A rapid powerplay meant the Afghanistan batters were never troubled during their chase of 126

Alagappan Muthu31-Oct-2025Afghanistan cruised to a series victory over Zimbabwe, with Ibrahim Zadran backing up a disciplined bowling performance with a half-century of his own. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Abdollah Ahmadzai and Rashid Khan had limited the hosts to 125 all out in Harare, setting up a straight-forward chase.

Mujeeb stifles

Zimbabwe tried to do the right thing. Their batters realised the importance of getting set. They attempted to regroup when wickets fell. There was no collapse this time, but there was no redemption either.Opener Dion Myers looked to be doing well against Mujeeb, only to sweep him straight to short fine. He was aiming to clear the fielder because there was no one in the deep. Good plan. Bad execution.Brendan Taylor was less adventurous, perhaps wanting to make amends for a low-percentage shot that led to a first-ball dismissal on Wednesday. But Mujeeb kept building pressure. It was the last over of the powerplay. Zimbabwe were 34 for 2, having only hit three boundaries. Trying to exploit the field restrictions before they ran out, Taylor was caught at mid-off, trying to hit the bowler over his head.Zimbabwe had the best of intentions. It didn’t stop them backfiring.

Abdollah the enforcer

The pitch was slightly on the slower side – except whenever Abdollah came on to bowl. The 22-year-old fast bowler is all hustle and bustle, hitting the deck and troubling batters with bounce. Ryan Burl, who was in the middle of patching things up with his captain Sikandar Raza, fell trying to swat one of Abdollah’s well-directed short balls off his face. Zimbabwe slipped to 57 for 4. They couldn’t score more than a run a ball in seven of the first 10 overs.Sikander Raza held Zimbabwe’s innings together•Zimbabwe Cricket

Raza’s resistance

Raza tried to do his best to shepherd the innings forward. He came in during the fifth over and showed that run-scoring was still possible, hitting two fours off his first two balls – though both of them were overpitched and allowed him the freedom of his super fast hands. His best shot was an inside out, one-bounce four over extra cover, against a yorker gone wrong from Abdollah.All this happened while the Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan was tending to an injury to his right hand in the field. He had only bowled one over till then. When he picked the ball back up in the 17th, he knocked over Raza, which left the score at 104 for 6, and then ran through the tail. Zimbabwe’s highest partnership was just 24 runs.

Ibrahim anchors the chase

Afghanistan ransacked nine boundaries in the powerplay, three times as many as their opposition. Some of that was good strokeplay. The rest of it was just Zimbabwe offering what every batter wants on a sluggish pitch – width and the chance to get under the ball.Ibrahim Zadran helped himself to back-to-back T20I fifties, though this one was a little more hard work. Afghanistan went 43 balls without a boundary after the powerplay but they’d done enough damage while the field was up, scoring 54 of the required 126.Questions remain over Afghanistan’s middle order. Sediqullah Atal – who had turned his right ankle while fielding and required attention – and Darwish Rasooli combined to score just 25 runs in 32 balls through the middle overs.

In his annual State of the League address, Don Garber said MLS is ready to compete with the world’s biggest leagues and wouldn’t rule out promotion/relegation.

WASHINGTON – MLS Commissioner Don Garber delivered his annual State of the League address Thursday night at a glitzy event at Audi Field. It was familiar fare from the league’s top executive, who rattled through the past year’s achievements and offered a generous assessment of what comes next. To be fair, there’s plenty to shout about. MLS has unquestionably cashed in on Lionel Messi’s presence, and it now has a dream MLS Cup final: the league’s biggest and second-biggest stars facing off on Saturday.

But that wasn’t the only talking point. Thursday’s event was defined by the prospect of potential change, with Garber alluding to ideas that would have seemed unthinkable not long ago. Chief among them was promotion and relegation. For years, he flatly dismissed the concept as incompatible with American soccer. Now, though, he stopped short of ruling it out.

"Let's see how it plays out. Maybe as the development of the lower divisions continues to grow, as they've been doing so well over the years, there will be a proper ecosystem. Frankly, I don't believe that ecosystem exists today, but who knows? I've learned to never say never," he said, before adding, "that doesn't mean we're having promotional relegation."

And there were broader changes on the table. For a while now, he has touted "MLS 3.0" as his future vision for the league. In his eyes, that means further changes to a league that, after years of struggling to take big swing to grab a bigger foothold, has finally started to take calculated gambles. It started with a calendar switch, announced last month. It will continue with new stadiums and perhaps a new approach to the TV deal.

"It will elevate the overall quality of play on the field," Garber said. 

But other changes might come, too. Everything at this point is a bit speculative – and Garber is a true pro when it comes to navigating the peppering of questions from curious journalists. Still, his tone was one of optimism, and perhaps a little bit of a victory lap as the league nailed its 30th season. GOAL takes a look at the main takeaways from Garber's yearly summary of the league…

• Opening the door to promotion and relegation

  It is the question that is always asked of American soccer. When will it align with the rest of the world? When will it embrace that crucial facet of the game that soccer fans know too well. Those who watch European football week in, week out will tell you that promotion-relegation is a core part of the sport. The United States has avoided it for years. And Garber has routinely batted the question away, too.

  But on Thursday evening, he was curiously noncomittal.

  "Back in the day, I would say 'never.' Today, I say there's no real point of saying never, because I don't know what the future would look like," he said. 

  His remark came on the back of another major change as part of MLS's so-called MLS 3.0 initiative: a switch to a fall-spring calendar. That, too, has been a point of contention that the league seemed eager to avoid. Garber admitted that making that change could leave an opportunity to others.

  "I certainly never thought we would adapt to the international calendar. I remember getting those questions saying, how could we play in eight cities in cold weather? Now we have fans that are coming out from thick and thin, and I believe that with 92 percent of our schedule being exactly the same will have no impact at all," he added.

  It also comes in the context of other shifts in U.S. soccer. USL recently announced it is introducing promotion and relegation to its leagues, with a 2028 target start date. There is perhaps tangible pressure in a way there wasn't before. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Eyes on competing with the world’s best

  This had been coming for a while, Garber admitted. MLS first started tinkering with the idea of a calendar switch a few years ago. But it took some time to come together. There were variables to consider here: retaining the authenticity of MLS, weather, clashing with other parts of the American sports calendar. Yet last month, MLS officially ratified what it perhaps should have done a long time ago, and moved their dates of play to something roughly similar to a European calendar. The season will start in the late summer and play until late Spring, with a break in the winter to account for harsh weather and give players a mid season break. 

  Perhaps more importantly, though, it will see MLS mix in with the usual cadence of the global market. It's been a no-brainer for years, and Garber lauded it getting over the line.

  "This decision aligns our transfer windows with the top leagues in the world, reduces conflicts with international windows, elevates our playoff schedule and will unlock new commercial opportunities," he said. 

  Of all the things to shout about, this was surely the one where Garber could take the most pride. 

  "We're not just aligning with the world's best. We're aiming to compete with them," Garber said. 

• Getty Images Sport
  

  What the World Cup means

  In 1994, the United States had to do something with its domestic league. More accurately, it had to actually form one. The primary condition of the U.S. hosting a tournament, in fact, was that they start a professional setup to kick off either the year after or soon following the '94 tournament. Back then, it was a question of momentum. America had been shown soccer, now it had the chance to shape the sport in its own way.

  "The 1994 World Cup became the most attended World Cup in history, a record that still stands today. It captured the imagination of our entire country, and it ignited a soccer movement across North America, and importantly, the World Cup laid the foundation for the lead that we promised FIFA we would deliver," he said.

  This time, the U.S. doesn't to put on a World Cup. But Garber intends to use it as an inflection point. And after hinting at it for a while, he expanded. This is supposed to be a showcase.

  "In 2026, we will show the world how far we've come and how much bigger and better and more popular our sport will be in the future," Garber said.

  It's impossible to predict, of course. There is a chance that MLS doesn't take strides forward, and the league runs in place. But Garber insisted that the pieces and the initiative are there. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  The impact of Messi staying

  Of course, Garber had to talk about his main man. It is impossible to overstate just how significant Lionel Messi's impact in MLS has been. Suddenly, there are eyes when there weren't before. This league feels that little bit more relevant on the global stage. Some people now care who didn't before.

  He's been around for two years now, and just penned a three-year deal to stick around for Inter Miami. As a result, he will be in the mix to compete for further MLS Cups, represent Miami in their brand new stadium and, undoubtedly, draw another star or two to MLS – to play with him or otherwise. Garber has repeatedly insisted that this league is about more than just the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. But his influence was a topic: 

  "Global superstars, as we all know, are making MLS their league of choice on Saturday, the greatest player to ever play the game, Leo Messi, will go up against another World Cup champion and one of the world's most decorated players in Thomas Muller," he said.

  Critics remain skeptical of Messi's impact. His lack of media appearances has been questioned by some. But the eyeballs he has drawn cannot be ignored.

Door left ajar for Pat Cummins to return as captain with Australia still debating the make-up of their side

Alex Malcolm03-Dec-2025

Australia hope Pat Cummins joins Mitchell Starc in the action soon•AFP/Getty Images

Pat Cummins is a chance of making a stunning comeback to Australia’s XI for the second Test against England at the Gabba with a final decision to be made by selectors on Wednesday afternoon following a further inspection of the pitch.Australia’s stand-in captain Steven Smith did not confirm the final XI on Wednesday’s press conference, with an update later in the day saying it would be named at the toss, keeping the door open for Cummins to return as captain and also leaving open the possibility of Australia excluding their sole specialist spinner Nathan Lyon for the second day-night Test in a row.Australia also need to replace injured opener Usman Khawaja, and Josh Inglis appears the favourite to come into a middle-order role ahead of Beau Webster, with Travis Head to shift up to open. But Smith could not confirm that either.Related

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Khawaja out of Brisbane Test after failing to recover

“A whole heap of things I think are on the table,” Smith said. “We’ll wait and see what the wicket looks like, and from there we’ll determine a playing XI.”Cummins’ inclusion would be a surprise given he was not named in Australia’s 14-man squad for the Gabba Test when it was announced last Friday. However, he was never officially ruled out because of how well he had been bowling in the nets in Perth and Brisbane after recovering from the bone stress injury in his lower back.”He looks pretty good to me the way he’s bowled in the nets,” Smith said. “Obviously, games are a different intensity, for sure, but he’s tracking really nicely. He knows his body well, and yeah, we’ll wait and see.”There is a possibility that he could replace Brendan Doggett in the XI but that would come with risks regarding his workloads. Given he has not played any cricket since July, there would be more comfort among Australia’s medical staff if he played in an all-pace attack given his bowling loads would likely be less in such a scenario if Australia’s selectors decided Lyon was surplus to requirements in the pink-ball game.0:46

McGlashan: An unfortunate end if Khawaja’s Test career is over

Lyon was left out of Australia’s most recent day-night Test in Jamaica in July and only bowled one over in last year’s pink-ball Test in Adelaide against India. He also did not bowl a ball in Australia’s last Ashes day-night Test in Hobart in 2022. He only bowled two overs in the first Test in Perth, both of which came in the first innings, as England only batted for 67.3 overs across the two-day Test.Lyon did bowl 50 overs in the last day-night Test as the Gabba in 2024 but Smith wasn’t sure if he was assured of his place.”I’m not sure,” Smith said. “We’ll look at the surface, as I said, and we’ll sum things up from there. And I think here’s a place where Nathan’s done really well in the past. He’s a quality bowler. But we’ll weigh up the options and we’ll see how we go.”The Gabba surface has looked very green from afar in the build-up to the Test match. There is warm, dry weather expected in Brisbane for the first three days of the game.”It’s still quite grassy, a little soft,” Smith said. “It’s obviously going to bake under the sun again today, and I think [the curator] is going to take a little bit off it, so might look a little bit different in a couple hours’ time.”

Simon Harmer’s 17 wickets during South Africa’s recent tour of India were the latest in a line of crucial contributions by visiting spinners

Omkar Mankame27-Nov-2025

Simon Harmer

Harmer outbowled India’s spinners by a distance on a tour that redeemed him after his difficult 2015 visit, which had pushed him into a seven-year Test exile. No bowler has taken more wickets at a better average in a Test series in India than his 17 scalps at 8.94. On a raging turner in Kolkata, he sliced through the middle order to prevent India from chasing 124. In Guwahati, he extracted sharp turn and bounce to secure his first five-for in India.

Mitchell Santner

In his only Test of the series, Santner engineered one of the most stunning results in modern Test cricket – winning a Test series in India. Brought in after New Zealand took a 1-0 lead in Bengaluru, the left-arm spinner claimed 13 wickets, including his maiden Test five-for, in the historic triumph. His method relied on subtle changes of pace, often dipping below 87kph to extract greater grip and purchase than India’s own spinners.Related

• Harmer flips Test cricket in India upside down

• South Africa prove again they can win the hard way, and anywhere

• India's Test debacle: outbowled, outbatted and out-tossed too

Ajaz Patel

With Santner absent, Ajaz Patel – having an ordinary series thus far – rediscovered his 2021 magic to seal a 3-0 whitewash in the city of his birth. After lunch on day two, he found his rhythm, bowling a teasing length that forced India’s batters forward without letting them reach the ball adequately. In the second innings, he led New Zealand’s defence of 147 with figures of 6 for 57, including the crucial dismissal of Rishabh Pant, who had threatened to take the game away.

Tom Hartley

Hartley’s Test career began in chaos – two sixes in his first over and bruising figures of 2 for 131 off 25 overs in the first innings. However, he used his high release point to prodigious effect in the second innings: he constantly unsettled seasoned Indian batters and collected 7 for 62, rounding off England’s remarkable comeback win after conceding a 190-run lead.Tom Hartley’s selection was vindicated when he delivered a seven-for against India’s experienced line-up•BCCI

Steve O’Keefe

India hadn’t lost a home Test since 2012, but a three-day defeat in Pune ended that streak. O’Keefe’s twin hauls of 6 for 35 skittled India for 105 and 107, their lowest totals in a home Test defeat. In the first innings, three of his wickets came via outside edges, and one through a stumping. In the second, five of his six dismissals came from attacking the stumps, resulting in bowled or lbws. Australia won by 333 runs.

Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann

After a nine-wicket loss in Ahmedabad, England brought Panesar back in the XI. He responded with a memorable ten-wicket haul in Mumbai, including the twin scalps of Sachin Tendulkar. Panesar and Swann combined for 37 wickets at 25.70, outbowling R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, who took 34 at 39.82. Backed by a strong batting effort, the spinners were crucial to England securing their first series win in India in 28 years.

Nicky Boje

Playing just his second Test, the left-arm spinner delivered a match-shaping all-round performance to seal South Africa’s maiden Test series win in India. Sent in as a nightwatcher, he frustrated India with a gritty 85. His confidence carried into the bowling innings, where he removed India’s top three and added two more lower-order wickets to complete a decisive five-for.

Saqlain Mushtaq

At the peak of his powers, Saqlain dominated this unforgettable two-Test series. In Chennai, he won the decisive battle against Sachin Tendulkar, as India fell 12 runs short. In Delhi, he took his second ten-wicket match haul in the running, though Kumble’s iconic 10 for 74 overshadowed it. Across four successive five-fors, Saqlain’s doosra repeatedly deceived the likes of Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly – some of the finest batters against spin.

When it comes to flop signings, Chelsea have made more than their fair share over the last four or five years.

The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk are just some of the players who arrived for big money and failed to live up to expectations.

Another star who looked destined for greatness at Stamford Bridge, but ultimately left a flop, was German international Timo Werner.

Unfortunately for Enzo Maresca and Co, one of the players in his current squad looks like he could be on his way to becoming Chelsea’s new Werner.

Werner's failed Chelsea career

When Chelsea agreed to pay RB Leipzig £45m to activate Werner’s release clause in the summer of 2020, there was an understandable level of excitement among the Stamford Bridge faithful.

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At the time, the then-24-year-old forward was one of the most exciting players in the whole of Europe and had just spent the last two campaigns scoring for fun.

For example, across the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons, the Stuttgart-born sensation had scored 53 goals and provided 23 assists in 82 appearances, totalling 6692 minutes.

In other words, the German international was averaging a goal involvement every 1.07 games, or every 88.05 minutes, which was a truly world-class rate of return.

Unfortunately, while he was perhaps not as bad as some fans made out, the 29-year-old would never recreate that sort of form for the Blues.

Werner’s 19/20 vs 20/21

Season

19/20

20/21

Appearances

45

52

Minutes

3589′

3831′

Goals

34

12

Assists

13

15

Goal Involvements per Match

1.04

0.51

Minutes per Goal Involvement

76.36

141.88′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In fact, he wouldn’t even get close.

Across his two campaigns with the West Londoners, in which he made 89 appearances, the 57-capped international would score 23 goals and provide 21 assists, averaging a goal involvement every 2.02 games.

Now, that isn’t horrendous, but it wasn’t deemed enough to lead the line, and something the stats don’t really show is that he ended up getting quite the reputation for missing chances, especially following that game against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Chelsea decided to cut their losses in the summer of 2022, selling the rapid striker back to Leipzig for just £25m. Fast-forward to today, and it now looks like Maresca might have his own Werner in the squad.

Chelsea's new Werner

The unfortunate truth is that you could make the case that several of Chelsea’s summer signings have struggled this season, but the one who feels like he could become the new Werner is undoubtedly Jamie Gittens.

Now, the Englishman is still young and could therefore come good in the long run, but as things stand, it’s hard not to see the similarities between him and the German’s start to life in West London.

For example, like the former Leipzig star, the Reading-born gem joined the Pensioners after impressing in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund.

Despite being so young, the 21-year-old scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 49 appearances for the German giants, totalling 2803 minutes.

In fact, the winger was so impressive at points during the campaign, such as his performance away to Real Madrid, that Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley went as far as calling him “England’s best left winger.”

Unfortunately, as was the case with Werner, Chelsea fans are yet to see the dynamic winger at his best this year.

For example, while his tally of one goal and five assists in 18 appearances is already disappointing enough, it becomes more so when you take into account that three of his goal involvements came in the League Cup game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Gittens’ Chelsea Record

Appearances

18

Minutes

830′

Goals

1

Assists

5

Goal Involvements per Match

0.33

Minutes per Goal Involvement

138.33′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

As things stand, the former Dortmund star is nowhere near good enough to start games for Maresca, nor does he seem to have much impact off the bench, so, while it’s harsh, it’s hard to disagree with one analyst who dubbed him a “pointless signing.”

Ultimately, there is still time for Gittens to come good at Chelsea, but at the moment, he looks destined to become another Werner.

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