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His role in the team – to go after every ball – is high-risk-not-so-high-reward, but that hasn’t affected his drive

Shashank Kishore27-Apr-2022IPL 2021: 10 innings, 93 runs, highest of 25, strike rate 112.04.Underwhelming numbers that one may struggle to justify at the best of times. And yet, Rajasthan Royals put in a bid of INR 3.8 crore to secure Riyan Parag’s services at the February mega auction. Clearly, they knew something.Before we get further, let’s dissect the 25 he made in 2021. It came off 11 balls, at a time when Royals needed 99 off 7.1 overs. Sanju Samson needed support at the other end, and he got more than just that. Royals fell four short of their 222 chase but were building a fearless ball-striker who was ready to do the tough job.Related

• Vettori: 'The focus is not just on Kohli to do the job'

• Parag, Kuldeep and Ashwin rescue the Royals

• How games have flipped after six decisive balls

Parag’s specialisation comes with the inherent risk of more failure than success. Yet, that hasn’t affected his drive or desire to get better at it. Thirty-one of his 67 balls he has faced so far this season has come in one knock alone – during his 56 not out against Royal Challengers Bangalore. For perspective, Jos Buttler has faced nearly five times that number this season. Parag’s knock was the difference between Royals finishing with 125 and eventually having 145 to defend.Parag trains differently. It’s not something cricket journalists are often privy to in these days of bio-bubbles, where pre-match training routines are almost out of bounds. Yet, IPL teams engaging the audience on social media through their bouquet of multimedia offerings have given glimpses of what we’ve missed in person.Parag isn’t someone to quietly walk off the moment the coach announces, “last set”. Parag will ask for two more. Last ball? Parag will push the coach into having the bowlers send down a few more. “One more ball, six to win” and then, he’ll signal to the coach the toughest field he’ll want to clear.And he’ll let the world know with his Bihu (a dance form from Assam, the state he belongs to) dance if he did. And then within a few hours, he’ll be behind the wheels of his gaming console, tussling with Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer. In short, he’s a popular member of the squad, a lively presence who plays with a smile. Well, mostly. Let us for a moment ignore the scrap with Harshal Patel on Tuesday night. He’s the kind you want to see on the field. The kind you wish succeeds.What stands out about him is his self-confidence. You’re unlikely to have guessed he had scores of 12, 5, 8, 18 and 5 in the five innings prior to Tuesday’s. You’re unlikely to have seen him retaliate to truckloads of online trolling – people asking him to just dance, instead of focusing on cricket. Such trolling isn’t new. He can ask Jemimah Rodrigues, the India women batter.Her keen interest for song and dance or the guitar often comes up for discussion every time she fails with the bat. As if her interests outside cricket had something to do with her performances on the field. But hey, they are online trolls for a reason and Parag knows that all too well.Riyan Parag is pumped up after reaching his half-century•BCCIHe knows the brickbats that may come one day will be replaced by love and adulation by the same set of people. And that’s because he understands it comes with the role he trains to play – limited upside, infinite downsides. The willingness to take on the challenge despite knowing this as a 20-year-old is what has impressed the Royals management.When R Ashwin famously retired out earlier this season towards the final stages of the innings against Lucknow Super Giants, it was to give Parag the set of balls he needed to make maximum impact. Kumar Sangakkara later spoke of how they had erred tactically in not having Parag come in with a few more balls to play, and that the move to promote Rassie van der Dussen to No. 4 was perhaps a mistake.Parag’s own clarity of his role stems from a terrific understanding of the game, something he has honed carefully over time. He came up the ranks as a child prodigy. He should’ve been the youngest to have made his first-class debut at 14, but the Assam selectors felt at the time he was “too young.”And yet, at 16, he was smashing England Under-19s bowlers in a youth Test in gloomy Taunton. At 17, he was an Under-19 World Cup winner, and at 18, he walked out to MS Dhoni’s quips from behind the stumps and was scooping and ramping Jasprit Bumrah.Parag says a chat with Kohli last season helped bring in more refinement to his thought process. “Forget the orange cap, you ain’t getting it,” Kohli is believed to have told Parag. “Your focus should be to get the quick 15-20-25 runs you get at crucial times. Don’t think about the volume of runs you get.” This appears to have become a part of his muscle memory now.For much of their batting innings on Tuesday, it appeared as if Royals erred by leaving Karun Nair out. Batters of his ability and style are like insurance policies. They are summoned only to avert a crisis. It is a role S Badrinath made famous in the IPL through his exploits for Chennai Super Kings.This year, however, Royals haven’t taken the conservative route. They’ve been after the high-risk-high-returns approach, and it has paid off most times. Buttler alone has shellacked three hundreds, and Samson has found his hitting range from time to time. Hetmyer hadn’t scored below 25 in six of the seven matches coming into the game. Devdutt Padikkal was coming into his own.And yet when Parag walked into bat, Royals were floundering at 68 for 4 at the halfway mark. Parag may have been under pressure, but in playing himself in, lining up the bowlers and his hitting zones, he brought out an element of maturity.Yes, he got lucky and none of this may have been possible had Wanindu Hasaranga not shelled the catch at cover, but if you’re prepared to do the dirty job, you deserve some luck.And if you can scythe sixes over extra cover off yorker-length deliveries, you deserve some more.This was by no means a breakthrough knock. It was, however, yet another reiteration of Parag’s utility and his ability to do the job few work towards day in and day out. After all, how does one possibly prepare to face just 10 balls in the innings? Ask Dinesh Karthik. Or ask ‘work-in-progress’ Parag.

Guardians designated hitter David Fry will not need surgery after he got hit in the face from fouling off a 99-mile-per-hour fastball thrown by Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal on Tuesday night.

Cleveland released a statement on Wednesday with the update on Fry, noting that his imagery shows that he sustained "multiple, minimally displaced left-sided facial and nasal fractures." He is expected to fully recover after six-to-eight weeks, meaning he will miss the postseason if the Guardians clinch a spot.

Fry has been released from the local Cleveland Clinic and is resting from the injury.

Fry was carted off the field in the sixth inning after fouling off the pitch to his face. It was definitely a scary moment for everyone on the field and in attendance. Skubal, who was shaken up when it happened, said he texted Fry after the game to check on him.

The rest of the Guardians–Tigers series will be intense as the two AL Central teams are competing for a spot in the playoffs.

It just had to be Dominik Szoboszlai! With Mohamed Salah sitting at home after his remarkable Elland Road outburst, Liverpool's true talisman right now slotted home an 88th-minute penalty to earn a 1-0 victory over Inter on Tuesday that greatly eases the pressure on manager Arne Slot.

In all honesty, the Reds played little better at San Siro than they had without Salah on Saturday night at Leeds. Alexander Isak went missing up front, as he so often has since arriving at Anfield for a British-record fee during the summer, although it has to be said Liverpool created little for the Swede, primarily because Florian Wirtz started on the bench. 

However, the visitors were, at least, far more solid in defence, with Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson nullifying Inter's threat out wide, while Alisson Becker also kept a very low-quality Champions League clash scoreless with a smart save from Lautaro Martinez just before the break. 

Liverpool then nicked a badly-needed win right at the death, with the Video Assistant Referee flagging a very minor pull on Wirtz's shirt by Nerazzurri defender Alessandro Bastoni. Christian Chivu & Co. were enraged by the belated decision to award a penalty, but Slot obviously didn't care. Thanks to Salah's replacement, Szoboszlai, he'd won his first match since the Egyptian tried to throw under the bus at Elland Road!

GOAL rates all of the Liverpool layers on show in Milan…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Alisson Becker (7/10):

  The reactions save from Martinez's near-post header was top-drawer, and crucial too, but, truth be told, the Brazilian didn't have that much to do during a rather boring game.

  Joe Gomez (6/10):

  Got the nod ahead of Bradley to start at right-back, perhaps with the idea of nullifying the threat posed by Dimarco, and the versatile defender produced a solid showing. Also got himself into some decent attacking positions, but his final ball let him down. Let's face it, he's no Trent!

  Ibrahima Konate (6/10):

  Unlucky to see his goal ruled out, as it would have represented a very timely confidence boost for the struggling Frenchman, but he should take great encouragement out of his overall performance here. Konate was by no means brilliant and he misplaced a few passes, but he played his part in a morale-boosting clean sheet for Liverpool's much-maligned defence.

  Virgil van Dijk (7/10):

  This was more like the Van Dijk of last season, with the Dutchman absolutely cruising through the game, winning most of his duels and spraying the ball about the pitch with aplomb. 

  Andy Robertson (7/10):

  Brought back into the side in place of Kerkez and justified his recall by defending diligently and also creating a couple of chances with some inviting crosses. 

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  Midfield

  Ryan Gravenberch (7/10):

  Not quite back to his brilliant best but this was much more like it from the Dutchman, who was very composed in possession and also did a fine job protecting his defence with a string of timely interceptions. 

  Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):

  By no means the Mac Allister of the past two seasons but arguably a very small step in the right direction. The Argentine offered nothing going forward but he did, at least, draw a fair few fouls, while he also worked tirelessly for his team.

  Curtis Jones (7/10):

  One of Liverpool's better players. Was very brave on the ball, always willing to pick up possession in congested areas, and also showed some of the passion that Liverpool have lacked in recent weeks and months.

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  Attack

  Dominik Szoboszlai (8/10):

  The coolly converted penalty capped another dynamic display from the Hungarian, who was still winning the ball back at both ends of the field well into the last 10 minutes of the game.

  Alexander Isak (3/10):

  Have we finally reached the point where the Swede's lack of a proper pre-season can no longer be used as an excuse for dreadful performances such as this? Isak contributed absolutely nothing to the game before being withdrawn after 68 minutes. 

  Hugo Ekitike (7/10):

  In complete contrast to Isak, the Frenchman always looked capable of making something happen. He's fast, sharp and capable of beating players. He has to start up front against Brighton at the weekend.

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  Subs & Manager

  Conor Bradley (7/10):

  A bit strange that he didn't start given he's suspended for the weekend's Premier League clash with Brighton – but he was brought on midway through the second half and immediately set up a chance for Ekitike before going close to scoring himself. 

  Florian Wirtz (6/10):

  Another surprise omission from the starting line-up, the German was part of a double substitution with Bradley and won the penalty that decided the game.

  Arne Slot (8/10):

  Things couldn't have gone much better for Slot in the circumstances. It wasn't a convincing performance by any stretch of the imagination, but Liverpool kept a clean sheet and claimed a late win with a goal from the player that Slot prefers to Salah on the right-hand side. As victories go, it's probably one of the most important of the Dutchman's career.

CA said the incident occurred when the players were walking to a cafe on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2025Two Australian players were “touched inappropriately” by a motorcyclist in Indore, where they played South Africa in their final league game of the Women’s World Cup on Saturday. The incident occurred while the players were walking to a cafe on Thursday, the morning after Australia’s victory against England in Indore.”CA can confirm two members of the Australian Women’s team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a cafe in Indore,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. “The matter was reported by team security to police, who are handling the matter.”Rajesh Dandotiya, the additional district commissioner of police, Indore crime branch, said they had made an arrest. “The security in-charge manager of the Australian team registered a complaint about inappropriate behaviour against two players. We carried out an intensive strategic operation and arrested the culprit, Aqeel. He belongs to Khajrana but now lives in Azad Nagar. He has an old criminal record.”The Indore Police Commissionerate held a meeting with the stakeholders, BCCI and MPCA, after which security protocols were put in place. We are examining where the security protocol was breached. The incident happened on October 23 around 11am and within the next six hours, we carried out an intensive strategic operation and arrested the culprit. The incident happened when they were headed to a cafe from hotel Radisson.”Devajit Saikia, BCCI secretary, described the incident as “very condemnable” and assured to “revisit our safety protocols if required.”The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) said in a statement that it was “deeply pained and shocked by the disturbing incident of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour with two players from the Australian Women’s Cricket Team in Indore. No woman should ever have to endure such trauma, and our thoughts and support are with those impacted by this distressing incident. This unfortunate event has deeply affected everyone from MPCA who cherishes the values of respect, safety, and dignity of women. It is truly inspiring to see the players rise above this painful experience and continue to compete with courage and determination, carrying the pride of their nation on their shoulders in the match against South Africa.”Over the years, Indore has earned a proud reputation as a safe venue for the visiting teams and dignitaries from other fields. It is deeply painful that the disorderly action of one individual has caused such harm and cast a shadow over the city’s image. As the host, MPCA extends sincere apologies to the Australian Women’s team for this deeply distressing and unfortunate incident while in our city known for safety, grace, and hospitality.”Australia ended the league stage on top of the World Cup points table and will play India in the second semi-final on October 30 in Navi Mumbai. South Africa will travel to Guwahati to play England in the first semi-final on October 29.

Former U.S. striker and current Apple TV broadcaster Taylor Twellman praised Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano for his decision to drop Luis Suarez, calling it true to Mascherano’s bold nature as a player. Twellman also noted Miami’s recent defensive improvements, crediting tactical tweaks and better player integration.

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  Twellman on Mascherano’s choice to bench Suarez

  Twellman said Mascherano was always the type to make a call like this, describing him as bold and brash even during his playing days. 

  “When you really look at Javier Mascherano, it’s very difficult for people, in our line of work, to disassociate Javier Mascherano as a player to then all of a sudden Mascherano as a manager,” Twellman said in a Apple TV conference call to promote the Conference Finals. “Cause we don’t have a ton of proof, we don’t have a ton of stuff to go off of. But you don’t lose, a majority of people who turn from player to coaches, you don’t lose who you are.

  “Now Javier Mascherano… was always going to have the guts to do it. Now, freedom is a different way of putting it because, naturally, you look at Suarez and his pedigree and his profile. That’s very difficult to do. However, what everyone is forgetting is that Suarez was suspended after the Leagues Cup fiasco. They had games without Luis Suarez; the difference now was that [Mateo] Silvetti hadn’t integrated himself at a level that he is now, neither had Baltasar Rodríguez, neither had Rodrigo De Paul."

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• Defensive improvements under Mascherano

  According to Twellman, Miami’s recent clean sheets show that improved player integration – not Suárez’s absence alone – is the decisive difference from earlier, less cohesive matches.

  “You can always make the argument that starting Suarez was fine and was completely confirmed in the sense the way they were the rest of the year,” Twellman continued. “However, at the end of the Nashville game, and I’ve done more Messi games than anyone, I’ve never seen Miami and Messi on the field together in a game like that be as defensively sound, and I would use a better word than that, competent in their structure.

  “They’ve never had a clean sheet in the playoffs; they’ve had two in a row. That’s not a coincidence. A coincidence is that Rodriguez is healthy, Silvetti has now been integrated, (Rocco) Ríos Novo is a better goalkeeper for what they want to do than Ustari, the balance of the team is better now than it was going into the Leagues Cup final.”

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  On Mascherano’s development as a coach

  Twellman credited Mascherano with identifying Miami’s weaknesses and making decisive changes that enhanced the team’s overall balance.

  “I think he has done a fantastic job,” Twellman said. “I really think he has earned my attention, that’s the wrong way to put it. He has really got my attention with the ability to see what they were in the Leagues Cup final, where Seattle really got under their skin, and they were the better team on the day…But Seattle was really good that day.

  “He’s figured out where they were. I think they gave up five goals to Chicago, [and] he immediately got rid of Ustari and Rios Novo has been in there. Against Nashville in Game 3, he told Busquets ‘In possession, I want to go to three at the back, you have the freedom to go forward, I want Rodrigo De Paul to be further up the field. So he’s made little tweaks there that have really got my attention.

  Twellman was unsurprised by the choice to bench Suarez, viewing it as a necessary step in the team’s evolution. Not only that, but he also revealed that New York City FC are preparing to face a different Inter Miami team as compared to the regular season because of the changes.

  “I, for one, was not surprised….I was not surprised Javier Mascherano sat Suarez, and the reason why is I go back to my original point,” Twellman said. ”I’ve never seen Miami with Messi on the field look this good, I just haven’t. And it doesn’t mean the best players are playing, it doesn’t…Having spoken with New York City people in seeing that, they’re preparing for a different Miami team than they were when they played them at the beginning of the year, they’re a different team.”

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  What this means next for Miami

  Inter Miami will face New York City FC in the Western Conference final on Nov. 29 at Chase Stadium in a single elimination game. 

Arsenal are the best team in the Premier League right now. Four points clear at the summit, Mikel Arteta’s squad are so steely in defence, so well organised and so well oiled across the park.

However, they don’t have Erling Haaland at the front of their system, and the Manchester City centre-forward seems set on challenging the Gunners almost single-handedly for the league title this season.

But this is an elite outfit, and no mistake. Arsenal also sit second in the Champions League, four wins from four and the only side left in the competition to have maintained an impregnable defence.

But Arsenal have an unfair reputation, in a way. They are not just strong protectors of the goalmouth, but among the most dynamic and intelligent when on the ball too.

Arsenal

1st

40

Liverpool

8th

36

Man United

7th

35

Man City

2nd

33

Aston Villa

6th

30

No team has played more successful through balls than the Emirates side in the Premier League this season, and this underrated progressiveness stems from the centre of the park, with Declan Rice proving – again – that he is the main man.

Why Declan Rice is Arsenal's main man

When Arsenal paid West Ham United a club-record £105m fee for Rice’s signature in 2023, some felt it was excessive. For sure, that’s a lot of money. But Rice has repaid the faith and finances invested in him.

You might even say he’s spearheading Arteta’s side in their bid for the Premier League title, having been described as “the best of the best” by statistician Statman Dave.

A big improvement he has made this season is his accuracy in progressing play, not only with his body but his feet too. As per FBref, Rice actually ranks among the top 10% of Premier League midfielders for progressive passes, the top 18% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for touches made per 90.

He also ranks among the top 1% for progressive carries per 90, unsurprisingly, and has notched seven goal contributions across all competitions, his ability to produce a show-stopping strike as firmly intact as it has ever been.

Many players comprise a brilliant team in north London, and Arsenal absolutely have what it takes to lift that elusive title this season. Rice is the cream of the crop, though, the driving force in the centre.

However, having finished as runners-up for three years in a row, it was crucial that technical director Andrea Berta got it right this summer, and he has succeeded in bringing in a player who is now rivalling the Three Lions superstar as the best addition in recent years.

The best Arsenal signing since Rice

Rice was once a centre-back. He has also played plenty of football in a deep-lying midfield berth, but a roaming, off-the-leash midfield role is where he finds his most fruitful form.

That’s where Martin Zubimendi comes in, welcomed in July to sit at number six and organise Arteta’s ball-playing vision. The Spain international arrived with a weight of expectation, and he has not let the club’s fanbase down thus far.

Arsenal signed Real Sociedad’s Basque star for about £60m. He rejected Liverpool last summer, but was won over by the Londoners’ vision, and made the move to England, where he has since been thriving at the heart of a title-challenging project, hailed as the club’s “signing of the summer” by content creator Adam Keys.

It is perhaps a marker of Rice and Zubimendi’s connection in the middle of the park that captain Martin Odegaard has now missed four Premier League matches (and more across tournament fronts) due to the knee injury sustained against West Ham United in October, and yet Arsenal remain

That’s good coaching, but it’s also an illustration of the effectiveness of the midfielders. Each Premier League manager has an understanding of how he wants his team to play, but the symbiosis between coach and player doesn’t always click in a fluent manner.

The 26-year-old is among the most intelligent deep playmakers of his generation. In this, he is “world-class”, as has been acknowledged by Spanish football writer Alexandra Jonson.

Zubimendi is not a player who is defined by statistics, but he has still shone on the data front at Arsenal this season, dominant in the air and composed and active on the ball, at the heart of the Gunners system.

Sofascore record that he has actually won 67% of his aerial duels thus far, completing 89% of his passes and averaging 1.9 tackles per game.

It is the deeper meaning behind Zubimendi’s role that suggests he is the best signing in recent years. His influence and control in the centre of the park has seen him occupy those spaces and feed through those surgical passes, which have added a dimension to Arteta’s tactics, keeping things fresh, maintaining progression and evolution.

The likes of Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres are welcome additions to a high-flying Premier League team. But neither has enjoyed the same impact as Zubimendi across the past several months.

Perhaps we should draw attention to David Raya, or maybe Mikel Merino or Riccardo Calafiori. Fantastic players, the lot of them. But if Arsenal manage to get their mitts on the Premier League title this season, with Zubimendi orchestrating from the middle, the loudest praise must surely fall onto Zubimendi’s back.

After Saka & Rice: Arsenal can hand Tuchel the "biggest talent in England"

The incredible Arsenal gem could become a bigger star for England than Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 14, 2025

Newcastle United fans have felt equal levels of excitement and bewilderment at how their up-and-down team has fared so far this season.

In the Champions League, the Toon have looked energetic and vibrant, with eight goals coming their way across two wins in the illustrious competition.

Yet, back in the big time of the Premier League, Newcastle have looked lost and lethargic, instead of potential world-beaters, with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of a relegation-threatened West Ham last time out, seeing the Magpies sink to new lows.

Unfortunately, many of the old guard Eddie Howe has favoured since taking on the Newcastle job post are beginning to show very visible signs of decay, with Dan Burn a declining presence who is hard to defend at this point, heading into the Toon’s latest European clash with Athletic Club.

Burn's decline at Newcastle

Before delving further into the number 33’s out-of-sorts form in the here and now, it should be said that Burn is definitely viewed as a modern-day hero at St James’ Park.

After all, the 6-foot-7 colossus was the man who headed home the all-important opener earlier this year to help Newcastle triumphantly lift the EFL Cup, as Howe continues to regularly wax lyrical about how “incredible” a servant the Blyth-born defender has been over the years on Tyneside.

But, Burn could now be overstaying his welcome, with the likes of Malick Thiaw – who joined in the summer from AC Milan – a shinier new model who will stay in the heart of Newcastle defence, you imagine, for the foreseeable future.

With Sven Botman rock-solid, too, as his consistent centre-back partner, Burn has had to make do with minutes as a makeshift left-back as of late, with the position not playing to his commanding strengths whatsoever.

Away at West Ham, Burn failed to register a single successful dribble, which then limited Newcastle’s attacking options down the left flank, with the 33-year-old also giving possession away a high 14 times.

With Lewis Hall edging back to full fitness, he could be in for a starting space against Ernesto Valverde’s challengers in midweek as Burn is perhaps given a rest after a shaky couple of games in a row.

Howe will also have to push his sentiment to one side, again, with another possible alteration on Wednesday.

Newcastle star who's "nowhere near his best" faces the chop

Thankfully, some of the 47-year-old’s long-standing servants continue to excel, so deep into their stays in the North.

Bruno Guimaraes – who has lined up for 168 games under Howe to date – finds himself three goals down this season in the Premier League already, which has led to pundit Michael Carrick hailing him as the club’s ever-dependable “talisman.”

Howe’s most used current Newcastle players

Player

Games played

1. Bruno Guimaraes

168

= 2. Fabian Schar

163

= 2. Dan Burn

163

4. Jacob Murphy

148

5. Joelinton

143

Sourced by Transfermarkt

But, his fellow compatriot and midfield partner Joelinton isn’t receiving similar praise right now, despite boasting a colossal 143 games under Howe’s management.

Indeed, Joelinton – much like Burn – will be viewed as a modern-great amongst the hardened St James’ Park masses long after he departs the building, with teammate Kieran Trippier branding him as a “machine” when he’s at his high-octane peak.

With 31 goals and 21 assists up his sleeve too for Newcastle, Joelinton is clearly fondly respected and admired.

But, in the words of journalist Mark Douglas in mid-October, he has been “nowhere near his best” in recent times, as Newcastle continue to struggle to spark into life in the Premier League this season.

Only a sorry two strikes have come Joelinton’s way this season, with both of those efforts coming against lowly Bradford City in EFL Cup action.

Moreover, the number 7 was one of Newcastle’s worst culprits for looking lethargic against the Hammers, with just three of his seven duels being successfully won, as Lucas Paqueta and Freddie Potts controlled the game from the middle of the park for the hosts instead.

Last time out in Europe’s top competition, both Lewis Miley and Jacob Ramsey were given run-outs in the middle, as Joelinton then came on against Benfica in the latter stages.

A similar refreshed look could be on display against the visitors from Bilbao, with Hall possibly given some crucial minutes back in the first team fold, too, in place of Burn.

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