think the ball is swinging. I think Marco has recognised that,” Bavuma said at his post-match press conference. “He’s been working a lot on his wrist position and he’s exploiting whatever swing and seam that is there on offer. I think there’s freedom for him to go about searching for those wickets but still having that control. And I think also being backed up with a guy like Lungi on the other side who’s also looking to exploit whatever swing, whatever seam that is on offer; I think they’re working well together.”So, look, I mean, players will always flourish when they feel backed. We know Marco, [during] Australia series, wasn’t bowling the quality that he is bowling now, but he understood that the guys who had him in the team were backing him and we know what his skill set is. So, it’s on show now. He’s really becoming a weapon of ours and we’ll take that any day.”4:27

Bavuma: ‘Jansen is really becoming a weapon of ours’

South Africa’s team management has empowered Jansen and Co to perform attacking roles with the new ball even though the conditions may not necessarily be in their favour. Against England on a flat Wankhede deck, South Africa had placed a wide leg-slip for Joe Root and on cue, the batter tickled one off the hips to that fielder. Then against Pakistan, they had a wide gully to trap Imam.”Yes, I think upfront with Marco, like I said, we’re always looking for him to swing the ball both ways,” Bavuma said. “I think we’ve identified that the ball upfront, it doesn’t really go square with the wicket a lot, so we thought instead of the two slips behind with the right-hander, rather have one-on-one with the leg slip. That’s obviously worked. I think it put something at the back of the batter’s mind. And I think with the left-hander, he’s probably always going to go two slips and if it’s not swinging, he’ll always go the gully.”We felt this wicket there was a little bit of bounce and obviously Marco being ten foot whatever he is, he’s always going to exploit that. But yeah, we plan for these things, sometimes they come off, sometimes they don’t, and when they don’t, you look like you don’t know what you’re doing. So, it’s been a good run for Marco, it’s been a good run for us as the strategic team as well in terms of our planning.”Jansen also kept Shadab Khan quiet with his hit-the-deck hustle in the middle overs before unleashing reverse-swinging yorkers at the death. Mohammad Nawaz somehow kept those yorkers out. But when Jansen marginally missed his yorker, Nawaz was already rattled and he ended up plopping a leading edge to point. He was the ninth Pakistan batter to fall and Pakistan were ultimately bowled out for a below-par 270, with 20 balls unused in their innings.Getty Images”I don’t think we batted particularly well at the back end,” Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s team director, summed up at his press conference. “But we always set ourselves up to have… you’ve got to have one of your top four in at over 40. And you talk about the success that we’ve had over the last year; we’ve had one of our top four generally getting hundreds. We’ve had two hundreds this competition so far in the same game.”So, we’ve had players get in. We’ve had players get starts. We haven’t had players go through. And I thought, I don’t think we managed the last five overs particularly well tonight. There was still, at one point, in the 45th over, I remember saying to the dressing room a run-a-ball gets us 295 and a little bit more we’ve got us 300. I know we would have defended 300 tonight. So, I don’t think we managed that back end particularly well at all. And we left 10-12 balls out there that we didn’t face.”Tabraiz Shamsi walked away with the Player-of-the-Match award for his four-wicket haul, but Jansen had made the biggest impact, according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats.

Fast bowler set to return to England post T20I series against India as Rajasthan Royals await formal update from ECB on his availability

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Mar-2021Jofra Archer is set to miss at least the first half of IPL 2021 for the Rajasthan Royals, as the ECB has decided to send him back home from India to tend to an elbow condition, which had kept him out of the second and fourth Tests against India.ESPNcricinfo understands that Archer will return to England after the T20I series, and will not feature in the three-match ODI series against India to be played between March 23 and 29. The IPL is scheduled to start on April 9.It is understood that on returning home, Archer, who has an ECB central contract to play in all three formats, is going to be administered one more injection in his right elbow before being assessed by the ECB medical staff around mid-April, after which a call would be taken on whether he would return to India for the IPL or not.Although the Royals have not issued a public statement, it is understood they have been updated about Archer’s availability, or the lack of it.England captain Eoin Morgan said that the final decision would rest with the medical team keeping the long term in mind, adding that Archer’s injury had “definitely gotten worse”.”We’re not quite sure yet,” Morgan told the press after the fifth T20I in Ahmedabad. “We’re going to wait until tonight and tomorrow to see how Jofra has pulled up. He’s clearly had a progressive injury that has become worse and does need attention, so it’ll be over to our medical team to make a decision and hopefully the decision that Jofra comes to will be the best for us in the long term.”I think it’s rare when a bowler isn’t managing pain – what they do is a tough job and if you ask any of them, are they ever pain-free, it’s a pretty rare instance if they say yes. Most of our bowlers are normally carrying niggles but certainly Jofra’s situation has definitely got worse, so it does need attention.”Archer was bought by the Royals in the 2018 auction for INR 7.2 crore (US$ 986,000 approx.) and the fast bowler has justified the high price by delivering some of the best spells of fast bowling in the tournament, finishing as the MVP in 2020. Although the Royals have not ruled out Archer returning for the second half of the tournament, it is understood the franchise is considering back-up plans – including finding a replacement – but are waiting for a formal communication from the ECB.Related

• Jofra Archer will not be rushed back to fulfil IPL contract, Kumar Sangakkara says

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• Silverwood: Test cricket priority for England despite IPL demands

• Sangakkara: Morris price no barrier in finding support for Archer

• Jofra Archer, and the IPL to Test cricket transition

The overseas fast-bowling contingent at the Royals includes Ben Stokes, Mustafizur Rahman, Andrew Tye and Chris Morris. Morris was picked up by the Royals for INR 16.25 crore (US$ 2.226m approx.) at the 2021 auction, making him the most expensive player in the history of the IPL.Having missed the second Test in Chennai, Archer sat out the final Test in Ahmedabad as the elbow injury flared up, initially casting doubts over his availability for the five-match T20I series, which concludes on SaturdayAfter the Test series defeat, England head coach Chris Silverwood had conceded that Archer’s elbow injury was a concern. Although he ruled out surgery, Silverwood had said that the ECB medical staff was “talking about how we deal with this [issue in the] long-term”.Archer received a painkilling injection to the right elbow immediately after the first Test of the India series. In a media release, the ECB had pointed out that the injury was separate to the stress fracture he had suffered during the South Africa tour in January 2020, which had then ruled him out of the Sri Lanka tour and IPL 2020, both of which ended up being postponed. England are particularly keen to manage Archer carefully with an eye on the T20 World Cup and the Ashes later this year, both of which are long-term priorities.Archer pledged after the first T20I to “do everything in my power to make sure that I am going to the World Cup and the Ashes”, and said in an in-house interview on Friday: “Managing yourself is going to become more important than ever to make sure that you’re still fit or fully fit when that time comes”.England are yet to name their squad for the ODI series, which starts on Tuesday, March 23 in Pune, but have not flown any players out to India since the start of the T20Is. As a result, the ODI squad will be selected from the same group of 18 currently in India – the 16-man T20I squad, plus two reserves in Jake Ball and Matt Parkinson.

Nico Schlotterbeck’s future at Borussia Dortmund is up in the air. With Bayern Munich and Liverpool both pushing to sign the defender and contract talks at Dortmund stalling, his Germany teammate Jonathan Tah has stepped in, offering advice and support as the 25-year-old weighs a crucial decision about his next move.

• Contract tension building at Dortmund

  According to a report from , the German centre-back has turned down Dortmund’s latest contract offer and is growing frustrated with the team’s playing style under coach Niko Kovac. His current deal runs until 2027, but reports suggest he is unlikely to sign an extension, increasing speculation about a possible move next summer. The 25-year-old joined Dortmund from Freiburg in 2022 and has since become one of the club’s key players, making 134 appearances in all competitions. Despite his importance, uncertainty around his future continues to grow.

  Dortmund are reportedly preparing a new contract proposal that would keep him at the club until 2030 and are even ready to triple his salary. However, the German international has shown no intention of committing to an extension for now, preferring to keep his options open amid growing interest from top European clubs, including Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Tah’s advice to Schlotterbeck amid transfer rumours

  Speaking during a press conference ahead of Germany's World Cup qualifying match against Luxembourg, Tah had nothing but praise for his national teammate and domestic rival. The Munich defender urged the Dortmund centre-back to think carefully before making his next move.

  "This is an exciting situation for Nico," said Tah. "He's an outstanding player who always works on himself, who always wants to improve. It's a crucial point in his career right now, and I simply hope he can make the right decision for himself. Many doors are open to him. I wish him all the best in making his decision."

  The German also made it clear that he is there to support his teammate if needed. "If he needs advice or wants to talk to me, he's welcome to do so. I'm here," he added.

  Recently, Schlotterbeck himself spoke highly of Tah, calling him 'a better defender' and explaining why the pair work so well together for the national team.

  "Jona is very communicative on the pitch and simply important to me. Defensively, he has been a very strong defender for years now and has done extremely well. For me, the ball-playing aspect is perhaps a bit more interesting than for him. He's perhaps a better defender, though. That's why it's a good fit."

• Bayern and Liverpool monitoring closely

  Dortmund's rival Munich are reportedly keeping a close eye on German's situation as they look to strengthen their backline ahead of next season. With Dayot Upamecano’s contract set to expire next year, Bayern could turn to Schlotterbeck as a younger replacement. Meanwhile, the reigning Premier League champions are also in the race. The Reds are preparing for defensive changes, with Virgil van Dijk reaching the twilight of his career and uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate’s future, whose contract expires this summer amid interest from Los Blancos. 

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  What’s next for Schlotterbeck?

  With both Bayern and Liverpool circling, Schlotterbeck faces a career-defining choice. Dortmund want to keep him. Last month, Sporting director Lars Ricken publicly addressed the situation, making it clear that while the club respects Schlotterbeck’s hesitation, they won’t let talks drag on.

  “We will not rush into anything. But of course, we don't want to drag it out indefinitely, everyone is aware of that," Ricken told .

  For now, the German won’t feature in the national team's upcoming match after withdrawing from the squad due to injury. The defender’s priority would be to recover quickly and help Dortmund get back into the title race. The club currently sits third in the table, behind Bayern and RB Leipzig, with six wins from ten games.

An astonishing onslaught against Australia showed all the hallmarks of his white-ball evolution

Firdose Moonda16-Sep-2023Heinrich Klaasen spent Friday night either watching the highlights of his 83-ball 174 or looking after his nine-month old daughter Laya; or maybe juggling a bit of both as he soaked in what he hinted was the most enjoyable match of his career.”It was special and a lot to take in. I will go tonight and watch a bit of the highlights,” a visibly emotional Klaasen said afterwards, though he later turned on dad mode when asked what keeps him motivated. “Having a family has changed things for me. The little one doesn’t care what I’ve done tonight. I saw she’s awake already so it might be a long night.”It was likely a long one either way as Klaasen tried to make sense of a blistering knock that he approached with a Midas touch.Related

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As it was happening, he tried not to think about it and forced himself to stay in every moment of the match, so much so that when offered the chance to sit out the first part of South Africa’s fielding innings, he refused, so that could be on the park with the rest of the team.”What’s changed in my career is that I am playing every ball as it is and for me to stay in that mindset, I don’t recap what I have done the previous ball or think of what I might do the next ball,” he said. “Tim David asked me how many sixes I hit and I said I didn’t know. It shows my mindset was good and I was only focusing on what’s coming in that moment. I have to go back and look at it. It was awesome out there and you don’t often get that feeling – maybe once or twice in your career.”He used the word changed because Klaasen wasn’t always such an in-the-zone player. He admitted that in his early days, he tried to do much and emulate players he admired but that it didn’t always work.”You look up to some role models and you want to be like them – like AB de Villiers. You want to play all the shots but the genius behind guys like AB was knowing when to play them,” Klaasen said. “For me, I explored a lot with it and it didn’t work. It was about maturing into my game and knowing my options are.”That level of fine-tuning only happened when Klaasen was dropped after a series against Sri Lanka in 2021. He missed matches against India and Bangladesh in early 2022 and went back to his domestic team, the Titans, based at SuperSport Park. “The coaches said to me, ‘You are using too many options. Let’s limit yourself,’ he explained.

Who would you pick?#SAvAUS #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/hwzsweJjlE

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 15, 2023