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The Red Sox bolstered their starting pitching rotation on Thursday, having agreed to acquire right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo in a trade with the Pirates.

The deal reportedly includes five players in total, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The highlight of the package Boston is sending to Pittsburgh is the Red Sox’s No. 3 prospect and top outfield prospect, Jhostynxon Garcia.

Oviedo, 27, made nine starts for the Pirates in 2025. He registered an ERA of 3.57 and had 42 strikeouts across 40 1/3 innings. Oviedo missed the entire ‘24 campaign and part of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. His last full season of work came in 2023, when he made 32 starts and had a 4.31 ERA.

In addition to Oviedo, the Red Sox will also receive left-handed pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catching prospect, 2025 fifth-round pick Adonys Guzman. The Pirates will also acquire another player alongside Garcia.

Garcia, 22, saw his first taste of MLB action in 2025, when he appeared in five games for the Red Sox. He struck out five times in a total of seven at-bats. Across 114 games in the minor leagues last season, he had a .810 OPS with 21 home runs and 75 RBIs.

Oviedo is now the second starting pitcher the Red Sox acquired this offseason. The team traded for Sonny Gray in late November, and now will add Oviedo to the mix, too.

France boss Didier Deschamps reacted positively to the news of Paul Pogba's four-year doping ban being reduced.

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Deschamps reacts to reduction of Pogba's banCould move out of JuventusFrance manager vowed support to PogbaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Juventus midfielder recently found out that his four-year doping ban has been cut to 18 months after his successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). As per the new ruling, Pogba is now expected to be back in action in March 2025.

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However, there has been speculation over the Frenchman's future at Juventus, with the claiming that the Serie A giants are in talks with the player over a mutual termination of his contract. France manager Deschamps has welcomed the news of Pogba's ban being reduced and vowed to keep supporting the player in the next stage of his career, albeit without directly opening the door for him to return to the national team.

WHAT DIDIER DESCHAMPS SAID

In an interview with the France Football Federation, the World Cup-winning coach said: "I’ve spoken on the phone with him for a long time during this challenging period for him. Obviously, it’s very, very, positive news for him. At least now, he knows he can return to play football in March. There will be a time, from January to March, when he’ll have to do a lot of specific work. It’s a relief for him, and I am happy for him too. It’s still a heavy sanction, but 18 months is less harsh than the initial four years. Some steps must be taken, but it’s excellent news humanly."

Deschamps added: "In the meantime, there will be discussions with his club, Juventus, his current employer. But at least he knows that in March 2025, he can return to playing. He loves football so much. I ensure I remain in contact with and support all the players. I’ve known Paul from the very start, but when there are complicated moments, injuries, private issues, or suspensions like this one, the players know that I am available at any time and can communicate with them and with him in this case. It’s essential to me, without knowing what will happen tomorrow. This kind of support is natural in the relationship of trust that I feel I have with the players."

(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PAUL POGBA?

The 31-year-old has been linked with a move to MLS as several U.S. clubs have reportedly shown interest in his services. A move to Ligue 1 could also be an option, with former Manchester United and France star Patrice Evra admitting that he wants to see Pogba linking up with Mason Greenwood at Marseille.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing the signing of AZ Alkmaar youngster Kees Smit, with the Dutchman expected to have a huge future in the game.

The Reds’ midfield is full of quality and depth, so from the outside looking in, there isn’t a great need to bring in new signings in the middle of the park for the time being.

That said, Alexis Mac Allister’s form has been a concern for Liverpool so far this season, and while the Argentine is still only 26 years of age, years of relentless football at club and international level may be taking its toll.

Not only that, but Mac Allister has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, and the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai could also be the subject of interest from other clubs, so the Premier League champions need to keep an eye out on potential additions.

Signing young players with a huge amount of promise is an avenue that Liverpool could go down at the end of this season, which is where Smit comes into play.

Liverpool eyeing signing of Kees Smit

According to Soccer News [via Sport Witness], Liverpool are interested in signing Smit from Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, with the 19-year-old midfielder considered a massive young talent.

The Reds and Arne Slot are “seriously considering” tabling a bid for him, with Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United, Barcelona and Real Madrid all mentioned as potential suitors, too. It is added that Slot is a fan of the teenager and that he was ‘charmed by him’ when he was a youngster at AZ Alkmaar.

Smit is a player with so much to admire about him, with scout Jacek Kulig hailing him as “fantastic” and Ronald Koeman comparing him to Barca star Pedri, which is high praise.

“I almost regret mentioning his name again (Pedri), but he’s a guy who plays in the same position. The way he turns away from his opponent, the way he scans the area, his two-footedness—I saw that in Pedri too. If he gets half his career, we’ll be very happy in the Netherlands.”

At 19, he could be eased in at Liverpool, arriving as a squad player who can mature at his own pace, before eventually becoming more of a fixture in Slot’s starting lineup.

Netherlands Under-21s

3

0

Netherlands Under-19s

16

4

Netherlands Under-18s

3

0

Netherlands Under-17s

7

0

Netherlands Under-16s

6

0

The teenager is already delivering impressive numbers, despite his tender years, with four goals and six assists coming his way in 50 appearances for Alkmaar.

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He has also represented the Netherlands at five different youth levels, including the Under-21s, and it feels like a matter of time until he received a senior call-up, with the 2026 World Cup around the corner.

Liverpool willing to sell first-team star to fund £150m Adam Wharton move

The visitors will be looking to strengthen their position on the Women’s Championship table too

Srinidhi Ramanujam23-Oct-2024New Zealand’s batting in focusSince the start of 2023, New Zealand have batted first 11 out of 15 times but have posted totals over 250 only four times. Georgia Plimmer and Suzie Bates haven’t had strong partnerships up front and Amelia Kerr – though she is the second-highest run-getter for New Zealand this year in ODIs – hasn’t been able to convert starts into big ones. Brooke Halliday’s two fifties in five innings have provided stability in the middle order but their batting otherwise hasn’t taken off.Related

From schoolgirl dreamer to World Cup champion, Amelia Kerr bridges New Zealand's eras

Mithali Raj: Time for 'saturated' India to move on from Harmanpreet as captain

Eyes on Harmanpreet the captainSince the T20 World Cup exit at the group stage, Harmanpreet’s leadership has been in focus, with former captain Mithali Raj even suggesting India should move on from her as captain. A change at the top is unlikely with an ODI World Cup coming up next year, and Harmanpreet has a chance to turn it around in this series. There are no question marks over her batting form though. She is coming off an unbeaten 103 and 42 in the second ODI against South Africa in June this year.Championship points at stake for New ZealandThat the core of the T20 World Cup-winning side including the experienced trio of Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu has flown directly from Dubai to Ahmedabad is an indication of how important these three games are for New Zealand. The ODIs are part of the Women’s Championship where New Zealand are currently placed sixth on the table with 18 points from 18 matches. Pakistan are seventh (17 points from 24 games) and West Indies are eighth (14 points from 18 matches). With the top five teams and hosts India qualifying directly for the Women’s ODI World Cup next year, New Zealand have only six matches in the cycle – New Zealand will host Australia for a three-match series in Wellington in December – to strengthen their spot.New Zealand have announced a full-strength squad for the series•Getty ImagesIndia’s No.3 problemIndia are yet to find their No. 3 batter in the white-ball formats. Yastika Bhatia was filling that position in ODIs but had average returns. In the last 12 months, India have tried three other players at this position in ODIs – D Hemalatha, Priya Punia and Richa Ghosh. Ghosh is unavailable for this series due to her board exams while Punia was dropped after just one innings on her comeback. In Ghosh’s absence, Yastika will be India’s first-choice keeper in the XI and is also likely to slot in at No.3. Jemimah Rodrigues has batted in the top order in 21 out of her 30 matches – will India push her up from No. 5?Arundhati Reddy’s time to step upWith Pooja Vastrakar being rested from the series, medium-pacer Arundhati Reddy has big shoes to fill. She made her ODI debut against South Africa in June and picked up three wickets in two matches at an economy of 5.44. Since returning to the national side in T20Is this year, she has looked promising. She was also India’s joint-highest wicket-taker at the T20 World Cup. With the ODI World Cup coming up next, Reddy would want to nail down her spot with consistent performances, with India also waiting to test out uncapped seam-bowling allrounders Sayali Satghare and Saima Thakor for the third pace option.Recent formAfter a 3-0 defeat to Australia in Mumbai, India bounced back to complete a 3-0 series sweep of South Africa in Bengaluru. Even though India are playing at home, the conditions are unfamiliar having played their last ODI in Ahmedabad in 2013. From the current squad, Harmanpreet is the only player to feature in all four previous ODIs at this venue while Mandhana had played three of those.New Zealand though are coming into the series on the back of two series defeats against England – a 3-0 loss in England and a 2-1 loss in New Zealand. With five wins in nine matches in the last 12 months, New Zealand, full of confidence after the T20 World Cup win – will be keen to turn the tables in the 50-over format.

Leeds United have made an approach to sign Flamengo winger Gonzalo Plata, alongside two other Premier League clubs, and a January move could now be possible.

A lack of goals has been an issue for Leeds so far this season, having scored just ten Premier League goals, the joint-second lowest figure in the top flight, with Danny Murphy bemoaning their lack of quality attacking options back in September.

Murphy said: “I think the biggest problem for Burnley and Leeds is firepower. I agree with what we talked about earlier. I think all the newly promoted sides doing well is great for the Premier League.

“I’d like to see them all stay up, actually. But I don’t think it’ll be the case.

Since then, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has continued to struggle in front of goal, having found the back just once in nine league outings, although Daniel Farke will be glad Lukas Nmecha scored his first goal from open play at the weekend, albeit in a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest.

As a result of that loss, the Whites are just one point above the relegation zone, sitting in 16th place, and it has been revealed they have now made an approach to sign a new forward ahead of the January transfer window.

Leeds make contact to sign Gonzalo Plata

According to journalist Fabricio Lopes (via Sport Witness), Leeds have now made contact to sign Flamengo winger Gonzalo Plata, and the Brazilian club could be willing to sanction a move in the January transfer window.

Indeed, Flamengo have become increasingly frustrated with Plata, given that he went to a nightclub before an important match, which means they will now be open to offers this winter, although there could be competition for his signature.

AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United have also made enquiries over a deal for the Flamengo star, who remains under contract until June 2029, putting his current employers in a strong negotiating position.

There may be some concerns over the 25-year-old’s off-field issues, but he certainly has plenty of ability, having been lauded as “exceptional” by scout Jacek Kulig earlier this year.

The Ecuadorian is established at international level, having scored eight goals in 45 appearances for his national side, while the versatile attacker, who is also capable of playing at centre-forward, has also chipped in with 17 goal contributions in 63 appearances for Flamengo.

Leeds may need a fresh injection of quality in attack if they are to avoid the drop, given that not a single one of their players has scored over two goals this season.

Leeds’ top scorers

Number of goals

Joe Rodon

2

Lukas Nmecha

2

Noah Okofor

2

Sean Longstaff

1

Brenden Aaronson

1

Anton Stach

1

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

1

That said, it would be a risk to sign Plata, given that the Ecuador international is unproven in the Premier League, and wasn’t exactly prolific in the 2025 Brazilian Serie A, netting four goals in 24 outings.

Leeds identify Brendan Rodgers as Daniel Farke replacement Leeds could replace Farke with FA Cup winner who once went 62 games unbeaten

Leeds United could end their Daniel Farke misery by going after this world-class upgrade.

1 ByKelan Sarson Nov 10, 2025

Run rates in excess of four an over, but opener still anticipates tough battle in fourth innings

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Dec-2020The SuperSport Park pitch is not as batsmen-friendly as the scores suggest, according to South Africa’s opener and top-scorer so far, Dean Elgar.Despite the teams piling on 713 runs over two days at a rate of more than four runs an over, Elgar suggested it has been tough going, especially against the quicks.”You’d think it’s actually quite flat but it’s not. There’s been quite a lot of assistance for the bowlers in the last two days,” Elgar said. “I don’t think the scores are a reflection on how the wicket is playing. It’s been a combination of good batting and poor bowling.”Both teams are fielding inexperienced pace packs. Sri Lanka’s is depleted by the loss of Kasun Rajitha, who bowled 13 balls before leaving the field with injury, and the bowlers on both sides are still working out the best approach on a surface with good carry but occasionally variable bounce.Sri Lanka’s and South Africa’s bowlers alike have learned that pitching it up is better than dropping it short and, for Elgar, the key is precision.”At SuperSport Park, for bowlers, the margins are so small,” Elgar said. “If you miss your mark, you are going to go for runs. If you bowl a fourth-stump line, you are going to have a bit of reward. We know the nature of the wicket at SuperSport Park – it’s a good place for bowlers to bowl. There’s quite a lot of assistance for the seamers.”Related

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For that reason, Elgar was particularly pleased with the way both he and Aiden Markram negotiated the new ball to post South Africa’s first opening century stand in three years.The pair play their domestic cricket at this venue and have had three first-class fixtures here in the last month, with Markram scoring three centuries and a 75 and Elgar chipping in with a 52. Although he hasn’t been as prolific as his partner, Elgar believes his preparation has been put to good use.”We have been batting quite well domestically in the last couple of months,” he said. “It’s good to know I have put into play internationally what I have done domestically. There has been a lot of hard work building up to this.”South Africa’s opening stand was helped by several boundary-balls from the Sri Lankan attack and their own refined approach, labelled as “aggressive, but smart,” by coach Mark Boucher.Elgar explained it as “controlled aggression”, which is determined by the situation as much as it is by the team’s philosophy. “You can’t just go out and smack from the first ball, you have to be calculated. We had a good day with the bat, set up by the openers, as we are supposed to do. Of late, Boucher hasn’t spoken about being overly aggressive. He knows we still need to apply ourselves.”Especially as the pitch changes. After two sunny days and with more heat expected, this surface usually breaks up towards the latter stage of the match, which may make run-scoring more difficult in the fourth innings.

The moment Glenn Maxwell fell first ball you started to wonder what was possible, but in the end the predicted script played out

Melinda Farrell06-Jun-20241:16

Stoinis: Oman were a very skillful team

The powerplay is done. Australia: 37 for 1. Not bad Oman, you think, not bad at all.From the start you had nodded in approval, all you associates dreamers, as Kaleemullah twice drew the inside edge from Travis Head and pinged David Warner’s front pad. The wicket is tacky and slow and everyone says that’s a great leveller, just the thing to cut the big boys down to size.First blood to the underdogs!, you hurrahed, as Head drove Bilal Khan to Khalid Kail. When Shakeel Ahmed fired one in at Warner and the stumps lit up, you crowed in unison with the small crowd and the Kensington Oval big screens that screamed OUT!, only to discover the ball had ricocheted off Prathik Athavale’s pads. Still, it was another play and miss. Score one for Oman’s bowlers.Related

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You admire the gusto and commitment of the red-clad fielders as they sprint hard and fling themselves at every ball. Aqib Ilyas’ sharp dive in the covers that prevents a Mitchell Marsh boundary is so good Ayaan Khan runs in all the way from the boundary rope to backslap his captain and you throw a little fist pump yourself.When Marsh picks out long-on you feel a little tremor but the big quake is yet to come.Oh man, oh man, OMAN!, you scream as Ilyas soars to his left and clings onto Glenn Maxwell’s first-ball loose drive. Two in two! A screamer, a cracker, a pick-your-superlative blinder. Could this be Australia’s banana skin moment? Could you dare to believe this fairytale might come to life?As Warner and Marcus Stoinis scrap and scrape you start calculating. Could Oman keep them to 120? 130? Anything under 150 and surely it’s game on.In the 14th over Ilyas is hurling his legbreaks and googlies with the same conviction he had hurled himself in the covers. He draws Stoinis forward and the ball fizzes past his bat and barely misses the off stump before Athavale puts it down. Yeah, you muse, he’s got him on the run. It’s only when you see the replay that you realise it wasn’t a play and miss but the finest feather, a chance gone begging. Still, the skipper has Stoinis’ number, surely, it’s only a matter of time.Aqib Ilyas celebrates his stunning catch to remove Glenn Maxwell•ICC/Getty ImagesMehran Khan is back for the 15th over. He has two wickets already, two in two. He took 3 for 7 against Namibia and inspired an avalanche of commentary questioning Oman’s decision not to bowl him in that game’s Super Over. Maybe this would be his moment.His first ball finds the outside edge of Stoinis’ bat. It’s two runs, but another edge will do.It’s not an edge, it’s a lusty blow and it’s heading straight for Ayaan on the deep cover boundary, eyes on the ball as he backpedals, hands above his head. He takes the catch – yessssssssss! – but no, his momentum sees him tumbling back over the rope. So close. But still, you hope, it’s only a matter of time.Down the ground goes Stoinis; he has found his range and suddenly the dream starts to waver.Wham! Splat! Old school Batman graphics wouldn’t be amiss as Stoinis goes down the ground, again and again, but even Adam West couldn’t fill a skintight superhero suit the way Stoinis does when he flexes his sizeable biceps.Marcus Stoinis took advantage of his reprieves to kickstart Australia•Associated PressBig Papi is in town, the Stoin unleashed, as he grabs the momentum and casually slings it over his shoulder. The most alpha moment comes at the start of the final over, when he drives Bilal down to long-on for what would be an easy single. Stoinis turns it down with Tim David at the non-striker’s end. Yes, that Tim David, the bloke who eats death bowlers for breakfast. Flex much?Oman’s fate is sealed. Australia have too much firepower and too many runs to defend. Mitchell Starc mixes a few loosey-gooseys with the magic balls. Adam Zampa finds drift and grip, Nathan Ellis is suitably sharp and Josh Hazlewood gives little away.Starc, Zampa and Ellis take two wickets apiece but that won’t do. This is Stoinis’ joint and he pops his pecs one, two, three times. He does for the current captain with a ball that straightens, clipping the edge of Ilyas’ bat on the way to a diving Matthew Wade. The former captain is his next victim, chasing a wide one that lands in the same pair of gloves. The icing is Mehran. Who cares if it’s a full toss or it takes a boundary rope juggle from David to complete the catch? The wickets belong to the pumped-up West Australian who models on the streets of New York in his spare time.The dream was fleeting for Oman, before the beautiful brutality of The Big Stoin.Australia march on, the first hurdle surmounted. Wobble, what wobble? There is only Stoinis’ megawatt smile.

The Yankees fell short of the ultimate goal again when they were eliminated by the Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday.

New York fell in a 2-0 hole after the series opened in Toronto and battled back to take Game 3 on Tuesday, only to watch its season end with a 5-2 loss in Game 4 on Wednesday night. After the game, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone was asked if he has any doubts about his future in New York after he finished his eighth year managing the team.

"No, I'm under contract," he said. "I don't expect anything."

Before the regular season, the Yankees announced they had reached a two-year contract extension with Boone to keep him as their manager through the 2027 season. He remains confident his team will eventually break through and win the franchise's first World Series since '09.

"I believe in so many people in that room," he said postgame via SNY. "That hasn't changed, the fire hasn't changed. It's hard to win the World Series, been chasing it all my life."

The Yankees went 94-68 in the regular season, tying the Blue Jays for the best record in the AL, but they were given the first wild-card spot because Toronto held the tiebreaker. They had a chance to put the Blue Jays behind them, but Toronto's home-field advantage and high-powered offense was too much to overcome. Boone admitted it wasn't the easiest year for him personally, but he expects to be back in the Bronx next season and make a run at the World Series full force.

"This has been a tough year for me personally," he mentioned Wednesday via Fox. "But all you go through to become this team you think can really do something special and for it to abruptly end is always difficult."

Winning at least 90 games in six of his eight seasons as the Yankees' skipper, Boone is still in search of that elusive World Series.

Scott McTominay is reportedly "under observation" at Napoli with the ex-Manchester United star deemed "at risk" following his transfer to Italy.

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McTominay left Old Trafford in the summerMidfielder under scrutiny at NapoliConte keeping a close eye on his dietFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Scotland international, who had spent his entire career at United since joining their academy at the age of five, made a late switch to Napoli during the summer transfer window for a fee of £25 million ($33.6m). However, his new life in Italy has encountered some unexpected challenges off the pitch, especially regarding Napoli’s rigorous dietary regimen.

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Napoli manager Antonio Conte, who is renowned for his demanding fitness standards, has entrusted the management of his players' nutrition to a team led by Tiberio Ancora, a specialist in sports nutrition. And according to McTominay is deemed "at risk" and has been placed under close "observation" to ensure that his eating habits do not negatively impact his fitness and performance.

DID YOU KNOW?

Neapolitan food, in particular, is known for its delicious pizzas, kinds of pasta, and dairy-based dishes — all of which can be difficult to resist. Reports suggest that McTominay has been given a list of foods to avoid, including dairy products to maintain optimum fitness.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MCTOMINAY?

McTominay is being gradually integrated into the Napoli squad by Conte. The midfielder played the full match against Juventus in Serie A last time out and should keep his place when the team host Palermo on Thursday evening in the Coppa Italia.

The end of Warner’s Test career is only the beginning of another one – or five

Alan Gardner16-Jan-2024So, farewell then, David Warner. Although bringing down the curtain on a storied Test career is really only the start of the long goodbye for Australia’s best-loved bad-boy-turned-good, a man who seemed to epitomise what the country is really all about: looks cuddly, might kill you.There was, predictably, plenty of emotion swirling around the SCG as Warner doffed his baggy green for the final time (that after the cap had mysteriously resurfaced at the team hotel, presumably with the toerag who had pinched it having realised his grave mistake). Australians love a good send-off – and we’re not just talking about the Merv Hughes variety – so don’t be surprised if there’s plenty more lovey-Davey stuff to come between this international retirement and the next instalment or two.Warner himself has places to be and has never been afraid to take the aerial route – as evidenced by a transparent attempt to skip the speeches at his brother’s wedding. But what does the future hold, beyond T20 leagues and stints in the commentary box? The Light Roller looks at some likely options…Related

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Warner: I want to be remembered as exciting and entertaining

Head honcho at X/Twitter
Once known for playing fast and loose on social media, Warner has become something of a guru. He TikTok-ed his way into everyone’s good books during the first Covid lockdown and recently admitted that he lets his wife check over his tweets before he presses send – which sounds like the sort of wisdom Elon Musk could benefit from.The next James Bond
Why not upgrade that licence to thrill? There was a glimpse of Warner’s box-office appeal in the aforementioned helicopter dash to BBL duty – although, disappointingly, he missed the opportunity to parachute out of the chopper and into the stadium Daniel Craig-style. Can probably already handle a Walther PPK, not so sure about a British accent. Famously used to instruct players mixing the drinks during Test matches that he liked his shaken, not stirred.Social Justice Warner
The Aussies are all about being woke these days, but we should have realised back when he was taking Joe Root to task in a Birmingham Walkabout for mocking people with beards that Warner has long been on the side of the righteous. His chequered past – Usman Khawaja’s mum calls him “Shaitan”, and he has been reformed more times than a pack of supermarket ham – arguably makes him uniquely qualified to lecture us on where we’re going wrong.Bluey x Davey
Once the attack dog in Australia’s attempts to ruffle their opponents in the field, Warner is now perfectly placed to join ‘s cast of family-friendly cartoon canines. Loves his daughters? Check. Adept at coming up with wacky and heartwarming ways to pass the time? Check. Good for a game of backyard cricket? Check. The guy who does the voice of Bandit should start getting worried.Opens chain of hardware stores
Seriously, if he’s going to get sledged about sandpaper for the rest of his career he might as well try to earn a crust from it. The marketing material practically writes itself: “Warner’s Premium Grade – erases even the most regrettable errors.”

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After math: Smith crunches the numbers on the FTP and it’s not looking good•Getty ImagesTalking of Australia openers, Steven Smith has taken his first-in-the-nets-last-out approach to its logical conclusion by successfully petitioning to be Warner’s replacement. Smith, it seems, was bored of sitting around talking to his team-mates and pretending to like crosswords before a couple of wickets fell and he could fidget his way out to the middle, so decided to seek a new challenge. For a man whose problem-solving approach to batting has long had a touch of Zack Galifianakis math about it, this makes sense – but we can’t help but wonder if Smith’s not-inconsiderable cricketing acumen might be put to better use. Never mind dealing with new-ball swing and fullish lengths, couldn’t Smith challenge himself by trying to fix the international calendar or discover the true meaning of Matthew Hayden?

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. No, that is not the latest Pakistani rip-off of the Indiana Jones franchise – although there were some epic feelgood lolz about their recent tour down under. Pakistan played good cricket, Pakistan played bad cricket, Pakistan gave gifts to their hosts at Christmas (and that’s before we get to dropping all those catches or resting their star bowler). But it was Hafeez, the new team director, who veered back into more traditional territory by blaming “inconsistent umpiring and technology curse” for his side’s defeat in the second Test, at the MCG. That and the dropped catches, of course. He went on to conclude: “When you factor in all the booby traps, implacable supernatural forces and time-travelling Nazis, it’s fair to say we never stood a chance.”