The Australia selectors face a big call over whether to recall Usman Khawaja and, if so, where to bat him

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-20251:04

Blewett: McCullum’s job in doubt with more heavy defeats

David Warner has backed his former opening partner Usman Khawaja to return to the top of the order for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, believing that having Travis Head at No. 5 is the option that can give England the most problems.If Khawaja is passed fit following his back spasms, Australia’s selectors face a huge call ahead of the match where the home side could secure the Ashes. Since Khawaja was unable to open in Perth, Head and Jake Weatherald, the latter in his first Test series, have produced two impactful partnerships.Opinions are divided over the best way for Australia to go, and coach Andrew McDonald suggested that using Khawaja in the middle order could be an option. But Warner is of the view they should revert to their original plan.Related

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“I think Uzzy comes back in, slides to the top, and Trav goes down,” Warner told reporters ahead of captaining Sydney Thunder in the BBL “That’s probably a worse result for England, Travis Head going back down the order.”Head averages 41.46 at No. 5, where he has made eight of his ten Test centuries including three on his home ground at Adelaide Oval. Warner added that Head opening could remain an option when Khawaja retires, although he said there was no guarantee it would work in the longer run.”At the end of the day, Travis put his hand up to bat in the situation he was in,” Warner said. “He came out and batted in the way Travis Head does. You see plenty of interviews from Trav saying that is Uzzy’s spot, and if when the time comes they ask him to go up the order, he wouldn’t mind to do that.”We didn’t have that aggressor down in the middle order [in previous years]. Australia has that now as well, and moving forward with whatever Uzzy decides to do, if he hangs them up, they can look that way.”But then it’s on all of us to understand that potentially might not work and Travis will have to go back down the order. And then they are going to have to look for another replacement. The selectors have a headache.”Warner endorsed Queensland’s Matt Renshaw as the long-term option to open when Khawaja steps away.Travis Head’s batting position has been constant topic of discussion•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images”We’ve got a lot of young [opening] talent there at the moment that’s coming through,” he said. “But what I will say to George Bailey and the selectors is to show faith in their 31-year-old, Jake Weatherald. I think experience is key as well.”So credit to them if they’ve picked him. But moving forward, Renshaw could be one. I think he’ll slide straight back in there. He’s had a taste of Test cricket.”Australia have not had a settled opening combination since Warner retired in early 2024. Prior to Khawaja’s injury, he had gone in with five different opening partners across 15 Tests.Unlike what Warner did ahead of the 2023 Ashes, Khawaja has not publicly talked about an ideal end point for his career although this series ends at his former home ground of the SCG, the venue where he revived his Test career with twin hundreds in early 2022.”At the end of the day, having been in that situation, you still have to score runs,” Warner said. “You will deserve [the dream farewell] if you score runs and then the selectors stick by you. It’s not by chance he’s in this position now. He is 38 years of age, he knows what’s required.”

Vinicius Junior is all set to face Erling Haaland in the international arena as a Brazil football chief has revealed plans to organise a pre-World Cup friendly with Norway in a potential repeat of the 1998 classic. The Manchester City goal machine emerged as the highest scorer in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers as his 16 goals helped Norway reach the finals in North America.

• Brazil to face Norway in pre-World Cup friendly

  Brazil national football team sporting director Rodrigo Caetano has confirmed they are in talks with the Norway FA over organizing a pre-World Cup friendly match between the two nations before they head to North America to take part at the 2026 World Cup.

  Speaking to , Caetano said: "We are still negotiating the last warm-up match. Of course, we have a preference. It still requires negotiations, but our first choice is the Norwegian national team, which is a strong team right now."

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  Why are Brazil facing Norway before World Cup?

  According to Norwegian sporting commentator Arne Scheie, the five-time world champions are impressed by Norway's World Cup qualification performance, where they earned a direct qualification despite being in the same group as Italy and Israel. Also, Norway are the only national team the Selecao have never beaten. 

  Speaking to , Scheie said: "It's fantastic. There's not much that sounds better than having Brazil at Ullevaal as a last test before the World Cup. Norway is the only nation Brazil has faced that they have not beaten. In total, Norway has played Brazil four times. The first meeting between the national teams came in a friendly match in 1988, which ended 1-1. In 1997, Norway won 4-2 at Ullevaal Stadium, one year before the teams met again in the 1998 World Cup. As is well known, Norway won 2-1.

  "Brazil has upbeat leaders, and they have seen what Norway has achieved. They want to test themselves against the best teams, and they will get that matchup against Norway. That's how it is with the results Norway has had recently. They score a lot of goals, and hardly concede."

• Haaland to face Vinicius Junior before meeting Mbappe

  Haaland has a blockbuster list of fixtures in 2026. The City goal machine is guaranteed to face Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe at the 2026 World Cup as France, Senegal, Norway and the winner of FIFA play-off 2 – one of Bolivia, Suriname or Iraq – have been drawn together in the same group.

  Reacting to the World Cup draw, Haaland has said: "France and Senegal, that’s tough [laughing emoji]. What do you guys think?"

  With Brazil now organising a friendly against Norway, Haaland will go up against Mbappe's Madrid team-mate Vinicius Junior before facing the Frenchman in North America next summer.

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• Getty
  

  Where will Norway vs Brazil take place?

  The venue for the friendly has not been finalised yet as the two football federations are negotiating the game. However, VG reports that the match is unlikely to be held on Norwegian soil and rather a neutral venue will be picked. 

  The Norwegian Football Association (NFF) told NTB: "We will inform on our website when opponents in upcoming private international matches are ready."

Bayern Munich were forced to come from behind to beat Sporting CP 3-1 at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday in the Champions League. A Joshua Kimmich own goal gave the visitors a shock lead in the game but the hosts hit back through Serge Gnabry. Teenage superstar Lennart Karl then sealed another impressive performance by firing Bayern ahead before Jonathan Tah wrapped up another European win for Vincent Kompany's side.

Karl the star as Bayern come from behind

Bayern thought they had broken the deadlock just minutes into the encounter. Karl controlled the ball and swept home a fine finish from just inside the penalty area, but the goal was chalked off as Gnabry had strayed fractionally offside. The hosts went on to have the better chances of the opening 45 minutes but couldn’t find a way past goalkeeper Rui Silva. Harry Kane was denied by the post, while Karl went even closer just before half-time after a jinking run but saw his effort palmed away by Silva.

Those misses proved to be costly as Sporting stunned the Allianz Arena at the start of the second half. A quick break down the left flank saw Joao Simoes beat Tah and fire a ball across goal. A lunging Kimmich tried to block the shot but succeeded only in diverting the ball past Bayern stopper Manuel Neuer to hand the visitors a shock lead.

Bayern hit back within 10 minutes courtesy of some criminal defending by the visitors. A corner in from the right by Michael Olise found Gnabry completed unmarked at the far post and left with the simple task of hooking the ball home to make it 1-1.

Four minutes later, Bayern were in front and it was no surprise to see the irrepressible Karl netting. The 17-year-old ran onto a ball in the box, cushioned it perfectly on his left foot before lashing home with his right to put Bayern in front for the first time in the game.

Sporting's resistance was broken and Bayern went on to seal the win through Tah. Kimmich went some way to making amends for his earlier own goal by pinging a ball from deep into the penalty area for Olise to head back into the danger area. His header found an unmarked Tah with all the time in the world to poke home Bayern's third to seal the win.

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Karl enhanced his growing reputation with another stellar performance and a vital goal to ensure Bayern took all three points. Even with Harry Kane on the pitch, Karl looked Bayern's most likely source of a goal against Sporting and it was no surprise to see him pop up with the goal that put Bayern 2-1 up. Karl also wrote his name in the history books with his latest strike, as he becomes the youngest player in Champions League history to score in three consecutive games at 17 years and 290 days.

The big loser

Kimmich had an evening to forget against Sporting. A poor moment saw the 30-year-old inadvertently hand the visitors the lead as he put through his own net in the first half. Kimmich's frustrations then boiled over in the second half when a brief brawl erupted between both sets of players after Bayern had equalised. The Germany star was booked for his part in the proceedings to compound a less than impressive showing from the veteran.

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It doesn't look fun to be standing in the batter's box just a mere 60 feet and six inches away from Colorado Rockies flamethrower Seth Halvorsen.

That's exactly the situation Washington Nationals outfielder Alex Call found himself in Wednesday night in a pinch-hitting appearance with two outs in the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Taking the place of teammate Jacob Young, Call was barely settled in the box when Halvorsen gave him a scare.

Halvorsen leaned back and fired in a four-seam fastball at 102.1 mph that zoomed behind Call's back and hit the wall behind home plate. Ball one.

That'll wake you up.

According to Bailey Freeman of Foolish Baseball, that was the fastest pitch to miss the plate by at least seven feet in the pitch tracking era (since 2008)—and well ahead of the second-fastest offering, an 88.3 mph pitchout from Denny Bautista in '08.

Call went on to strike out on the next three pitches: a 91.3 mph splitter, a 101.7 mph fastball and a 102 mph four-seamer. But can you blame him?

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that he expects the team to be active at the trade deadline as the team looks to upgrade its rotation, bullpen and infield ahead of the second half of the season.

As the Yankees are expected to be buyers, one team potentially looking to sell at the deadline would make an excellent trade partner for New York. Multiple MLB insiders, including ESPN's Jeff Passan, MLB Network's Jon Morosi and MLB.com's Bryan Hoch have linked the Yankees with a potential swoop for a pair of Arizona Diamondbacks standouts.

Passan wrote Thursday that he considers third baseman Eugenio Suarez to be the "main target" for the organization and noted that the team could look to solve two of its needs by also attempting to trade for starting pitcher Zac Gallen, or even Merrill Kelly.

Those thoughts were echoed by Morosi on Thursday's episode of when he called Gallen a "really strong fit" with the Yankees. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch said all three D-Backs players would "make sense" for New York to pursue, too.

Suarez, 33, has a .883 OPS with 29 home runs (tied fourth in MLB) and 75 RBIs (tied for fifth in MLB). Gallen, 29, has struggled a bit this year with a 5.15 ERA, but has a great track record and has only had an ERA over 3.65 in one other season of his career. Kelly, 36, has a 3.41 ERA across 19 starts with 107 strikeouts in 111 innings.

All three are on expiring contracts, and with Arizona sitting at 46–47 in a crowded National League, they may look to recoup some value for the veterans at the deadline. And if they're selling, expect the Yankees to be among the teams looking to buy.

The question now remains: can they follow up this success with any consistency? All eyes on the ODIs that begin this weekend in St Kitts then

Mohammad Isam06-Dec-2024Shortly after lunch on the third day in Jamaica, Bangladesh seemed to be in deep trouble with the bat once again. Opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy had edged to the slips in the first over, a duck to go with his scores of 5, 6, 3 in the Test series. Bangladesh had scored 164 and 132 in their two previous innings. The batting had hardly come together at all in 2024. And now it seemed, another batting debacle awaited the visitors.West Indies were all over Bangladesh too. Their fast bowlers had something to say to the batters almost every ball. The slip fielders were loud. Substitute Kevin Sinclair ran up to the batters from gully every other ball. Umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Asif Yaqoob gave out a few warnings, but the chirping continued. Bangladesh’s batting looked meek. The TV commentators offered sympathy on air.Besides, this was the first time in 19 years that Bangladesh didn’t have any of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Mashrafe Mortaza in the XI. One of these five would often have been the player to intervene in such circumstances, whether with bat, ball or verbals.Related

• Give it up for 2024: Test cricket has had few better years

• Simmons praises Bangladesh's 'positive attitude' in bouncing back from first Test defeat

But then Shahadat Hossain offered some resistance. He cracked Alzarri Joseph through point, before swiping Shamar Joseph through midwicket. Kraigg Brathwaite dropped a stinging drive from him in the covers but that didn’t stop Shahadat from playing his shots. He smacked Alzarri down the ground next over.After Shahadat’s cameo, Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz showed further intent, going in to bat at No. 4 for the first time in his career. Mehidy and Shadman Islam went on a boundary-hitting spree in their 70-run third-wicket stand. When these batters got out and it was clear that Mominul Haque was too ill to bat, Jaker Ali hustled West Indies. After getting hit on the top of his helmet, he blitzed their fast bowlers on the fourth morning. Bangladesh finished with 268, meaning the hosts needed 287 for the win.The fightback continued with the ball. Taijul Islam and the fast bowlers dismissed the home side for 185 in the fourth innings, well short of their target. This was the quintessential Bangladesh win. Several performers, but, this time, none of them from the Big Five. A bunch of unlikely heroes had given Bangladesh their first Test win in West Indies in 15 years. This was another chapter in a wonderful year for Test cricket.

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Bangladesh have not had a great 2024 going by the numbers. They beat Pakistan 2-0 but then lost five successive Tests. Of particular disappointment was losing two Tests against a relatively inexperienced South Africa at home in October. The shift in mentality in Jamaica from survival mode to a positive attitude was therefore a welcome change.Jaker Ali went on the attack once he started running out of partners•Athelstan BellamyOne of those who led that recovery was Jaker Ali. A batter who has a fair amount of work left to do on his batting technique, but his approach has been spot on. He has now scored fifties in each of his first three Tests. In the second innings in Jamaica, Jaker held the Bangladesh batting together. He manipulated the field while batting with the tail-enders. His sudden attacking spree on the fourth morning was thrilling but it was also evidence that Jaker understands his limitations.Then there was Taijul. The left-arm spinner has often been overshadowed in the past, but Shakib’s retirement means he now has the senior bowler’s role. Taijul often merely looked like a steady foil for Shakib, bowling a defensive outside-off-stump line. In Jamaica, he bowled closer to the stumps. It is another subtle shift in roles in the absence of the big stars.

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Bangladesh’s leadership too has undergone a change in the last 12 months. Najmul Hossain Shanto became captain in bits and pieces last year before the BCB appointed him the full-time captain in February this year. Shanto has looked like a good leader, especially reflected in their Rawalpindi wins. His batting form has suffered with the extra responsibility though and he offered to resign last month, but it seems the BCB talked him out of it.Here, Shanto’s injury gave Bangladesh a glimpse of Mehidy the captain. A player who always seems to put his whole heart into it, he led by example, often coming on to bowl in difficult moments. When the West Indies pace attack tested his batting with bouncer barrages in Antigua and Jamaica, Mehidy’s positive approach was quite encouraging.Mehidy Hasan Miraz stepped into the captain’s role•BCBShanto and Mehidy are the future of Bangladesh cricket. They have played together since their age-group cricket days. They praise each other often. Splitting the captaincy could be an option given Shanto has voiced some reluctance to lead while Mehidy has showed he can lead in a crisis. The BCB wouldn’t want the captaincy to become a race between the two though, so some deft handling of this situation is needed.

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Bangladesh’s pace attack remains their most improved and consistent department. This year has been significantly better than any other. Taskin Ahmed was already a white-ball leader, but now he has shown that he can step up in Tests too. Hasan Mahmud has made the best start by any Bangladeshi fast bowler in Tests. Shoriful Islam seems to be improving steadily. Then there is Nahid Rana.The tearaway from Chapainawabganj has wowed folks in Rawalpindi, Sharjah and Jamaica. He is Bangladesh’s fastest bowler ever, but he has also shown discipline with his lines and lengths. His pace has proven a problem for batters, especially since he can still hit the mid-140s at the end of the day.Taijul Islam starred with five wickets in the fourth innings in Jamaica•Athelstan Bellamy

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Bangladesh’s win in Jamaica was also extra special when you realise they essentially played with ten players. Mominul Haque was ill for most of the game, as he finished with a pair.Glorifying any Bangladesh Test wins however always comes with a caveat. They rarely follow up good results with consistency in performance. When they beat Pakistan twice in Rawalpindi, many hoped that the team had turned a corner. Then India, South Africa and Afghanistan (the last of these in white-ball cricket) beat them convincingly. West Indies won the first Test in Antigua by 201 runs. Then came the fightback.Is this another false dawn? All eyes on Bangladesh in the ODI series that starts in St Kitts on Sunday then. They will once again be without Shanto, Mushfiqur and Mustafizur Rahman among their regulars. Mehidy will lead the new-look side. Unheralded cricketers will once again be asked to step up. Jamaica should provide all the inspiration they need.