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From World Cup heroics to spellbinding fielding displays, here is a list of what made Raina so electric

Sruthi Ravindranath16-Aug-2020Cameos in the 2011 World Cup Having spent time on the bench early on, Raina was brought in for the group match against West Indies and the knockout stages. His contributions in the quarter-final and the semi-final of India’s title-winning campaign were hugely significant given the situation the team was in during both those matches.Beating Australia in a World Cup was never an easy task, even for strong teams, and India felt it as Ricky Ponting struck a century on a turning pitch to take his team to a total of 260 in the quarter-final. Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir replied with half-centuries of their own but their dismissals left India needing 74 runs from 75 balls. MS Dhoni’s dismissal in the 38th over had Raina join an on-song Yuvraj Singh at the crease. The duo turned the game around in the very next over with Yuvraj taking control of the chase and Raina giving commendable support. With India needing 22 off 30 balls, Raina walloped Brett Lee’s over long-on which served as a huge turning point in the match.Six days later, Raina would do it once again in the semi-final against Pakistan, with an unbeaten 36 off 39 on a slow pitch in Mohali, taking the total to 260. Tendulkar was the top-scorer with 85 off 115 balls but Raina’s cameo was vital given India’s margin of victory was a very tight 29 runs.Heroics in 2008 Asia CupIt had been almost three years since he had made his ODI debut but Raina had not cemented his place in the XI. But the 2008 Asia Cup changed all that.Raina brought up his first ODI ton against a rather hapless Hong Kong side in Karachi, combining with Dhoni for a 166-run partnership that set up a 256-run victory. Raina followed it up with a 69-ball 85 against Pakistan, where he was also promoted to No. 3, this time partnering with Virender Sehwag as they made short work of their target of 300.Raina’s rich form continued as he brought up another century in the tournament in a chase against Bangladesh a couple of days later. His 116 off 107 balls had 11 fours and three sixes as he, along with Gambhir, overhauled Bangladesh’s 283 with 40 balls to spare. He didn’t stop there – a half-century against Sri Lanka in a 308-run chase put India in the final and at the end of it all he finished as the tournament’s second-best batsman with 372 runs from six innings at an average of 74.40.ALSO READ: Raina, an ace at World Cups and Asia CupsMasterminding chasesSince his early days in the Indian team, Raina has played the role of a finisher in a number of games. Only 19 years old, he rose to the occasion during England’s tour of India in 2006, when he smashed an 89-ball 81 after India were reeling at 92 for 5 in their 226-run chase.After his memorable Asia Cup in 2008, he impressed with half-centuries in chases against Sri Lanka and England later that year. In 2010, he came into India’s home series against Australia with a string of low scores but, faced with a target of 289, in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam, he plundered an unbeaten 71 off 47, replete with nine fours and one six, to take India to a win.

Only three players have scored more T20 runs than Indian superstar Suresh Raina. He's No.16 on our countdown of the greatest T20 players: https://t.co/iKc6VjCFSi pic.twitter.com/HJ3N4dBzl2

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) June 6, 2018

Having built a strong reputation as a T20 batsman in the IPL, Raina proved it in India colours, masterminding a 199-run chase to hand India a thrilling last-ball finish in the third T20I in Sydney in 2016. India were under immense pressure after Kohli’s dismissal in the 15th over, leaving them needing 53 off 31 balls. Raina soaked up the pressure, hitting boundaries and making Australia pay for their silly errors on the field. With 18 runs needed off the last over, Yuvraj started off by hitting a six and a four, and with four runs needed off the last ball to win, Raina punched one over point for a boundary and sealed the game. He finished unbeaten on 49 off 25 balls.2010 T20 World Cup century One of Raina’s most memorable knocks is his first and only T20I century at the 2010 World Cup. He started off jittery, struggling against short pitched deliveries, mistiming shots and getting extra lives on his way to the landmark. But he got better as the innings progressed and once the spinners came on, he was unstoppable.Raina bludgeoned 101 off 60 balls, slamming nine fours and five sixes. At the time, he was only the third player to score a T20I international century. Later that year, he would go on to become the first India batsman to score a century in all three formats, with a ton on Test debut.The outstanding fielderWith speed, skill and brilliant reflexes, Raina had one of the safest pair of hands in cricket. A “you remind me of me” compliment to Raina, from Jonty Rhodes, one of the all-time greats, is a testament to that.One memorable moment from his younger days was during the Multan ODI against Pakistan in 2006, when then-captain Rahul Dravid placed him at short point for Kamran Akmal. The very next ball the batsman cut without taking proper caution and Raina was there to gleefully gobble up the catch. Later that year, he impressed with another brilliant move against Australia, when he flew in to catch Simon Katich at point. The diving low catch became something of a Raina trademark.

Charlie Morton looks to once again be on the move.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the veteran pitcher is "very likely" to be traded before next week's MLB trade deadline. He added that the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, and "maybe the [New York] Mets and [Houston] Astros," could be suitors.

"A number of teams have expressed interest," the insider wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Morton has been quite the journeyman throughout his 17-year MLB career. The 41-year-old has logged stints with the Atlanta Braves (2008, 2021 to '24), the Pittsburgh Pirates ('09 to '15), the Houston Astros ('17 to '18), and the Baltimore Orioles—where he's currently in the midst of a one-year, $15 million deal he signed this past offseason. Through 21 games and 15 starts in 2025, he's notched a 5-8 record, 92 strikeouts, and a 5.58 ERA.

Should he be dealt to a contender, Morton brings with him some serious postseason experience. He's a two-time World Series champion and throughout his playoff career has tallied a 7-5 record, with 92 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA.

The MLB trade deadline is Thursday, July 31 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Jamie Carragher has delivered his verdict on Arsenal and their Premier League title challenge after their dramatic 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.

Arsenal suffer first defeat in 18 games as five-point lead slips

Arsenal’s agonising defeat at Villa has ended the Gunners’ 18-game unbeaten streak whilst threatening their title aspirations, with Man City’s subsequent 3-0 dismantling of Sunderland now reducing the gap to just two points.

Emiliano Buendia’s 95th minute winner highlighted familiar weaknesses that have plagued previous title challenges.

Mikel Arteta’s makeshift defence, deprived of William Saliba and Gabriel through injury, conceded soft goals that championship-winning teams simply cannot afford.

Matty Cash’s thunderous opener exploited Eberechi Eze’s defensive negligence, whilst Buendia’s late intervention punished Arsenal’s inability to clear.

Leandro Trossard’s second-half equaliser briefly sparked hope of a hard-fought victory in the Midlands, yet Arsenal ultimately succumbed to Villa’s relentless pressure.

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While Arsenal have only lost twice this campaign, Arteta will be hoping Saturday’s defeat doesn’t sap his squad’s confidence given the manner of their slip up.

Cristhian Mosquera’s ankle injury compounds their current defensive crisis, forcing 16-year-old Marli Salmon onto the bench against Villa.

Man City ruthlessly capitalised on Arsenal’s hiccup, delivering their arguable most complete performance this season against an in-form Sunderland side.

Rúben Dias opened the scoring with a spectacular 25-yard thunderbolt before Josko Gvardiol doubled the advantage through a towering header from Phil Foden’s corner.

Foden completed the scoring after 65 minutes, converting Rayan Cherki’s outrageous rabona cross for a serious highlight reel moment.

Pep Guardiola praised it as potentially City’s finest 95-minute display this season, emphasising how it is consistency rather than individual results that determines success.

The title race has dramatically intensified, with Aston Villa themselves now genuine contenders sitting third, merely three points behind Arsenal following seven consecutive wins in all competitions.

Make no mistake, it is all to play for, and Carragher is convinced that Arsenal have a ‘huge problem’ in the form of Foden.

Jamie Carragher says Phil Foden is a 'huge problem' for Arsenal

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher insists that the England international, alongside Erling Haaland, poses a massive threat to Arsenal’s quest to win a first Premier League title in 22 years.

After a difficult 2024/2025, Arsenal have every right to be concerned, as Foden is now back to his imperious best.

Foden has emerged as City’s most potent attacking threat bar Haaland during their resurgent title challenge, scoring nine goals across all competitions so far this term.

The 25-year-old has also notched six Premier League goals in thirteen appearances, averaging 0.51 goals per ninety minutes whilst contributing two assists.

His recent purple patch has been particularly devastating, with five goals scored in his last three league games. His goal involvement rate of 0.69 per ninety minutes highlights his constant influence in the final third, with Guardiola praising his exceptional qualities following Saturday’s performance.

Foden already surpassed his career milestone of 100 City goals during the summer’s Club World Cup, cementing his status amongst the club’s elite scorers.

His personal renaissance couldn’t have come at a worse time for Arsenal, but luckily for Arteta, the title is still theirs to lose.

Timing is everything.

During the third inning of the Worcester Red Sox's 9-1 win over the Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday afternoon, freshly called-up prospect Blaze Jordan smoked his first Triple-A home run into deep left field. Making the moment even more special was the fact that his parents were being interviewed by the NESN broadcast while it happened.

Here's a look at the perfectly timed dinger from Worcester's Polar Park:

So cool.

Jordan was drafted by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2020 MLB draft. He's slashing .323/.416/.538 over 46 games across both AA and AAA this seasonm with seven home runs and 39 RBI. Given the way Boston is playing this season, perhaps he'll get a chance at the big leagues sooner rather than later.

The Australian model goes significantly further than the version implemented by the BCCI since the ICC allowed domestic competitions to trial injury subs

Alex Malcolm29-Sep-2025Cricket Australia will trial an injury replacement rule in the first five rounds of this season’s Sheffield Shield competition, and allow the opposition to make a corresponding substitution, with a view to passing on the findings to the ICC as discussions continue about the introduction of injury substitutes in Test cricket.CA has communicated with the six state teams in recent weeks, outlining the details of the rule which will be implemented across the first half of the season, which starts on Saturday. It will differ significantly from the “serious injury replacement substitute” rule the BCCI has brought into India’s domestic first-class competition recently.The Australian version has been designed with the aim of covering all injuries, preventing fit fast bowlers from being overloaded for the remainder of the match if they lose a fast-bowling mate early in the game, and to maintain competitive balance within matches while trying to avoid any manipulation.Related

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BCCI introduces 'serious injury replacement substitute' rule in multi-day competitions

Currently, teams can make unlimited concussion substitutions across all four days of a Shield game – and that will remain unchanged – but under the trial there will be an additional like-for-like injury replacement available to both teams up until stumps on day two.Teams will be allowed to replace any player with another player of the same skill set (for example, a fast bowler for a fast bowler, a batter for a batter, a spinner for a spinner) as a result of any injury or illness that has occurred from any point after the toss. Teams will need to make a request to the match referee, who will determine the legitimacy of the injury and approve the replacement.This differs from the BCCI rule, which dictates the injury has to have happened during the game and needs to be external (like taking a blow resulting in a deep cut or fracture) rather than internal (like a hamstring strain).The issue was in the spotlight during the recent England-India Test series where both sides had players suffer significant external injuries: Rishabh Pant with a fractured foot at Old Trafford and Chris Woakes with a dislocated shoulder at The Oval.ESPNcricinfo LtdAn interesting element to what CA is introducing is the ability for the opposition to match a substitution. If a team uses the injury replacement rule, the opposition will be allowed to bring in a “tactical substitute” in response by the close of day two. But that substitute must be the same type of player as was injured in the opposition.For example, in the round one clash this week between Western Australia and New South Wales at the WACA ground, if a WA fast bowler was injured and was replaced by another WA fast bowler, NSW could make a tactical substitution but could only swap out a fast bowler for a fast bowler. They could not make a tactical substitution like swapping a batter for a batter because of form in the first innings.The match referee can also put restrictions on the involvement of both replacement players. A batter may be instructed that they cannot bowl if they are replacing a batter who does not regularly bowl. The replacement players also automatically inherit any warnings that have been imposed on the replaced player, such as for running on the pitch.Another key element is that in the case of the player who is ruled out through injury or illness, they will undergo a mandatory 12-day non-playing period that starts from the second day of the match that they were subbed out of.This means that if a player were to be replaced for injury in the first two days of round one, their non-playing period would start from October 5, meaning they would not be eligible to play in the One-Day Cup matches on October 9 or the second Shield round, which begins on October 15.There is a slight wrinkle for the states to manage in that teams will only initially be permitted to travel with 12 players, as has been the norm in Australian domestic cricket for many years, with the exception being Western Australia or teams travelling to Western Australia due to the length of that flight and the difficulty in getting other reserve players there on short notice. WA, when they travel interstate, and teams who travel to WA, are permitted to have a squad of 13.Teams who are playing away from home on the east coast will be able to fly an injury replacement in at short notice if needed on the first two days of a game if the 12th man is not a like for like. The states have been encouraged to carry a spare fast bowler as the 12th player on most occasions as the majority of replacements will be to fast bowlers based off the injury data CA has used to help form this new rule. CA wanted to avoid teams carrying large squads unnecessarily.The ICC has agreed that all matches during the trial period will retain first-class status. During the first five rounds, CA will be sourcing feedback from the states on the success of the trial and it is leaving open the possibility of continuing it further into round six and or round seven. CA will also look at potential alterations to the trial from round seven onwards or cancelling it altogether.

Kent 445 for 8 (Compton 221, Finch 54*) drew with Leicestershire 471 (Rehan 119, Patel 85) The Rothesay County Championship match between Division Two leaders Leicestershire and Kent at Canterbury ended in a draw, after the hosts reached 445 for eight on day four, trailing by 24 when bad light stopped play.Ben Compton hit a career-best 221 and Harry Finch made 54 not out, while Rehan Ahmed three for 134, but the chances of a positive result were effectively neutered on day three, when a mere 9.5 overs were bowled.Leicestershire remain top of the table, while Kent stay bottom.Conditions were significantly better on Friday morning but as soon as Kent passed the follow-on target of 321 a draw seemed inevitable.The nightwatch, George Garrett, survived 67 balls spread across days two, three and four but he was the first man out when he edged Logan van Beek to Louis Kimber for 10.The first shot of Ben Dawkins’ first-class career was a stylish drive that might have gone for four but for the slope, but he was out for seven, inside-edging Ben Green behind.Compton, 111 not out overnight, reached 150 in the penultimate over of the session when he cut Tom Scriven for four and Kent eased to 307 for four at lunch.Scriven subsequently had Joey Evison caught behind for 38, but an elegant sweep off Rehan saw Compton to 200. He took a single off Patel to pass his previous highest score of 217 and was finally out when he came down the wicket to Rehan and was stumped.Rehan then had Matt Parkinson lbw for two and Kent were 429 for eight at tea, after which Finch cover-drove Rishi Patel to bring up his half-century, but play was suspended at 4.40pm and both sides looked as eager as the umpires to shake hands on the draw.

The San Diego Padres topped the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6–5, in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday night, putting the boys in blue on the brink of elimination.

The game featured several big swings, three huge home runs, two lights-out bullpens and an atmosphere as charged as you'll see in the MLB playoffs. This emerging rivalry never fails to live up to the hype.

There were several takeaways worth examining ahead of Game 4.

Padres bullpen picks up Michael King

The Padres likely expected more from Game 3 starter King, but no matter, their bullpen was up to the task of covering for him.

King lasted five innings and allowed five runs on five hits and a walk, and only managed three strikeouts while nearly coughing up a 6–1 lead. It was a far cry from his first postseason start last week against the Atlanta Braves when he fired seven shutout innings and racked up 12 strikeouts. On Tuesday night, San Diego's relievers picked up the slack.

Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Robert Suárez combined to throw four innings of one-hit ball while striking out six and walking none. Suárez earned a four-out save after entering with two outs in the eighth and promptly retiring Teoscar Hernández on a popout. In the ninth, he struck out Max Muncy, got a groundout from Will Smith, then K'd Gavin Lux to end the game.

This is the kind of performance Padres general manager A.J. Preller had in mind when he paid a hefty price to acquire Adam and Scott at the trade deadline.

Dodgers responded well to deep deficit

San Diego jumped all over L.A. starter Walker Buehler in the second inning, plating six runs, racing to a 6–1 lead and sending Petco Park into a frenzy. Given their recent history of playoff flops, the Dodgers could have folded up the tent and saved their best effort for Game 4, but they didn't do that.

Right after San Diego's scoring outburst, L.A. opened the top of the third with consecutive singles from Miguel Rojas, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts to load the bases with no outs. After Freddie Freeman lined out to left field, Hernández blasted King's 1–2 sweeper over the center field wall. That made it 6–5 and completely changed the nature of the game.

The Dodgers didn't mount much offense after that, however. King settled in a bit and the Padres' bullpen stepped up to finish things off. But Los Angeles didn't quit when it could have. Expect the Dodgers to come out fighting in Game 4.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is still a superstar

In case you had written him off at some point over the last couple of years, Tatis is still one of the best baseball players on the planet. He connected on an 0–2 fastball from Buehler (who did not locate his heater high enough in this instance) and blasted it over the left field wall for a two-run homer to polish off San Diego’s six-run second inning.

This is Tatis's first taste of real playoff action as he was suspended for San Diego's 2022 run to the NLCS and he played in front of mostly empty stadiums during the 2020 postseason. It's safe to say he's enjoying the big stage.

This postseason Tatis is 10-for-18 with four home runs, seven RBIs, two doubles and three walks. He's batting .556 with a .636 on-base percentage and a 1.333 slugging percentage for an absurd 1.970 OPS. That's the highest ever in a single postseason (minimum 20 plate appearances).

It gets better. In 11 career postseason games, Tatis has six home runs, 12 RBIs, four doubles and eight walks against seven strikeouts. In those games he's slashing .425/.531/.975. His 1.506 OPS is the fourth highest in MLB history through 11 playoff games.

Over the last few seasons, Tatis has dealt with injuries, a position switch and a PED suspension. That may have pushed him out of some people's minds. He has spent this postseason reminding fans who he is.

This rivalry keeps living up to the billing

The Dodgers and Padres don't like each other very much and that has been proven on many occasions over the years. What’s also been proven since the Padres’ recent rise is the two teams often play outstanding, exciting, eventful games against each other. Tuesday night was no exception.

There have been huge moments over the last few years, with players sniping at each other, managers being petty and sending messages through press conferences—and also some dang good baseball games.

The year-in, year-out duel between these two franchises has become the best theater MLB has to offer over the past few seasons. It has become the game's best rivalry west of the Mississippi—maybe the best rivalry, period. Luckily for fans, it just keeps getting better.

Petco Park is an unreal big game atmosphere

On Tuesday night a record 47,744 fans turned Petco Park into as loud and rowdy of an atmosphere as you'll find anywhere in baseball. It was absolutely electric.

The fans booed the visiting Dodgers mercilessly, broke out a deafening "Beat L.A.” chant, erupted in euphoria during big moments and sang along as Blink-182's Tom DeLonge led them in a chorus of "All the Small Things."

Any questions about San Diego's status as a sports city should be put to rest. Petco is rocking this postseason.

One of the most exciting talents on Leeds United’s books right now is certainly Harry Gray. The 17-year-old centre-forward comes from a long line of Leeds players.

You can trace that back as recently as his brother Archie, who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur, and his grandfather, Eddie, a Leeds legend.

The England under-17 striker is an excellent talent. He’s shone for Leeds’ academy this season, with four goals in four Premier League 2 games, impressive in itself but even more so given he’s playing four years up.

Last season, Gray – who recently put pen to paper on a new deal in Yorkshire – was given his first-team debut by Daniel Farke, although he has not had that opportunity this term.

That might be due to Farke’s reliance on experienced players.

Farke’s reliance on experience over youth

Whilst the Leeds manager gave the youngest Gray brother his first taste of senior football at the end of last season, he isn’t one to turn to youth players a lot.

In fact, when he played former academy star Archie Gray 52 times in 2023/24, that was certainly more of an outlier.

This season, in Leeds’ battle for Premier League survival, Farke has relied on a more experienced group of players. The Whites have the seventh-highest average age in the top flight in 2025/26, at 27.1 years old, according to FBref.

There is only one player under 25 who has made an appearance this season, namely Wilfried Gnonto, who is 21 years of age.

In theory, that experience should certainly help the West Yorkshire outfit in the top flight.

Some players have years of Premier League football under their belt.

Yet, Leeds are just three points above the relegation zone, and things are not really working out for Farke’s experienced squad this season.

Perhaps it is time to take a punt on someone younger, like Gnonto or Gray.

Well, if recent reports are to be believed, Farke could soon be out of a job and replaced with someone who trusts the youngsters.

Why Leeds could benefit from a change of manager

There have been reports this week which have tipped the Whites to replace Farke with Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior. Whilst former Leeds star Aidy White says that the appointment would be a “huge gamble,” there are plenty of merits to the move.

Firstly, the former Hull City manager has an impressive record in Ligue 1. He’s coached 42 top-flight games in France, winning 21, drawing ten and losing the other 11.

His average of 1.74 points per game is a real standout and a testament to his ability to churn out results.

Games

42

Wins

21

Draws

10

Losses

11

Goals for/against

73/54

Points won

73

Average points per game

1.74

The London-born manager is certainly a highly rated coach. Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley said he is “one of the best emerging British coaches,” which he proved during his time in the Championship with Hull.

He guided the Tigers to seventh in 2023/24, including fantastic performances like this. His side narrowly missed out on a playoff spot.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rosenior try and bed the younger players into the first-team fold at Leeds. He is known for trusting those with less experience, as showcased in the average ages of his squad at Strasbourg this season.

The French side have comfortably got the youngest squad in Ligue 1, fielding a side with an average age of just 21.6 years old. However, this is not an anomaly.

The situation at Hull was the same. In his only full year on Humberside, his squad was the joint sixth youngest, with an average age of 25.4.

It is easy to see why Rosenior could be the perfect head coach for someone like Gray. The homegrown star is a talented youngster who is putting up some excellent performances in the academy.

A coach like Rosenior, who values the academy players and the breakthrough stars, could well give him a chance to shine at senior level.

Manager Focus

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If Farke is removed from his post, the Strasbourg boss could be the dream man to take charge and really shake things up at Elland Road.

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