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The best batting, bowling and all-round performances in series, ranked, taking into account opposition strength and the pitch conditions

Anantha Narayanan10-Oct-2020This article is about the top performers, both batsmen and bowlers, in Test series. I can already hear voices clamouring, “Come on, I can go to ESPNcricinfo’s stats section and see that Don Bradman’s 974 runs in the 1930 Ashes and Sydney Barnes’ 49 wickets in the 1913-14 South Africa series are the best batting and bowling performances in a series. What are you going to do differently?” A very valid plaint indeed. These tables can be obtained at a minute’s notice.However, I will bring context into the equation. Where was the series played, who were the opponents, how strong were the opponent bowlers and batsmen, what was the innings and match status when the players played, what was the result, what was the support available, and the like.In other words, I will bring into the equation Performance Ratings points. Just as Kusal Perera’s and Brian Lara’s unbeaten 153s were placed far ahead of Lara’s 400 in the batting ratings, it is possible that lower run and wicket aggregates could trump the colossal performances of Bradman and Barnes. In fact, I can say that the two performances referred to above are nowhere near the best ever.Let us start with the batsmen. First, a table on the best batting performances in a series – ordered by batting rating points.Anantha NarayananSteven Smith’s epochal feats in the 2019 Ashes series add up to the best ever series batting performance in the history of the game. He gathered 3427 rating points, which works out to over 800 points per Test (he missed one match with a concussion). He failed in one innings out of seven. The runs were scored when needed, and they helped Australia draw the series. In two Tests he delivered big performances in each innings, and he made excellent big fifties in the other two.Clyde Walcott’s magnificent series in 1955 against the strong Australians comes in in second position. He scored five hundreds in the series – the only batsman in history to do so, and his rating points tally was 3185. A young Mark Taylor, in only his second series, took England by storm in 1989 with an aggregate of 839 runs, with over 2850 rating points. A century, double-century and a bunch of fifties helped him achieve this remarkable feat, which gives him the fourth position. Rounding out the top five is Virat Kohli, who, after a disastrous 2014 in England, more than made up in 2018. His two priceless hundreds and consistent scores helped him gather 2805 rating points.Len Hutton’s landmark series performance in 1950-51 merits a separate paragraph. An aggregate of 533 runs in a low-scoring series, and nearly 2900 rating points, puts this performance in third place. That too in a lost series. Let us look deeper at the numbers from the series. One of the greatest bowling combinations ever (Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Bill Johnston), an average Pitch Quality Index of just over 40 (the lowest amongst all considered series). It is no wonder that Hutton ranks so high on the list. It also proves that the ratings basis is sound – the process does not reward wins and run aggregates undeservedly, especially when it comes to low-to-middling scores. Hutton’s 62 not out, coming in at 30 for 6, gathered over 500 rating points.The rest of the list reads like a Who’s Who of top Test batsmen. All these players have secured in excess of 2500 rating points in each case. Mohinder Amarnath deserves a special mention. After one of the greatest series by a visiting batsman, against West Indies away, he had the mortification of scoring 4, 7, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0 and 0 – and at home at that.Now on to the secondary metric of rating points per run. A high value of this indicates a tough series and a low one, a rather friendly one. Hutton had the highest value, 5.4 points per run. Allan Border in 1981 is the only other batsman to exceed 5.0. Smith’s value is rather high, 4.4. Bradman’s 1930 average is the lowest at 2.6.Why is Bradman, with his aggregate of 974 runs in 1930, only in 21st place? Well, it is time to look at some aspects of the ratings computations.1. Merely scoring runs will not guarantee ratings points. Just as the brace of 153s trumped 365 and 400, many series aggregates in the 500-600 range will get more ratings points over much higher 800-run aggregates. The main reason for this is context, which has already been covered. And the second reason is that I have made sure the ratings values are not overly linearly dependent on the scores.2. For the 49,366 innings of 10-plus runs in Test history, the correlation coefficient between runs and rating points is 0.90. That is very good correlation but not absolute dependency.3. Take three batsmen playing in a three-Test series. The first one scores two 300s, the second one, three 200s, and the third four 100s. Other things being equal, the first batsman is likely to secure 1500 rating points, the second one, 1800 points and the third batsman over 2200 points.4. Well-made small innings get a significant number of points. A tough 75 in a hard-fought team score of 200 is likely to carry more points than a 150 out of 700. However, this does not mean that all low scores will get good points. Aravinda de Silva’s 125, made coming in at 615 for 1 does not even get 200 rating points.5. The base numbers of the series mean a lot. For instance, Bradman’s 1930 series had an average Pitch Quality Index of 57, indicating a relatively batsman-dominated series. Smith’s 2019 Ashes was much more bowler-friendly, with an average PQI of 46.6. Bradman’s scores in that 1930 series against England were 131 (L), 254 (W), 334 (D) and 232 (W). Four substantial innings, but his three other innings, were 8, 1 and 14. Not necessarily good for ratings points accumulation, or for that matter, of great value to the team. Smith scored 144 and 142 (W), 92 (D), 211 and 82 (W) and 80 (L). The only other innings was one of 23. So there was almost no poor innings.Finally, scoring big innings only guarantees that the team will not lose. Not necessarily win. Of the 94 scores of 250 or more, only 45 have resulted in wins and 49, in draws. It is no wonder that Bradman accumulated 2517 rating points and Smith 3427.The ratings points are already a qualitative metric. A doubly qualitative one is the ratings points per Test. This is the ultimate measuring tool. Smith played in only four Tests in the 2019 series and averaged over 850 points per Test. That is an average of one innings fit to make the top 25 innings of all time in each Test he played in. The next batsman on this parameter is Sunil Gavaskar in the 1971 tour and he is exactly 200 points behind. The only other batsman who averages more than 600 points per Test is Walcott.Going down to two-Test series, Dimuth Karunaratne averaged 851 points per Test against South Africa in 2018. Jacques Kallis averaged 787 points against Pakistan in 2007. Ajinkya Rahane averaged 761 points against West Indies in 2019. Jimmy Adams and Brian Lara exceeded 750 points per Test in three-Test series against India in 1994 and Sri Lanka in 2001 respectively.Anantha NarayananThe list above is the table you can get in a minute from ESPNcricinfo. Bradman and Wally Hammond are the only two batsmen to score more than 900 runs in a Test series. Bradman has also topped 800 on two other occasions, while Taylor, Neil Harvey, Viv Richards, Walcott and Garry Sobers have also exceeded 800 runs in a Test series. Maybe this target is unattainable now with the number of Tests in a series coming down.However, I have provided another measure, a partly qualitative one, at the left. This is the Runs per Test value. Graham Gooch is the only batsman to exceed 250 runs per Test in this group – against India in 1990, but in a three-Test series. Richards is the other batsman to exceed 200 runs per Test. Smith crossed 190 twice. Because of six-Test series, the average drops to around 125 for some batsmen.When we come down to two-Test series, Sanath Jayasuriya averaged 285.5 against India in 1997, Hammond 281.5 against New Zealand in 1933, and Andy Flower 270 against India in a tough away series during 2000.Anantha NarayananI had prepared an additional chart ordered on Rating points per Test. I decided not to include the same. That graph would have done justice to the 2/3 Test series. Unknowingly, I have not been fair to the smaller countries which normally play 2/3 Test series. Hence I have included the same here. The graph is self-explanatory.Anantha NarayananFinally, a scatter chart to show the way the batsmen performed on the two measures – rating points and runs scored.Smith in 2019 is only in the middle on the runs-scored axis but is way up on the ratings-points axis. Bradman is way to the right on the runs axis and fairly low on the ratings-points one. Of special interest are Hutton and Border. They are way to the left on the X-axis but in the middle in the Y-axis. The diagram is, on the whole, self-explanatory.Now for some points about the bowling ratings.1. For the 29,876 wicket-capturing spells in all Test cricket, the correlation coefficient is 0.96. This is very high degree of correlation, indicating a very strong relationship between wickets and rating points.2. Unlike runs, which could mean nothing, wickets matter a lot almost always. There is a clear distinction between a batsman scoring an utterly useless hundred in a score of 700 in a drawn match and a bowler taking, say, three wickets in a match with a very low PQI of 10. In the latter case, invariably the team wins.3. The bowling rating scores, on average, are higher than for batting, since the total points are shared by fewer bowlers.4. Finally, taking, say, eight wickets, not only increases the chances of a result but also the chances that it is a win. Of the 97 eight-wicket performances, 63 have resulted in wins, 12 in draws, and 22 in losses.In summary, this is a recognition of the century-old saying that bowlers win matches.Anantha NarayananJim Laker’s colossal collection of 46 wickets in that mesmerising series against Australia in 1956 walks away with the best-bowling-performance laurels. It came against an Australia team that was not poor by any means – Colin McDonald, Neal Harvey, Keith Miller, Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson and Ray Lindwall formed a tough group of players. It was a bowling-centric series, where the average Pitch Quality Index was around 42. Laker’s wicket hauls were 10, 9, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3 and 2.Next comes one of the greatest bowling performances by any bowler in Asia. When Imran Khan took 40 wickets against India in 1983, he set standards unequalled before or after. He gathered 4354 rating points because he dismissed many top-order batsmen. The fewest wickets he took in any innings in the series was two. He had four five-wicket hauls.In third place is Terry Alderman, whose twin golden series in England represent, arguably, two of the greatest bowling performances in that country. This particular entry is for the latter one – in the 1989 series. The 41 wickets he took gave him 4278 rating points. Alderman too dismissed many top-order batsmen. His two Ashes performances, eight years apart, were magnificent landmarks. However, his 1989 performance, though it was lower by one wicket than the 1981 one, earns 10% more rating points because Australia won 4-0 in 1989, as against losing 1-3 in 1981; the bowling average was 17 in 1989, against 21 in the earlier series; and Alderman dismissed 33 top-order batsmen in 1989 as compared to 26 in 1981.In fourth place lies Clarrie Grimmett’s farewell series performance of 44 wickets in 1936 against South Africa. South Africa were not a great team in those days, but the huge number of wickets helped Grimmett gather in excess of 4200 rating points. Let us not forget that he was past 40 at that time.In fifth place is Maurice Tate’s 38 wickets on his first visit to Australia, in 1924-25. Bradman was still practising at home in Bowral then, but this Australian team was quite a strong one, and Tate’s aggregate was well over 4000 rating points.In sixth place is Barnes’ haul of 49 wickets in four Tests against South Africa in 1914. However, it is clear that the South Africa team was a sub-par one, and this accounts for Barnes’ rating-points tally being only 4063.On the ratings-points-per-Test measure, Barnes deservedly leads, having earned his 4000-plus points in that series from only four Tests. He is the only player to exceed 1000 points per Test in this group. Laker, Grimmett and Tate accumulated over 800 points per Test.Moving to two-and-three-Test series, Saqlain Mushtaq averaged 1077 points per Test against India in 1999. Muttiah Muralitharan earned 1061 points per Test against South Africa in 2006. Richard Hadlee and Rangana Herath averaged either side of 1050 points per Test, in three-Test series, against Australia in 1985 and Australia in 2016 respectively. These four, along with Barnes, are the only bowlers to go past 1000 points per Test.Harbhajan Singh (2001 versus Australia), Nathan Lyon (2017 versus Bangladesh) and Mohammad Asif (2006 versus Sri Lanka) narrowly miss out.Considering that it was played in Pakistan, the opposition was a strong Indian team, and that the series was a batsman-dominated one (average Pitch Quality Index of 60), I would venture to say that Khan’s performance was the best ever in a series. The other bowlers in contention bowled in bowler-friendly conditions and/or against weaker opposition.Anantha NarayananBarnes leads the list of top wicket-takers, with 49 wickets in the series against South Africa in 1914. The fact that it was against rather ordinary opposition does not lower the greatness of the performance. Laker, Grimmett, Alderman (twice), Rodney Hogg, Shane Warne and Khan took 40 or more wickets in a series.When we come to wickets per Test, Barnes leads again, with over 12. In a three-Test series against South Africa in 1896, George Lohmann averaged 11.67 WpT. Laker is the only other bowler to exceed 9 WpT.Going down to two-or-three-Test series, a host of bowlers have WpT figures of 10 or more. Possibly the most impressive is Hadlee, who averaged 11 WpT against Australia in 1985. Muralitharan averaged 11 WpT in a two-Test series and 10 WpT in a three-Test series. Singh averaged 10.67 WpT against Australia in 2001. Abdul Qadir averaged 10 WpT against England in 1987.Anantha NarayananAnd just as for the batsmen, the above graph lists the bowlers with the highest ratings points per Test.Anantha NarayananFinally, the composite chart, plotting the wickets versus the bowling rating points. Quite different to its counterpart for batting. If I draw a line across, from (30, 3000) to (50, 4500), only one of the top series performers, Barnes, is clearly to the right of the line. That indicates that he gathered fairly average points per wicket – below 100. Many of the bowlers in the left and top have a value of over 100 on this parameter. Two aspects stand out. Barring Khan, no bowler from the subcontinent is in this elite collection. And Barnes, Alderman and Warne have two performances each.Anantha NarayananThe selection criteria for the allrounders list is that the player should have secured a minimum of 1000 rating points in each of the two aspects, batting and bowling. This is to ensure that true allrounders are selected.Ian Botham picked up 34 wickets and scored 399 runs in that roller coaster of an Ashes series in 1981. These numbers, individually, would be enough for a player to be considered as having done well either as a batsman or bowler. Botham was off-colour in the first two Tests, when he was the captain. Then he contributed with both bat and ball in the next four Tests – 50, 149 not out and 118, accompanied by 6 for 95, 5 for 11, 3 for 28, 6 for 125 and 4 for 128. All these were match-winning or match-saving performances.Aubrey Faulkner was a magnificent allrounder, not often talked about but very effective all the same. He was at his best against England in 1910, scoring 545 runs and taking 29 wickets. His key contributions were 78, 123, 47, 76, 44, 49 not out and 99. The bowling contributions were 5 for 120, 3 for 40, 6 for 87, 4 for 89 and a brace of three-wicket hauls. South Africa defeated a strong England side 3-2 mainly because of Faulkner’s exploits.Andrew Flintoff’s performances during the Ashes series of 2005 were reminiscent of Botham’s two and a half decades before. He made 402 runs and took 24 wickets; that England carved out a narrow 2-1 win in one of the greatest ever Test series was because of Flintoff. Scores of 68, 73, 46, 102 and 72 were supported by bowling spells of 3 for 52, 4 for 79, 4 for 71 and 5 for 78.George Giffen, with 34 wickets and 475 runs is fourth on the table. This performance was in the lost Ashes series of 1895. Garry Sobers had a batting-dominated series in 1966 against England. He took 20 wickets but scored 722 runs. West Indies won the Test series comfortably.Sobers appears three more times and Botham twice more on this list. The last two entries are two modern greats – Shakib Al Hassan and Daniel Vettori – both in two-Test series.Finally, a summary. Which three players are on top?Steven Smith: Arguably the greatest of modern Test batsmen, and again arguably, the greatest batsman born after 1910. Where will he end his career? No one can bet against a 65 average and a clear second position to the Don.Jim Laker: One of the most effective spinners of all time. Normally excluded when talks veer around to Warne and Murali. However, no one can deny the impact of the numbers at a time when the frequency of Tests was quite low – 193 wickets at 21.25, well below a typical spinner’s bowler’s average.Ian Botham: Inarguably, the most charismatic of allrounders. He was the original. A true match-winner in both aspects of the game.

Tottenham Hotspur have added Mathys Tel to their Champions League squad as they were forced to remove the injured Dominic Solanke from their European roster. The star striker has been restricted to just three competitive club appearances this term owing to an ankle problem sustained in pre-season. Tel was initially not included in the squad for the league phase of the Champions League.

Tel included in Spurs squad ahead of Slavia Prague clash

Head coach Thomas Frank had initially kept Tel out of their squad for the league stages of the Champions League after his move from Bayern Munich was made permanent in the summer. However, with Solanke out of action on a long-term basis, the Spurs boss has now named the 20-year-old French forward in their European roster ahead of their home fixture against Slavia Prague on Tuesday night.

AdvertisementAFPFrank hinted at Tel recall

Frank had suggested Tel would be added to the European squad during his pre-match press conference on Monday, as the manager told reporters: "Of course, if I knew back then what I know now, it maybe would have changed the decision, no doubt about that. Of course, it’s something we can have in consideration. We need players that are fit and available, so we have enough players to shoot with from the bench."

Solanke frustrated with injury problems

Solanke, who has undergone surgery, recently spoke to and discussed his injury struggles as he said: "It’s been very difficult. At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury. I was trying to get back as quickly as I could but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery. Since then, I have been working to get back. 

"I’m not putting a timeline on it because I’ve been telling everyone ‘I’m going to be back soon’ for the last few months. I’m taking it day by day but hopefully I won’t be much longer."

The 28-year-old isn't the only Spurs attacker sidelined at present, with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski also long-term absentees owing to respective knee injuries.

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Getty Images SportClub legend's homecoming on European night

Tuesday night's Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague will be extra special for the home fans as Spurs legend Son Heung-min is back in north London for the first time since leaving for LAFC in the summer.

The club's official statement read: "Sonny will take to the pitch before the team walk-outs ahead of the 20:00 kick-off against the Czech champions. He will then have the opportunity to personally address the supporters that took him into their hearts following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and treasured him for the next 10 years – it is sure to be an emotional occasion in N17."

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O Botafogo venceu Universitário, do Peru, por 3 a 1, nesta quarta-feira (24), pela terceira rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores. Superior durante toda a partida, o Glorioso marcou com Eduardo (2) e Luiz Henrique. O gol dos peruanos foi marcado por Olivares, já no apagar das luzes. Antes distante, o sonho da classificação para as oitavas está vivo!

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✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
BOTAFOGO X UNIVERSITÁRIO
3ª RODADA – FASE DE GRUPOS DA LIBERTADORES
🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 24 de abril de 2024, às 19h (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Estádio Nilton Santos, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ);
📺 Onde assistir: ESPN e Star +;
🟨 Árbitro: Jesús Valenzuela (VEN);
🚩 Assistentes: Jorge Urrego (VEN) e Alberto Ponte (VEN);
🖥️ VAR: Juan Soto (VEN).

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BOTAFOGO (Técnico: Artur Jorge)
Gatito Fernández; Mateo Ponte (Damián Suárez), Lucas Halter, Bastos, Hugo; Danilo Barbosa, Marlon Freitas, Savarino, Jeffinho; Júnior Santos, Tiquinho Soares.

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Britos; Corzo, Riveros, Di Benedetto; Rodrigo Ureña, Martín Pérez, Jario Concha; Andy Polo, Portocarrero; Alex Valera e Edison Flores.

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Apertura 2025 came to an end for André Jardine’s América, as not even an Alejandro Zendejas goal could save them from a 90th-minute strike by Germán Berterame that sealed a premature Liguilla exit for the azulcremas. It’s the first time Jardine has been eliminated before the semifinals since taking over the Americanista bench.

Getty Images SportAmérica fall 3-2 on aggregateIn a match that once seemed firmly in América’s control, with goals from Alejandro Zendejas and Raúl Zúñiga in the 30th and 59th minutes, it ultimately wasn’t enough to push the azulcremas into the next round. What looked like a routine victory unraveled into a nightmare for the club and for the fans who packed Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes.AdvertisementGetty Images SportDisallowed goal shifted momentum

In the 73rd minute, Zúñiga scored what would have been the goal to put América up 3-0 and effectively seal a place in the semifinals, but it was disallowed for offside. The outlook still seemed overwhelmingly favorable – especially after the sending off of Jesús Rodríguez in the 84th minute, which left Rayados with 10 men.

However, neither the numerical advantage nor the control América showed throughout the match could prevent the final blow. In stoppage time, the Mexican international’s goal ended América’s tournament. América won the match 2-1, but the aggregate score finished 3-2 in Monterrey’s favor.

Getty Images Sport'Small details' cost América

Jardine was sent off in the final minutes, leaving his assistant Paulo Víctor to address the media after the elimination.

“We believe we had a good game plan, but small details were what knocked us out. We had the match under control up to a certain point, but in these kinds of games, where the margins are very tight, we ended up being eliminated,” the assistant said. 

He added that they have full support from the América board to continue the project heading into the Clausura 2026.

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next?

América are out, and Jardine has suffered the first major failure of his Liga MX tenure. Meanwhile, Rayados de Monterrey move on, with Sergio Ramos and Domenec Torrent’s team already in the next round.

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Premier League as a product. Is modern football actually boring? Are teams now too reliant on set pieces to score goals? Are the mavericks and the willing protagonists being silenced just to preserve their manager's tactics? Have we gone too far in pursuit of sporting perfection?

These are some of the questions we'll be attempting to answer today. Football, as the world's most beloved sport, is supposed to be entertaining. That's why millions and billions tune in. It's not just about glory, but the winding, loop-filled road to it.

That's perhaps even truer in the Premier League, the supposed best competition in the world, the actual incarnation of the failed European Super League. Yet fans, supporters and viewers seem as disinterested as ever.

That's why we at GOAL felt it was imperative to both a) name and shame some of these anti-footballing culprits, and b) praise those who actually seem committed to keeping our attention. We've ranked the 20 top-flight teams based on their style of play, how much fun it usually is to watch them as a neutral, the flair and enjoyability of their best players, and the jeopardy they are constantly battling. You'll understand that last point a little later…

Getty Images Sport20Wolves

Unsurprisingly, the team that is currently bottom of the real Premier League table is also bottom of these rankings. Unless you're a West Brom fan hungry for a delicious hate-watch, who on this planet is tuning into Wolves games thinking 'ooh yeah that should be a fun one'?

Maybe new manager Rob Edwards will work some magic and get the side he used to play for firing again. Maybe Jorgen Strand Larsen will rediscover his shooting boots. Maybe one of their many South Americans will turn into Pele reincarnated. Don't count on it, though.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport19Burnley

Heading into and out of the season's third international break, Burnley sit above the relegation zone. Yeah, go and double-check if you want, it's a little hard to believe, but it's true. Scott Parker has a recent history of his teams getting slaughtered at the top level, yet he's somehow made the Clarets a fairly respectable outfit again in the Premier League. They at least have a chance of survival, unlike the newly-promoted teams of the last few seasons.

Nevertheless, this has come at a cost. Unlike Vincent Kompany's side who tumbled to relegation in 2023-24, this version of Burnley are much more compact. They will earn more points in the real world than style points in this ranking.

AFP18Leeds United

From the outside looking in, it would be very easy to assume that Daniel Farke has stuck to his high-octane principles which have served him so well as a Championship manager. However, in an attempt to keep his job in the Premier League, he's had to revert to a much stodgier brand of football.

Elland Road is home to one of the most intimidating crowds in the country, though the team that plays there could do with some more on-ball quality if they are to rise back up this list akin to the days of Marcelo Bielsa.

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Getty Images Sport17Fulham

You have to feel for Marco Silva. He's worked wonders with Fulham but seldom seems to receive the backing he needs in the transfer market to ever take them to that next level.

His sides are largely perceived as defensive – which is quite funny given he was seen as a hopeless, forward-thinking romantic at Hull City, Watford and Everton – but they still do possess some trickery in the form of Alex Iwobi and youth product Josh King. The squad has gone a bit stale, though that's hardly his fault.

Miller’s involvement in the Hundred precluded him from being part of the ODI series, but he will join South Africa for the T20Is that follow

Matt Roller01-Sep-2025

David Miller remains in contention for the 2027 World Cup despite his absence from South Africa’s squad for their ODI series in England, according to captain Temba Bavuma.Miller, 36, has not played international cricket since the Champions Trophy in March and signed a hybrid contract with Cricket South Africa earlier this year. He missed South Africa’s white-ball tour to Australia in August while playing for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred and will not feature in this week’s ODI series, but will return for the three T20Is that start on September 10.Bavuma said that Miller’s involvement in the Hundred – which ended on Saturday night in the Eliminator – effectively precluded him from selection for the ODI series, since he had missed South Africa’s build-up since arriving in Leeds last week. By contrast, five of England’s players only travelled to Headingley on Monday afternoon after playing in Sunday night’s final.Related

Maharaj back in South Africa's T20I squad

Sonny Baker set for England ODI debut against South Africa

“What I understand is that those communications were done during his contract times, in terms of him being available during this period for the Hundred,” Bavuma said. “Essentially, he wasn’t available for selection – but I stand by correction around that… David’s still within the mix in the ODI stuff, if that answers your question.”The Australia tour would’ve coincided with the Hundred. I guess any international commitments that occurred during the Hundred, David wasn’t available for. Unfortunately, the one-day [series], it clashes: he wasn’t part of our build-up. But then with the T20 stuff, the Hundred is done, he’ll fall back into the team.”While Miller will be 38 by the time of the 2027 World Cup, he has an exceptional ODI record as a middle-order batter, averaging 42.30 and striking at 103.68 after more than 150 innings in the format. He impressed during the Hundred too, scoring 133 runs in five innings and hitting 14 of the 71 balls that he faced for six – including four in 10 balls in Saturday’s Eliminator.South Africa’s squad is otherwise at full strength for the ODI series, although Matthew Breetzke and Kagiso Rabada miss out for Tuesday’s series-opener with niggles. They have also lost Heinrich Klaasen from the group that reached the Champions Trophy semi-finals, following his retirement from international cricket earlier this year.Bavuma said that the wider context for this week’s ODI series is for South Africa to continue their development as a 50-over side ahead of the 2027 World Cup – which they will co-host with Zimbabwe and Namibia: “That’s the bigger picture… But we’d like to bring ourselves back to here and what we need to do to be successful in England.”

Can Danny Röhl claim a win in his first Scottish Premiership match in charge of Rangers?

Amazingly, eight games into this league season, Rangers have still only won once.

Last weekend, with youth team coach Steven Smith at the helm, they required a late equaliser from James Tavernier to salvage a 2-2 draw with Dundee United at Ibrox.

This makes it the club’s worst start since 1978, excluding seasons they were outside the top-flight, and the Gers have not finished lower than third since 1985/86, which could be a genuine possibility right now.

The Light Blues are eight points behind fierce rivals Celtic but 13 adrift of current league leaders Hearts. The top two face each other at Tynecastle on Sunday, but Rangers are not involved in any title conversation, simply seeking to climb into the European places.

On Thursday night, Röhl did take charge of his new team for the first time, but one would not call it a dream start, given that they were demolished 3-0 by Brann in the Europa League.

In the next fortnight, the Light Blues face Kilmarnock, Hibs, Celtic, and then Roma, which certainly is not an easy set of fixtures, so which summer signing who looks completely “cooked”, so much so that he’s holding back teammates, should Röhl leave out of his team?

Nicolas Raskin's importance to Rangers

Last season, as Rangers endured a generally underwhelming campaign, Nicolas Raskin was named both the club’s Players’ Player of the Year award, as well as Supporters’ Player of the Year award last season, continually excellent even when the team was not.

Thus, one would assume that any new manager would make the Belgian one of the first names on the team sheet, but Russell Martin seemingly had other ideas.

Following a breakdown in the relationship between the pair, the short-lived boss decided to leave Raskin on the bench for crucial Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, while he wasn’t in the squad at all for home games against Celtic and Hearts.

In the meantime, the 24-year-old has started each of Belgium’s last three outings, scoring against Kazakhstan in Brussels, thereby hoping to feature prominently at next summer’s World Cup, alongside Kevin De Bruyne, who isn’t bad, is he?

Back at club level, following that mini-exile, Raskin has started each of Rangers’ last seven matches, heading home the opener against Hibs in the League Cup quarter-finals, likely to be a central figure as Röhl looks to remould this underperforming team.

However, to truly get the best out of the Belgian, does the new boss need to move on from one of Rangers’ worst-performing summer signings?

The Rangers star who is holding Nicolas Raskin back

Fair to say, the Rangers support have not been won over by a large proportion of their summer signings.

Youssef Chermiti, Jayden Meghoma, Nasser Djiga, and Thelo Aasgaard, to name but a few, have so far certainly not impressed, but Joe Rothwell has been one of the most underwhelming additions.

When he arrived from Bournemouth in July, Kai Watson labelled him an “excellent passer” and “exactly what this Rangers midfield needs”, concluding he would be “a very smart signing”.

Well, so far, that has certainly not been the case, as the table below makes clear.

Total minutes

958

7th

Assists

1

2nd

Pass completion %

95.8%

1st

Accurate passes per 90

28.1

8th

Key passes per 90

0.9

6th

Progressive passes

4

13th

Passes into final 3rd

3

12th

Shot-creating actions

1

13th

Average rating

6.72

12th

As the table documents, while Rothwell may rank first in terms of pass completion percentage, he is simply not doing anything with this high volume of passes.

This is emphasised by the fact he’s recorded just 0.9 key passes per game in the Premiership and only four progressive passes in the Europa League, while seven players have notched more accurate passes on a per 90 basis, which isn’t ideal given that this is supposed to be his main attribute.

His lack of mobility in the middle of the park has also come under scrutiny.

Neil McCann, speaking on Sky Sports commentary during August’s 1-1 draw with St Mirren, asserted that he looked completely “cooked”, while Kenny Macintyre, speaking on BBC Sportsound, exclaimed that “Joe Rothwell… has looked knackered in every game”.

In short, the Englishman is offering very little either in or out of possession, which is hindering those around him, given that Raskin is putting in chaotic displays, feeling as though he has to do everything, with Brann’s third goal on Thursday underlining how easy this team are to play through.

So, ahead of a crucial run of games, Röhl will be desperate for Mohamed Diomandé to be fit enough to return, while any of Connor Barron, Lyall Cameron, or the aforementioned Aasgaard should complete the trio, as they’d all offer far more than Rothwell right now.

Röhl has plenty to ponder right now, it would have been a sobering flight back from Bergen this week, but one of his top priorities has to be getting the best out of Raskin, something Rothwell’s continued inclusion is certainly not doing.

Worse than Antman: Rohl must drop Rangers flop who's "nowhere near ready"

Glasgow Rangers manager Danny Rohl should drop this flop who was even worse than Oliver Antman.

ByDan Emery Oct 24, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

OBotafogo liga o sinal de alerta para encontrar uma nova rota rumo às vitórias. Como Bruno Lage terá tempo para treinos, nos próximos dias o técnico também tentará apontar onde a equipe vem se desajustando em campo.

O objetivo é deixar para trás o pior mês dos botafoguenses nesta edição do Campeonato Brasileiro. O Botafogo encerrou setembro colecionando derrotas nos três jogos (veja abaixo). Alguns fatores ajudam a mostrar onde os comandados de Lage patinaram.

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Di Plácido vinha em alta no decorrer do Brasileirão e vinha sendo uma válvula de escape ofensiva do Glorioso. Entretanto, no último mês atuou abaixo do esperado.

Contra o Flamengo, foi preterido para a entrada de JP Galvão. Nos demais jogos, se atrapalhou nos desarmes, deixou espaços e lidou com apuros. O gol de Paulinho na vitória do Atlético-MG foi por seu lado. No duelo com o Corinthians, perdeu tempo de bola e abriu caminho para Matheus Bidu fazer o cruzamento que culminou no gol de Gil.

TCHÊ TCHÊ SACRIFICADO

Por mais que Tchê Tchê seja um jogador abnegado e demonstre que está à disposição para atuar em qualquer setor, ainda é confusa a maneira como o treinador conta com o meio-campista. O camisa 6 foi articulador diante do Santos e, contra o Defensa y Justicia, pela Sul-Americana, foi ponta. No duelo com o Corinthians, a expulsão de Marçal levou o técnico Bruno Lage a fazer com que o jogador se desdobrasse.

Tchê Tchê atuou na sua posição de origem e, com a expulsão de Marçal, foi deslocado para a lateral esquerda. Com a saída de Di Plácido, tornou-se lateral-direito. O técnico também cogita escalá-lo ao lado de Gabriel Pires num 4-4-2.

CADÊ A CRIAÇÃO?

Os desempenhos ruins do Botafogo coincidem com a queda de rendimento de Eduardo. Além de ser marcado mais de perto jogo a jogo, o camisa 33 vem esbarrando em erros e na marcação adversária e não consegue ser incisivo.

Outro problema passa pela forma como Eduardo está isolado. Invariavelmente, o atleta recebe a bola e não tem um colega para tabelar e tentar uma investida mais clara. Em alguns momentos, Tiquinho Soares chegou a buscar a bola no meio de campo para tentar jogadas tanto contra o Galo quanto diante do Timão.

E A SOLUÇÃO DA DIREITA?

Passadas algumas rodadas, o Botafogo ainda tenta encontrar um atacante que dê mobilidade pelo lado direito. Luís Henrique foi lançado na partida contra o Corinthians, mas a expulsão contra o Corinthians acabou comprometendo as pretensões botafoguenses.

Júnior Santos entrou no decorrer do jogo e criou uma raríssima chance de perigo para a meta de Cássio. Porém, ainda é uma incógnita na titularidade. Matías Segovia também batalha por seu espaço.

O técnico Bruno Lage está ciente de que há situações a serem definidas.

– O sinal vermelho são as derrotas. Mas isso já tem vindo antecipar um pouco a equipe desde o início, quando eu cheguei. Quem está do outro lado, também estuda o nosso adversário. E não está a dar o espaço que nós criávamos. Nós temos que continuar a trabalhar e também jogar da maneira que é: ter o espaço para jogar, não ter espaço nas costas e, quando o adversário nos oferece o espaço, para construir – afirmou, após a derrota para o Corinthians.

O Botafogo volta a campo para encarar o Goiás no dia 2 de outubro, segunda-feira, no Nilton Santos. Com 51 pontos, a equipe tenta entrar em sintonia fina para se distanciar ainda mais na liderança do Brasileirão.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Bahia anunciou, neste sábado (9), Rogério Ceni como novo técnico da equipe. O comandante tem contrato válido até dezembro de 2025 e substitui o português Renato Paiva, que teve saída polêmica do Esquadrão.

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+ Veja a tabela do Brasileirão

A apresentação oficial de Ceni será na tarde de segunda-feira (11). O treinador chega a Salvador com o objetivo de livrar o Bahia do rebaixamento no Campeonato Brasileiro. A próxima partida do Tricolor de Aço é contra o Coritiba, na quinta-feira (14), às 20h (de Brasília), no Couto Pereira.

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Essa será a segunda passagem de Rogério Ceni pelo futebol nordestino. O técnico fez história no Fortaleza, onde conquistou a Série B, Copa do Nordeste e dois Campeonatos Cearenses. Ele também conseguiu títulos na passagem pelo Flamengo: Brasileirão, Supercopa do Brasil e Campeonato Carioca. O último trabalho de Ceni foi este ano no São Paulo.