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Harvey Barnes played an important role in Newcastle United’s most recent outing against Brentford, in which the Magpies won 2-1. Goals from Alexander Isak and a sublime effort from Sandro Tonali were enough to claim all three points for Eddie Howe’s side.

For that strike from the Italian, it was Barnes who provided the assist. The winger, who started on the left wing, put in a strong performance. As per Sofascore, he created three chances, completed two dribbles, and, of course, grabbed his assist.

After a performance like that, you might expect he’d keep his place in the Newcastle starting lineup for their next game against Leicester City. But, with some players returning from injury, that is not a guarantee.

Newcastle’s team news vs. Leicester

There could be some big players returning from injury for the Magpies’ clash with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester side. One of those is experienced defender Kieran Trippier, who was withdrawn from the game against Brentford.

Likewise, Newcastle’s talismanic striker, Isak, was substituted in the 66th minute. Given his injury issues at times in a Magpies shirt, they certainly do not want to risk him getting sidelined for an extensive period of time.

In his pre-match press conference, Howe gave an update on both of their availability ahead of the Monday night trip to Leicester. The Englishman explained that his squad have managed to avoid “any big injuries from Wednesday night”.

With that being said, he did imply that there was a chance they might be sidelined at the King Power Stadium. Howe explained that his side “certainly have a few niggles”, and it remains to be seen if Trippier and Isak will be available.

There is another player who could be set to return from injury in time to feature in the East Midlands. Newcastle fans would surely love to have him available.

The Newcastle player who could feature vs. Leciester

If Newcastle have Anthony Gordon back for the game against the Foxes, it would be a huge boost. As well as his three-match suspension, the winger picked up an injury on England duty during the March international break.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Howe was quizzed about him in the press conference before the Leicester game and gave an update on his progress. It certainly seemed positive, explaining that he is being “monitored” by the medical staff, before saying they “will have to wait and see” if he can play.

It has been another excellent season for Gordon in 2024/25. He has featured 34 times for the Magpies, scoring nine goals and grabbing seven assists. Between the start of November and the end of January, the winger went on an unstoppable run, scoring or assisting ten goals in a run of 14 games. As football talent scout Jacek Kulig said, he is “having a superb season”.

He is a player who steps up in the biggest moments, scoring goals in both legs against Arsenal, in the Carabao Cup semi-final. His goal in the second leg at St James’ Park was the fourth Newcastle scored in the tie and sealed their place at Wembley.

Gordon has the potential to hurt Leicester on Monday. His pace is deadly, and the directness with which he attacks is frightening for defenders. As per Sofascore, he has completed 1.5 dribbles and plays 2.1 key passes per game this term.

Goals and assists

0.5

11

Key passes

2.1

50

Dribbles completed

1.5

35

Expected goal involvements

0.54xGI

12.65xGI

Big chances created

0.3

6

Dropping Barnes for the “exceptional” Gordon, as football scout Antonio Mango called him, might be deemed harsh after his performance against Brentford. However, having the former Everton star available for the Champions League run-in will be crucial.

As he showed against Arsenal, he is a big game player, and with the skillset he possesses, he can be deadly against a fragile Foxes side. If Gordon is fit enough, he surely starts on Monday evening.

Best since Isak: Howe struck gold signing “big game player” for Newcastle

Eddie Howe hit the jackpot signing this “big game player” who’s Newcastle’s best signing since Isak.

ByConnor Holden Apr 6, 2025

Fast bowler hails decisions on and off the field as England emerge on top on rollercoaster first day

Andrew Miller21-Nov-2025

AFP/Getty Images

Brydon Carse heaped praise on England’s captain, Ben Stokes, for his leadership on and off the field, after a barnstorming fightback with the ball on the opening day of the 2025-26 Ashes.Carse claimed the key wickets of Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja, before Stokes ripped through the lower-middle order with figures of 5 for 45 in ten overs, as England fought back from being bowled out for 172 by reducing Australia to 123 for 9 at the close, a deficit of 49.It meant that 19 wickets had fallen, the most ever on the opening day of an Ashes series, as the action lived up to every ounce of the pre-series hype.Carse, however, praised his captain for confronting the emotions of the series head-on, both in encouraging the team to walk to the venue at the start of the day’s play, and in inspiring their fightback with his calm response to their batting display.”Stokesy came up with that idea last night,” Carse said of the team’s arrival, through a sea of fans with 51,531 spectators attending the opening day. “It was obviously what we decided to do. And luckily, we came in at about 8.30am, because I think if we were about a half an hour later, we might have got a bit more stick from some of the Aussie fans. It was electric … the energy throughout the day was awesome.”Once inside the Optus Stadium, England won the toss and choose to bat first, only to lose Zak Crawley for a duck to set the tone for Mitchell Starc’s magnificent seven-wicket display. But despite being rolled aside in just 32.5 overs – the second-shortest Ashes innings, behind Australia’s 60 all out at Trent Bridge in 2015 – Stokes gathered his team at the innings change-over and set in motion their change of fortune.”Stokesy kept it really simple,” Carse said. “We had 45-50 minutes before tea, and he said to the lads with the ball, just give everything. The way Gus Atkinson and Jofra [Archer] started was phenomenal. And then after tea, that messaging was pretty similar, just do it over a longer period of time.Related

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“While the ball was still new, there was a lot of pace and bounce in it. And, we said as a group of bowlers, it was just about hitting the wicket as hard as we could.”The close-of-play scoreline vindicated England’s decision to field a five-man pace attack, which allowed Archer and Mark Wood – their fastest bowlers – to be used in short, sharp bursts that denied Australia a chance to settle at any stage of their reply. With Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts still waiting in the wings, Carse was confident that England could keep their pace levels high throughout the campaign.”I haven’t played in a lot of attacks where we’ve had five seamers, but everyone does complement each other,” Carse said. “I’ve said before that the group is six, seven seamers, and we’ve all got different attributes. Hopefully that stands us in good stead throughout the series.”Stokes, however, remains utterly fundamental to England’s hopes of winning an Ashes series in Australia for the first time since 2010-11. Having hinted at his readiness with six wickets in a low-key warm-up against England Lions last week, he showcased his golden arm with the vital wickets of Travis Head and Cameron Green, then picked off Alex Carey, too, on the way to his sixth five-wicket haul and second in Australia.”His character and enthusiasm around the group, and the way it goes about his business is phenomenal,” Carse said. “Everyone looks up to him. He’s a great leader to have in our team.”He’s been out here for the last two-and-a-half weeks, and as Ducky [Ben Duckett] said a couple of weeks ago, he’s in beast mode at the moment. Hopefully that pays off throughout the series for him.”Stokes is back in Australia for his third Ashes tour, having debuted on the 2013-14 tour, 12 years ago. Carse, however, was sampling the occasion for the very first time, and admitted the atmosphere had been a step up from his previous experience in England colours.”I felt nervous, excited … obviously almost going into a bit of the unknown, but just trying to soak it all up throughout the day. It’s been a phenomenal day. We’ll go back to the hotel and we’ll have a quiet night.”The stage is set for another high-octane day on Saturday, and Carse admitted that – despite the shortcomings of their batting first-time around – their run-rate of 5.23 had demonstrated that batting could get easier once the first-day nerves and some of the pitch’s early life have gone.”The first thing tomorrow is obviously to knock over this last wicket,” he said. “Then, we’ve seen some of the guys that have got starts and some runs today, the way that they went about it was obviously taking the positive option.”I even thought Alex Carey, towards the end, was quite proactive and positive, and it put us under a bit of pressure. So going into the second innings, I think our batters will know what sort of gameplan they are going to use.”

The Yankees lost to the Blue Jays on Wednesday night and were eliminated from the postseason. It has now been 16 years since New York won a World Series and despite the fact that this is now a common occurance, many people still seem to find fresh joy in the latest Yankees elimination. Especially those associated with the Red Sox.

On FS1 Boston postseason legend David Ortiz made sure that retired Yankees Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez knew that "daaa Yankees lose!" Meanwhile, over on the Turner networks, Pedro Martinez got to explain who the Yankees' new daddy is.

"For so many years those fans in New York bothered me with asking me 'Pedro, who's your daddy,'" Martinez told his co-hosts. "I said O.K. O.K. I'm going to take it like a man. 'Pedro, who's your daddy? Even little kids. 'Pedro, who's your daddy? I'll be like, 'O.K. little kid. You're pretty cute, man.' I'll be so happy. But once we beat 'em, I'm like 'you better consider, who's your daddy now?' Yeah. And now I finally realize who their daddy is. My godson. Oh yeah. Vladdy Jr. is their daddy. And that is a fact. And I'm so happy for that. Now they don't have to search anywhere. They just have to look at Vladdy and really say 'you're my daddy Vladdy.'"

As Martinez mentioned there, he is the godfather of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., which technically makes him the Yankees godgranddaddy now.

All-time great innings comes after batter’s self-doubts following mid-tournament axing

Sruthi Ravindranath30-Oct-20254:31

Rodrigues: I wanted to be there till the end

Some of sport’s greatest tales are about comebacks. The kind that linger in memory, where moments of silence suddenly erupt into thunderous cheers. That’s what fans live for: those fleeting instants when hope turns noise into belief.At the DY Patil Stadium, Jemimah Rodrigues was on 82 when she slog-swept Alana King and got only a top-edge. The ball spiralled high toward midwicket, with King and Alyssa Healy converging under it. For a few seconds, the 35,000-strong crowd fell utterly silent.Rodrigues had been batting like a dream until then. It had been a game of nerves. India still needed 131 from 102 balls, but Rodrigues looked composed, piercing gaps and running hard between the wickets despite the suffocating humidity. Every run drew cheers, even well-timed dots found appreciation.Then came that silence. It was a familiar sight for India fans: a set batter dismissed mid-chase, momentum slipping away. They had felt that when Smriti Mandhana had fallen in the chase against England in the league-stage match at this World Cup.And then, the roar. Rodrigues had been dropped by Healy. Her face barely flickered, but the stands exploded for the reprieve.Moments later, silence again.Rodrigues was struck in front by King, and Australia confidently reviewed the not-out call. Thousands of eyes fixed on the big screen. Two reds, one green, ball passing over the stumps. The roar returned.From that point, Rodrigues’s mind was clear: capitalise. But the conditions were brutal. With humidity over 75%, she was hours into her innings and revealed later she felt drained.Jemimah Rodrigues and Amanjot Kaur embrace in the middle at the moment of victory•ICC/Getty ImagesYet this wasn’t just about one night. It was about the weeks, the months, the years that had led her here. This was the kind of story sport loves: a redemption arc written through grit.It began with heartbreak. A lean run of form had led to her being dropped for the 2022 World Cup. She clawed her way back, and by 25, had become one of India’s senior batters. But at this World Cup, things turned again. Two ducks. Two 30s. Then came another blow when she was dropped for the England game. It was, as head coach Amol Muzumdar put it, “one of the toughest decisions” to leave out, not just a senior batter, but also one of the team’s best fielders.Off the field, Rodrigues was struggling. Anxiety crept in. She spoke of “feeling numb”, of days when she cried a lot. The omission only deepened her doubts.”To be honest, when I was dropped and when I came in to this World Cup, I wanted to come out there, not prove a point, but do things so my team wins,” she said. “I kept reminding myself that, because it’s very easy to get into that mindset, and that mindset never has helped me. But I think today, today not just today, but from the last few games, all I thought about was, because I didn’t start off well, things just kept getting, worse and worse.”But sport, cruel as it can be, also offers another chance. Rodrigues returned to the XI against New Zealand, promoted to No. 3. The response was emphatic: 76 off 55 to guide India home. But that was just the beginning.Then came Thursday. Another promotion to No. 3, this time against the unbeaten defending champions, Australia. This wasn’t just any chase – it was a world-record one, in front of a home crowd. The kind of stage that tests every nerve.Harmanpreet Kaur, her captain and partner for much of the chase, had done this before. Her 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 semi-final had changed women’s cricket in India forever.Rodrigues’ innings completed the highest chase in W-ODI history•Getty ImagesMandhana’s early dismissal had silenced Navi Mumbai. Amanjot Kaur was listed at No. 3 on the team sheet, but Rodrigues instead walked out. She’d only known of her promotion five minutes earlier.For the first 11 balls, she played herself in. Then came a four, and the tension eased slightly. Questions loomed: would India go too deep again, as against England? Could they do it without Mandhana, their best batter in the tournament so far?Rodrigues knew they could. She believed India could chase 300-plus, and she batted like it.The turning point came with a cheeky, audacious scoop off Kim Garth in the eighth over. India had watched Phoebe Litchfield play such shots earlier, now Rodrigues answered back. Between deliveries, she talked to her partners, and to herself. “I was praying, I was talking to God,” she would later reveal.The classic Rodrigues shots began to flow: the loft over short third off Ash Gardner, the late cut past backward point, the flick through midwicket, those crackling sweeps of all kinds. India’s momentum was rising but so was the pressure.Related

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Rodrigues: Felt like a dream after a month of anxiety

With 150 needed off 20 overs, Harmanpreet shifted gears, unleashing a series of boundaries. Rodrigues applauded, raising her thumb after sharp runs, willing her captain on. When Harmanpreet fell for 89, cramped and spent, the silence, and a familiar dread returned: was another collapse coming?Not this time. Rodrigues, calm and steady, guided her partners.”I was telling Harry [Harmanpreet] that we both have to finish it and we can’t leave it for the end, just because we are set and we know we can take it through,” she said. “And when that happened [Harmanpreet was dismissed], it was like a blessing in disguise for me because I was kind of losing my focus because of my tiredness. But when Harry got out, I think that added more responsibility to me that, ‘Okay, I need to be here. Okay, she is out, I will score for her’. And I think that again got me in the right zone. Then I started just sensibly playing.”When her century came, off 117 balls, there was no wild celebration, just a quiet fist bump and a hug from Richa Ghosh. The job wasn’t done. The asking rate still hovered above a run a ball.Ghosh struck some heavy blows before falling for 26, and the stadium hushed again. But Rodrigues ensured the silence didn’t last. A four off Sophie Molineux, then two more off Annabel Sutherland. The equation was down to single digits and Amanjot Kaur finished it with two boundaries in the 49th over.Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171 not out in the 2017 semi-final was proof of what could be achieved against Australia•Getty ImagesRodrigues dropped to her knees, tears streaming, her team-mates hovering around her. The near 100-overs she spent on the field in punishing conditions was well worth it. There would be more tears later, during the presentation and at the press conference. But they told a story larger than any chase – the story of redemption.”I know how important this match is, and I wanted to be there to finish it off, so all I did was, you know, just kept telling [myself] to just stand here, amazing things can happen towards you, you never know what can happen towards the end of the match,” she said.”When I reached my fifty, when I reached my hundred, I didn’t celebrate, because, at that moment I looked at our hotel right here, and I said [to myself] tomorrow morning, what would make me happier? Would it be a fifty? Would it be a hundred? No, it would be India winning. And I want to wake up with that feeling, I want to sleep with that smile, that we are playing the finals, and I’m waking up to get ready for the finals.”In recent memory, few comebacks in sport have glowed quite like this. Perhaps Femke Bol’s redemption after her fall in the 4x400m mixed relay at the 2023 World Championships, returning with an astonishing effort to win Olympic Gold for Netherlands a year later, or a 35-year old Rafael Nadal’s impossible rally in the 2022 Australian Open final from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev.Rodrigues belongs among the great comeback stories, rising from self-doubt and tough times to lead her team past a side that almost never loses. In the end, at the DY Patil Stadium, she made sure all the silences turned to roars.

Despite a disastrous start to the season under Will Still, Southampton now found themselves only four points off the final playoff position in the early Championship table.

Three wins on the trot – since Still was dismissed – have helped to arrest the worrying slide, as the Saints aim to be in and around the promotion spaces now until the close of the dramatic 46-game campaign, to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

While the Still reign failed spectacularly, his immediate successor in Tonda Eckert looks to be a short-term figure who is now destined for long-term success at St. Mary’s, with the full-time reins perhaps handed to the transformative 32-year-old very shortly.

The latest on Southampton's manager situation

The German, who is used to managing the U21s on the South Coast, really can’t do much more right now to put himself out in front for the running to be the main Saints manager.

As has been mentioned, Eckert has led the once sorry outfit to three straight wins in league action, with a 5-1 win over ex-Southampton boss Nathan Jones last time out versus Charlton Athletic very much the pick of the bunch.

The powers that be at St Mary’s have clearly taken notice now of how much of an impressive turnaround Eckert has managed to mastermind, with Fabrizio Romano reporting – via GIVEMESPORT – that the stand-in manager has a good chance of being handed the reins permanently, amid internal talks behind the scenes at the club.

There had been other rumours suggesting Russell Martin could come back for another shot at promotion glory with the Saints, but instead of walking down memory lane, Southampton could be better off appointing Eckert right now, as he might well be Martin 2.0 for the rejuvenated Saints.

Why Eckert could be Southampton's next Martin

Martin is likely in desperate need of some time away from the pressures of the dug-out after experiencing his own Still-like failures at the helm of Rangers.

On the other hand, Eckert looks hungry and ready for a chance as Southampton’s main boss, having got a taste for it now, after largely settling for roles as an assistant manager and U21 manager during his coaching career to date.

Games managed

13

Wins

8

Draws

4

Losses

1

Goals scored

31

Goals conceded

19

Points accumulated

28

When looking at Martin’s early career as a manager, he never looked back after being handed the MK Dons gig in 2019 at just 33 years of age, which is coincidentally only a year older than Eckert currently is, who boasts some impressive numbers on the South Coast as a U21 boss and as an interim stand-in after Still.

Martin gradually rose the EFL ladder to then take on the Southampton main post and clinch promotion, with 26 wins and 87 goals accumulated over 46 games in the second tier, making the now out-of-work manager a firm fan favourite at St. Mary’s.

Off the back of such a richly successful season, Martin was rightly hailed as a figure who prioritises “exciting attacking football” by analyst John Walker.

Safe to say, the excitement levels have returned to Southampton since Eckert has been given the temporary reins, with the barnstorming 5-1 success over the Addicks also calling back to when Martin was in the hot seat, with Adam Armstrong bagging two, and possession standing in the Saints’ favour at the full-time whistle at 59%.

Moreover, Eckert is willing to give the next generation of talents at Southampton chances to shine, having worked in the U21 ranks, much like Martin showed with the likes of Tyler Dibling before his big Everton switch.

It would be a big risk, but the numbers since Eckert took over from Still are very encouraging, with the German perhaps the man to take Southampton back to the Premier League, much like Martin pulled off during the memorable 2023/24 season.

Praised by Saints midfielder Finn Azaz for being “top level”, everything is pointing in the direction of Eckert being a very promising appointment with lots more to give.

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1 ByDan Emery Nov 22, 2025

The spinner picked up four of the six SA wickets to fall after Pakistan were dismissed for 378

Danyal Rasool13-Oct-2025
After day one of Pakistan’s home template went according to plan, the second day made sure it faithfully followed the same script. South Africa bravely resisted Pakistan’s spinners for exactly 50 overs, but that was all they could take. South Africa then lost 4 for 26 in 62 balls as Noman Ali scythed through South Africa’s middle order, upending a game that appeared to be heading towards a one-innings shootout.After a productive morning for Senuran Muthusamy, who took a six-wicket haul, saw Pakistan dismissed for 378, South Africa had done their best not to allow Pakistan’s spinners to blow them away early doors. Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton saw off the new ball, building a stable opening partnership that inched towards fifty by the 12th over. But Noman, and spin in general, was always a threat. Markram ensured an umpiring decision was overturned when Rod Tucker deemed him to have nicked off to Rizwan, but two balls later, Noman served up another flighted delivery that spun away, and on that occasion it took Markram’s outside edge with it.On Sunday, Simon Harmer spoke of the importance of not losing wickets in clusters, and with Rickelton, Mulder hung around to add 35 for the second wicket. But an expansive smear towards midwicket was uncalled for and with Noman finding turn away from the right-hander, the ball kissed the outside edge into Rizwan’s grateful hands.The incoming Tony de Zorzi’s innings could be split into two phases, one of extreme good fortunue following by superb temperament. Hasan Ali toyed with his outside edge the first over, though two of those deflections found their way through a gap in the slips to the boundary and set him on his way. From the other end, he nearly chipped one straight to Noman, and as tea neared, he looked especially vulnerable.Rickelton, though, showed a mix of patience and clinical efficiency. He found a way to be solid, if not comfortable, against the spin when they landed their lengths, while still squeezing out runs with regularity. Rickelton, whose last innings against Pakistan yielded 259 in Cape Town, has now seen 47% of his career Test runs come in his last two innings vs Pakistan. The tea break came and went as South Africa began to establish a position resembling parity, a gorgeous straight six and four off Noman after a quiet passage indicating Rickelton’s growing comfort.But with an hour of play left, South Africa remained vulnerable. A year ago in Multan, England had raced away to 211 for 2, only to be picked apart by Sajid Khan to finish the day at 226 for 6. In the 51st over, Salman Agha drew Rickelton’s outside edge, with Babar at first slip getting low to complete a stunning one-handed reflex catch to break the stand six short of 100.Pakistan then went on the prowl. Noman took Tristan Stubbs’ outside edge in near-identical circumstances to Markram’s dismissal earlier before a rattled Dewald Brevis chipped his first ball straight to short midwicket to give Sajid Khan his first wicket. South Africa were in damage control mode, but Noman found a way to inflict another hammer blow when Kyle Verreyenne tried to sweep a straight delivery, only to be caught dead in front.Senuran Muthusamy bagged career-best figures of 6 for 117•Associated PressSouth Africa’s saving grace was de Zorzi had now moved from his tentative phase to one of extreme command. He had seen the disintegration from the other end without allowing himself to be discomfited by it, keeping the runs ticking along while reassuring Muthusamy, who looked deft enough to see off the dying overs. Off the penultimate ball of the day, de Zorzi saw one that was dragged short and whipped it through midwicket, still focused on putting the poor balls away.In the morning, Muthusamy had sliced through Pakistan’s lower order in the second half of the first session to wrap up the hosts’ innings for 378. The left-arm spinner took three wickets in an over, on his way to a career-best figures of 6 for 117, as Pakistan lost their last five wickets for 16 runs. But much of the job Pakistan were tasked with completing overnight was taken care of by Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha, whose partnership stretched to 163 before the wickets began to fall. South Africa were left to face an awkward four overs before lunch, but they did so without harm.After being cautious, Agha got things running with a sweep for four behind square, before lifting Harmer over the sightscreen. With limited apparent danger from the spin, Pakistan looked set to march to and beyond 400, a mark both sides had appeared to consider as borderline impregnable on a surface that would deteriorate fast. By now, Harmer had been lifted by Agha for another six and Muthuswamy for four more as he motored towards three figures.But the wickets came all of a sudden. Extra turn and bounce kissed the shoulder of Rizwan’s bat as the wicketkeeper took a catch to finally break the sixth-wicket stand. The incoming Noman was cleaned up after Muthusamy bowled a delivery Noman himself would have been proud of, giving it air before it whistled past the outside edge and into off stump. For the second time in the innings, he would go two in two after Sajid was coaxed into a defensive prod that took the edge and towards Markram at slip.Agha and Shaheen Afridi dug in for the next half hour before the latter’s bellicose nature got the better of him. He danced down the track and hacked at the ball, only to see Muthusawmy make a mess of his stumps behind him. It left Agha in danger of being stranded a few runs from his century, and he tried to rush to the milestone, taking on Prenelan Subrayen. He smeared across the line to allow Muthusamy take a comfortable catch on the boundary, leaving him seven runs short, just as Imam-ul-Haq had been yesterday.The final 15 overs of the day, though, will reassure Pakistan they do not want for runs on this continually deteriorating surface.

The Tigers can feel good as they near the final month of the 2025 MLB season. After sweeping the Astros this week and winning eight of their last 10 games, they seem to have come out of the slump they hit midway through the year.

Detroit was one of the hottest teams at the start of the season, but cooled off toward the All-Star break when they lost four games going into the break followed by eight of their first nine games after the Midsummer Classic.

That slump naturally brought out concerns from Tigers fans who initially thought their team was on track to contend for their first World Series title in over 40 years. Those worries don't bother manager A.J. Hinch though.

"I think we should just thank them for being passionate enough to care," Hinch said, via 97.1 The Ticket.

The Tigers not only have seemingly emerged from their slump, but regained their lead in the American League Central. Detroit holds a 9.5-game lead over the Royals and a 10.5-game lead over the Guardians, as well as the best record in the league. Hinch knows they can't slow down, but is glad to have the passion from Detroit as they head down the final stretch of the season.

"We’re still going to run the race, we still have a lot of games left, we’re still going to play our game, but I love the emotions that come with sports and respect them for loving us," said Hinch. "I don’t fault people for caring or being super passionate. That’s the kind of city that we want (to play in). But don’t forget to love on us a little bit when things are bad."

The Tigers have given reason for their fans to feel excited again, but they'll need to build off their momentum to keep them feeling confident as the postseason approaches.

There was physical courage, there were technical tweaks, and nothing really worked. But the final act showed not all was lost

Alagappan Muthu03-Jan-2025The old saying only mentions sticks and stones. Rishabh Pant might want it amended to include leather as well. He had a big red welt on his left arm where a back-of-a-length ball from Mitchell Starc had reared up off the Sydney pitch to strike him flush.Thanks to his heroics on his last Border-Gavaskar tour, this one began with a lot of focus on him. Even otherwise, with the pitches in Australia getting spicier and the new Kookaburra ball making life more difficult for the top order, the impact of players like Pant and Travis Head, coming down the order, always had the potential to change the course of Test matches.Related

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The conversation around Pant began to shift, though. The risks that he takes to play those unorthodox shots had begun to catch up with him. His scoop in the first innings in Melbourne, where he was trying to pick out the gap at fine leg – he got hit on his body the first time he tried it and was caught at deep third the very next ball when he went for it again – came in for a lot of criticism. Being dismissed by a part-time bowler in the second innings, when India were trying to save the Test, took that discourse to a whole other level. There were other batters not doing their job as well but his wicket was singled out.With that as the backdrop, Pant walked in in Sydney and spent 98 balls being someone else. There were still glimpses of his disdain for that red ball. In the 43rd over, he helicoptered a cut shot. Those usually involve back and across movements. But he couldn’t be bothered. He just trusted his hand-eye coordination and then, at the point of contact, let his wrists go for a whirl, and the ball skipped away behind point. Under normal circumstances, that’s what a Pant highlights reel would be all about.An exchange with Steven Smith, caught on the stump mic, didn’t end well for Shubman Gill•Getty ImagesThese weren’t normal circumstances. His application had come under question. During optional training, reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel had a long net, large parts of it right alongside Pant, and he looked quite good. It took a while for Pant to become a regular in India’s Test team – largely because his keeping needed to improve; his batting was already there – and since then he’s been among the first names on the sheet. Melbourne cast doubt over his temperament. Sydney almost became the scene of his redemption. He took so many body blows. Two back-to-back in the gut. Then another in the gut which left him winded enough he went down to the floor. One right on the side of the helmet, which looked awful. He tried to get out of the way but that bouncer just kept following him. Starc looked extremely concerned and wouldn’t leave Pant’s side until he got a nod of the head from the batter.”I think this is the first time I’ve gotten hit so much,” Pant said, “But you know in cricket you can’t plan anything, so everything happened for the first time for sure at some point of time in your career, but that was me today.”India were showing bravery. They were trying to correct their mistakes. Virat Kohli abandoned his open stance to be more side-on, which in theory would reduce the chances of him playing away from his body because his alignment was putting his front shoulder closer to balls outside off stump. They tried to rely on their defensive skills. Ravindra Jadeja tried to leave as many as he could. They tried to play the situation and ignore their natural instincts.As much as they did all this, though, they seemed to gain little. They still collapsed from 57 for 2 to 148 for 8. The only difference was, it was a slow-burn collapse spread out across 41 overs. It’s back to their bowlers to bail India out, and it is possible that they could. There are frailties in the Australian batting order and the pitch is offering plenty of help.It was edged and taken yet again for Virat Kohli•Getty Images”I feel it was a little tough pitch,” Pant said. He believed India’s 181 was not quite a par score but was close to it. “The ball was doing off the wicket quite a bit especially after the end of second session I would say.”India did expect batting to be difficult when they won the toss and chose to put a total on the board. What they didn’t expect was the consistency of movement and the extra bounce. It gave them zero breathers. When they tried to manufacture shots, it backfired.Shubman Gill wanted to make sure it was the last ball before lunch so he went down to do some gardening. Steven Smith at slip saw that and said, “This is bull****. Oi, let’s play”. Gill turned around and replied, “You take your time, Smithy, nobody says anything to you.” Then he faced up to Nathan Lyon and got caught by Smith at slip. Kohli’s side-on stance seemed to be helping until once again Scott Boland produced a ball that he nicked.India went to stumps in a rage. The penultimate ball of the day sparked a confrontation. Usman Khawaja asked Jasprit Bumrah to wait. Sam Konstas got involved with a couple of words from the non-strikers’ end. Bumrah didn’t like it. The two of them had to be separated by the umpires. The last ball of the day produced a wicket. Khawaja was out caught, and Bumrah whipped around and walked towards Konstas. He knew he couldn’t get in his face. He held his emotions in check and then vented them when Konstas walked off. Veins popping. India haven’t been a happy team on this tour. They’ve felt antagonised. They had come to Sydney damned for all that they did. Sydney damned them when they didn’t, too. That last ball wicket, though, felt powerful. All 11 players ran up to their captain bristling with life once more.

Across every major event in Carse’s professional career, there has been one recurring presence – Stokes

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Dec-2024There was a point on Saturday afternoon, as Brydon Carse was walking back to the top of his mark, that he turned to his captain. The fields were fine and the plans clear, but Carse had noticed something he wanted to relay.The grass banks were throbbing with anticipation, the air filled with that loud hum you get when a bowler is in the midst of a Test-tilting spell. This one in particular aimed at New Zealand’s middle order. “This is pretty cool,” said Carse – the man responsible – without breaking stride.”Just lap it all up and take it in,” replied Ben Stokes, “because this pretty special.”Related

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About 24 hours later, both Carse – player of the match gong in his possession – and Stokes were sat on the outfield of a now empty Hagley Oval, quiet but for idle conversation and the noise of team-mates kicking around a football. Beers in hand, smiles on the go. This, too, was something to lap up.England had beaten New Zealand – for just the second time in 11 matches on their patch – and Carse had driven it with a match-wide 10 for 106 of historical and cultural significance. All under the guidance of a close friend.An England bowler has not taken a ten-for overseas in the last 12 years before Carse took four in the first innings and added six in the second, with the final three arriving on the final day. You have to go even further back – to Ryan Sidebottom in Hamilton in 2008 – for the last time a seamer did so.Neither James Anderson nor Stuart Broad could manage it, and they played 151 away Tests between them. Carse has done it in just three attempts.

“He’s turned out to be the cricketer I always thought he could be.”Ben Stokes on Brydon Carse

His first three, by the way, which is part coincidence and circumstance. It has not been a straightforward journey.”Timing is obviously everything,” Carse said, reflecting on this first crack of Test cricket in which he currently boasts 19 wickets at an average of 17.10. “I’ve had my fair share of bad luck with certain things. I don’t want to say I knew this day would come, but I was always ambitious to think I can play cricket and I can play at that level. I’m just very proud of today’s performance.”The principle of time is an important one as far as Carse’s story goes. Because across every major event in his professional career, there has been one recurring presence – Stokes. Guardian angel might be lacing that with too much narrative. But Carse’s Test captain was also his first international captain, when a debut sprung out of the blue in 2021. Covid forced a complete squad change for a home ODI series against Pakistan. Stokes, who was recovering from a broken finger, was drafted in to run the ringers.A two-year central contract in 2023 came on merit, but it helped that Stokes had been tipping Carse as one to watch, particularly for Test cricket despite a modest first-class record for Durham, with an average of 33.25 from 44 domestic matches. Ironically, it was Stokes’ delay in returning from a hamstring tear that handed Carse his debut in the first Test of the Pakistan tour. Stokes had the honour of bestowing Carse with cap No. 717. Nine impressive wickets on tough decks underlined the qualities that had not been made clear on the county circuit.

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