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West Ham United’s Conference League-winning side of 2022/23 will go down in history at the London Stadium.

What a night it was for Hammers fans, with Jarrod Bowen becoming an instant legend of the club, scoring the winning goal to secure a late 2-1 win over Fiorentina.

West Ham supporters will surely remember the members of that team fondly for a long time. While some of them have now left the club, such as Declan Rice and Said Benrahma, several members of that squad are still playing at the London Stadium today, including matchwinner Bowen.

Another of those players still at the club is Tomas Soucek, but ahead of the summer transfer window, his future is up in the air.

The latest on Soucek's West Ham future

It does not appear as though Soucek will still be a West Ham player in five months, when the 2025/26 campaign will get underway.

The Czech Republic international is reportedly set to leave the club, according to Claret and Hugh, a reputable West Ham news source.

The Hammers-themed website spoke with a Premier League agent who said the 30-year-old ‘would like a new deal’, but at this stage, the East Londoners aren’t prepared to give him one, due to his age and the fact he has just two years left on his current contract. It is believed he could fetch upwards of £15m this summer.

It would surely be a shame for Hammers fans to say goodbye to a player who has given the club so much over the years. He’s donned the famous Claret and Blue shirt 241 times so far, scoring 40 goals and grabbing 13 assists.

He’s skippered the East London outfit at times, too, including once this season in a 3-2 win over Fulham, where he got on the scoresheet.

That goal was a classic Soucek strike, arriving into the box and getting on the end of a cross, this time with his foot, although it is often with his head.

However, the Czech star is not the only Hammers man who might be in line to leave this summer, with one high earner a player they could consider selling,

The West Ham player who should follow Soucek out of the door

There are famously two Czech players at West Ham, with Vladimir Coufal someone who has played a big part in their recent success over the years.

However, with the competition at right-back strong, and his high wages, there is every chance he could be in line to leave.

His involvement in the Premier League for the Hammers this term has decreased. Coufal has played just 18 times in the top flight, starting nine of those in total. He has not registered an assist and has actually only created one big chance, as per Sofascore.

With the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka last summer for £15m from Manchester United, and the switch to a back three, it does feel like Coufal’s role in the side has diminished, and it would surely not be surprising to see him depart.

Yet, he has been a wonderful servant for the club over the years. In total, the 32-year-old has played 176 games for the Irons, grabbing 20 assists in that time. Former club captain Rice once called him an “outstanding” player too. Sadly, he is not that anymore.

All good things must come to an end, and with the lack of involvement for Coufal in 2024/25, plus the fact he is coming towards the twilight of his career, the Hammers could well look to cash in.

He earns a sizeable amount per week too, a reported £35k to be exact. This would save West Ham money in the long term, given he earns £1.82m per year. It certainly feels like the money can be reinvested elsewhere.

Coufal has given lots to West Ham, and has been a loyal servant for the club. However, given his lack of involvement this season, and the cash the club can save on his wages, it might make sense if he was moved on at some stage soon.

Better than Soucek: Potter’s 137-touch West Ham star is now undroppable

West Ham made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League, beating limp Leicester in London.

By
Angus Sinclair

Feb 28, 2025

Newcastle United have now won their last six matches in all competitions, with last night’s home success over a shaken Crystal Palace side very much the pick of the bunch.

The rampant Magpies would show no mercy in the 5-0 demolition job that was handed out to the hapless Eagles, with four different goalscorers all getting in on the act during a glorious night on Tyneside, alongside Marc Guehi also awkwardly scoring an own goal.

Alexander Isak would, of course, add to his ever-growing Premier League tally during the comprehensive victory, with the Swede now up to a bountiful 25 league strikes and counting.

Isak's performance in numbers

However, despite Isak being on such a healthy amount, Newcastle very rarely rely on just their 25-year-old striker to get them out of sticky situations, with the big win versus Palace very much won on a team basis.

Still, it doesn’t exactly hurt stand-in manager Jason Tindall to have such an explosive marksman leading the line, with the potent number 14 gifting the Magpies their final strike of the memorable night.

Isak would have been arguably frustrated that he didn’t find the back of the net more times than this late effort, with the former Real Sociedad attacker squandering three big chances in the game away from actually managing to get the better of a ropey Dean Henderson.

But, even when the 6 foot 4 forward is having somewhat of an off-day like he did in patches versus Palace, he still manages to contribute to Newcastle’s ongoing successes in some capacity, with his position as the Magpies’ main threat up top as concrete as it can possibly be, consequently.

Away from the frightening attacking arsenal Newcastle can boast, the Tyneside high-flyers also have defenders that they can put all their faith into when it matters, with this top defensive performer managing to cement his first team spot as even more undroppable up against Oliver Glasner’s visitors.

The 9/10 ace now as undroppable as Isak

Despite the final scoreline emphatically reading 5-0 in Newcastle’s favour, Palace did have their chances in the game to try and claw back some dignity, having ended the chaotic 90 minutes with 2.00 xG accumulated.

Unfortunately for the visitors from London, no goals would find the back of Nick Pope’s net, with Newcastle having the likes of Fabian Schar to thank at both ends of the pitch for the shut-out, but also the seriously impressive attacking display.

Schar’s performance in numbers

Stat

Schar

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

1

Assists

0

Touches

103

Accurate passes

75/86 (87%)

Key passes

2

Shots

3

Clearances

6

Interceptions

2

Tackles

1

Total duels won

5/10

Stats by Sofascore

Indeed, looking at the table above, it’s clear how well-rounded Schar’s performance was against Palace, with his goal an expertly headed home effort deep into first half-stoppage time after a perfect Jacob Murphy delivery, among other standout statistics.

The 33-year-old would further amass a staggering 103 touches of the ball and record an 87% pass accuracy as a calm and composed performer at the back, but the veteran centre-back would also roll his sleeves up and battle competently when faced with the brute force of Eagles attacker Jean-Philippe Mateta, with his five duels won on the night leading to Mateta registering just 15 total touches from a forgettable 56-minute spell.

Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder would hand out a high 9/10 rating to Schar post-match off the back of his excellent evening, with Ryder even heralding the Swiss star as ‘unflappable’ and a ‘vintage wine getting better and better’

With his centre-back partner in Dan Burn also on the ageing side at 32 years old, it appears Tindall and Co have the perfect mix throughout the squad at this point in time, with the more exuberant characters of Isak coupling up well with the more seasoned heads of the group.

If the Toon can keep up this blistering run of wins, another Champions League finish is surely on the cards, with faces such as Schar and Isak notably sticking out.

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Group B is the group of death, and whoever loses on Saturday will ride a treacherous road to Super Four qualification

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Sep-20252:32

Jaffer: Bangladesh favourites over SL

Big pictureSo far in the Asia Cup, things have gone roughly as expected. India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have all registered comfortable victories, and Pakistan have also avoided an early banana peel. But Saturday brings up a more even clash. Over the last few years, T20 matches between these teams have sometimes been explosive, but although the heat of the rivalry has died down a little, it is also clear that these are well-matched teams in this format. Over the last 10 years, Sri Lanka have won eight of their 16 encounters, and Bangladesh eight.Related

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More recently Bangladesh have had the better run, winning 2-1 in Sri Lanka in July, having also beaten Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup last year in Dallas. In those matches, Bangladesh’s bowlers tended to strike early, and find wickets regularly. Sri Lanka hope their batting order is in a better place now. But it was less than two weeks ago that they collapsed to 80 all out against Zimbabwe.Bangladesh also have the advantage of having played a match at this venue already. Their crushing of Hong Kong on Thursday was a largely complete performance, with the seamers getting wickets and the top order unfussily taking the team home in a modest chase. There were also wickets for legspinner Rishad Hossain, who was excellent against Sri Lanka in their most recent series, going at only 5.47 an over in his 12 overs across three matches.This being the group of death – Afghanistan are the other top-10 team vying for a Super Four spot – whichever team loses here will ride a treacherous road to qualification.Wanindu Hasaranga is set to return after missing the tour of Zimbabwe with a hamstring injury•AFP/Getty Images

Form guideBangladesh: WWWLW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WLWLLIn the spotlight: Litton Das and Pathum NissankaBangladesh captain Litton Das needs 56 more runs to become Bangladesh’s most prolific T20I batter. He is clearly one of Bangladesh’s key T20I batters at the moment, having hit 476 runs this year at a strike rate of 137.17. He also top-scored for Bangladesh in that series in Sri Lanka. Given his experience, he is the Bangladesh batter that will worry Sri Lanka’s bowlers the most.Pathum Nissanka is having a fine T20I year himself, having made 230 runs at a strike rate of 147.43 in 2025. That Sri Lanka have been a significantly improved team in the powerplay is down partly to Nissanka’s improvements. He has opened up new parts of his game, and has become particularly severe on errors of length. In Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka lost the only match in which he didn’t get to 30.Pitch and conditionsThe Abu Dhabi pitch tends to be batting-friendly, though occasionally it will have something for the slower bowlers as well. Rain is not forecast on Saturday.2:05

Jaffer: Hasaranga’s return big boost for SL

Team news: Hasaranga set to returnBangladesh will likely keep the same XI that beat Hong Kong. That means they will likely play three frontline seamers.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Pervez Hossain Emon, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said Wanindu Hasaranga should be available to play on Saturday, after Hasaranga had missed the Zimbabwe series with a hamstring injury. He also suggested Sri Lanka could go in with three frontline seam options. If fit, Dushmantha Chameers seems a certainty, with Asalanka stating that Nuwan Thushara would also play. Binura Fernando may just have the edge over Matheesha Pathirana for the last spot.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Binura Fernando, 11 Nuwan Thushara.Stats and trivia Pathum Nissanka needs 50 more runs to complete a tally of 2000 in T20Is. He has played only 67 innings, which means he has eight innings in which to get those 50 runs and become the fastest Sri Lanka men’s batter to the milestone. Kusal Perera got there in his 76th innings. Litton Das has not been dismissed for less than 50 in his last four T20I innings, making 54*, 18*, 73, and 59, against Netherlands and Hong Kong. Even just in Asia Cups, these teams’ record is pretty even. Bangladesh won the first T20I Asia Cup match between them, in Mirpur in 2016. Sri Lanka won the next one, in Dubai in 2022. Quotes”It’s more of a rivalry for the fans. For us as players it’s just good challenging competition.”
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka on the rivalry between these teams

Sunrisers Hyderabad feature in four of the top five highest totals in the competition

Omkar Mankame23-Mar-20252:06

‘Kishan hammered everyone to every corner’

287 for 5 – SRH vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2024At the Chinnaswamy Stadium, boundaries rained down as SRH redefined T20 brutality, obliterating their own record from earlier in the season to post a staggering 287 for 3. Travis Head led the charge with a career-best 102 off 41, Heinrich Klaasen pummelled 67 off 31, and Abdul Samad applied the finishing touches with an unbeaten 37 off just 10 balls. That helped SRH win the contest by 25 runs.286 for 6 – SRH vs RR, Hyderabad, 2025The big question heading into IPL 2025 was whether the first 300-plus total would be scored. SRH, the favourites to do so, came tantalizingly close and fell 14 short. The top five collectively faced 118 balls, and not one of them struck below 200. On his SRH debut, Ishan Kishan added to the fireworks, smashing his maiden IPL ton.Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have been at the fore of SRH’s demolition job•AFP/Getty Images277 for 3 – SRH vs MI, Hyderabad, 2024The carnage in Hyderabad resulted in an 11-year-old IPL record falling, RCB’s seemingly-insurmountable 263 for 5 from 2013 fell by the wayside thanks to a breathtaking, collective show from the SRH batters. Klaasen spearheaded the carnage with an unbeaten 80 off 34, while Head and Abhishek Sharma blasted rapid fifties. Mumbai Indians gave a spirited chase but lost steam, falling short by 31 runs.272 for 7 – KKR vs DC, Vishakhapatnam, 2024A rampaging Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batting unit laid down an early marker for a season of run-fests with a commanding demolition of Delhi Capitals (DC). Sunil Narine blazed 85 off 39, Angkrish Raghuvanshi kept pace with 54 off 27, and Andre Russell provided the finishing fireworks with 41 off 19. Only Ishant Sharma’s tight final over, conceding just eight runs, stopped KKR from climbing even higher on this list.266 for 7 – SRH vs DC, Delhi, 2024SRH ventured where no team had gone before in a T20 powerplay. Head and Abhishek blazed their way to a jaw-dropping 125 for no loss in six overs. At that point, 300 looked like a terrifyingly real possibility. But with the field restrictions lifted, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel pulled things back, bringing SRH’s innings down to more earthly realms. Shahbaz Ahmed’s unbeaten 59 off 29 balls, however, still powered them past 260.

Being a referee in the Premier League is arguably one of the toughest jobs in football, with a select group of officials regularly entrusted to take charge of top flight fixtures.

Even though VAR is still causing plenty of controversy week in, week out, decisions on the field are now more important than ever, with technology doing its best to try and not get involved unless it is ‘clear and obvious’.

The game is also arguably faster than it’s ever been, so referees need to be extremely fit and quick to react. But who is the best referee in the Premier League right now?

Rank

Ref

1

Anthony Taylor

2

Michael Oliver

3

Stuart Attwell

4

Craig Pawson

5

Jarred Gillett

6

Darren England

7

Chris Kavanagh

8

Simon Hooper

9

Andy Madley

10

Peter Bankes

11

Robert Jones

12

Michael Salisbury

13

Tony Harrington

14

Samuel Barrott

15

Thomas Bramall

15 Thomas Bramall

One of the least experienced referees in the Premier League, Thomas Bramall was the man in the middle that made a huge mistake by disallowing Aston Vila’s goal against Man Utd on the final day of the 2024/25 season.

That arguably cost Villa a place in the Champions League, but the PGMOL have stuck with Bramall, who, at 35 years of age, appears to be a referee in the early stages of his top flight career.

14 Samuel Barrott

One of the card happiest referees in the Premier League, Samuel Barrott is one of the most inexperienced officials in the top flight after making his debut in 2023/24.

He took charge of 23 games in 2024/25, apologising for one mistake he made in Crystal Palace’s defeat to Brentford after wrongly ruling out Eberechi Eze’s free-kick.

13 Tony Harrington

Tony Harrington is among the referees to average the least amount of fouls awarded per 90, but that doesn’t make him a bad official.

He made his Premier League debut in 2021/22 but just hasn’t been given a regular run of games in the top flight. Harrington’s best tally of games came in the 2024/25 season where he officiated 18 fixtures.

12 Michael Salisbury

Michael Salisbury has never been a regular in the Premier League after taking charge of his first game in the 2021/22 season.

He was on VAR duty and instructed referee Robert Jones to look at Josh King’s goal against Chelsea which was incorrectly ruled out. Salisbury was dropped by the PGMOL shortly after.

11 Robert Jones

Nottingham Forest aren’t the biggest fans of Robert Jones, with Evangelos Marinakis’ side lodging an official complaint against the 38-year-old after a series of decisions against the Reds.

He was the first Premier League referee to ever perform a red-card rejection, however, some of Jones’ decisions are controversial and he averages awarding a penalty every three games.

10 Peter Bankes

Peter Bankes has now reffed more than 100 games in the Premier League since 2019, however, the Merseyside-born official has regularly come in for criticism from fans.

Former referee Keith Hackett even said Bankes looked “out of his depth” in 2025 after a decision he made in Man Utd’s clash with Bournemouth.

9 Andy Madley

A FIFA licensed referee who has taken charge of the FA Cup final, Andy Madley has taken charge of more than 100 Premier League games since 2017/18.

More recently, he has made some controversial decisions, including one between Everton and Man Utd which resulted in Toffees fan Tony Bellew calling him a “cheat”.

8 Simon Hooper

Often blowing early instead of allowing advantage, Simon Hooper has enraged Premier League players and managers in recent years.

An experienced top flight official after making his debut in 2015, Hooper has often come in for criticism and was actually injured at the end of October in Liverpool’s defeat to Brentford, while he was also the man in the middle during the Reds’ controversial defeat at Tottenham in 2023.

7 Chris Kavanagh

Chris Kavanagh has been a hot topic of conversation in recent years, whether it be for sending off Declan Rice for kicking the ball away or leaving Bruno Fernandes upset after he missed his penalty.

The Greater Manchester official has been on FIFA’s books since 2019 and is closing in on 200 Premier League matches at the age of 40.

6 Darren England

Another FIFA referee, Darren England caught the eye of the international governing body after two years as a Premier League official.

He was a part of the VAR team that somehow incorrectly ruled out Luis Diaz’s goal for offside in Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham, but in recent years on the pitch, has been consistent.

Middlesex skipper, who spent five years with Derbyshire, produced a stoic four-and-a-half hour effort

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Sep-2025

Leus Du Plooy haunted his former county Derbyshire as his second hundred of the season led Middlesex to a slender first-innings lead on day two at Lord’s.The Middlesex skipper, who spent five years with Derbyshire prior to joining the Seaxes produced a stoic four-and-a-half hour effort with only eight boundaries as the hosts reached 298 all out.Josh De Caires (46) and Joe Cracknell (43) provided the main support, the latter sharing a stand of 80 for the sixth wicket with Du Plooy.Ben Aitchison bowled beautifully for his 3 for 35, while Zak Chappell also claimed three victims, before openers Luis Reece and Caleb Jewell saw Derbyshire through to stumps at 17 without loss – a lead of two heading into day three.Aitchison’s probing opening burst provided a stern examination of the Middlesex openers and it was a test Sam Robson did not survive, this season’s beneficiary trapped lbw by one which beat the outside edge.De Caires and Luke Hollman somehow negotiated the rest of the seamer’s stump-to-stump spell, but in his endeavours to increase the tempo against some looser offerings from first change Chappell, the latter wafted lazily at a wide one to be caught at slip.De Caires picked up where he’d left off in his 175 against Durham for the second XI at Hartlepool last week, driving sweetly through mid-on and cracking a wide one from Chappell to the fence at point. However, four short of 50 and with lunch beckoning he was adjudged to have tickled one through to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest. His disappointment, whether at himself or the decision was palpable.It was left to Du Plooy to provide the innings of substance required. The South African-born left-hander got underway with a tickle for four to fine leg, but this was a studious rather than flamboyant knock, a later square drive another of the six fours in his first 50 reached in 80 balls.His second 50 was even more phlegmatic, nudges into the gaps marking his progress with only one further boundary until he reached the 90s. There was as scare on 91 as the 30-year-old crumpled to the floor after inside-edging a ball from Aitchison, the problem seemingly with his knee.He was able to continue after treatment, albeit hobbling, and a square drive and a punch through midwicket took him to a deserved hundred.Others batted around the skipper, Ryan Higgins threatening a big score before a flash at a wide one from Chappell cut his effort short on 31 and Ben Geddes didn’t stay long before becoming the seamer’s third victim, lbw to a ball which looked to be swinging past leg stump.Cracknell was the man to help in the one partnership of note, the wicketkeeper/batter riding his luck early on before unfurling some trademark aggressive shots, the pick a pull off Haydon which sailed into the Mound Stand. Haydon’s revenge was swift however, a ball stopping a little in the pitch before climbing to take the edge of the bat and flying to backward point.Du Plooy, now struggling physically, fell lbw to Luis Reece soon after the first innings lead was secured, after which the tail crumbled leaving the hosts two runs short of what could have been a precious second batting point.

Chelsea are weighing up the possibility of an early January move for one ‘magnificent’ forward with an agreement already in place for his arrival next year.

Liam Delap succumbs to another Chelsea injury blow

Liam Delap’s Chelsea career has descended into frustrating misfortune following another significant injury setback.

The 22-year-old suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder during Saturday’s goalless draw at Bournemouth, leaving the field in obvious discomfort after landing awkwardly following a challenge with Marcos Senesi.

Medical staff immediately applied a makeshift sling before Delap trudged directly towards the tunnel, his arm immobilised to prevent further damage.

Enzo Maresca then delivered a concerning post-match update that confirmed initial fears.

Reports suggest Delap faces approximately six to eight weeks sidelined, which comes as another devastating blow for the young forward after he was previously out of action for weeks with a hamstring injury.

Chelsea signed Delap from relegated Ipswich in June, beating the likes of Man United and Newcastle to his signature after an impressive maiden Premier League season.

The Winchester-born striker finished as Ipswich’s leading scorer with twelve goals across thirty-seven appearances last term, accounting for thirty-three percent of their total output despite their eventual drop to the Championship.

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Delap also earned a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination and convinced Maresca – who previously managed Delap during his tenure overseeing Man City’s Elite Development Squad – that he represented an ideal target man.

However, the Englishman has since struggled to establish himself at Stamford Bridge, managing just sporadic appearances whilst failing to register a single Premier League goal for his new employers.

His only Chelsea strike this season arrived against Barcelona in the Champions League, providing brief optimism before this latest injury.

Marc Guiu replaced Delap against Bournemouth but was rusty throughout, highlighting Chelsea’s lack of alternative options, and it has led to suggestions that Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha could arrive earlier than anticipated.

Chelsea weigh early January move for Emanuel Emegha

According to TEAMtalk and journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea chiefs are evaluating whether to bring forward Emegha’s arrival from their sister club following Delap’s injury blow.

The Blues confirmed a deal worth around £22 million several months ago, that was scheduled to deliver Emegha to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

However, Delap’s absence has prompted internal discussions about accelerating that timeline to January.

Strasbourg initially resisted any mid-season departure for their captain, but circumstances have shifted considerably.

Argentine forward Joaquin Panichelli has emerged as Liam Rosenior’s first-choice striker, demonstrating excellent form which suggests the Ligue 1 side could accommodate Emegha’s premature exit.

The 22-year-old Netherlands international stands at a towering 6 foot 5 and recently earned his maiden senior caps for his country, establishing himself as one of France’s most promising attacking talents.

Should Chelsea trigger the January switch, they would also likely compensate Strasbourg by funding an immediate replacement through BlueCo’s multi-club network.

Emegha, who’s been called ‘magnificent’ by critics, scored 14 French top flight goals last season and ended the campaign as one of Ligue 1’s top scorers.

He’s also bagged seven goals across 11 appearances in all competitions this season, so he’s a man bang on form right now regardless of Panichelli’s rise.

Head coach says Ashes is ‘marathon, not sprint’ after crushing collapse inside two days at Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2025

Ollie Pope looks on in vain as Australia pile on the runs•Getty Images

Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, said that his beaten players would double down on their team unity after a chastening loss in the first Test at Perth, and vowed to block out the outside noise after what he acknowledged was “a very bad day”.Speaking to TNT Sports after Travis Head’s 69-ball century had condemned England to a crushing eight-wicket defeat inside two days, McCullum revealed he had been confident of his team’s chances of defending a slender total of 205, on a pitch that had offered pace and movement throughout, and on which Australia had been rolled aside for 132 in their first innings.Instead, Head came out swinging as a stand-in opener for the injured Usman Khawaja, and succeeded in knocking England off the aggressive lengths that had worked so well for their five-pronged pace attack on the opening day.”I thought 200 was actually a pretty good score for us to try and defend in the last innings,” McCullum said. “But the way Travis Head played was absolutely outstanding. It’s one of the best knocks I’ve seen in a pressure situation on a tough wicket.”I spoke to Gilly [former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist] about five minutes before their last innings, and he said, ‘I think you guys have got 30 too many’. I said, ‘I hope so’, but we might have needed another 230 the way that Travis played.”Fair play. We’ve always said that if someone’s able to stand up to what we throw at them, and be able to put us under pressure and deliver a performance such as that, then you have to tip your cap.”Head had been trapped on the back foot throughout a tentative first innings, scoring 21 from 35 balls from No. 5, before falling to a loose pull to mid-on off Ben Stokes. This time, however, he took the offensive option with 16 fours and four sixes, and grew in aggression throughout a first-wicket stand of 75 with the debutant Jake Weatherald, before adding 117 more with Marnus Labuschagne.With doubts about Khawaja’s fitness after a back spasm, and with Australia’s top-order in a state of flux coming into the series, Head may have made the role his own for the rest of the series – just as he did in powering Australia to ODI World Cup glory two years ago.”We will look at how we can control things better if that confronts us again,” McCullum said. “But at the same time, you’ve got to just acknowledge how special that knock was, particularly out of batting position as well. I thought was a brave call from the Australian coaches and from Travis Head as well, to put himself up the order.”Ironically, despite the extent of England’s own batting failings at Perth, with all 20 of their wickets falling in just 67.3 overs across the two days, Head’s success has encouraged McCullum to double down on their own policy of going hard at Australia’s bowlers.”Clearly, they wanted to try and make that ball as soft as what they could, as quickly as they could,” he said. “You do that through two ways. Right? You either do it through absorbing pressure and letting them all go through to the keeper, or you try and do what Travis he did, and batter it to all parts and make teams go away from their lengths. And he was superb.”As everyone knows, that’s the style of play that we try and replicate as well, to try and put opposition teams under pressure and take them away from bowling the most dangerous length. It doesn’t always work. And there were times today, with bat in hand, where we tried to do that, and it didn’t work. But the way that Travis Head played, he took the game away from us.”Case in point was the performance of Scott Boland, who bounced back from his rough first-innings figures of 10-0-62-0 to deliver the decisive spell of the day, immediately after lunch, as England lost 4 for 11 in 19 balls. Both of their set batters, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope fell in consecutive overs after getting bogged down by Boland’s accuracy, and when Harry Brook and Joe Root tried to take the aggressive option before they had the measure of the conditions, they too both fell cheaply.Related

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Live Report – Stunning Head century gives Australia 1-0 lead

Travis Head's 69-ball ton secures remarkable two-day win for Australia

“Boland bowled exceptionally well,” McCullum said. “He hit the deck hard, his paces were up as well, particularly after I felt we were on top of him a little bit in the first innings. The way he came back was a really pivotal moment. We were 100 in front, one-down, there was a time for us to be able to try and manoeuvre the game more into our favour and start to build the lead.”But in the end, we got out. We nicked out a couple of wider balls, and some of our high-quality players, who are free-wheeling types of cricketers, weren’t quite able to put pressure back on the opposition. We found ourselves in a bit of a collapse, and that’s something we’ll have to look at.”But I never want us to go away from our style. That is our best opportunity to try and put opposition teams under pressure. Yes, there’s times where we have to throttle down, and times where we can power up, but the basic principle of how we try and operate as a team is to try and exert some pressure back on the opposition.”The magnitude and manner of the defeat means that the reaction in the local media, and from the fans – both English and Australian – is likely to be off the scale in the coming days, especially given some of the headlines that contributed to the pre-series phoney war.McCullum, however, backed the culture of the dressing-room to withstand the worst of the criticism, much as has been the case throughout the ups and downs of his three-and-a-half-year tenure.”We’ve been trying to insulate against reacting to things too much for a little while,” he said. “We know that this one’s going to hurt, and it’s going to hurt not just us, but all the English people that follow this cricket team as well.”There’ll be a lot of a lot of chatter. For us, it’s a matter of making sure that we don’t allow our confidence and our camaraderie to dip too low. We know that at our best, we’re a very good cricket team. We have now got an extended amount of time off over the next 10 to 12 days to make sure that when we get to Brisbane, we bounce back.”One of my big beliefs is you got to build that unity, that cohesion, the connectivity and that camaraderie within a team for when you are under the biggest pressure, and the brightest lights, and things haven’t worked out accordingly. To me, there is no other way other than to stay together, and keep backing one another, and keep heading towards the target.”This is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve had a very bad day today, but we’ve done it before. That’s our blueprint. We’re married to that, and we won’t back down from that over the next four Tests.”

By hitting two home runs on Sunday, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh broke the record for the most home runs by a catcher in a single season. Raleigh has now accumulated an MLB-leading 49 home runs on the season, breaking Royals catcher Salvador Perez's previous record of 48 home runs in 2021.

Raleigh's two-home run game additionally broke Ken Griffey Jr.'s Mariners franchise record for themost multi-home run games in a season, and Mickey Mantle's MLB record for most multi-home run games by a switch-hitter in a season, per Sarah Langs.

"It was a lot of fun," Raleigh said after the Mariners' 11-4 over the Athletics. "I guess I'll just remember tipping the cap to the crowd and everybody on their feet. It was really a cool moment."

Raleigh admitted that he initially felt hesitant to step back up on the field for his curtain call, but it turned out to be among the most memorable moments for him.

"I didn't know that would be a thing," Raleigh said. "They were kind of pushing me out there and I was like, 'I don't want to look dumb if I go out there.' It was really cool to see everyone up on their feet. Special moment, definitely will remember that."

What made the moment even more special was that his record-breaking performance took place in front of the home crowd, who gave Raleigh a standing ovation and chanted "MVP" after hitting the historic home run.

"Obviously our fans are amazing and to do it here—to do it anywhere would be really special—but to do it here in front of the fans and to give them that, see the appreciation was a really cool moment, on top of a really good game," Raleigh said.

Though Raleigh was rather humble about his achievement, Mariners manager Dan Wilson did a better job quantifying how impressive Raleigh's feats have been this season.

"Unbelievable," Wilson said, via Aaron Levine of . "As much as I want to talk about his homers, I want to talk about his blocking even more. When you talk about Cal Raleigh, you talk about homers, but you talk about the job he does behind the plate even more."

From making his first MLB All-Star Game, winning the Home Run Derby, becoming a legitimate MVP candidate to now breaking MLB records, it's been a storybook season for the Big Dumper.

The New York Mets have landed another bat for the homestretch of the season, as the franchise has traded for Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, according to a report from Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

In return, the Mets sent three prospects back to the Orioles, including reliever Chandler Marsh, corner infielder Anthony Nunez and reliever Raimon Gomez.

Mullins has spent his entire eight-year career in Baltimore. He is slashing .229/.305/.433 this season with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

Mullins will be under contract with the Mets through the rest of the season before hitting free agency this winter.