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Com a eliminação na fase de grupos do Paulistão, o Corinthians não garantiu vaga na Copa do Brasil de 2025 e corre riscos de ficar fora da competição. Para se classificar via Campeonato Paulista, é necessário terminar o estadual entre os cinco melhores, algo que o Timão não alcançará neste ano. No entanto, ainda há maneiras do clube conseguir um lugar na competição nacional.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Timão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Corinthians

Há quatro cenários que podem levar o Corinthians à disputa da Copa do Brasil em 2025. Em três deles, o clube precisa conquistar resultados expressivos nas principais competições da temporda: Brasileirão e Copa do Brasil e Sul-Americana. Já o outro parece uma possibilidade que não será explorada pelo clube.

Nas competições restantes no calendário da equipe, o Timão garante vaga na próxima Copa do Brasil caso se classifique para a Libertadores de 2025. Ou seja, tem de conquistar ou a edição deste ano do torneio ou a Sul-Americana. No pior dos casos, pode conquistar um lugar via Brasileirão.

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➡️ Entenda os planos ousados do Corinthians para o período sem jogos após eliminação no Paulistão

Há, ainda, outro cenário para que o Corinthians consiga disputar a Copa do Brasil na próxima temporada. A última vaga destinada a um Federação Paulista é destinada ao campeão da Copa Paulista, competição regional que é disputada no segundo semestre e foi criada para preencher o calendário dos times menores do estado. O Timão tem a opção de disputar o torneio, o que não faz desde 2019, mas ainda não se manifestou.

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Leeds United’s winless run in the Premier League continued at the hands of Manchester City yesterday, with Daniel Farke’s side suffering a 3-2 defeat at the Etihad.

At one stage, it appeared as though the Whites would endure another battering, as they did at Arsenal, but it was anything but that against Pep Guardiola’s men.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both hit the back of the net in the second half, subsequently restoring parity after trailing by two goals going into the break.

However, Phil Foden’s strike in stoppage time took some of the gloss off the impressive second-half showing, which should have earned Farke’s men a crucial point.

Despite the fightback, numerous players chosen by the manager at the Etihad struggled to produce the goods, which could lead to yet more changes in their next clash.

Leeds’ poor performers against Man City

Wilfried Gnonto is a player who the Leeds fans have been crying out to start in recent weeks, having only featured in five outings before the trip to face Man City yesterday.

However, the Italian was handed his chance to shine, but struggled to take full advantage of the opportunity handed his way, as seen by his tally of zero crosses and dribbles completed.

He was even fortunate not to be sent off, with his high challenge on Tijjani Reijnders somehow going unpunished – before being replaced at the break by Farke.

Gnonto wasn’t the only player who struggled against Guardiola’s men, with centre-back Pascal Struijk coming under fire for numerous errors throughout the contest.

The Dutchman was only able to win 50% of the aerial battles he entered at the Etihad, often being dominated in the air and resulting in added chances for the hosts.

He also nearly produced a costly mistake after slipping on the greasy turf, but luckily for the player and the team, his error only led to a corner rather than a goal.

The Leeds star who needs to be dropped after Man City

Going away to the Etihad and trying to get a result is no mean feat, with the former champions boasting one of the best home records in the division over recent seasons.

It’s a feat achieved by the Whites in years gone by, but unfortunately for Farke, he was unable to match the achievements previously achieved by Marcelo Bielsa.

As previously mentioned, there are certainly positives for the manager to pick out from the contest – as seen by their response to get themselves off the canvas in the second half.

However, multiple players’ showings will be a cause for concern for the German, which could certainly result in shape and personal changes ahead of their next top-flight outing.

Jayden Bogle is a player who has been a consistent starter for the Whites in 2025/26, as seen by his total of 13 appearances – subsequently not missing a single game to date.

Despite the faith shown in him by Farke once again yesterday, he was unable to produce one of his best showings, and often struggled to contain Jeremy Doku.

The Englishman’s underlying stats from the defeat further showcase his struggles, which could see the manager shuffle his pack and drop the 25-year-old as a result.

Minutes played

90

Touches

46

Passes completed

63%

Possession lost

14x

Dribbles completed

0

Long balls completed

0

Crosses completed

1

Tackles made

0

He only managed to complete 63% of the passes he attempted, subsequently losing possession on 14 separate occasions – highlighting his struggles with the ball at his feet.

Other numbers, such as zero dribbles, zero long balls and just 46 touches of the ball – a tally that was fewer than goalkeeper Lucas Perri, who managed 56 – showcase his lack of impact on proceedings.

Out of possession, Bogle was just as disappointing, as he was unable to make a single tackle, whilst making no blocks and just a single interception in his 90-minute display.

There’s little disputing that the full-back has been an excellent option for Farke in 2025/26 to date, but he will no doubt be concerned by the lack of impact against City.

As a result, the German should look to shuffle his options around in midweek, with a huge reaction needed to make amends for the disappointing defeat yesterday.

Bielsa 2.0: Leeds prepare for Farke replacement with "elite" boss in frame

Leeds are reportedly preparing to possibly replace Daniel Farke in the dugout with a LaLiga boss in the frame.

1 ByDan Emery Nov 28, 2025

Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber made history on Thursday night against the Braves, becoming just the 21st player to ever hit four home runs in a single game.

Schwarber started the party early with a lead-off homer in the bottom of the first, then added dingers in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

With the Phillies holding an 18–4 lead heading into the eighth, it was pretty clear that the home team would not be batting in the bottom of the ninth, and thus, Schwarber would need some help to get one last at-bat where he could go for a record-setting fifth dinger.

The Phils got him to the plate, but Schwarber couldn’t connect on a slow pitch from Vidal Brujan, who started the game at shortstop for Atlanta.

After the game, the Phillies broadcast team rightfully celebrated Schwarber’s awesome night, but the slugger himself was stuck thinking about one moment he wished he could have taken back.

“It’s crazy. I wish I didn’t ask the question in the cage—how many guys have hit five homers,” he said laughing.

Schwarber had a shot at becoming the first to ever hit five home runs in a game, but apparently, got a bit in his head about it before his final at-bat of the night.

While he came up short on that mark, in his defense, literally every major league baseball player in the history of the sport has also come up short of hitting five home runs in a game before him.

BRISTOL, TENN. — On Sept. 2, 1961, just 41 days after the Bristol Motor Speedway opened in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the race track hosted an exhibition NFL game on land that had previously been a dairy farm. Billed as the “First Annual Pro-Bowl Football Game,” the clash between Philadelphia and Washington attracted just 8,500 fans and failed to generate a profit. One of the players would later call it “the worst field I had ever seen.” There was no second iteration. 

R.G. Pope, one of the three original co-owners of the track—and my great, great uncle—sold his stake in Bristol Motor Speedway due to his disappointment not long after. It’s safe to say he should've been more patient with his investment.

Bristol Motor Speedway has become known as The Last Great Colosseum, one of the country’s crown jewel stadiums. It hosts two NASCAR Cup Series events per year and is renowned in racing for its speed and high, 30-degree banks on the curves that allow it to lay claim to being the “world’s fastest half-mile.” Its capacity ballooned to over eight times its original figure over the course of several expansion projects, making it second to only the Indianapolis Motor Speedway among U.S. racing venues in terms of capacity. And in a reversal of fortune on the gridiron, Bristol Motor Speedway hosted a 2016 clash between the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies that drew 156,990 fans, a college football record. 

This weekend, the track helped MLB set a regular-season attendance record, as the Speedway Classic between the Braves and Reds sold 91,032 tickets, topping the 84,587 fans who watched Cleveland host the Yankees on Sept. 12, 1954. Unfortunately, the event may be remembered by fans as more trouble than it was worth, partially due to circumstances beyond MLB’s control and partially due to some mismanagement amid what was an extraordinary lift on the production side to put on the first-ever major league game in a NASCAR stadium. 

“Honestly, my first thought is I can’t believe they did all this for one game,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said Saturday before the game’s postponement. “To be able to set all this up, get a playing surface ready … It's pretty incredible.”

The artificial playing surface was heavily tested by a slow-moving storm that lingered in Bristol throughout Saturday and started dumping rain at a far greater pace just minutes before the scheduled start time of 7:15 p.m. After a two-hour, 17-minute delay, the teams took the field, but couldn’t even make it through a full inning before the skies opened up again and the tarp came back out. Less than an hour later, the game was suspended until Sunday afternoon.

“It’s a tough situation. We live in this part of the country where those [storms] pop up and the rain is unpredictable, and you can see a window [to play] and then it shuts right there in front of you,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sunday. “I thought Major League Baseball did a great job. They tried to get it through. Terry and I both wanted to put it to bed last night; it didn’t happen. … Everybody that was making those decisions, it’s not easy. When you’re in those rooms, and it’s a game of this magnitude, those aren’t easy decisions.”

The stands were noticeably thinner Sunday, at least at the outset. Perhaps that was due to fans’ pre-booked travel plans to leave that morning. Perhaps it was because they were frustrated by having to wait out Saturday’s delay as concession stands ran out of supplies. (MLB allowed fans to bring in food and soft drinks Sunday, seemingly an admission of the dreadfully long lines that plagued Saturday). Or perhaps they were discouraged by the arduous late-night exit process, as a location bereft of adequate public transportation and rideshare drivers forced most fans to walk long distances in the rain to their car or a suitable spot to be picked up.

The attendance milestone should perhaps come with an asterisk, anyway—even with some sections blocked off, thousands of fans had terribly obstructed views due to the press box along the third base line, a rather careless oversight seemingly born from the league’s desire to set an attendance record. That being said, there were plenty of open seats and tickets weren’t being checked at section entrances, so if fans wanted to upgrade their views the old-fashioned way, the opportunity was there—and many clearly took it. 

As it were, the home of racing’s fastest half-mile ended up hosting baseball’s slowest half-inning. The Reds scored once in the bottom of the first before the game was called Saturday. Braves youngster Hurston Waldrep, who was supposed to pitch in Triple A on Sunday, was instead called up overnight and relieved starter Austin Cox upon the resumption of play Sunday. He retired the side before going on to earn his first major league win. “One inning down!” one fan sarcastically yelled upon the completion of the near 16-hour opening frame. 

The Dodgers forced a Game 7 with a drama-filled 3–1 victory in Game 6 on Friday night. Shortly afterwards, it was reported that Los Angeles was going to start two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani on the mound for the winner-take-all Game 7 at Rogers Centre.

Ohtani, the best player in baseball, had a chance to shine bright on the biggest stage MLB can offer.

Here’s a look at how Ohtani fared—both at the plate and on the mound—in the Dodgers’ dramatic 5–4 comeback win in Game 7 to secure their second straight World Series title.

Pitching

Ohtani had a rough night pitching in Game 7.

The two-way superstar was pulled from the mound in the third inning after allowing three runs on five hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. He tallied three strikeouts before exiting the game.

Ohtani retired the Blue Jays in order in the first inning and escaped a furious rally in the second by striking out Andrés Giménez with the bases loaded.

The third inning is when trouble emerged. Ohtani allowed a leadoff single to George Springer, who moved over to second base on Nathan Lukes’s sacrifice bunt. After a wild pitch moved Springer to third, Ohtani intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to try to set up the double play.

On the very next pitch, Blue Jays second baseman Bo Bichette hammered an 88.7 slider 442 feet into the center field seats for a 3–0 lead.

Ohtani was yanked from the mound after that swing, and Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski came in to close out the third inning.

Hitting

In 11 drama-filled innings of Game 7, Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a walk at the dish.

Ohtani led off the game in the top of the first inning with a single to center field measured at 100.2 mph off the bat. The next two batters, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman, moved him over to second and then third base, but he was stranded there when Mookie Betts grounded out to end the inning.

In the third inning, Ohtani came up with two outs and nobody on base. He hit a screaming line drive to left field—measured at 104.4 mph—but Nathan Lukes caught it for the third out.

Then in the top of the fifth, Ohtani got on with another single, putting two men on with one out in the inning, but the Dodgers couldn’t turn the opportunity into runs.

Ohtani walked in the seventh inning and was stranded on the basepaths when Freddie Freeman grounded into a double play. In the ninth, Ohtani flew out to left field. And in his final at-bat of the season, Ohtani got jammed and grounded out to second base in the 11th.

In 17 games this postseason, Ohtani batted .265/.405/.691 with three doubles, one triple and eight homers. He went 9-for-27 with three doubles, three homers and a .333/.500/.778 slash line in seven World Series games.

For the first time this century, the Blue Jays are officially back in the World Series.

After defeating the Yankees in the American League Division Series, the Blue Jays returned to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2016. Toronto quickly fell behind to the Mariners, dropping their first two games of the series before winning the next two games to even it out. The Mariners won Game 5, but the Blue Jays rebounded by winning Game 6. Toronto again fell in a 3–1 hole to Seattle in Game 7, but propelled themselves to the pennant off a three-run home run by George Springer in the seventh inning.

The Blue Jays are now set to face the Dodgers in the World Series, which begins on Friday. Before the World Series begins, here's a look at the Blue Jay's prior World Series history.

When was the last Blue Jays World Series win?

The Blue Jays last won the World Series in 1993, when they defeated the Phillies in six games and Paul Molitor was named the MVP of the series in his first season with the team. Molitor hit two doubles, two triples and two home runs in the World Series victory to claim MVP.

Toronto won the 1993 World Series in dramatic fashion. They entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing Philadelphia 6–5, who were on the verge of forcing Game 7 before Joe Carter hit a three-run walk-off home run to win the title. Carter became just the second player to win the World Series with a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

When was the last Blue Jays World Series appearance? 

The Blue Jays' last World Series appearance came the same year as their most recent championship victory in 1993. Following that win, it took the Blue Jays over 20 years before they returned to the postseason again in '15, when Josh Donaldson won the American League MVP award. Toronto is in its sixth postseason appearance since 2015, and made it to the ALCS for the third time since their last World Series appearance. This time though, they advanced.

How many World Series have the Blue Jays won?

The Blue Jays have won a total of two World Series titles, winning them in back-to-back years in 1992 and '93. They became the second expansion team to win multiple World Series titles, along with the Mets. The 1977 expansion team made their first postseason appearance during their ninth season in '85, and then their first World Series in '92.

The Blue Jays are one of seven franchises to win the World Series in consecutive seasons, joining the Yankees, Athletics, Reds, Giants, Red Sox and Cubs. The Yankees and Athletics are the only teams that have won back-to-back World Series multiple times.

Toronto was unable to achieve a three-peat after their two World Series wins. They finished 55–60 in '94, but even if they did finish with a better result, they would not have been able to try for a third straight title due to a player's strike which caused the postseason to be canceled that year.

During my playing and broadcasting career, I saw the toxic effect prejudice and ignorance could have on people and the game

Ian Chappell21-Jun-2020As racism is playing a prominent role in the current turbulent times, it’s worth reflecting on my experience of prejudice in and around cricket.As a youngster growing up in a family where there was no notable prejudice, despite being in the era of the White Australia Policy, I wasn’t really aware of racism. I had the good fortune to commence my Sheffield Shield career in the same team as champion West Indian allrounder Garry Sobers. That was a wonderful education in both cricket and life.My first overseas tour was to South Africa in 1966-67 and it was an eye-opener. The apartheid regime was in power and we got a taste of its abhorrent nature after winning the second Test in Cape Town. “Why don’t you pick Garry Sobers? Then you’ll have a team full of blacks” was the offensive comment directed at Australian batsman Grahame Thomas by an ignorant patron in the team hotel. Thomas has Native American lineage dating back to the days of slavery. Sensibly he walked away from any confrontation.ALSO READ: ‘I refuse to allow any other person to make me feel mentally less’ – Daren SammyAs captain in 1972-73, prior to commencing a home series against Pakistan and then touring the Caribbean, I spoke to the Australian players. I warned them if there were any terms of address prefixed by the word “black”, there would be trouble. I said: “You don’t call someone a lucky white bastard, so why include the word ‘black’ in any outburst?” I never heard any such comments from those Australian players.In 1975-76, my brother Greg captained Australia against West Indies. In a book published after the series, Viv Richards suggested there had been some racially prejudiced comments. I asked Greg, who had a similar outlook to me, if he’d heard any such and he said, “No”. I later spoke to Viv on the subject and he said he was referring to one player and assured me that it had all been sorted out.In 1972 I played in a double-wicket contest in Zimbabwe. On a rest day a few players were drinking in the back bar at the Victoria Falls hotel. We had been there a while when the proprietor suddenly told Basil D’Oliveira, a South African-born Cape Coloured man who played for England, that he had to leave the bar. I asked why.

I said: “You don’t call someone a lucky white bastard, so why include the word ‘black’ in any outburst?”

“Because he’s been swearing in front of my wife,” came the unconvincing reply. “Turn it up, mate,” I responded. “There’s a few of us been swearing, why pick on Basil?” The man insisted that Basil was the only one swearing, so we all put our unfinished beers on the bar and walked out.During the 1975-76 tour of South Africa by a mixed-race International Wanderers side managed by Richie Benaud and captained by Greg, we travelled to a ground outside Port Elizabeth to watch players of colour who weren’t allowed to compete in the Currie Cup competition because of South Africa’s apartheid laws. John Shepherd, who played for West Indies and Kent, and is of the most gentle people on this earth, was part of our side. As we were leaving, a member of the crowd shouted out: “Why don’t you paint yourself white, Shepherd, and then you can be like the rest of them.”ALSO READ: Sambit Bal: It’s time we South Asians understood that colourism is racismShep stopped abruptly and turned to face the crowd with a withering glare. I happened to be next to him. I grabbed his arm and said: “You don’t have to put up with this – let’s leave.”Shep’s arm was as firm as a steel rod, but without redirecting his glare he simply said: “You keep going. I’ll be there in a minute.” Then as a reassurance he added: “There won’t be any trouble.”I had another experience of the harmful effects of racism in Jamaica in 1991. At a television forum there, the moderator introduced the subject of the ICC. In answer to a question I said the power of veto that Australia and England held over ICC decisions was a disgrace and should have been abolished long ago. I did not anticipate that many in the audience would be aware there was a power of veto, but the crowd burst into applause. That made a mockery of the standard reply from Australian cricket administrators when that particular issue was brought up: “The power of veto has never been used, so why would it upset anyone?”This is the sad reality of racism. What is implied often cuts deepest.

The Saurashtra batsman opens up on the mental pressures he dealt with during a memorable domestic campaign

Shashank Kishore23-Mar-2020In December 2019, Saurashtra batsman Sheldon Jackson was going through a “dark phase” and was on the verge of walking away from cricket, a game he had fallen in love with as a 12-year-old.Only 32, Jackson was one of the pillars of Saurashtra’s batting and had seen the team steadily rise to the top echelons in domestic cricket. Yet he was feeling a sense of hopelessness creeping in.Team-mates began noticing Jackson’s habits and moods. He would often restrict himself to his room after play, unlike earlier when he would be part of the team’s fun and games and dinners.”This was the time when a lot of players were speaking about mental-health issues and how it was impacting their cricket, but I wasn’t comfortable speaking about it because I wasn’t sure how it would’ve been perceived,” Jackson tells ESPNcricinfo. “My team-mates felt I was overthinking, I was becoming very intense. On the field, I was always bothered by these thoughts. It was becoming a mental burden.”ALSO READ: The evolution of the Saurashtra familyRemarkably, just four months later, Jackson played his part in Saurashtra’s historic triumph when they beat Bengal in Rajkot to win their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Jackson finished the season with 809 runs in 18 innings at an average of 50.56, and was the third-highest run-getter among batsmen in the non-Plate category. It was a week of celebrations for Jackson, who became a father the day before Saurashtra were crowned champions.A week after lifting the Ranji trophy, Jackson is at home, spending time with his newborn, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of the Irani Cup match Saurashtra would otherwise have been playing against Rest of India.”I’ve had time to look back at what has been a challenging season, one that knocked me at different times, although on the outside, it looked like nothing could go wrong. I’d planned a short holiday with friends after the Irani Cup, but that had to be cancelled. I’m happy changing nappies, doing duties of a nightwatchman at home, spending time with my newborn son.”Along with joy, there has also been a bit of sadness. The day before the Ranji final, March 8, Jackson mourned the demise of NC Gohil, his first coach, and the one person he wanted to thank for becoming a Ranji winner. It was Gohil who had spotted the 12-year-old from Bhavnagar and taught him respect the game and its nuances.

“It’s hard to say if I would’ve retired, but I wasn’t in the best mind space. I had to battle inner demons. My mother wasn’t well, I wasn’t feeling well physically”

“I started off going for just the summer camp, but he spotted the talent in me and gave me an opportunity to play for the districts a few years later,” Jackson says. “He was the whole and soul of the Bhavnagar District Cricket Association. He’s had a massive contribution to who I am today. He would’ve been proud to see me part of a Ranji Trophy-winning team. The last week, I’ve had time to reflect on my journey from there to where I am.”So what was the dark phase all about?Most of it had to do with not getting near the India cap, the ultimate dream of any domestic player. Jackson had already aired his frustration on his Twitter account last year when he failed to be part of any of the India A tours. That outburst on Twitter, Jackson says, was the result of constant rejection.”It was the hurt, maybe, of being ignored season after season. It’s as if some voice is telling you: ‘Mate, you aren’t good enough. Nice try, but sorry.’ That hurt.”Jackson ended the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy with 854 runs at an average of 47.44. But no Saurashtra player made the India A cut even though they finished runners-up.ALSO READ: ESPNcricinfo’s Ranji Trophy XI: Jaydev Unadkat to lead, Sarfaraz Khan at No. 4The snub contributed to a dip in motivation as Jackson battled physical and mental issues. “All of it contributed to a dark mind space I found myself in [at the start of the season]. It’s hard to say if I would’ve retired, but I wasn’t in the best mind space. I had to battle inner demons. My mother wasn’t well, I wasn’t feeling well physically. Batting seemed a chore. I had this feeling that whatever I score isn’t going to be noticed anyway. Only my wife, mother and Chirag Jani [his Saurashtra team-mate] knew what I was going through.”Jackson and Jani, three years his junior, have played together through their professional careers and are best friends. They went to the same school and the same academy in Bhavnagar, and played for the same club before sharing the Saurashtra dressing room.”I played through an ankle injury after the quarter-finals of the 2018-19 season,” Jackson says. “My toes used to swell up. I had to cut out my right shoe to play through pain, but that dream of winning the Ranji Trophy kept me going, even though deep down I knew I may have been pushing it.”We didn’t win and that added to my disappointment. And after our third game [of the 2019-20 season] against Uttar Pradesh, I was questioning myself. ‘Is it still worth pushing it?’ I’ve made runs season after season, only to be told, ‘Sorry, we can’t pick you for India A.’ What next?”Sheldon Jackson had his match shirt autographed by the whole team•ESPNcricinfo LtdAfter that game, Saurashtra had a new coach in Karsan Ghavri, whose influence Jackson credits for his turnaround. “He is a legend, and in cricket terms, he wasn’t a ‘coach coach’ but a superb man manager. He let me be myself, allowed me my space and time. Over time, I realised whenever Cheteshwar [Pujara] wasn’t around, I took a lot of pressure on myself. And I think somewhere it showed.”Arpit [Vasavada] coming in and playing the way he has somewhat helped me go back to my old ways. Playing freely without worrying about protecting your wicket, not worried of the team failing if I didn’t score. So in a way, the chats I had with Karsan helped. He got the players into a good space. I certainly benefited from working under him. He brought a lot of calmness inside me. I wasn’t thinking about runs, selection. I was just happy to play every game and perform.”Jackson says speaking to his close friends outside cricket also helped give him perspective. “I used to think cricket was a skill sport, but I was wrong,” he says. “My friends, Marshall and Visakha, who I work out with, pushed me to get physically fit. I could sense when I was out on the field the whole day, how different I felt once I lost weight and worked on building muscle.”I am 33 but I can proudly compete with a 22-year-old. I realised to get back in the IPL or play at a higher level, I needed this tuning of not just the mind but the body as well. I have been training with Marshall [a gym instructor] and have seen a huge change in myself. Now, I’m even more hungry to keep playing. Because I think I found my recovery times improving as the season went along.”

“It’s natural for me to have expressed disappointment, you aren’t human otherwise. But now I have new perspective. There’s purpose to my game, to keep going regardless”

For the moment, Jackson is at peace, having put behind him the hurt of selection snubs, but he says matters of the mind are still a work in progress. He says winning the Ranji Trophy has helped a great deal, for starters, but he’s keen to continue working on his mind and body to ensure he sustains the hunger for runs.”I’m feeling light,” he says. “It’s natural for me to have expressed disappointment, you aren’t human otherwise. But now I have new perspective. There’s purpose to my game, to keep going regardless, without expecting that reward. It’s the love for the game.”Soon, Jackson will resume work with the Income Tax office, his employers, in Ahmedabad. He has files to scrounge through, cases to handle, and pages of notes and training material to revise. Jackson couldn’t be more thankful for the support from his employers.”Work beckons now. That’s the life of a domestic cricketer during the off season,” he says with a smile. “They’ve been the most supportive over the year. It’s this security that has also helped me. Today, if a cricketer isn’t part of the IPL, you need that security of a job to keep you going, because you can’t play forever. A Ranji Trophy title has given me the hunger to keep going, when it seemed as if my time was up. The fire is still burning.”

Also, is Rashid Khan losing his spark with teams opting to attack him late?

Matt Roller13-Oct-2020Why did Sam Curran open the batting?No team had scored as slowly as the Super Kings in the powerplay this season ahead of this game, and they decided it was time to change things: after 68 runs off 31 balls in the middle order, Curran was promoted to open the batting for only the second time in his T20 career.The move looked to have backfired after three overs, with Curran struggling to time the ball and batting uncharacteristically defensively on 10 off 15, as Faf du Plessis nicked off for a first-ball duck. But Curran heaved two fours and then two sixes in the fourth over off Khaleel Ahmed, and had done his job by the time he was bowled by Sandeep Sharma in the fifth over for 31 off 21.Why did Super Kings pick Chawla for Jagadeesan?The Chennai Super Kings picked only five frontline bowling options in their side for the tournament opener against the Mumbai Indians. But they started the second half of the season with seven, as Piyush Chawla came in for N Jagadeesan for Tuesday night’s game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.That allowed MS Dhoni to use specialists in certain phases and target individual batsmen with specific bowlers: new-ball specialists Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran split the first seven overs between them, while Dwayne Bravo was held back until the 14th over. Chawla bowled only six balls, being used in the 16th over to take the pace off against a set Kane Williamson and conceded just eight runs.Why did Karn Sharma bowl the 18th over?Given their plethora of bowling options and with two death-over specialists in Bravo and Shardul Thakur, it was a surprise to see Dhoni turn to legspin in the 18th over. Dhoni is not a captain who relies on analytics, and may not have known that Williamson’s strike rate against legspin in the IPL since 2018 was 112.09 coming into this match. He seemed to have clearly decided from his reading of the game that Williamson was desperate for pace on the ball.Dhoni’s ploy worked initially: Williamson lofted a one-bounce four over square leg before holing out to long-on, seemingly ending the Sunrisers’ chances. When Rashid Khan and Shahbaz Nadeem took 15 from the next four balls between them, it looked as though it might have backfired, but Thakur’s excellent 19th over made the game safe for the Super Kings.Did umpire Paul Reiffel change his mind in the 19th over?2:21

Did Paul Reiffel change his mind after seeing Dhoni?

With 25 required from 11 balls, Thakur sprayed a ball just outside the tramlines that Khan couldn’t reach, and umpire Reiffel rightly gave a wide. The next ball was almost a carbon copy, but Reiffel stopped halfway through calling another wide as Dhoni and Thakur protested.Replays showed that the ball had clearly jagged past the wide line again, and David Warner was visibly frustrated with the call in the Sunrisers’ dugout. It might not have made a difference given the collapse that followed, but it left the required rate at 14.40 runs per over rather than 12.50.Why did Shane Watson score so slowly?Curran’s promotion meant that Watson batted at No. 3 – the first time in 40 innings that he had not opened while playing for the Super Kings. Notoriously a slow-starter, Watson eked out only four runs from his first 11 balls before flicking a trademark pick-up over square leg to hit T Natarajan for six.There were moments in the middle overs against Nadeem – whom he has struggled against in the past – and Khan when he looked as though he was about to put his foot down, like he had against the Sunrisers in the 2018 final. But when Watson eventually holed out to long-off, he had managed only 42 runs while chewing up nearly a third of the Super Kings’ overs by himself.It is surely too soon to write Watson off – he has proved in the past that he can recover from slow starts in a tournament, as well as in an innings – but with his strike rate this season down at 122.33, he will know that he has to start firing soon.Shane Watson flogs away a short ball•BCCIIs Khan losing his spark?After eight wickets with an economy rate of 4.83 in his first six games of the season, Khan has returned combined figures of 2 for 55 in eight overs across his last two appearances. Those numbers are still good by normal standards, but there have been signs that teams are increasingly willing to take him on.In particular, it has been instructive to see how teams have approached the fourth over of his spell. In the first six games, teams looked to play him out, taking a combined 28 runs for three wickets across his six final overs. But needing 36 off 18 balls when he returned for his last over in the Sunrisers’ previous game against the Rajasthan Royals, they had no choice but to attack; and Rahul Tewatia did just that by hitting him for three fours. On Tuesday, Watson and Ambati Rayudu hit him for a six each in his fourth over.It will become apparent over the next two weeks whether those two assaults were the result of circumstances or a sign that teams are now willing to attack him.Has Dhoni decided to follow the trend of batting first?After winning 22 tosses out of 27 in a remarkable streak dating back to the 2018 season, the Super Kings had lost their last four tosses in a row coming into this game. They had chased in every game in the first half of the group stage, losing five and winning two.On Tuesday, Dhoni won the toss, batted first and continued the trend in this tournament of teams successfully defending scores. Discounting games that went to Super Overs, the team batting first has won 20 out of 27 matches this season. With pitches slowing down and thus becoming increasingly similar to their Chepauk home ground, there are reasons for the Super Kings to believe they can extend their record of making the playoffs every season.

And what’s the fewest runs conceded in an IPL Super Over?

Bharath Seervi03-Sep-20209 Number of tied IPL matches. The Super Over was used each time to decide the winner. The first Super Over was played between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009, and the most recent one was last year between the Mumbai Indians and the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Five have been won by the team batting first.