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Both are versatile batters and they missed out on big scores in Ahmedabad, but they were never going to miss out two Tests in a row

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Oct-20251:39

‘Jaiswal has to blame himself for the run-out’

A little under an hour of the Delhi Test had elapsed when Yashasvi Jaiswal decided he had had enough of letting Anderson Phillip bowl on his terms. Phillip, at that point, had bowled 5.3 overs and conceded just ten runs.Jaiswal had mostly been away from the strike when Phillip had bowled. He had faced only four balls from him, and shouldered arms to all of them. He had batted watchfully against the other two West Indies seamers as well, and was on 10 off 36 balls. He had left alone 12 of those balls.Now, he decided he was done with all that. Phillip bowled this one full, angled a fair way away from off stump, and may have perhaps expected another leave. Instead, out of seemingly nowhere, came a straight wallop of fearsome wind-up and flat, lethal trajectory. This was no drive with head over the ball; this was an elemental hit with head thrown back. Phillip, following through, was fortunate head was a foot or so wide of the ball’s path.Related

• Stats – Gill level with Kohli, Jaiswal only behind Bradman

• Jadeja, Kuldeep strike after Gill ton propels India to 518

Everything about that shot, and the passage of play leading up to it, was pure Jaiswal. He can leave every third ball he faces. He can make a stadium sit up with a shot of pure violence. He can bat in all sorts of moods and tempos, often in the same innings, to the point where it becomes impossible to define the kind of batter he is in Test cricket.In one sense, though, it’s very, very easy to define him. Jaiswal is a run-scorer. Send him out with bat in hand, anywhere in the world, against any kind of attack, and you can be pretty sure he’ll find a way to score runs.One of many, many ways. Jaiswal has now gone past 70 on 14 occasions in Test cricket, and those innings have come at strike rates ranging from 40.38 – when he made 84 off 208 balls while attempting to save the MCG Test last year – to 141.17 – when he smashed 72 off 51 balls during India’s push to make victory possible in a heavily rain-affected Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.Those 14 innings have ticked all but two of the ten strike-rate “decades” from the 40s to the 140s. Only the 120s and 130s are still waiting to be achieved.Over the course of three sessions on Friday and a small fraction of one on Saturday, Jaiswal scored 175 at 67.82, and that strike rate, so close to his career strike rate of 66.33, was an indication of just how comfortable he was on a flat Delhi pitch against a modest West Indies attack, scoring briskly while never looking in a hurry or getting too greedy, batting through a whole day’s play without ever looking weary or seeming to suffer dips in focus.We’ve become so used to this that we almost take it for granted, and forget that he’s not yet 24.2:57

Chopra: Gill destined for greatness

The dismissal, in the second over of day two, came first as a shock. Did he really get out, when 200 – even 300, who knows – seemed within reach? But then it began to make sense. If it had to happen, it had to be a run-out. It had to be that particular kind of run-out. It’s one of Jaiswal’s minor vulnerabilities that he often starts running as soon as his bat meets the ball; if he misjudges how firmly he’s struck the ball or how far it is from a fielder, he’s liable to realise this only when he’s already halfway down the pitch.Jaiswal, in short, was looking like only he could get himself out. Through most of day one, the other mode of dismissal that had seemed vaguely likely was a top edge off an over-eager square cut. He had been out like this in Ahmedabad last week, but he seldom misses a chance to attempt the shot, even when he doesn’t have a lot of room to work with.And it gets him a lot of runs, and quick runs. Against pace, he’s scored 399 runs off 243 balls through his Test career with variants of the cut – cut, late cut, upper cut, ramp, dab, steer, as classified in ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data – while being dismissed five times. That’s an average of 79.80 and a strike rate of 164.19; so what if he’s achieved all that with a control percentage of just over 71?Those numbers are a small window into Jaiswal’s mind. It’s the mind of a batter who understands percentages, who knows that cutting so frequently can lead to plays-and-misses or edges, but understands that he’ll still be batting next ball if he’s played and missed, and that while top edges might occasionally get him out, the odds suggest they are likelier to send the ball flying over or past the slips cordon if he flashes hard enough.If these are indeed the workings of Jaiswal’s mind, it’s a mind fixated not on batting as a pursuit of technical perfection but on batting as a means of scoring runs.”On Jaiswal, I’ll say he’s very clever in terms of his batting,” Ravindra Jadeja said in his press conference at the end of day two. “He knows which bowler to attack and which bowler to play out. His maturity level is very good. It’s not like he looks to hit every bowler. He has a very good idea of which situation to attack in, and at which time to attack.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”I think it’s very good when a batsman knows what shot he needs to play at what time. I think this has contributed a lot to his success, and the fact that he’s made so many big scores, match after match.”Jaiswal has turned five of his seven Test centuries so far into 150-plus scores, and two of them into doubles. The highly memeable helmet-palm with which he greeted his dismissal in Delhi suggested that 175 was a long way short of the number he had set out to put next to his name when Saturday dawned.It fell to his partner, Shubman Gill, to take on the mantle of insatiable run-hooverer.Gill has always had the smarts to know where his run-scoring opportunities lie in any situation. He was just 20, and only in his third Test, when the then India batting coach Vikram Rathour asked him what his plans were if Australia went short to him after lunch on that magical final day at the Gabba.Here’s Rathour’s recollection of that conversation, from this profile of Gill by Nagraj Gollapudi:”And the kid had a great answer. He said that the end [Mitchell] Starc was bowling, it was a shorter boundary on the leg side. So he said, ‘I’m not going to pull from the other end if they bowl short, but I will pull from the end Starc is bowling if they bowl short, because I’m pretty sure that I can clear this boundary most times. If it’s below my shoulder, I’ll look to play it down, but if it’s up, I’ll look to play it over, and if it’s on this [on] side, I will leave. And if it’s on this [off] side, I will maybe play an uppercut.’ […] I told him, ‘Boss, you have it sorted. So do just that, whatever you want to do.’ He had a lot of clarity [about] what he was looking to do. And with logic – he was not just talking nonsense, he was not bluffing his way.”Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal: The mainstays of India’s batting line-up•AFP/Getty ImagesAll that ability and all those smarts, but it took a while for Gill to translate them into consistent run-scoring in Test cricket, which only really began to happen during last year’s five-match home series against England. And it was only this year, in England, that Gill got his first chance to play a full Test series, home or away, on pitches that gave him a chance to think of batting big time and again.In retrospect, it should have surprised no one that he finished that tour with the second-highest bilateral series aggregate by any India batter anywhere, anytime. It’s exactly the kind of thing everyone’s expected from him ever since he was a teenager.For all that, though, he still gives the impression sometimes that he can get bored if the contest isn’t really challenging him. Last week in Ahmedabad, he had been out immediately after reaching his fifty, attempting a reverse-sweep, an echo of his dismissal soon after reaching his hundred in Visakhapatnam last year against England.He’s showing more and more frequently, however, that he can bat in that insatiable Jaiswal way too. He followed Visakhapatnam with the grittiest half-century of his career, a match-winning fourth-innings effort in Ranchi. He followed Leeds this year, where his first-innings dismissal on 147 was one of numerous dismissals of India batters not quite making the bowlers earn their wicket, with a monumental 269 in Birmingham.And now he followed Ahmedabad with a century of ruthless, getting-the-job-done batsmanship. He played his shots, and played them freely because the situation allowed him to, and asked him to, with India building up to a declaration, but he played Shubman Gill shots. He brought out the slog-sweep when the left-arm spinners left the leg-side boundary unprotected. He brought out the back-foot jab either side of point, a shot he nowadays shelves early on if there’s movement for the fast bowlers, but any movement off this day-two Delhi pitch was minimal. He used his feet with aplomb, against spin and medium-pace, and played that pick-up whip over the leg side that he employs so profitably in the shorter formats.1:51

Chopra: WI needed a little more application

Each time he played a shot like this, it seemed less a reaction to the bowling than an expression of what he felt he needed to do at that moment, against a particular bowler who had set a particular field. But he knew exactly whom to take on and whom not to: he scored at above four an over against six of West Indies’ seven bowlers, but just 12 runs off 64 balls from Jomel Warrican, who constantly challenged India’s batters with his deceptive trajectory and the odd instance of square turn.It was the kind of innings Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin routinely played in home Tests in the 1990s, or that Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman routinely played in the 2000s, or that Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli routinely played in the period from 2016 to 2019, when India played many of their home Tests on traditional Indian pitches that produced big first-innings totals.India went away from those pitches in the 2021-24 period, with the pressure of World Test Championship points, the fear of draws on flat pitches, and the fear of toss-influenced results like Chennai 2021 pushing them to prepare a succession of square turners in home Tests. After going down 3-0 to New Zealand last year and falling prey to the pitfalls of dustbowls, India are now making an effort, as Gill confirmed before this series, to try and restore the balance between bat and ball in their home pitches.Jaiswal and Gill couldn’t have asked for a better time to be batting in home Tests. They missed out on big scores in Ahmedabad, but they were never going to miss out two Tests in a row.

After initially going unsold, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim were picked up by Rangpur Riders and Rajshahi Warriors, respectively

Mohammad Isam30-Nov-2025

Mohammad Naim was the only player to fetch more than BDT 1 crore (USD 88,000 approx) at the BPL auction on Sunday, when Chittagong Royals signed him up for the upcoming season. Naim, the highest run-scorer in the BPL last season (511 runs at a strike-rate of 143.94), was incidentally the first player who went up for sale in the auction.Towhid Hridoy (USD 73,600) and Litton Das (USD 56,000) also went for big money, both signed up by Rangpur Riders.There were, however, no initial bids for veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, who were both in category B. Later in the day, after a request from BCB director and Rangpur chief executive Ishtiaque Sadeque, the auctioneer put up both players for sale again.Eventually, Rangpur took in Mahmudullah, while Rajshahi Warriors signed Mushfiqur, for their base price of BDT 35 lakh (USD 28,000 approx).Dasun Shanaka was the most expensive signing among the overseas players, going to Dhaka Capitals for USD 55,000. Angelo Mathews and Niroshan Dickwella were sold at their category A base price of USD 35,000, to Chittagong Royals and Sylhet Titans, respectively.Among the uncapped players, Habibur Rahman Sohan, who recently did well for Bangladesh A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament, was taken by Noakhali Express for USD 40,000.This was the BPL’s first auction since the inaugural edition in 2012. The rest of the editions have been done through the drafting process.During the auction, there were also a few Bangladesh cricketers who sat in the bidding tables, including Nurul Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.The BPL will be contested by six teams – Dhaka Capitals, Rangpur Riders, Rajshahi Warriors, Noakhali Express, Sylhet Titans and Chittagong Royals – with the tournament likely to start on December 26.

Liverpool’s Premier League win last season may have come as a surprise to many, especially after Arne Slot took the reins from the legendary Jürgen Klopp.

There’s little denying the Dutchman massively exceeded expectations at Anfield during his debut year, which may have heaped added pressure on his shoulders for 2025/26.

The Reds turned into the hunted rather than the hunters before a ball was kicked, but the £466m spending spree during the off-season only increased the size of the target on their backs.

However, it appears as though the 47-year-old could well be on borrowed time in the managerial role, after losing a remarkable six of the last seven league outings.

It remains to be seen how much time Slot will be given to transform the club’s fortunes, but the upcoming transfer window could present an opportunity to address some glaring issues.

Liverpool’s pursuit of new additions ahead of January

Over the last couple of days, Liverpool have been one of the clubs named in the pursuit of Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson in the January window.

Slot will have had the opportunity to view the Englishman first-hand over the weekend, as the 23-year-old featured for 90 minutes in the 3-0 defeat at Anfield.

However, any deal would be yet another huge investment, as Sean Dyche’s side are currently demanding £100m for his services – with Manchester United also interested in the Englishman.

He’s not the only youngster currently in their sights, with Juventus star Kenan Yildiz another player being considered by the board ahead of the upcoming window.

According to Football Insider, the Reds are closely monitoring the progress of the 20-year-old, who has already racked up five combined goals and assists in his 11 Serie A appearances.

Their report also states that Arsenal are another side tracking the Turkish international, even though the Italian side are reluctant to offload one of their key players.

Why Liverpool’s latest target would be a better signing than Semenyo

Despite spending heavily in the summer window, Liverpool’s attempts to bolster their squad in January could come to fruition, which could see Antoine Semenyo move to Anfield.

The Ghanaian has been in tremendous form during the early stages of 2025/26, with the 25-year-old already netting six times in his first 11 outings for Bournemouth.

He’s also registered three assists, taking his total goal contributions this season to nine – with the Reds supporters able to witness his talents first-hand on Merseyside.

The winger netted twice in the Reds’ 4-2 victory at Anfield on the opening day, a performance that will no doubt have caught the eye of Slot and the hierarchy.

He currently has a £65m release clause in his deal at the Vitality, with other sides such as Arsenal and Manchester United also targeting a deal for his signature this winter.

However, Liverpool should look past a deal for Semenyo and place all their attention on Yildiz, with the Juve star undoubtedly a bigger star for the immediate and long-term future.

When comparing the pair’s respective figures from the ongoing campaign, the Turkish star has dominated in numerous key areas, many of which could help correct the recent slump.

Yildiz, who’s been dubbed “the best youngster in the world” by one analyst, has registered more progressive carries and passes per 90 – showcasing his ability to get the ball into dangerous areas.

He’s also been able to complete more of the passes he’s attempted, whilst notching more key passes per 90 – arguably being the solution to the Reds’ creative woes.

How Yildiz & Semenyo compare in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Yildiz

Semenyo

Games played

11

11

Goals & assists

5

9

Passes completed

78%

69%

Key passes made

2.5

1.1

Take-ons completed

43%

42%

Carries into final third

3.1

1.8

Shot-creating actions

5.1

3.2

Crosses completed

4.1

1.2

Stats via FBref

The Juve sensation’s dominance over Semenyo is further reflected in his higher take-on success rate and carries into the final third per 90 – potentially being able to star in a number ten or left-wing role.

Other numbers, such as higher shot-creating actions and more crosses completed per 90, offer yet another reason why the 20-year-old is a bigger talent – but it’s unclear how much a move would set the hierarchy back.

His talents and versatility could make him a phenomenal option for Slot and Liverpool, with such a deal adding needed quality into the club’s frontline, which could help save Slot’s job.

Semenyo would also be a superb signing, but based on the aforementioned numbers, it’s evident that Yildiz would be the perfect player to try and resurrect the club’s recent dismal form in the Premier League.

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Posts 2 ByMatt Dawson Nov 23, 2025

Though the New York Yankees couldn't muster enough firepower in their 7-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, the effort was there—mostly.

Yankees rookie third baseman Jorbit Vivas had an outing to forget after a particularly bad bit of base-running, which allowed the Braves to complete a double play in the third inning. With the Yankees down 3-0, Vivas tried tagging up from second on a deep fly ball by Cody Bellinger, but he didn't seem to be running that hard to get to third and even appeared to slow down at the end.

To give credit where it's due, Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. uncorked an incredible throw from right field to tag Vivas out at third. But, had Vivas hustled a little bit more and slid, he probably would've been safe.

Yankees announcers Joe Girardi and Michael Kay both shook their heads at Vivas's visible lack of effort and voiced their disappointment on-air.

"Well, this is inexcusable," Girardi said. "I know [the Yankees] went over that in a meeting. That can't happen. Those are little things that cost you a chance to have Aaron Judge hit with first and third."

"You just took the bat out of Aaron Judge's hands," Kay said. "First of all, you're not running hard to third, and then you don't slide. As you said, perfect word, it is inexcusable."

Vivas admitted postgame that he was caught off guard by Acuña's arm but did take the blame for his costly error. Hopefully, the rookie can turn Friday night's mistake into a valuable learning moment moving forward.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após sete anos de espera, o Vitória voltou, enfim, a conquistar o Campeonato Baiano. Desde 2017 sem conquistar a taça, o Leão da Barra venceu o Bahia por 4 a 3 no placar agregado e comemorou a conquista de seu trigésimo campeonato. Nesse tempo, o Bahia levou a taça quatro vezes e o Atlético Alagoinhas duas vezes.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasVitóriaTítulo do Vitória mantém escrita histórica no Campeonato BaianoVitória07/04/2024Futebol NacionalVitória empata com o Bahia e conquista o título do Campeonato BaianoFutebol Nacional07/04/2024Futebol NacionalBahia x Vitória: Everton Ribeiro alfineta arbitragem no intervalo da finalFutebol Nacional07/04/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

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A manutenção de uma escrita histórica

Com o troféu no Barradão, o Vitória manteve um tabu histórico. Nas nove vezes que venceu o primeiro jogo da final do Campeonato Baiano, terminou com a taça em seus domínios. Em todas as ocasiões, o rival foi Bahia.

⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA?
O Bahia estava atrás no placar agregado e partiu para cima do Vitória desde os primeiros minutos. Aos poucos, o Rubro-Negro foi gostando da partida, até que abriu o placar com o zagueiro Wagner Leonardo.

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Em seguida, o Bahia saiu em velocidade em contra-ataque. Biel arrancou e cruzou. A bola sobrou para Everton Ribeiro deixar tudo igual.

No segundo tempo, as equipes até que tentaram passar a frente no placar. No entanto, goleiros fizeram grandes defesas. Além disso, os sistemas defensivos de Bahia e Vitória estavam sólidos e consistentes. Ao final, o Rubro-Negro administrou o resultado para gritar “é campeão”.

➡️ O QUE VEM POR AÍ?
Agora, o Vitória só volta a jogar no próximo domingo, para estrear no Campeonato Brasileiro contra o Palmeiras. A partida será no domingo (14), às 18h30, no Estádio Barradão.

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Já o Bahia entra em campo no meio da semana para enfrentar o Náutico pela quarta de final da Copa do Nordeste. A bola às 21h30 de quarta-feira (10), na Arena Fonte Nova.

Tudo sobre

BahiaCampeonato BaianoVitória

Talismanic allrounders share four wickets after anchoring home side’s effort with the bat

ECB Media16-Aug-2025Oval Invincibles 150 for 5 (Capsey 55, Kapp 47*) beat Welsh Fire 111 (Dunkley 56, Smale 3-13) by 39 runsFine all-round performances from Marizanne Kapp and Alice Capsey helped Oval Invincibles to a convincing win over Welsh Fire at the Kia Oval, despite a great knock from Sophia Dunkley.Winning the toss and choosing to bat on her 35th birthday, Invincibles skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill chopped on first ball of the innings off Shabnim Ismail, not the birthday present she would have wanted.Capsey countered, hitting Ismail for three consecutive fours. Meg Lanning soon joined the party, timing the ball sweetly against Freya Davies as Invincibles reached 41 for 1 after the 25-ball powerplay.Lanning fell soon after, sweeping across the line to Katie Levick. However, replays suggested the ball hit her glove before her pad and she’d have been saved if she reviewed.Capsey was joined by Kapp as Invincibles continued to accelerate. Capsey launched Jess Jonassen for a straight six followed by a slog-swept four, the England right-hander bringing up her 50 from 32 balls. She fell soon after, caught and bowled by the returning Ismail for 55 before Paige Scholfield top-edged Hayley Matthews into the hands of Sarah Bryce.Amanda-Jade Wellington came out full of innovation, but it was Kapp who held the latter part of the innings together, helping Invincibles reach 150 – a target that felt above par on a surface that wasn’t all in the batters’ favour.Dunkley hit the first ball of Fire’s chase for four before Matthews twice found the boundary in the first 10 balls of the innings bowled by Kapp.Dunkley then hit Rachel Slater for four boundaries before Matthews found the rope off Sophia Smale. But the West Indies star fell to Wellington for 12, perfectly picking out Phoebe Franklin in the deep.Kapp (2-24) returned and struck twice in two balls, getting Tammy Beaumont lbw for 5 before clean-bowling Georgia Elwiss. Jonassen was then caught at mid-off off Capsey (2-16), Fire in trouble at 67 for 4 with 84 still required from 48.Dunkley brought up her half-century from 36 balls, Fire’s first of this year’s competition, but Bryce fell from the next delivery to further worsen their position. With 30 balls remaining, Fire still needed 61 and when Dunkley finally fell for 56 from 41, with her went the Fire’s chances.Kapp, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “We didn’t start off this tournament like we wanted to, but it feels like we’ve got a bit of momentum now.”We started the same way last year, in the first two games we probably weren’t too far off our best and luckily it looks like things are improving.”It was a different pitch to what we’re used to playing on here at The Oval. Capsey’s innings was brilliant and she allowed me to knock it around and get myself in. It’s good signs if we can adapt on different wickets.”

In an astonishing set of quotes, Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has thrown his own future at Anfield into doubt after being left on the bench in the 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday.

The Egypt international has been a substitute for the last three matches for the Reds, and has claimed that someone at the club does not want him there.

Salah also revealed that he has told his parents to go to the Brighton game because it is his last match before the African Cup of Nations and that he “doesn’t know what is going to happen” whilst he is there, during the January transfer window.

However, the situation could develop if there is a change in the dugout at Anfield in the coming days or weeks, as the Reds are reportedly looking at potential replacements for Arne Slot.

Liverpool considering Arne Slot replacement

According to Dave OCKOP, Liverpool have their eyes on managers to step in, as an interim or permanent appointment, if they decide to part ways with Slot.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

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The Dutch head coach has lost ten of his 23 matches in charge of the club this season, per Transfermarkt, and the Reds are currently eighth in the Premier League with six losses in 15 games.

This latest report claims that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has been sounded out as a possible candidate to come in as an interim replacement for Slot, should he be sacked.

The English head coach, who has managed Aston Villa and Rangers, is under consideration to take the top job at Anfield, and it is a move that Salah would love.

Why Mo Salah would love Steven Gerrard at Liverpool

Gerrard, who was described as “a true legend of the game” by Xabi Alonso, played 710 matches for the club during his playing days, per Transfermarkt, and scored 186 goals.

Without trying to sound too cliché, the 45-year-old boss is a manager who would ‘get it’ at Liverpool and arrive as a unifying figure who could create a positive mentality at Anfield again, as a personality already loved by supporters.

Salah, in particular, would love it if Gerrard were appointed as Slot’s replacement because he would know that the Englishman respects and rates him incredibly highly.

Speaking earlier this year, Gerrard named Salah as the one player in history that he would have loved to have played with during his playing days.

As you can hear in the clip above, the Liverpool legend also declared the Egyptian as his favourite player in 2023, which is further evidence of the respect that he has for the left-footed superstar.

Steven Gerrard’s managerial career

Team

Games managed

Points per game

Al-Ettifaq

55

1.33

Aston Villa

40

1.18

Rangers

192

2.15

Liverpool YL

8

2.25

Liverpool U18

24

1.71

Stats via Transfermarkt

Gerrard, as evidenced by the statistics above, is not a proven top-level manager who has won numerous league titles in the major leagues in Europe, but he did enjoy a good spell with Rangers when tasked with managing a dominant team.

He may not be the long-term solution in the dugout for Liverpool, although you never know, but as an interim appointment to steady the ship and repair the club’s seemingly fractured relationship with Salah, it could make a lot of sense.

Getting Salah, who produced 34 goals and 23 assists last season (Sofascore), back onside and at his best could be a better move than any tactical changes that a manager could make to the system, which is why Gerrard could be a shrewd appointment.

Bringing in a head coach who loves the Egypt international and would want to make him a key member of the team again could solve this problem, which has emerged from these latest quotes from Salah, and bring a feel-good factor back to Anfield.

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This could then buy Liverpool time to assess Gerrard’s suitability for the job on a permanent basis, whilst also giving them time to look at and identify a long-term successor to Slot.

Throughout much of the Yankees' 2025 campaign, one overarching question seemed to follow the club: What's wrong with Anthony Volpe? Volpe, one of the club's former top prospects and its starting shortstop in '25, regressed at the plate and in the field, frustrating fans and sparking plenty of questions from the media about his status as the starter. His struggles even prompted general manager Brian Cashman to acquire shortstop José Caballero at the trade deadline.

But after Volpe aggravated a torn labrum in his left shoulder on Sept. 7, it was revealed that he had been playing through discomfort since initially suffering the injury back in May, offering a potential answer to the above question.

However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone and Cashman, speaking to reporters at the Yankees' end of season news conference on Thursday, seemed to disagree on the impact Volpe's injury had on his play.

Boone, after citing the initial reluctance to undergo the shoulder surgery, as well as multiple instances where Volpe aggravated the injury, said he believed it did not affect Volpe's play.

"…I think for the overwhelming majority of the year [the injury] was not affecting his play," Boone said. "There were things like, he would dive on it a certain way, tick it off, aggravate it—I think in some ways, the injury probably got a little bit worse towards the end of the year based on a couple of episodes that happened. But I don't think it was impacting performance.

"And this is something that you can play with, play through. But the finality of getting it fixed now hopefully frees him up to really go dive on it the way he's going to dive on it and make those next level of plays that Anthony makes. And then hopefully because you're fixing something that is hurt on the body, that hopefully it does help performance to go to another level."

Cashman, on the other hand, seemed to once share Boone's sentiment on the Volpe injury, but no longer.

"I personally think now I'm starting to lean more into that yes, it was affecting him," Cashman said. "Because ultimately, he had to have the surgery. None of that was really on the table in-season…"

Cashman went on to explain that, because the injury kept popping up throughout the season amid Volpe's peaks and valleys in performance, and due to the "severe" clean-up needed in Volpe's shoulder that was noted by the doctor who performed the surgery, that he ultimately believed it was "probably" more of an impact than originally thought.

One thing both Cashman and Boone seemed steadfast on: Volpe will continue to be the club's starting shortstop in 2026.

The Yankees will need Volpe to more closely resemble the 2023 and '24 versions of himself than the '25 version to continue to justify their faith in the 24-year-old. After taking home a Gold Glove in '23 and rating as one of the bets defensive shortstops in '24, Volpe was among the worst shortstops in the Statcast metric, Outs Above Average, in '25. At the plate, he posted a wRC+ (an all-encompassing offensive metric) of 83, tied for the sixth-worst in MLB.

Volpe cannot begin hitting for four months, at which point, Boone said the club will reevaluate the shortstop's timeline. In the meantime, Caballero, and any potential infield additions the Yankees make this winter, will hold down the fort at short.

National League Cy Young Award frontrunner Paul Skenes cruised through five scoreless innings, striking out eight batters in the Pirates' 2-1 loss on Wednesday. But, to the surprise of some, Skenes was removed from the game after throwing just 64 pitches, a season-low for the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year.

So, what gives? Why did Pirates manager Don Kelly take the ball from Skenes when he seemingly had gas left in the tank?

After the contest, Kelly told reporters that he had a specific workload in mind for Skenes entering the game, with an eye on preserving the righthander for the remainder of 2025 and beyond.

"Yeah. Like we’ve talked about with all the guys," Kelly said. "Just trying to make sure that we’re managing their workload, make sure that they’re going all the way through the end of the season healthy and ready to finish a full season and be ready for next year."

Skenes, to his credit, took it in stride.

"The main goal that I’ve had coming into the past two years is making every start," Skenes told . "There are opportunities to give and take throughout the season, and tonight was kind of one of those. I probably needed it, to be honest."

Limiting Skenes's workload this late in the season certainly makes sense, especially considering that the 82-loss Pirates will miss the postseason for a 10th consecutive season.

The Pirates ace now has 203 strikeouts in 2025, giving him 200-plus in a single campaign for the first time in his career. Skenes is also sporting an MLB-best 1.92 ERA in 178 innings pitched.

His 1.94 career ERA is the lowest through a pitcher's first 53 career starts dating back to 1920, according to Sarah Langs.

Australia quick Lance Morris will miss the entire 2025-26 season, and is expected to be out of action for 12 months, after opting for the same surgery that Cameron Green underwent last year following another stress fracture in his lower back.Cricket Australia confirmed on Sunday that the centrally contracted Morris, 27, would undergo pars stabilisation surgery in Christchurch to address an ongoing lumbar bone stress injury after being ruled out of the ODI series against South Africa. He had also been due to feature in the four-day matches on Australia A’s tour of India.After lengthy discussions between Morris, CA medical staff and the surgeons, he will follow the same path that Green took last October. Fellow Australia quick Ben Dwarshuis, India star Jasprit Bumrah, New Zealand quicks Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson among many others have had the same procedure with screws and a titanium cable fused into their lower back to stabilise the stress fracture and prevent future occurrences.Related

• Vidler ruled out of Australia A tour of India with a partial stress fracture

• Australia's pace depth: Who's in the Ashes mix if Cummins and co run aground?

• Owen, Morris, Short ruled out of South Africa series

• Morris hopeful of early Shield return despite 'frustrating' injury issues

“I feel this is the most logical way to realise my full potential and return to my very best cricket for the Scorchers, Western Australia and Australia long into the future,” Morris said. “I also take great confidence in others who have undergone similar procedures and returned to their best. I plan to work hard through my recovery and return when the time is right.”The surgery is performed by New Zealand based surgeons Rowan Schouten and Grahame Inglis who have two decades of experience performing the surgery on fast bowlers with a staggering return to play success rate. Former Australia team physio and now full-time CA injury case manager Nick Jones has vast experience in the rehab following the surgery having worked through it with Green and another Australia quick Jason Behrendorff back in 2019.It is a significant step for Morris who has had an incredibly frustrating run with injury. Since bursting into Test calculations at the start of the 2022-23 summer when he took 26 wickets in four Sheffield Shield matches while bowling at speeds over 150kph, he has not managed to play more than three first-class games without interruption since.He has been carried as a Test squad member during the Australian home summers and went on the Test tour of India in 2023. He featured in three Shield matches at the start of the 2023-24 home summer and made his ODI debut in February 2024 following an uninterrupted BBL but strained his side in his second game in Canberra and played just one ODI last summer.Lance Morris has been around Australia squads with only limited appearances•Getty Images

He played two Shield games at the start of last summer under careful management before playing eight BBL games out of 10 for Perth Scorchers. He played two more Shield matches at the end of the summer and took 5 for 26 in his last Shield game in March against New South Wales but has not played since.Morris’ management throughout the past two years since earning his first CA contract in 2023 has been a source of debate between CA, his state Western Australia and the fast bowler himself.There have been times when he has been feeling fully fit but regular MRI scans in his lower back have shown recurring areas of concern for CA medical staff which ruled him out of the 2023 Ashes and the 2024 white-ball tour of the UK.”It’s been a bit frustrating,” Morris told ESPNcricinfo in September last year. “I guess you call it a stress fracture, but when we scan it, it doesn’t have the natural characteristics of a usual stress fracture. So there was some confusion at first around exactly what it was.”The tricky one for me was I didn’t actually have any back pain when I was bowling.”He is also a bowler who has performed better, at first-class level especially, the more he has played but it has been difficulty to strike the balance of getting a string of games together without risking injury.There will be a hope that the surgery allows him to get some continuity as it has done for a number of fast bowlers globally. But with the exception of Henry recently, who does not bowl at the express speeds of others, many of the fast bowlers who have undergone the procedure have still had their red-ball loads capped with the recent management of Bumrah by India a prime example.Australia are very keen to have Morris fit and firing ahead of a brutal period of international cricket from October 2026 to November 2027, which includes three away Tests against South Africa, four home Tests against New Zealand, five away Tests against India, a home Test against England to mark the 150th anniversary of Test cricket a possible World Test Championship final, five away Tests against England and an ODI World Cup in South Africa.Fast bowling depth will be vitally important with Australia’s attack on the cusp of a significant transition. Mitchell Starc turns 36 in January while Josh Hazlewood turns 35 in the same month while skipper Pat Cummins turns 33 in May 2026.Morris and fellow injured West Australian CA contracted quick Jhye Richardson, who is 28, are in the ideal age bracket to come into the team when the big three finish up with Australia’s 2024 Under-19 World Cup winning quicks including Callum Vidler, Tom Straker, Charlie Anderson and Mahli Beardman just starting the transition from U-19 to first-class cricket.