Gannon took 5 for 47 but Macdonald made 79 and Short 62 to give Victoria a crucial lead

AAP05-Dec-2025

Victoria’s Sheffield Shield dominance is continuing, taking a stranglehold of their clash with Western Australia at the MCG.Holding a 61-run first-innings lead after making 255 in reply to WA’s 194, Victoria delivered another blow just before stumps on day two on Friday.Mitchell Perry trapped former Australia opener Cameron Bancroft on the final ball of the third over to leave WA reeling at 4 for 1. Instead of Australia’s white-ball star Mitch Marsh arriving at the crease, spinner Corey Rocchiccioli was sent in as a nightwatcher.Rocchiccioli survived five overs with captain Sam Whiteman to get WA to stumps at 5 for 1, still trailing Victoria by 56 runs. Whiteman made just two from 24 balls, but did his job by getting to the end of the day without falling to the charging Victorian attack.On a tricky wicket, opener Blake Macdonald thrived for Victoria with 79, while Matthew Short compiled 62.Victoria took their time building a lead, going at a run-rate of just 2.68 and batting for 96 overs. WA veteran Cameron Gannon bowled tirelessly, sending down 23 overs for figures of 5 for 47.Rocchiccioli ended Victoria’s innings with his second wicket, finishing with 2 for 61.Despite struggling in the One-Day Cup and suffering a heavy loss to WA on Tuesday, Victoria have been dominating the Shield this season. Another win here would take them into the Big Bash League break with five wins from six matches, putting them in the box seat to host this season’s final. WA are on the bottom of the Shield table, having secured just one win this campaign.

Shane Burger also joins new coaching set-up at the Utilita Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2025Russell Domingo, the former South Africa and Bangladesh coach, has been named Hampshire men’s head coach on a two-year contract. He will be joined in the club’s new coaching set-up by another South African, Shane Burger, who previously coached Scotland before moving on to Somerset.Domingo was in charge of South Africa between 2012 and 2017, followed by a three-year stint with Bangladesh. He has been head coach of Johannesburg-based Lions since 2023, and has also worked in the PSL. ESPNcricinfo understands Domingo will continue in his Lions role, splitting his time between the UK and South Africa.He succeeds his countryman Adrian Birrell at Hampshire, with Birrell stepping down at the end of the 2025 summer after seven seasons on the south coast.Burger joins as assistant coach (bowling), while former Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams will continue in his role as assistant coach (batting).Related

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“I’m thrilled to be joining Hampshire Cricket,” Domingo said. “This is a club with incredible history, outstanding facilities at Utilita Bowl, and a clear vision for success both on and off the field.”I’ve been genuinely impressed by the ambition here and the strong cultural values that underpin everything Hampshire does. The combination of developing young talent whilst competing for trophies is exactly the challenge I’m looking for, and I can’t wait to get started.”I’m looking forward to working alongside Jimmy and Shane and getting to know the players as we prepare for what promises to be an exciting season ahead.”Burger said: “I’m really excited to be joining Hampshire Cricket. The quality of young bowlers coming through here is exceptional, Sonny Baker, Eddie Jack and Scott Currie have already earned England recognition, and I’m looking forward to helping them continue that development.”I love the ambition and vision of the club and the future seems bright. I’m excited to be part of that journey alongside Russell and Jimmy and I can’t wait to get started.”Hampshire endured a turbulent finish to last season, losing in both the final of the Vitality T20 Blast and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. They appeared destined for relegation to Division Two of the County Championship, after suffering a points deduction for a substandard pitch, before being reprieved on the final day by Durham’s collapse against Yorkshire.Hampshire’s director of cricket, Giles White, added: “We’re delighted to announce our coaching team for next summer. Russell Domingo will serve as head coach, with Jimmy Adams and Shane Burger joining him as assistant coaches. Together, they form a strong and experienced unit that will continue to champion the cultural framework that has underpinned Hampshire cricket over the years.”We exist to win and to develop, and I’m confident this team will continue to drive that ethos as we move into an exciting future. It’s a fantastic place to be at this moment in time, and the season ahead promises great opportunities.”

South Africa wanted to make India “grovel” and spend more time than they would have liked on the field by batting an hour into the third session on day four of the Guwahati Test. South Africa extended their lead to 548 before declaring, effectively taking the home side’s chances of a win off the table.That was Shukri Conrad’s explanation, when the South Africa coach was asked why his side felt they needed to set India a target far greater than the record chase of 418 in a series where they have an unassailable lead. In answering, Conrad made reference to former England captain Tony Greig’s infamous comment – albeit in a different era and context – about West Indies in 1976 that galvanised the Caribbean team, who won the five-Test series 3-0.”We obviously looked at how best we were going to use the new ball, because in the morning we still wanted a newish, hardish ball,” Conrad said after the fourth day’s play. “What we felt is that when the shadows come across the wicket in the evening, there’s something in it for the quick bowlers, so we didn’t want to declare too early and not be able to use that.”And then, obviously, we wanted the Indians to spend as much time on their feet out in the field, we wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out the game, and then say to them ‘Come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening.’ So, so far so good, but we also know that they’re not just going to roll over, we’re going to have to be at our very best in the morning.”Related

• Conrad hopes SA's young batters learn from Kohli, Rohit and 'grow from there'

• Conrad on using 'grovel' in India Test series: 'I could have chosen a better word'

• The history of grovelling in cricket

• Harmer flips Test cricket in India upside down

South Africa have not won a series in India since 2000, had not won a Test since 2010 until last week in Kolkata, and have held the advantage throughout the Guwahati Test and want to make the most of it. After winning the toss and batting first, they recovered from 247 for 6 on day one to score 489 and then bowled India out for 201. Though South Africa could have enforced the follow-on, they chose to bat late on day three and continued deep into day four, keeping India on the field for a total of 229.4 overs. India go into day five on 27 for 2 after 15.5 overs in their second innings, and South Africa need eight wickets to sweep the series.With 90 overs of play scheduled for day five – though several have been lost in fading light on each of the previous four days – South Africa gave themselves a minimum of 106 overs to dismiss India. On a surface that Conrad admitted had “stayed remarkably good” for batting, one of the questions facing South Africa, who went into the match without a third seamer, was how long they would need to dismiss India.It took them 83.5 overs in the first innings, thanks largely to Marco Jansen’s ability to extract extra bounce which earned him 6 for 48. Since then, Conrad confirmed South Africa expected the surface to “deteriorate a little bit more” than it had but they felt an earlier declaration would have been futile and will be comfortable with whichever way the match ends, even if it is a draw.Tristan Stubbs countered India’s spinners with the sweep•Associated Press

“I don’t think there’s a right and a wrong in anything. We wanted India to come out again after lunch and spend time on their feet. We saw the effects of batting for two full days in the first innings and what sort of effect it had on them,” he said. “And it was never going to be easy for the opening batters to come this evening, with the new ball and shadows across the wicket. We felt we could have struck there. If tomorrow evening comes and we have them eight down and people say, ‘Well, see you told you so’… we’ve got to base it on our sound judgement and if that doesn’t work out, it doesn’t. I don’t think there’s a right and wrong in any of this but obviously, 2-0 is a lot better than 1-0. I’d like to think that the series is secured and we’re going to go all out for the win.”There is still evidence of good bounce in the surface and what Conrad described as “consistent turn,” which he backs his attack to exploit. “Hopefully Marco and the spinners can do the job tomorrow. We’re going to give it our best shot.”While Jansen’s wicket-taking abilities are well known, over the last two months South Africa’s spinners have been in the headlines during tours of Pakistan and India. Senuran Muthusamy, who has yet to bowl in this match, was player of the series in Pakistan, where he took 11 wickets in Lahore, while Simon Harmer is the joint-leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series against India. That South Africa have fielded as many as three spinners in two of the four Tests also demonstrates a changing attitude in the country’s cricket, which Conrad hopes can inspire a new wave of bowlers.”For the first time, we’ve thrown our weight behind spin bowlers. We’ve got quality spinners that can mix it with the best in the world and I believe we’ve got the balance of our sides right,” he said. “The big thing for me is that it provides hope for young spinners back in South Africa, where we were primarily seen as a country that just throws its weight behind fast bowling. I’d like to think that the young spinners back home are saying there’s hope for us now, because spinners are also part of the armoury for Proteas’ attack.”

Brazil are short in key areas, while Belgium's golden generation has been and gone – but they're not the only ones who might struggle

Once the World Cup draw is over, the months that follow tend to bring plenty of excitement. This is the time to dream, to find the positives. Now, fans can look at their group and start to believe, piece together the math that would allow qualification, or an unlikely run. 

But of course, the opposite can also be true. Even in an expanded World Cup that will see 32 out of 48 teams advance to the knockouts, there are reasons for concern. Whether it be inexperienced sides who might find it hard to get out of a group, or presumptive favorites who could struggle to squeak by, not everyone can succeed here. 

And there are a fair few candidates to get it all wrong next year. Brazil look weak. Belgium's golden generation has come and gone. Meanwhile, Croatia simply are too old to make a run (then again, we've said those words before).

GOAL looks at the teams to worry about now that the World Cup groups are set…

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  5Egypt

  This really depends on which version of Mohamed Salah shows up. Let's be honest, the Egyptian has struggled for months now, reaching back into the end of the 2024-25 season. He doesn't look like the same player, while off-field turmoil hasn't helped. If Salah goes quiet for his country, Egypt have few other apparent attacking weapons. It could be a difficult one – even if they do have an admittedly kind group. 

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  4Croatia

  This is where the story ends, right? Croatia were, for some time, football's great overperformers, making a historically unlikely run to the World Cup final in 2018, and managing to stay alive in pretty much every major tournament since. That tendency came on the back of a real belief in their quality and, in recent years, experience playing in the biggest of moments. But now they're very old. Luka Modric was once the architect of it all, and he's 40(!) 

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  3Mexico

  The serious issue with the Mexican national team is the expectation that follows them around them. represents a truly mad soccer nation, and haven't had a successful World Cup campaign in years. Surprisingly, the talent pool has rather dried up. Raul Jimenez and Chucky Lozano are very much players of the past – even if they still might make the side. And the new crop of players looks a little mixed. Gilbert Mora is 17, and, at the moment, is the guy expected to carry the team on his shoulders – which tells you all you need to know. 

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  2Brazil

  Brazil have never quite convinced under Carlo Ancelotti in his six months at the helm. Sure, the former Real Madrid manager was handed a tough job here. hadn't truly settled on a manager after Tite left in the wake of the 2022 World Cup. And it showed. Managers came and went, players struggled for form. Ancelotti was supposed to be the stabilizing force. Thus far, his record as Brazil manager reads: three wins, one draw, one loss, with one goal conceded – but only nine scored. It's the very antithesis of what Brazilian football should be. 

  And in World Cup games, can they really be trusted? Vinicius Jr is in rotten form. Raphinha has failed to hit the heights of last year. There are question marks at the back. Neymar is a complete enigma. It's tough to see a run here. 

Liverpool legend John Arne Riise has identified the man he considers to be the “perfect” successor to Mohamed Salah at Liverpool. An imminent transfer away from Anfield for the Egyptian superstar is being mooted on the back of his recent explosive outburst. Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo is among those considered to be registering on the Reds’ recruitment radar.

Exit talk: Salah outburst sparks transfer rumours

Serious questions are being asked of how much longer Salah will be on Liverpool’s books, with the modern day icon accusing the Premier League champions of throwing him under the bus during what has been a disappointing title defence in 2025-26. He also claims to have seen his working relationship with Arne Slot break down.

Many have questioned why the 33-year-old forward felt the need to air his grievances in public, despite frustration understandably building on his part during a run of three successive appearances on the substitutes bench. Some have suggested – with Africa Cup of Nations duty fast approaching – that he may have played his last game for the club.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSalah successors: Semenyo gets 'perfect' billing

Salah only signed a two-year contract extension back in April, but speculation is now rife regarding potential candidates to fill his boots on Merseyside. One leading contender is already starring in the English top-flight, with Semenyo proving at Bournemouth – with 13 goals being recorded last season and another six this term – just how destructive he can be.

Ex-Reds defender Riise told when asked if the 25-year-old Ghana international could be a shrewd addition at Anfield: “I mean he's on fire and he's a tricky player to play against and he would suit Liverpool. Obviously we like to play with wingers taking on players and beating them. We have Cody Gakpo doing that at the moment, but adding Semenyo to that would be perfect.

“He’s a great type of player that we need to sign if something happens with Salah. But even if Salah stays, we are lacking that typical wide winger at the moment. Regardless of Salah’s future, he’s absolutely a player we should be looking to sign in January if we can.”

Transfer regrets: Did Liverpool overspend on Wirtz?

Semenyo is said to have a release clause in his contract that can be triggered at £65 million ($87m) prior to January 10. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool want to spend big again having smashed all kinds of records over the summer.

They acquired Swedish striker Alexander Isak for £125m ($167m) and German playmaker Florian Wirtz for £116m ($155m). Neither has produced their best for the Reds, with a spark still being sought.

Quizzed on whether Liverpool will be regretting their decision to invest so heavily in Wirtz, with the 22-year-old looking a shadow of the player that generated so much hype at Bayer Leverkusen, Riise added: “No, I don't think it was a mistake, because you see him playing well in certain games and especially for Germany as well. I think he needs more time to adapt to the English game and obviously I think the pressure has come from the outside because of the price tag and everything.

“But we've seen glimpses of what he can do and I'm sure we’re going to see more of it during the season. He's a hard-working player but he needs to adapt more quickly to English football, and the physical side of things.

“Obviously he's going to get the season to prove how good he is and what he can do for the club. But I understand why people are asking if it was a bad signing or a waste of money, because he hasn't performed as people expected when you look at his price tag, and what he's done for Germany and his former club, Bayer Leverkusen. But he's an amazing player and I hope that we find the right position for him and we can use him the right way.”

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Getty/GOALLiverpool vs Brighton: Will Salah be involved?

Wirtz stepped off the bench in Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win over Inter, while Salah missed that trip to San Siro entirely after being dropped from Slot’s squad. Both could be involved in a home date with Brighton on Saturday, with the Reds heading into that game sat tenth in the Premier League table.

The Mets and Rangers pulled off the first blockbuster trade of the MLB offseason on Sunday, as the two sides are swapping expensive, big-name players to fill needs.

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan reports New York and Texas are finalizing a deal that would send infielder Marcus Semien to Queens in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. It’s a deal that seemingly came out of nowhere, as neither player was considered a prime trade candidate this winter.

The additions will mark big changes to each team’s lineup. Here’s a look at what each team is getting and who came out on the better end of the deal.

Mets Acquire: Marcus Semien

England wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones talks to Valkerie Baynes and Firdose Moonda from the tournament on a meeting of rivals who know each other only too well

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2025