Emiliano Buendia shattered Arsenal’s 18-match unbeaten run with a last-gasp strike that sealed Aston Villa’s dramatic 2-1 win over the English Premier League leaders on Saturday. Mikel Arteta’s side fell behind to Matty Cash’s 36th-minute goal before Leandro Trossard equalised for Arsenal (52nd minute). Mikel Arteta A pulsating clash featured squandered chances for both teams before Buendia capitalised on sloppy defending to bag the winner with virtually the last kick of the game. It was Arsenal’s first loss in all competitions since a 1-0 loss at Liverpool on August 31. “It [the loss] is painful. We didn’t manage the ball well when we regained it. Then we had periods where we gave the ball away [too often],” lamented a disappointed Arteta. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 December,2025 09:36 AM IST | Birmingham | AgenciesMitchell Starc has been menacing England with the ball in this Ashes series. Now he’s doing damage with the bat, too. At stumps on Day Three of the second Test, England was teetering on 134-6 in their second innings and still needed to score 43 runs to make Australia bat again. After taking six wickets in England’s first innings of 334, Starc scored an innings-high 77 as Australia responded with 511 on Saturday afternoon and then took two wickets in the night session. England’s hopes now rest on skipper Ben Stokes, who will resume on Sunday on 4. The 35-year-old Starc made England’s bowlers toil all afternoon in sunny, subtropical conditions at the Gabba as he led Australia to a 177-run first-innings lead. With the lights on and the pink ball starting to move around, Starc took the crucial wicket of top-ranked Joe Root (15) to have England reeling at 123-5, still 54 runs in arrears. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 December,2025 09:33 AM IST | Brisbane | AP | PTIIndia’s T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill has been cleared by the Sports Science team of the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence to play the opening T20I against South Africa on Tuesday after successfully completing his rehabilitation from a neck injury sustained during the Kolkata Test. Gill was selected in the squad subject to fitness and had to undergo all rehabilitation and skill-training protocols required for Return To Play (RTP). Gill had suffered a whiplash on the second day of the Kolkata Test and had to be hospitalised for a couple of days and administered an injection.He missed the just-concluded ODI series against South Africa. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 December,2025 09:27 AM IST | Cuttack | PTIStar-studded Mumbai returned to winning ways following their loss to Kerala in the previous round, defeating Chhattisgarh by eight wickets with skipper Shardul Thakur starring with the ball and Ayush Mhatre slamming a half-century in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group A match here on Saturday. With one more round to go in the group stage, defending champions Mumbai (20 points), who have won five out of six games so far, and Andhra (20 points) — who too have won five games — advanced to the Super League stage. Mumbai, who had lost to Kerala by 15 runs in the previous game, were served well by India all-rounder Thakur, who returned excellent figures of 3-19 in three overs as Chhattisgarh were bundled out for a paltry 121 in 19.4 overs. Mumbai openers Ayush Mhatre (69 not out, 39 balls) and India’s batting stalwart Ajinkya Rahane (40 off 28 balls) were then involved in an 82-run stand as the reigning champions reached the target in 15.5 overs for the loss of two wickets. Brief scoresChhattisgarh 121 all out in 19.4 overs (A Pandey 25; S Thakur 3-19, S Shedge 2-12, A Ankolekar 2-13, T Deshpande 2-38) lost to Mumbai 123-2 in 15.5 overs (A Mhatre 69*, A Rahane 40; S Agarwal 2-24) by eight wickets This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 December,2025 09:03 AM IST | Lucknow | PTIYashasvi Jaiswal has been the nearly man of India white-ball cricket. Despite boasting a commendable average of 36.15 and a terrific strike-rate of 164.31 in 23 matches, he hasn’t played a T20I since July 2024. The logjam at the top of the ODI tree had restricted his appearance in that format to just one until last week, when an unfortunate neck injury to skipper Shubman Gill threw him an unexpected lifeline. Perhaps overkeen to make a mark, the left-hander was dismissed for 18 in the first game and 22 in the next against South Africa in Ranchi and Raipur, respectively. With the series on the line, the 23-year-old adopted a different tack to complete the full set of international hundreds in all three formats. Prasidh, Kuldeep shine Prasidh Krishna, who bounced back spectacularly from an expensive opening spell, and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who produced a stunning third-spell burst of 5-1-14-4, ensured that a rare toss won by the home side didn’t go in vain. KL Rahul’s relief at ending a streak of 20 straight ODI toss losses manifested itself in a little fist bump, and even though Quinton de Kock did send them on an initial bumpy ride with a wonderfully-crafted 23rd century — and his seventh against India — a total of 270 on an increasingly improving batting surface was never going to be the sternest examination. Yashasvi Jaiswal is ecstatic after scoring his century againsti SA in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Pics/BCCI Jaiswal hogged much of the early strike though it was his former captain, Rohit Sharma, who did the running with trademark efficiency. Under lights, there was considerable seam movement for the towering Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi with the new ball. Jaiswal was beaten often outside off, but that didn’t distract him from the task at hand even as Rohit’s aggressive designs ensured the scoreboard didn’t come to a standstill. Jaiswal shifts gears Rohit unfurled several signature pulls to breeze to 20,000 international runs and a 61st ODI half-century until perishing to left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. By then, 155 were on the board and Jaiswal had reached his 50, off 75 deliveries. Freed up mentally at bringing up the mini milestone, he grew in stature in Virat Kohli’s company. While the capacity crowd couldn’t have enough of the 37-year-old, Jaiswal quietly worked his way through the gears to catch up with balls faced. Rohit had been his opening partner when Jaiswal reached his century on Test debut, in July 2023. Nearly two and a half years on, he sank into Kohli’s warm embrace after a sedate single to fine-leg that took him to what surely is the first of many ODI tons. His second fifty had come off a mere 36 balls, indicative of Jaiswal’s growing maturity and the increasing confidence that he doesn’t have to go hammer and tongs from the first ball every single innings. Kohli thoroughly entertained the adoring audience with a magnificent cameo full of bristle and intent, clattering the boundary off Ngidi that drove India home with nine wickets and 61 balls to spare, giving them a 2-1 series triumph. Brief scoresSA 270 all out in 47.5 overs (Q de Kock 106, T Bavuma 48; K Yadav 4-41, P Krishna 4-66) lost to India 271-1 in 39.5 overs (Y Jaiswal 116*, R Sharma 75, V Kohli 65*) by nine wickets OneThis is the first of 21 tosses that India have won since the 2023 ODI WC semi-final 20,048Total international runs scored by Rohit Sharma — only the fourth Indian to cross the 20,000-run mark SevenNo of ODI centuries by Quinton de Kock vs India — the joint-most along with SL’s Sanath Jayasuriya
07 December,2025 08:59 AM IST | Visakhapatnam | R KaushikIn the third ODI match against South Africa, Team India emerged victorious by nine wickets at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Needing to chase a target of 271 runs, Team India's opening batsman, Yashasvi Jaiswal, registered an unbeaten century. Facing 121 balls, the left-hander smashed 116 runs, which was laced with 12 boundaries and two maximums. This also marked his maiden ton in the format. Fellow opening batsman, Rohit Sharma, played a knock of 75 runs off 73 deliveries, including seven boundaries and three maximums. Along with Jaiswal, stalwart Virat Kohli stayed unbeaten at the crease. Kohli accumulated an unbeaten 65 runs after facing 45 balls. His knock also included six boundaries and three maximums. With this, the "Men in Blue" successfully chased the target in 39.5 overs. The victory also helped the hosts clinch the series by 2-1 against the Proteas. Keshav Maharaj was the only bowler who managed to pick up a wicket for South Africa in the series decider. Completing his quota of 10 overs, he conceded 44 runs and claimed one wicket. Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Ottniel Baartman, Corbin Bosch, and Aiden Markram went wicketless in the third ODI match against Team India. Bowling eight overs, Jansen was smashed for 39 runs, whereas Ngidi gave away 56 runs in 6.5 overs. Baartman bowled seven overs and leaked 60 runs, and Bosch, on the other hand, conceded 53 runs in his spell of six overs. Markram gave away 17 runs after bowling two overs. Earlier, South Africa's Quinton de Kock smashed 106 runs off 89 deliveries, which was laced with eight boundaries and six maximums. Fellow opening batsman, Ryan Rickelton, departed on a four-ball duck. Skipper Temba Bavuma missed his well-deserved half-century by just two runs. He scored 48 runs in 67 balls, including five boundaries. Matthew Breetzke accumulated 24 runs off 23 balls, including two maximums. Aiden Markram scored one run in three balls, and Dewald Brevis returned to the pavilion on 29 runs off 29 balls, including two boundaries and a maximum. Facing 15 balls, Marco Jansen scored 17 runs, with the help of two boundaries. Corbin Bosch managed to score nine runs in 12 balls. Lungi Ngidi scored just one run after facing 10 balls, whereas Ottniel Baartman departed after scoring three runs in seven balls. Keshav Maharaj stayed unbeaten on 20 runs in 29 balls, with the help of two boundaries.
06 December,2025 09:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist spoke about England's Ollie Pope's dismissal and also labelled it as a "reckless" batting approach, according to Fox Cricket. On day three of the second Test match of the ongoing Ashes series, Pope lost his wicket after scoring 26 runs in 32 balls, including four boundaries. He gained the attention of many people after his dismissal, as he tried to play a shot against a fuller delivery from Michael Neser. He got into the shot too early and lacked control, and the ball nipped back in to strike the inner half of his bat as Pope played it right into the hands of the bowler. Speaking about his dismissal, Gilchrist explained the reason for what is bringing Pope down. "(Pope's) desire to keep attacking and keep imposing himself on the bowling unit is what's bringing him down. Tonight was reckless. It just looked like reckless cricket," he said as quoted by Fox Cricket. The former cricketer then added that England's number three batsman needs to think about his batting approach before heading to Adelaide Oval for the third Test match of the Ashes series. "It's all a little bit too predictable from what we've seen in four innings so far (this series). There's a bit for him to think about before he goes to Adelaide," said the veteran of 96 Test matches. The 27-year-old Pope has struggled against Australia, averaging only 18.71 across 14 Test innings without registering a fifty, with a highest score of 46 in the first innings of the Ashes opener in Perth earlier this month. He also suffered a poor outing in the first innings of the ongoing match, as the right-hander returned to the pavilion after registering a three-ball duck. In the second Test match, the "Three Lions" have concluded day three with a score of 134 runs for the loss of six wickets in 35 runs. They are still trailing by 43 runs against the Aussies. England skipper Ben Stokes and Will Jacks will resume play on Day 4 at the Gabba in Brisbane. The Aussies are leading the five-match Test series by 1-0 against England. (With ANI Inputs)
06 December,2025 08:44 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the third ODI match against Team India, South Africa's Quinton de Kock played a knock of 106 runs. He faced just 89 deliveries and smashed eight boundaries and six maximums at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. With this, he became the seventh South African batsman to enter the elite list of players to complete 13,000 runs in the One-Day Internationals (ODIs). Currently, Quinton has accumulated 13,088 runs in 311 ODI appearances for South Africa. He has an average of 40.24 and a strike rate of 93.71. The left-hander has a total of 30 tons and 70 half-centuries, with a top score of 178 runs. With this century, his conversion rate from 50s to 100s in ODIs has risen to 41.81 per cent, more than Indian ODI maestro Virat Kohli (41.40 per cent). Also, he has levelled with Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara for the joint-most-highest centuries as a designated wicketkeeper-batter, with 23 tons each. The South African has also levelled with iconic Sri Lankan cricketer, Sanath Jayasuriya, for the joint-most centuries against Team India in ODIs. In just 23 innings, the 32-year-old has achieved his seventh century against the "Men in Blue", as compared to Jayasuriya, who has these seven centuries in 85 innings. The Johannesburg-born cricketer also joined the likes of legendary Sachin Tendulkar (seven centuries in the UAE), Saeed Anwar (seven centuries in the UAE), AB de Villiers (seven centuries in India), and Rohit Sharma (seven centuries in England) for the most ODI centuries in an away country by a batsman. This was de Kock's seventh ton in India. Riding on his knock, the Proteas reached the score of 270 runs in 47.5 overs against the KL Rahul-led men. Fellow opening batsman, Ryan Rickelton, departed on a four-ball duck. Skipper Temba Bavuma missed his well-deserved half-century by just two runs. He scored 48 runs in 67 balls, including five boundaries. Matthew Breetzke accumulated 24 runs off 23 balls, including two maximums. Aiden Markram scored one run in three balls, and Dewald Brevis returned to the pavilion on 29 runs off 29 balls, including two boundaries and a maximum. Facing 15 balls, Marco Jansen scored 17 runs, with the help of two boundaries. Corbin Bosch managed to score nine runs in 12 balls. Lungi Ngidi scored just one run after facing 10 balls, whereas Ottniel Baartman departed after scoring three runs in seven balls. Keshav Maharaj stayed unbeaten on 20 runs in 29 balls, with the help of two boundaries. (With ANI Inputs)
06 December,2025 07:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the third ODI match against Team India, South Africa posted a total of 270 runs in 47.5 overs at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Having put to bat first, Quinton de Kock smashed 106 runs off 89 deliveries, which was laced with eight boundaries and six maximums. Fellow opening batsman, Ryan Rickelton, departed on a four-ball duck. Skipper Temba Bavuma missed his well-deserved half-century by just two runs. He scored 48 runs in 67 balls, including five boundaries. Matthew Breetzke accumulated 24 runs off 23 balls, including two maximums. Aiden Markram scored one run in three balls, and Dewald Brevis returned to the pavilion on 29 runs off 29 balls, including two boundaries and a maximum. Facing 15 balls, Marco Jansen scored 17 runs, with the help of two boundaries. Corbin Bosch managed to score nine runs in 12 balls. Lungi Ngidi scored just one run after facing 10 balls, whereas Ottniel Baartman departed after scoring three runs in seven balls. Keshav Maharaj stayed unbeaten on 20 runs in 29 balls, with the help of two boundaries. Team India's pacer Prasidh Krishna bowled 9.5 overs and claimed four wickets by conceding 66 runs. Star spinner Kuldeep Yadav bagged four wickets for 41 runs in his spell of 10 overs. Arshdeep Singh and Ravindra Jadeja picked up one wicket each. Bowling eight overs, Arshdeep was smashed for 36 runs, whereas Jadeja leaked 50 runs in his nine overs. Harshit Rana and Tilak Varma went wicketless in the third ODI match against South Africa. Harshit bowled eight overs and gave away 44 runs, and Tilak, in his three overs, conceded 29 runs. The "Men in Blue" will expect their stalwart Virat Kohli to replicate his performance from the previous two matches. The right-hander had smashed centuries in both matches of the ongoing 50-over format series against the Proteas. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who registered his maiden ODI ton in the previous match, will be riding high on confidence and will look to bring his 'A-game' in the series decider. On the other hand, the Proteas under the captaincy of Bavuma will not allow the hosts to score easy runs. They will heavily rely on Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj to help their strike early wickets in the match. Currently, the three-match ODI series stands tied at 1-1. Both teams will be eager to secure a win in Visakhapatnam in order to clinch the series. After the conclusion of this series, both teams will lock horns against each other in the five-match T20I series, starting from December 9.
06 December,2025 06:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the third ODI match against South Africa, Team India skipper KL Rahul has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Team India has made one change, in which Washington Sundar has made way for Tilak Varma. For Proteas, Tony de Zorzi and Nandre Burger have picked up injuries, which in turn have provided opportunities to Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman, respectively. After winning the toss, the hosts' skipper Rahul said, "We're looking to bowl first; the dew doesn't seem to be a major factor here. We trained here last night, and the conditions appear to be good. We're happy with how we played in the last game; there were many positives to take away. We're making one change - Tilak Varma comes in for Washington Sundar". On the other hand, South Africa's captain, Temba Bavuma, said that the side was planning to bowl first, but having put to bat, the opening batsmen would look to set things up for the middle order. "We were planning to bowl first; assessing conditions early is key. The pitch doesn't look easy, so we'll start well and set things up for the middle order. We've made two changes: Ryan Rickelton and Ottniel Baartman come in. Injuries to Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi give others a chance to step up," he said. Considering that the three-match ODI series between the "Men in Blue" and the Proteas stands at 1-1, the third clash will serve pure entertainment and intense moments. The fans will expect Team India stalwart Virat Kohli to yet again showcase his elegance and classical strokes, whereas Ruturaj Gaikwad, who smashed his maiden century in the format in the previous game, will be riding high on confidence. IND vs SA 3rd ODI: Confirmed Playing XI India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna. South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
06 December,2025 01:35 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentGeneral Education Academy (GEA) and Dyandeep Seva Mandal (DSM) played out a draw on Day 2 of their Dreams Sports MSSA Harris Shield Super 8 tie at Parsee Gymkhana. After GEA were bowled out for 288 on Day 1, DSM were all out for 223 with Himanshu Sharma (61) and Chirag Luchach unbeaten on 60. GEA’s Aarush Kolhe took (3-56). In their second innings, GEA reached 137-3 three in 27 overs with Aarush scoring an unbeaten 46.
06 December,2025 09:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamADVERTISEMENT
