Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke is looking to follow in Marcelo Bielsa’s footsteps by steering the club clear of relegation in their first season back in the Premier League.

After a run of four straight losses, the Whites have picked up four points and scored six goals in two matches against Chelsea and Liverpool in the top-flight, which has pushed them out of the bottom three.

Farke has needed his players to step up in recent games to climb back out of the relegation zone, and several stars have shown that they have what it takes to deliver in the Premier League.

Ranking Leeds United's top performers this season

Joe Rodon, who has started all 15 games, has proven to be a reliable option at the heart of the defence, winning 69% of his ground duels in the top-flight, per Sofascore.

Gabriel Gudmundsson, signed from Lille in the summer, has also caught the eye at left-back, with 3.1 tackles and interceptions and 1.3 dribbles completed per game, per Sofascore, whilst exciting fans with his bombing runs down the left flank.

£17.4m signing Anton Stach has been one of the top three performers for the Whites, though, with his return of two goals and two assists as a box-to-box midfielder.

As you can see in the ranking above, we have placed Sean Longstaff in second place. He leads the team in ‘big chances’ created (six), but he has also only started ten of the 15 league games, per Sofascore.

That leaves the captain, Ethan Ampadu, in first place as Leeds United’s best Premier League performer since they sold Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City in 2022.

Why Ampadu is Leeds United's best Premier League player since Phillips

After Phillips was sold to City for £45m, after emerging as an England regular at Elland Road, the Whites were relegated from the top-flight in the 2022/23 campaign. No other player was able to step up and save them from trouble.

The English star was particularly impressive with Marcelo Bielsa, as shown in the graphic above, and he averaged 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game in midfield in his last Premier League season with Leeds.

Ampadu, now, is looking like the club’s best top-flight performer since Phillips departed. He was judged as an “indispensable” part of Leeds’ midfield in the words of scout Jacek Kulig when promotion was being eyed up, and since moving up a division, he has been a rock on the pitch in the middle of the park. It’s safe to say he could be the first player to lead the team to safety since the Man City midfielder was at the club.

Off the pitch, teammate Karl Darlow described him as a “brilliant” person who has “handled the pressure” of captaining Leeds in the Premier League, which speaks to the qualities that he provides as a leader within the group, and perhaps explains how the team pulled off the last two results despite such a poor run of form that preceded them.

On the pitch, his performances have been impressive. Ampadu lined up in the middle of the park in the games against Chelsea and Liverpool and caught the eye with his defensive nous.

As you can see in the table above, the Wales international was perfect in his tackles and did not allow an opposition player to dribble past him a single time, which shows how combative and reliable he was in midfield.

Ampadu has started all 13 of his appearances in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, and averaged an eye-catching 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, which is just shy of the 3.9 that Phillips averaged in his final season with the club.

The former Chelsea starlet offers a similar presence to the England international at the base of the midfield for Leeds, sitting in front of the back four and screening play, making vital defensive interventions to regain possession and start attacks for his side.

He has won 60% of his ground duels and 53% of his aerial duels, per Sofascore, whilst only being dribbled past 0.6 times per match, which shows that Ampadu has been efficient and reliable in the middle of the park for Farke, as an ever-present when fit.

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Overall, the Welshman may well be the club’s best Premier League player since Phillips, not just for the quality that he clearly provides as a holding midfielder, but also for his leadership skills and how he handles the pressure of leading a Premier League side.

Stubbs, who scored 49 from No. 3 on the opening day, says he prefers to bat there “more than anywhere else”

Firdose Moonda22-Nov-20252:42

Is extreme seam movement as difficult to face as extreme spin?

On a day when the shortest Ashes Test in more than a century was completed in Perth, we know that Test cricket can still be a slow burn. Guwahati showed us that.We also know now that the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, which is hosting its first Test, can prepare a pitch worthy of the occasion. Unlike Eden Gardens, where bounce was variable from the outset, this surface has something for everyone and, in particular, seems good for batting.And we know that South Africa did not take full advantage of that. For the first time in Test history, each of the top four scored at least 35 without anyone going on to make 50. Tristan Stubbs, back at No. 3, came closest with 49. Even though he didn’t manage a milestone, we know now that he is batting in the spot he “prefers more than anywhere else”, as he told the broadcasters afterwards. Of all the things we know from today, that could be South Africa’s most significant.Related

• 'Big, strong, strapping' Stubbs to be South Africa's new Test No. 3

• Kuldeep three-for gives India edge on flat pitch

Over his 14-match Test career, Stubbs has been shifted around South Africa’s line-up from No. 3 to No. 7, which he described as “not the easiest” situation to navigate. Even though he was officially given the No. 3 spot last August, he was only there for four and half Tests before it became something of a rotating door with the likes of Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder and Tony de Zorzi all batting there. We know that was necessitated by South Africa having strong top-order batters and that Stubbs’ reputation as a white-ball finisher means he could be moved around. What we didn’t know was how he felt about that. Now we do and we also know that he worked hard to try and make the spot his own.”It’s not the easiest moving around, but whatever the coach asks [I’ll do]. I’m just happy to be in the team,” he said at the post-match press conference. “I’ve worked a lot on my defence. I had to, coming in as a white-ball player and then being asked No. 3, so I grafted hard on the defence. I find that at No. 3 you can afford to be a little bit more defensive, whereas at No. 5 and 6, you have to come in and take the game on a bit earlier.”

“I’ve worked a lot on my defence. I had to, coming in as a white-ball player and then being asked No. 3, so I grafted hard on the defence”

Stubbs described the adjustment he had to make as “not so much technical, but more mental” and said he looked at “tightening my game plan, especially if it’s doing a bit up front and reining in your scoring options.”That explains why Stubbs has been ultra-cautious in the way he has played. Against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, for example, he scored 13 runs off the first 60 balls before going on to finish with 76 off 205. Here, against a more challenging attack, he was 13 off 37 before he trusted his footwork enough to take on Kuldeep Yadav and hit him down the ground for six. That was one of six attacking shots he played in an innings that was characterised by conservativeness.Stubbs spent a lot of time getting on the front foot to block Kuldeep and later on Jasprit Bumrah, whom he kept at bay successfully. In total, 25 of the 32 balls Stubbs faced from Bumrah were dots and only one of them actually beat him. Stubbs was compact, left no gap between bat and pad, and used his feet well. What he didn’t do as much as he might have liked was look for more run-scoring opportunities, partly because India made it too difficult but also because he is still learning about the tempo of a Test innings and he knows that.”You can bat time, but you look up and the scoreboard’s sort of gone nowhere,” Stubbs said. “They bowled quite well, their seamers especially, just kept bowling a straight line to attack the stumps.”Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs added 84 together•AFP/Getty ImagesStill, his 84-run stand with Temba Bavuma is the highest of the series, albeit the slowest of the match, with a run rate of 2.77. But it showed the kind of guidance Stubbs can thrive under if he can bat more with the top order. Bavuma was more proactive than usual, was scoring quicker than Stubbs, and pushed him for singles. At one point, Bavuma called Stubbs through and ran to the danger end himself as he tried to inject energy into the innings. Stubbs has only played 30 first-class matches, almost half of them Tests, so he has not had many opportunities to build big partnerships with someone of the experience of Bavuma, who has 178 first-class caps to his name.Though Stubbs was ultimately frustrated because neither he nor Bavuma could kick on, what he would have learnt in their time together in this match could be both valuable for his development and instructional for South Africa in how they use him going forward. It’s worth saying that South Africa didn’t play another Test for almost 11 months after this and it also can’t be known if Stubbs will still feel the same way about where he wants to bat. So plans could change but this innings feels important for what it showed about Stubbs’ ability.For now, what’s more pressing is what South Africa do with the four days they have left in this series, given that they ceded some of the early advantage. With five of the top six dismissed by a build-up pressure leading to poor shots, Stubbs owned their errors. “All of us had opportunities and no one kicked on, so we can take that on ourselves,” he said. “When you get in, you don’t want to give it away ever and four or five guys got starts. Ideally, you want one, maybe two, to go on to make big hundreds and then at the end of play, we would maybe have been three down. If you ask any of the batters, they’ll take that on themselves. It’s not nice to score 30 or 40.”All South Africa’s specialist batters have been dismissed, all of the XI can contribute with the bat and the current pair, Senuran Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne, have had success in the subcontinent. Muthusamy has a career-best 89 not out in Pakistan and Verreynne a century in Bangladesh, and Stubbs suspects South Africa will need something significant from them because on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate, as he said, “first innings runs are gold”.

Gill was stretchered from the stadium to a private hospital at the end of the second day

Sreshth Shah15-Nov-20251:27

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Shubman Gill’s participation in the remainder of the Kolkata Test is in doubt after he was hospitalised as a precautionary measure with neck spasm. Gill was stretchered from the stadium to a private hospital for scans at the end of the second day. He was spotted wearing a neck brace and was accompanied by the team doctor and a security liaison officer out of the stadium.Gill felt discomfort three balls into his innings after unfurling a sweep to get off the mark with a boundary off Simon Harmer, and immediately called for the physio as he clutched the back of his neck.Gill was quick to leave the field, retired hurt, and didn’t return to bat as India were bowled out for 189.”Shubman Gill has a neck spasm and is being monitored by the BCCI medical team,” the BCCI said after the first session.Related

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Before the day’s play, Gill was spotted by the broadcasters doing neck exercises in front of the coaching staff and a member of the medical team. In October 2024, too, he missed a Test against New Zealand due to neck stiffness.Terming the injury as “unfortunate”, India bowling coach Morne Morkel ruled out major concerns when asked about Gill’s workload and participation.”Gill is a very fit guy, he looks after himself very well,” Morkel said. “So, it’s just unfortunate this morning that he woke up with a stiff neck and that carried him into the day, which was crucial for us. Another sort of partnership with him batting around was going to be needed for us at the time and… just bad timing.”If he returns to bat in the Test, it may not be at No. 4 since it wasn’t an external injury.Gill’s injury scare comes at a time when his workload has been under constant monitoring. He has played non-stop cricket across formats since IPL 2025 and was among four Test players who flew to Kolkata straight from Australia after the T20I series.In Gill’s absence, Rishabh Pant captained the side during South Africa’s second innings. Ravindra Jadeja’s 4 for 29 put a leash on them, reducing the visitors to 93 for 7 by stumps, ahead by only 63 runs.

Everton are keen to bring in some fresh blood during the January window and could now be lining up a multi-layered deal to acquire a former star at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton left frustrated after heavy defeat against Newcastle United

Despite holding home advantage, Everton were beaten convincingly by Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Saturday and will feel a sense of frustration at their poor defensive display, a rarity under the stewardship of David Moyes.

After a joyous victory away at Manchester United on Monday, despite having ten men for much of the affair, the Toffees failed to show the same resilience against Eddie Howe’s men and paid the price under the lights at their new stadium.

Speaking post-match, the Scot had no excuses for his side being unable to trouble the Geordies and made it clear that their European experience was a factor that helped shape a difficult night for the hosts.

He said: “We were beaten by a far better team. We go again, you move on but Newcastle were much better than us. You can see the experience they are gaining from playing in European games. They were just much more powerful than us all night.”

Even with a decent start to the Premier League campaign under their belt, Everton are building for January and could target FC Midtjylland forward Franculino Dju to try and arrest Thierno Barry’s goal drought since arriving on Merseyside.

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Celtic’s Daizen Maeda is also a wanted man and may be attainable, though they could also be willing to strengthen further back on the left-hand side if recent developments were to come to fruition.

Everton could look to re-sign Antonee Robinson

According to Alan Nixon on Patreon, Everton are keen to re-sign Fulham captain Antonee Robinson and believe £25m could be enough to secure his signature in January.

Armed with several formulas to potentially complete a deal, Vitaly Mykolenko has been mentioned as a potential swap option, with the Toffees unlikely to meet the Cottagers’ £40m valuation of the United States international.

Lauded by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley last season as being “one of the best left-backs in the world”, Robinson has made just four appearances for Fulham this term and has struggled with knee problems, which have seen him miss six Premier League matches in a row as he looks to get back to fitness.

Having come through the youth system at Everton before joining Wigan Athletic and then going on to move to West London, he is acutely aware of the club’s culture and would be a seamless fit, though it remains to be seen if the Blues can push a deal over the line.

Wrexham have received around £18 million ($24m) in funding for their stadium redevelopment project, despite the personal wealth boasted by the club’s Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac. The iconic Racecourse Ground is undergoing a serious facelift, with it revealed that said project is being paid for by tax-paying members of the public.

• Wrexham stadium: What redevelopment project involves

  The Welsh outfit have, as reported by , been awarded considerable non-repayable grants as they work on restructuring a venue that had become a little tired. It is claimed that “the amount of money received by Wrexham in state aid vastly outstrips public spending on any other football club in England and Wales”.

  The Red Dragons were first awarded £3.8m ($5m) by Wrexham county borough council a year after Reynolds and Mac completed their stunning takeover of the club in 2021. A second payment of £14m ($18m) was made in September 2025.

  Said funds have been passed on as Wrexham work on the construction of a Kop Stand – with the original structure having been flattened some time ago – alongside new floodlights and a playing surface that will allow the stadium to host international football and rugby matches.

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• Getty Images
  

  Reynolds & Mac do not need to finance Wrexham rebuild

  The Welsh government has been working on a £25m ($33m) regeneration project that centres on Wrexham General station – which sits next to the Racecourse. The Times reports that “it was not known that the vast majority of the state aid would be provided directly to the club”.

  A previous bid for state help through the government’s levelling-up fund was rejected, with it suggested that the project in Wrexham would need to be equally split between public and private sectors – creating £3 of public benefit for every £1 invested.

  Documents supporting the latest award of £14m state that there is now “no incentive for the private sector to pursue the project”. It went on to say: “The subsidy is therefore necessary to overcome this market failure to allow the redevelopment and contribute towards the objective of developing the economy of Wrexham.”

• Why local government are funding Wrexham project

  The Welsh government bought the land in question back in 2020 to help facilitate the building of a new Kop stand – with the plan being to bring other events, such as concerts, to the area.

  Welsh councils have since been warned that they are “at risk of becoming financially unsustainable”. It is claimed that funding pressures will “squeeze services and inevitably lead to redundancies” across the working population.

  Wrexham are not, however, the first football club to receive public money. Swansea City part-funded their Liberty Stadium home through grants.

  The Red Dragons have said of their venture: “The impact of these improvements, and the ability to host international sporting events in North Wales, will create both a catalyst for local job creation and provide an overall economic uplift to the region due to the increased number of visitors attracted to the events and their economic activity while they are in the area.”

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  Welcome to Wrexham: Meteoric rise overseen by Reynolds & Mac

  Local councils maintain that they only got involved because a “self-financed redevelopment of the ground” would not have delivered a final outcome which was “appropriate for international matches”.

  The Welsh government said: “Public sector funding will make the crucial difference between the club satisfying league requirements and meeting the more demanding international fixture standards.

  “This investment helps create a venue that can host competitive international football at the world’s oldest international stadium, boosting the local economy and delivering a fitting landmark for Wrexham.”

  The Red Dragons are hoping that the Racecourse will soon play host to Premier League football, with a historic run of three successive promotions lifting the club out of the National League and into the Championship.

  Reynolds and Mac have helped to finance that meteoric rise – with another record-breaking transfer spend being overseen during the summer of 2025 – while the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series has opened up a window to the world and allowed a global fan base to be built.

Out-of-favour Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has picked his favourite destination after as many as 12 clubs made transfer enquiries for the young English star. Mainoo is desperate for an escape route from Old Trafford after failing to accumulate enough game time under Ruben Amorim this season as the Portuguese coach prefers Bruno Fernandes in the central midfield role alongside Casemiro.

Mainoo picks favourite destination

According to the, a dozen top European clubs have shown interest in signing Mainoo on loan in the January transfer market, however, the midfielder has picked Serie A champions Napoli as his preferred next destination. The England international's move to Italy is now dependent on whether the Red Devils give the green light to the transfer in the upcoming winter window.

AdvertisementAFPNapoli a perfect destination for Mainoo to revive career

Napoli, who are currently fighting to retain their Serie A crown, have seen their midfield dismantled by a cruel run of injuries. The latest blow was the high-grade lesion to Frank Anguissa's thigh, sustained on international duty, which will keep him out for the foreseeable future. This fresh setback comes on top of the long-term absence of Manchester City legend De Bruyne, who suffered a serious muscle tear in October. 

With Stanislav Lobotka also working on his fitness issues, manager Antonio Conte is left with a skeleton crew in the middle of the park. The Italian coach is aware that relying solely on Scott McTominay and fringe players like Michael Folorunsho is not sustainable if the club are to compete on multiple fronts, making a January reinforcement an absolute necessity.

With the scarcity of quality midfielders, Mainoo will surely enjoy a lot of game time in Italy and will also benefit from playing under a seasoned head coach like Conte, which could prove to be a huge learning opportunity for the youngster.

Scholes feels Mainoo getting ruined at United

With Mainoo growing 'deeply frustrated' with his lack of game time, Amorim recently addressed the media to speaking about the 20-year-old's situation at Old Trafford as he said: "I see him as a starter like the other players. I just have to make a choice and then in the end, it's not been Kobbie. In the future, I don't know. Again, I always think the same thing with Casemiro. (He) was not playing and then he plays. I just want to win games. I don't care who is playing.

"I see it. I just want to win, I try to put the players, I don't look who it is, I don't care about that, I'm just trying to put the best players on the pitch. You have Manuel Ugarte that played two games. One of them, Casemiro, was out, Bruno Fernandes, he's always fit, he's the guy that is doing his position, so maybe it has to do with that."

In response, though, club legend Paul Scholes slammed the Portuguese as he came to Mainoo's defence and said: "Bullsh*t. The kid is being ruined, not being played in a team that can't control a game of football. Hate seeing homegrown players leave but it's probably best for him now, enough is enough."

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Getty Images SportWhat next for Mainoo?

The Africa Cup of Nations this winter will see several top African players leave to play for their respective national teams. This could be the perfect time for Mainoo to get as much game time as possible and win back Amorim's trust, but the coach has offered no guarantee of minutes.

"I don't know, I don't know," he said. "It's the same question, I don't know what is going to happen. It depends. I've seen the training. If it's the best thing for the team, I will put (him in), that is the only way I know how to respond to that. Of course, I understand, and my job is to answer, but I'm trying to answer always the same thing, and you ask me always the same thing. I understand what you are saying. You love Kobbie, he starts for England. But that doesn't mean that I need to put Kobbie in when I feel that I shouldn't put Kobbie in, so it's my decision."

In one of the most high-profile releases in IPL history, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have decided to let go of their star allrounder Andre Russell ahead of the auction for IPL 2026.Russell has been a constant for the franchise since IPL 2014 and was among five players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 mega auction. Though Russell had cost KKR INR 12 crore, releasing him has given the franchise an additional INR 18 crore for the auction, since he was Player 1 in KKR’s list of retainees last year, worth INR 18 crore, and that amount gets credited to the team’s purse now.A bona fide T20 great, Russell is also an IPL GOAT. Only two players in IPL history have scored over 2000 runs and picked 100 wickets. One of them – Russell – has been released, and the other – Ravindra Jadeja – has been traded, making the 2026 retention window among the most headline-making ones.Related

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While the development will surprise many, including KKR fans, the franchise had deliberated releasing Russell ahead of the 2025 mega auction before deciding to stall that call. Russell, who is 37, had retired from international cricket in July, having only played the T20 format after the 2019 World Cup.Russell, who was the Player of the Tournament in IPL 2019, was part of the KKR’s title-winning teams in 2014 and 2024. Russell also won 16 Player-of-the-Match awards at KKR and is only behind the other KKR great Sunil Narine. A powerful batter who is known to take bowlers apart, especially in death overs, Russell has hit the joint-seventh most sixes (223) in the IPL.It is understood that more than one franchise sought out Russell in trade. KKR, though, will have the biggest purse, INR 64.30 crore, at the auction and could look to even buy him back. The teams will also pay attention to Russell’s form in the 2025 season. With the bat in ten innings, Russell hit 167 runs at a strike rate of 163.72, including a 50. His bowling numbers, though, were under par: eight wickets in nine innings at an average of 27.12 and an economy of 11.94.

And what’s the latest a batter has come and scored a hundred in an ODI?

Steven Lynch09-Sep-2025England beat South Africa by 342 runs at the Rose Bowl. Was this their biggest win in ODIs? asked Bill Green from England
England ran up 414 for 5 in Southampton last weekend, then bowled South Africa out for 72 to win by 342 runs. It was – by exactly 100 – their biggest win in a one-day international, beating 242 runs against Australia at Trent Bridge in June 2018.More than that, though, it was the largest victory margin in any men’s one-day international, beating 317 runs by India (390 for 5) against Sri Lanka (73) in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2023. There have been three others by more than 300 runs.There have also been exactly 50 ODIs that were won by ten wickets: the quickest of those came when New Zealand overhauled Bangladesh’s 93 in Queenstown in December 2007 in just six overs.There have been bigger victories in women’s ODIs: New Zealand (455 for 5) beat Pakistan (47) by 408 runs in Christchurch in January 1997, and there have been seven further wins by more than 300 runs.In the Duleep Trophy semi-final the other day Central Zone scored 600 without anyone reaching a century. Was this a record? asked Akram Fazal Mirza from India, and others
The highest individual score in Central Zone’s total of 600 against West Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Bengaluru last week was Shubham Sharma’s 96. This was only the fifth time any team had reached 600 in a first-class innings without anyone making a hundred: the highest of all remains Surrey’s 671 for 9 declared against Kent in Beckenham in May 2022, when the highest individual contribution was also 96, by Ollie Pope.Namibia made 609 against Uganda in Windhoek in September 2010, with a highest score of 87 by Ewald Steenkamp, while the Indian record remains 605, by Madhya Pradesh against Haryana in Rajnandgaon in March 1999 (highest score Jai Yadav’s 90). Surrey’s 603 against Gloucestershire in Bristol in July 2005 included a highest individual score of 89, by Azhar Mahmood.Cameron Green came in in the 35th over against South Africa and hit a century. Has anyone entered later in an ODI and reached 100? asked Michael Z from Australia
Australia’s Cameron Green entered after 34.1 overs against South Africa in Mackay last month: he reached his century off 47 balls, and ended up with 118 not out.There have been five known centuries scored in one-day internationals by batters entering even later in the innings (we don’t have ball-by-ball details for all ODIs, but it looks unlikely there are any additions). Top of the list is Green’s frequent team-mate, Glenn Maxwell, who came to the crease after 39 overs against Netherlands in Delhi during the 2023 World Cup, and hit eight sixes in a 40-ball hundred.AB de Villiers came in after 38.3 overs for South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg in January 2015, but still had time to smash 149, with 16 sixes: he reached 100 from just 31 balls, still the ODI record. United Arab Emirates’ Asif Khan hit 101 not out against Nepal in Kirtipur in March 2023, having entered after 37.3 overs. And England’s Jos Buttler has two such innings, both against Pakistan: in Dubai in November 2015 he entered after 35.3 overs and scored 116 not out, while in Southampton in May 2019 he came in after 35.1 and hit an unbeaten 110.Glenn Maxwell came out to bat in the 40th over against Netherlands in 2023, and reached his hundred off the next 40 balls•AFP/Getty ImagesAndrew Hudson scored 163 on his Test debut against West Indies, but was out for a duck in the second innings. How many other players have done this? asked Greg Nilsen from South Africa
Opener Andrew Hudson did indeed start his Test career with 163, against West Indies in Bridgetown in South Africa’s “comeback” Test in April 1992. He followed that with a duck in the second innings: at the time the only other man to start his Test career with a century and a duck was India’s Gundappa Viswanath, with 0 and 137 against Australia in Kanpur in November 1969.Since Hudson, three others have achieved the feat on debut: Mohammad Wasim made 0 and 109 not out for Pakistan against New Zealand in Lahore in November 1996, Keaton Jennings collected 112 and 0 for England vs India in Mumbai in December 2016, and earlier this year Ismat Alam made 0 and 101 for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.There’s also been one instance in a women’s Test: in Bloemfontein last December, England’s Maia Bouchier made 126 and 0 against South Africa.Rahul Dravid, by never making 89 in Tests, missed out on scoring the first 14 numbers in the Fibonacci sequence in Tests. Has anyone else managed 13? asked Chris Goddard from England
The first 14 numbers in the Fibonacci sequence – in which the next number is obtained by adding the previous two together – are 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 and 233. You’re right that while Rahul Dravid did score 233 – against Australia in Adelaide in December 2003 – he was never out (or not out) for 89.It appears that no one can beat him, although there are six other batters who have 13 of the 14 numbers (unlike Dravid, they are all lacking 233): Mike Atherton, MS Dhoni, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Shakib Al Hasan and Steven Smith (who might yet add the next number in the sequence!)Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Despite the chase taking place with steady rain on, the umpires called off play with Thunder three runs away from a win

AAP28-Nov-2025

Match abandoned Sydney Thunder were robbed of a WBBL win when umpires abandoned play when they were just three runs from downing Adelaide Strikers on a rain-soaked Adelaide Oval. Chasing 46 to win in five overs, Phoebe Litchfield’s 38 not out from 15 balls powered the Thunder to 43 for 0 from 2.5 overs.And while rain was falling – and had been for a quarter-hour – in the late game, umpires suddenly called off Friday night’s contest, leaving Thunder stunned.