Category Uncategorized

Series wins over England, Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa have paved the way

Andrew McGlashan04-Mar-2023vs England, Gabba: won by nine wicketsMitchell Starc’s first ball to Rory Burns set the tone for the match and the series in Pat Cummins’ first Test as captain. With England threatening a comeback with the ball, Travis Head carved a scintillating 152 from 148 balls. Nathan Lyon’s 400th Test wicket then broke England’s second innings open and the rest followed swiftly.vs England, Adelaide: won by 275 runsCummins’ enforced Covid absence and an injury to Josh Hazlewood did not knock Australia off course. Marnus Labuschagne rode his much talked-about luck with a century while stand-in captain Steven Smith and David Warner just missed out. England folded from 150 for 2 against Starc and Lyon and in the second innings Jhye Richardson claimed a maiden five-wicket haul amid some late resistance.vs England, Melbourne: won by an innings and 14 runs”Build the man a statue!” On a heady third morning, this became Scott Boland’s Test as he blew England away with an astonishing 6 for 7. Australia’s win, though, was set-up late on the second evening in one of more high-octane sessions you could witness. Until then England had just about stayed in the game, but Marcus Harris’ 76 was a fine effort on a tough pitch.vs England, Sydney: drawnThe first points dropped by Australia as James Anderson batted out the final over against Smith in fading light. The highlight of the match was Usman Khawaja’s remarkable return to Test cricket with twin hundreds but England did well not to fold after being 36 for 4 in the first innings.vs England, Hobart: won by 146 runsAnother counterattacking hundred from Head led Australia’s fightback after they had wobbled in seamer-friendly conditions. Although bowled out for 155 in their second innings and England being 68 for 0 chasing 271 the game ended in a hurry as the visitors lost 10 for 56 in 22 overs.Corks fly as the Australians celebrate a 4-0 Ashes series win•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Imagesvs Pakistan, Rawalpindi: drawnAn historic but ultimately forgettable occasion as Australia returned to Pakistan for the first time since 1998. The pitch offered nothing and batters on both sides prospered, albeit Australia’s top order missed out on hundreds.vs Pakistan, Karachi: drawnA golden opportunity slipped away for Australia when they had secured a huge lead after another hundred from Khawaja and some skilful fast bowling. Declining to enforce the follow, Pakistan still needed to survive two days. Babar Azam produced one of the great rearguards with 196 from 425 balls while Mohammad Rizwan also made a hundred but Australia dropped crucial chances.vs Pakistan, Lahore: won by 115 runsThis time they didn’t let it slip. Australia were 8 for 2 in the third over but after a vital stand between Cameron Green and Alex Carey, a reverse swing masterclass from Cummins and Starc blew the game open. Cummins dangled the carrot, leaving a target of 351 in four sessions and Pakistan were 77 for 0 early on the final day. But Australia managed to chip away with Lyon take five and Cummins again magnificent.Pat Cummins was front and centre during an incredible series win in Pakistan•AFP/Getty Imagesvs Sri Lanka, Galle: won by 10 wicketsA game played in fast-forward on a pitch that offered a huge amount for the spinners. Khawaja, Green and Carey played the crucial hands to secure a hefty lead. Sri Lanka crumbled in dramatic style, all out in less than 23 overs with Head taking 4 for 10 and Lyon a match haul of nine wickets.vs Sri Lanka, Galle: lost by an innings and 39 runsAmid the extraordinary scenes of the anti-government protests around the ground, Australia let a strong position slip away. Labuschagne, stumped shortly after his hundred, and Carey reverse sweeping into the deep were key moments. In reply, on a more sedate surface, Dinesh Chandimal forged a magnificent double century. This time it was Australia’s turn to fold, losing all 10 wickets in 27 overs as Prabath Jayasuriya enjoyed a remarkable debut with 12 wickets.Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith have been key to Australia’s success•AFPvs West Indies, Perth: won by 164 runsA predictably efficient victory for Australia. Labuschagne and Smith racked up double centuries and Head chopped on for 99. West Indies made them work for their success with the ball, especially Kraigg Brathwaite’s second-innings hundred, but the result was never in doubt despite an injury to Cummins. Lyon took 6 for 128 to help fill the void.vs West Indies, Adelaide: won by 419 runsRuthless from Australia. Woeful from West Indies, albeit with a hefty injury list. Centuries for Labuschagne and Head set the game up and the bowlers went about their work in systematic style. The game hurried to a finish with Boland taking three wickets in over and West Indies skittled for 77 early on the fourth day.Australia celebrate winning the Frank Worrell Trophy•Getty Imagesvs South Africa, Brisbane: won by six wicketsA Test dominated by some ferocious fast bowling, it was over in less than two days. Head played the game’s defining innings with a brilliant 92 off 96 balls before South Africa were bundled out for 99 in their second innings. The chase of 34 was a bizarre, brutal affair on a pitch later rated “below average”.vs South Africa, Melbourne: won by an innings 182 runsA superb all-round performance from Australia, although they paid a heavy price. Green had a breakthrough moment with a maiden five-wicket haul only to suffer a broken finger – although returned to make a gutsy fifty – and Starc also picked up a finger injury. Warner stood tall in his 100th Test amid talk about his form with a herculean double hundred in energy-sapping heat and Carey sped to a maiden century.vs South Africa, Sydney: drawnRain probably denied Australia the win that would have secured the WTC final before visiting India. Khawaja was left stranded on 195 when the lost time forced Cummins to declare. They were able to enforce the follow-on during the final day, but South Africa’s lower order had taken enough overs out of the game.David Warner scored a double century in his 100th Test•Getty Imagesvs India, Nagpur: lost by an innings and 132 runsRohit Sharma’s hundred and India’s lower order put Australia’s first-innings 177 into context on a tricky but not impossible surface. They were then overwhelmed by India’s lead and subsided to 91 all out on the third day. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, on his return to Test cricket, took 15 wickets between them.vs India, Delhi: lost by six wicketsA crazy morning session on day three, where Australia lost 8 for 28, decided this game after they had been in a strong position. They had been in line for a big first-innings lead but Axar Patel’s 74 closed the gap to just one run. Jadeja carved through the second innings with seven wickets to take 10 in the game.vs India, Indore: won by nine wicketsA remarkable bounce back in a game that barely reached the third day. Matt Kuhnemann, not originally on the tour, took 5 for 16 as India crumbled for 109. Khawaja produced one of his more important innings although Australia still lost 6 for 11. But then Lyon cut through the home side with an eight-wicket haul and the chase was less fraught than it might have been.vs India, Ahmedabad: drawnAfter three high-octane Tests, the pitch was the winner this time. Green’s maiden Test century was the highlight for Australia, along with another hundred for Khawaja, but they were left with only the draw to play for after India past them courtesy of Virat Kohli’s 186 and Shubman Gill’s graceful hundred.

Ashraf and Rizwan discarded the dated and conservative batting strategy that prevailed before their partnership

Danyal Rasool28-Dec-2020If you’re in Pakistan and found yourself needing something to keep you going before the third day of the Test started at 3am local time, you might have tuned in to the late-night English Premier League game. Sit back, watch the Wolves take on Tottenham Hotspur for a couple of hours, switch over to the cricket.What you’d end up watching was a dire, stodgy performance, one dominated by the belief that the avoidance of errors was the central purpose of playing sport. The spectacle be damned, the result in the end is all that mattered. With that philosophy hard-wired into Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho’s mind, his side got an early goal, and sat so far back they might as well have been reclining. They didn’t have a shot on goal for the last 75 minutes of the game, and late on, the Wolves, who had been piling on the pressure, finally broke through and got a 1-1 draw. Social media was ablaze with the fury of Tottenham fans. Turns out if you’re going to play like that, you really better get a result out of it.Fawad Alam scratched together nine runs in 41 deliveries before his dismissal•Getty ImagesBut if you had somehow stayed awake and assumed you had watched your fair share of attritional sport, boy did Pakistan have a treat in store. They had begun the day having tiptoed to 30 off 20 overs, though, you might have excused them that because they could have been trying to see the day out on Sunday. But in bright sunshine under blue skies at the start of day three, Abid Ali and Mohammad Abbas began to see out days three, four and five.If there’s another way to interpret Pakistan’s strategy on Monday, it’ll need someone from Pakistan to spell it out in unredacted detail. Some may argue New Zealand began similarly cautiously, but the comparison is uneven enough to be disingenuous. For one, Kane Williamson’s side was sharp enough to immediately pounce the moment a Pakistan bowler missed their mark; Naseem Shah’s first three overs, delivered after a masterfully disciplined spell from Shaheen Afridi and Abbas, went for 21 runs as Williamson and Ross Taylor realised they had found an outlet to relieve the pressure. It put the onus on Pakistan’s relatively inexperienced bowling attack to maintain what were unsustainably high levels of accuracy, patience and discipline. When those standards invariably began to fall away in the third session, the scoring began to trend upwards.Watch cricket on ESPN+

New Zealand vs Pakistan is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the series

Of course, Pakistan don’t have a batsman in their XI to match the quality of Williamson or Taylor, but if anything, that was even more of a reason the manner Pakistan approached their innings was doomed to fail. Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson operating in tandem is possibly the most lethal bowling attack in home conditions around. The first three of those have more wickets than Pakistan’s entire pace contingent currently in New Zealand. In short, batsmen tend not to survive against them for too long.From that singular point of view, Pakistan didn’t do quite as disastrously as the match situation seems to have condemned them to. New Zealand couldn’t burst through the batsmen in quick succession, wickets didn’t fall in clusters. Abid survived over 100 balls, and the shortest stay at the crease was Haris Sohail’s – 22 balls. Even Abbas stuck around for 55 balls. Every batsman got their eye in, all of them managed starts.These, however, are world-class bowlers, an adjective that can’t quite be used to describe most of the batsmen they were bowling to. With Pakistan content to survive with disregard for a scoreboard that simply wasn’t ticking over, New Zealand were equally content to hold their lines and wait for the concentration lapses.Jamieson conceded four runs across the first two sessions in the eleven overs he bowled. He still picked up two wickets; simply shutting up shop doesn’t guarantee you’ll keep this New Zealand attack out. His spell was emblematic of a New Zealand side on cruise control, while Pakistan might have been chugging along in first gear in a bad neighbourhood. Eventually, you end up getting mugged.And thus when the wickets did come, each batsman had spent time out in the middle without making much of an impression on the scoreboard. Pakistan brought up the hundred in the 66th over; this is the slowest a side has reached that milestone in New Zealand since ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data has records for. It is the seventh-slowest by any side anywhere; the half-dozen slower all came in second innings efforts, presumably as sides looked to grind out draws.Mohammad Rizwan picked Pakistan’s run rate along with Faheem Ashraf•AFP via Getty ImagesIt might not have been as damaging a day if the optics weren’t quite so uncomfortable. Pakistan’s head coach Misbah-ul-Haq is about as famous for positive cricket as comic book fans are for weightlifting. And in response to a side as unapologetically forward-thinking as New Zealand, his side – and this side has been his for a while now – retreated into the comfort zone of self-preservation. No batsman wanted to make a mistake, no one fancied being the scapegoat. Ironically, with no one among the players shouldering the blame, the spotlight inevitably shifts upstairs: to Misbah and batting coach Younis Khan themselves.This approach to cricket is barely acceptable, as Tottenham fans will tell you. If a side grinds out wins but away from home, Pakistan have not won a Test match since Misbah took over, and on the evidence of today’s performance with the bat, it doesn’t exactly appear as if there’s an abundance of ideas on how to turn that around. This will be the tenth successive away Test without a victory; the last time Pakistan suffered a drier run on the road came in the 1980s.When Fawad Alam, who had scratched together nine runs in 41 deliveries at the crease, lost his patience and hoicked at one down the leg side that he legitimately should have left alone, Faheem Ashraf strode out to the middle. Pakistan had managed just four boundaries all day until then, and Ashraf felt there was little point to staying out there if he wasn’t going to get a move on. Off his eighth ball, he rocked back and smacked Wagner in front of square for four. Soon after, he hit Jamieson, who had gone for nine in 17 overs, for eight runs in two balls.The New Zealand quick realised he’d have to change things up, and he fed Mohammad Rizwan one that was short and wide. By now, the Pakistan captain had joined in on the act, and slashed him away for four. Two balls later, Jamieson’s frustrations got the better of him, and he collected a drive back from Ashraf and hurled it back at the batsman. Cruise control suddenly wasn’t working anymore. Pakistan doubled their 60-over score in 20 overs, and Rizwan and Ashraf both brought up half-centuries.It might be tempting to let the sugar rush of that seventh-wicket partnership overwhelm Pakistan supporters into believing their plan for the day held some sort of merit. That, however, will be the sleep-deprivation talking. Pakistan might lose this match because of the way they approached it, but lose it slightly less comprehensively because Ashraf and Rizwan recognised that dated, conservative strategy for the trap that it was, and discarded it summarily with the contempt it deserved.

Erling Haaland continued his devastating goal-scoring form with a hat-trick in Norway’s 5-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Israel in Oslo.

Haaland’s night did not get off to the best of starts as he saw his sixth-minute penalty saved by Daniel Peretz, who denied him again after the kick had to be retaken, but he more than made amends to make it 18 goals in his last nine games for club and country.

The Manchester City striker, who scored five times against Moldova on his last international appearance, scored Norway’s second between a pair of own goals from Anan Khalaili and Idan Nachmias.

One of the best strikers in the world, Haaland, winning his 46th cap, scored his 50th goal for his country when he nodded in Antonio Nusa’s cross and the pair combined again as the in-form forward grabbed his third of the night.

Victory for Norway gave them a sixth win from sixth in Group I as they edged closer to qualification for the World Cup, which Haaland spoke about after the game: “I don’t think I’ll say too much about that. I’m just focused on winning the next match. That was my mindset in the last game, and it still is now.”

The striker was then sent home to Manchester by Norway manager Staale Solbakken before they took on New Zealand in a friendly, which ended 1-1.

“Players with particularly tight match schedules are returning home,” a statement from the the Norwegian Football Association read. “Alexander Sorloth, Julian Ryerson, Erling Braut Haaland and Fredrik Bjorkan. Felix Horn Myhre is leaving the squad due to a sore ankle.”

Haaland reacts to Norway 5-0 Israel

Haaland has never shared his opinion on the conflict between Palestine and Israel, but eagle eyed fans on social media believe they have found a cheeky dig at Israel on his Instagram story, on which he posted a selfie after the match against Ran Ben-Shimon’s team.

The 25 year-old posed with the match ball but included the City fans’ chant for him, which is titled “Haaland (Ha Ha Ha)”.

Israel’s participation in international sporting events has caused controversy due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, although it is hoped a recent ceasefire agreement will ease tensions in the region.

كشفت تقارير إعلامية اليوم الخميس، عن آخر التطورات المتعلقة بمستقبل نيمار دا سيلفا، نجم نادي سانتوس، والذي يعتبر مصيره غير معروف مع الفريق البرازيلي.

نيمار سوف ينتهي عقده مع نادي سانتوس بنهاية شهر ديسمبر الجاري، ولم يتم التوصل إلى اتفاق بين الطرفين حتى هذه اللحظة حول توقيع عقد جديد.

وكان نادي سانتوس قد حصل على توقيع نيمار خلال العام الماضي في صفقة انتقال حر، عقب فسخ ابن ال33 عامًا لعقده مع نادي الهلال.

وأفاد سانتي أونا، الصحفي الموثوق بموقع فوت ميركاتو، أن إدارة نادي سانتوس قد بدأت محادثات أولية مع نيمار ومحيطه، وذلك بشأن توقيع عقد جديد.

أقرأ أيضًا .. أنشيلوتي يحذر فينيسيوس بِشأن وضعه مع منتخب البرازيل

وأوضح الصحفي الفرنسي، أن نيمار من جهته يرغب في البقاء مع سانتوس لموسم آخر، حيث بدأت المفاوضات بين اللاعب والنادي ومن المتوقع أن يتم تجديد العقد خلال الفترة المقبلة.

ويسعى نيمار إلى حجز مقعده في قائمة منتخب البرازيل، والتي سوف تشارك في منافسات بطولة كأس العالم العام المقبل في كندا والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية والمكسيك.

وأكد كارلو أنشيلوتي، مدرب منتخب البرازيل، أنه لن يقوم باستدعاء أي لاعب إلا إذا كان جاهزًا من الناحية الفنية والبدنية بنسبة 100%.

وتألق نيمار خلال الساعات الأخيرة وسجل ثلاثة أهداف قاد بها سانتوس إلى الانتصار على حساب يوفيتود 3-0 بالدوري البرازيلي.

وعانى نيمار من كثرة الإصابات خلال الفترة الماضية، قبل أن يعود ليشارك مرة أخرى مع سانتوس.

West Ham and Tottenham have held discussions over signing former Brentford striker Ivan Toney ahead of the looming January transfer window, and he’s now given a response to both sides.

Ivan Toney attracts Premier League interest after Saudi displays

Toney’s excellent since moving to Al-Ahli has reportedly prompted several Premier League clubs to consider bringing him back to English football, with his exceptional goalscoring record defying initial skepticism about his £40 million transfer.

The 29-year-old has silenced doubters emphatically, scoring 42 goals across just 62 appearances in all competitions since arriving in the Gulf state.

His output has spearheaded Al-Ahli to success, including their maiden AFC Champions League triumph and victory in the Saudi Super Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.

Toney’s memorable hat-trick against 2024 champions Al-Hilal marked Al-Ahli’s first victory over their rivals in eight league games, with the striker going on to net 12 goals across just seven matches during one extraordinary purple patch.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham

His performances even briefly earned the Englishman a spot back in Thomas Tuchel’s England setup earlier this year, but Toney has struggled to fire his way back into contention since then.

With the 2026 World Cup looming, reports have suggested that Toney could return to the Premier League in a bid to battle his way into Tuchel’s thinking ahead of the tournament next year.

West Ham now in pole position to sign "monster" striker after already making contact

The Hammers are after a new centre-forward.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 27, 2025

Of all the teams linked with a move for Toney, West Ham and Spurs stand chief among them as the two London clubs allegedly scour for striking options.

Tottenham are said to have held preliminary talks over a deal for Toney already, while West Ham have allegedly sounded out the striker as they look to replace the exit-bound Niclas Füllkrug.

Now, a report by talkSPORT has shed light on the situation, with Nuno Espirito Santo handed a key update.

West Ham and Tottenham get Ivan Toney response after discussions

West Ham and Tottenham have discussed January moves for Toney, but the England striker has made clear his intention to remain in Saudi Arabia, effectively ending hopes of an immediate Premier League return.

Sources close to the situation confirm Toney’s camp has communicated directly to interested Premier League clubs that the striker remains settled, content and unwilling to push for a transfer.

Al-Ahli sporting director Rui Pedro Braz reinforced this stance publicly, insisting speculation surrounding January departures holds no basis in reality and declaring the club counts on Toney moving forward.

Additionally, Toney must remain abroad until April 2026 to maintain his non-UK tax residency status. Returning prematurely would trigger significant tax liabilities estimated at around £14 million.

Al-Ahli would also demand more than the £40 million they paid for a permanent transfer.

The SPL club would only consider sanctioning Toney’s departure if they secured an elite-level replacement, something which could be very difficult to do in January’s limited window.

Right now, the odds are stacked against an exit for the ‘remarkable’ striker, so West Ham and Spurs may need to look elsewhere.

According to other reports, West Ham have already made contact over a deal for USG striker Promise David, who could be available for a generous £17.5 million.

Perhaps to be expected of this modern-day Manchester United team, the recent five-game unbeaten run was merely a false dawn, as Ruben Amorim’s tenure reached another low on Monday evening.

That wet and miserable night at Grimsby is arguably the nadir of the Portuguese’s year in charge, although the latest loss to Everton could well run it close, following what was simply a lifeless performance from the hosts at Old Trafford.

Handed a bizarre advantage following Idrissa Gueye’s slap on ex-United man, Michael Keane, the Red Devils contrived to slip up against their ten-man opponents, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall firing in a deserved lead on the hour mark.

Despite having ample time and opportunity to get back into the game, the Red Devils barely threatened Jordan Pickford’s goal from then on, albeit with the Englishman making one notable save to deny Joshua Zirkzee’s goalbound header.

The Dutchman, to his credit, came as close as anyone to getting the home side level on the night, but that should not overshadow what was another desperate display from United’s number 11.

The 24-year-old wasn’t the only INEOS signing under the microscope against the Toffees – far from it – but his performance certainly warrants further scrutiny.

Joshua Zirkzee's dismal Everton display in numbers

On a different day, the £36.5m man might have been the hero had his well-taken header evaded the sprawling Pickford, with the striker’s last Premier League goals having actually come against the Merseysiders almost a year earlier.

As it is, Amorim is left to reflect upon a largely limp showing from Zirkzee in attack, with the ex-Bologna man’s woes only heightening the frustration regarding Benjamin Sesko’s absence.

Sesko – with just two goals for United to date – hasn’t been perfect, but even amid his struggles at Spurs, he was still a handful, a physical outlet whom Amorim’s side can look to.

Zirkzee might be a self-described ‘nine and a half’, but at 6 foot 4, he should be doing far better, notably losing the ball on 12 occasions from just 35 touches.

Far too frequently, the struggling forward dallied in possession or produced an errant touch or flick, looking distinctly uncomfortable with his back to goal.

The caveat to that, of course, is that he had featured for just 90 minutes in total this season prior to that, with there likely to be an element of ring rust for a player handed just his first league start of 2025/26.

That being said, on a wider focus, this remains a striker who has scored just three top-flight goals since signing back in the summer of 2024, with United again left looking desperately short at the top end of the pitch.

Problems at the other end also persist, however, with the backline looking particularly erratic.

Amorim must bench Man Utd's "best in the world" star

Much of the blame for Monday’s defeat lies at Amorim’s door, with the 40-year-old’s failure to release the handbrake and shuffle his system having been desperately evident, as his side toiled for an equaliser amid their second-half dominance.

In the ex-Sporting CP man’s defence, however, he must have been scratching his head at the laboured showing of those on the pitch, with Leny Yoro notably putting in a tame effort to try and prevent Dewsbury-Hall from converting.

That weak act – which was followed by another weak stop from the previously impressive Senne Lammens – came amid a largely frustrating display from the young Frenchman, with Harry Maguire’s absence felt again in the back three.

Yoro’s pace and recovery speed is a useful tool, although he has the tendency to be bullied up against a physical forward line, winning just two of his five ground duels, as per Sofascore.

Perhaps more frustrating were his woes in possession, losing the ball on ten occasions, while failing to really drive forward from his right-sided role, even with ample time and space afforded to him.

Games (starts)

12 (8)

Goals

0

Assists

0

Key passes*

0.3

Pass accuracy*

88%

Successful dribbles*

0

Tackles*

1.0

Interceptions*

1.0

Total duels won*

58%

Aerial duels won*

72%

Dribbled past*

0.4

Unlike last term, when the 20-year-old was a central figure in United’s Europa League charge, he appeared hesitant to get forward, rarely attempting to burst into space to support the likes of Amad ahead of him.

There is an argument to suggest he may need to shift to a left centre-back role, having thrived there in the second half of last season, although with Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez and Ayden Heaven already in contention there, Amorim surely can’t make that switch.

Currently ranking in the bottom 2% of European centre-backs for blocks, the bottom 9% for clearances and the bottom 27% for aerial duels won per 90, as per FBref, the ex-Lille starlet certainly isn’t thriving as expected, having previously been described as the “best in the world” for his age by Rio Ferdinand.

Options at right centre-back really are quite limited – particularly in the absence of Maguire – although Amorim may have to consider relocating Noussair Mazraoui, and shifting Yoro back to the bench.

Chalkboard

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

As Ferdinand suggested, the France U21 international is a massive talent, but United and Old Trafford are yet to see the best of him.

Worse than Bruno Fernandes vs Everton: Amorim must bin Man Utd's 3/10 flop

This Man Utd star struggled in the 1-0 home defeat to Everton

1 ByJoe Nuttall Nov 25, 2025

MLB.com has released its annual Top 100 Players Right Now list and it's a huge thrill for all of the baseball players honored. But because it's a list it means there's controversy. Michael Kay, a staple of New York Yankees broadcasts for years, shared his disbelief that Shohei Ohtani was ranked No. 1 over Aaron Judge during his radio show Friday.

“On what planet can you say that Ohtani is better than Judge?" Kay wondered. "I don’t understand it. Are you projecting in 2025 that you think Ohtani is going to go back to being a dominant pitcher?”

Kay came to the table with a thorough study of offensive stats, which tend to favor Judge. But Ohtani did become the first 50-50 club member in baseball history and has the capacity to be one of the game's best pitchers when healthy.

On one hand it could be a situation where MLB.com got to the top of the list and had to make a call between two incredible players. On the other it could be that pesky and very real anti-Yankees bias that exists.

“I just think, and I hate to admit it, that there is an anti-Yankee bias,” Kay said. "And I think everyone in Major League Baseball is absolutely in awe at the skills sets exhibited by Ohtani. And they should be — he’s one of the best baseball players ever. And so is Judge. So when they’re that close, you have to look at the statistics … Judge’s statistics are far superior to Ohtani’s."

This is why these lists are always tough. Top Players Right Now could not be clearer and yet the results could mean that they're forecasting a stellar return ot the mound for Ohtani. Or, believe it or not, that's he's a better player than Judge even without doing double duty.

One thing we can perhaps agree on is that on a ranking of the best players of a sport in the world, there is never tas meaningful of a gulf between No. 1 and No. 2 as people like to think. It's a lesson that could have been learned among the neverending LeBron James-Michael Jordan debates, but here we are again.