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As Major League Baseball's trade deadline quickly approaches, emotions are running high across the league.

Play doesn't stop as each team's front office works behind the scenes to discuss and execute deals that help bolster a postseason push or build for the future. As the Cleveland Guardians sit at .500 and three games back from the American League's final wild card, outfielder Steven Kwan has heard his name in trade rumors.

He was in the lineup Wednesday evening as the Guardians defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-0 at home. And just in case it was his last game wearing Guardians' colors at Progressive Field, he made sure to send a sweet gesture to fans sitting in left field. As he ran in from the outfield, he turned around and sent a wave in case anything changes before Cleveland's next home game Friday.

Early Wednesday afternoon, MLB insider Mark Feinsand reported the Guardians are "trying to move" Kwan and pitcher Shane Bieber. Kwan remains under club control through the end of the 2027 season. He has slashed .286/.350/.408 with nine home runs and 38 RBIs this season. He had a great postseason last year as the Guardians made a run to the American League Championship Series with a monster .382 batting average over 42 at-bats in the playoffs.

With less than 24 hours remaining before the July 31 deadline hits at 6 p.m. ET, Kwan remains in Cleveland. Should he be involved in a deal, though, he made sure to say goodbye to the fans he has played in front of for the entirety of his four-year MLB career.

David Moyes knows his stuff. This was a well-known fact across the blue streets of Merseyside and merely underscored upon the Scots’ return to Everton in January.

He lifted Everton away from the relegation zone, up and up to the security of a mid-table Premier League finish. Positivity was restored as Goodison Park said farewell to the Toffees’ men’s team, and the summer that has since passed has welcomed exciting signings capable of lifting the club higher still.

Would a challenge for some form of European football be too ambitious? Certainly not. The Blues are playing with confidence and quality, even if the focal strikers are leaving plenty to be desired.

What Everton could do with is an academy star to emerge and contribute effectively over the coming months. Moyes has welcomed his share of top talents, and the production line has remained strong in the many years between the 63-year-old’s two tenures.

Everton's best academy talents

The staple of Everton’s modern academy success would, of course, be that man Wayne Rooney, who dazzled when breaking through under Moyes’ wing in 2002, scoring a sumptuous strike against Arsenal and playing with true quality before earning a record-breaking £27m move to Manchester United, aged 18.

He might be the Finch Farm showpiece, but Everton continued to strike gold at academy level after Rooney and then, years later, Moyes left the club, both headed toward Old Trafford.

Ross Barkley was actually forced to downplay “natural” Rooney comparisons as he emerged over a decade later, a powerful and commanding attacking midfielder whose start to life at his boyhood club was a truly remarkable thing.

But Barkley tapered off when completing a £15m move to Chelsea, and now it’s Anthony Gordon who has proved the top youth talent to have surfaced from Everton in recent years.

Gordon completed 78 first-team appearances for Everton before forcing his way out and joining Newcastle for £45m in January 2023. Worth more now, Farhad Moshiri likely felt he had received bang for his buck, given the prospect had only scored seven times.

He’s gone from strength to strength at Newcastle and now stands as a fully-fledged England international and the first-choice option for Thomas Tuchel, it would appear, as we edge ever closer to the 2026 World Cup.

But he could have been so much more on Merseyside, and would have been brilliant under Moyes’ wing. Instead, every mishap suffered when facing his former club is celebrated by the supporters.

The new conditions Moyes and the Friedkin Group have created at the Hill Dickinson Stadium suggest up-and-coming hopefuls may think twice about jumping ship.

And it’s a good thing too, for Everton might actually have an even bigger talent than Gordon on their hands.

Everton may have a bigger talent than Gordon

Gordon is a testament to tenacity and a focus on ironing out the creases in a player’s game. Now he is one of the most prominent English forwards in the country.

Likewise, if Braiden Graham maintains his impressive start to life in Liverpool, he could soon be knocking on Michael O’Neill’s door as he looks to wedge his way into the Northern Ireland set-up.

Graham, 17, might just be the cream of Everton’s academy crop, having been hailed by U21 boss Paul Tait for being a “cool finisher” with all the attributes needed to succeed at the highest level in the Premier League.

Joining Everton from Linfield, based in south Belfast, in 2024, the teenage forward has been an absolute credit thus far, featuring 31 times for the respective Toffees development teams and posting 15 goals and five assists.

With the mark of a natural goalscorer, it’s surely only a matter of time before the teenager, yet to even turn 18, starts knocking on Moyes’ door. While many tests lie ahead regarding the young striker’s technical and physical growth, the progress made already has told of his potential. Indeed, Graham has already made his senior bow, featuring 14 times for Linfield’s men’s team and scoring twice.

Yet to discover his best position, the Northern Irishman has been shuffled across the park, but he’s scored twice from six appearances in the Premier League 2 this term despite featuring in four different positions. His pace and potency in the final third lend themselves to a future as a frontman or an inswinging left winger.

The right-footed talent might even prove to be a bigger talent than Gordon, who was 18 years and ten months old when Carlo Ancelotti handed him his senior debut in the Premier League against West Ham United in January 2020.

It would not appear out of the question that Graham might be handed his senior bow at some stage in the next 12 months, especially if Everton land a favourable opponent in the FA Cup third round.

Graham’s movement is what sets him apart from those of a similar age bracket, and his multi-positionality is something Gordon has embraced within his own game at Newcastle, often deployed as a stand-in central striker by Eddie Howe.

Graham’s link-up play and intelligence marry up with a natural ease on the ball and an eye for goal, and there’s every chance that, within a new era at Everton, he might earn a promotion and decide to stay and foster his skills under Moyes’ wing, becoming not just a debutant for Everton but a mainstay down the line for a team that continues to show signs of getting better and better.

Moyes' next Grealish: Everton want red-hot winger likened to young Leroy Sane

The Toffees are looking to provide David Moyes with plenty of offensive weapons.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Oct 13, 2025

After taking over as interim manager following the Rockies firing Bud Black mid-season, Colorado is promoting Warren Schaeffer as the full-time manager for the 2026 season. The team announced the decision on Monday afternoon.

Schaeffer took over in May and posted a 36–86 record as interim manager with the Rockies this year. Despite the unfortunate outcome of the season, the Rockies are ready to give Schaeffer a fresh slate next year.

“We’re confident Warren is the right person to lead our club moving forward,” Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said in a statement. “He has established strong relationships with our players, understands the culture of this franchise and embodies the energy and work ethic we want on and off the field.”

A couple Rockies players endorsed Schaeffer after the season for him to return in the future, including outfielder Jordan Beck.

“I like what he’s changed; I like what he brings to the table,” Beck said in September, via CBS Sports. “There is real accountability and there is true conversation. He makes guys feel really comfortable and prepared, and that’s important for a young team.”

The 40-year-old Schaeffer was promoted to the major leagues for the 2023 season as he was hired as the Rockies’ third base and infield coach. Before coming to majors, Schaeffer worked 10 years coaching and managing in the minor leagues.

Apparently if you are going to lose one of your valuables in a body of water, Lake Michigan is the place to do it.

released a feature on Chicago scuba diver Yohei Yamada Tuesday, who has carved a niche of diving into Lake Michigan to retrieve lost items when called upon. He's successfully recovered everything from cellphones to wallets and even a $30,000 Rolex watch.

Amid an endless trove of lost items, potentially the most unique is former Cubs star Anthony Rizzo's wedding ring.

“Rizzo had lost weight and washed his hands in his boat. He shook them dry, and the ring flew off,” Yamada said via 's Mack Liederman. “Somebody gave him my number.”

Liederman said that the Rizzos gave Yamada a few $100 bills as a generous tip for the successful dive. In Chicago's championship season in 2016, Rizzo led the team with 109 RBIs and smacked 32 home runs over the regular season. He hit three homers in the postseason, including one in Game 6 of the World Series which the Cubs won to force a series- and championship-clinching Game 7.

He played for the Cubs for four more full seasons before he was traded to the Yankees at the deadline in '21. The Yankees declined his $17 million option for the 2025 season and paid him a $6 million buyout that made him a free agent.

After a record-breaking season that ended with a Ranji title, Unadkat has made a legitimate case for a Test comeback

Shashank Kishore in Rajkot14-Mar-2020Jaydev Unadkat is big on focusing on the “small aspects”. Some of these revolve around life philosophies and finding happiness in the intangibles. An avid reader, he jots down notes and tries to incorporate lessons or insights at team meetings whenever he comes across something he believes is “interesting”. As far as Saurashtra’s cricket team goes, he’s equivalent to a CEO.One such insight that left a lasting impression on Unadkat during the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season was that decisions made in a blink – snap judgments, essentially – can also be very good. He was captivated by what he read in , by Malcolm Gladwell. The book is a series of anecdotes and psychological case studies that explore impulsive decision-making. It also delves into the subconscious mind. Little would Unadkat have realised when he read the book recently that he’d apply the lessons in the Ranji Trophy final, to deliver the knockout blow to Bengal.

“I would say I am at my peak. I’ve now got a lot of options of getting a wicket, which is always the thing a bowler looks for. You can’t be a one-trick pony.”Jaydev Unadkat

Bengal had just lost the huge wicket of Anustup Majumdar, but had the capable Akash Deep join the well-set Arnab Nandi. The lead was just 64 runs away, and Bengal’s batting stretches until No. 10. In the semi-finals, Deep had salvaged Bengal from a hopeless situation by making 44, lending support to Majumdar against a competent Karnataka attack. Saurashtra were slight, but by no means outright, favourites. It’s at this point that Unadkat brought out his “blink” moment.Deep had just been beaten, and Avi Barot, the wicketkeeper, had missed with a shy at the stumps. Unadkat was alert to the possibility of the throw missing, and had stayed where he was on his follow-through to collect the ball. Then he noticed Deep’s feet were outside the crease, and threw down the stumps. The split-second decision told you of his match awareness. The decision went upstairs and Deep was gone to what you could only call a brain fade.”To have good judgement, you need that experience to make crucial decisions in day-to-day situations,” Unadkat explains. “I have the habit of talking to the boys about such stuff, and how we can incorporate learnings from what we read or see into cricket. Most of my chats at team meetings or general pep talks revolve around life philosophies, equating it to cricket, and not by directly giving a cricket example. It helped bring a different flavour to our team meetings, it got players thinking.”As perfectly as the “blink” moment was executed, Unadkat was slightly itchy. That he’d come into the final with 65 wickets, delivering wicket-taking spells for fun. On all kinds of surfaces, with old and new ball. And when it mattered the most, he had bowled over 35 wicketless overs, had DRS calls overturn potential wickets, including the crucial one of Wriddhiman Saha early on the fourth day. The game was slipping away, but he was drawing on his reserves.”I got 65-odd wickets in 15 innings, more than four wickets per innings, and after that, everybody wanted me to strike when the team needed the most,” Unadkat says. “But I was wicketless for 30 overs. Till Thursday evening, I kept thinking that it will be that one ball which can get the crucial breakthrough. I knew if I could get that one wicket, it would mean a lot more than those previous wickets.”Chetan Sakariya started well. That first over [on the fifth day] gave us the belief that it will not be easy. I was telling myself that if I could challenge myself and bowl the ball of the season, it will help the team immensely. I was telling that to myself before every single delivery. I said that to myself before getting Anustup out.”It needed a sensational delivery to dismiss Majumdar. Bowling from around the wicket, Unadkat made the ball talk. He got one to pitch on a length outside off and jag back in sharply – a hint of reverse. The ball didn’t lose much pace off the pitch, Majumdar looked to play across the line – perhaps not the best split-second decision – and before he’d realised, the ball had thudded into his pads and the umpire had raised his finger. He was stone dead, and a polite request for a review only delayed the inevitable.”The dream season could only have been special if you actually win the title,” Unadkat says. “At the end, we had had three defeats in finals and it doesn’t feel good. It is a long season where you have put your blood and sweat. This season, I have given everything mentally and physically. I wouldn’t have enjoyed any sort of record if I hadn’t won. I wanted to do it one more time for my team. I wanted to prove I’m not just someone whose numbers are looked at only when IPL auctions come up.”

“I don’t want to end it here. Yes we have won the trophy and I am the happiest captain in the world right now, but I still want this phase to keep going on and on for me. I want to keep going and leave no stone unturned.”Jaydev Unadkat

At this point, Unadkat is asked what the turning point was in the game. In a game that was decided on the basis of the first-innings lead, there were many. The Cheteshwar Pujara-Arpit Vasavada partnership, Saha’s reprieve through DRS, Manoj Tiwary’s dismissal, Majumdar’s wicket – it was that kind of a game. It fluctuated wildly one way, then swung back on even scales, then turned the other way, and eventually when it looked even again, Unadkat grabbed the game by it’s collar and saw Saurashtra home, just like he had done in the semi-finals when it appeared as if Gujarat might end up doing the unthinkable.”Look, the Ranji Trophy is not just series played among players. A lot of families and former players who feel for the team are involved. I got a lot of messages from people who had that belief that I can do it for the team,” Unadkat says. “Those messages worked for us. We talked about it in the morning, that there was one twist left. I told our boys that ‘this is our ground and we are going to make it count.’ We did believe there was something left for us in the game and we came out with that mindset and that did the trick for us.”BCCIAfter the kind of season he’s had, it’s only natural to talk of the next goal. Perhaps an India comeback?Think Unadkat, and invariably it’s the shorter formats that come to mind, largely because of the IPL. But over the years, he has shown there’s much more to his bowling than just delivering four overs game after game in T20. For starters, he has increased his pace, can sustain his intensity through the day, and not just merely over his first spell. He’s also added the extra dimension of reverse swing, the kind Zaheer Khan made famous. Remember the around-the-wicket angle to the right-handers at his peak?”It is the best I’ve bowled, am at my peak for sure,” Unadkat says. “It’s not just about taking those wickets, but how well I am recovering game after game, how [much] fitter I am feeling. How I am bowling on a fifth day with an old ball. Those reveal a lot of things, much more than numbers or wickets I take. So in terms of those things, I would say I am at my peak. I’ve now got a lot of options of getting a wicket, which is always the thing a bowler looks for. You can’t be a one-trick pony, I have been trying to work on it. Consistency is to take wickets, and for that you have to find ways. Going through the season, fine-tuning things, changing fitness routines have all helped me be what I am.”All of this means Unadkat has definitely pitched for a Test recall too, 10 years after his infamous debut at Centurion, where his most memorable moment was when he was asked whom he wanted his Test cap from, between Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. He went wicketless, conceded 101 runs in 26 overs, and hasn’t been discussed for a Test berth since. While India’s next Test is eight months away, Unadkat has quietly put the ball back in the selectors’ court. And in Rajkot, they were all watching keenly. In a rare acknowledgment in public from a chief selector, Sunil Joshi even tweeted his appreciation for Unadkat. Does this all then mean he’s slowly building up hope for a comeback?”I have been working harder than many guys, as hard as any other cricketer in the country to earn my rewards,” he says. “It was not just the IPL on my mind at any time. Yes there was auction happening and people were talking just about that but this was something I really wanted to achieve [Ranji Trophy title]. I wanted to do it for the team, I wanted to do it for myself. I wanted to prove to myself that I don’t want to play the game for something other than cricket. I started playing this game because I was so passionate about it.”I have still got that hunger to make a comeback. The hunger has been stronger than this and that actually kept me going throughout the season. To be honest, it was challenging to physically survive the season. Bowling those long spells as a fast bowler in almost every game. But as I said, the hunger is more than ever before. I just want to keep this phase going. I don’t want to end it here. Yes we have won the trophy and I am the happiest captain in the world right now, but I still want this phase to keep going on and on for me. I want to keep going and leave no stone unturned.”How does he compare this with other achievements in his career?”If you ask me about the emotional quotient this is right at the top with everything else,” Unadkat says. “This is the moment of my career. It has never gotten bigger than this. Not just my achievement, but my state’s achievement. This team has been working really hard. People who have played for Saurashtra in the past have been wanting this trophy to come home. We have had a glorious cricketing legacy to carry as well. Maybe we just did not have the team 10 years [ago]. The team has come a long way, playing a lot of finals. Like I said it, right up there.”

Openers shed their conservative approach by going hell for leather in the powerplay

Deivarayan Muthu05-Oct-2020The Chennai Super Kings kept piling up pressure on their rusty middle order through dozy starts in the powerplay. Another start of this kind on Sunday may have pushed them closer to panic stations. However, finally, their openers shed their conservative approach that helped the Super Kings mow down 179 with plenty to spare, allowing them to break a three-match losing streak.Shane Watson had managed only 52 off 48 balls across his first four innings in IPL 2020. The chorus for Imran Tahir’s inclusion kept getting louder. After all, he was the highest wicket-taker last season. The Super Kings wanted to accommodate both Sam Curran and a fit-again Dwayne Bravo in their XI along with Faf du Plessis. All along, however, they backed Watson. Stephen Fleming, their head coach, kept saying Watson was hitting the ball well in the nets, even though he couldn’t quite replicate the same in a game scenario.Consistency in selection has been their hallmark. Bloodied knee and all, Watson had nearly carried them to back-to-back IPL titles. The Super Kings had backed him in 2019, and they continue to do so. And Watson just showed why in Dubai.After defending a brace of inswingers from Sheldon Cottrell, he planted his front leg and went downtown for boundaries. This was, as per him, a result of a technical adjustment, of getting his head over his front leg for better transfer of weight into his shots. The tweak was on bright display as he resolutely defended those inswingers and then punished those full deliveries from Cottrell.At the other end, Du Plessis’ aggressive intent was on bright display too. He shuffled around the crease and threw Chris Jordan off his lines and lengths. While he didn’t quite middle the balls, the reward for his intent was four fours in five balls.The first four was a funky scoop off a slower delivery over the keeper’s head. The next ball was slower and wider, but du Plessis reached out, had a crack at it, and carved it over the covers for a double. Jordan then hit a heavy length, but Du Plessis swiped this between midwicket and mid-on for another four. He threw his bat outside off next ball and sliced it off the outside half between backward point and short third man. Jordan turned to the slower ball once again, but Du Plessis unleashed a devil-may-care swat that even put Watson in the firing line.After their safety-first template had failed them, the Super Kings’ openers traded it for an attack-first one and rushed to 60 for 0 in the powerplay. Earlier in the evening, when some of Super Kings’ fielders were lax on the field, the usually unflappable Fleming was visibly upset. When du Plessis – arguably Super Kings’ best fielder alongside Ravindra Jadeja – couldn’t get to skied hit sprinting in from long-off in the eighth over, Fleming was very animated. But the refreshing approach of Du Plessis and Watson in the powerplay, however, put a smile on Fleming’s face.”We don’t want to shrink back in T20 or search too much,” Fleming told host broadcaster Star Sports during the Super Kings innings. “You actually want to get even more confident and positive. And I think you can create luck by doing that and a few things went our way today – balls were flying over the top of fielders whereas [the] last couple of games it may have gone off to hand. “Sometimes, a positive attitude can be the key to that. All we are trying to do is to give a little more surety around their positions and then ask them to be confident and play naturally.”Even after the field restrictions were relaxed, Watson and Du Plessis kept going after the Kings XI attack and kept pinging the fences. In all, there were only three boundary-less overs in the chase before the Super Kings openers sealed it in the 18th over. It made sense, given the Super Kings bat so deep that they have Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur at Nos. 9, 10, and 11. All three players had made match-winning contributions with the bat in the IPL in the past. The return of Bravo from a knee injury has also spruced up their batting.Fleming hailed the Super Kings’ furious pursuit of what initially looked like a challenging target. He also conceded that the Super Kings are “nowhere near where they want to be” in IPL 2020, but said the return of Watson to form and Shardul Thakur’s variations at the death buoyed the side.”Again, that’s where confidence comes up,” he said. “If you can get a win, you’re going to have players who have performed and done personally well. And we’d just lacked that. As a team we’ve been toiling away, but we haven’t had any individual star power do anything of note apart from Faf. So, [it] would be nice to get a bit of individual success and team success for that.”Having cracked a winning formula, can the Super Kings now get on a roll like they’ve done several times in the past?

Given the circumstances – a turning pitch and very little support – he played a very calculated innings

Sidharth Monga06-Nov-20201:21

Gautam Gambhir: You want someone like Kane Williamson in such tricky chases

Twenty20 cricket will probably evolve to a form one day where many sides will look like Mumbai Indians. A side whose batsmen will never let the bowlers get on top. Many sides will one day have enough efficient power hitters to just keep going. In the here and now, though, we have sides in the IPL reaching the playoffs with no back-up for their two or three big hopes. Once the game gets down to them, it is either AB de Villiers or bust. Or Kane Williamson or bust. That is why they can’t play with the freedom of a Suryakumar Yadav or an Ishan Kishan.Add to it memories of two blown chases. Against these same opponents, in their first match of this IPL, Williamson’s side sat pretty at 121 for 2 chasing 164. They lost by 10 runs. On another night, chasing just 127, they lost by 12 runs to Kings XI Punjab.Add to it the pressure of a knockout. Not just any knockout, but a knockout that you have entered on the back of three wins in three must-win matches against the three top sides in the tournament. Add to it an injury to one of your few good batsmen. Add to it a dodgy DRS call to send back the other.Most importantly, add to it a slow pitch with appreciable turn and four international spinners in the opposition. The choke is well and truly on. Williamson is part of that choke, crawling and spluttering. When he was joined by Jason Holder, the last 49 balls had brought just 24 runs and three wickets.There are two ways of dealing with such a situation: counterattack and break the back of the chase, which is 65 off 49 now or absorb the pressure and be calculating. If you are Mumbai, you probably take the first option, knowing there is Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya behind you to do the job. You probably don’t even let it get to this stage. If you are Williamson and the Sunrisers, though, you know you are not winning this before the 19th or the 20th over.Kane Williamson drives down the ground•BCCIWilliamson’s biggest enemy was the conditions and the big boundaries. Any attempt to hit a boundary had to be precise and to a ball was that either too short or too full. Anything else was not an option. And while the format takes its time to evolve, Williamson is the best man conceivable for these calculations.Before he got to the fast bowlers, Williamson only just tried to hit two boundaries. The spinners were not giving him anything short so he had to wait for something too full so he could attack it before it could misbehave. It is easy to say perhaps live time that pressure got too much and Williamson took two calculated risks, but go back and look at the pitch maps. When he first slog-swept Washington Sundar for a six with the requirement 59 off 38, it was the only full ball of the over. So all that while when pushing singles down the ground, Williamson had been on the prowl, waiting to launch into an error in length. And this ball was not that full either, just fuller than the usual Sundar cluster that you see. One half error, and he jumped onto it.With Yuzvendra Chahal, whom Williamson slog-swept for the second six, it was a matter of line. This was the last ball of Chahal’s spell – his figures 3.5-0-18-1 till then and with 41 still required off 25 – and this is the most leg-side he ever got to Williamson. Everything else had been off, off and middle, but this one allowed him to open the front leg up. Just the two attempted big shots, both nailed, and Sunrisers needed just nine an over with pace on the ball in the last four overs.Even then Williamson didn’t take any extravagant risks. He drove Shivam Dube along the ground, and then looked to repeat the delicate late-cut he played off another slow medium bowler, Andile Phehlukwayo, in the World Cup match at Edgbaston. In a way these are similar chases. The pitch was slow, the bowlers were making it tough, and you couldn’t trust a new batsman to get going immediately. He finally managed that dab and that boundary off the pacier Navdeep Saini.Given the resources, this was a perfectly paced chase for a side used to messing these chases up. If the future will have place for Williamson or not, if Williamson will adapt enough to fit himself in the future or not, here and now is the time to revel in the efficiency and the calm of Williamson, without whom Sunrisers probably would have been out of the tournament.

Quicks impress and du Plessis serves reminder but middle-order batting still under scrutiny

Firdose Moonda05-Jan-2021The coin has flipped. South Africa have won their first Test series under Mark Boucher, their first in three against Sri Lanka and their first since January 2019.While there are caveats that come with this victory – most notably that Sri Lanka were denied seven first-choice players by injury across the two Tests, including several who played roles in their 2-0 win here two years ago – the confidence that South Africa gained from turning their fortunes around can’t be devalued. Winning, they say, is a habit and one South Africa had been out of for most of the last two years.It is still going to take a lot of work before South Africa can look at themselves as a complete package, and sterner challenges await in Pakistan and against Australia, but this series has laid the foundations for rebuilding.Here are the big positives for South Africa, and a couple of things for them to think about as they navigate five more Tests this summer.

No KG, no problem

What could have been South Africa’s biggest disadvantage turned into an opportunity, after Kagiso Rabada did not recover from a groin injury in time for the series. South Africa’s attack had just 12 Test caps between them going into the Boxing Day Test and, at first, their inexperience showed.They struggled to adjust their lines and lengths after it became apparent that they were over-relying on the short ball and Sri Lanka racked up their highest total in South Africa, by some distance. But the home attack recovered well. Wiaan Mulder, playing in his second Test, led the comeback through nothing more complicated than discipline and debutant Lutho Sipamla cleaned up the tail. The pair, both just 22, continued to impress as the series went on and point to a talent pool that is not as shallow as was feared.Related

• Quinton de Kock: 'Bubble life is very unsettling. I don't know how long it can last for'

• Rise of Anrich Nortje heralds new era of security for South Africa

• SA seal victory and 2-0 series win despite Karunaratne ton

• Moonda: SA's collapse exposes familiar faultlines

• Elgar drinks in latest hundred as SA make light of batting wobble

In Mulder, South Africa have a genuine allrounder who understands his role as a holding bowler but has the skill of using subtle movement to take wickets. In Sipamla, they have a genuine strike bowler, who can find speeds close to 140kph, and is meticulously accurate.Sipamla, in particular, has made a case to challenge for the third frontline seamer spot. He had a tough start when he conceded 66 runs in his first 12 overs of Test cricket but returned to take 10 for 101 in his next 27.5 overs. He provided strong support for Anrich Nortje, South Africa’s fastest and fiercest bowler, and Lungi Ngidi, who has lost a yard of pace but gained in maturity. Ngidi’s variation through adjusting his seam position is an illustration of the work he has been doing with bowling coach Charl Langeveldt and adds a string to his bow.South Africa will still welcome Rabada back with open arms when he is match fit but this series showed they have options and are developing healthy competition for places.

Faf’s far from finished

The former captain is not about to become a former player anytime soon and world cricket can look forward to more free-flowing play from Faf du Plessis. Even though he didn’t rate his 199 at SuperSport Park among his best innings, he acknowledged that it made a statement about his intent to stick around.du Plessis is an important cog in the South Africa line-up and will act as the bridge between the previous generation and the future one. His experience means he can absorb pressure and assist the new captain along with shouldering the responsibility of run-scoring in a line-up that still needs to click.Rassie van der Dussen made another half-century but is still looking to cement his spot•AFP via Getty Images

What to do about the middle-order?

The reason the batting is still under construction is because the middle-order remains unsettled. Rassie van der Dussen starred in a match-winning partnership with Dean Elgar in Johannesburg but has gone 43 international innings without a hundred and would probably agree that his 67 at the Wanderers was not his most convincing. de Kock has been promoted to No.5, despite his excellent record at No.7, which leaves Temba Bavuma to bat with the lower order – arguably a waste of what he can offer.It is now five years to the day since Bavuma scored his only Test century and although he makes telling contributions, there is pressure on him to convert, not least because of the ways he was dismissed in this series. He walked in Centurion, to a ball he did not hit, and shouldered arms to an inducker at the Wanderers.South Africa have managed to lengthen their line-up by including an allrounder at No. 7 but need consistency out of Nos. 3, 5 and 6 to be able to show their full potential.

Test captaincy candidates

de Kock scored just 28 runs in this series and did a tidy job behind the stumps and though he has indicated he would continue in the role if asked, he does not appear to be a natural fit. On the field, a committee including du Plessis, van der Dussen, Elgar and Bavuma are involved in decision-making and South Africa may choose between the latter three when making a permanent appointment.Elgar’s form in this series, which he finished as the top run-scorer, has potentially put him at the front of the queue though the selectors are probably still wondering if Bavuma or Aiden Markram could be long-term options. Bavuma will need to solidify his spot before he can be seriously considered while if Markram has a decent summer, it may be difficult to look past him. For now, the search continues.

Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow have delivered impactful performances while Eoin Morgan hasn’t found his best yet

Andrew Miller26-Apr-2021Moeen AliAfter their blip in 2020, the Chennai Super Kings are back on their familiar perch: at the top of the IPL standings and threatening to canter towards the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons. Few players have made a more selfless contribution to that resurgence than Moeen Ali.His second week of the tournament served up more of the same languid excellence, as he injected two more CSK innings with six-laden cameos – 26 from 20 balls against the Rajasthan Royals and 25 from 12 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Against the Royals, he also pitched in with the small matter of 3 for 7 in three overs. The only disappointment for Moeen was that he was not able to take his rightful place for Sunday’s encounter with his old franchise, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, after picking up a niggle.Sam Curran The highlights in Sam Curran’s hair seem to be getting more blond each time he takes the field, or maybe that’s just the glow of burgeoning stardom radiating from his elfin features. Either way, this was another week of quietly formidable match-winning from a remarkable player. His only innings in three games was short but sweet – a straight-to-the-point 13 from 6 balls against the Royals, including a beautifully-timed six over the point boundary from a slower-ball bouncer.According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, his impact on that victory was even higher than Moeen’s, thanks to his three key overs in the powerplay, which included the wicket of Sanju Samson. He took a bit of tap in a high-scoring victory over Kolkata (but still dismissed a violently well-set Andre Russell). He then did for Virat Kohli in the powerplay against the Royal Challengers. He makes things happen, as you may have noticed.Jonny Bairstow Batting during the Chennai leg of this tournament has been an arduous business, with some of the most unfettered hitters in the business coming unstuck in spin-friendly conditions. But Bairstow has been a consistent source of forward momentum for the Sunrisers Hyderabad – even if his departure has consistently led to them adopting a reverse gear. As if to prove the point, their one victory to date came in the contest where Bairstow batted all the way through, as his unbeaten 63 from 56 balls anchored a nine-wicket win over the Punjab Kings.His experience against the Delhi Capitals was familiarly traumatic – none of his team-mates came close to matching his fluency as he launched their chase with 38 from 18, not even Kane Williamson, whose 66 not out dragged his side to a Super Over. But then, for some unfathomable reason, Bairstow was overlooked for the Super Over, and the Sunrisers paid the price.Jos Buttler Not much to write home about this week for the Royals’ last remaining Englishman. He made his top score of the season to date with a fluent 49 from 35 against the Super Kings, but his dismissal precipitated a shuddering collapse of 5 for 8 in 3.3 overs.Jos Buttler hasn’t quite found his fluent best during this year’s IPL so far•BCCIWith several of the franchise’s overseas players unavailable – Andrew Tye being the latest to join the exodus – the onus on Buttler is even greater. A run-a-ball 8 against the Royal Challengers and 5 from 7 against the Knight Riders haven’t exactly met the needs of the hour, even if the Royals escaped with a win in that latter game, thanks once again to their million-dollar man, Chris Morris.Eoin Morgan The Knight Riders’ captain has reached double figures just once in five attempts so far. Against the Royals, he didn’t even reach the striker’s end of the pitch – he was run-out without facing a ball after deflecting Rahul Tripathi’s straight drive into the path of Morris in his follow-through. His wry smile said it all. Morgan’s authority really could do with being backed up by a score of note. There are other issues stacking up in the absence of his own runs, not least the roles of Shakib Al Hasan and Russell, who seems a bit removed from the action at the moment.And the non-combatants … Chris Woakes was one of the outstanding performers of the first week but hasn’t got a look-in since the action shifted to Chennai, where the Capitals have opted to play an extra spinner in Amit Mishra, with Shimron Hetmyer taking over his overseas slot. At least he’s used to the feeling, after similar treatment by England following his Player-of-the-Year exploits in the 2020 home summer.Tom Curran hasn’t been seen for the Capitals since a bruising first week, while the Royals won’t be seeing anything more of Ben Stokes (broken finger), Liam Livingstone (bubble fatigue) or Jofra Archer, who was pulled out of the tournament by the ECB last week as they manage his recovery from finger surgery and a long-term elbow problem.Jason Roy (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Dawid Malan (Punjab Kings), Chris Jordan (Punjab Kings) and Sam Billings (Delhi Capitals) are still awaiting their first outings of the tournament.

The selection puzzles that await India and New Zealand ahead of the World Test Championship final

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-20210:52

Five batters and two spinners? Aakash Chopra’s India XI for WTC final

India

Does Vihari get in?
Since the Melbourne Test, India have been playing just five specialist batters. Those five, when all are fit and available, have picked themselves: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.However – and it will depend on conditions – there might be a temptation to bolster the batting considering it’s still early in the English summer and India will be up against a strong bowling attack. Hanuma Vihari, who gets in should India go for batting cover, was the first Indian player to reach England for his three-match stint for Warwickshire in the early part of the County Championship. Although he struck just one half-century in six innings, he has had the most match time, importantly in conditions that were cold and overcast.