
I Dig Sports
WA hit back as bowlers dominate again at the WACA

New South Wales 17 for 3 trail Western Australia 196 (Turner 42, Curtis 42, Bird 3-22) by 179 runs
After Western Australia was bowled out for 196 in their first innings, New South Wales slumped to 17 for 3 in the pivotal fixture.
There was much intrigue over how Konstas would approach the situation having to come out to bat an hour before stumps. He started in orthodox fashion, playing straight and hitting a couple of elegant drives. There was no sign of anything fancy in his first 15 balls but he fell in tame fashion on the next delivery when he chipped left-arm quick Joel Paris to mid-off.
Just 0.24 points separates second-placed NSW and WA with a victory for either team putting them into pole position to reach the final.
With the remarkable events of the ground's last Shield match still fresh, Edwards had no hesitation in bowling first despite the hot conditions. The calendar might have flipped into autumn, but March is essentially an extension of summer in Perth and the pitch was baking with temperatures already in the mid-30s Celsius by the time the first ball was bowled.
All eyes were on Bancroft in his long-awaited return and he was intent on showcasing his trademark steely defence against accurate new ball bowling from Bird and Edwards. WA only scored two runs off the first six overs with Edwards starting off with three consecutive maidens.
The ball wasn't quite zipping off the surface like the South Australia match, but Edwards did occasionally produce sharp bounce and he had captain Sam Whiteman fending agonisingly short of leg gully.
Whiteman had a torrid time, hit on the helmet by Hadley after attempting a pull shot before edging over the slips for a fortuitous boundary. But after battling through early trouble, Whiteman and Bancroft blunted the bowling in a sedate period through the middle part of the first session.
The hardnosed openers have a knack of leaving bowlers flustered and they appeared set to bat through the first session as NSW's quicks started to lose patience. But Liam Hatcher provided a spark 30 minutes before lunch when he nicked off Bancroft before having a huge appeal for caught down the legside off Jayden Goodwin turned down.
Goodwin made it through to the long break, but Whiteman didn't after he chopped on to a back of a length delivery from Edwards. WA reached lunch at 62 for 2 in a total that was eerily similar to the same stage of the South Australia match. On that occasion WA fell apart after the interval and there was a sense of déjà vu when they lost 3 for 27.
Edwards was in the midst of a terrific spell and had Goodwin nicking off before Hadley clean bowled Hilton Cartwright, who had an error of judgement when he didn't play a shot.
But Turner couldn't regain his rhythm after tea and he nicked off to Bird although he was unhappy with the decision. After dismissing Paris on the next delivery, Bird came within inches of completing his hat-trick when Cameron Gannon almost chopped onto his stumps.
Southee, Philander back Shami's call to revoke ban on usage of saliva on ball

"That was a rule brought around Covid with the virus going around the world, but I think as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage," Southee said on ESPNcricinfo's Match Day. "We see the game going the way it's going and seeing sides score 362 and more often than not over 300 in this format. I think there needs to be something in the bowlers' favour, and whether that's a little bit of saliva, then yeah, I don't see why they couldn't afford to get that back in."
"If we look at the state of that ball, I mean towards the back end, it was really scuffed up, and I think had you used the saliva [to polish one side of the ball], the element of the reverse swing might have come into play," Philander said. "So it certainly does play a part. You can get it to shine up and you use the elements to swing it a little longer.
"I'd like to see that element being brought back into the game because I think it's needed as well. I mean, especially in ODI cricket where we see batters really dominating, especially when you play on surfaces like we've just seen in Pakistan as well where it's really batter friendly."
Southee felt that the use of saliva to polish one side of the ball and induce reverse swing makes even more of a difference in red-ball cricket than in white-ball.
"I think the ball only swings initially for a few overs [in white-ball cricket]. But with the red ball, you are able to bring it back and obviously sweat can be limited at times in various parts of the world, whereas saliva you're able to obviously have access to it from a number of sources and in all parts of the world," he said. "I think there is an advantage to having saliva on the ball, probably more so in red-ball cricket than white-ball cricket."
Are there any other advantages of using saliva to polish the ball instead of sweat?
"With the South African team, we were always trying to keep the ball as dry as possible," Philander said. "The minute you start erring on the side of sweat, I think you start wetting both sides of the ball. Your hands get sweaty, especially when you play in hot, humid conditions.
"Saliva was definitely the preferred method of shining the ball. In the longer run in the scheme of things, I'd like to see that being brought back. As far as sweat is concerned, I do feel that it's difficult to control the amount of sweat you put on the ball, [especially when] you start sweating obviously heavily."
Injured Carse ruled out of IPL 2025, SRH sign Mulder as replacement

Mulder, meanwhile, was South Africa's joint-highest wicket-taker, with six wickets, in their run to the Champions Trophy semi-finals.
Mulder has played 128 T20s, scoring 2172 runs and taking 67 wickets. This will be his maiden stint in the IPL. However, he's been part of the SA20, now-defunct Mzansi Super League (MSL), and England's Vitality Blast.
IPL 2025 will begin on March 22 and SRH, who were runners-up in 2024, will begin their campaign against Rajasthan Royals at home on March 23.

Britain's Cameron Norrie made light work of Luca Nardi to reach the Indian Wells second round.
Norrie, who claimed his biggest career title at Indian Wells in 2021, took just 65 minutes to beat the Italian 6-0 6-3.
Nardi memorably beat Novak Djokovic as a lucky loser at last year's tournament.
World number 77 Norrie has reached at least the quarter-finals of the hard-court tournament in three of the past four years.
He will face Czech 23rd seed Jiri Lehecka next.
Britain's Jack Draper has a first-round bye as the 13th seed and could potentially face compatriot and good friend Jacob Fearnley in the second round.
Fearnley begins his campaign against another rising star, 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca, on Thursday.
Fonseca recently won his first ATP Tour title at the Argentina Open and has been tipped as one of the sport's future stars.
Elsewhere on the first day, Japan's Kei Nishikori battled through injury and cramps to beat Spain's Jaume Munar 6-2 5-7 7-6 (7-3) in just under three hours.
Nishikori, who struggled with a leg problem during the third set, said: "It was not easy. I almost gave up because I was struggling with my body".
Indian Wells loss 'worst match I've ever played' - Osaka

Former champion Naomi Osaka said her Indian Wells first-round exit was the "worst match I've ever played in my life".
Japan's Osaka, playing her first match since retiring injured from January's Australian Open, lost 6-4 6-4 to Camila Osorio.
The four-time major champion described the defeat in a news conference as a "little bump in the road" but later apologised to fans on social media.
"Worst match I've ever played in my life. Wow, I'm so sorry to everyone who watched that," the 27-year-old posted on Threads., external
Osaka has had several injury struggles since returning from maternity leave in January 2024.
In her news conference, the 2018 champion had given a more upbeat reflection, saying: "There were certain things that felt extremely off because I could only start to practice serving after a certain amount of time.
"I think given the situation, it wasn't that terrible.
"It just feels like a little bump in the road."
Colombia's Osorio, who had never previously won a match at Indian Wells, will face Denmark's Clara Tauson in the second round.
Elsewhere on the first day of main-draw action, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was beaten 4-6 6-3 6-4 by France's Varvara Gracheva.
The defeat means Czech Kvitova is still searching for her first win since returning to the WTA Tour last month after giving birth to her first child last July.
"If you let me step back a little bit, I really want to congratulate her," Gracheva said of Kvitova.
"I'm so happy that she now has the role of a mother and a tennis player, which is very demanding. It's just amazing."

"His legacy is one of excellence, dedication, and a profound love for tennis.
"His impact on the sport will be remembered and cherished by all who had the privilege to witness his contributions."
Stolle was among the Australians - along with Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe - who dominated the men's game late in the amateur era and start of the professional.
Stolle, who described playing for Australia as "everything to me", helped them win the Davis Cup in 1964, 1965 and 1966.
After retiring he became a coach and then commentator.
Laver, the only man to win all four majors in one year during the Open era, described Stolle as "too nice a guy to hold a grudge".
"It took the best to beat the best," he said on X.
"We never tired of reliving the past as we travelled the world looking into the future with an enduring love of the sport."
Former Australian doubles player Paul McNamee said: "What a player, what a commentator, what a bloke."
"One of that great group of Aussie tennis players who made history, and whose legacy is perhaps unrivalled."

Jamie Osborne says he is "confident" playing in any position for Ireland in Saturday's Six Nations game with France.
Osborne was named at full-back in place of Hugo Keenan in Ireland's win over Wales but has also featured at centre or the wing.
The 23-year-old bounced back from a nervy start in Cardiff to score a crucial try as Simon Easterby's side edged a tight contest.
"It definitely helps I've played a couple of positions," Osborne said.
"I'd be confident in any place I end up going. If you do your role well and perform well then the coaches will see that.
"When the team performance goes well I think everyone benefits from that."
The game with Antoine Dupont's France in Dublin has been billed as a potential title decider.
The hosts are unbeaten and aiming for an unprecedented three Six Nations championships in a row while France can take control of the tournament with victory in Dublin, which could move them to the top of the table ahead of the final round of fixtures.
"It's a huge challenge but everyone is looking forward to it," Osborne added.
"We know how strong they are and we have to be at our best to beat them."
While Ireland had moments of difficulty in Cardiff last time out, Osborne said the team "will learn from it" ahead of the game with France.
"The first half wasn't how we wanted it to go. There were a lot of errors, including from myself, but we bounced back from being five points down with a man in the bin, we managed to get back into the game.
"Probably not the game we were expecting to play before the game but we put pressure back on them. I think we learnt a lot about ourselves in the second half."
What we learned from Scotland's Six Nations so far

When Tuipulotu was ruled out of the tournament with a pectoral muscle injury, head coach Townsend selected Russell and Rory Darge to share leadership duties.
Russell is the team's superstar, the supremely talented fly-half who produces moment of magic.
He is a charismatic figure who plays the game with rare dexterity and flair.
His co-captain is the opposite. He is a reserved talker and far from flamboyant, but he is developing into a world-class flanker who leads with his actions.
The Glasgow man has hit 112 attacking rucks in the three games, the most of any player in the championship. He has also made 27 clean-outs and 38 tackles, the most on both counts of any Scotland player.
He is another firmly in contention for a Lions place.
There were fears heading into the tournament over Scotland's lack of size up front.
Dylan Richardson, Scott Cummings, Josh Bayliss, Max Williamson and Andy Onyeama-Christie have all been absent through injury and Scotland just do not have the depth to replace those big men with other big men.
The brawn of Cummings, Williamson and Onyeama-Christie - who was superb last season when Scotland's pack went toe-to-toe with Ireland - in particular has been sorely missed.
The relatively modest performances so far of the normally abrasive Matt Fagerson have not helped.
Scotland (49%) and their next opponents, Wales (48%), are the only two sides to have a gain-line success rate below 50% across the opening three rounds, while Townsend's side also have the lowest dominant carry rate (23%).
Against England, Scotland made just one dominant tackle in 80 minutes.
While Scotland had plenty of ball, it was not the sort of super-quick variety that backs thrive on and fed into the costly lack of incision.
Superb Barça stopper Szczesny: Best 'still to come'

Wojciech Szczesny promised his best is still to come after starring in 10-man Barcelona's 1-0 Champions League round of 16 first-leg win against Benfica in Lisbon on Wednesday.
Raphinha scored the only goal of the night as Barça recovered from Pau Cubarsí's 22nd-minute red card to give themselves a slender advantage heading into next week's return game.
The victory was built on a fine performance from goalkeeper Szczesny, who made eight saves to earn his eighth clean sheet in 14 games since replacing Iñaki Peña in the starting lineup.
"It is still to come, don't worry," Szczesny told reporters when asked if it had been his best match since coming out of retirement to sign for Barça last October.
Szczęsny's form has steadily improved since he came into the team in January.
Wednesday's display at the Estádio da Luz from the former Juventus and Arsenal stopper was a huge improvement on how he performed when the two teams met in January in the league phase of the competition.
On that occasion, as Barça came from behind to win 5-4, he was at fault for one of the Benfica goals and also gave away a penalty.
This time, he made a string of fine saves, but it was one from Kerem Aktürkoğlu in the first minute which he was particularly proud of.
"I really liked the first save," he added. "We came here a few weeks ago and they scored early, so it was really important to start the game without conceding."
Despite Szczesny's heroics, UEFA's player of the match award was given to Pedri, although the Barça midfielder said he would give it to the former Poland international.
"He deserves it, he stopped everything," Pedri said.
"Pedri got the trophy, but I think I could take half of it home," Szczesny joked in response.
There was some skepticism when Barça coach Hansi Flick decided to replace Peña with Szczesny while Marc-André ter Stegen is out injured, but that call has been justified in recent weeks.
"I think this is very important when you have a clean sheet, with 10 players only, that you have a great and fantastic goalkeeper on the pitch," Flick said in his post-game news conference.
"Today was a great performance from him and he saved us to get the clean sheet. Very good. I am very happy for him and also for the team.
"I think with every match he has more confidence. I know he can play on this level because we see him every day in training and he's a fantastic goalkeeper."
The odds looked stacked against Barça when Cubarsí was sent off halfway through the first half for a last-man challenge outside the box.
However, despite having a player less for well over an hour, they defended stoically while remaining a threat on the break, with Raphinha snatching the winner in the 61st-minute with a strike from outside the box.
It was the Brazilian's ninth goal in as many games in this season's Champions League, with Flick going on to describe his pride at how his players dug in.
"The reaction [to the red card] was really good," the Barça coach added. "I am really proud of the team, they defend really good. They manage the game really good and such a match, for nearly 100 minutes, is not easy to handle.
"I said to the players 'Chapeau.' After the 22nd minute, with 10 players, it was not easy. This is a big win. But we know we also have to play the next match and Benfica are a good team. We have to take care about that."
The second leg takes place back in Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium next Tuesday, with the winners advancing to a quarterfinal against either Borussia Dortmund or Lille.
UCL talking points: Will PSG bounce back? How good is Nwaneri?

The first legs of this season's UEFA Champions League round-of-16 ties are done and dusted.
Arsenal already have one foot in the quarterfinals thanks to their 7-1 demolition of PSV Eindhoven, but the rest of the matchups are mostly delicately poised.
How on earth did Paris Saint-Germain lose 1-0 to Liverpool? Which teams need to switch up their tactics? What can we expect next week? ESPN writers Gab Marcotti, Mark Ogden and Julien Laurens tackle some of the most burning questions after an excellent round of midweek action.
PSG vs. Liverpool: That first leg was wild. What happens at Anfield?
Laurens: In the same way that nobody could have predicted what happened on Wednesday night in Paris, nobody knows what will happen on Tuesday at Anfield. Anything is possible. PSG will go there and try to play their game, believing they are capable of reproducing the same performance in the second leg that they did in the first. But Liverpool won't be as bad next week as they were on Wednesday. If the Reds attack more, they will leave more space for PSG to exploit. It will be an amazing encounter, tactically and psychologically. The final outcome? I think it could be a 2-2 draw and Liverpool to go through.
Ogden: I've seen the best and worst of PSG in the Champions League this season: a dismal defeat at Arsenal early in the league stage and then two dominant wins against Manchester City and VfB Stuttgart. But they were arguably even better against Liverpool than in those two games, yet still lost. And that's the problem they have ahead of the second leg at Anfield. To be so dominant and end up with nothing will be a crushing blow to PSG's morale because Anfield is probably the toughest away trip in the Champions League, especially when you're trailing from the first leg. Liverpool have seen PSG's best and survived, so the only realistic outcome next week is a home win. Arne Slot's team won't be so bad again.
Marcotti: In terms of how PSG approach the game, I expect more of the same. They have no choice: given the result in the first leg, they have to go for it. Plus, of course, Luis Enrique's sides generally always play the same way. Liverpool will be a bit different, I imagine. Slot has a good record in knockout competitions, and he knows that this tie is very much in the balance (especially without the away-goals rule). Liverpool can't allow PSG to manhandle them again the way they did on Wednesday. To be played off the park -- especially when he made such a big deal of how he had a whole week to prepare -- is not acceptable. I'd expect Cody Gakpo to be back and that will help. Plus, Mohamed Salah won't be as bad as he was on Wednesday, in what was arguably his worst performance of the season. But yes, this is still very much in the balance. Liverpool can't play the way they did away.
Frank Leboeuf says it's "worrying" for Real Madrid to see Kylian Mbappe having little impact during their 2-1 win vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 tie.
Rodrygo did well against Atlético. Has he become 'undroppable' for Real Madrid?
Laurens: I think Rodrygo is indispensable for this Real Madrid team. He brings balance, defensive effort when the team lose the ball, and incredible skills and pace -- just as we saw against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday with his goal. Basically, he is a team player, not just a dribbler. And that's what Real Madrid need. They need his mindset, especially when Carlo Ancelotti already plays Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior together.
Ogden: No player can play every game at the top level -- they all need a rest from time to time -- but the easiest way to spell out Rodrygo's importance to Real Madrid is to ask: Would he be in Ancelotti's team for the biggest game of the season, the Champions League final? The answer is a clear yes. Bellingham was playing Mr. Nice Guy when he said recently that Rodrygo was "probably the most gifted player in the squad." He's not at the level of Mbappé or Vinícius yet, but Madrid play with a front three and Rodrygo has absolutely claimed the third spot alongside those two.
Marcotti: I don't think so. In terms of technical ability, Bellingham probably isn't far off Rodrygo -- I'd imagine he'd be third after Mbappé and Luka Modric. But that doesn't mean Rodrygo needs to play every game or even every big game, because football isn't just about technical ability. And if you're talking about the third spot in the front three on the right, there will be games when you're better suited to having Brahim Díaz or Federico Valverde out there. I don't think the Atlético win is a good bellwether anyway for his chances to be a permanent fixture in the 4-3-3 (or 4-2-3-1) because he played an entirely different role in that version of 4-4-2. I'm not sure we'll see that again very often, certainly not when Bellingham is available. That said, he has a tremendous scoring record in the Champions League and, yes, he often gets overlooked because he plays with bigger stars.
Craig Burley didn't hold back in his assessment of PSV after their 7-1 demolishing at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League.
Which under-21 player impressed most, and why was it Ethan Nwaneri?
Laurens: Lamine Yamal is the best U21 player in the world. But this week, it's another teenager who impressed me the most: Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Lille defensive midfielder is only 17 but he bossed the game against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. He looked like a veteran: calm and composed, cool under pressure, intelligent, and making the right decisions. The future is so bright for him, as it is for Nwaneri or Yamal. This incredible generation of super-talented players are playing regularly for top teams, so they are already the present, not just the future.
Ogden: I'm sorry, as good as Nwaneri is, Yamal is the most outstanding U21 player in the Champions League, or any league, this season. Yamal is so good, and is so consistently outstanding, that his excellence has become the norm and he is perhaps now judged like a senior player when he is still only 17. But if we put Yamal on the pedestal above the rest -- where he belongs -- then Nwaneri is probably as good as any of the other young contenders. Arsenal have a potential superstar on their hands, and don't be surprised if the biggest talking point surrounding Thomas Tuchel's first England squad is a call-up for the Gunners teenager. Age is no reason to keep him out.
Marcotti: It's not. Any answer other than Yamal is simply incorrect. Sure, he might have dipped a tiny bit, but his body of work is orders of magnitude greater than Nwaneri's at this stage. That was Nwaneri's second Champions League start of his career. And it came against a Petr Bosz team that turned into "The Muppet Show." His other start was against an already eliminated Girona. He has 10 first-team starts in his career; Yamal has 10 since late January. So let's pump the brakes, shall we? Nwaneri might one day catch up to or even surpass Yamal. But we're not there yet. That said, he's a very exciting player and, like Yamal, has a maturity and a physicality beyond his years. I am excited to see how he develops and where Mikel Arteta puts him. I'm not sure his future is playing out wide, it might be in Martin Ødegaard's position in central midfield, but of course, that space is taken right now.
Jürgen Klinsmann reacts to Bayern Munich's 3-0 win vs. Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the round of 16.
Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Is this the return of the Bavarians as the best team in Germany?
Laurens: I'm a bit wary of praising this Bayern side too much. I've seen them play excellently at times this season, but I have also seen them be quite average. However, they dominated Leverkusen on Wednesday in a match that saw everything go against Xabi Alonso's side from start to finish. And when Bayern score early, like they did on Wednesday, it's even more difficult for the opposition to counter them. I'm not sure how far they can go in this competition as they are still defensively fragile at times. But attacking wise, they have some of the best talent in Europe.
Ogden: I was at the Allianz Arena for this one and it was one of those games in which Bayern looked like the superpower of German football against one of those distant challengers. But it was a night when everything went wrong for Leverkusen. They conceded early, then their goalkeeper gave Bayern another with a terrible mistake. Bayern then scored a third with a penalty after a dubious VAR review led to the spot-kick. And Leverkusen also had defender Nordi Mukiele sent off. So, while Bayern dominated and deserved to win, the gap between the two teams isn't really as big as the result suggested. Leverkusen have a mountain to climb in the second leg and if they get an early goal, they have a chance. But Bayern showed their best and they will cruise into the quarterfinals if they are anywhere close to that again next Tuesday.
Marcotti: What this game showed is that Bayern weren't traumatized by that horrendous display against Leverkusen in the league when they couldn't manage a shot. That's good and it speaks to Vincent Kompany's man-management. And, obviously, the 3-0 result is great if you're a Bayern fan. But I wouldn't read too much into it. Two of the three goals were gifts from Leverkusen. So too was Mukiele's silly red card. Bayern were deserving because you have to be ready to profit from your opponents' mistakes and they were. But this was Leverkusen soiling the bed, plain and simple.